Updated 16/10/2019
Is your Samsung, HP, Brother, Canon, Ricoh or Epson printer not recognising a replacement ink or toner cartridge? This is something that we find our customers experience every now and again so you aren’t alone!
A printer not recognising a new ink or toner cartridge is one of the most common issues that print owners experience when changing or replacing an empty one, irrespective of what brand printer you have, and one that our customers frequently ask us about. This can mostly affect your printer when you a replacing compatible, remanufactured, generic or refilled ink cartridges and you may be looking for a way to fix this issue. Read below where we’ll explain why this happens and how to fix your printer.
Firstly, try our 8 tips to help solve this problem, then if you need further help we have tips for specific brands at the bottom of this guide.
What is a compatible cartridge?
A compatible cartridge is an ink cartridge that had not been produced by the original manufacturer of your printer, but functions in the exact same way that a branded product would.
What happens?
Computer error message when printer cartridge not recognised.
There may be occasions when, after installing a new ink or toner cartridge in your printer, you might see a message on your printer like:
- Your printer says ‘toner is not compatible.‘
- Your printer says ‘printer cartridge not detected,‘ or your printer cannot detect ink.
- A low or empty level of ink and toner displayed on your computer.
- A HP Printer displaying ‘HP Cartridges locked’ or ‘Cartridge Protection enabled.’
- A message on your printer warning ‘no cartridge installed’ (or words to that effect).
- Flashing warning lights displayed on your printer.
Here are the most common reasons why your printer isn’t recognising a cartridge:
Internal memory reset needed:
Your printer should automatically recognise when you install a new cartridge and reset its internal memory, ensuring that it’s displaying full ink and toner levels etc. However, sometimes the printer just doesn’t do that correctly and believes that the old one, or no cartridge, is currently inserted instead. Click here for the solution below on how to fix this
Protective strips haven’t been removed:
If you haven’t removed protective covers or plastic strips that are attached to a new cartridge when you first take it out of its packaging, the printer will fail to register the new cartridge and this will cause problems. Take the cartridge out of your printer and make sure all strips, tabs or plastic covers are removed before installing the cartridge again.
Dirty / damaged contacts stop chip data being read:
The new ink or toner cartridge has a number of metal contacts that connect to similar metal contacts in the printer allowing them to communicate. Dirt or damage on the contacts inside the printer can prevent the contacts from connecting and can stop the printer from reading the information on the chip. Click here for information on how to clean metal contacts.
HP Cartridge Protection is enabled
Whilst updating firmware is often necessary, if you have a HP printer an update may be installed to ‘enable cartridge protection’ this then prevents these cartridges form working in any other printer. Cartridge protection may also stop compatibles from working in your machine at all. This can be switched off. See how to fix HP cartridges locked to another printer.
The Incorrect consumable installed in a slot:
A rare occasion but this does happen! It’s quite an easy mistake to put a colour ink or toner cartridge into the incorrect slot or purchase the wrong cartridge model for your printer. Also, if a drum or fuser or other maintenance item was accidentally purchased instead of a toner cartridge and installed without the toner, the printer will not work and still needs a new cartridge.
Take all the cartridges back out of the printer and double check they were in the correct colour slots and all the required cartridges are present. If not, reinstall them and switch the printer off and back on to reset the system.
An Ink cartridge has not been inserted in its slot correctly:
There is also the off chance that an ink cartridge wasn’t fully clicked in to its designated slot and so the printer can’t detect the new ink cartridge and displays the error message. All you’ll need to do is lift your cartridge cover again and double check each of the inserted cartridges to make sure that they have been clicked in, then close the cover again and try once more.
In the case of toners, sometimes broken plastic parts can cause the toner to not sit correctly into the printer slot. you would need to replace the toner to fix this issue.
A printer software update has rendered the chip data useless or stamped it with an ’empty’ status
This is one of the main causes for a compatible ink or toner to not work in your printer. Modern printers automatically connect to the internet but pc software or internal printer software (firmware) will often need to be updated at the request of the printer. These updates can often fix bugs but more recently printer manufacturers have used updates to stop compatible cartridges from working in your printer. Often delivering messages like ‘cartridge not compatible‘ or ‘cartridge not recognized,’ or ‘cartridge empty‘.
Remanufactured inks can have an empty status set to the chip data which means you need to bypass the error. If you have a Canon printer, click here to read how to bypass this error.
Are manufacturers allowed to stop remanufactured cartridges from working?
This is a very grey area of legality for printer manufacturers as it’s against the law for them to stop you from using a compatible or remanufactured cartridge in your printer. However, they can get around this by refreshing the software frequently to new versions that the chips on remanufactured cartridges no longer register to, rendering them unusable. The only solution here is to replace the cartridge with a new one or bypass the warning.
