HP Color LaserJet, HP OfficeJet Enterprise Color, HP PageWide Enterprise Color, HP Managed Color - Unable to print in color after installing the HP Universal Print Driver (UPD) in Windows

Try these steps in the order presented to resolve the issue.

1. Make sure that you have a color printer and that the admin settings support color printing.

   Note:

   Some business environments restrict color printing. If you suspect this is occurring, contact your system administrator.

2. Make sure that a Windows Quick Set is not selected that contradicts the desired setting.

   1. Open the Windows App and open the document that you want to print.

   2. Select Print, and then click Properties.

   3. Click the Finishing tab.

   4. If selected, clear the check box next to Print in Grayscale, and then click Apply.

3. Open the HP Universal Printing Properties.

   1. In the Windows search field, search for the Control Panel.

   2. Click Devices and Printers.

   3. Right-click the UPD printer icon, and then click Printer properties.

4. Update the driver settings.

   1. Click the Device Settings tab.

   2. Under Installable Options, click Automatic Configuration: Off (the default) to display the drop-down list.

   3. Select Update Now.

      Select Update Now in the Automatic Configuration drop-down list

      

   4. Click Apply and wait for the driver to retrieve the printer information.

   5. Try again to print a color job.

      • If the page prints in color, the issue is resolved.

      • If the page does not print in color, continue to the next step.

5. If the update fails or the issue persists, manually change the color setting.

   1. Click the Device Settings tab.

   2. Under Installable Options, click Device Type: Auto Detect to display the drop-down list.

   3. Select Color, and then click Apply.

      Select Color in the Device Type drop-down list

      

   4. Try again to print a color job.

      • If the page prints in color, the issue is resolved.

      • If the page does not print in color, continue to the next step.

6. Open Print server properties and uninstall the UPD.

   1. In the Windows search field, search for the Control Panel.

   2. Click Devices and Printers.

   3. Click the UPD printer icon to select it, and then click Print server properties at the top of the window.

      Click Print server properties

      

   4. Click the Drivers tab.

   5. Select the HP Universal Printing driver, and then click Remove.

   6. Select the Remove driver and driver package option, and then click OK.

   7. Click Yes to confirm.

7. Reinstall the UPD in Traditional mode.

   Note:

   Be sure to install the latest HP Universal Print Driver (UPD) version available from hp.com. Older versions might not have the latest features available.

   1. Go to hp.com/go/upd.

   2. Click Download the HP Universal Print Driver.

   3. Expand the Driver-Universal Print Driver section.

   4. Click Download.

   5. Click Run.

   6. Select the Traditional option.

      Note:

      If you install the UPD using the USB or Dynamic option, or use a different method such as the Add printer wizard, you might have different results. The Traditional method is recommended.

   7. Type the IP address and wait for the printer to be discovered.

8. Try again to print a color job.

   • If the page prints in color, the issue is resolved.

   • If the page does not print in color, manually run the Update Now feature again to update the UPD features from the printer.

     Note:

     After performing an Update Now, the printer capabilities are retrieved and any features that the printer does not support will be grayed-out. If you do not run this update, features might display in the driver settings that are not supported by the printer.

9. Make sure that the Windows App settings match what you have configured in the UPD driver settings.

   Note:

   Print settings in Windows Apps, such as Word, will always override the printer driver settings.

10. Try again to print a color job.

    • If the page prints in color, the issue is resolved.

    • If the page does not print in color, check the color toner cartridges.