TOP PRINTER INK AND TONER QUESTIONS

WHY IS PRINTER INK SO EXPENSIVE?

It is a common misconception that printer inks have to be expensive. High quality photos and documents can be produced with very affordable compatible inks and remanufactured inks. Inkjets.com sells both remanufactured and compatible inks of excellent quality, as evidenced by our thousands of five-star customer reviews.

HOW CAN I CHECK PRINTER INK OR TONER LEVELS?

There are two ways to check the printer ink or toner levels.

Ink or toner levels can be checked in two ways.

Using the control panel:

• In Windows, open the control panel
• Select Devices and Printers from the menu
• Select the Printer icon with the right click
• You'll be able to check the level of ink or toner in the properties tab

Using the printer:

• Your printer should be turned on
• Navigate to the status or reports option by pressing the menu button
• To check ink or toner levels, print the report

HOW DO I REMOVE PRINTER INK FROM SKIN?

When you change your ink or toner cartridges, you can sometimes get ink on your skin. Fortunately, removing it is not that difficult. Applying a few drops of tea tree oil to a clean cloth and rubbing it on your skin seems to work quickly. 

As an alternative, rubbing alcohol or baby oil can be used if you do not have tea tree oil on hand. You can also use hairspray to remove ink from your hands or other affected areas. You can spray it onto the ink and let it sit and dissolve for a few minutes, then wash it off.

 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INK AND TONER?

Ink is liquid made of water and chemicals, and are tinted with pigments or dyes. These are used by inkjet printers, which spray the ink directly to the page through tiny nozzles.

Toners are fine powders that are composed mostly of polyester and organic compounds. These are used by laserjet printers, which fuse the toner to the page by electrostatically charging it via the laser, then releasing the toner that sticks to the charged parts of the page.

HOW DO I CLEAN MY INK CARTRIDGE?

There are times when printed documents or photos look smudged or don't print as well as they should. The culprit may be a dirty cartridge. To clean it, pull out each cartridge and wipe the outside of each one with a paper towel dipped in isopropyl alcohol. This will remove any excess ink. Next, use a wet cotton swab to clean the print head by gently rubbing it along the print head. Then, use a slightly wet cotton swab to clean the colored circuitry strip. Make sure there is no water on the cartridge by letting it sit for a few minutes. A dry cotton swab can be used to ensure that the cartridge is clean.

HOW DO I FIX “CARTRIDGE NOT RECOGNIZED” ERROR?

It may be helpful to turn the printer off, then back on if you encounter this error. There may have been an issue with the cartridge installation if this doesn't work. It can be fixed by turning off your printer and removing each cartridge one by one. When re-installing them again, notice whether a clicking sound occurs to indicate the cartridge has been properly installed. Please contact our customer service if you continue to have problems.

PRODUCT-RELATED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS PAGE YIELD?

The page yield is the estimate of the number of pages an ink or toner cartridge would be able to print under ideal conditions. Several factors can affect the yield of a printing job, such as the amount of ink used, the color selected, and how much of the page is covered with ink. For testing purposes, manufacturers print at 5% coverage to estimate the number. By printing this way, they cover only 5% of each page with ink. They do this until their ink runs out. Manufacturers use this method to determine how many pages a printer cartridge will produce, given the right conditions.

WHAT IS ISO PAGE YIELD?

IOS, or the International Organization for Standardization, came up with a standard test page for different cartridges and printers to provide standardized testing for manufactured cartridges. Most commonly, the ISO/IEC 19752 is used for monochrome cartridges, while the ISO/IEC 19798 is used for color cartridges.

WHAT IS INK CAPACITY?

Cartridges can be in standard or high capacity. Standard cartridges are cheaper than high capacity. However, it contains less ink. If you are concerned with cost per page, high capacity is more economical due to its higher ink volume, which can give more prints.

WHAT ARE THE CARTRIDGE TYPES AVAILABLE IN INKJETS?

