“Cartridge cannot be used until printer is enrolled in HP Instant Ink” message

[JillSa]

You are receiving this message “Cartridge cannot be used until printer is enrolled in HP Instant Ink” on your printer because you are trying to use HP Instant Ink cartridges in a printer that is not enrolled in the HP Instant Ink service.  HP Instant Ink cartridges ONLY work if you are currently enrolled in the HP Instant Ink service. 

To solve the issue please remove all HP Instant Ink cartridges from the printer.  All HP Instant Ink cartridges have the name printed on the label as shown below.

There are three types of cartridges:

• Label does not say “Instant Ink” or “Instant Ink Ready” – these can be used in any compatible printer.
• Label says “Instant Ink” – these can only be used in a printer that is currently enrolled in Instant Ink.
• Label says “Instant Ink Ready”:
  • If these have ever been used in an enrolled printer, then they can only be used in an enrolled printer.
  • If these have never been used in an enrolled printer, then they can be used in any compatible printer.

Pic #1 – Cartridge on the left is standard HP cartridge, cartridge in middle is Instant Ink ready and cartridge on right is Instant Ink

Pic #2

The first 2 cartridges (cyan and magenta) are standard cartridges (no Instant Ink label).

The middle 2 cartridges (yellow and black) are Instant Ink ready as shown in the title above the 902 number

The last 2 cartridges (cyan and magenta) are Instant Ink cartridges as titled right under the C and M icon

If you see this message when you ARE enrolled, then there may be a problem with the cartridge or with the printer enrollment. Go to Instantink.com and click the link to Sign In, which is located at the top right of the page, or under the 3 horizontal lines if you are on a mobile device.  If you are able to log in, then you do have an account. Click the Printer Details link under the printer name to check the serial number of the enrolled printer and make sure it matches the printer you are using. If it matches then please contact HP support to help resolve this issue.

Here is a link to WW support:

Choose your country and language and hit show options:  

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/contact-hp/product/HP-Instant-Ink-series/5264756/model/5401249

If you still have questions or want to ask a new question, create a new post in the Community😉

[TEJ1602]

@seniorjohnl, Welcome to HP Support Community!

Follow the steps below-

Assign manual IP to the printer

The steps on how to set a manual IP address can be found here.

For the DNS servers please use 8.8.8.8 for the Manual Preferred DNS Server and 8.8.4.4 for the Alternate DNS server. These are Google’s public DNS servers.

Update the printer firmware

Download available firmware updates from the HP website

With the printer on and connected to the computer, go to HP Customer Support - Software and Driver Downloads, and then identify your printer. Look for and install any available firmware updates. Refer to the document HP Printers - Updating or Upgrading Printer Firmware

Now, try printing.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Spence930]

I enrolled while using my own cartridges and was never sent instant ink at all. 

When I unenrolled they have totally disabled my printer and it does not work 

at all now.  I cannot work.  I bought new cartridges and those do not work either. 

I requested an envelope to send back MY CARTRIDGES and they did not

ever send. 

Message says enroll in instant ink. 

If you enroll and then want to get out - your printer is permanently disabled

and you are forced to throw it out.  This is the worst customer service and

worst company ever. DO NOT ENROLL PERIOD

[JillSa]

@Spence930 

Hi, your printer should never be disabled if you buy regular HP cartridges and use them, even if you are enrolled in Instant Ink.

I'll send you a  private message so I can get more details and look up your account.

JillSa

[Grace56]

I am already enrolled in Instant Ink -- 

[Kumar0307]

@Grace56, Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Restart the router, printer, and the PC

Check if the printer is connected to the internet.

To assist you better, We would need some information related to your Instant Ink Subscription. This information cannot be shared on a public post.

I have sent you a private message, reply to the message with your details.

In order to access your private messages, click the private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Forums profile, next to your profile Name or simply click on this link.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day! 

[Spartan101]

"Cartridge cannot be used until printer is enrolled in HP instant ink" - Now lets see how complicated this gets...

I have followed just about all the advise and wonderful information given on this site. Now as I see it... this error is to protect HP against users installing other ink.. I get that and frankly I have loved the service. The key factor here is it is an error code..... which means there are a number of faults which would cause it and these have to be known planned fault codes. Therefor the people who coded this into the product will have also built a solution to enable the error code to be cleared. There nice and simple.

To put it even simpler, I have been and am paying for a service. this is not working, I have spent days attempting to follow the explanations and fault support guides to no avail. Please FIX IT.

[HostageProduct]

Instant Ink is a joke. Enrolled in Instant Ink when I purchased the printer as there was a free trial period. I was mailed 4 ink cartridges, black and 3 color. I cancelled the service after the free trial ran out. After a few months the miniscule amount of ink that came with the printer ran out so I installed the ones that came from HP Instant Ink and threw out the old cartridges. This is where I made a mistake, I think. Now I can't print with the Instant Ink cartridges. Fine, I guess I understand why they'd do that. I don't like it but, ok. So I try to purchase ink cartridges but there are none available anywhere. I was able to find a black and magenta cartridge but still have two of the Instant Ink cartridges installed. I tried ordering the other colors from HP but they cancelled my order because the ink is out of stock. No other online retailer has the cartridges, Costco, Amazon, Office Depot, all are out of stock.

So I figure I can at least print in Black and White since I do have a store bought black cartridge. Silly me! Why would HP allow that?

HP Virtual Agent will not send you to a human - Waste of time!

Currently sitting on hold waiting for Customer Support to answer. 25 minutes and counting.

1 hour 10 minutes on hold. They kept prompting me to use the Virtual Assistant to get answers more quickly. OMG.

Will NEVER buy an HP product again.

