HP: incompatible printer cartridge - what to do?

If your HP printer reports an incompatible printer cartridge, the inserted cartridge is not recognized correctly. We'll show you how to solve the problem.

Incompatible HP printer cartridge - what to do?

Note: The problem can still appear if you are using genuine HP cartridges.

• Turn off the printer and unplug the device. Turn it back on after about 30 seconds and try printing again.
• If that doesn't help, clean the contacts on the cartridges. A microfiber cloth is best suited for this. You can get a more thorough cleaning with distilled water and a cotton swab. You should also carefully clean the cartridge contacts in the printer.
• In the next paragraph you will find a little trick that will solve the problem in many cases. If that doesn't help either, the cartridge is usually defective.
• HP has also released a help video for the problem of incompatible printer cartridges.

HP: Work around problem with incompatible cartridges

Note: The following instructions do not work with all HP printers and cartridges.

• Place the cartridge in front of you so that you can see the contacts and the label is upside down.
• You will now see six rows of gold contacts. Seal the top contact in the second row from the left with some adhesive tape.
• Reinstall the cartridge and print a test page. Remove the cartridge, tape the bottom contact in the third row from the left and print a test page again.
• Take the cartridge out of the printer again and remove the two adhesive strips. You should now be able to print as usual.
• To ensure that your printer continues to print even after a restart, stick the first adhesive strip over the contact again. The cartridge is not recognized correctly, but you can still print.

In the next practical tip, we will show you how the HP Solution Center works.