Epson stylus color 740 printer wont print in color. Using XP home and have tried new color cartridge, Epson does not show a driver specific for the 740.Using XP driver which supposedly includes 740 but believe trouble is in printer. Black prints ok. Printer about 5 years old. Also tried new cable for the heck of it.Any one have this type of trouble before?

I am not sure if I have had the specific problem before, but I have had similar. First thing I would check is to see what the default settings are for the printer, in particular that it is not set to print greyscale...

No grayscale even available. When you run any of the printer test, the color portion is missing.

That sounds like the color cartridge is either blocked or is not seated properly. You could try gently cleaning off the nozzles and/or using the printer's cleaning function repeatedly to see if it works.

That said, I just looked at your first post again and noticed that you have tried a new cartridge, so I would check to make sure it is seated properly and the nozzles are clear. Also, you might want to track down the latest driver from Epson and install it...

Epson doesnt have an xp driver for this model. Supposedly its in the xp printer driver for this model.

They do say that you can use the Win2000 driver and they do have one for that here. (http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0748572787.10624741 51@@@@&BV_EngineID=gadciefmgdikbfdmcfjgckidnf.0&cookies=no&oid=14422&infoType=Downloads) It might be worth trying it. There troubleshooting basically just says what I suggested about the possibility of clogged nozzles. If all else fails, you could try asking them by email, but they will probably just tell you to clear the clogged nozzles...:rolleyes:

This link down will give you XP drivers/software for your printer. XP tries to convince you that you have the correct driver in but this is just MS's own drivers for the printer with no frills.


http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=14422

Are we saying to try the win 2000 drivers even though its XP?

Yes.

Tried a new driver but as I thought it was not the problem. Tried the recommended clean nozzles six times by Epson and color returned. Thanks for all the responses.

1966, I'd like to hear if you solved this problem, as I have the exact same situation with my BubbleJet. I am also running XP home. Everything else works perfectly, including the scanner attachment I use. Just won't give me colour....???

Welcome to pc guide and yes the recommendation by Epson to run their
cleaning print nozzles six times worked in this case. I was suprised but
it still printing very well as we speak. Talked with the owner the other day and very pleased. I would go to Cannon site and see if you can find a recommendation from them but it won't hurt to give your Bubblejet a try with the same thing. If not used to print very much
print nozzles tend to be clogged with drying ink.:D Good Luck.

OOPS!! Didnt read the very last post properly. I see it now haha. OK I'll try that. I should say it is the problem as I hardly use the printer. Thanks!

OK. Now its printing a tiny bit of colour and no black at all. Go figure.

Read through the whole thread and follow the various suggestions. It sounds like you may have clogged nozzles, but it could also be a poorly seated cartridge or other problems....

Are you sure your ink cartridge is full?;)

Absolutely. I bought a new one. Also, have taken the whole cartridge box out and carefully cleaned with alcohol (black was working after this), then I went to the Canon site which was not too helpful, pretty much the same as on the troubleshooting guide which comes with the printer. Cleaned and tested the nozzle as instructed. Now the black is very faint, plus a tiny bit of pink and blue. Have already looked at the other suggestions, dont think this is a driver problem. I know this is an el cheapo printer, but it's very annoying. The ink cartridges are about 1/3 of the price of the whole thing.

If you are getting some ink, just keep running the software cleaner and see if it improves. I had an HP that I ran the cleaner on about a dozen times until it worked....

Well,
After cleaning testing cleaning testing blah blah, no joy. But there's sort of a happy ending. Tried a similar printer which my brother gave me, Canon as well, swapped the colour cartridge over (identical even though different cartridge model), downloaded a driver and Voila!! Will persist with my printer as I like the scanner feature but at least I am printing.

If the cartridge worked in another printer it suggests 2 possibilities to me. One is that the cartridge holder could be clogged with ink, so a gentle cleaning inside the printer might be worthwhile.

The other option is that the software is a problem, as has been suggested before... I would try Removing and reinstalling the drivers again to make sure...

Does your Epson have the heads built into the printer or are they part of the cartridge?
Perhaps the heads have reached the end of their life.

I used to have an Epson and when the heads blocked and wouldn’t clear I accessed the innards of the machine and tried to fix the problem myself because it was uneconomic to replace the heads. A new printer cost the same as the heads. I ruined the machine in the attempt. I was instructed by phone to disconnect something from the circuit board, but I ripped the connection off the board by mistake!

To replace it I bought a much cheaper Hewlett Packard and it has been brilliant!
I refill the black cartridge and the heads start to go after about 3 or 4 cartridges worth of ink has been used. The symptoms were poor definition of characters, white lines through the black, chaotic deposition of ink to make characters.
So then I replace the cartridge [and the heads with it] and it's back as good as when new.

The point I'm making is that heads have a limited life and if the heads are built into the machine then you have to throw out the printer when the heads go!
Could that be the state of play with this machine?