Low Ink Warnings
"Low Ink" Warnings

This section helps consumers understand and respond to "low ink" warnings which sometimes appear prematurely after refilling and then re-installing a cartridge on HP®, Lexmark®, and Dell® printers. 

Once a cartridge is inserted into your printer, the printer begins to track the ink used for that particular cartridge.  When a cartridge has used about 80% of its ink, the printer may begin to send the user "your ink level is low" warning messages.   After the cartridge is refilled, the printer may continue to send out these warning messages.  These warning messages may simply be ignored (as confirmed on the Hewlett-Packard website), and the printer should continue to operate normally.  However, if you wish to eliminate these premature messages, several alternatives each are shown for several manufacturers.  Click on your manufacturer below: 

HP 564/920 Cartridges 

These original cartridges do not allow the ink level indicator to be reset after a refill, so your printer cannot track the ink level.  It will falsely signal as “empty”, but your refilled cartridge is entirely full and you may continue to print until the actual ink in the cartridge is completely empty, by waiting until ink begins to fade on your printouts. 

To identify which color has run out, use the following suggestions in sequence until you are able to identify the empty color:  

1. Determine which color has started to drop out of your routine prints.

2. If your cartridge has a window at its bottom, check if ink liquid is visible; if you cannot see ink, it is empty.

3. Generate a print quality test page from your printer control panel; a faded color band indicates empty. 

4. To distinguish between a black and photo black cartridge, print a text document and/or a photo.  Faded black in a text document indicates the black cartridge is empty; faded black in a photo indicates the photo black cartridge is empty.

5.To distinguish between cyan, magenta, and yellow, click on the “Test Print” menu button at the left of this page.  Select and download the appropriate file(s).  Print the test page(s).  A faded color band indicates empty.      

Your printer/computer will display a message that previously used ink was installed.  Press “OK”, once for each cartridge, to dismiss the message.  

HP® Printers

Alternative #1

On many Hewlett Packard printers, the “Low on Ink” warning message that appears on your PC has a check box that reads “Don’t Show This Again”.  Simply check this box to eliminate these warning messages from re-appearing.  Example:  HP Deskjet 3320 Series.


Other HP printers may display a message on the computer screen or directly on the printer LCD display that reads as follows: “Original HP Ink in Tri-Color (or Black) cartridge has been depleted, press OK to continue.” Often you can simply click the “OK” icon on your computer screen or press the “OK” button on the printer and the message will be eliminated.

Alternative #2

Maintain three cartridges each of Black and Color (e.g. six total), and rotate them in sequence.  By doing this, many Hewlett Packard printers will treat each cartridge as “new” when it is installed.  The reason this works is that often the printers only have enough memory to track two unique cartridge identification codes for each of the Black and Color cartridges.  Be sure that all cartridges not installed in a printer are stored in a protective clip to keep them from drying out or getting damaged. Your refill retailer may be able to provide extra protective clips.  This method works best with the following print cartridges: 15, 17, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 41, 45, 56, 57, 58, and 78.
 

Alternative #3

You can disable all printer warning messages by disabling ALL communication from the printer back to your PC.  To disable ALL communication from your printer to your PC, do the following:

  1. From the WINDOWS™ START Menu, Click on “Settings → Printers”

  2. RIGHT CLICK on your Printer Model, and Select “Properties”

  3. From the Properties Menu, Click on the “Ports” Tab

  4. Un-Select the Box that reads: “Enable Bi-Directional Support”

  5. Click “APPLY” then click “OK” to exit


NOTE: This operation will disable ALL COMMUNICATION being sent from your printer to your PC, including paper out, paper jams, low on ink, etc.   For All-in-One printers, this will ALSO DISABLE CERTAIN OTHER FUNCTIONALITY SUCH AS SCANNING.   This operation can be reversed by repeating these steps and checking the “Enable Bi-Directional Support” Box.

Lexmark® Printers

Alternative #1 (Most Lexmark Printers)

  1. From Windows, Double-Click on “Printer Solutions Center” icon for your printer

  2. Click on “Maintenance”

  3. Click on “Install a New Print Cartridge” and follow the process

  4. Exit the Lexmark Printer Solutions Center


Alternative #2


You can disable all printer warning messages by disabling ALL communication from the printer back to your PC.    To disable ALL communication from your printer to your PC, do the following:

 

  1. From the WINDOWS™ START Menu, Click on “Settings → Printers”

  2. RIGHT CLICK on your Printer Model, and Select “Properties”

  3. From the Properties Menu, Click on the “Ports” Tab

  4. Un-Select the Box that reads: “Enable Bi-Directional Support”

  5. Click “APPLY” then click “OK” to exit

NOTE: This operation will disable ALL COMMUNICATION being sent from your printer to your PC, including paper out, paper jams, low on ink, etc.   For All-in-One printers, this will ALSO DISABLE CERTAIN OTHER FUNCTIONALITY SUCH AS SCANNING.   This operation can be reversed by repeating these steps and checking the “Enable Bi-Directional Support” Box.

Dell® Printers

Alternative #1 (Most Dell Printers)

  1. From the WINDOWS™ START Menu, Click on “Settings → Printers”

  2. RIGHT CLICK on your Dell Printer Model, and Select “Printing Preferences”

  3. Click on “Options” and Select “Dell Printer Solutions Center”

  4. Click on “Maintenance”

  5. Click on “Install a New Print Cartridge” and then follow the process

  6. Exit the Dell Printer Solutions Center

 

Alternative #2

You can disable all printer warning messages by disabling ALL communication from the printer back to your PC.  To disable ALL communication from your printer to your PC, do the following:

  1. From the WINDOWS™ START Menu, Click on “Settings → Printers”

  2. RIGHT CLICK on your Printer Model, and Select “Properties”

  3. From the Properties Menu, Click on the “Ports” Tab

  4. Un-Select the Box that reads: “Enable Bi-Directional Support”

  5. Click “APPLY” then click “OK” to exit

NOTE: This operation will disable ALL COMMUNICATION being sent from your printer to your PC, including paper out, paper jams, low on ink, etc.   For All-in-One printers, this will ALSO DISABLE CERTAIN OTHER FUNCTIONALITY SUCH AS SCANNING.   This operation can be reversed by repeating these steps and checking the “Enable Bi-Directional Support” Box.


 

!