Did you know that whenever the printer driver tells you that you’re low on ink, it may not necessarily be true? In fact, your cartridge may still even be half full and you don’t even know it! This is because printer cartridges have these sensors that have an algorithm to detect whether your printer is almost out of ink. On one hand, it could be because companies purposely want you to buy new ink but on the other hand, having too low of an ink level will damage the cartridge. The trick here is to keep on using ink until it really reaches a low level wherein you should replace or refill. Here are some tricks to do that:

Shake the Cartridge

Sometimes, the ink is pushed on one side of the cartridge. To even it all out, shake the cartridge and try printing again. If it doesn’t want to print, it’s most likely really low.

Press the Reset Button

Each printer cartridge has memory chips. One thing you can do is to reset the memory so that it can start printing again.

Cover the Optical Sensor

Most printer cartridges would have sensors to tell them they have low ink levels. You can cover them with a tape so you can start printing again. One example would be in Canon CLI-271C Ink Cartridges. For Canon CLI-271C Ink Cartridges, the lens is under a big circular hole at the side. You can cover it with tape or stick paper.

Soak the Cartridge in Warm Water

This may seem like an old wives’ tale but people swear by it. Soaking the cartridge in warm water will allow the ink to flow smoother, making it able to come out when printing.

Basically, these are some ways to get the most out of your ink. Take note though that if your printer still can’t print despite trying all the methods, maybe it is time for a change.