# Out of ink ?



## manfred (Dec 21, 2005)

My hp printer workes pretty well, only problem I have is it will light up saying printer out of ink. Minutes earlier it made good printing copies. 
I've taken them out(cartritges) and re-installed but still says out of ink without even trying. 
Just what triggers thiosstoppages pleaSE AND IS THERE A WORK AROUND?


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## ticndig (Sep 7, 2014)

mine does that from lack of use , the ink dries . my girlfriend does a cleaning cycle to fix it .


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

I can't encourage you enough to get away from inkjet printers. That will be a lot easier (less expensive) of you can live with black printing only. You can get a good used business-class laser printer for $50 (delivered price). Look for the model HP p2015 Laserjet.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/132680243800

Aftermarket toner cartridges are entirely satisfactory.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/171519303832

That toner cartridge will print 3000 pages, which is 6 reams of paper, and will stay good for years with occasional use.

Hint: Don't buy a spare cartridge. Unless the cartridge sees occasional use it will go bad in 6 months to a year from sitting unused. When the cartridge needs to be replaced you'll start seeing white streaks in printed pages. That's because some parts of the toner well will run out before others. When that happens remove the cartridge and gently shake the cartridge to the left and right to even out the toner. The cartridge will then work fine for weeks after that, giving you plenty of time to take delivery on a replacement cartridge.

One thing you want to look for with a laser printer is a model that has the drum inside the toner cartridge (most are now). That way you get a new drum each time you get new toner. The drum is the really sensitive part of the laser printer. The HP p2015 I recommended has the drum in the toner cartridge.


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

ticndig said:


> mine does that from lack of use , the ink dries . my girlfriend does a cleaning cycle to fix it .


If the printer is out of ink you can (


manfred said:


> My hp printer workes pretty well, only problem I have is it will light up saying printer out of ink. Minutes earlier it made good printing copies.
> I've taken them out(cartritges) and re-installed but still says out of ink without even trying.
> Just what triggers thiosstoppages pleaSE AND IS THERE A WORK AROUND?


You can clean printer head. There are you tube video on how to.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

My printer will say it is out of ink BEFORE it is really out of ink. Even when I have the "Out of Ink" warning, the printer will allow me to continue printer. So, I just keep printing until I am really out of ink. Then, I swap out the cartridge.


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## manfred (Dec 21, 2005)

My printer still has ink when it says "out of ink " and I can not print a single page 
I can't figure out how it is done.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

manfred said:


> My printer still has ink when it says "out of ink " and I can not print a single page
> I can't figure out how it is done.


It's done with a chip on the cartridge that counts pages printed and tells the printer when it's time to be empty, whether it's empty or not. Check on Ebay to see if you can buy replacement chips that will let you use the rest of the ink. They're available for most printers that use them because you need them if you're going to refill the cartridges.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

You can save a bit on ink if you make sure to use "draft" mode when printing. Otherwise, if color is not important, go the laser printer route. Yeah HP seems to have a good racket going there!


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

MichaelZ said:


> You can save a bit on ink if you make sure to use "draft" mode when printing. Otherwise, if color is not important, go the laser printer route. Yeah HP seems to have a good racket going there!


I read somewhere that ounce for ounce some inkjet ink costs more than heroin or cocaine when purchased in the cartridge.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

A nevada said, Laser is the way to go if you dont need color or dont use the printer much.


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## Clem (Apr 12, 2016)

I have an HP Laserjet4. It's about 25 years old, but only 36,000 pages printed, so far. Many Laserjet4's last a million pages or more. Repair is remarkably easy, and parts are cheap enough to make it worth fixing. I also have 2 more(one working) for spare parts. They were free. The original toner cartridges by HP advertised as printing 6800 pages. I use it for printing mailing labels.

Just a quick look on Amazon shows brand new laser printers, and toner cartridge(2300 pages) for a combined total as low as $85. Free shipping. Wireless, 26 pages per minute... It actually makes me wish I needed one.


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

I will look into a laserjet. Nevada - do you have any input on power consumption? I use a solar battery bank, and power is important!


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Rick said:


> I will look into a laserjet. Nevada - do you have any input on power consumption? I use a solar battery bank, and power is important!


Yes, I tried using a laser printer when I was off grid and it was an energy hog. I had to use inkjet.


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

I do not print often so I will have to look for some stats. 

Thanks


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