For example, HP install anti-counterfeit software in all of their machines. This software is meant to stop the use of fake cartridges (ones that are made by criminals and pretend to be original HP cartridges) but it also stops compatible or remanufactured cartridges.
If you do plan to use compatible or reman inks and toners, it may be wise to disable automatic software updates on your printer. You can do that on your computer via the printer properties (Control panel > printers and devices > right click your printer in the list > properties > software tab > un-tick ‘automatically update’ your printer).
How to override the ink cartridge error – 8 steps to try
The first thing to do is not to panic! Whether you’ve bought them from us or another supplier, there really shouldn’t be any reason why a good quality original or compatible cartridge wouldn’t work in your printer so with a little patience, we’ll get you through it. Try the following 8 steps to correct your issue.
How to reset the printer memory:
- Remove your new cartridge and replace it with the old one. Leave your printer and go and do something else for 10 minutes.
- Replace the old cartridge with the new one again. These two steps alone often resolve the issue, so see if your printer now recognises your new cartridges. However, if you’re still having trouble…
- Remove the new cartridge. Make sure you place it in a clean and safe place where the cartridge or the surface won’t be damaged.
- Turn the printer off using its power button
- Unplug your printer at the wall. It’s important to do both steps 4 and 5 separately, as some printers can remain in sleep mode if you’ve only switched off the power button on the printer control panel. Leave your printer like this for about 10 minutes or so.
- Plug your printer back in at the wall (but don’t press the power button just yet)
- Insert your new cartridge
- Press the power button on your printer
Hopefully, you should be able to now print with your new compatible ink or toner cartridge! If this doesn’t work, move on to the next step.
Clean the metal contacts:
The metal contacts can usually be seen on one side, the back of a toner cartridge or back of an ink cartridge and look like a flat piece of copper, metal or even like circuit board (please note that some ink cartridges have no contacts at all). Here are the steps to follow:
- Power down and unplug your printer (for inkjet printers ignore this step as cartridges must be removed before powering off)
- Carefully remove your toner or ink cartridge and place to one side on a flat surface where it will be safe.
- Inspect the cartridge for the metal contacts
- Inspect the inside of the printer for the connection point
- With a lint free / dry cloth lightly wipe the contacts on both cartridges and printer to remove any dirt, or residue being careful not to cause any damage.
- Replace the cartridges in the printer
- Power the printer back on
- Try to print again.
This should now fix any issues you may have with dirty contacts or microchips.
Contact pins inside printer.
Contact chip/pins on toner cartridge
Still having trouble?
If you are still having trouble there are a few more things to check:
- Make sure all protective covers and strips were removed from your new cartridge when it was installed. You normally get instructions in the box that will indicate how to do this.
- Make sure that you purchased the correct consumable. Believe me this does happen to the best of us. Make sure you purchased an ink or toner and not a new drum unit or other maintenance item. If you need help, we can check this for you.
- Update your printer software by following the instructions manual on how to update the firmware. You can normally do this by visiting the manufacturer website and searching for your printer.
If you have exhausted all these options, then there’s a possibility that you may have faulty cartridge or faulty microchip and providing you made your purchase with a reputable supplier, you should be covered. Also with modern technology in printers some manufacturers are making it even harder for you to use a compatible or remanufactured cartridge such as HP locking cartridges to a specific printer.
If this is the case, simply get in touch with your supplier and they will check if you qualify for a refund or exchange it for a new cartridge.
What about Refilled ink cartridges?
If you’ve used a refill service or refilled ink / toner cartridges yourself, you may encounter any number of issues. Ink cartridges that have been refilled can damage the integrity of the ink cartridge which can sometimes cause leaks in your printer.
The manufacturers chip would also need to be reset as the printer may read the chip and think that it is empty. Once a cartridge has been used until it is empty the chip records that the cartridge has no remaining ink or toner and so when it’s refilled, the chip needs to be reset. If this isn’t done, then the printer will fail to recognise the cartridge. You would need special tools to reset the chip and as firmware is updated on the printer, the chip may need to be reset again.
How to get a refilled cartridge to work
One thing to try to get around any issues with refilled inks is to go to your printer’s general settings and navigate to preferences and switch off any setting that would be set to send usage data to the printer manufacturer.
The message might say something like, ‘Store anonymous usage information’.
This setting is normally default to on, and it’s the setting that allows the printer to monitor the use of the cartridges. By switching it off, you’re telling the printer it can’t monitor what inks are being used and it should allow refilled inks to work. However, this would prevent you from knowing how much ink is left in the cartridges at any given time.
If you did purchase your cartridge from us, you’ll be covered by our 3-year guarantee for our compatible ink and toner and a 6 month guarantee on any original cartridge and we’ll be more than happy to help you out. You can contact us on 0845 365 3605 or click live chat on TonerGiant.co.uk.
