canon ip4200 b/w still uses color?

I use the printer almost only with gray scale printing active. Still it
seems that my color cartridges are used intensively; I have to replace them
so often. Whereas the black cartrige lives quite long. And b/w pictures
seem to be not quite black. A little bluish I woud say. Is "gray printing"
using color some way? And can I force b/w?
TIA

"Boco Merci" <nospam@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:Xns9908DC170D815nospamnospamorg@194.134.69.69 ...
>I use the printer almost only with gray scale printing active. Still it
> seems that my color cartridges are used intensively; I have to replace
> them
> so often. Whereas the black cartrige lives quite long. And b/w pictures
> seem to be not quite black. A little bluish I woud say. Is "gray printing"
> using color some way? And can I force b/w?
> TIA

Boco - the large black cartridge (pigmented ink) is used when you select
the "plain paper" setting and NOT duplex printing. Duplex printing or paper
selection other than plain paper uses the dye-based inks to print colors
and/or black. Gray scale printing uses a combination of colors to come as
close as it can to black. Dye-based black inkjet inks just aren't jet-black.
If you mix a bit of black dye-based ink with some water you will see a blue
or purple tinge. I've also heard that some of these "black" inks also tend
toward a slight greenish hue.

All inkjet printers runs periodic automatic cleaning cycles to keep the
printhead nozzles clear of clogs. These cleaning cycles use ink from all
the cartridges even though you don't print color documents or photos. The
inkjet printer manufacturers expect you to use their own brand inks and
still run these cleaning cycles as they know that there is the potential for
the printhead nozzles to clog up with dried ink if you don't print fairly
frequently.

"Burt" <sfbjgNOSPAM@pacbell.net> wrote in message
news:siTQh.13586$Um6.9749@newssvr12.news.prodigy.n et...
> "Boco Merci" <nospam@nospam.org> wrote in message
> news:Xns9908DC170D815nospamnospamorg@194.134.69.69 ...
>>I use the printer almost only with gray scale printing active. Still it
>> seems that my color cartridges are used intensively; I have to replace
>> them
>> so often. Whereas the black cartrige lives quite long. And b/w pictures
>> seem to be not quite black. A little bluish I woud say. Is "gray
>> printing"
>> using color some way? And can I force b/w?
>> TIA
>
> Boco - the large black cartridge (pigmented ink) is used when you select
> the "plain paper" setting and NOT duplex printing. Duplex printing or
> paper selection other than plain paper uses the dye-based inks to print
> colors and/or black. Gray scale printing uses a combination of colors to
> come as close as it can to black. Dye-based black inkjet inks just aren't
> jet-black. If you mix a bit of black dye-based ink with some water you
> will see a blue or purple tinge. I've also heard that some of these
> "black" inks also tend toward a slight greenish hue.
>
> All inkjet printers runs periodic automatic cleaning cycles to keep the
> printhead nozzles clear of clogs. These cleaning cycles use ink from all
> the cartridges even though you don't print color documents or photos. The
> inkjet printer manufacturers expect you to use their own brand inks and
> still run these cleaning cycles as they know that there is the potential
> for the printhead nozzles to clog up with dried ink if you don't print
> fairly frequently.

I am curious about your comment about "grayscale" printing using color. I
have an S520 and in printing preferences with grayscale checked, if I look
in Manual, Color Adjustments settings, all Color Balance settings are
grayed out and only black intensity is a choice to change. If I uncheck
grayscale and look at Manual, Color Adjustment settings, then all 3 colors
and black settings for Color Balance are available to be changed. This to
me would make it appear that when grayscale is checked that only the black
ink is used.

> Boco - the large black cartridge (pigmented ink) is used when you
> select the "plain paper" setting and NOT duplex printing. Duplex
> printing or paper selection other than plain paper uses the dye-based
> inks to print colors and/or black.
>
I could not find this info in the help files, I tried your tip out and You
Are So Right! I used te set my printer to duplex printing to be more
economic. Ironic, isn't it?

