Virtually any printer refuses to print anything when one of the ink cartridges are out. I think that when printers are out of black ink, for the time being they should use combinations of color inks. The quality wouldn't be very good, but it would be great for when the ink runs out just before a presentation is due. Likewise, when the color is out, it should allow you to print black-and-white and text documents using the black ink cartridge.-- -----, Nov 04 2004 I've never had a printer that refuses to do anything when the ink cartridge is out. It just prints worse and worse quality until it prints nothing. That being said, your idea isn't a bad one. If it's a word processing document it's currently easy enough to just change the color of my text, but for something like a PDF I'm out of luck without more ink.-- Worldgineer, Nov 04 2004 Mine have those electronic sensor thingies.-- -----, Nov 04 2004 Yes, newer printers have these ink-sensing features. One downside of the idea is that the color cartridges are much more expensive than the black ones. I propose that when this feature engages, the printer should start making cash register noises to inform you of the money being wasted.-- krelnik, Nov 08 2004 Weren't some of the older photo printers sans black ink?-- bristolz, Nov 08 2004 [oniony] I think it would be very expensive to buy the punching printer, so it wouldn't save money. Also the holes would wear out-- -----, Nov 08 2004 My color printer ran out of blue ink. (actually, the shippers put it in the truck sideways when I moved, and all the blue ink ended up in a coagulated puddle in one corner of the case.) Everything I printed came out pink. So I removed the color cartridge and set the printer to default to grayscale only printing. Works just fine.
The printer is worth about $40. New color carts cost $45. Go figure.-- Freefall, Nov 09 2004 Had a Deskjet that did this. Never quite achieved true black - it was always this deep midnight purple sort of thing. Off just enough that you could tell.-- waugsqueke, Nov 09 2004 Baked. Many printers do this.-- Voice, Nov 30 2006 halfbakery