Tips for specific Brands
Here are some tips for specific brands that are different to the 8 tips above. However, it’s best to first try the tips above which are more common.
HP printer won’t recognize new ink cartridge:
- Remove the unrecognised cartridge and put in an older one
- Leave your printer alone for around ten minutes
- Take the old cartridge out and put the previous one in again.
- Restart the machine and it should now work. If not, you may have to clean the cartridge.
- Some of HP’s newer model laser printers have a setting that only allows original HP toners to be used in the printer. If this switched on, it will reject all non-original toners.
- You can switch it off from the security section of the printer menu.
- Newer HP machines also have automatic seal removal which can cause issues if you don’t pre-remove seals and tabs from a generic cartridge.
It’s frustrating if you’re trying to get ink cartridges to work in your HP printer. The main culprit is HP’s new printer setting that locks cartridges to another printer. you can find out more information about that and how to fix it here.
The final culprit could be a ‘supply memory error’ similar to the Samsung issue above, where metal contacts on the cartridge don’t connect to the printer. You can read how to fix a supply memory error here.
Brother printer not recognizing cartridges
If you specifically have a Brother printer and you’ve tried the 8 tips above without success, the following extra tip will help you to get your printer to recognize your compatible cartridge.
Firstly, try to reset the printer by pressing the power button 7 times. This will clear the error message and the printer should start to print again.
For Brother machines it’s also possible to reset the cartridge via the menu on the printer. Follow the steps above, then lift the cover on your printer, press the clear or back button and use the arrow keys to scroll to the reset options. You can then choose which cartridge to reset. Click OK, and press 1 to reset. The Clear or back button will allow you to leave the menu. To enter the ‘Reset menu’ for inkjet printers, hold the cancel and print buttons at the same time and follow the same instructions.
Canon printer not recognising a new ink cartridge
If your Canon printer isn’t recognising a compatible ink cartridge, this may be because the data on the cartridge chip is stamped with an empty status before it was remanufactured.
Hold down the stop / cancel button for 5 seconds to bypass the ‘ink has run out’ message and your cartridge should work.
The cancel button is a red button that normally looks like a triangle in a circle.
Epson Printer Doesn’t recognise a new cartridge
- Remove the unrecognised ink cartridge and reinstall. This is to ensure it has clicked in place properly.
- If this doesn’t work, remove and inspect the cartridge chips. Clean away any dirt or ink that may be preventing it from being recognised. Refit and check if this has solved the problem.
- Take out all the cartridges and turn the printer off. After 30 seconds, power the printer up and fit the ‘not recognised’ cartridge alone. Close the lid, press the ‘ink’ button and see if this has solved the issue. If it now recognises the cartridge, refit all of the other cartridges and press the ‘ink’ button.
- Try reinstalling the original cartridge that came with your Epson printer, if you have it. If the error doesn’t appear, it may mean that the ‘not recognised’ cartridge is faulty.
- Remove all cartridges and check the model’s chip contacts. Epson printers contain thin gold wires that the chip will press against once the cartridge is installed. If it breaks, the cartridge won’t work correctly. To fix this, you’ll have to see a professional or get a replacement model.
- On your computer, go to the control panel or settings cog and find the printers & devices section. Right click on the Epson printer and click ‘preferences’. Click the ‘speed & progress’ tab, and then deactivate the ‘status monitor’ and click save.
It can be frustrating when your Epson printer won’t recognise compatible cartridges, so give our above steps a go to see if it fixes the problem. If your Epson printer still doesn’t recognise the new cartridge, try our general tips. You should also ensure your printer is working correctly rather than assuming it is an issue with the cartridge.
Ricoh Printer Not Recognizing new toner
Ricoh laser printers often suffer with known firmware issues that can cause the toner cartridges to not be recognized. Sometimes the incorrect firmware version can be installed, causing the problem.
Search Google for Ricoh [your printer model] firmware, then find the correct firmware version for your machine and products and install the most up to date available firmware via your computer. This will normally correct the issue and get your toner cartridge to be recognised again.
Samsung Printer not recognising toner
The most common reason for Samsung printers not recognising a toner cartridge is due to the golden metal contacts on both the cartridge and inside the printer not connecting properly, check the contacts and make sure that no dirt or damage is present. Once cleaned, the printer will normally start to work again.
Lastly, as HP manufacture cartridges for Samsung printers across the world, they are also regionally encoded. Check that the cartridge you have installed is the correct cartridge for your region as this can cause the same error and the toner will need to be replaced.
Did this work for you? Let us know in the comments below, or tweet us @TonerGiant.
