how to tell if a printer cartidge is empty

[pianistimo]

ok.  i come in to the computer and there's an ink cartridge on the floor and a cartridge up on the computer desk.  i think.  ok - the one on the floor is probably used and the one on the desk is probably new.  but, what are these cartridges doing all over the place.   i mean - usually if i take one out - i put it right in the garbage.

perhaps this should be in pet peeves thread.  so now - can you tell just by looking at them if they are used up.  there currently is a cartridge in it.  i don't know if these fell out of a box from the sky or what!  will i have to put them back in and wait for the little message - out of ink?

[imbetter]

when you try and print somthing it tells you.

[pianistimo]

they look like new.  what i am wondering is why so many.  did someone go overboard last night and print out a whole instruction manual of 500 pages?  sometimes i look at things in my house and wonder who lives here.

[le_poete_mourant]

How to tell if a printer cartridge is empty:

1.  Get a plastic straw. 
2.  Insert straw in ink cartridge. 
3.  Apply suction by way of mouth.

If you taste ink, you know it's not empty. 

[Bob]

(confused)  Two ink cartridges?  One new, one old?

The old one would have a hole punched in where the ink comes out.

Check the weight -- the new one is heavier of course.

Shake them and hear how much sloshes around.

Try it and use one until it stops printing correctly.

[pianowolfi]

Unfortunately there are some printers who claim that a cartridge is empty although it isn't.  For example Epson printers. I used to have one of these and I got very angry about it. Nothing would make it print anymore when this message appeared. Although you could hear loads of ink plashing if you shook the cartridge. Then I bought a chip resetter. That worked for a while before the printer would not print at all anymore because the printhead was broken.  Now i have a Canon and this is much better. It only claims that a cartridge is empty if it really is. (Sorry the advert )

[pianistimo]

yes.  we used to have an epson and my hubby got mad about the same thing.  it is a hewlitt packard.

very cute, le poete.  all though you and bob are so smart.  i still can't hear the ink sloshing - but i figured out what happened.  my son threw away the plastic or paper wrapping - but the used cartridge fell on the floor and a new black cartridge was inserted.  the other one on the desk was also new.  although both the extra new cartridge and the old used one felt the same weight (should you weigh things between rh and lh ?) the little hole in one corner showed white underneath (that it had been punched through) and the other little hole was still black plastic.   ok.  now i can figure this out from now on without reinserting the durn things.

nothing is sloshing around in either one.  one must be filled to the max (new) and the other completely empty.  now my question is - why do they weigh the same?  i guess ink doesn't weigh much.

[ahinton]

If your computer doesn't warn you and none of the advice so far given by others actually works for you in solving this problem, I guess there's only one possible course of action open to you; ask the omniscient God.

Best,

Alistair