Printer manufacturers are wily fellows. They will never really allow you to use cartridges on their printers and they will do everything they can to make sure that you are not able to. That is why they install software, special printer heads and other such devices to prevent you from being able to use compatible ink cartridges on their printers.

No one can really blame these manufacturers for that. Printers are cheap because there is so much competition going on amongst printer manufacturers. They want to put in as many features on a printer as they can for as low a price as they can make it. But their profits lie on their original printer ink , and that is why original printer ink cartridges are expensive.

Still, printers are not entirely resistant to cartridges. With a little prodding and prying, you will be able to get your printer to recognise the compatible printer cartridges you put in it. There are ways to get past the obstacles that printer manufacturers put on their printers so they would not be able to use compatible ink, and here are some of them.

1. Check the ink. Printers are picky machines. They are programmed so that they would recognise a particular kind of ink. Thus, when you buy compatible ink cartridges, make sure that these ink are truly ones specifically made for your printer. Otherwise, the ink will not work with your printer.

2. Follow the instructions to the letter. Just like the manufacturers of original printer cartridges, the manufacturers of compatible ink cartridges have instructions on how you should place and install the cartridges in the printer. You should follow these instructions to the letter so you can be sure that they would work.

3. Clean the printer head. It is also possible that the reason why the printer would not recognise the compatible ink cartridges you bought is that the printer head itself is clogged. Such problems can occur, especially when you have not used the printer in a long time. You can clean the clogged printer heads with a cleaning solution made especially for printer heads.

If the cartridge itself is the one that is blocked, you can try soaking the cartridge in warm water first. Afterwards, dry it with a lint-free rag and then install it in your printer.

4. Check the circuitry in your printer. Another possible reason why the printer would not read your compatible ink cartridges is that the printer itself has a problem with the circuitry. You can try topping the cartridge with ink first before reinstalling it into the printer.

If that fails, you should bring your printer to the repair shop. Be warned though: If your printer is under warranty, the warranty will no longer be valid if it is found out that you have used compatible ink cartridges.

It is not that difficult to solve printer problems with compatible ink cartridges. You should explore the options available to you to make your printer recognise compatible ink cartridges.