About Stuart DeavallI have been working in the printing industry with TonerGiant for over 12 years and am the resident technical printer expert. I'm also the Digital Marketing Manager at TonerGiant.co.uk (degree qualified) and I have a passion for helping people fix their printer issues. I'm also a big fan of all gadgets and technology.
Tried all above options with my Canon Pixma MG5650, no chance. Final option useless because cannot replace cartridge without power on!
I have faced the same problem but I recover the solution of the problem as follow 1) power tern 2) open front cover 3) fine cartridge remove and finally safety tape is removed.
Did you manage to sort it out? Mine.(exactly the same model) does the same. Just out of guarantee 🙁 very upset.
I have gone through the same hell with my Cannon TS8151. No online solution I have seen so far seems to sort this problem. It will not accept compatible inks. Has anyone managed to resolve this issue? I have heard it is illegal for printer suppliers to stop one from using compatible inks. But how does that work?
You’re completely right, it’s illegal for printer manufacturers to prevent the use of compatibles in their printers. As a consumer you’re entitled to a fair choice of cartridges you want to use but here’s how they get around it. They keep changing the firmware on the printer or the chip so that the compatible cartridges won’t be recognised if the chip software is out of date. Sometimes, you just have to get a replacement from the place you bought them from as you can’t update the chip yourself.
My Canon Pixma TS5120 will NOT accept remanufactured ink, and I was totally stunned to find this out. I will not purchase another Canon printer. I even called Canon and they (so nicely, I thought…) assisted me to purchase a comparable printer model to my former printer. NOT!! I am hunting all the sites to find a solution.
Hi Margaret, is there a specific error code number displayed on the printer screen, or could you tell me what the message says? My best guess about your cartridges not working is that the printer would say something like FINE cartridge not recognised or not installed and it’s likely that the chip on the compatible cartridge you are using is out of date (doesn’t match the current printer software. This normally happens when the printer gets an automatic update. All you can do in that situation is to get a replacement ink compatible cartridge (contact the place you bought it from and tell them it’s faulty).
Unfortunately none of you solutions worked and Samsung say without proof of purchase they will not be able to help.
Bought TWO toners whilst in the shop location and both genuine Samsung toners.
So my next solution is buy a new printer.
Hi there, if you purchased your compatible cartridges from us there may be more advice we can give you to get them to work or if this is indeed a fault we should be able to help you further or determine what is going on. Please contact our customer care team on 0845 365 3605. Thanks, Stu.
I am having the same problem and have resolved to not buy another Samsung product. Getting the runaround and landing on the HP site because Samsung dropped their printer line!!
Tried everything and now so frustrated I want to throw this boat anchor in the trash.
Yes Samsung Printer division has been bought by HP now. All printer manufacturers do similar things so you’d get the same problem with other brands unfortunately.
Good
I have a Canon MG5450 and change the cartridges when they read empty and the printer code comes up. Having changed them 3 weeks ago the magneto cartridge indicator light would not come on, but all of the rest have, I changed the cartridge for a genuine Canon and no change. Tried 4 other cartridges and no change. Is there a solution to this before I buy a new printer?
The only thing you can try is to take all cartridges out again, then switch off the printer (while the cartridges remain out of the printer) and unplug for 10 minutes. Plug in and switch back on, then reinstall all the inks and see if it corrects the issue.
I have a canon mg8200 it won’t recognize the replacement toner and I can’t find an alternative for it to accept it. Anyone can help please
Canon are notoriously bad for changing the firmware and causing compatible chips to fail. You will need to find a better supplier for your cartridges or return them for a newer batch where the chips are up to date and make sure your printer isn’t connected to the internet.
Worked for me 3rd time trying, just kept swapping old/new back and forth and got there , thanks v much!
I have done what you suggested about replacing the new with the old (which, incidentally, is the same make of compatible cartridge), gone away to do something else and found that the printer recognized the old one and printed the test page. When I replaced it with the new (identical) cartridge, the HP message “failed cartridge” came up. This is a Wilkinsons own brand cartridge. I have used them before, but they started to throw up this message and I reverted to HP originals. However, some shops charge over £20.00 each for HPs own brand. This is too expensive. I am printing 154 pages = 3 volumes in total of 462 pages plus covers, so I cannot really afford to pay much over £8 or £9 per cartridge. They don’t seem to print very many pages per cartridge before a new one is required. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Ps. I’ll try what Simon above said about try it for three or four times.
Hi Stanley, if you’ve tried what we suggested above, the only other options are to try and update your printer firmware on the HP website or try to wipe the printer metal contacts and the cartridge contacts in case they are dirty and not communicating properly. If that doesn’t work, I would suggest contacting where you purchased your cartridge and asking for an excahnge as the chip or contact may be damaged in some way. Thanks, Stu.
