Thank you 0E 800. Though, I started out my post with 'sometimes' so that OP didn't immediately try my semi-difficult to replicate recommendation without first reading more replies. I just thought it would be more productive to post something that might work rather than decide not to post anything at all because it sounds far-fetched.
The link you were referring to was about network printers printing garbage when scanned over the network, while OP's
question was about printing without using non-black ink. As you can see, the only connection is in the word "printer". Moreover, this just derailed the thread instead of helping OP, who isn't returning it seems.
Back on topic:
Removing the ink cartridges will most likely not work, since the printer will probably complain about it. And even converting
to greyscale might not always help, since some printers partly replace black ink by a mixture of the other colors to make the colors more "deep". This feature can be disabled (if present). And of course, most printers give you the option to print any image in greyscale, so you might be able to save those settings permanently.
EDIT:
I just noticed that OP can't make the printer use greyscale output. In this specific case you'd need to convert the images,
although I somehow doubt that a modern printer doesn't have such a simple feature.
Further googling brought up that it is a
known issue on other HP printers as well.Due to the way the printing heads on Inkjet printers are constructed, they need to be filled with ink to prevent clogging etc.
TL;DR:
Get a laser printer if you only need to print documents, the cartridges last much longer and it will certainly be possible to print in B&W.
