There are many sites on the net that display a reset procedure where you tape over several of the metal contacts on the cartridge, insert the cartridge into the printer, remove the cartridge, tape over other contacts, re-insert the cartridge, remove the tape, then re-insert the cartridge a third time. This procedure does work on many of the printers, but not on all. The principle of this procedure is simple. The printer reads a code on the cartridge and remembers that this cartridge is empty. If you try to re-insert the cartridge, the printer remembers the code and that the cartridge is empty!

The way around this (and why you re-insert the cartridge three times in the above example) is that the printer memory is very limited and is only capable of storing 2 cartridge codes.

 Our preferred method requires three cartridges. The 56 black recycles and stores very well! You should accumulate three cartridges. The one in the machine should be numbered #1. The refilled or new cartridges not in the machine should be #2 and #3. When #1 runs low on ink, pull it, place #2 in the printer and run the alignment procedure. Then refill cartridge #1 and store it properly in one of our clips.

When cartridge #2 runs low, replace it with #3 and refill #2 immediately. Replace #3 with #1 and so on.