[Kumar0307]

Hi @HostageProduct

Welcome to the HP Support Community. I understand your concern and I have brought your issue to the attention of an appropriate team within HP.

They will likely request information from you in order to look up your case details or product serial number. Please look for a private message from an identified HP contact.

Additionally, keep in mind not to publicly post personal information (serial numbers and case details).

If you are unfamiliar with how the Community's private message capability works, you can learn about that here:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/First-Time-Here-Learn-How-to-Post-and-More/How-To-Send-A-Private-Messa...

Thank you for visiting the HP Support Community.

[keerthychandan]

I also signed up for Instant Ink program while i was a student but later after a few months I found that I rarely used my printer and I canceled the subscription.  Now, I had to print something and I got the message "Not enrolled in Instant Ink."  Im thinking to get the refill as it is very cost efficient, but i don't think i can get my printer working like before as i have enrolled my printer in this stupid program. 

After reading most of your comments and i have come to a conclusion that i wasted money by buying this printer and INSTANT INK PROGRAM SUCKS!!!

[Kumar0307]

@Mustang7799, Welcome to the HP Support Community!

If the printer is not enrolled in Instant Ink and if you are not using Instant ink cartridges, turn off web services on the printer and try printing.

Click here to know how to turn off web services.

For more info on resolving this issue, refer to this document.

To know how to enroll the printer in the Instant Ink service, click here.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day! 

[Kumar0307]

@keerthychandan, Welcome to the HP Support Community!

If the printer is not enrolled in Instant Ink anymore, you cannot use Instant Ink cartridges. You will have to replace it with regular HP ink cartridges to resume printing.

You have paid for the Instant Ink service, but not for the ink cartridges.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day! 

[Spartan101]

I have been checking out posts and various interweb ranting sites. I have finally reached a bottom line... No one in HP can resolve this issue. 

Waffle upon waffle of switch this on to switch that off and then stand on one leg with a cup of hot tea in one hand and a banana in the other, and wiggle them around and a point here.. I tried a little jump in the air around 3pm and guess what?  Yes that's right Nothing happened!  Still it was a lot more fun than the hours of reverberating poor struggling advise given to resolve at best a software issue. Everyone is given the same crap advise and it is assumed you have tried to use a different cartridge every sing solitary one of you giving advise states this!  Come on correct me if I am wrong.

It's in every communication! So for the record. I have only had HP ink I have only had to change the cartridges once in 2 yrs - and I will say HP certainly did a cracking job getting those out. Didn't even realise my ink was short, so that's exactly why I signed up.

Now the poor printer sits idly in the corner dreaming of the fun days we had printing all those 210 pages and a few photos aaahhh those wistful days... Now it is little more than a reminder that I must cancel my subscription and let the printer go to the big printing press in the sky... Or better still get my big boy pants on and start the laborious procces of getting a replacement or money back!  Now that's a challenge worthy of my efforts..... 

[duffnbrew]

I received a replacement printer under warranty along with a set of cartridges.  I swapped out my existing cartridges (HP original, Staples purchased) from the printer being replaced, which have been fine.  My black ink just ran out so I put in the new cartridge, and it errored out saying I have to sign up for Instant Ink before I can use it.  It took the printer offline, and although my network can see it (green lights on the HP app), I couldn't get it registered on the Instant Ink app after an hour on chat, then phone support. 

Ended up throwing out the cartridges and going back to Staples for cartridges that work and don't hold me hostage.  Really disappointed to be blind-sided by HP forcing me to sign up, and equally frustrated with the online registration process, which couldn't find the printer.  It's almost 2021 - how hard is it really to get things right?

[Kumar0307]

@duffnbrew, Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Are you trying to use the Instant Ink cartridges from the old printer in the replacement printer? If yes, it will not work.

Make sure you make changes in the Instant Ink account by updating the printer information. Kindly refer to - Replacing or Adding Printers to Your Account

You will receive a new set of Instant Ink cartridges to use in the replacement printer.

Keep me posted for any other assistance.

[duffnbrew]

Thank you for the follow up Kumar0307, but you misread my post.  In August I received the replacement printer, along with  'Instant Ink Only' cartridges.  I was told by HP at that time to transfer my existing cartridges (recently purchased for $100+) from the old printer to the new one, which I did.  They have been in use since then.  On Monday in the middle of printing the black cartridge finally ran out, and I replaced it with the one I received in August.  I did not realize that it was an Instant Ink cartridge, and I am not signed up for instant ink.  What I don't understand is why HP would have sent something that I could only use by signing up for something I didn't need, want or have an account for, and I especially didn't appreciate being blind-sided by that in the middle of printing out essential documentation.    To work around it I spent an hour trying to get signed up for instant ink just so I could finish the print job; and after a frustrating conversation with HP Support which couldn't get me signed up either due to printer errors, I discarded the instant ink cartridges and purchased replacement cartridges at the big box store (which btw your Support agreed was the most expedient solution).  Thank you for the offer to send replacement cartridges, but unless they'll work without my having to sign up for something then I'm not interested.

[Kumar0307]

@duffnbrew

I understand. I can send you replacement Instant Ink cartridges only if the printer is enrolled in Instant Ink. If it is not, you cannot use the Instant Ink cartridges in the printer. It will not work. You will have to use the regular HP ink cartridges. 

Ideally, the replacement printers go with 'Instant Ink ready' ink cartridges. It means it will work even if the printer is not enrolled in Instant Ink.

As you mentioned that the replacement printer came with an 'Instant Ink only' ink cartridges, please reach out to the HP Technical Support team in your region regarding the replacement options for regular ink cartridges. 

You may create a case on the website to obtain a case number if required. Kindly watch this video to know how.

Keep me posted for any other assistance.

[Rem-nl]

Finally clear. Thanks a lot