Printer says "Insert Ink Cartridge" even though it has been inserted

Hello,

I have a Lexmark OfficeEdge Pro4000 printer. A few days ago when moving a piece of furniture I gently struck the ink cartridge access door (this door is used in case one has to install and uninstall cartridges.) There did not appear to be any serious damage to the door or to the printer and when I tried closing the door back, it closed fine and made the "click" sound. However, it also started asking me to "Install Ink Cartridges" pointing to the black cartridge in particular even though I had not seen this instruction before. Since then I have removed all the cartridges and re-inserted them, opened a new black cartridge and inserted it but all of this has been to no avail. I have also unplugged the printer and plugged it back ~ 4-5 times. Inspite of this, I keep seeing the same error messages "Install Ink Cartridges" followed by "Close the Ink Cartridge Access Door." I am at a loss as to what to do and would be glad to have some help.

For further information, the position of the cartridges is from left to right - black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.

Thanks,
desimba

The only suggestion that I would have is much the same as you have tried before.

Try removing all of the cartridges and close the front panel door and turn off the printer and leave it off for at least 15 minutes, unplug it from the wall.

Then you just start the printer up as normal and install the cartridges once more and see if that has cured the error message for you.

I once had a Lexmark printer and it nearly drove me mad and so I couldn’t wait to get rid of it, I gave it away it to someone I didn't know, it was the best thing I ever done..

Hi desimba, welcome to the site.

I see no one has responded so far, I am not familiar with that printer, but your comments indicate that the door mechanism has a means of detecting whether it is open or closed.

Has that mechanism been damaged? It usually takes the form of small plastic button or pin in the door opening, which operates a switch?

The door open/closed indicator switch might also be a slotted optical interrupter. In this type of switch an infra-red light beam is interrupted by a moving vane, causing a detector to signal open or closed. Here is a typical optical interrupter:


So if the door indicating switch is optical, you should check that the vane is still present and not broken off, and moves properly in and out of the gap with opening/closing the door.

I searched for a service manual for the printer, but found none. Instead I found the user manual and studied it.

Here is an image from the user manual showing a close-up of the ink compartment:



It looks to me like "1" could be a mechanical push button switch and "2" could be a hole behind which a light interrupter is located. I think the image shows a light blocking vane that enters the hole when the door is closed. If "2" is the door switch then "1" could be a spring assisting in opening the door. I suggest to start the troubleshooting by examining these two possible door indicators.

Hi,

similar problems accompany Brother printers. Each cartridge has its own position sensor, same type like posted by PeterBJ. They also have ink level sensors for each ink tank and chip reader in newer models.

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I think Lukasz might have found the cause of the problems. It might not be related to a door switch. Instead contact springs or similar for the black cartridge chip could be bent or have come out of alignment by the impact. So I suggest to also inspect the chips and chip contacts.

Hi Desimba

I think something was damaged when you closed that door. I suggest you to walk into nearest Lexmark service center and get your device repaired.