Frequent Questions

The printer is telling me that the ink is low/empty, but it’s new?

 
Answer: You need to check that the nozzles aren’t clogged and that the copper plate is free from dust/dirt preventing the correct contact being made. To do so, place some newspaper down to capture any spillage of ink. Remove the cartridge from your printer – switch your printer off. Using a piece of damp kitchen paper, gently wipe the copper plate on the cartridge to give it a thorough clean. Allow the chip to dry.
Once the chip is completely dry, reinstall the cartridge into your printer and switch the printer back on. We would recommend that you run the print head cleaning programme on your printer to clean the heads and push the ink through. For best results you should run the programme three to four times.
Alternatively, there could be an issue with your printer's software preventing the full functionality of the cartridges. Basically, this means that ink levels will not be shown correctly. This should not prevent you from printing and so you can ignore this message and print as normal. We'd suggest checking the quality of your prints and if you begin to see fading, use this as an indication to replace the cartridge. 
Top Tip: Always keep a spare cartridge to cover this printer software issue.

The cartridge you sent me is correct but why does it look different?

Answer: First of all, please check that you have ordered correctly for your printer. Make sure you are placing the correct cartridge into the correct carriage. Some compatible cartridges may look slightly different to the originals. All of our cartridges have been thoroughly tested and the cartridge you received should work in your printer. Our products are only sourced from manufacturers with the highest standards, and are all fully guaranteed to give peace of mind as part of our Performance Pledge.

What is the best way to store cartridges?

 
Answer: Always store your cartridge upright (for example, with the print head at the bottom) as it would be placed in your printer, as during shipping the cartridge could get jolted and shaken around and the air which is normally at the top may have moved to the bottom.
By storing the cartridge upright the ink is free to settle, the air will rise to the top and the ink will flow freely without any air bubbles.
If you install the cartridge as soon as you receive it and you have a problem with the print quality then leave it overnight before attempting to print again. This will allow the ink to settle.
When installing a new printer cartridge always make sure that you remove the protective clip (if there is one on the print head) and any print head tape.
The printer automatically runs a print head cleaning routine after new cartridges are installed. If however the print quality is not as you expected, please run another print head cleaning cycle via the printer’s software.

What if I've tried shaking the cartridge and it doesn't help?

Answer: It's possible that the drum in the cartridge has gone bad. Our cartridges use a special extended life drum that is guaranteed against streaking. 

Why do I get fewer pages out of my toner cartridge than the manufacturer claims I will get?

 
Answer: A toner cartridge is rated for a certain number of pages at 5% page coverage. 5% page coverage would be comparable to a very brief memo with a salutation, small body of text, and closure. Most users print pages with graphics, gray scales, lines, and larger amounts of text, using more toner (On average 6.5 - 7% page coverage) to print. Like fuel in your car, more gas is used with a heavier load. Additionally, rated yields and actual yields will vary due to the operating environment. When you buy a new car, the manufacturer states that it will get X miles per gallon. This ESTIMATE is based on optimal laboratory conditions and is usually not exceeded in normal usage situations. The typical user prints between 6.5 - 7% page coverage, reducing the yield by about 30%. So, if your toner is rated for 10,000 pages, you will probably get 7,000 pages on average.

How to Replace a Toner Cartridge in a Laser Printer？

 
Answer:Open the printer door to access the toner cartridges.
Remove the drum assembly from the printer by pulling it straight out.
Remove the spent cartridge by pressing the release lever on the drum assembly.
Take the new cartridge out of the box, but keep it in its plastic packaging. Sometimes, during shipping, toner can settle in the toner drum, resulting in poor-quality copies. To prevent this problem, gently shake the cartridge. This helps fully distribute toner throughout the cartridge.
Remove the new cartridge from its packaging and pull off the sealing tape.
While doing this, be careful not to touch the imaging drum on the bottom of the toner cartridge. Smudges on the drum can cause print-quality problems.
Put the replacement cartridge in. It should snap in place securely.
Slide the drum cleaning lever back and forth.
Reinsert the drum assembly completely, and close the printer's access port.
Your printer is ready to be used.
Print a test page. Your computer will automatically recognize that a new cartridge has been installed. Most computers will ask you if you want to print a test page to ensure that the new cartridge is functional. Click "OK." The computer will scan the printer settings and eventually produce a printed page.

What is the difference between the toner cartridge and the drum unit? What is the toner cartridge?

 
Answer:The toner cartridge contains powder (toner) used for creating letters and images.You need to replace the toner cartridge when the toner is running short or print quality becomes poor because of toner deterioration.

Why does the cartridge I received look bigger than the one that's already in my printer?

