Low Ink Warning on HP 932C...Should I Believe It?

[Dan G]

You can't over fill an HP cart, any extra ink just runs out the heads. Use
ONLY gravity feed to fill one, and keep dabbing the heads on a paper towel
while filling. Cross-contamination happens mostly when ink is allowed to
collect on the heads. Just use gravity, and stop filling when ink starts to
run out the head.

As the cart ages, the sponge will hold less and less ink. As to the ink
level warnings, these are calibrated levels, based on the amount of printing
done. The printer remembers 2 sets of carts by serial number, so you need to
rotate 3 carts through the printer for it to "see" a new cart.

 

[Curt Bousquet]

Recently, shortly after refilling a cartridge (all three
colors) I got a "Color Cartridge Ink Low" message. Since I
knew I had just refilled, I ignored it and everything went
along just fine.

Now, I get that same message about every other day, even
though I know there's plenty of ink remaining in the
cartridge.

I have the same problem with my Photosmart P1100. It insists,
ever time I turn the computer on, that the black cartridge is
out of ink. Nevertheless, I have been continuing to print with
it for over a month. I don't think it actually senses ink
levels, it must be based on some kind of 'pages printed' formula
and maybe even doesn't track 'coverage' of the page.

I don't refill the ink, so it must have decided just on pages
printed that I should be out by now. I wonder how many people
change cartridges when the see the first warning pop up, not
knowing that they've just thrown away a half-full cartridge? I'm
sure it's great for HP's bottom line.

Just another reason to hate bloated, buggy, memory hogging HP
printer drivers.

 

[Bill 2]

You can't over fill an HP cart, any extra ink just runs out the heads. Use
ONLY gravity feed to fill one, and keep dabbing the heads on a paper towel
while filling. Cross-contamination happens mostly when ink is allowed to
collect on the heads. Just use gravity, and stop filling when ink starts to
run out the head.

Cross contamination can also happen if ink seeps from one fill hole to
another, which is why they should be staggered, and the other holes covered
during filling, and any amount that overflows should be immidatly cleaned up
before it can get in another hole.

As the cart ages, the sponge will hold less and less ink. As to the ink
level warnings, these are calibrated levels, based on the amount of printing
done. The printer remembers 2 sets of carts by serial number, so you need to
rotate 3 carts through the printer for it to "see" a new cart.

If you don't have 2 other cartridges (dead or working), you can tape over a
couple of contacts to get it to think it's a different cartridge. There is a
website showing the procedure, but I found I had to tape over different
contacts to get it to recognize it as a different cartridge (usually with an
error), but with some contacts it didn't recognize the cartridge at all.

http://www.misterinkjet.com/hpreset.htm

Be sure to write down which combinations you tried, and which ones work.
Also be careful not to damage the contacts.

 

[Bill 2]

I've been refilling HP color and B&W cartridges for my HP 932C for
several years with very few problems and really good, consistant color
prints. That's especially important to me because I'm a photographer
and I sell prints made with this small but surprisingly-good printer.
For those who are interested, I've been using Atlanticinkjet inks.

Did you have good luck with the black ink from Atlanticinkjet?

Also, I found prints from my HP78 color cartridge faded horribly after a
couple years (with OEM ink), have you had this problem?

 

[Pixmaker]

I've been refilling HP color and B&W cartridges for my HP 932C for
several years with very few problems and really good, consistant color
prints. That's especially important to me because I'm a photographer
and I sell prints made with this small but surprisingly-good printer.
For those who are interested, I've been using Atlanticinkjet inks.

Recently, shortly after refilling a cartridge (all three colors) I got
a "Color Cartridge Ink Low" message. Since I knew I had just refilled,
I ignored it and everything went along just fine.

Now, I get that same message about every other day, even though I know
there's plenty of ink remaining in the cartridge.

Can someone with experience in these matters advise me as to whether
or not this message can be disabled? Can it be made to reflect
accurately the ink remaining? Or must I simply count pages (doable but
a PITA) and refill after some number of pages.

