# Why is my color cartridge not printing in color?

> Printing troubles with your color cartridge could be due to a couple of issues. First, check your printer settings on the file or picture your trying t...

Source: https://support.ldproducts.com/en_us/why-is-my-color-cartridge-not-printing-in-color-ryP87K1Uv

Last updated: 2020-12-01T21:03:50.740Z

Printing troubles with your color cartridge could be due to a couple of issues.  First, check your printer settings on the file or picture your trying to print.  If your page is setup to print in “grayscale” it will only print in black and white.  Change the setting to “default” so it will print in color.  If your settings look good from the start, the cartridge may just need to be primed.  Most printers have a built in cleaning function that you can run to do this.  Before you do the cleaning, print out a diagnostic page to verify which colors are printing poorly.  If the test pattern is missing any lines, move on to running the cleaning function.  We walk you through the process below using an Epson WorkForce WF-3820, but the steps are similar no matter which printer you are using.  Just consult you printer's user guide for your machine's specific steps.

  

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**How to Print a Diagnostic Page with an Epson Workforce Pro WF-3820**

Swipe right on the printer display to access the maintenance menu  
  
![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/de9f0db567954de339a74a190586e85d.JPG)

Select "Maintenance, then select "Printhead Nozzle Check"  
  
![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/a552a372b0ce55ac19256c3b0563d6bf.JPG)![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/0989047615b7a1496925d578cba6bcc2.JPG)

Select "Print" and it will go through the printing process to print out a diagnostic page.  
![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/3667f276a607090725a90e544ddccebb.JPG)![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/989fc8ffb4794e784e3033550984587b.JPG)  
If the lines of a particular color are spotty or missing, this is the problem cartridge.  Select the red "X" to confirm that there is a print quality issue with one of the cartridges and the printer will prompt you to run a printhead cleaning.

![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/0d5f9f5fc4b00a30803d2a115cb8e659.jpg)![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/25b6a2cab82e3d484a27b8c011ada3d4.JPG) 

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**How to Run a Printhead Cleaning on the Epson Workforce Pro WF-3820**

Select "Start" to begin the cleaning, which takes about 2 minutes.  When the cleaning is complete you can choose to print out a new diagnostic page to check if the print quality issue was resolved.

![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/c282a767d9baf2a717c1d084f51d3449.JPG)![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/a938b4c881cb7ee0bab7cd740a9eab15.JPG)

![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f1748b36b69540019712b20/16b494c20283feb201d1a02d39ed0937.JPG)

 If the color is still not coming through, let the printer sit for about 10 minutes before running a second cleaning, this allows the ink to soak on the printhead.  It might take a couple of cleanings to get a cartridge properly primed, especially if the printer has been sitting for a while.  If you run a couple of cleanings without any success, it may be a faulty cartridge.   Faulty  cartridges are rare, but they do happen from time to time.  Try printing with a new cartridge and compare results.  If the cartridge is the culprit, look into the manufacturer’s guarantee about a replacement.  All LD brand cartridges are backed by a lifetime guarantee, so if you have the LD brand, you are covered!