Ink Dell Troubleshooting
1 - Cartridge is not accepted by the printer 2 - The cartridge prints poorly or does not print at all 3 - The printer reports an error message stating the cartridge is empty, and you are confident the cartridge is NOT yet empty
Other information that may help you 4 - How can I install my cartridge? 5 - How do I know which cartridges I should use? 6 - Should I try to print with my old ink cartridge after it is empty? 7 - My cartridge does not fit into my printer, why does this happen? 8 - Why do I get only white page prints and how can I solve this problem? 9 - I have got an error messages, what should I do? 10 - Why is my Cartridge printing streaky or with lines? 11 - My cartridge is leaking, what should I do? 12 - The cartridge is not accepted by the machine, what should I do? 13 - My cartridge is not being registered, why? How can I solve this problem? 14 - The cartridge prints poorly, or does not print at all, why does this happen and how can I solve this problem? 15 - There are colors missing, why does this happen? How can I solve this problem? 16 - The wrong colors are being printed, how can I solve this problem? 17 - Some colors are mixed or there is cross contamination, what should I do?
1 - Cartridge is not accepted by the printer (Back to Top)
The cartridge may not be placed correctly in the printer:
Take the cartridge out of the machine and make sure there are no obstructions preventing the cartridge from sitting properly in the machine. Reinstall the cartridge. Check that it is sitting straight in the machine and that it is properly secure in its slot.
There must be something wrong with the electronic connections between the cartridge and the printer:
Clean the electronic strip on the cartridge with an isopropyl alcohol. Remove any debris that is on the area in the machine that reads the cartridge electronics, by blowing or with canned air.
Check the cartridge electronic strip is not damaged:
The cartridge electronic strips are very sensitive and fragile. They get damaged really easily. Dropping the cartridge or, actually, with one of your fingers are possible ways to damage a cartridge electronic strip. This is not reparable and you will need to get a new cartridge.
2 - The cartridge prints poorly or does not print at all (Back to Top)
Check the ink is flowing through the print head:
Make sure you have removed the sealing tapes on the cartridges. If you do not see the electrical contacts on the cartridge, the plastic seal has not been removed.
Sometimes cartridges need some help to work after being bounced around during shipment. In order to solve this problem, dampen a paper towel with hot water and hold it against the print head for 5 to10 seconds. Then, rob the damp paper towel on the print head a few times. Dry the print head with a dry paper towel. When rubbing the dry paper towel across the print head you should have yellow, blue, and red lines for a color cartridge, or a black line for a black one, showing up on the towel: this means the cartridge should work. Repeat this activity a few times to open up all the print head jets.
If the above has not solved the problem, take a dry piece of paper towel and rub it rapidly on the print head in order to warm it up so as to free up the jets in the print head and allow the ink to flow properly.
If you still get poor prints, the print heads in your machine may need cleaning: Run your printer print head cleaning cycle-refer to your owner's manual for assistance. If the problem is solved after doing this, then you do not need to do anything else. If the problem is not completely fixed but you see improvement in your prints, you should run the routine again until the problem is solved.
It is possible that the cartridge is damaged
Your printer may not be printing because your cartridge is damaged. First of all, if your cartridge is damaged you will need to get a new one. At all times protect the print head-while the cartridge is out of your machine and even when you install it. It is highly recommended to use a cartridge tape strips for this purpose. They protect the print head from damaging and the silicone block on them keeps the print head moist.
Prevent bumping them and dropping them: the cartridge electronic strips are very sensitive and they can get easily damaged. They can get damaged even with one of your fingers.
Regarding the sponge inside the cartridge, when the cartridge has been sitting for a long time this sponge dries up and becomes useless.
3 - The printer reports an error message stating the cartridge is empty, and you are confident the cartridge is NOT yet empty (Back to Top) You need to adjust the settings of your printer so it will accept a non-Dell cartridge:
Please follow these exact steps, in this order:
1.) Install the cartridge again and wait for the alignment message window to show.
2.) Click on the Start button on your Windows desktop. (far bottom left of your screen)
3.) When the start menu pops up, click on Control Panel.
4.) Click on Printers and Faxes.
5.) Right click on icon for your Dell / Lexmark printer.
6.) Click on Printing Preferences.
7.) Click on Options.
8.) Click on Printing Status Options
9.) Choose from the menu, "Never Display Printing Status".
In total, these steps should take about 1-2 minutes at the most.
4 - How can I install my cartridge? (Back to Top)
When either the black or color ink out light flashes, this means that the indicated cartridge is low on ink. You can install the cartridge when this light is flashing or when it is on.
In order to change the cartridge:
A. You have to make sure that the printer is on and the front paper tray is pulled down, and only then you can
open the printer cover.
