Cartridges with a built in printhead like those produced by HP, Dell, Lexmark and Canon can often be rejected by the printer due to their contacts being obstructed by ink, dirt or oxidisation on the contacts. These errors vary but are usually similar to “Cartridge Problem”, “Cartridge Incompatible” or “Cartridge Not Recognised”. When this first happens I normally recommend simply wiping the contacts pictured below with a piece of kitchen tissue to remove any obstructions.
Many people often forget that these printers have a second set of these contacts inside the printer. As their construction is very similar to those of the cartridges they are prone to the very same vulnerability and are not cleaned/changed with any traditional maintenance.
So if the problem persists it is worth cleaning the corresponding contacts inside the machine as well by following the steps listed below:
- Remove the cartridge from the printer
- Wipe the contacts clean with a dry, clean piece of non fibrous tissue
- Shine a light on the contacts to ensure they are genuinely clean
- Reinstall the printer cartridge
- Turn the printer off and remove the plug from the back
- Plug the printer back in and turn it on
The cartridge should now hopefully be recognised by the printer. If however the problem persists there may be a genuine problem with the unit, so please contact your supplier.
If you have anything else to add or have tried this yourself, please get in touch via any of our social media platforms.
This guide is specifically for a refilled cartridge that has the printhead attached as commonly found in two cartridge printers manufactured by HP, Canon, Dell and Lexmark. A full compatibility list can be found below:
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- Canon Black PG-37/2145B001, PG-40/0615B001, PG-50/0616B001
- Canon Black PG-510/2970B001AA, PG-512/2969B001AA
- Canon Colour CL-38/2146B001, CL-41/0617B001, CL-51/0618B001
- Canon Colour CL-511/2972B001AA, CL-513/2971B001AA
- Dell Black T0529/592-10039
- Dell Colour JF333/592-10177
- Dell Colour T0530/592-10040
- Hewlett Packard Black HP 21/C9351AE, HP 21XL/C9351CE, HP 27/C8727AN, HP 56/C6656AE
- Hewlett Packard Black HP 300/CC640EE, HP 300XL/CC641EE, HP 901/CC653AE, HP 901XL/CC654AE, HP 336/C9362EE, HP 337/C9364EE, HP 338/C8765EE, HP 350/CB335EE, HP 301/CH562EE, HP 301XL/CH563EE
- Hewlett Packard Black HP 339/C8767EE, HP 350XL/CB336EE
- Hewlett Packard Colour HP 22/C9352AE, HP 22XL/C9352CE, HP 28/C8728AN, HP 57/C6657A
- Hewlett Packard Colour HP 110/CB304AE
- Hewlett Packard Colour HP 300/CC643EE, HP 300XL/CC644EE, HP 901/CC656AE
- Hewlett Packard Colour HP 301/CH562EE, HP 301XL/CH564EE
- Hewlett Packard Colour HP 351/CB337EE, HP 351XL/CB338EE, HP 342/C9361EE, HP 343/C8766EE, HP 344/C9363EE
- Hewlett Packard Photo HP 58/C6658AE
- Hewlett Packard Photo HP 348/C9369EE
- Lexmark Black 3/018C1530, 32/0080D2956, 34/018C0034E, 36A/018C2150E, 36XLA/018C2190E, 14A/018C2080E, 42A/018Y0342E, 44XL/018Y0144E, 4A/44103105
- Lexmark Black 16/010N0016E, 17/010NX217E
- Lexmark Black 82/018L0032E
- Lexmark Colour 1/018CX781E, 2/018C0190E, 33/018CX033E, 35/018C0035E, 37A/018C2160E, 37XLA/018C2200E, 15A/018C2100E, 41A/018Y0341E, 43XL/018YX143E, 5A/18C1970E
- Lexmark Colour 26/010N0026E, 27/010NX227E
- Lexmark Colour 83/018L0042E
- Lexmark Photo 31/018C0031E
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