 
Answer:You’ll notice that some of our cartridges – compatible and remanufactured - will look slightly different than the printer-brand cartridge. There are a couple reasons for this. For one, a majority of our remanufactured cartridges are equipped with a protective clip that must be removed prior to installation. This is an L shaped clip that runs along the side of the cartridge and is meant to protect it from any damage that might occur during the shipping process. The clip will make your cartridge appear larger than the cartridge in your printer. Please open the package and carefully remove the protective clip as well as any protective tape that covers the cartridge’s print head.
Many of our compatible cartridges might have slight design differences from the original. This is to avoid infringement on a patented design. Despite any structural difference you may notice, the cartridge will still fit and print a full yield.

Ways to Resolve an Error Message

Answer: Cartridges that do not have an internal print head (Epson, Brother, Canon)A lot of times this is caused by the chip on the cartridge not making direct contact with the printer sensors. All you need to do is open the area of the printer where your cartridges are installed. Remove the problematic cartridge from its designated port and reinstall the cartridge to ensure it is properly seated, secured, and that the chip is lined up with the printer censor. Close the printer cover and proceed to turn off the printer. Wait a few a few seconds and restart your printer. Proceed to print a test page and you should be good to go.
 
Cartridges that have an internal print head (HP, Lexmark and some Canon)This is caused by the cartridge not making proper contact with the printer. This may also be caused by unclean contact points on the cartridge. Open the area where your cartridges are installed and remove the problematic cartridge. The cartridge contacts can be cleaned using a lint-free cloth or coffee filter. Completely power down your printer for 2-3 minutes by unplugging the printer from its power source. Then power your printer back up, reinstall your cartridge making sure it is seated correctly, and that it’s in its designated slot. Your cartridge should be recognized and ready to print.

Why didn't my cartridge print the full amount of pages? Why was the yield lower than what was quoted online?

Answer: Customers often worry about the yield of pages their cartridges produce and will mistakenly try to track a cartridge’s yield by time. The amount of time it takes for a cartridge to go empty is an inaccurate indicator of its page yield. The manufacturer’s cited page yield for ink and toner cartridges is given at 5% coverage. This means that the quoted page yield is based upon printed pages where only 5% of the page has been imprinted with ink. This comes out to be a small amount of imprinted ink – roughly one quarter of the page. For example, a short memo has approximately 5% coverage. If you are printing letters, using legal size paper, printing photos, web pages or any type of graphics, your coverage will vary greatly and your page yield will drop significantly.
There are two ways to properly check for yield. First is to utilize any page count your printer has. Refer the user's manual for instructions. The other way is to count reams or boxes of paper you have used with each cartridge. Both of these methods will tell you how many pages per cartridge you are using.
Please keep in mind that although both methods provide you with an approximation, your cartridge’s yield will ultimately depend on your printing practices. You should also take into consideration the typical print coverage on the pages that you are producing. For instance, if you only print short memos you will reach – or, come close to – the manufacturer’s state page yield. In contrast, if you write full page letters or print graphics, your page yield will be considerably less. A cartridge with a 4000 page yield, for example, will run out of ink or toner at around 800 pages when used to print full pages of text and graphics with a high percentage of ink or toner coverage.

Firmware Updates

 
Answer:Firmware/software updates can tell the printer how to communicate, how to move motors, fire nozzles and most important of all, how to recognise original versus compatible (non-original) cartridge chips.
By using compatible or remanufactured cartridges you are cutting into the manufacturer’s primary source of profit. Because of this, they update firmware which may interfere with the printer’s operation if using compatible or remanufactured cartridges. Firmware on the printer can then produce the message regarding low or zero ink levels if the machine detects a cartridge that is not a manufacturer’s original cartridge. It can on occasion prevent the printer from accepting the cartridges completely.
However, please try the following troubleshooting if you encounter what you think is a firmware issue.
1. Remove the cartridges from your machine with the printer on. If you are required to follow prompts on screen to change a cartridge make sure you do follow them, otherwise you should be able to simply lift the lid or press a specific button to get your carriage to slide across. NEVER pull the carriage across to change a cartridge as your printer will not realise anything has changed. All you will do is cause damage to your printer.
2. Turn your printer off from the mains (remove the plug from the wall) and wait for a minute or so. Doing this will give your printer chance to clear the error it had and power down correctly. It may also be worth ensuring your printer is communicating this to your computer and that the error on screen has cleared.
3. Turn your printer back on and wait for it to settle down and warn of a missing cartridge.
4. Reinstall the cartridges individually. If multiple cartridges have been rejected I would recommend installing them individually and ensuring the cartridge is being recognised by the printer before repeating the process for the next cartridge.