How did you run out of colors if you don't print in color at all? The newer color inkjets are designed to run with full cartridges, and I don't think there is a way around that since it could ruin the printer.  If you don't use colors a cartridge ought to last a long time, and would overall be cheaper than messing with the printer and ruining it. Besides, you can either buy a refill kit or remanufactured cartridges, both of which are way cheaper than Canon stuff.  Check the Internet for compatible clones.

>I have a Canon S520 printer.  It ran out of black ink a short while ago, so
>I installed a new cartridge.  It has been warning me that the three colors
>are running low, but I have been ignoring it, because I never print in color
>and don't want to have to buy colored ink cartridges.  I used to do this all
>the time - let the colors run out and print with only black.  It worked just
>fine on every printer I've ever used, until now.  Now I've run out of
>Magenta and it won't print at all.  Why?!  In actuality, it does NOT take
>colors to print in black. Does anyone know of anything I can do to keep this
>printer going on just black ink?  I wasn't sure if this was a software or
>hardware situation, but thought there might be a software tweek I could do,
>

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