My cartridges are empty but the software says I have some ink left?
The ink levels reflected in Print Hub or the Config Utility are an estimate of the ink level in the unit. The levels are not actually read from the cartridges themselves. This estimate is based on an average of all three colors. Usually, the estimate is fairly accurate. But sometimes a particular design can confuse the calculation and it can show 0-20% of ink remaining but the cartridge is actually empty. The ink level is a mathematically calculated estimate based on the images that you send through the driver. The ink level counter is not 'smart' in that it will not be able to detect exactly how much ink is left in each individual compartment. This mathematical estimate is based on the number of spits of ink expelled by the cartridge, which are deducted from a known value of spits in a new cartridge.
To ensure that you get all the ink out of the cartridge, you are allowed to print into the negative percentages before the printer will stop printing. However, occasionally one color will run empty when the software (Print Hub/Config Utility) still displays a percentage of remaining ink. You'll know this is the case if one particular color is no longer printed. Or since most colors are a mix of the three colors in your cartridge this can appear as the wrong color being printed. Rest assured that you were able to print all of the ink in your cartridge. It was just our software estimate which was wrong.
If you have more than 20% ink remaining this probably doesn't indicate a miscalculation of ink levels. Instead, it could be the nozzles are clogged. This can especially occur if the ink cartridge has not been used for some time. Follow the links in the articles below to clean your cartridge.
- Clean an Eddie Cartridge
- Clean and LX Series or Disc Duplicator Print Cartridge
If ink was mixed in the cartridge before it was empty it could be a rare situation caused by ink pooling in the rubber seal cap. See
this article for details.
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