I had the same thing. I had been using Wilko brand and having to by pass Canon block by pressing reset button. Then, one day, when changing a Wilko for a new WIlko a new block appeared which I cannot get round. The new block disables the reset button
I bought set of 4 expensive HP122A from HP online shop…. I bought the black first but could not use it until some months after bought the complete set in June.. I hardly use the printer and the ink display level was showing full for all the four colours since June 2016. All of a sudden in October, on the 28th of October 2016 to be precise it started indicating as empty that i should replace the black cartridge. This is suppose to give me 7,000 prints and I seldom use it since June
I have tried all your suggestions above but it’s still saying I should replace black ink… I hardly use this printer since i
Hi Sarah, thanks for your comment. It sounds like an automatic software update may have triggered a fault with the chip in the toner cartridge, there should be a standard 6 months warranty from HP so that you can get a replacement. Here’s a number you can call to get in touch with HP about your order with them: 0345 270 4142
Absolutely sick to death of compatible cartridges they just dont cut the mustard, stop selling them.
Hi Dorothy, thanks for your comment. Have you actually purchased compatible cartridges from us before? I know the perception out there is that compatibles have lots of problems but in my experience it really does matter where you buy them from. For example our failure rate is below 2% and we only manufacture the best quality compatibles. Thanks, Stu.
how about you stop buying them?
Which test showed that compatible cartridges were often better than the makers products
Hello, i have a Samsung Xpress M2026 laser printer and I changed the toner with non-original toner. But it said that the toner is non compatible. I made all the steps that you mentioned but is still not working. I change also the toner with new non original but the same non compatible. What can I do?
Thanks in advance.
Hi there, thanks for your comment. The issue you described is normally caused when a printer update has been applied to the firmware. Whilst it’s against the law for printer manufacturers to stop customers from using compatible cartridges, they do often cause them to fail and get around it by saying that they are preventing the use of illegal copies. It’s likely that the chip in the compatible toner needs to be changed. The only way to fix is usually to contact the company you purchased from and get a replacement. If you purchased from us, please call us on 0845 365 3605 and we’ll be happy to help! Thanks, Stu.
What bugs me about Samsung is that their laser printer cartridges are region coded, which means I have to buy them in New Zealand where there is only one place I can buy. Well, I could find only one on the Internet. The price is NZ$120 plus $10 to send it to me, almost twice as much as on amazon.com. Consequently I am going to have to put up with part of the page being more grey than black until I can find the wherewithal. Grrr! It makes me feel that I never want to buy another Samsung product of any sort.
I hate these ink sucking printers, I’m here to share what worked for me. I know several fixes now. It’s a Brother J285DW and I don’t print often, but when I do it invariably fails for one reason or another, usually low ink or paper jam. It’s because I don’t print often enough and have cartridges sitting in the machine longer than the company would like. Things I have done: unplugged machine, removed and replaced cartridges (not Brother cartridges) to reset memory countless times, took the chip off the old cartridge and stuck it on the new cartridge, put black electrical tape where the sensor detects ink level, and, of course, leave it unplugged when not in use so it can’t do it’s cleaning process which eats ink and wakes me up in the middle of the night sometimes.
All of these worked after receiving messages about low ink. Finally, I got stuck with the message “cannot detect ink” and the above steps weren’t working. It just wouldn’t print my document. I read somewhere about not letting the printer do automatic SW updates (because they obviously read about our “fixes” online and do things to render them useless with every update) so I was looking in the settings to see if it was setup for SW updates. Not that I thought there was anything I could do about it after the fact, but I know from experience that if I mess with my machine long enough, it will eventually do what I want, even if what I did made no obvious sense. Like in this case:
I came across “print user settings” and clicked on it immediately. The machine decided it was okay to print this (maybe because it was an internal document?) and it did, perfectly. No more “cannot detect ink”. Then I went back to my document and tried to print it from my computer and it printed it, no problem. So we’ll see how many pages it will give me yet again after another “fix”. Thank heavens for social media and people sharing fixes or I would be bald from this printer.
Hi Karen, printers can be a big pain at times can’t they! thanks for your comment, you touched on an issue not mentioned above, that we mentioned in a previous comment. Often updates to the printer cause cartridges to fail. Unfortunately it’s usually the printer manufacturer trying to prevent the use of compatibles.Thanks for the great tips, I’m sure they’ll help everyone to get around this issue! Thanks, Stu.
