HP Laserjet 4100 Low Toner message after new cartridge installed

[Lab Geek]

Hi,
I changed out the toner cartridge on my HP LaserJet 4100 and the "Low Toner" message continues to flash. I tried removing the cartridge and spraying a bit of canned air to blow out dust, but the message still remains. Any suggestions? Thank you for any help.

[Big Al]

The toner has a small amount of magentic iron oxide mixed in with the plastic powder. This lets the toner conduct a little electrict current which tells the printer that toner is present. Look at the new cartridge. On the left side there is a metal tab and a metal rod that mate with springs in the printer input area. If these tabs are corroded that can cause this problem. Shaking the cartridge may also help. You could also try another cartridge. Please let us know what you find. Al

[Lab Geek]

Hi Al,
Thanks for your response. The metal rod on the left side is not corroded. I went ahead and cleaned it anyway with a small alcohol wipe. I had already tried shaking the cartridge, but I did that again. I also turned the printer off and then back on again. Unfortunately, I am still getting the "Toner Low" message. Beyond ordering another cartridge, is there anything else I can do to clear the message? Thanks for your help.

[Big Al]

The question is: do you have a toner cartridge problem or a printer problem? Where did you get the cartridge? Is is an HP cartridge or a refill? Do you still have the previous cartridge? You either need to borrow a cartridge or ask someone to test the one you have. In addition to the silver rod there is also a metal contact on the bottom face of the cartridge right below the silver rod. Some refilled cartridge have a copper looking contact that can get corroded. Then look at the two silver wire springs in the printer that connect to these two points on the cartridge. If one is damaged then you will get the empty toner condition. If you can find another printer and test this cartridge and it is bad then the vendor should replace it. I think you are using a # 27 cartridge? I have never had a problem like this with one of these so if the cartridge is bad that would be different but certainly possible.

Al

[Lab Geek]

Hi Al,
I bought a Remanufactured Toner Cartridge, C8061X. I assume this means refilled. I think 61X is the HP designation. It is the "Sustainable Earth" line from Staples. I work for a large University and they want us to use remanufactured as much as possible. The previous cartridge was HP. I put the previous old cartridge back in and still got the Low Toner message.

I looked at the connections and did not see any type of corrosion anywhere, although I'm not 100% convinced I was looking in the right place. We do actually have another HP 4100 that is rarely used. It is connected to a piece of lab equipment that cannot be networked (but that's another issue!). Per your suggestion, I took the cartridge (HP brand) from that printer and put it into mine. Guess what?! No more Low Toner message!

Interestingly, the other 4100 gave an initial message of "Non HP toner detected". It said I should press "GO" (the big green button) to continue. I did that and then it accepted the non-HP toner and gave NO "low toner" message! It said "Ready". Perfect!

So I'm not sure if it was the cartridge or the printer. Funny that one cartridge worked in one machine, but not in the other.

Bottom line, after switching cartridges, both printers are happy and so am I! Thank you so much, Al! You fixed my problem! Yeah!!!!

[Big Al]

Always remember that computer equipment is alive and it hates us!
Al