How to Replace an Inkjet Cartridge

Help! Your inkjet printer's icon is blinking and you need to replace the ink cartridge. No worries. This chore is easy and takes only a few minutes. Pretty soon your printer will be making crisp black letters and sharp pictures again with its new ink cartridge.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Replacement cartridges
• Tools (maybe)

1. Find and open the print cartridge access door. The location of this access door varies by printer make and model so be prepared to spend some time hunting around.

2. Locate the print carriage assembly inside the printer. The carriage is the device that moves the ink cartridges back and forth across the page during the printing process.

3. Remove the existing print cartridge. Some printers use more than one, so you may need to change more than one of the cartridges.

4. Take the new print cartridge out of its packaging and unseal according to the directions on the box. Be careful handling the cartridge.

5. Install the new cartridge right away so the ink does not have a chance to dry and clog in the ink nozzles. Use gentle pressure rather than sharp force.

6. Close the print cartridge access door. On some printer models, doing this will activate a self-check for cartridge alignment. Other models require you to do this manually.

7. Run off a test sheet to see how the printer is working. Watch out for streaks in the images and faint or blurry text.

Tips & Warnings

• Removing the existing print cartridge may require tools or the job might be strictly snap-to-fit. Check the print carriage assembly carefully before replacing.
• If your printer has more than one inkjet cartridge, note where the different cartridges go before you remove them because the replacements have to go in the right spots. In a two cartridge printer, you will typically find a black cartridge and a tri-color cartridge.
• Double check your replacement cartridges for compatibility.
• If your printer automatically aligns print cartridges, do not turn off the printer or disturb it in any way until the process is complete. Look for a window on your computer, a flashing icon on your computer's toolbar or flashing lights on the printer itself to tell you that the process is still underway.
• Don't lay open ink cartridges on surfaces you do not want stained or marked with ink. It is normal for the nozzles to leak a little once they have been unsealed.
• Do not touch the metal surfaces or the ink nozzles of an inkjet cartridge.

[jentilpet]

on 12/2/2008 Do I allow the Hp printer to slide to7fro/ until it stops, then remove only the cartridge i need and replace it ALL while printer is still on?