There are three types of cartridges available at Inkjets.com –  remanufactured, compatible, and OEM. The term remanufactured cartridge refers to a repurposed cartridge that has been thoroughly cleaned and equipped with new components, such as chip contacts, and filled with new ink. While a compatible cartridge is a newly-made cartridge that has been manufactured specifically to meet the specifications and requirements of its connected printer. OEM refers to Original Equipment Manufacturer, and refers to brand new ink cartridges produced by the original printer manufacturer.

WILL YOUR PRODUCTS VOID MY PRINTER WARRANTY?

Your printer warranty will not be voided by any of our products.

WHAT IS THE SHELF LIFE OF YOUR CARTRIDGES?

When stored properly, laser toner and ink cartridges generally last between 18 months and 2 years. To prolong the life of your ink or toner cartridges and bottles, keep them in a cool, dry place, and keep them away from direct sunlight.

WHAT IS AN PRINTERINKUSA.COM BRAND INKJET COMPATIBLE CARTRIDGE?

InkJets.com inkjet compatible cartridges are newly manufactured cartridges. Inkjets.com is one of only a few inkjet companies with their own brand.

WHAT IS AN

PRINTERINKUSA.COM BRAND COMPATIBLE TONER CARTRIDGE?

Toner cartridges sold under the Inkjets.com brand are newly manufactured and contain a minimum of recycled parts. As one of the rare inkjet companies with its own brand, Inkjets.com offers products and services under that brand.

WHAT IS AN OEM CARTRIDGE?

OEM is an abbreviation for “Original Equipment Manufacturer”, and refers to "name brand" cartridges produced by a printer company.

WHAT IS A REMANUFACTURED CARTRIDGE?

Remanufactured cartridges are cartridges that have been recycled to meet or exceed OEM standards. The ink cartridge has been inspected for any defects and refilled.

DO YOU SELL LASER TONER?

We carry remanufactured and compatible laser toners as part of our Inkjets.com brand. We do not currently carry any toner products from the OEM brands listed on our website. This means that all laser toner listed under the different printer brand categories are all either compatible or remanufactured. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call, chat or email us for support.

More questions...

 

Cartridge has a different shape

• The shape of our compatible cartridges may look a little different from OEM cartridges, but they are designed for use in your printer, and will fit.

My cartridge won't fit

Please make sure to remove the plastic protective case from the cartridge.

Low ink message showing at the printer

• All of our cartridges are fully filled with ink. However, there are a small number of our cartridges that may not have been reset fully during the remanufacturing process. Either bypass the low ink message or disable the ink level system on your printer. Although your printer will not track the ink levels, our cartridges will print fine from start to finish.

• On certain Epson and Lexmark printers, if the printer is saying you cannot print due to low ink, please press and hold the "stop" or "cancel" button for 10 seconds. This will reset the counter and allow you to use the cartridges normally.

 

The print quality is not very good or the printout contains no ink

Includes most Dell, HP, Lexmark, and Sharp models.

• Ensure that the tape covering the printhead is removed.
• Wrap the cartridge in a paper towel and shake gently up and down (not sideways) 6 times.
• Stand the cartridge upright for a few minutes before using. Then get a damp paper towel, fold it into quarters and sit the cartridge print head down onto it. Hold the cartridge against the damp paper towel for three minutes. This will help pull the ink out of the print heads, priming them and getting them ready to print. Clean the print head with rubbing alcohol. Finally, install the cartridge into your printer and print a few test pages.
• Please make sure that the printer is set online (at the computer screen), and increase the darkness setting at the printer.
• Clean the printhead with a warm damp paper towel. Reinstall into the printer, and run a cleaning cycle using the printer's software tool.
• Wrap the cartridge in a paper towel and shake gently up and down (not sideways) 6 times.
• Place the cartridge in about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of warm water for a few minutes. When ink starts to slowly leak out take the cartridge out of the water and dry it using a soft cloth or a "Q-tip." Then place it back in your printer and run the print head cleaning utility that comes with your printer software. You may have to run this 2-4 times before printing quality is reestablished.
• Avoid touching the electronic printhead and chip contacts with your fingertips. Slide the printhead across a moist paper towel until you see clear horizontal bars of color. Clean the print head with rubbing alcohol. Reinstall and run head cleaning cycle.
• Please select the "print head clean" option under "maintenance" on the printer, and run it. If there is any air bubble or dry ink on the print head, this will force it out, and allow it to print normally.
• If your printout still has white lines or streaks, please run the alignment test again on your printer.

