Suddenly and without reason: Incompatible Black Ink Cartridge Message

[Godsabode]

Suddenly and without apparent reason I am getting a message (on my HP Officejet 4500 G510 printer) that is telling me that my black ink cartridge is incompatible.  I have removed the cartridge and cleaned it as well as the contacts in which it greets inside my computer, have unplugged and replugged my printer (in an attmpe to "reset" it) and I continute to have the same message along with a blinking red exclamation mark on my display!  Uugh!!  Please advise and thank-you!!

[HevnLgh]

Hi Godsabode,

Welcome to the HP Support Forums! I see all of a sudden you started getting an 'incompatible cartridge' error on your HP Officejet 4500. You have tried some troubleshooting steps with no success.

I would like you to continue here: 'Incorrect Print Cartridge' or 'Print Cartridge Problem' Message Displays on the Computer, you may need to repeat some steps you have already done. I see you have determined it is the black cartridge that you are having problems with, have you tried replacing it and see if the error persists?

If you complete ALL steps listed above and replace the cartridge with no success, I suggest contacting our technical support at 800-474-6836, keep the cartridge as they may need to obtain some information from it. If you live outside the US/Canada Region, please click the link below to get the support number for your region.

http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpsupport/index.pl

I hope this helps!

Thanks,

[Godsabode]

Thank you for your reply.  I really didn't want to replace the black ink cartridge as I had just recently had it refilled at Costco and it hadn't given me any problems for the past 3 weeks.  I still don't know why all of the sudden I was getting the incompatible cartridge message.  I took your advice and went and bought a brand new HP inkjet 901 cartridge and gave it a try - success!!  I took the old one back to Costco and they gave me a full refund (gotta love that about Costco!).  Thinking HP is cracking down on refilled cartridges - how do they know?!!  Ha Ha......

Just not sure in the future if I should have my cartridges refilled or just pay the big bucks and buy new?  Suggestions? 

Thank you for your help!

[HevnLgh · Accepted solution]

Godsabode,

Thank you for trying my recommendation, I am glad you are back up and printing! I wouldn't say that HP is cracking down on the refilled cartridges as you are able to use them in your printer, but HP cannot guarantee the performance or quality of the refilled cartridges.

To get a better understanding take a look here: Can I Refill The Ink In My HP Ink Cartridge?

You can also check out some of the testing done by HP: HP Cartridges vs Refilled

I always recommend using genuine HP cartridges, if you ever run into any problems with the cartridges remember they also have a warranty.

I hope this helps!

[Godsabode]

Thank you for your counsel!