Printer Ink Cartridge Not Recognised Error Canon Reset

Many Inkjet printers use microchip technology to determine which type of printer cartridge has been installed in which particular ink slot in the printer carriage.  This is particularly important so to ensure that the correct colour cartridge has been installed in the correct slot; thus preventing cross contamination of colours in the print head.
Sadly this technology can cause new problems such as 'cartridge not recognised' error messages!
Some say that chips on cartridges were introduced by printer manufacturers for other profit related reasons; to halt the use of compatible cartridges and to prevent original cartridges from being refilled.  Whatever the reason, the use of such technology is causing headaches for printer users World-wide.  Confidence in refilling and buying compatible cartridges has been damaged in some cases as a result.
Fortunately due to Internet search engines we are able to find solutions to these frustrating problems.  Common fixes require a combination of button presses on the printer itself.  Doing this can disable the ink monitor and enable the user to continue to print even though ink monitor levels read as empty.  A classic example of this can be found with the Canon PG-37 PG-40 PG-510 PG-512 PG-540 black cartridges that contain a built-in print head, and similarly the colour CL-38 CL41 CL-51 CL-511 CL513 cartridges. Once the cartridge has been used once and becomes almost empty the ink monitor also reads empty and cannot be reset to read full again.  However it is possible to disable the ink monitor by pressing certain buttons in order on the printer.  For example for the Canon Pixma MP460 you need to first disconnect the power cable then hold down power button. Reconnect the power cable while still holding down the power button.  At the same time press the Cancel / Stop button twice; then release the power button.  This will set the printer to factory mode.  You will need to wait for around half a minute until 'idle' message is displayed.  Then press the down arrow button until it says 'shipping mode 1'.  Then press the 'OK' button.  The display will now say 'without cleaning' and you need to press the power button.  A test page should now print.  You then need to open the cover and disconnect the power again.  Remove the black and colour cartridges and close the cover again.  Plug in the power cable, press the power button and then replace the two cartridges.
For many Canon models such as the MX300 you can usually just hold down the stop / reset button for 10 seconds to disable the ink monitor.   Procedures can vary depending on the machine model and solutions can be found on Google search or You Tube.
If the cartridge cannot be reset and errors persist then there is a chance that the copper contacts on the print head circuit board have been damaged.  There are pins that can become worn and short against each other, causing errors and preventing further printing.  A close inspection may be necessary to determine if this is causing the problem. 
It is well worth trying to refill these type of cartridges that have a built-on print head, and there are dedicated refill kits available specifically made for the job of doing this!  The Eco-Fill Professional ink refill kit range includes a special tool to hold the cartridge and extract unwanted air from inside the ink chamber(s).  These refilling kits are for use with Canon Pixma MG2150, MG3150, MG4150 MX375 MX435 MX515, MP240, MP245, MP250, MP252, MP258, MP260, MP268, MP270, MP272, MP276, MP280, MP282, MP480, MP486, MP490, MP492, MP495, MP499, MX320, MX328, MX330, MX338 IP1200 IP1300 IP1600 IP1700 IP1800 IP1900 IP2200 IP2600 MP140 MP150 MP160 MP170 MP180 MP210 MP220 MP450 MP460 MP470 MX300 MX310 and more printers and can be purchased from our website Printer Cartridges

HP OfficeJet 150 1st portable multi-function printer

Exciting news that Hewlett Packard will soon be selling the HP OfficeJet 150 Mobile All-in-One portable printer.   Weighing in at just 3 kilograms and measuring 350mm x 171mm x 90mm, the fairly expensive printer (US$399) is aimed at sales representatives who need a mobile printing and scanning facility. 
The Officejet 150 all-in-one machine features a lithium-ion battery, allowing users to print up to 500 pages on a single charge.
Unlike other portable printers currently on the market today, the HP Officejet 150 will use standard cartridges.  Printing costs per page should be between $0.12 per (colour), and $0.05 for black; with print speeds of between 3.5 to 5 pages per minute.
Printing, scanning, and copying functions will be controlled by the 2.36 inch colour touchscreen. In addition the device can print from Windows Mobile, and Blackberry mobile devices via a Bluetooth 2.0 wireless connection. However software providing the ability to print from Apple iPad and iPhone is not yet included. We find this surprising considering that most new HP printers now have the capability of printing from Apple mobile devices?
Included in the specification is a 50 pages sheet feeder, and a print resolutions of 600x600 black, and 4800x1200dpi colour.  There is a USB 2.0 and PictBridge port, not to mention an SD card slot.  A carry case will soon be made available for approximately $80.
We await UK prices and a release date.  Further updates will be posted at http://www.printercartridges.net/ including ink cartridge costs for HP95 / HP98 (UK codes may be different).

Print Head Cleaning Instructions - Help with unblocking blocked printer nozzles

Inkjet Print Head Nozzles are well known for becoming blocked with dried ink or air, particularly Brother, Canon, Epson, and Kodak.  Fortunately these blockages can usually be cleared by running the standard head cleaning routine on the printer software.  Unfortunately this does not always work and it is necessary to perform manual maintenance to recover a correct ink flow.
There are two methods of unblocking the print head.  The first is to attach a syringe to the stalk leading to the print head.  We do not recommend this as it can damage the print head beyond repair. 
The best and safest way of clearing a blocked print head is to use dedicated cleaning cartridges which contain a specially formulated solution to dissolve blockages without damaging the heads.  Such cartridges can be purchased from the following store...  https://premium-inks.com/collections/printer-head-cleaning-cartridges

Some printers will allow you to just replace one colour, so if there is no black ink finding its way on to the paper, insert the black cleaning cartridge into the machine and print several full size pages of the image to the left.  Doing this will guarantee that a fair quantity of cleaning solution will be pushed through the print head nozzles.  Finally, replace the normal black cartridge and print as normal.  You may have to print a few pages before the black ink begins to appear again.
If the nozzle remains blocked after performing the above operation, then repeat the exercise, but this time leave the cleaning cartridge inside the printer overnight.  This will allow the solution to eat away at the blockage.
Cleaning cartridges are usually 75% successful, unfortunately however there is no guarantee that they will clear the blockage. 

Cartridges that contain microchips may not like to mix with the special cleaning cartridges chips, so you will have to install the whole set.  This makes using the following colour print images more important as you do not want to pass too much fluid through the heads that are not blocked.  If the cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, or photo cyan colour(s) are blocked, then print one or more of the surrounding images. Right click on them and select save image.  Then print full A4 size pictures of them.  As the cleaning fluid takes over from the ordinary coloured ink you will notice the colour gradually fade away.

Cheap A3 A3+ A4 Picture Frames and Mounts

Following frequent requests from our Louth shop customers we have been sourcing some high quality picture frames and mounts for A4, A3 and A3+ printed images.  During the last few weeks we have been looking at samples of wood and composite wood finish frames that are glazed; some containing cardboard mounts of various colours.
Our favourite so far is the plastic wood effect frames with cream or white mounts inside.  To our surprise the artificial frames seem to feature a more pleasing grain and colour.  For this reason we will be stocking these to begin with alongside a variety of optional mounts in various colours sized to fit inside of them. 
We will be trialling the products in our computer store during May before introducing them on to our website at http://www.printercartridges.net/
Regular readers of our blog will know that we have been testing the Epson Stylus Photo R1400 and Office B1100 printers lately.  We will display images printed with these printers in the new frame and mounts over the coming weeks and add them to this page.  In the mean time please feel free to visit our store in Louth, Lincolnshire (Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm) to see our working demonstration models and photographic paper range.  Our shop is located inside the Newmarket Hall next to the market place in the centre of the town.