Ink Cartridge Not Recognised | Cartridge Ink

Ink Cartridge Not Recognised

Compatible Cartridges

'Cartridge not recognised' messages can be very frustrating. Mainly this message is displayed when non OEM (original equipment manufacturers) or compatible ink cartridges are used. The main culprits for this are Epson printers with the new range that use the Epson T0711, T0712, T0713, T0714 ink cartridges are by far the worst for this. No matter how many times you refit the cartridge the 'cartridge not recognise' message is displayed, or a big red cross appears, if this is happening to your printer this is what you need to do.

Epson compatible ink cartridges

Make sure that there are no original cartridges in the printer, the smart chips will conflict with each other, if you have already fitted the compatible with an original still in the printer it may be too late as the chip on the compatible cartridge may have been corrupted and you will need to use a new cartridge, however before discarding it, remove all cartridges from the printer, then turn the printer off.

Leave it switched off for about 20 seconds. Then switch it back on. Refit the ink cartridges compatibles only, this should do the trick. If the message 'cartridge not recognised' or the red cross is still displayed then the cartridge it is displayed on will need to be changed, but as a rule the first action should correct the problem. If not, try again it may take several attempts but once the cartridges are accepted then you should have no further problems.

Remanufactured Cartridges

Remanufactured cartridges are just original cartridges that have been refilled, however there is a difference between suppliers. Some will merely refill the cartridge with universal or all purpose ink then will resell it. This is when the problems start.

Obviously this is a quick and much cheaper method and does not take into account the complexity of the ink cartridge. The cartridge has an electrical chip and this needs to be tested, if it fails then the reputable remanufacturer will discard any that fail the quick fixer will not, and as about 25% fail this test then you may have one of these in which case nothing can be done and you need to return it for a refund.

The cartridge also has over 500 individual inkjets which have to be tested if this is not done this will greatly affect the print quality but should not give a 'cartridge not recognised' message. However before rejecting the cartridge as faulty if such a message is displayed you need to take cartridges out of the printer turn it off leave for 20 seconds then switch back on and refit cartridges, this in 50% of cases is the solution.

However in some Canon printers that use the pg-37, cl-38, pg-40, cl-41, pg50, cl-51 and cl-52 ink cartridges you may have to reset the printer to accept remanufactured cartridges. If the message is still displayed, this is done by holding down the reset button on the printer, obviously Canon do not want you to know you can use remanufactured cartridges, they want you to buy their more expensive originals. The reset or resume button as Canon call it has this sign on it (figure 6) , hold it down for about 15 to 20 seconds. The Lexmark printers that use the no.1, no.2, no.3, no4 and no.5 ink cartridges in various combinations also need this to be done,

Epson Picturemate Cartridges

The compatible Epson picturemate cartridge is renowned for the big red X or 'cartridge not recognised' message, there is no real trick or solution here, if this happens to you it does not mean your compatible cartridge is faulty, it is just that Epson have once again made it as difficult as possible to use compatible ink cartridges, the normal ink cartridge user will reject the cartridge when the message is displayed, after all they are not experts in printer technology and they assume the cartridge is faulty. Perseverance will pay off in these cases, take the cartridge out and refit it, you may have to do this several times before it is accepted, but once this has happened you should have no further problems.