Deactivating instant ink subscription from a second hand printer.

[yaseen10101]

I bought a used HP DeskJet 4200 Series (4252e)

It is tied to someone else's Instant Ink account, and I can't use any HP cartridges that I bought. How do I remove the Instant Ink information from this printer?

I do not have the information of the person who previously had the account.

[Kuroi_Kenshi · Accepted solution]

Hi @yaseen10101,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your HP DeskJet 4200 series (4252e) printer is linked to a previous owner’s Instant Ink account, and you cannot use the cartridges you purchased. Let’s go through a few steps to check what could be causing this.

Restore the printer to factory defaults
On the printer control panel, press and hold the Cancel and Wireless buttons together for about 5 seconds (until the printer resets).
This clears stored network and account-related settings from the device.

Reset Web Services
Open the HP Smart app and add the printer again after the reset.
When prompted, enable Web Services to generate a new connection to your account.

Remove and reinstall the cartridges
Turn the printer on, remove the cartridges, wait about 30 seconds, and reinstall them.
This forces the printer to recheck cartridge status after the reset.

Update printer firmware through HP Smart
Open HP Smart → Printer Settings → Advanced Settings → Printer Update.
Firmware updates can help clear account-sync issues after ownership changes.

Understand Instant Ink cartridge restrictions
If the printer was previously enrolled in Instant Ink, subscription cartridges will not work once the subscription is inactive.
Only standard HP cartridges will work after the printer is successfully reset and no longer linked to the old account.

If the printer still reports Instant Ink enrollment after these steps, it usually means the device is still registered to the previous owner’s Instant Ink account and has not yet been released from that subscription system.

I hope this helps.

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