My problem is not that the cartridge is not recognized to print but now that it is empty the printer does not recognize it and will not automatically line it up to replace. I cannot find any instructions anywhere on how to manually align the cartridge so I can change it. I have a Canon MB2360. It is really annoying me as I do colour menus and can’t use the yellow. Anyone got a solution, would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
Hi Catherine, it could be a mechanical issue from the sounds of things. Have you had it for under a year? If so it should still be under warranty with Canon you can contact them here: Call Canon 13 13 83
From within Australia Monday to Friday – 8am to 5pm
I have a HP printer scanner, all my drivers and stuff and firmware are all up to date but it still wont accept my refilled black ink cartridge which came with my printer scanner even though its been refilled but my local computer store where I bought it from so I bought a new catridge and tried all kinds of ideas from the technical guys and what it says on the internet and instruction manuals plus the comment of keep swapping old for new and so on and still no joy this is the second time I have bought one of these models and its doing same as my last one so think I’ll just smash it and go to a different make and model instead of wasting money.
I had to create a tiny shim to stick under the cartridge so the contacts would fit snuggly together.
Great Information…
I am using Samsung LaserJet Printer. Thanks for your support and sharing Information about Samsung Printers.
Help, mine is aficio dsm520pf and after replacing the toner, it is still saying toner empty so I don’t know if its the sensor or the toner I replaced is not compatible. Does the sensor stop working or not.
Hi Kelvin,
have you tried some of the tips above and on the comments left by others here? If it’s a cartridge you only purchased recently it could be that the printer memory needs to be reset but if none of the tips help then its likely that it’s a faulty toner. Try and place your last cartridge that you removed back in to your printer (if you still have it) and if that also displays an error then you may have a printer fault. Let me know how you get on! Thanks, Stu.
I have two different Brother printers and both say the same thing, “Cannot detect the ink. Please replace the cartridge with genuine Brother part or cartridge” Is there a way around this?
Hi Scott, it’s generally caused by a similar issue explained above, if you’ve tried those options to no avail it could be an issue with the chips on the ink cartridges but here’s a page with some tips on what to try specifically for a brother printer: http://support.brother.com/g/b/faqend.aspx?c=as_ot&lang=en&prod=dcpj100_all&faqid=faq00002607_002
Thanks,
Stu
I wonder if you can help – I have a HP OFFICEJET PRO 8620 which comes up with the message
” PRINTER FAILURE, THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE PRINTER OR INK SYSTEM TURN THE PRINTER OFF AND TURN ON AGAIN” If problem persists ring HP.
Which I have done, they say because I have used non standard HP cartridges I have damaged the print head and my CARE PACK is invalid because of it. I have tried everything I can including removing the print head and cleaning everything but I suspect HP are up to their old tricks and shutting down remotely anyone who tries to not use their overpriced inks. I will now buy another Printer – can you either see a way round my problem or recommend a printer that is more able to accept non standard cartridges since HP’s cartridges are outrageously overpriced.
Hi there, thanks for your question. I’ll do my best to help! It does seem that the ‘Printer failure’ message does refer to a print head issue but in my experience it is very rare that a compatible or remanufactured cartridge would cause a fault like that and I’ve been working in the industry for 10 years now. Your printer warranty cannot be invalidated by the use of compatibles unless a printer technician checks your printer and confirms that. Unfortunately a HP technician will usually give that reason if you have been using non HP cartridges, even if they weren’t the cause so your options are to get a non HP technician to check your printer and confirm what the issue is (hopefully confirming that it isn’t your non HP cartridges fault) and then your warranty will not be invalidated and you can also get HP to foot the bill for the technician as they told you your warranty was void without even checking your printer.
First of all though, here are some instructions to try for your specific printer which also includes resetting the printer and updating the firmware as outdated firmware can also cause the issue. It’s possible that these could fix your issue (skip the print head clean if you’ve already tried it): https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-Officejet-Pro-8610/8620/8630-e-All-in-One-Printer-series/5367611/model/5367613/document/c03253201
Lastly, if non of these work, let me know and I’ll definitely help you to find a better printer. Thanks, Stu.
my epson stylus refuses to accept any inks other than their own expensive ones – nothing l do will alter that
I have the same problem. From what I have read it is because of a recent printer firmware update. I cannot find a solution to it. Does anyone know how to fix this pls?
Hi Roger My Epson Expression XP-760 has the same problem
if its an H P printer the best thing you can do is find a very big hammer and smash it up , or pay the ripoff prices hp charge ..
my epsom stylus dx8450 will not recognize ink cartridges
Hi Joe,
have you attempted the suggested fixes?
Stu
Stuart I too have an epson and today updated the software/firmware – NOW I know that was a mistake. I HAVE tried all the above tricks that I was able to. The closest I got was installing the old cartridges, let printer do it’s check and it ok’d those cartridges and then I quickly switched out the old for the new generic cartridges. Printer didn’t detect it….at first. I let it sit while I was looking for something to print and 3 minutes later the printer detected the ‘alien’ cartridges, beeped loudly and put up the same old message again. Back to square 1. I don’t dare call Epson and tell them I put generic cartridges in!! Has anyone found any other tricks that work? Or is it back to purchasing only the more expensive Epson cartridges?
