why can i not get my newly refilled lexmark ink cartridge to print properly?

Question

I only had it refilled 24 hours ago and it no longer prints

Answer 1

Refills have always been an issue. Hard not to refill with the price of ink cartridges going insane.

Try using a cotton ball and a little bit of alcohol around the contact points (gold parts) of the cartridge as well as the bottom where the ink actually makes contact with paper. Also swab the contact points on the printer itself but use just a little bit of alcohol and blow it dry with a lung full of air.

Sometimes the ink has been allowed to remain low or out and dried out on the inside. Refilling is useless because the inside of the cartridge is all caked dried. Refill ASAP, preferably before the ink runs completely out.

Shop around for different refill places until you get one that the refills work. Quality and differences in ink may not allow the refilled cartridge to ever work properly. Otherwise, buying new cartridges is your only bet.

Answer 2

Firstly, it is the software telling you that the cartridge is empty - there isn't a dipstick in the cartridge! There should be options for you to tell it that the new cartridge has ink in it. Secondly, it sounds like you let the cartridge run dry before refilling it. Running it dry can very easily burn out some of the jets in the print head. The secret with refilling is to do is just before the ink runs out completely - when the printing starts to get a bit feint. I learned this one the hard way, too. Also don't overfill - 5ml is enough - what's the point? When it runs out, you just refill it again!

Answer 3

Some times dried ink clogs the print head. Try removing the cartridge and putting a few drops of rubbing alcohol into the head. Replace the cartridge and have the printer run its head cleaning routine. You may need to do this more than once.
Hope this works for you. I used this on Epson printer successfully.

Answer 4

Most likely your cartridges have a "memory" that turns them off when it runs out of ink. Cheap refilling outfits can't reset that memory, so you most likely got it refilled for nothing.

The best way to go if you need new Ink for your printer is to get Remanufactured/Refurbished cartridges.

There are a whole lot of E-Tailers (Online Retailers) that offer those, and you save up to 90% over OEM (Original Cartridges).

There is a site I found that has more information:
http://inkjetsdiscounts.com/how-do-i-refill-ink-cartridges-my-printer
http://inkjetsdiscounts.com/faq

Also, they have a good list of trusted retailers that offer good services and products (most remanufactured ink cartridges have a 1 year warranty)
http://inkjetsdiscounts.com/

Answer 5

Hi. Under the Lexmark 'Cartridge maintenance' tab, select 'Clean print head' or whatever term they use.