Technical information

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101
HP Deskjet D4200-D4300 SERIES ERROR MESSAGES - NOT RECOGNIZING CARTRIDGE (74-75)
Regarding your recent inquiry about the HP 74XL black ink cartridge error message (“unrecognized
cartridge”, or similar ink lamp error indicators) and inability to print with your HP Deskjet D4360 printer,
this type of error is normally associated to an electrical connection issue between the printer and the
cartridge, or more likely, an internal micro-electronic failure inside the cartridge itself. An electronic
failure of the cartridge would be unrelated to the ink cartridge refill process; these same failures can
(and frequently do) occur with brand new ink cartridges.* To help identify the root cause and to
confirm/validate the electrical health of both ink cartridges, please run the 'Tap 41' cartridge's electrical
/ diagnostic test below.
Please first verify the age of BOTH ink cartridges....look at imprinted date on front of ink cartridge. If this
‘warranty expiration date’ has expired, then potential internal electrical cartridge failures can occur due
to internal corrosion, etc.
NOTE 1: Unfortunately, alignment pages and internal self test prints will usually print Ok even if the
cartridge is internally electrically damaged. Do not use these test pages as a proxy for determining
whether a cartridge is good or bad, only the ‘Tap 41/43’ diagnostic test report can yield this information.
NOTE 2: As a temporary workaround (which is supported on most HP Deskjet printer models) remove
one of the ink cartridges from the printer....this will place the printer into the 'single cartridge printer
mode'....print jobs may then be executed from the computer (only): For more information, refer to your
printer user guide.
An internal electrical failure of a cartridge can be confirmed by performing the following steps which will
help rule out other variables which could also be causing the issue.
1) Ensure BOTH carriage/flex cables and BOTH ink cartridge contacts are thoroughly clean before
proceeding: http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=1519
2) Validate the cartridge’s electrical health by running the ‘Tap 41’ diagnostics test. Refer to video
procedure at the following link on how to activate and read the service test:
http://inkjet411.com/?page_id=792 (HP 74/75 – Deskjet D4200/D4300 models)
a. If any lights are blinking, first press Cancel to attempt to clear.
b. Press and HOLD the Power button, press ‘Cancel’ button 4 times, then ‘Resume’ button (down
arrow) once.
c. Release the Power button. The Tap 41 diagnostic test should print.
- Providing the color cartridge is partially functioning the Tap 41 diagnostic test print will be
printed (this is a forced service print test which is mainly used for the evaluation of ink cartridge
electrical health). A good HP 75/75XL color cartridge should display 600 good nozzles, while a good HP
74/74XL black ink cartridge should show 672 good nozzles. If the results yield anything different then the
ink cartridge is likely damaged and will need to be replaced. Refer to Photosmart C4200-C5200 ‘Tap 41’
diagnostic test video at link above on how to read the printout.
If the printer attempts to print the diagnostic test pattern (1 page) then the printer is generally
considered operational and functional, if nothing is printed, but the printer attempts to print the