subject: "unsupported cartridge" message - lexmark and dell [print this page] "unsupported cartridge" message - lexmark and dell
When you buy a new branded Lexmark or Dell ink cartridge you are often faced with a huge choice of options. Many people, quite understandably, plump for the cheapest ink cartridges they can buy to get the machine going again. These are often referred to as "returns program" cartridges and when buying them, you are agreeing to the terms stipulated by the manufacturer - much of which is written in the tiniest possible print on the box.
These ink cartridges are "designed for single use only", because the manufacturer does not want people refilling them. They make huge profits from selling their own printer inks, and jealously guard that market. So - when a new cartridge has been in your printer a little while and delivered a certain amount of ink, it will automatically stop working because it is pre-programmed to do so. Even if you have refilled it (or had it refilled elsewhere) it could be chock-full of liquid, but when the electronics decide it's time to stop, that's it - game over. It is now an UNSUPPORTED CARTRIDGE.
Under these "returns programs" manufacturers will dispose of empties in an "environmentally friendly" fashion - IF people bother to send them. The truth is the vast majority are likely to end up in landfill sites worldwide. Were it not for the electronics they could be refilled and re-used many times over - surely a more environmentally friendly plan?
There really is no other way to get going again without buying more ink cartridges. And here's the thing... You can go and spend - what? 30, 40, maybe 50 on a new black and colour cartridges for your Lexmark or Dell printer, and then it will happen all over again. Ker-ching go the tills!! So what other options do you have? Well you could get some honest independent advice from www.inksave.co.uk and you could spend around 60 or so on a really good printer with very low cost consumables. We don't sell printers, but because we have been in the business of ink and toner cartridges for 10 years, we can draw on a wealth of experience and guide you toward a printer you can run for sensible money - without all the electronic nonsense outlined above.
