I haven't been using my hp430 much the last few months and when I went to use it the other day I noticed the orange light was on by the cartridge line. I assumed that it meant it was low so I changed the cartridge out and the light went away. I sent my plot and noticed that the plot was faint in areas and skipping lines in other areas. I did notice that the cartridge I ordered this time arrived as some compatible off brand instead of a hp cartridge. Do you think I have a bum cartridge? ...or that something else might be going on like a clogged print head from the lack off use lately?
Thanks
Kelly
It could be a bad cartridge. I have the same model and that has happened on occasion.
OfficeMax does keep the HP40 cartridges in stock while Office Depot and Staples do not.
You can also order the HP40 cartridge from Staples and from HP. The only place I can find the 44 color cartridges for my HP 450C's is from Staples. HP doesn't even have them available anymore.
> I haven't been using my hp430 much the last few months and when I went to use it the other day I noticed the orange light was on by the cartridge line. I assumed that it meant it was low so I changed the cartridge out and the light went away. I sent my plot and noticed that the plot was faint in areas and skipping lines in other areas. I did notice that the cartridge I ordered this time arrived as some compatible off brand instead of a hp cartridge. Do you think I have a bum cartridge? ...or that something else might be going on like a clogged print head from the lack off use lately?
>
> Thanks
> Kelly
You might try taking the cartridge out and shake it, wet (moisten) a coffee filter and wipe the bottom of the cartridge (copper & silver), being careful to not touch the copper on the back side. That sometimes along with priming will get a clogged cartridge putting out ink again.
Sounds like it may be the printhead. My 100 uses the ink cartridge until it's gone. It will prompt for one in the middle of a plot. Streaks sounds like the printhead to me.
I have had pretty good luck with HP cartridges from ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=hp+designjet+430+ink&_sacat=0&_odkw=hp+designjet+430+toner&_osacat=0
> I haven't been using my hp430 much the last few months >
Mine used to dry out if I didn't use them for a couple of months.
Mine too. Wait....... you're talking about plotters........never mind. :-$
10-4 on that. THose carts will go bad just sitting on a shelf.
Get some alcohol, and I like the coffee filter idea. Scrub and rub a bad cart well, sometimes it will bring it back. Clean it, push on it a bit, clean it and dry and it may work. You can also scrap a little of the protective orange coating off of the back on the contacts in case one is not making electrical contact well. Otherwise just replace, plot, replace, plot, replace....
All the above suggestions are good and might help. If everything else fails, I used to take my HP 450 cartridges and firmly tamp them down on a table top covered by a paper towel as if I was trying to pack the ink down. It would force the ink down out of the cartridge onto the paper towel and many times it would unclog the openings underneath the cartridges and the ink would flow again. I'm sure the experts will tell you not to do it that way, but it will work sometimes when you have nothing else to lose. Heck, the experts always told us not to touch that doggone copper strip, but I have to admit that I have done it sometimes just to spite the plotter and it never made any difference at all. In other words, don't be too afraid to slap it around a bit when it gets unruly - this is no way for a good plotter to act!
