# Unsupported Printer Cartridge Question



## Ken Scharabok

I have a Dell 944 printer. It has worked fine until a couple of minutes ago on aftermarket black cartridges. Now it is telling me I have an printer error for unsupported cartridges.

I tried putting in a new aftermarket cartridge with the same error message.

Did Dell, through Microsoft, figure out how to keep any but Dell produced (and priced) cartridges from being used in their printers?


----------



## gccrook

I know that Lexmark did, and I was thinking that Dell printers were originally designed by Lexmark> :shrug: I thought the courts determined this to be illegal, but not sure about that.


----------



## CGUARDSMAN

My understanding with dell printers was you had to use their refills....seems pretty crappy to me!


----------



## MELOC

i think that entire industry needs turned on it's ear. i paid $18.88 plus tax for a medium yield black ink cartridge yesterday. i tried the home refill kit and i had problems. it's ink for crying out loud...it ain't gold!


----------



## Ken Scharabok

With the aftermarket cartridges the ink level indicator didn't work from the get-go. I just knew when I opened another pack of paper I need to refill cartridge.

How could the change the programming already on my system (what come with the printer)?


----------



## Teresa S.

I have a Lexmark AND a dell printer that both look the same, I use 'genric' or 'refilled/used and refilled' most generally...they work just fine for me. (I seem to recall downloading a patch/driver that fixed this problem.) I also use the $4.00 black and $6.00 color ink refill kits from ValueCity, which allow me to refill the cartridges SEVEN times...that's cheap~!


----------



## arabian knight

Go ahead and do that refilling and at some point in time that plug will come out and you have ruined your printer. No thanks to ANY kind of refilling kits. ~! And besides the Printing Head is ON the cartridges, and after a time the printing quality will deteriorate. But go ahead and refill it is your printer, But I sure would not encourage people to do this at all. One time mess up Just once and bingo there goes your printer. Ink All Over~!~


----------



## Teresa S.

I have experinced the "Ink all over" problem beore..LOL! My printers are cheepos/freebies..if they get ruined it IS my fault. And yes, ocassionally, I have to replace the cartridge because the 'head' goes bad.


----------



## HermitJohn

arabian knight said:


> Go ahead and do that refilling and at some point in time that plug will come out and you have ruined your printer. No thanks to ANY kind of refilling kits. ~! And besides the Printing Head is ON the cartridges, and after a time the printing quality will deteriorate. But go ahead and refill it is your printer, But I sure would not encourage people to do this at all. One time mess up Just once and bingo there goes your printer. Ink All Over~!~


When one or two new cartridges cost as much as another new printer, does it really matter if the printer gets ruined from refilling them yourself? Personally I dont need color, just print out text, so after hassling with dried out cartidges, etc, I got an older HP black only laser printer. Works immediately after months of non-use as toner doesnt dry out. Toner to refill cartridges is cheap and a cartridge will last two or three refills (thats a lot of pages on a laser printer), replacement cartridges are cheap and last far longer than ink jet cartridges. It was just the way to go for my needs and creates beautiful crisp black text.

As to the original poster, check around with google search. Usually there is some workaround way of resetting things so your printer driver sees cartridge as full and available once more. Different tricks for different manufacturers. The money in inkjet industry isnt from selling printers, its from selling highly overpriced replacement cartridges and forcing you to buy those cartridges and not just a bottle of generic ink.

If the manufacturers wanted to they could make a printer that didnt need replacement cartridges, but just had tanks for bulk ink refills. But why make something durable that is cheap to keep when its so much more profitable to screw with people.


----------



## arabian knight

HermitJohn said:


> When one or two new cartridges cost as much as another new printer, does it really matter if the printer gets ruined from refilling them yourself?


 True I know several people that when the ink goes. so does the Printer, In the Garbage that is~! And they go buy a NEW Printer~! Costs less then getting 2 new printing cartriages~!


----------



## Ken Scharabok

"When one or two new cartridges cost as much as another new printer, does it really matter if the printer gets ruined from refilling them yourself? Personally I dont need color, just print out text, so after hassling with dried out cartidges, etc, I got an older HP black only laser printer. Works immediately after months of non-use as toner doesnt dry out. Toner to refill cartridges is cheap and a cartridge will last two or three refills (thats a lot of pages on a laser printer), replacement cartridges are cheap and last far longer than ink jet cartridges. It was just the way to go for my needs and creates beautiful crisp black text."

Is this the type printer with the powdered toner? I also do about 99% black printing.


----------



## HermitJohn

Ken Scharabok said:


> Is this the type printer with the powdered toner? I also do about 99% black printing.


Yep. Mine is an HP 6L. Good older printer. Very compact. Works with nearly any operating system. If you look for one make sure it has the kit put in it so it doesnt grab lot paper at once. the repair kits (the real repair kits with new rubber parts, not the cardboard thingy with sticky on it) cost about as much as you can find whole printer with repair kit already installed.

