Greentrees Printer Supplies LLC
Troubleshooting FAQ's
General FAQ's for Inkjet Cartridges
Why is my new inkjet cartridge not printing? Why is one or more of the colors are not printing?
All cartridges are weighed and tested before leaving the factory so lack of ink isn't the problem. Check to make sure that you removed the shipping tape from the print head. Also on compatible and OEM cartridges make sure that you have removed the tape that covers the vent hole on the top of the cartridge. This tape must be removed to allow air inside the cartridge for the ink to flow. If you are sure that it has been removed then the print head probably not getting any ink, so try the following.
This can happen to cartridges with attached print heads, such as HP, Lexmark or Dell, because cartridges are kept flat or upside down for weeks or months before being used and the ink settles away from the print head. The easiest remedy is to get a damp paper towel, fold it into quarters and sit the cartridge print head down onto it. Keep the cartridge down to 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. Finally, install the cartridge into your printer, run the printers' "Head Cleaning" utility, and print a few test pages.
Why do I see leaked ink in side of my new remanufactured inkjet cartridge package?
Very rarely, a little ink might be left on the inkjet cartridge or shipping clip and it will smudge onto the inside of the bag during shipping. We try our best to make sure that the cartridges and shipping clips are clean before they are bagged, but once in a while one will slip by. As long as there is not a lot of ink in the bag, the cartridge is OK to use, but if you prefer you can return it for a refund or replacement.
Why do I get a "Low Ink" Warnings went I install my new remanufactured Lexmark/ HP inkjet cartridge?
This error message will normally occur with most new remanufactured inkjet cartridges that are being used in newer HP, Lexmark, and Dell printers. With these newer printers, when a new inkjet cartridge is inserted into the printer, the printer begins tracking the ink used for that particular cartridge. When the cartridge has been used to about 80% of its expected life, the printer often begins to send the user "Low on Ink" warning messages. There is generally a significant amount of ink still left in the cartridge when these messages first appear. This is a common error with remanufactured cartridges since these are the type of cartridges that most remanufactures receive for remanufacturing (for some reason most user do not sent un-used inkjet cartridges in to be recycled) and there is presently no way to re-set the ink usage counter on this cartridges. Most of the time you can simply ignore these messages and your printer should operate normally. However, if you wish to try to eliminate these "Low on Ink" warning messages, you can try one or both of the following fixes.
Fix A - This is for most Lexmark printers, but your printer could also have some type of ink usage counter resetting software that would work basically the same.
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 your printer "Printer Solutions Center".
Fix B - You could disable all printer Warning Messages by disabling All communication from your Printer back to your PC. To disable ALL communication from your Printer to your PC, do the following. Note- This operation will disable ALL COMMUNICATION being sent from the printer to your PC, including paper out, paper jams, low on ink, etc. For All-in-One printers, this will ALSO DISABLE CERTAIN FUNCTIONS SUCH AS SCANNING. This operation can be reversed by repeating the below steps and checking the "Enable Bi-Directional Support" box.
1. From the Windows "Start Menu", Click on "Settings, and then "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.
If these fixes do not work for you or you just do not want the headache of these Warning Messages, then I suggest that you only purchase either new Compatible or OEM inkjet cartridges only.
Why do I get a "Out of Ink" Warnings went I install my new remanufactured Canon inkjet PG-40/50 or CL-41/51 cartridge(s)?
This error message will normally occur with most new remanufactured inkjet cartridges that are being used in newer Canon printers. With these newer printers, when a new inkjet cartridge is inserted into the printer, the printer begins tracking the ink used for that particular cartridge. When the cartridge has been used to about 80% of its expected life, the printer often begins to send the user "Out of Ink" warning messages. There is generally a significant amount of ink still left in the cartridge when these messages first appear. This is a common error with remanufactured cartridges since these are the type of cartridges that most remanufactures receive for remanufacturing (for some reason most user do not sent un-used inkjet cartridges in to be recycled) and there is presently no way to re-set the ink usage counter on this cartridges. To eliminate this "Out of Ink" warning message, you can try the following fix.
Fix - Note- These steps will only have to be performed once and will not be needed again until you either remove and/or replace your remanufactured cartridge. Your Canon printer may display variations of the messages listed below.
- After installing a new remanufactured cartridge the warning message “Cartridge Needs the Print Head Algnment” may appear, please click OK to continue.
- When you send the first print job to the printer, a second warning message “The Remaining Levels of Some Ink Cannot be Correctly Detected” and a third warning message “The Following Ink May Have Run Out - Color/Black” may appear that will instruct you to either Cancel or Resume printing without the ink detection function.
