Solving Your Printers Error Code When Using Compatible Ink

You can cut printing costs by a significant margin by simply switching from OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) printer cartridges to compatible ink & toner cartridges.

Today, hundreds and thousands of consumers use compatible ink cartridges in homes and offices without experiencing any issues at all.

However, there are occasions when a printer’s error-codes make you think that it is not going to accept or recognize a compatible ink or toner cartridge.

If something like this happens the next time you replace an empty OEM cartridge with a compatible ink cartridge, don’t give up too soon.

Don’t let printer error-codes or messages such as ‘cartridge not recognized’ or ‘cannot read the cartridge’ keep you from using compatible ink and toner cartridges that can save you a good deal of money every year.

Most people manage to fix this problem by simply cold-starting the printing device.

This begs the question:

Why Should You Cold Start Your Printer?

There are a number of reasons why printers don’t recognize cartridges.

We have detailed the main causes of printer recognition issues in another blog post.

But on most occasions, printers don’t seem to work with compatible ink cartridges simply because they are temporarily unable to read chips on them.

If you have never used compatible inks in the past, chances are that your printer isn’t just ready yet.

It’s likely to be used to reading the chips on OEM cartridges and may throw error codes on your computer screen or the printer display when you insert a compatible ink into the cartridge slot.

This is why you need to cold-start your printer. Doing so will erase the memory of earlier cartridge installations.

Steps to Solve Printer Error Code When Using Compatible Ink Cartridges

Step 1: Detach the compatible ink cartridge from your inkjet printer. Check if there are any stickers or a packaging tape on it? If yes, gently remove them and reinsert the cartridge. If your printer was unable to read the chip on the cartridge due to a sticker or the packaging tape, this step can help resolve the error code.

Step 2: If your printer continues to display the error code or it just fails to recognize the cartridge, detach the cartridge again and place it somewhere it won’t leak onto fabrics or furniture. In the next step, you will cold-start your printer. For this to work, your printer shouldn’t have any cartridge in it.

Step 3: Use your printer’s Power On/Off switch to turn it off. Most printers have indicator lights that provide useful information on whether your printer is on, currently printing something, out of ink, or struggling with a paper jam. When your printer is really off, none of these indicator lights should be lit.

Step 4: Next, unplug your printer from the power outlet. In case it is possible to unplug the power chord from the device, go ahead and do it. Leave your printer unplugged for at least ten minutes. Keep in mind that this step is important for a true cold start. When you completely disconnect your printer from the power source, it will reset its memory. It’s highly likely that the information about previous, OEM ink cartridge installations will be wiped out in the process. This will in effect remove the conflicting information that was resulting in error codes or compatible cartridge recognition problems.

Step 5: Replug your printer and turn it back on. Once your printer boots up, follow standard instructions for installing the compatible ink cartridge. Now that you have cold started your printer and its volatile memory has been reset, it is likely that it will read the compatible ink’s chip and recognize it. From that moment on, your printer should work well with compatible ink cartridges.

Final Words

Cold-starting a printer is one of the best ways to get it to recognize a compatible ink cartridge.

Sometimes, printer manufacturers intentionally push firmware updates that keep consumers from using name-brand cartridges. They do it to force consumers to use OEM inks.

But, it is possible to turn off printer firmware updates. You can even uninstall updates that printer manufacturers install on printers connected to the Internet without your explicit consent.

Put simply, nothing can stop you from using compatible ink and toner cartridges for your HP, Brother, Canon, or Epson printers.

As a consumer, you have every right to use high-quality third-party consumables that help you save money!

For more information, we recommend that you glance through our page on how to troubleshoot ink and toner cartridges and read our blog post on how to clear the error code caused by a new ink cartridge.