Why Do Some Third-Party Ink Cartridges Stop Working? How to Avoid Compatibility Issues

Question:

That’s when I bought a brand of third-party ink cartridges online. (They also apparently have a shelf life, and mine has passed, so my printer no longer recognizes them.) I attempted cleaning the contacts and doing a reset. I would like to hear why this occurred, and how to ensure this mistake is not repeated. I’ve seen your YouTube videos and think this process isn’t that complicated, but I want to ensure I buy the right cartridges next time. What should I pay attention to, especially when it comes to "empty virgin" cartridges?

Answer:

Why Do Some Third-Party Ink Cartridges Fail?

All third-party cartridges are not created equal. Many replicas, especially those sold on AliExpress or through other cheap online retailers, are equipped with an expiry chip or have a pre-specified user limit. This means that once you’ve printed a certain number of pages, the cartridge will stop working—even if you still have usable ink inside. Sadly, this is an all-too-common problem with low-cost, refurbished, or third-party (non-OEM) ink cartridges.

Tips to Not Have an Issue with Ink Cartridges Compatibility

Beware of the "Empty Virgin" Cartridges

You are correct about "empty virgin" cartridges. These are brand-new, never-used cartridges without reset restrictions. Unlike refilled cartridges, virgin cartridges do not risk firmware lockouts.

Be Wary Of Chips With Expiration Counters

Certain third-party manufacturers include chips on cartridges that have an expiration date or are suitable for a predetermined number of print cycles. And even if you reset them, they may remain disabled. Be sure to buy from reputable vendors who disclose whether or not their cartridges use resettable chips.

Check Printer Firmware Compatibility

Printer manufacturers, including Epson and HP, regularly issue firmware updates that disable third-party cartridges. If your printer recently updated, it may not accept recently worked cartridges. Turning off automatic firmware updates can help avoid sudden compatibility issues.

Clean the Cartridge Connector Pins

You indicated you cleaned the contacts, which is a good troubleshooting step. But if the cartridge chip is locked (read or write) or damaged, cleaning will not help. In such instances, it is best to resort to cartridge replacement.

Buy from Trusted Suppliers

While cheap alternatives may exist, such as those on AliExpress, many of these particular cartridges are from unverified sources and often have little to no quality control oversight. For reliability, we recommend purchasing from a reputable platform, such as eBay or Amazon, or directly from a reputable third-party supplier (like BCH Technologies, https://bchtechnologies.com).

What Should You Do Next?

Your current cartridges are no longer recognized because your printers are locked; therefore, the only way to continue using third-party cartridges is to use "empty virgin" from a trusted seller. To ensure you can continue using third-party cartridges, please always buy ones listed as resettable or compatible with your specific printer.

Printer issues can be a painful process as we have a lot of hands-on issues. We cannot do remote troubleshooting or repair support. We have a walk-in diagnostic and repair shop (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service) but it is at our facility. We run on a first-come, first-served basis because of high demand, so please expect varying wait times. We provide total printer repairs, which can include individual part replacement services. Our prices, however, might not always be the lowest, so if you are ready to research online, we urge you to become self-help.

You can find specific solutions by going to our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies) and typing in the search bar to see the necessary troubleshooting videos. With more than nine years’ content under our belt, we’ve written about a wide variety of printer problems, and you can use YouTube’s search tool to find the most relevant guides.

Thanks for your support. I hope this helps you solve your problem. Let me know if you have other questions.