Hi Louisa,
you don’t need to go back to buying genuine Epson, what’s happened is that the chips on the compatible cartridges are now out of date. The best thing to do is contact the company you bought them from and get an exchange for somewhere the chip is up to date.
Stu
hi stuart I have a canon MG2570S printer and after refilling the cartridge printer doesn’t recognize the ink and even when the ink is full my printer doesn’t print anything…. it tries but even the printing process starts but a blank page comes out please help me out here thanks mate
Hi there, I had a quick search around to see if I could solve your problem and the suggestion is that the print head could be damaged or completely blocked up see here. Did you actually refill the cartridge yourself or purchase a compatible? Thanks, Stu
Pls help – I have a strange one using compatible on HP Officejet 8600. Inserted, seems okay, ink shows ‘full’. But when it prints, it says missing or damaged cartridge. All I have to do is open and close the front cover of the printer (as if accessing the cartridges), even just for 1 second, it prints fine. And it does that at every file, even if I send the second file straightaway before it sleep…missing cartridge…open and close cover, prints. Annoying as it loses the wifi function. Any suggestion?
Hi Andy, the damaged or missing cartridges issue seems to be a common problem with the HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 printers but there doesn’t seem to be a clear fix for the issue. One suggestion is to try a hard reset of the printer.
To do a hard reset, turn the printer on and wait until all sounds stop and it’s in idle mode, then unplug the printer at the wall. Wait for about 10 minutes, then plug it back in. Make sure it’s plugged directly into the wall and not into an extension cable. Allow the printer to warm up and then go back to an idle state and try and use it again.
Hopefully this will fix your issue! Let us know how you get on.
Stu
Thank you for your help, unfortunately I have tried 4 times of the suggested method, each time waited for more than 10 min and into idle before the trial, so far it has not been successful. Any other suggestion? The printer is getting quite annoying. Kindly regards.
Hi Andy, ahh I understand how frustrated you must feel! The best source of advice I can find is on the HP support website but it’s just suggesting similar things that you’ve already tried.
worst help page ever. “turn it off and on again” this is not helpful it is just ridiculous and a way for you to make a page to sell advertising.
waste of time
Hi and thanks for your input, we do appreciate any, even if it is negative! I think you’ll find if you follow the instructions that this solution is the correct way to fix the problem described. Also ‘turn it off and on again’ is the number 1 solution to most tech problems (by the way that was a light-hearted joke).
I have an Epson SX430 printer which, until recently, would accept non-Epson cartridges. This has now stopped and I can only think that is because of a recent printer update. Does anyone know of a fix for this pls?
Hi Angela, unfortunately it sounds like since the firmware update you mentioned the chips in the compatibles may now be out of date. The best thing you can do is send them back as faulty and try some newer ones from a reputable supplier.
i had a cannon pimxima i think that is the right name drove me mad with the colour so i got a printer black only it uses a roll not a cartridge and it has never let me down i dont need colour and the rolls are much cheaper and last longer
it’s as simple as this…..it,s cheaper to buy a new printer than a new cartridge.i just replaced my ink and nothing works can’t print anything.
I believe this is right. I’m on my 3rd printer due to running out of the initial black ink cartridge and the printer not accepting the new one.
Just buy a new printer every time you run out of ink. Quite the scam, printer manufacturers!
New printers come with start ink toners.
When you buy a toner the life of that toner is often twice or 4 times that of the starter toner.
Buying a new printer is actually not feasible.
However, for long life consumabels for lower end machines it is cheaper to buy a new machine. (E.G Fusers/Transfer Belts as these will have lives of 10,000 pages upwards and cost as much as the printer)
Today, I came across your web site by accident, since I too have printer problems with my Samsung SCX-4600. I find the requests and your answers very interesting indeed and will continue to read your offerings. It almost appears, that the printer world is full f crooks with all the problems which ‘they’ program into their products. Regards Dierk from Germany
when you remove cartridge then switch off a 2540, it moves cartridge holder back then ,un plug wait 10 mins, plug in…. the cartridge holder is “hidden” unavailable…
so can not complete your sequence ( above) and insert cartridge before switching on..
Hi Thomas, reverse the two steps so you install the cartridge once the printer is is powered on.
I’ve got a seven-year-old Brother printer that’s beginning to get senile. It has a long think before it does anything and flashes up odd error messages now and again. It’s latest trick was to stop in the middle of a print run (where all the inks were crystal clear and the black nice and black) and declare that it couldn’t detect the black ink. Lots left in the cartridge, but I put a new one in. Same message. Unplugged and plugged back in, fiddled with cartridges etc but still says the same.
On the floor behind me is a nice new printer. It also cannot detect the ink cartridges – for the simple reason that they cost as much as I paid for the printer and I simply can’t afford them.