B. Press the cleaning button (see Figure) holding it for a few seconds until the print head moves and the power
light begins to flash. Do not move the print head with your hands to avoid damaging the printer.
C. Pull the cartridge clamp until it clasps and the cartridge will rise up from its holder. Do not remove half-used
cartridges unless you want to replace it. Once you have taken a cartridge out, you cannot put it back into the
printer even if it is not empty.
D. Get the cartridge out of the printer and get rid of it
E. Before you place the new cartridge, remember to remove the yellow part of the sealing tape. Do not remove
the blue part or the clear seal that is underneath the cartridge.
F. Place the new ink cartridge into the holder. Make sure the label faces up and towards the back of the printer.
G. Press down the cartridge clamp until it locks in place.
H. Press the cleaning button and close the printer cover. The print head will move and the printer will begin
charging the ink delivery system. The power button will flash and make
sounds. When the charging process, which generally takes a couple of minutes, is over, the power light will
stay on.
5 - How do I know which cartridges I should use? (Back to Top)
Look on the cartridge for your inkjet model number. You can find out which cartridge you need in our inkjet section.
6 - Should I try to print with my old ink cartridge after it is empty? (Back to Top)
It is recommended not to. When printer is set to print, it heats a small amount of ink, which is then jetted onto the paper. The resistors, which heat the ink, are cooled by the ink. So, if there is not ink, the resistors overheat and, when this occurs, they burn out shortening the life of the print head. Change the cartridge when the ink warning light glows for this not to happen.
7 - My cartridge does not fit into my printer, why does this happen? (Back to Top)
There should be a temporary plastic seal attached to the cartridge. This seal helps to protect the cartridge from leaking during transit. When you are about to install a new cartridge, make sure this seal has been removed. If this was not the problem, check you have got the correct cartridge model for your printer.
8 - Why do I get only white page prints and how can I solve this problem? (Back to Top)
One of the possible causes of this problem is that the tape has not been removed from the print head. Another possibility is that there is air trapped inside the cartridge. Make sure the tape covering the print head has been removed. If there is air in the cartridge, wrap it in an absorbent towel and shake it lightly.
9 - I have got an error messages, what should I do? (Back to Top)
This might happen because the electrical contacts on the cartridge or the part of the printer where the electrical contacts meet are dirty. Clean the contacts with a towel dipped in alcohol or household degreaser in a circular motion in order not to damage the edges of the cartridge contact ribbon.
I have got an error message that reads: "CARTRIDGE ERROR" or "CARTRIDGE INSTALLED INCORRECTLY, what should I do?
This error messages pop out when there is ink residue on the cartridge contact points. Poor electrical contacts are also a possible cause of printer errors. Clean the cartridge and the printer contacts with a towel dipped in alcohol or a household degreaser in a circular motion.
When you install the cartridge into the printer, place the cartridge into the holder and make sure it is seating properly by wiggling it. Then lock it into place.
Sometimes, this error messages appear because a resistor inside the cartridge have burn out. In this case, the cartridge cannot be fixed and it must be replaced.
I have got an error message that reads: "CARTRIDGE EMPTY", what should I do?
In the case that you get no messages but there is a blinking light on your printer, which indicates that it is out of ink, and you have already installed a new cartridge, make sure the cartridge contact points are clean and free from any residue or grime.
If an error message reading “Cartridge Empty” has popped out, the printer control software may have not been reset or told that a new cartridge was installed.
The function of this printer software is to measure the cartridge ink fullness level. There is not a device inside the cartridge or the printer that measures the ink level. Instead, there is a determined amount of pages that a cartridge can print. This software is the one in charge of “controlling” the amount of pages that have been printed since the last cartridge was installed, and estimating when the cartridge will be empty. When you change the cartridge, make sure you have reset the printer driver; otherwise, the software will be still using the old cartridge data. This is why, even when you have installed a new cartridge, an error message saying low ink or empty will appear.
10 - Why is my Cartridge printing streaky or with lines? (Back to Top)
It is possible that the printer contacts are worn or dirty. Another possibility is that the print head is partially clogged.
Remove the print head assembly or cartridge with print head from the printer. Hold it with a paper towel lightly damped with warm distilled water in one hand. With your other hand, blot the print head by pressing it into the towel a couple of times. This way, you will remove any dried ink on the print head surface. There should be a uniform, solid ink pattern on towel.
If this does not solve the problem, place the cartridge into a shallow saucer of hot distilled water for around 5 to10 minutes so as to help loosen the dried ink on the ink jets. Then, try blotting it again. If there is a uniform, solid ink pattern on towel, dry off the cartridge and put it back in the printer.
The ink may appear lighter because of the water. In order to clear it out, a few blots and a test page will help.
11 - My cartridge is leaking, what should I do? (Back to Top)
It is possible that the internal pressure is unbalanced. Rest the cartridge on a paper towel with the print head downwards, and allow excess ink to balance.
