|
1. Only clean the print head if you get poor print quality or no print.
2. Be sure that you don't have an air bubble problem.
• If cleaning the print head causes the situation to get worse rather than improve, you probably
have an air bubble problem.
• If you have an air bubble problem, you need to re-inject some ink very deep into the cartridge.
3. Follow the directions in the printer manual to run the cleaning routine.
4. If this doesn't work, take the cartridge to the nearest hot water TAP.
• Turn on the hot water. Let it get hot. BE CAREFUL!!!
• Put only the print head portion (where the ink comes out) under the hot water for 2 to 3 seconds
only.
• Dry off the cartridge using a soft tissue.
• Re-insert the cartridge into the printer.
• Run the normal cleaning routine a few times.
Air in the Sponge ~ Air or foamy ink in the sponge will make the cartridge
print intermittently. Fold a paper towel 4 or 5 times and press it against the print head. Wrap some
rubber bands or
string around the cartridge and the paper towel and let it set for one hour. This will draw ink
and trapped air out of the sponge.
After the hour is up, you should have a paper towel that is soaked
in ink. Wipe off the cartridge and put some more ink into it. Install in the printer, run a cleaning
cycle and print some black/
colour pages. Cartridge will not print ~ Check your print head to see if ink has dried on
the surface and is blocking ink ... if so, blot the print head with a lint-free cloth and HOT,
distilled water, let
it dry and try again after doing the head cleaning operation as prescribed by your printer's manual.
If it will still not print or print is "streaky", try alternating the head cleaning and
printing several more times.
Clogged Jets ~ If you get skipping or severe banding this indicates
that some of the jets are clogged. This is common with cartridges that have been empty for more
than one hour. Boil some water in
a kettle and pour some into a saucer. Hold the print head, just the bottom of the cartridge,
in the hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. Then take the cartridge to the printer while it is still warm
and run a cleaning cycle and print black/ full colour pages. You may have to repeat this a few
times to get it going.
Electrical Problems ~ If you are getting plenty of ink on the paper towel,
but nothing is coming out of the cartridge when you try to print, then it is an electrical problem.
Under the foil
on the side of the cartridge, there are some electronic circuits. They are very delicate. If
something
has impacted on, or hit this surface, chances are the electronics are damaged. The only remedy
for this is a new cartridge.
Understanding Your Printer's
Estimated Ink Level:
The newer Hewlett Packard printers have included in the software that comes with their printers,
a "toolbox" that includes a section called Estimated Ink Level. It’s a great tool
that allows you to keep track of how much ink is left in your cartridges so you don't start a big
print job and run out of ink in the middle of it. The only problem is for those who wish to refill
their own cartridges.
If you refill your cartridge or have someone else refill your cartridge, it will read as low or
empty when you try to print with the cartridge. How does HP do it? They started embedding a serial
number in the contact strip located on the back of the cartridge. The printer remembers that serial
number and gives the message of low or out of ink. The internal memory is located in the printers’ firmware
and is not in the software. It will remember the previous two cartridges ink level. The following
pages list the various methods for the cartridges we know about.
 Reset Method 1:
1. Following the diagram at right, place a piece of adhesive tape covering the only the blue coloured
contact (1 copper square). Make sure that only that contact is covered. *Please note that the
contacts shown are coloured for illustration purposes only.
2. Place cartridge in the printer. The printer may tell you that there is a problem with your cartridge.
Ignore this message. The printer may print an alignment page. If so, allow it to do so.
 3. Take the cartridge out of the printer. Leave tape on first contact. Place another piece of tape
over the red coloured contact. Make sure that only that contact is covered. *Please note that the
contacts shown are coloured for illustrative purposes only.
4. Repeat step 3.
5. Take the cartridge out of the printer for the final time. Take the remaining tape off and place
back in the printer. The estimated ink level in the toolbox should read full.
WARNING: Take care not to lose tape covering contacts inside the printer. This method is used at
your own risk.
Reset Method 2:
If Reset Method 1 did not work on your printer, you can cycle cartridges through to reset the level.
You will need two extra cartridges and the one you refilled. First, put the refilled cartridge
in the printer. Allow it to recognize the cartridge and print an alignment page. Take that cartridge
out and place in the second cartridge. Allow it to recognize it and print an alignment page.
Take the second cartridge out and place the third cartridge in. Allow it to recognize and print
an alignment
page. Take the third cartridge out. Place the refilled cartridge back in the printer. The estimated
ink level should be reset to full.
Reset Method 1:
1. Refill your cartridge.
 2. Following the diagram at right, place a piece of adhesive tape covering only the four blue colored
contacts (a contact is the individual copper square). Make sure that only those four are covered
and no others.
3. Place cartridge in the printer. The printer may tell you that there is a problem with your cartridge.
Ignore this message. The printer may print an alignment page. If so, allow it to do so.
4. Take the cartridge out of the printer. Remove the tape from the four blue contacts. Place the
tape over the four red colored contacts. Make sure that only those four are covered and no others.
5. Follow step 3 again.
6. Take the cartridge out of the printer for the final time. Take the remaining tape off and place
back in the printer. The printer should print out an alignment page and the estimated ink level
in the toolbox should read full.
WARNING: Take care not to lose tape covering contacts inside the printer. This method is used at
your own risk.