Boco Merci wrote:
>> Boco - the large black cartridge (pigmented ink) is used when you
>> select the "plain paper" setting and NOT duplex printing. Duplex
>> printing or paper selection other than plain paper uses the dye-based
>> inks to print colors and/or black.
>>
>>
> I could not find this info in the help files, I tried your tip out and You
> Are So Right! I used te set my printer to duplex printing to be more
> economic. Ironic, isn't it?
>

No it is not. It still may be more econcomic. If you have a mailing
you may save an extra 40 cent stamp. Or you may use half the amount the
paper and save half the space so you do not have to buy more file
cabinets. You still pay for the ink but use different colors. So the
savings are not what you think.

"BR549" <spammenot@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:4615205f$0$24778$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
> "Burt" <sfbjgNOSPAM@pacbell.net> wrote in message
> news:siTQh.13586$Um6.9749@newssvr12.news.prodigy.n et...
>> "Boco Merci" <nospam@nospam.org> wrote in message
(snip)
>
> I am curious about your comment about "grayscale" printing using color. I
> have an S520 and in printing preferences with grayscale checked, if I look
> in Manual, Color Adjustments settings, all Color Balance settings are
> grayed out and only black intensity is a choice to change. If I uncheck
> grayscale and look at Manual, Color Adjustment settings, then all 3 colors
> and black settings for Color Balance are available to be changed. This to
> me would make it appear that when grayscale is checked that only the black
> ink is used.
>
I may be mistaken about grayscale printing using any but the dye-based
black. I am pretty certain, however, that when anything other than plain
paper is selected and an all black/gray tone image is printed you will use
some of the color carts as well as the black dye-based cart. I've also read
that when printing black images like text with plain paper and duplex
selected you get black made up of the black dye-based ink plus some of the
color cart inks. Has something to do with drying time and possibly
bleed-through on the paper as I recall. I can also tell you, from my
experience with the i960 printer six color printer, that I have had better
success printing black and white photos by leaving color selected and not
selecting grayscale!

"BR549" <spammenot@nospam.com> wrote:
>"Burt" <sfbjgNOSPAM@pacbell.net> wrote in message
>news:siTQh.13586$Um6.9749@newssvr12.news.prodigy. net...
>> "Boco Merci" <nospam@nospam.org> wrote in message
>> news:Xns9908DC170D815nospamnospamorg@194.134.69.69 ...
>>>I use the printer almost only with gray scale printing active. Still it
>>> seems that my color cartridges are used intensively; I have to replace
>>> them
>>> so often. Whereas the black cartrige lives quite long. And b/w pictures
>>> seem to be not quite black. A little bluish I woud say. Is "gray
>>> printing"
>>> using color some way? And can I force b/w?
>>> TIA
>>
>> Boco - the large black cartridge (pigmented ink) is used when you select
>> the "plain paper" setting and NOT duplex printing. Duplex printing or
>> paper selection other than plain paper uses the dye-based inks to print
>> colors and/or black. Gray scale printing uses a combination of colors to
>> come as close as it can to black. Dye-based black inkjet inks just aren't
>> jet-black. If you mix a bit of black dye-based ink with some water you
>> will see a blue or purple tinge. I've also heard that some of these
>> "black" inks also tend toward a slight greenish hue.
>>
>> All inkjet printers runs periodic automatic cleaning cycles to keep the
>> printhead nozzles clear of clogs. These cleaning cycles use ink from all
>> the cartridges even though you don't print color documents or photos. The
>> inkjet printer manufacturers expect you to use their own brand inks and
>> still run these cleaning cycles as they know that there is the potential
>> for the printhead nozzles to clog up with dried ink if you don't print
>> fairly frequently.
>
>I am curious about your comment about "grayscale" printing using color. I
>have an S520 and in printing preferences with grayscale checked, if I look
>in Manual, Color Adjustments settings, all Color Balance settings are
>grayed out and only black intensity is a choice to change. If I uncheck
>grayscale and look at Manual, Color Adjustment settings, then all 3 colors
>and black settings for Color Balance are available to be changed. This to
>me would make it appear that when grayscale is checked that only the black
>ink is used.

