One of the more confusing aspects of modern ink cartridges is the "chip" that some of them have in them
. What does this chip do, why is it there and what can you do about it? And do compatible ink cartridges have the same chips?
The chips are a relatively modern invention and they are there for two reasons. The first is the reason that the manufacturers tell you they are there and that is so that the printer can more accurately monitor the ink levels within the ink cartridges and give you better warning when they need to be changed. More cynical people have come up with a second reason why they are there and that is simply to make it much more complicated for you to refill your own ink cartridges at home with one of those refill kits. When you refill a chipped cartridge the chip will still think it is empty and the printer won't recognise them as having any ink.
There are three solutions to this if you don't want to buy branded cartridges. First off, you can buy a chip resetter along with your ink refill kit, this will reset the chip to full levels. Secondly you can buy refillable cartridges with chips that always show full or thirdly and possibly the easiest option you can buy good quality compatible cartridges which will have chips that work exactly as they should do. Thankfully, a little ingenuity and enterprise has meant that the addition of the cartridge chips doesn't mean that we are all forced to buy much more expensive manufacturer branded cartridges.