Reset your ink cartridges with this simple step-by-step guide
When the printer shows that the ink level is too low in the cartridges, it may refuse to print. If there is enough ink in the cartridges, follow these steps in this guide - and the printer will print again immediately.
There may be money to be saved if you double-check the ink content when your printer is blinking to tell you it's time to change the cartridge. Often you can easily print on for a while and thus also use the last drops of ink in the print cartridge, instead of throwing them out.
Many printer cartridges or ink cartridges have a built-in chip. This means that it can register the number of prints and via this memory on the chip, signalize when you need to replace the ink cartridge - based on the number of prints you have made. It can incorrectly detect when your ink cartridge is actually empty - and therefore it is a good idea to double check yourself. Once a cartridge with memory has detected that it is empty, it will remain of that perception, even if it is refilled, unless the cartridge is reset.
Find our HP printer ink cartridges here
Printer cartridges can be divided into 3 types:
- Cartridges that should not be reset
- Cartridges that can be reset
- Cartridges that cannot be reset
Cartridges that should not be reset
There are still ink cartridges on the market that contain none or very limited memory and therefore do not need to be reset.
The following are HP ink cartridges:
HP 15, 45, 23, 78
Are you reading this guide but you have a printer from another brand? This also applies to:
- Canon 3, 6,15,16, 21, 24
- Brother: All cartridges (Brother ink cartridges almost never have incorporated memory).
- Some laser printers, primarily of older models, contain no memory. These cartridges should virtually never cause technical problems.
Cartridges that can be reset
HP: 10, 11, 21, 22, 27, 28, 56, 57, 80, 88, 363
Other brands:
Canon: 5, 8, 520, 521, 525, 526
Epson: All cartridges with 3 or 5 colors in the same cartridge and the associated black.
Here's how you do it:
1. Remove your print cartridge from the printer.
2. Turn off your printer by pressing and holding the ‘power’ button.
3. Turn on your printer again by pressing the ‘power’ button. Wait a minute - your HP printer will now go through the startup process.
4. Open the cover of your HP printer and reinsert your ink cartridge.
5. There will now be two dialog boxes displayed on the small screen indicating that you need to change the ink cartridge - click on 'Ignore'.
6. Click ‘Start’ on your computer - here select ‘Control Panel’ and finally ‘Printers’. Select the HP printer connected to your computer and click ‘Preferences' before clicking the ‘Maintenance' window. Here, turn off the ink level and finish by clicking 'OK'.
Now you can print again for a while - however, you now have to keep an eye on the ink level yourself - you have deactivated the automatic function for this on your computer - and then change the cartridges when they are empty and the overall print quality is poor.
This procedure works for most HP printers.
! Unfortunately, with ink cartridges that CANNOT BE RESET, you will have to throw them out and replace them as indicated.