Reset Method 2:
If Reset Method 1 did not work on your printer, go through the same procedure again, but this
time using the green colored contacts in step 2 and the pink colored contacts in step 4. This
method
is more commonly used for the C6615 or in the later OfficeJet printers.
Reset Method 3:
If neither of the reset methods above worked, you can cycle cartridges through to reset the level.
You will need two extra cartridges and the one you refilled. First, put the refilled cartridge
in the printer. Allow it to recognise the cartridge and print an alignment page. Take that
cartridge out and place in the first extra cartridge. Allow it to recognise and print an alignment
page.
Take the first extra cartridge out and place the second extra cartridge in. Allow it to recognize
and print an alignment page. Take the second extra cartridge out. Place the refilled cartridge
back in the printer. The estimated ink level should be reset to full.
The new HP OfficeJet D Series and CP 1160 Color Ink Jet series using the 14 black
ink cartridges has an estimated ink level gauge that allows the user to view the amount of ink remaining
in
the cartridge. This gauge must be shut off in order to refill the cartridge. It is a simple procedure
that can be done in the matter of seconds.
 1. Refill your cartridge.
2. Press the < and > (also the + and -) at the same time, then release quickly (the LCD panel
must be showing the date or the procedure will not work)
3. On the keypad, press in order 7, 8, 9.
4. A message will appear asking if you want to override the ink level gauge. Press 1 for yes (You
can later turn the ink gauge back on if you install a new cartridge by going through steps 2 and
3, then pressing 2 when prompted if you want to override the ink level gauge).
Your ink level gauge is now turned off and can resume printing.
1. Refill your cartridge.
2. Press and hold down the power button.
3. While holding the Power button:
Press the Cancel button 12 times
Press the Resume button 1 time
4. Release the Power button
 The ink gauge is now off and you can resume printing
The new HP OfficeJet D Series and CP 1160 Color Ink Jet series using the 14 black ink cartridges
has an estimated ink level gauge that allows the user to view the amount of ink remaining in
the cartridge. This gauge must be shut off in order to refill the cartridge. It is a simple procedure
that can be done in the matter of seconds.
1. Refill your cartridge.
2. Press the < and > (also the + and -) at the same time, then release quickly (the LCD panel
must be showing the date or the procedure will not work)
3. On the keypad, press in order 4, 5, 6.
4. A message will appear asking if you want to override the ink level gauge. Press 1 for yes (You
can later turn the ink gauge back on if you install a new cartridge by going through steps 2 and
3, then pressing 2 when prompted if you want to override the ink level gauge).
Your ink level gauge is now turned off and can resume printing.
1. Refill your cartridge.
2. Press and hold down the power button.
3. While holding the Power button:
Press the Cancel button 12 times
Press the Resume button 3 times
4. Release the Power button
The ink gauge is now off and you can resume printing
Listed below are three procedures to reset the estimated ink level on a C6578 (78). One of the
three will work, so if the first one doesn't, proceed to the second reset method and so on.
C6578 (78)
 1. Refill your cartridge.
2. Following the diagram at right, place a piece of adhesive tape covering only the four blue colored
contacts (a contact is the individual copper square). Make sure that only those four are covered
and no others. *Please note that the contacts shown are colored for illustrative purposes only.
You will not have blue or red contacts on your cartridge.
3. Place cartridge in the printer. The printer may tell you that there is a problem with your
cartridge. Ignore this message. The printer may print an alignment page. If so, allow it to do
so.
4. Take the cartridge out of the printer. Remove the tape from the four blue contacts. Place
the tape over the four red colored contacts. Again, only those four are covered and no others.
*Please
note that the contacts shown are colored for illustrative purposes only. You will not have blue
or red contacts on your cartridge.
5. Follow step 3 again.
6. Take the cartridge out of the printer for the final time. Take the remaining tape off and
place back in the printer. The estimated ink level in the toolbox should read full. WARNING: Take care not to lose tape covering contacts inside the printer. This method is used at
your own risk.
 1. Refill your cartridge.
2. Following the diagram at right, place a piece of adhesive tape covering the only the blue colored
contact (a contact is the individual copper square) and no others. *Please note that the contacts
shown are colored for illustrative purposes only. You will not have blue or red contacts on your
cartridge.
3. Place cartridge in the printer. The printer may tell you that there is a problem with your
cartridge. Ignore this message. The printer may print an alignment page. If so, allow it to do
so.
4. Take the cartridge out of the printer. Leave tape on the blue contact. Place another piece
of tape over the red colored contact. Make sure that only that contact is covered and no others.
*Please
note that the contacts shown are colored for illustrative purposes only. You will not have blue
or red contacts on your cartridge.
5. Follow step 3 again.
6. Take the cartridge out of the printer for the final time. Take the remaining tape off and
place back in the printer. The estimated ink level in the toolbox should read full.
If neither of the previous reset methods above worked, you can cycle cartridges through to reset
the level. You will need two extra cartridges and the one you refilled. First, put the refilled
cartridge in the printer. Allow it to recognise the cartridge and print an alignment page. Take
that cartridge out and place in the first extra cartridge. Allow it to recognize and print an
alignment page. Take the first extra cartridge out and place the second extra cartridge in. Allow
it to recognize
and print an alignment page. Take the second extra cartridge out. Place the refilled cartridge
back in the printer. The estimated ink level should be reset to full. |
