Help with printer problem please

[cat_lover_4113]

Okay, today I was trying to print out the following picture, http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5495/grouppromo8id4.jpg in colour, five times, cause I wanna stick it on my binders.

I did a black and white print first, turned out all right. The others in colour though....

A couple had parts missing from the right, only cause of how far I put the paper in I'm sure.

BUT!

The problem is, I tried printing out more, and suddenly the background decided to print Magneta! Not Gray!

Why? Can anyone tell me why? I was going to have another try printing tomorrow and see if anything had changed, and then clean the nozzles on the cartridges and everything, but I'd like your help first before I waste time doing unnessecary things when I could be sticking pictures of the cast of House on my binders!

[cowmage]

Sounds like your color cartridge is mostly empty, and only printing with one or two of the colored inks that printers use, instead of all three. Replace your color cartridge and that should fix it. I suppose it could also be your black cartridge, but I'd replace the color cartridge first. Cleaning the nozzles wouldn't hurt, either, but I don't think that's as likely. That's pretty seldom a necessity.

If your printer has three color cartridges (as some nicer ones do), you probably only have to replace one. I wouldn't know which one, though. There should be a way that your printer will indicate which cartridge is low, anyway.

[cat_lover_4113]

Replace the cartridge? Damn. It was on half when I started. The black cartridge is new.

Damn. I'll have to ask Mum, don't know if she will though after I wasted all that paper yesterday....

Thank you Cowmage

[cowmage]

If it was actually half full when you started, then it's not empty. That quantity of ink would drip off the page and stain your floor. I would try cleaning the nozzles, though. That's seldom a problem, but it's certainly worth a shot.

[cat_lover_4113]

But maybe the gray is empty? I know that red, yellow, and blue are used, but I printed a picture with blue and it turned out great, not like I thought it would.

So clean the nozzles? And if the ink level isn't a problem than I wonder why.