 

The print quality is not very good or the printout contains no ink

Includes most Brother, Canon, Epson, and Xerox models.

• Make sure that you have removed the foil or plastic strip covering the vent hole and the nozzle. (Usually a bright color, but sometimes clear.)
• Make sure that the vent hole at the top of the cartridge and the nozzle are unblocked by any tape or plastic strip.
• To ensure that the vent hole is unobstructed, use a paper clip or another small, pointed object to probe the vent for blockages.
• Run the head cleaning cycle 2-3 times.
• Please make sure that the printer is set online (at the computer) and increase the darkness setting at the printer.
• If the color is still off, please install a whole set of our cartridges at your printer. It is possible that the formula of our ink is different from that of your original compatible cartridge.

Note that Epson printers should be turned on and used at LEAST once a month, or preferably once a week. If the printer has not been used in over 5-6 months, Epson recommends that you replace the ink cartridges.

 

The cartridge is not being recognized by the printer

Includes most Dell, HP, Lexmark, and Sharp models.

• Ensure that the tape covering the printhead is removed.
• Take out the cartridge, turn off the printer, unplug the power cord and other cables, wait 15 minutes, then plug it back in, turn it back on and reload the cartridges.
• (While the cartridge is out of the printer) Gently wipe cartridge printhead and circuitry with a nonabrasive towel to ensure there is no debris. Cleaning the copper part and the contact points with alcohol can work very effectively as well.
• Reset the printer to the factory's default configuration.
• If it still not working, please re-install the CD, printer software and driver on your computer again.

 

The cartridge is not being recognized by the printer

 

Includes most Brother, Canon, Epson, and Xerox models.

• Make sure that you have removed the foil or plastic strip covering the vent hole.
• Also make sure that the cartridge you purchased is the correct one for your printer.
• Make sure that printer cable (from printer to PC) is not loose.
• Remove the cartridge from the printer.
• Gently wipe the cartridge's computer chip with a cloth or paper towel. You may clean the copper part and the contact points with rubbing alcohol.
• Power OFF the printer for 15 minutes
• Power ON the printer and re-install the cartridge(s).
• Reset the printer to factory's default configuration.
• If it is still not working, please re-install the CD, printer software and driver on your computer again.

 

Cartridges with yellow/orange tape

Make sure you remove the yellow/orange tape completely before installing the cartridge. Unsuccessful tape removal (picture on the left) might cause poor print quality, missing color, and no color printing. Your cartridge should look like the one in picture on the right after tape removal.

*** Please note: This troubleshooting is only for the cartridges with yellow/orange tape to pull at the top. It should not be applied to other types of cartridges.

 

Cartridges not "clicking" into the slots (For remanufactured HP 920XL and HP 564XL)

• Try to bend the plastic arm outward from the cartridge. After the arm is bent outward about 1 inch, the cartridge should "click" into the slot.

 

HP 932XL/933XL/950XL/951XL Cartridge Non-Recognition Message

1. On the printer control panel, touch (right arrow), and then touch (Setup).
2. Select (Preferences), and then select (Cartridge Chip Information).
3. Touch (OK) to turn off the usage information collection.

 

HP 950XL/951XL Cartridge Protection

On the printer:

HP OfficeJet Pro 8600

1. On the printer control panel, touch (right arrow), and then touch (Setup).
2. Select (Preferences), and then select (Cartridge Chip Information).
3. Touch (OK) to turn off usage information collection.

HP OfficeJet Pro 8100

1. On the printer control panel, press and hold the (Wireless) and (Resume) buttons.
2. The ink supply icons will blink four times.
3. Press and hold the (Wireless) and (Resume) buttons again to turn usage information collection back on.

Next on the computer: (See image below.)

The HP Officejet 8100 and 8600 has a “cartridge protection” feature. In the toolbox there is a tab named “HP Cartridge Protection”, where you can choose if you want to enable or disable this function. The default setting here is “enable” which results in the cartridges only working in this particular printer. If you install the cartridges treated with this “protection” feature in another printer, they will not work and a message pops up.

