My hp photosmart c5550 printer scanner and copier is now saying when i try to print that the ink on the left side (the color ink) in not intended for use with this product. i have been using the same ink for months (it is not hp but a generic) with no issues till now. What do I do? i tried turning the printer on and off, and even restarting the computer, but it still says this and will not print.

SOURCE: MY HP PHOTOSMART 3110 ALL-IN-ONE

Solution

1. Press the On button to turn the printer off.
2. Unplug the power cord from the back of the printer.
3. Remove all the ink cartridges.
4. Wait two minutes.
5. Plug the power cord into the back of the printer.
6. Press the On button to turn the printer on.
7. Install the ink cartridges when prompted.

SOURCE: HP Photosmart C6180 won't print

Ok, so it seems that there are a few different people with the same result but different issues.

If you are connecting over wireless network then first check the IP address on the printer. Push the setup button and then go down to network and then view network settings and then display wireless summary. There will be a host name and an IP address. Write down the IP address on a piece of paper and press cancel on the printer to go back to main menu. Now if IP was 169 or no link then the printer is not seeing the network and you need to go to setup - network - wireless setup wizard and follow prompts and check IP again - if still 169 or no link you have a router issue, otherwise you can continue.

Now go to your computer and check the IP address for it. The first three numbers should be the same - 192.168.1.4 for instance on printer should have an IP on computer of 192.168.1.7 or any number for the last one. If IP's are not the same for the first 3 then your printer and computer are not on the same network. If IP on printer is not on the same network then you will have to make sure that your computer is on your network and not on someone elses - if it is then run wireless setup wizard on the printer (see steps above) and then the IP's will match.

Now for all of you USB connectors the issue can be caused by 2 things and being able to copy is the key here. The printer is capable of printing but it is not receiving the print job which can be caused by connection or by software. Generally if software related you see some sort of error message in regards to an hp application or the print job itself. I will be honest that I am more mac technical so I will describe how to see it here - I have tried to search on a pc to no evail - you may have to try to print to see if you are connecting. On the mac click on the apple in the top left and go down to about this mac and then click on the more info button. On the left you will see a long list - click on USB and then to the right it will show you all items connecting with a USB - if printer is listed then you have a software issue - if not then it is the connection.

Scenario 1 - connection issue. This is caused by 1 of three things. Bad USB port on your computer, bad USB cable, bad port on the printer. First swap the USB cable into a spot that already has a working item in it if you can - if the printer is now connecting then you have a bad port on your computer. Still not working? Then lets replace the USB cable - preferrably from another working printer but you may have to purchase. Are you up yet? No? Well then it seems the port on the printer is bad and you will have to replace it - sorry.

Scenario 2 - software issue. If the issue is caused by software then you first must uninstall the hp software and then download the drivers by clicking on your operating system in the link and then going to the most recent version under the software heading.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?product=1153494&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&cc=us

SOURCE: HP 1610 Won't Recognize the Color Cartridge?? Please Help!

i don't know who checks these messages, but I have the exact same problem, also with my mom's printer. it is no longer under warranty so HP wants to charge me thirty dollars for them to tell me how to fix it over the phone. no thanks.

SOURCE: photo ink cartridge

remove the black ink cartridge and insert the PHOTO cartrdige to the black ink slot and im pretty sure that it will perfectly work...

SOURCE: I have the HP Photosmart

Well you've got a nice printer! With 6 different ink cartridges, you only need to replace the one(s) that is low. Black - C8719EE
Cyan - C8771EE
Magenta - C8772EE
Yellow - C8773EE
Light Cyan - C8774EE
Light Magenta - C8775EE

Simply turn off the printer, open the cover to reveal the bank of ink cartridges. Pop up the white-ish plastic covering tab, pull out the old cartridge (this should not require too much pressure). Then pull off any protective film from the new cartridge, re-insert one at a time. Power up printer wait for self test, should be all set to go