How to Troubleshoot Old HP 45 Ink Cartridges on an AMS 1000 Envelope Printer

Question

I am based in the UK and have an AMS 1000 envelope printer that uses up to five HP 45 cartridges. I purchased the printer used about a year ago, and it came with several HP 45 cartridges. I have tested almost all of them, but I am having trouble getting them to print reliably.

When I purge the printer, the cartridges work for a short time, but then they stop printing again. When I remove a cartridge and press it against a tissue, little or no ink comes out. Many of these cartridges may be very old and may not have been used for years. Most were brand-new and sealed, and some date back to around 2014. The original HP cartridges do not show a date, so I am not sure how old they are.

I have about 15 cartridges. Is it normal for cartridges this old to stop working? Are they clogged, dried out, or unusable? Do you sell refurbished HP 45 cartridges? Is there anything I can do to get them working again and refill them going forward?

Answer

For your AMS 1000 envelope printer, the HP 45 cartridge is a thermal inkjet cartridge. That means the printhead is built into the cartridge itself. Unlike some Epson-style systems where the printhead remains inside the printer, the HP 45 cartridge includes the ink reservoir, nozzle plate, and firing electronics in one unit. This is good in one way because replacing the cartridge also replaces the printhead. However, it also means that an old HP 45 cartridge can fail from ink drying, nozzle clogging, internal starvation, contact oxidation, or electronic burnout.

Yes, it is very possible that cartridges dating back to 2014 may not work reliably, even if they were sealed and never used. A sealed cartridge does not stay fresh forever. Over many years, several things can happen. The ink can thicken. The water or solvent portion of the ink can slowly evaporate through the cartridge materials. The sponge inside the cartridge can dry, shrink, or lose its ability to feed ink properly. The nozzles can become blocked with dried pigment or dye residue. The internal filter can become restricted. Also, the electrical components on the printhead can degrade, especially if the cartridge was stored in a hot, dry, or unstable environment.

The fact that your cartridge works briefly after purging and then stops again is an important clue. That often means the purge is pulling some ink to the nozzle plate, but the cartridge cannot continue feeding ink consistently. In other words, it may not be a simple surface clog only. It could be an internal ink-flow problem. The cartridge may have dried ink inside, trapped air, a weak internal sponge, or a blocked filter. When you press it on tissue and nothing comes out, that usually means ink is not reaching the nozzle plate properly, or the nozzle plate is too dry or clogged to wick ink.

The first thing I would recommend is using a priming clip for HP 15, 40, and 45 cartridges. A priming clip is very helpful because it lets you pull ink through the cartridge from the nozzle side. This tells you whether the cartridge is clogged, air-locked, or still capable of flowing ink. You can see our priming clip for HP 15, 40, 45, C8842A, 45si, CG339A, and 51645A cartridges [https://bchtechnologies.com/products/priming-clip-for-hp-15-40-45-c8842a-45si-cg339a-51645a?_pos=6&_sid=4119d5e94&_ss=r].

With a priming clip, you can install the cartridge into the clip and use a syringe to gently draw ink through the nozzles. If ink comes through smoothly, the cartridge is not completely blocked, and the issue may be air, poor priming, weak ink flow, or a printer-side service station problem. If you pull and only get air, foam, or nothing at all, the cartridge may be internally dried or severely clogged. If you can pull ink but the cartridge still does not print afterward, then the electrical firing circuit or nozzle resistors may be damaged.

For a cartridge that has been sitting for years, I would not start with aggressive pressure. Too much pressure or vacuum can damage the printhead plate, separate internal seals, or cause ink to leak into places it should not go. Use slow, controlled suction. The goal is not to force the cartridge violently; the goal is to confirm whether ink can move through the cartridge.

You can also try gently blotting the nozzle plate on a damp, lint-free paper towel. Use warm distilled water, not boiling water. Hold the nozzle plate against the damp towel for a short time, then blot it on a dry towel. A healthy cartridge should leave a clear, dark rectangular ink mark. If you see only a faint mark or nothing at all, the nozzles are likely dry or the internal ink supply is not reaching the nozzles. Avoid rubbing the nozzle plate because rubbing can scratch it or push fibers into the nozzles.

