Very often, you can choose Properties in the Print dialog box to get printer settings. There are usually contrast and brightness settings in there.

Something to keep in mind. For photos, black might be created by mixing colours rather than using the black ink that is used for text. Or, sometimes there is a separate black for photo printing, like on my Canon. Is there a chance you have an empty cartridge? My Canon won't let me do any printing, but older printers did.