 

Printer Warranty

• Use of remanufactured or compatible cartridges does not void your warranty as stated by the MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT, United States Code Annotated Title 15 Commerce Trade Chapter 50, Consumer Product Warranties 15 Sections 2302.

 

Toner Cartridges

Print quality is poor

• Shake the toner cartridge sideways several times, disable the toner saver mode, and perform the print calibration to improve color density.

 

My toner won't fit

• Make sure to remove all the plastic and paper protective coverings from the cartridges. (Usually a bright color.) Some toner cartridges also have clear tape on the sides that need to be removed.

 

My printer is showing a toner end of life error message

• Please reset the printer to its factory default settings and unplug the printer for 15 minutes.

 

TN115 Toner Life End Message

1. With power on, open the toner access main door (You will get a "door open" message in the LCD.)
2. Hit the "Clear/Back" button and you go right to the “Toner Reset Menu”
3. Using the up ^ Down > "Search" arrow buttons you can then scroll through reset options for each of the printer's [4] toner cartridges!
   Code: B. = black; C. = cyan; M. = magenta and Y. = yellow
4. For each for these cartridges is the option to reset for Low Yield (S) or High Yield (H)
5. Using the number keypad, select option #1 (to reset each to "H")
6. Hit the "Clear/Back" button to get out of the menu, close door and You will be able to print.

 

Reset the new drum unit

• Make sure to reset the drum unit when you install a new one into printer, referring to your printer manual for details. You may see an error message if the new drum unit is not reset properly.

 

Printer Warranty

• Use of remanufactured or compatible cartridges does not void your warranty as stated by the MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT, United States Code Annotated Title 15 Commerce Trade Chapter 50, Consumer Product Warranties 15 Sections 2302.

 

Color Issues

Printers use a combination of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.

The traditionally primary colors red and blue are actually a
combination of two or more colors with CMYK printing!

 

 

If you're trying to print	BLUE	but it looks	CYAN	, then troubleshoot your	MAGENTA	.
			MAGENTA	, then troubleshoot your	CYAN	.

 

If you're trying to print	RED	but it looks	YELLOW	, then troubleshoot your	MAGENTA	.
			MAGENTA	, then troubleshoot your	YELLOW	.

 

If you're trying to print	GREEN	but it looks	YELLOW	, then troubleshoot your	CYAN	.
			CYAN	, then troubleshoot your	YELLOW	.

 

 

The printer is out of color ink even though I print in black only. Why does this happen?

• To keep the print head clear, the printer uses a small amount of ink from all the cartridges whenever it prints. Even if you set the printer software to print black only, some color ink is still being used.

 

What is a remanufactured Cartridge ?

Remanufactured inkjet cartridges are original printer-brand cartridges that have been through one cycle of service before undergoing a professional remanufacturing process. These cartridges and their print heads are (1) thoroughly cleaned and filled with a high quality equivalent ink formulation, (2) checked to ensure they have the correct internal atmospheric pressure, (3) inspected for any possible shell leakages, (4) tested to ensure that the electrical circuitry is operational, and (5) undergo and pass a lengthy print test. Only cartridges that pass our rigorous inspection process and meet our high standards become printerinkusa-brand remanufactured cartridges.

What is the shelf life of a compatible brand ink cartridge ?

Compatible, third-party print cartridges have a three-year shelf life.

Will my printer warranty will be voided if i use compatible / remanufactured ink or Toner ?

Many customers express a legitimate concern as to whether the use of third-party ink or toner will void their printer’s warranty. The answer is NO!

What follows is a partial quote from the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act, which protects your rights and your warranty.

MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT 
United States Code Annotated 
Title 15 Commerce and Trade 
Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties 
Section 2032 

"No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection be waived by the commission if:

1. The warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and
2. the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest.

More simply put, your printer warranty cannot be voided just because you choose to use compatible, third-party products unless the manufacturer can prove that the compatible product caused direct damage to your printer. No company, associate, salesperson, or service technician can deny you service or a refund that would otherwise be covered under a warranty program simply because you use a compatible product; your consumer rights are protected by United States law.