If the cartridge is truly old but still has ink inside, a priming clip may bring it back temporarily. However, old cartridges often behave inconsistently. They may print for a while, then drop out again because the sponge cannot keep up with demand. This is especially important in an envelope printer like the AMS 1000 because envelope printers may fire the HP 45 cartridges repeatedly and require steady ink delivery. A cartridge that works for a few test prints may still fail during production.

Another thing to check is the electrical contact area. The gold contacts on the HP 45 cartridge should be clean and dry. If they are oxidized, contaminated with ink, or dirty from long storage, the printer may not fire the nozzles correctly. You can clean the contacts gently with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol, then let them dry completely before reinstalling. Do not flood the contacts with liquid, and do not scrape them with anything abrasive.

Since you have approximately 15 cartridges, I would test them in a structured way. First, number the cartridges with a small label or marker. Then test each cartridge with the tissue-blot method. After that, use the priming clip to see which ones can actually flow ink. Separate them into three groups: cartridges that flow well, cartridges that flow weakly, and cartridges that do not flow at all. The ones that flow well are candidates for reuse and refilling. The ones that flow weakly may be recoverable but may not be reliable for production. The ones that do not flow at all after careful priming are likely too dried out or internally blocked.

If a cartridge starts flowing after priming, you may be able to refill it going forward. However, you should refill before it runs completely dry. HP 45 cartridges generally do better when they are kept wet. Once the sponge dries out, it becomes much harder to restore. For future use, keep working cartridges capped or stored properly when not installed. Do not leave the nozzle plate exposed to open air for long periods.

It is also worth checking the AMS 1000 printer's own purge and maintenance system. If several cartridges behave the same way, the cartridges may be old, but the printer may also not be purging correctly. The printer's cartridge station, seals, vacuum system, or purge routine may not be making proper contact with the HP 45 nozzles. If the printer cannot seal around the cartridge nozzles during purging, it may seem like it is purging, but it may only be pulling air. That would explain why the cartridge prints briefly and then stops. A priming clip helps separate the cartridge problem from the printer problem because it tests the cartridge outside the printer.

Regarding refurbished cartridges, availability can vary. The most practical first step is still to determine whether your current cartridges are clogged or internally dried. The priming clip will give you a much clearer answer. If the cartridge can be primed and gives a strong tissue mark afterward, it may be worth refilling and testing. If it cannot be primed, or if it primes but does not fire in the printer, then it is probably not worth spending too much time on that cartridge.

In short, yes, cartridges from 2014 can absolutely be too old to work reliably, even if sealed. Some may be recoverable, but I would not assume all 15 are usable. The best diagnostic tool in this situation is a priming clip because it will tell you whether ink can physically move through the HP 45 cartridge. If ink cannot be drawn through the cartridge, the cartridge is clogged, dried, or internally blocked. If ink can be drawn through but it still does not print, then the issue may be electrical failure in the cartridge, dirty contacts, or a printer-side firing/contact problem.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair because many of these problems require hands-on inspection and testing. For that reason, we are not able to provide remote troubleshooting, detailed repair suggestions, or ongoing support for printer repairs. We do offer an in-person evaluation and repair service through our local diagnostic facility: BCH Technologies Printer Repair Service [https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service]. Because demand is high, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so it may take a few weeks before your printer can be dropped off or evaluated. Our services are structured to repair either a complete printer or specific printer parts, with instructions on how to proceed. However, we understand that our rates may not be the most economical option for every situation. For that reason, we strongly recommend self-help through online research whenever possible. A good starting point is YouTube, including our BCH Technologies YouTube homepage [https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies]. Once you are on the channel page, use the search icon next to "About" on the right-hand side of the menu bar to look for specific topics. I receive many requests every day asking which video covers a specific repair, and after creating videos for more than nine years, it is difficult to remember every single one. YouTube's search function is usually the fastest way to find a relevant video, and it may also suggest helpful videos from other creators.

Thank you again for contacting us and for explaining the situation clearly. With older HP 45 cartridges, the key is to determine whether the cartridge can still move ink before spending too much time on printer-side troubleshooting. A priming clip should give you the clearest starting point and help you decide which cartridges are worth saving, refilling, or replacing.