Printer bought in germany and brought to brazil - im very confused

[richbrasil011]

I bought a Deskjet F4210 in germany on a business trip and began using it for a month while in brasil then the colour cartridge began to flash and it definetely wasnt empty because i hardly used to print colour docs. So i assumed the cartridge was faulty and therefore i need to buy a new one. It was only then after some research that i found out that printers (and cartridges?) are region coded - THANKS HP!?

So i took a look at the Cartridge code and it says:

CC643E

However on the HP site it says the code for the cartridge i need is:

CC643EE

What is the difference? Can i order this cartridge from the UK and not Germany or does it have to be Germany (Are the cartridges coded by country or region ie. Europe?

I am also futher confused by this region code as i have found out that a printer region codes itself to the country on installation, is this really true and how does the printer know which country i am in and could it affect the type of cartrtidge that i need to buy.

HP, can you see the degree of confusion you are causing by region your products and supplies?

[Bob_Headrick]

The HP world is divided into 4 regions for cartridge regionalization. In Brazil your printer would use the #60 cartridge, in Germany the cartridge would be #300.  Once the printer has been used in the initial region it will require that region's cartridge unless the region is changed.  The #300 cartridge will not be available in Brazil.

If you need to replace the cartridges in Brazil you will need to Contact HP to request a "Regionalization Reset". There should not be any charge for this, it is covered as part of the cartridge warranty. You will need to have access to your computer and printer while on the line with HP. You will also need to have a set of cartridges for the new region, once the reset is complete cartridges from the original region will no longer work.  HP's web page on the subject is here.

[Bob_Headrick]

BTW, the cartridges in the UK are the same model as those in Germany, #300.  The Final E in the part number indicates the region, E=Europe, N=North America, etc.  This region information is related to the packaging and language options, the cartridge is the same if the selectibility number is the same (like #300) or the part numer is the same (ignoring the last letter).

[richbrasil011]

Thanks for the reply.

Im not convinced the problem is region because as i mentioned the printer was working for a month in a different region before the colour cartridge light started flashing and the black still never flashes.

If it did change region upon initial installation (which was in brazil) then both cartridges should not of worked from day 1?

[Bob_Headrick]

OK, I thought you were trying to replace the color cartridge and could not find any local replacement.

To troubleshoot the blinking light for the color cartridge see the page here.  Removing the cartridge and cleaning the electrical contacts as shown here may help if the other troubleshooting steps do not correct the issue. 

[richbrasil011]

Hi Bob,

Ive tried reseating the colour cartridge many times and cleaning the copper contacts with no luck as per the link you gave.

My building frustration is due to the fact that i dont know if its a cartridge problem, a printer problem or a region problem.

The fact that the printer and cartridges are region coded only adds to the problem.

If this printer worked all over the world i could simply pop a new cartridge in and see if it was still blinking, if it was i would know instantly if it was a printer problem.

Now i have to buy a cartridge from europe and there is no guarantee that it will solve it.

Im thinking my best bet is to call HP tech support and ask them to guide me through a region change, and then i can buy a cartridge here in brasil and maybe that might help me to get closer to the problem although i have heard that they will charge for this if the printer is out of warranty - which it is.

Could you please give me a number to call?

Thank you.

[Bob_Headrick]

As I mentioned before you will need a set of cartridges for the new region to have the reset performed.  There should not be any charge, even if the printer is out of warranty because the procedure is covered by the cartridge warranty.

You will need to Contact HP.