According to Epson Technical Support, it is not possible to obtain good black and white or grayscale prints from the Epson Stylus Photo 1400 (Also including Stylus Photo 1410, Artisan 1430 and 1500/1500W), as it was specifically designed for making color prints, so attempts at making black and white prints would always result in getting some color overlays, not neutral blacks. However, we derived a simple yet highly effective way to print using only the Black ink, which as already mentioned, is not supposed to be possible, according to Epson’s technicians.
Steps To Take
Prepare your image and ensure it is converted to greyscale in Photoshop (or whichever image software you use).
File > Print – Your printer properties window will now display.
• On the first General page, select Best Photo (farthest right from the top choices)
• Select Plain Paper/Bright White Paper as the media – this is essential. Do NOT select the actual type of paper – You must choose Plain Paper
• Select paper size and orientation (Portrait or Landscape) as required
• Click on the Advanced button to enter the Advanced area page
• Select Greyscale, High Speed, Edge Smoothing options
That’s all there is to it. Provided your image is properly prepared, you will obtain a very high quality full-tonal-range black and white grayscale print using only the black ink. It will not be “dotty” from using just one ink.
Tips & Tricks
Note: For the best quality with Epson printers, ensure for up-to say A4 size, your PPI (pixels per inch) for the image file is 180 PPI. This can be OK for larger images but I would suggest (as I do) use 360 PPI for larger prints. 180 PPI and 360 PPI convert using a whole number into the printer’s resolution of either 720 DPI (dots per inch) or 1440 DPI.
Because Epson printers perform an ink-wasting clean every time any cartridge is “replaced” – obtain an inexpensive chip resetter. When (Using either a CISS or Refillables) the message appears that one cartridge needs replacing – just refill all refillables (the CIS cartridges will refill automatically of course) and reset all the chips so they will all then appear as full. That way – only one clean will occur, preventing lots of waste where a clean using inks from all cartridges is performed when just one is “replaced”. Note that while these models are supposed to have the 9-chips, in reality the resetter with its 7-chip attachment/guide will work, whereas the 9-chip will not!
The technique can be used on all 6-ink-Epson printers.