The printer uses only the 5BK cartridge when printing grayscale on plain paper
or envelopes.
When duplexing with plain paper it uses a combination of 5BK, 8C, 8Y and 8M and
when duplexing with "Photo Paper Plus Double Sided" it uses 8BK, 8C, 8Y and 8M
inks.
This results in a slight deterioration in black quality when duplexing, this is
true of most if not all of the pixma range with duplexing capability.
In all cases the number of passes of the printhead increases with the
definition required.
As Burt has explained, all of the inks are used in the printers automatic head
cleaning routine. This cannot be turned off and if it could it would result in
premature printhead failure.
Tony
MS MVP Printing/Imaging

"Tony" <tonythebengaltiger@gmail.com> wrote in message
newsart1of1.1.xf8hBRFSmyF5Jw@ue.ph...
(snip)
>>I am curious about your comment about "grayscale" printing using color. I
>>have an S520 and in printing preferences with grayscale checked, if I look
>>in Manual, Color Adjustments settings, all Color Balance settings are
>>grayed out and only black intensity is a choice to change. If I uncheck
>>grayscale and look at Manual, Color Adjustment settings, then all 3 colors
>>and black settings for Color Balance are available to be changed. This to
>>me would make it appear that when grayscale is checked that only the black
>>ink is used.
>
> The printer uses only the 5BK cartridge when printing grayscale on plain
> paper
> or envelopes.
> When duplexing with plain paper it uses a combination of 5BK, 8C, 8Y and
> 8M and
> when duplexing with "Photo Paper Plus Double Sided" it uses 8BK, 8C, 8Y
> and 8M
> inks.
> This results in a slight deterioration in black quality when duplexing,
> this is
> true of most if not all of the pixma range with duplexing capability.
> In all cases the number of passes of the printhead increases with the
> definition required.
> As Burt has explained, all of the inks are used in the printers automatic
> head
> cleaning routine. This cannot be turned off and if it could it would
> result in
> premature printhead failure.
> Tony
> MS MVP Printing/Imaging
>

Tony - thanks for clarifying my muddled, gray-scale explanation!

Burt

"Burt" <sfbjgNOSPAM@pacbell.net> wrote:
>"Tony" <tonythebengaltiger@gmail.com> wrote in message
>newsart1of1.1.xf8hBRFSmyF5Jw@ue.ph...
>(snip)
>>>I am curious about your comment about "grayscale" printing using color. I
>>>have an S520 and in printing preferences with grayscale checked, if I look
>>>in Manual, Color Adjustments settings, all Color Balance settings are
>>>grayed out and only black intensity is a choice to change. If I uncheck
>>>grayscale and look at Manual, Color Adjustment settings, then all 3 colors
>>>and black settings for Color Balance are available to be changed. This to
>>>me would make it appear that when grayscale is checked that only the black
>>>ink is used.
>>
>> The printer uses only the 5BK cartridge when printing grayscale on plain
>> paper
>> or envelopes.
>> When duplexing with plain paper it uses a combination of 5BK, 8C, 8Y and
>> 8M and
>> when duplexing with "Photo Paper Plus Double Sided" it uses 8BK, 8C, 8Y
>> and 8M
>> inks.
>> This results in a slight deterioration in black quality when duplexing,
>> this is
>> true of most if not all of the pixma range with duplexing capability.
>> In all cases the number of passes of the printhead increases with the
>> definition required.
>> As Burt has explained, all of the inks are used in the printers automatic
>> head
>> cleaning routine. This cannot be turned off and if it could it would
>> result in
>> premature printhead failure.
>> Tony
>> MS MVP Printing/Imaging
>>
>
>Tony - thanks for clarifying my muddled, gray-scale explanation!
>
>Burt

Burt
You are never "muddled".
Tony