envy 4500 wont use cartridge in print mode.

[ChrisPeacock]

Hello there I put a used refilled cartridge in my envy and the counterfiet used message came up I tried to dissmiss everything as I knew the cartridge was a refill now it basically will not print from the carteridge in print mode. Now you might say its just not working but this is not true if I print a diagnostic page it prints perfectly using the black ink from the refilled carteridge so obviously  it is working perfectly but the HP software is blocking the printing for some reason - how do I stop it doing this. The hp software also thinks there is no black ink and I cannot find the reset ink levels option either.

Thanks for any help

[ChrisPeacock]

Ah yes might need the uninstall info as well for the HP software on this ...no uninstall in windows programs n features and no uninstall in the HP folder. Tried downloading the HP softwaqre install and that just installed without saying I had it already on my system or the feature for uninstall. I am starting to get a picture of how well made all this stuff is now 😞 ...

[Sunshyn2005]

Hi @ChrisPeacock,

Here's the thing, yes, you can refill your cartridges or use remanufactured cartridges, but you may run into problems.

QualityLogic, one of the world's foremost quality assurance organizations, tested the performance of HP inkjet print cartridges vs. remanufactured (refilled) brands. The results: original HP inkjet print cartridges far surpassed ink refills in both print quality and reliability.

• Nearly one out of every six refilled ink cartridges tested was dead on arrival or failed prematurely

• 70% of refilled cartridges had some form of reliability problem

Count on HP original ink cartridges for consistent, worry-free printing. You may think you're saving money on remanufactured or refilled ink cartridges, but in the long run, the cost of wasted time, ink, and paper can more than make up the difference.  - Source

Most people think, 'well of course that is what HP or an HP representative would say', but I have done some research and found that many others have too. Here is a perfect example of somebody who does not work for HP in any way and basically is a customer advocate (in my opinion) ; Should you refill your printer’s ink cartridges? HP says no (of course) By Matthew Murray

I found the above article interesting and genuine.

My personal recommendation is to buy the HP XL cartridges as they are more cost efficient, and be mindful in the printer you choose when buying an inkjet. The 8610 was a good choice. The expected page yield of the HP 950XL High Yield Black Original Ink Cartridge is 2300 pages. The regular size cartridge page yield is 1000, still good but the XL is by far a better value. Some of the Photosmart printers or Deskjets are great for what they are intended for, but do not have as good of a cost per page.

HP's recommendation; Keep in mind that page yield is just one component of cost, and that factors such as quality, reliability, productivity, and efficiency affect cost as well. Products that work reliably will ultimately save you time and money. When you choose an inkjet printer, make sure you consider your individual printing needs.

- Source

To summarize, again, yes you can refill the cartridges. The printer is not programmed to reject them. Sometimes the cartridges will not work and of course because they are non HP, HP would not be able to do anything to help. HP cartridges have a 2 year manufacture warranty;Limited Warranty for HP Ink Cartridges and Customer-Replaceable Printheads for HP Inkjet Supplies, this may give you comfort knowing HP stand behind their product.

As for the software, you may need to simply restart the computer and perform a hard reset on the printer for the software to recognize you have indeed replaced the cartridges with full ones.

You can use the following link for instructions to uninstall the Printer Software, and download and run the HP Printer Install Wizard for Windows to reinstall it.

Clicking the thumbs up icon below, helps me see that you are grateful and/or pleased with my response! If the issue persists let me know, I will happily do all I can to assist you

I hope this helps.

[ChrisPeacock]

No it's true the juries out for me still but how can i be printing perfect pages via diagnostic not even a slight problem and absolutely nothing from a normal printing process? Something is not adding up. I will try the uninstall next week when I'm back on the pc and carry on thanks...

[ChrisPeacock]

Hmmm ok well I am back on this now...and it still does not make sense. I tried uninstalling reinstalling etc etc . nothing worked much but it did start to do some printing which was better than nothing but it was banding really badly. So I took both cartridges out and put them back in for the hell of it even though I had done this before and finally it printed a 5 page document in black and white perfectly 😮 ! I am pretty certain it will go wrong again soon but we will see...

What I still dont get is why the printer never reset the ink levels when I put the new cartridge in. And why there is not a feature like every printer I have had before to reset the ink levels? Also on the subject of refills being unreliable my problem with that is my previous two printers ran on refills for years I have used literally 100s of them and not one problem which is making me very suspicious that both of my first two have started with problems this time round :S ...

interesting how that report says 

• Nearly one out of every six refilled ink cartridges tested was dead on arrival or failed prematurely

• 70% of refilled cartridges had some form of reliability problem

And I have had over 100 cartridges never go wrong on two other brand printers. I wonder if all new printers are like this as in all brands (as my other printers were very old).

So I guess no way to reset ink levels manually? Could this be affecting the printing? Another problem might have been it being on USB 3 for a while but the banding was happening on USB 2 anyway. Are you also saying a geniune cartridge will fix this as well? Anyway still unsure of what is happening... 😞

[Sunshyn2005]

I would talk to the company that refills your cartridges about resetting the ink levels. This is not something that needs to be done with genuine HP Cartridges, thus I do not have such instructions to offer you. If something like this happened with a genuine HP ink cartridge, we would likely replace it for hardware failure.

I can't say with 100% certainly that genuine cartridge will resolve the issue, but if you purchase genuine cartridges, you will know for sure if the issue is the printer or the refilled cartridges. If you get genuine cartridges, and the issue persists, I suggest calling in to speak with somebody at phone support.

If you are in Canada or US call 800 474 6836, or you can Contact HP Worldwide.

[ChrisPeacock]

Hmmm...but if someone put the wrong cartridge in and the ink levels got changed then swapped back another one they basically can't reset? Just sounds like a way of putting people of refills. Does the ink level affect anything like printing if it's low or gone? This is literally the first printer I've not been able to reset levels with.

Thanks on the other stuff...

[Sunshyn2005]

Hi @ChrisPeacock, 

If a printer detects a print cartridge is depleted, it will stop printing. For more information it would be best for you to call us. We can help answer any additional questions you have. If you are in Canada or US call 800 474 6836, or you can Contact HP Worldwide.

[ChrisPeacock]

Ok will do hmm paying phone number were i am... good service...wow so if the printer always detects refills as empty and won't work that would be appalling basically blocking any refilling. But it appears my printer is printing even with the out of ink black...the mystery moves on...

[ChrisPeacock]

It was a bit of invisible dirt on the contacts to the cartridge the guys that sold me the cartridge told me how to fix it right away :S .