I can work out a schedule, I guess, but it depends, of course, on the
kind of images printed. Some months ago, I made a heap of large prints
of a photo having a big sweep of blue sky. Guess what? The cyan cart
ran out! Yeah, I know, it's a no-brainer. But it's not as easy as it
sounds to count and calculate.

On another topic, can these carts be overfilled? I'm talking about the
HP 78 cart. I have, from time to time, filled them until the ink just
begins to overflow...even after very slow filling...and I simply
tipped the cart to get rid of the excess and everything worked just
fine.

Another question: Is it possible to cross-contaminate the ink
chambers? Is there any internal path through which ink from one
chamber can leak into the adjoining chamber?

I've had this problem and wonder if it's from an internal connection
or from capillary wicking through the nozzles.

Also, when filling this cart, how do you position it? I have been
supporting it in a small dish (like a ramakin) to hold it vertically.
I had been putting a piece of moistened paper towel in the bottom of
the dish but wonder what your considered opinions are.

I've decided that I'm just going to hold the cart vertically and make
some kind of li'l support that will just let the nozzle area hang
free, not touching anything.

I'll appreciate your commentary on this refilling stuff.

Thanks,

Pixmaker in FLL
==========================
It's not the heat, it's the humidity!
==========================
(...Think the humidity's bad?
You should watch us vote!)

 

[Andrew Rossmann]

I have the same problem with my Photosmart P1100. It insists,
ever time I turn the computer on, that the black cartridge is
out of ink. Nevertheless, I have been continuing to print with
it for over a month. I don't think it actually senses ink
levels, it must be based on some kind of 'pages printed' formula
and maybe even doesn't track 'coverage' of the page.

It keeps track of the amount of ink spit out, along with the cartridge
ID to determine the capacity. It remembers both the current and the
previous cartridge ID's. This is stored in the printer itself, not the
printer driver.

You can hold down the power key, hit X 4 times, then paper feed once,
then release power. This will print a status sheet, including estimated
ink levels.

If you do not refill, use the low-ink warning as a time to make
certain you have a replacement availble. If you do refill, use it as a
warning to refill very soon. If you let the ink run completely out, you
can destroy the heads.

By rotating between 3 cartridges, or using a method posted in various
places using tape to temporarily alter the cartridge ID, you can clear
the printer's memory so it's more or less accurate if you refill.

 

[Pixmaker]

I've been doing quick and dirty portraits of new members at my church
for about three years. The prints are 4" x 5" made on Office Depot
glossy paper. These prints have been posted inside large glass-doored
cabinets for up to three years and still seem to be pretty good.

Yes, they have faded a little bit but most folks don't realize that.
They are still quite presentable. These display cabinets are in an
inside hallway and receive only a small amount of daylight
illumination.

I'm certain that exposure to daylight or direct sunlight would cause
significant deterioration here in Florida. I haven't tried any kind of
test in this regard; maybe I'll do that soon.

Pixmaker in FLL
==========================
It's not the heat, it's the humidity!
==========================
(...Think the humidity's bad?
You should watch us vote!)

 

[Bill 2]

Thanks, Andrew. I do have two questions though:

1. What is the "power" key? It doesn't seem to exist on my keyboard.

2. What is the "paper advance" key? That one seems to be missing, too.

Are we talking about different machines?

Look on the printer. At the top right there are buttons. The one on the left
should be an X, this is as described. The middle one is a button with a
picture of a piece of paper and an arror. This is paper advance. The one on
the right is a circle with a line. This is power.

 

[Pixmaker]

Thanks, Andrew. I do have two questions though:

1. What is the "power" key? It doesn't seem to exist on my keyboard.

2. What is the "paper advance" key? That one seems to be missing, too.

Are we talking about different machines?

Pixmaker in FLL
==========================
It's not the heat, it's the humidity!
==========================
(...Think the humidity's bad?
You should watch us vote!)

 

[Pixmaker]

Thank you.

Pixmaker in FLL
==========================
It's not the heat, it's the humidity!
==========================
(...Think the humidity's bad?
You should watch us vote!)