- In order to clear these warning messages, DO NOT click any of the warning messages buttons ( OK, Display Print Queue, About Low, or Cancel Printing).
- Just press the RESUME button on your printer to initiate the printer start-up sequence and print the document. This initiation may take a few minutes (the RESUME/CANCEL printer button is typically located on the printer under the POWER button. Please refer to your printer’s user manual for further assistance if necessary.
If these fixes do not work for you or you just do not want the headache of these Warning Messages, then I suggest that you only purchase either new Compatible or OEM inkjet cartridges only.
Why does my printer say that the cartridge is empty when I installed a new remanufacture inkjet cartridge?
On older printers, if you just ignore the warning and proceed with your printing, the printer will normally reset this Warning Message by itself.
But with most newer Canon, Dell and Lexmark printers this is usually the "Kiss of Death" for a inkjet cartridge and will normally causes the printer to Burn Out the remanufactured color cartridge print head circuit. When we remanufacture injet cartridges we test the cartridge print head circuit to make sure that it is OK, but we cannot test to see what the ink usage counter value is (see above) or re-set it to zero (except for Epson and some Canon cartridges). My suggestion to those with these newer printers is to stay with either new compatible or OEM inkjet cartridges. They do cost more than the remanufactured cartridges, but it can save you a lot of hassles.
Why does my printer not recognize the new inkjet cartridge?
Check to see if you might have installed either or both of the color and/or black cartridges in the wrong cartridge slot. If they are in the correct slots, try un-installing both of them and then re-installing them. With older printers this should work.
If you have a newer printer and it is a new remanufactured inkjet cartridge, then it could be that the ink usage counter was showing the inkjet cartridge as empty (see above) and has Burnout the cartridge print head circuit. If this is the case, you can return to us for a full refund, but if it was a remanufactured inkjet cartridge, then we will not replace it with another new remanufactured inkjet cartridge. We will only sell you a new compatible or OEM inkjet cartridge for your printer. This is because we have found that sending you another remanufactured inkjet cartridge will only resort in you having the same problem.
Why are my printed pictures having overlapping lines and mixed up colors?
With older printers, check to see if you might have installed either or both of the color and/or black cartridges in the wrong cartridge slot. This check is necessary with some printers that have color-coded tops. Some remanufactured inkjet cartridges have a different color top than OEM.
If this is not the problem and your printer is over 4 years old, it could be that your printer is just very dirty inside. Try cleaning it using the following instructions.
NOTE- While these general instructions will work on most printers, we should refer to your printer manual for specific maintenance instructions. To clean your printer you will need cotton swabs, warm water, paper towels, and a flashlight. First remove the cartridges, then clean the rubber seats in the cartridge docking station (this is where the cartridge holding slots park when the cartridges are installed and the printer is ON) with cotton swabs and warm water. If your printer has a wiper blade (it will be about a quarter inch long and just to the left of the docking station) clean it as well. Now soak a paper towel and then squeeze out the excess water. Fold it long ways several times until it is about 12 inches by 1 ink, several layers thick. With a handhold on each end of the towel, slide the towel back and forth as it goes under the carriage (some carriages can be lifted up slightly to make this process easier). Let the printer dry and then re-install your cartridges.
If the problem is not either of the above, than your inkjet color cartridge has cross-contaminated ink and should be return for a full refund.
Does the letter at the end of the HP inkjet cartridge part number matter? For example, if the cartridge is a C6656A will the C6656AN work as well?
Yes they are the same. HP sometimes shows the cartridge #56 as the 56A or C6656A, but the full part number is C6656AN. You could also see our #56 cartridges labeled as a HP56, 6656A, C6656, C6656A or C6656AN. They are all the some cartridge with the same amount of ink (volume) in them.
What does the letters at the end of the HP inkjet cartridge mean?
The letter at the end of HP ink cartridge part numbers signifies the amount of ink (volume) in them. Most HP cartridges only have two types, such as the #56, but some have three types, such as the #78 cartridge. HP uses the letter G for its free Starter type cartridges that comes with new printers and has the least amount of ink (volume). They use the letter A for its Regular High Volume type cartridges that are normally sold in stores and they have the standard amount of ink (volume). On some HP cartridges (example #78) they use the letter D for High-Yield type cartridges and they have the most amount of ink (volume). The cartridges that we sell are normally filled to the Regular High Volume (type A) cartridge and could be labeled (using the #56 as an example) HP56, 6656A, C6656, C6656A, or C6656AN.
What is the shelf life of compatible and remanufactured ink cartridges?
They have a three-year shelf life as long as you have not opened the sealed bag that the cartridges are in. If the bag is opened then air can get to the cartridge and since most inkjet inks have water in them, the ink could dry out inside the cartridge.
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