HP 74, HP74XL, HP75, HP75XL

THIS IS AN INK CARTRIDGE WITH THE PRINT HEAD INTEGRATED.

The black 74 and 74XL are pigment based ink. The tri-color 75 and 75XL are dye based ink.

The cartridges designated with XL are the higher capacity cartridges which mean they contain more ink. The black HP 74XL is a physically larger cartridge than the standard yield black HP 74 whereas the HP tri-color 75XL is the same shape and size as the standard yield tri-color HP 75 but has more ink inside.

Not Recognizing

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

The ink levels will NOT read correctly. These cartridges will read low or empty. With HP printers this should not stop the printer from being able to print. You may get a message stating the cartridge is empty or a previously used cartridge has been installed but pressing OK or the Resume button on the printer will get past this.

There may be a piece of tape present on the cartridge that covers the print head and some of the contacts. Make sure this piece of tape has been removed.

Using a coffee filter or a lint-free cloth gently wipe the gold/copper connection points found on the side of the cartridge. Sometimes if dried ink, finger print oil, or some of the tape residue stays on the contacts it can cause the cartridge not to recognize.

Not Fitting

There’s a protective clip on the outside of the cartridge which must be removed. If the cartridge looks too big the protective clip probably has not been removed. The clip will just snap off the cartridge.

Make sure you are installing the black into the black slot in the printer and the color into the color slot. The cartridges have tabs on the top which will only allow the cartridge to fit into the correct slot. There are many different HP printers that use these cartridges so verify with the User’s Manual the correct cartridge orientation.

The black HP 74XL cartridge is physically larger than the standard yield black HP 74 but it will fit into the standard yield slot.

Print Quality Issues

The print head is located on the bottom of the cartridge. Do NOT touch the print head with your fingers. Verify the piece of tape has been removed.

Take a warm damp paper towel or coffee filter and blot the cartridge with the print heads facing down onto the paper towel to remove the dried ink on the print head. Then, taking a DRY paper towel or coffee filter, hold the cartridge down against the paper towel for 2-3 minutes. A dry paper towel will wick the ink out. Do not wipe the print head as this may cause damage.

Some of the HP printers have a print head or cartridge cleaning function. Check with the User’s Manual for the specific printer to see if this cleaning is available and how to use it.