i have a lexmark z42. recently my colour cartridge ran out so i
refilled it. i've done this before and it has worked, though more
often on the black cartridges than on the colour ones (never had any
problems with the black ones working after refill).

anyhow, problem is that no colour will print when i try to print with
the colour cartridge, only black. i've tried taking out the cartrdige
and slightly wiping the head at the bottom - when i touch it i can see
the tissue has 3 dots, red, blue and yellow.

nevertheless it doesnt want to print.
so, are the cartridges clogged, or is there something else? my guess
is that they shouldn't be clogged if when i touch the cartrdige at the
bottom i get those 3 coloured dots...

any help appreciated!

"Llama Thumper" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>i have a lexmark z42. recently my colour cartridge ran out so i
> refilled it. i've done this before and it has worked, though more
> often on the black cartridges than on the colour ones (never had any
> problems with the black ones working after refill).
>
> anyhow, problem is that no colour will print when i try to print with
> the colour cartridge, only black. i've tried taking out the cartrdige
> and slightly wiping the head at the bottom - when i touch it i can see
> the tissue has 3 dots, red, blue and yellow.
>
> nevertheless it doesnt want to print.
> so, are the cartridges clogged, or is there something else? my guess
> is that they shouldn't be clogged if when i touch the cartrdige at the
> bottom i get those 3 coloured dots...
>
> any help appreciated!

That's much the same symptom I had with my Lexmark Z42 a few years back -
after a couple of refills the cartridge failed to print at all.

Time to buy a new one.. in my case it was cheaper to buy a new printer than
a couple of new ink carts; hence the reason the Z42 sits in the garage
gathering dust (It was a free gift with a new PC).

The time you are taking writing this and reading the answer is much too
much and not worth it. Throw the printer away and buy a Canon IP4000.
I recommend the factory inks.

Llama Thumper wrote:

>i have a lexmark z42. recently my colour cartridge ran out so i
>refilled it. i've done this before and it has worked, though more
>often on the black cartridges than on the colour ones (never had any
>problems with the black ones working after refill).
>
>anyhow, problem is that no colour will print when i try to print with
>the colour cartridge, only black. i've tried taking out the cartrdige
>and slightly wiping the head at the bottom - when i touch it i can see
>the tissue has 3 dots, red, blue and yellow.
>
>nevertheless it doesnt want to print.
>so, are the cartridges clogged, or is there something else? my guess
>is that they shouldn't be clogged if when i touch the cartrdige at the
>bottom i get those 3 coloured dots...
>
>any help appreciated!
>
>

Llama Thumper wrote:

> i have a lexmark z42. recently my colour cartridge ran out so i
> refilled it. i've done this before and it has worked, though more
> often on the black cartridges than on the colour ones (never had any
> problems with the black ones working after refill).
>
> anyhow, problem is that no colour will print when i try to print with
> the colour cartridge, only black. i've tried taking out the cartrdige
> and slightly wiping the head at the bottom - when i touch it i can see
> the tissue has 3 dots, red, blue and yellow.
>
> nevertheless it doesnt want to print.
> so, are the cartridges clogged, or is there something else? my guess
> is that they shouldn't be clogged if when i touch the cartrdige at the
> bottom i get those 3 coloured dots...
>
> any help appreciated!

I had a Lexmark Z55???? (I'd like to forget the exact model ;-). Anyway,
I managed to use the same cartridges by refilling for about two years,
until I discontinued using it after I bought a Canon. It printed OK,
nothing special, nothing terrible, though rather poor for photos. But
pretty good to very good for text and graphics.

About your cartridge problem. When my color wouldn't work I'd wrap
a paper towel around it and swing it, like throwing a baseball, but
don't let go ;-). Or raise it over my head and swing hard towards the
ground. This rapid movement is an effort to expel any air bubbles
that might be blocking the flow of ink to the print head. I might
also hold it in my hand and bang it on the table rather briskly (the
wrist hitting the table only, not the cartridge!). Make sure you always
wrap a paper towel around it to keep any ink from spraying. My ink
would always begin to flow after this bit of cartridge brutality. Good
luck, let us know if it works. If not, I do recommend you get a "real"
printer, like a Canon 3000 or 4000. They're easier to refill than
Lexmarks. Lex and HP cartridges tend to leak for a while (sometimes too
long) after filling. Canon's, by nature of their design, will not leak
upon filling, provided you made all the correct seals, of course.

-Taliesyn