While shipment the cartridge may remain upside-down for a long time, or it may experience higher than normal altitude pressure. These are also likely causes to leaking problems. If your cartridge is leaking, it up with water and paper towels. Even if it looks as if the cartridge has lost a great amount of ink, it most likely still full and should print fine.
12 - The cartridge is not accepted by the machine, what should I do? (Back to Top)
Remove the cartridge from the printer and then run the head cleaning cycle. Make sure that the plastic sealing tape has
been entirely removed, and that the electronic strip or chip is clean by wiping it off with a towel damped with isopropyl
alcohol. Power on the printer and re-install the cartridge and then, power off the printer for 60 seconds.
13 - My cartridge is not being registered, why? How can I solve this problem? (Back to Top)
This occurs because your printer or computer is not recognizing the cartridge. Make sure that tape from the print head is removed. With a paper towel, wipe the cartridge print head and printer circuitry to ensure there is no debris. Then, power off the printer. Unplug power cord and other cables and, after 30 seconds plug cords and cables back in.
14 - The cartridge prints poorly, or does not print at all, why does this happen and how can I solve this problem? (Back to Top)
Make sure you have removed the sealing tapes on the cartridges. If you do not see the electrical contacts on the cartridge, the plastic seal has not been removed.
Sometimes cartridges need some help to work after being bounced around during shipment. In order to solve this problem, dampen a paper towel with hot water and hold it against the print head for 5 to10 seconds. Then, rob the damp paper towel on the print head a few times. Dry the print head with a dry paper towel. When rubbing the dry paper towel across the print head you should have yellow, blue, and red lines for a color cartridge, or a black line for a black one, showing up on the towel: this means the cartridge should work. Repeat this activity a few times to open up all the print head jets.
If the above has not solved the problem, take a dry piece of paper towel and rub it rapidly on the print head in order to warm it up so as to free up the jets in the print head and allow the ink to flow properly.
If you still get poor prints, the print heads in your machine may need cleaning: Run your printer print head cleaning cycle-refer to your owner's manual for assistance. If the problem is solved after doing this, then you do not need to do anything else. If the problem is not completely fixed but you see improvement in your prints, you should run the routine again until the problem is solved.
If the cleaning cycle does not help the situation, clean the print head in your machine manually: remove the cartridge from the printer. Inject cleaning solution (there is a solution for printers) into the inlet port in the printer for the color that is not printing properly. Place the cartridge back into the machine at once. The cleaning solution should sit in the inlet port for at least 20 minutes so that it breaks down the clog. Sometimes it takes more than 20 minutes, or even numerous iterations of this process to remove the debris from the print head. If necessary, let the cleaner sit in the inlet port overnight.
Some cartridges have a vent at the top through which air passes to disperse the ink for printing. Make sure these air vents are not blocked by anything. If the ink is not dispersed properly the ink will print for a short time and then stop, you will get poor prints, or you will get white pages.
15 - There are colors missing, why does this happen? How can I solve this problem? (Back to Top)
If there are colors missing it is probable that there is an air bubble trapped inside the cartridge between the print head and the ink, preventing proper ink flow. When this occurs we say that the print head has been deprimed. Try running the cleaning cycle with your printer utilities program. If this does not work, shake the cartridge with a paper towel over the end in order to burst the air bubble. Repeat the cleaning cycle 2 or 3 times if necessary. If you have done this many times already and have not succeeded, dampen a paper towel with hot distilled water.
Then, place it on the print head and hold it with your fingers. Shake the cartridge 2 or 3 times quickly and firmly downwards in order to drive the ink toward the print head. Blot the cartridge by holding the paper towel with one hand and press the print head into it with the other. All colors should appear in uniform size. If they do not show up, shake it again 3 or 4 times.
Another way to prime the print head is to blow a little air through the vent hole which is on the top of the cartridge in order to expel a small amount of ink-this will force the ink to go down to the bottom of the cartridge. Afterwards, blot the cartridge again.
When storing cartridges, make sure the print head side faces down, this way they will keep primed. Even though the shelf life is longer, do not store cartridges for periods longer than 6 months.
16 - The wrong colors are being printed, how can I solve this problem? (Back to Top)
Run your print head cleaning cycle on your machine. Print some test so as to check if the colors are correcting themselves. If the output is improving, repeat the cycle until the problem is solved.
If your printer takes individual cartridges for each color, check if each cartridge is in the proper slot. If your printer does not specify the proper position for each cartridge, check your owner's manual.
17 - Some colors are mixed or there is cross contamination, what should I do? (Back to Top)
In order to fix this problem, set the cartridge with its print head downwards onto folded moistened paper towel for around 5 minutes, and then re-install it into your printer.
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