For almost all HP printers you can click on the Printer Ink Tool Box at any time to see how much ink is left in your cartridges. If you have gotten used to using this too, a problem like this can be problematic. What can you do?

First, some HP printers allow you to check ink cartridge levels right from the printer. Check your printer user manual to see if your printer has this feature.

If you can’t check ink levels directly on the printer you will need to reload some printer software to your computer.

It might be the case that the drivers, originally installed, have become corrupted. Simply uninstall the drivers that are currently on your computer and reinstall them either from the disc that came with your printer or from the HP’s web site.

If your Epson Stylus printer is not recognizing the inkjet cartridges you just installed, you first should check the cartridges before assuming the problem is with your printer.

1. Check to make sure you purchased the correct cartridges for your printer. With all the different cartridge numbers it is getting easier to buy the incorrect ones.

2. Check to make sure you inserted the cartridges correctly. Did you put them in the correct spots (black in the black spot, cyan in cyan, etc)? Are they seated correctly? Do they snap all the way in?

3. Check to make sure you removed the protective tape from the cartridge before putting it in your printer. Most cartridges come with a protective tape (to keep ink from leaking). If you don’t remove the tape, the cartridge will not be recognized.

If you go through these 3 steps and the cartridges are still not recognized you will need to try another set of cartridges (assuming you followed step #1). If the next set of cartridges work then the first set you tried were defective. If they do not work, then you have a bigger problem. A problem with your printer.

***Important: Please remember that Epson Stylus printers use a different cartridge for each color of ink (some use up to nine different cartridges). A problem with 1 of the cartridges will render the printer useless until that exact cartridge is replaced. Make sure to check each cartridge individually.

We’ve added the HP 901 series inkjet cartridges to the Pacific Ink web site.

HP 901 CC653AN Black Ink Cartridge – black cartridge yields up to 200 pages.

HP 901XL CC654AN Black Ink Cartridge – High capacity cartridge yields up to 700 pages.

HP 901 CC656AN Color Ink Cartridge – Color cartridge yields up to 360 pages.

These printer ink cartridges work in the following HP inkjet printers: Officejet J4500, Officejet J4580, Officejet J4640, Officejet J4680.