What do I think of modern technology? You wouldn’t be able to print it.
It sounds like you’ve had nothing but trouble with printers Frankie!
Is there any specific error message on screen (if there is a screen)?
Stu
Just bought an Epson WF-3640 but when trying to install the printer isn’t recognising the set up ink cartridges, any ideas so I don’t have to return the printer to catalogue and wait for new one to arrive
Hi Kelly, Epson printers like to be a little more awkward than most other brands. There are a few things you can try…If you’ve already tried some of these skip over them:
1. Make sure the cartridges have all tabs or protective clips removed and are clicked into place in the printer properly.
2. Make sure the printer software / firmware is up to date by downloading the most recent drivers here.
3. Try a memory reset of the printer by turning on and removing the cartridges, turn the printer off, unplug at the wall and leave for 10 minutes. plug back in, turn on and re install the inks.
Let me know how you get on!
Stu
Hi Stu, tried all that and nothing is working
Hmmm, is there a specific error message on screen or error code? If there is one it might help us to get to the bottom of the problem.
Other than that, something I read suggested it could be remembering the error and not clearing it properly. You can see more info on that here
All it says is installation incomplete, ink cartridges unrecognised, try again
Every site I’ve tried to get info has nothing for problems with initial set up of printer, they’re all just for replacement of cartridges
There’s one more thing I’ve seen someone mention on a forum that actually sounds a bit odd but maybe worth a try.
It sounds like the contacts on the ink cartridge chip are the problem or that it for some reason can’t connect properly to the printer.
The suggestion is to use a pencil eraser and gently rub the metal contacts / chips to clean them. make sure there is no eraser left on the contacts and try to install them again.
Other than that, I think it could be a printer problem. As you mentioned. There doesn’t seem to be any solution for a brand new printer that I have experienced.
Stu
I’ll give it try Hun thank you, if that fails I’ll send it back and get a replacement
Didn’t work hun
Sorry I couldn’t fix it for you! You can contact Epson on this page here
Could you tell me if the ink cartridges for a Canon Prixma MG5550,
Will work in a Canon MG 5750.
Old printer gone to the big printer in the sky, but still got inks for it and the MG 5750 looks to be the same all bar model number.
Many thanks Barry
Hi Barry, oh no that’s sad news! I’ve had a look and unfortunately the ink cartridges that go in the MG5750 are different to the ones you currently use (You printer took CL551 but the MG5750 takes CL571). Here’s a list of the printers that take the CL551 inks:
Canon PIXMA iP7200
Canon PIXMA iP7250
Canon PIXMA iP8750
Canon PIXMA iX6850
Canon Pixma MG5450
Canon Pixma MG5550
Canon PIXMA MG5650
Canon PIXMA MG6350
Canon Pixma MG6450
Canon PIXMA MG6650
Canon PIXMA MG7150
Canon PIXMA MG7550
Canon PIXMA MX725
Canon PIXMA MX925
after leaving my hp deskjet ink advantage 2135 for 3 months when i sstarted it says color cartriges are incompatible. what to do
Hi there, are they compatible or original inks? They may have actually dried up you see as they were left for a long period of no use. It could also be a software update that caused the issue.
I have a Canon pixma ip90 I have changed the head as well as the catridges it does not print
Hi Edward, could you tell me if there is a specific error code or message on the printer when you attempt to print?
My cartridges are stuck, So I cannot do the steps you provided. HELP
Hi Mari, what’s your printer model and could you give me some more detail on what happened? Stu
i filled the cartridge with ink but the system saying tha ink has run out… what have to do?
If you refilled the cartridge yourself you would also need to reset the chip on the cartridge to get the printer to see that the cartridge now has ink.
Hi Stuart. My Hp Office-jet 8610 was working until I changed router. Now the screen shows printhead missing or failed. I have tried everything. When I contacted HP for help the person assigned to help me tried to get me to exchange my printer for another one at a cost of $122. I can get a cheaper one at Best Buy or Staples for less.
My ink level is almost full. If I purchase a reset the chip cartridge could this solve the problem or should I just purchase another printer?
Hi there, I don’t think that using a chip resetter will help you in this case. It sounds like some damage has occurred to the print head as suggested by the error you get on screen. These can be replaced but for what it would cost, you may as well buy a new printer. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news! Stu
Hi,my Canon ipf710 cannot detect a new catridge at all,ave tried above steps but still can’t..kindly assist what might be the problem
Hi Jackie, as you’ve already tried all the listed steps I thinks it’s more than likely that there is a larger problem at play. If the cartridges are compatible ink cartridges it’s probably a fault with the chips on the cartridge and you’ll need to speak to the company you purchased them from.If they are original, I would contact