INK TANK – These don’t have a print head attached so DO NOT perform the paper towel method.

These are re-manufactured cartridges which mean the casing is an original Epson casing that’s been refilled, relabeled/sealed, and re-chipped.

The T043120 black is the higher capacity version of the T044120 black cartridge.  This cartridge is physically thicker than the T044120 and is only compatible in select Epson printers.  Not all printers that use the T044 cartridges can use this high capacity T043120 cartridge so verifying they have the correct cartridge for their specific printer model is important.

Not Recognizing

 

Verify you have the correct cartridge for your specific model printer.

 

Make sure the cartridge is installed correctly and fully inserted.  Make sure that you are installing the right color into the right slot.

 

There is a smart chip on the cartridge located on the end that is installed into the printer.  Check to see if there is any dirt or damage on the gold contact points.  It’s normal for the Epson name on the chip to be crossed out with permanent marker.  You can use a dry Q-tip to gently wipe the chip contacts.  Do not touch the chip with your fingers, as finger print oil can cause false readings.

You can try resetting the machine.  To do this; remove the cartridges from the printer, power the printer off, unplug the power cord for 10-15 seconds, re-insert the power cord, turn the printer on, and re-insert the cartridges.

 

To replace the cartridge on a C84/C86 printer do the following;

–          Press the ink drop button.  (Do not hold the button down for more than 2 seconds as this will start the print head cleaning cycle)

–          The ink carriage will move over and position the cartridge that needs replacing under the mark that is a crossed out ink drop.  Press the ink drop button again to see if there are any other cartridges that need replacing, the carriage will move and position a cartridge under the crossed out ink drop mark if there is.  If there are no more cartridges that need replacing then the carriage will move into replacement position.  Make a note on which colors need replacing.

–          Open the cartridge cover and remove the cartridge(s) that need replacing.

–          Insert the new cartridge, making sure to push down firmly to seat the cartridge properly, then close the cartridge cover.

–          Close the printer cover and press the ink drop button to begin charging the new cartridge(s).

 

Print Quality Issues

 

There’s a clear piece of plastic covering the nozzle at the bottom of the cartridge.  Do NOT remove this clear piece of plastic, the printer will puncture this during the charging cycle.

 

Try shaking the cartridge or gently tapping it on a hard surface.  Take caution if the cartridge has already been open as ink may leak out of the punctured nozzle and vent hole.  A paper towel can be used to cover these two holes before attempting to shake or tap to prevent ink leakage.

A print head cleaning should be performed when experiencing any type of print quality issue.  On some Epson printers you will have the ability to select whether the cleaning will be done on the black or the colors depending on which cartridge is giving the issue to help conserve ink.  Print head cleaning does use a lot of ink so it should be done sparingly.  Epson recommends that if the first cleaning doesn’t resolve the issue to perform a second clean but allow the printer to sit for 10-15 minutes BEFORE attempting to do any printing.  This allows the ink to soak on the print head and help soften or loosen any dried ink which may be clogging the nozzles.  To perform the cleaning;

–          In Windows, right click on the printer icon in the taskbar (in the lower right corner of the computer screen) and select Head Cleaning.

–          Alternatively, press and hold down the ink drop button on the printer for 3 seconds.

 

Also, remove the cartridge and check the bottom to make sure the nozzle has been punctured.  While the cartridge is out check the slot in the printer to make sure there is no debris that may be blocking the ink from coming out correctly.

 

Not Fitting

 

Verify you are installing the correct cartridge into the correct slot.  Double check the cartridge number on the cartridge to verify it is indeed the correct cartridge and not a cyan going into the yellow slot for example.  Also, check the ridges on the back of the cartridge for differences from the OEM.