There are newer and faster laser printers. I think there are some black only BRAND NEW laser printers less than $100 if you look around. But for my needs the 6L is cheap to keep and reliable. They made a zillion of them so consumables are available and cheap. Before buying any printer checkout what the consumable parts will cost you. Do your homework and life tends to be easier.


----------



## OntarioMan

Most new inkjet printers come with "starter" cartridges - meaning the cartridge is not full, maybe not even half full. Getting a new printer every time your ink runs out can be costly.

If you print only in black, a laser is the way to go. As mentioned, be sure to compare toner cartridge prices before buying anything.

The older HP laserjets (there were many models) are a good value if you can find one in perfect operating condition. They're built very well and third-part toner cartridges are dirt cheap. Some of the older Lexmark T series lasers are quite good as well.


----------



## tlrnnp67

I have an HP OfficeJet 7130 all-in-one machine, and it drives me nuts. The print heads (4 of them) and the ink cartridges (one black, one color) are separate. At first I refilled my ink cartridges because I had been doing it without problems with my previous printer. However, apparently if you let the ink run low on this printer, it ruins the print heads. Or apparently if you look at it crooked it ruins the print heads. I don't know how many print heads I have bought at $35.00 plus a shot, even after I started using new ink cartridges. 

Now, I don't do a lot of color printing, but I do like to have backup cartridges on hand so I don't have to run out and buy one when I run out of ink and need to print something in color. Twice now, the machine says that the cartridge is "expired" and won't take the new cartridge. :flame: :flame: :flame: It never did that before. Anybody know how I can make it recognize the cartridge?


----------



## Ken Scharabok

Still wondering how Dell was able to change the printer programming on an running printer so it doesn't recognize any but Dell compatible cartridges.


----------



## HermitJohn

Ken Scharabok said:


> Still wondering how Dell was able to change the printer programming on an running printer so it doesn't recognize any but Dell compatible cartridges.


Are you sure the replacement cartridges are exactly compatible. This is another little manufacturer strategy, they change models frequently and even if the printer cartridges look identical they may not be. I guess strategy is if you have hundreds of slightly different cartridges, it makes life difficult for a generic producer. Also less likely of 3rd party support for models that were produced in smaller quantities. Have to be sure all the numbers match up and third party cartridge is an exact match.


----------



## Ken Scharabok

The cartridge had been printing normally in the morning. In the afternoon I went to print something out and got the unsupported cartridge error message. Tried an unused aftermarket cartridge (same as what was in there previously). Same results.

Took at look at Dell's 1710 laser B&W printer. About $160 (plus $25 for cord). A 6K page toner costs $90 for standard or $130 for high-definition. Works out to about $.015 or $.022 per page. I estimate a new OEM ink cartridge works about 500 pages and runs about $.04 copy.

Don't see why I couldn't have two printers. One for B&W from PC, which is what I predominately do, and my current Dell 944 All-in-one for scanning, copying and uploading pictures (eventually). If I only rarely used the B&W & Color cartridges in the 944 it wouldn't seem to matter much if new OEMs are required.


----------



## HermitJohn

Ken Scharabok said:


> If I only rarely used the B&W & Color cartridges in the 944 it wouldn't seem to matter much if new OEMs are required.


Ink dries out and plugs things up if you dont use an opened cartridge regularly. The little foil pouches they come in keep them from drying out on shelf in store. They sell special little airtight boxes to store your opened cartridges in to keep them from drying out. Maybe tight jar would do same?


----------



## Ken Scharabok

I now think the problem is the software between the printer and PC. I put in a new Dell B&W cartridge. I can copy with it, but cannot print files from my PC.


----------



## Ken Scharabok

OK, I have isloated problem to the color cartridge. Bought new Dell black & color. Replaced black. I could then copy on the printer in black, but not print from PC. Put in new Dell color and problem went away. Replaced the Dell black with the aftermarket one I was using and it seems to be working normally.

On the error notice screen I now recall the black cartridge was shown darker than the color one. I now think the screen was trying to tell me the color one was the problem.

Based on HermitJohn's comments I'm still seriously thinking of buying a black toner printer.


----------



## Kung

I would definitely do as HJ suggests. Suffice to say that there's a reason you get such good deals on printers from the manufacturers of PCs. I've NEVER gotten printers from the manufacturer of a PC, and I've never had a problem.


----------



## Teresa S.

I have a 'canon Bubble Jet BJC-250' printer that came with a windows 3.11 machine that I ACTUALLY found a driver for xp...It works wonders and they still have cartridges (black only)for it at wally-world for FIVE bucks~! It is a litle slow on printing, but it gets the job done!


----------

