print cartridge missing or not detected

[sylvia1852]

All of a sudden I received an error message on my HP photosmart C4250 All-in-one printer: "print cartridge missing or not detected".

Ink cartridges are about 75% full and I cleaned print heads. I have windows 7 and I haven't changed any settings.

[pcwizard]

Hi sylvia1852,

Follow the steps below to clean the contacts on the cartridges.

Clean the ink cartridge and carriage electrical contacts

Clean the cartridges

If the contacts on a cartridge are dirty or do not seat correctly, the alignment might fail. Follow these steps in the order presented to clean and reinstall the cartridges.

1. Gather the following materials:
2. Soft, lint-free materials, such as foam-tipped swabs, that do not stick to the contacts
3. Clean, lint-free paper to rest the cartridges on (coffee filters work well)
4. Distilled water

CAUTION:Do not use platen cleaners or alcohol to clean the print cartridge contacts. These can damage the print cartridge or the product.

5. Inspect the cartridge contacts for ink and debris buildup.

6. Dip a clean foam rubber swab or lint-free cloth into the distilled water.

7. Squeeze any excess water from the swab or lint-free cloth.

8. Hold the print cartridge by its sides.

9. Clean only the copper-colored contacts.

CAUTION:Do not try to clean the nozzles.

Figure 8: Clean the contacts

1 - Copper-colored contacts

2 - Nozzles (do not clean)

Step five: Reinstall the cartridges

1. Slide each cartridge forward into its empty slot.
2. Push the upper part of the cartridge forward until the cartridge clicks into the socket.

Figure 9: Push the cartridge into its slot

NOTE:If the contacts on the cartridge do not touch the contacts on the carriage, the alignment fails. Make sure that the cartridges seat fully in their slots.

3. Close the cartridge door.

[hp_user94]

i tried this, but the printer still reads that the print cartridge is missing.

help!

[pcwizard]

Hi hp_user94,

What printer do you have?

[andrewshim93]

i have a hp photosmart c4250 and i just bought new ink and it still says im either missing the ink cartrage or im out of ink what can i do. i already tried cleaning my printer

[pcwizard]

Hi andrewshim93,

Are the cartridges new OEM or Remanufactured?

Have you tried the cleaning steps from my previous post?

What happens if you put the old cartridge back into the printer?

[kipmc7]

There are Many people reporting this problem and yes I am using an non HP print cartridge from Cartridge World.

But I should be able to use whatever ink I want to buy.

So...

Do you have a permanent solution?

Printer C4280

[pcwizard]

HI kipmc7,

Yes, you can use whatever cartridges you like, but the fact still remains you are getting the error message which could be caused by several reasons. The most common would be the contacts on the cartridges are either dirty or damaged which is causing the printer to report it missing. Please keep in mind that the electrical contacts on ink cartridges are generally designed to work during the initial one time use of the cartridge. I would suggest trying a new cartridge to see if you continue to have the issue.

[marylo]

I purchased an black XL cartridge at BJ's for my Photosmart C2450 and the printer does not even recognize that a new cartridge has been inserted.  I have since replaced the color cartridge without issue.  How would I recognize damage in the printer as opposed to cleaning the new cartridge?

[Rainbow7000]

Hello marylo,

I am sorry to hear your black cartridge is not being recognized in your Photosmart C2450. As you mentioned, I recommend cleaning the contacts off of the cartridge. I will post a link with the instructions, please see "Solution Three".

'Incompatible Cartridge' or 'Print cartridge is missing

Good luck!