INK TANK – THESE CARTRIDGES DO NOT HAVE THE PRINT HEADS INTEGRATED.  DO NOT DO THE PAPER TOWEL METHOD ON THESE.  THESE ARE PIGMENT BASED INK.

These are compatible cartridges and may differ greatly in appearance to the OEM versions.  This will not affect the function.

Not Recognizing

 

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

 

There is an orange clip that must be removed prior to installation.  If it is not removed the cartridge will not fit properly and the smart chip will not make proper contact with the printer sensor.  Be careful not to squeeze the sides of the cartridge while removing the orange clip.

Underneath the orange clip there is what appears to be a clear plastic clip that contains the smart chip.  Do not remove this clear clip.  If it comes off with the orange clip, do not remove it from the orange clip.  Instead, clip the orange clip back on with the clear clip still attached then remove the orange clip from the cartridge making sure the clear clip doesn’t come off with it.

There is a smart chip on the tab side of the cartridge.  Check the chip for damage or debris.  A Q-tip can be used to gently clean the gold contacts.

 

Verify you are installing the correct black cartridge into the correct black slot.  Some Canon printers may also use a dye based black cartridge in addition to this cartridge which is separate and has its own slot.  You can verify with the User’s Manual which cartridges the printer can take. Make sure the cartridge is fully clicked down.  Push on the top of the cartridge to verify it is fully down.

 

On most of the Canon printers that use these cartridges there will be a status light for each cartridge.  The light should light solid with the cartridge installed.  If the light is blinking slowing (3 second intervals) this means the cartridge is low on ink.  If the light is blinking rapidly then there is a problem with the printer reading the chip information.  If the light isn’t lit then the chip isn’t making contact.

 

Every Canon inkjet printer has a “Stop/Reset” button. It looks like a circle with a triangle in the middle of it. Holding this button down for 5-10 seconds may allow certain printers to continue printing if the cartridge is reading empty.

 

Print Quality Issues

 

There is a pull tape seal on the top of the cartridge which must be removed.  This opens a vent hole on the top of the cartridge to allow the ink to properly drain from the cartridge.

 

Run a print head cleaning on the printer itself.  Depending on the printer this may have to be done through the printer software on the computer or on printers that have a screen it can be done directly through the menu options on the printer.  If the first cleaning doesn’t resolve the issue, run a second deep cycle cleaning but allow the printer to sit for 5 minutes after the cleaning finishes before printing to allow the ink to soak and soften any dried ink on the print head.

 

Sometimes tapping the cartridge on a hard surface can help get the ink flowing.  Using a paper towel, cover the bottom nozzle and tap the cartridge on a hard surface.  There is a sponge on one side of the cartridge which feeds ink into a felt pad on the bottom of the cartridge.  Ink comes from one side of the cartridge through a series of small channels into the sponge.  Try to make it so that there are no bubbles in the small channels visible in the center of the cartridge.