Another minor problem with 1525NW HP tech support accidentallyadmitted was a piece of rubbish

I posted on this thread:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!se...U/5GWE0OchB9EJ
about the printer which wouldn't handle anything more than 20 lb paper according to HP's own recommendations (and they tell you not to use Tray 2, leading to the obvious question: What on earth is it for? To which they didn't know the answer)

After that I went to the HP forum where they tried earnestly to solve the problem before noticing that this printer couldnt be made to work properly with the sort of paper users might want to use with it.

Since then I haven't dared to use colour on it because photos don't come out all that well on cheap copy paper. So in theory the colour toner carts should still be full

This week, the black toner ran out so I had to replace it to print in black

But the utility mysteriously shows ALL COLOUR CARTS as completely empty!!! I know that ink jets can discharge onto a sponge if left unused but can a laser printer also discharge all its toner as well? Or is this just the printer telling me to buy new cartridges when they are still full? Or is something else going on?

In article ,
myfathersson wrote:
I posted on this thread:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!se...U/5GWE0OchB9EJ

[..]
Since then I haven't dared to use colour on it because photos
don't come out all that well on cheap copy paper. So in
theory the colour toner carts should still be full

They probably are! )

This week, the black toner ran out so I had to replace it to print in black
But the utility mysteriously shows ALL COLOUR CARTS as completely empty!!! I know that ink jets can discharge onto a sponge if left unused but can a laser printer also discharge all its toner as well? Or is this just the printer telling me to buy new cartridges when they are still full? Or is something else going on?

Don't worry, laser cartridges don't discharge by
themselves ..and they can last a looonng time
beyond their useby date!

When printing 'black' with HPs CP1515/1525xx and
perhaps minimally, all the cartridges are used to
make the 'black' print. Look closely and you'll
probably think it's a sort of dark chocolate brown!

It sounds silly, it probably is, but that's one of
the 'features' of HPs CP1515/1525xx laser printers.

Just in case your printer does stop working because
it's apparently 'out of toner' - look in the printer's
menu, reached via your printer driver or from it's LCD
control panel and, for the black cartridge, select the
option that allows you to extend/continue the printing
until the black cartridge is visibly exhausted.

The auto 'stop printing at 0 pages left' only applies
to the black cartridge - the three colour cartridges
will continue to print anyway until they're completely
out of toner, despite any messages to contrary..

So ..despite any messages, you don't have to worry
about continuing printing ..just keep on until your
pages are showing only faint lines and lots of blank
space - or until you finally give up and either get
new reading spectacles or replace the black cartridge
with a new, refurbished or re-filled one!

The colours, of course, you merely replace when they
finally and visibly appear exhausted.

Once the black cartridge is replaced the counter resets
itself and the colours then display whatever their current
status is.

I'm sorry if I can't quite remember the CP1515/1525's
menu selection to allow the black cartridge to continue
past '0 pages left', but it's easy to find..

For interest - I'm now using an HP Pro400 M451dn auto
duplex laser printer that has much the same engine and
cartridges, costs not a whole lot more - and you get
double the number of sides per cartridge - and faster
printing speeds.. )

The duplex facility can be switched on from the
printer's LCD control panel - so all printing can
be duplex without further thought. An advantage
is that, being auto duplex, there's no need to drop
down flaps, or extend bins or anything. The print
unit does all automatically, from whatever bin or
combination of bins that you're using. Single sided
sheets, of course, will print as single sided anyway..

Just be careful to temporarily de-select duplex if
printing single sided sheets of sticky labels!

The HP Pro400 M451xx also has fully interchangeable
(and larger capacity) 'bins' that accept all useable
paper types - or specialist selection - in whatever
order one might prefer.

The HP Pro400 M451dw might be a more useable printer
for your purposes (if funds allow) - but meanwhile
the CP1525 have is still a very adequate printer..

Hope helps - at least in some part.. )

Bill ZFC

--
Adoption InterLink UK with -=- http://www.billsimpson.com/
Domain Host Orpheus Internet -=- http://www.orpheusinternet.co.uk/

Thanks for that very helpful response. I know black is empty because it started printing very faded around the centre of the page so after a few shakes of the black cartridge (and these carts aren't exactly gigantic so there isn't much shaking to be done) I simply buy another relatively inexpensive black cart. But I kinda knew about using tiny bits of colour even for black printing and wondered when the whole printer was going to stop printing because it thinks/says the colour ones are completely empty. Which they cant possibly be.

I wonder how to reset the utility so that it shows what is actually in the colour carts? Or does it count the pages and show empty after a certain number like the black one does? (that one has been showing empty for about 2-3 months before it actually was empty)

After what HP told me about this printer not being RECOMMENDED for use with anything more than 20lb cheap copy paper (despite what it says in the specifications) I am not sure I would dream of trusting HP enough to buy another one! Especially now that I see it telling me to buy all new colour carts when they aren't even empty. I need a utility designed to tell me what is going on, not one designed to increase HP's profits!

Incidentally, can you get a faintly decent colour photo out of your printer? Is it worth the bother buying lightweight paper and trying again after i have wasted my money on heavy colour laser paper which I cant use?

On 04/11/2013 08:36, Bill (Adopt) wrote:
So ..despite any messages, you don't have to worry
about continuing printing ..just keep on until your
pages are showing only faint lines and lots of blank
space - or until you finally give up and either get
new reading spectacles or replace the black cartridge
with a new, refurbished or re-filled one!

As far as I'm aware laser printers aren't harmed by continuing to print
with cartridges that are running out of "ink" (toner), unlike inkjet
printers where the printing head can overheat and burn out if no ink is
present inside it.

In article , Bill (Adopt)
wrote:
In article
,
myfathersson wrote:
I posted on this thread:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!se...U/5GWE0OchB9EJ

[..]
Since then I haven't dared to use colour on it because
photos don't come out all that well on cheap copy paper. So
in theory the colour toner carts should still be full

They probably are! )

This week, the black toner ran out so I had to replace it to
print in black But the utility mysteriously shows ALL COLOUR
CARTS as completely empty!!! I know that ink jets can
discharge onto a sponge if left unused but can a laser
printer also discharge all its toner as well? Or is this
just the printer telling me to buy new cartridges when they
are still full? Or is something else going on?

Don't worry, laser cartridges don't discharge by themselves
..and they can last a looonng time beyond their useby date!

When printing 'black' with HPs CP1515/1525xx and perhaps
minimally, all the cartridges are used to make the 'black'
print. Look closely and you'll probably think it's a sort of
dark chocolate brown!

It sounds silly, it probably is, but that's one of the
'features' of HPs CP1515/1525xx laser printers.

That's the printer I am using.

Just in case your printer does stop working because it's
apparently 'out of toner' - look in the printer's menu,
reached via your printer driver or from it's LCD control panel
and, for the black cartridge, select the option that allows
you to extend/continue the printing until the black cartridge
is visibly exhausted.

The auto 'stop printing at 0 pages left' only applies to the
black cartridge - the three colour cartridges will continue to
print anyway until they're completely out of toner, despite
any messages to contrary..

So ..despite any messages, you don't have to worry about
continuing printing ..just keep on until your pages are
showing only faint lines and lots of blank space - or until
you finally give up and either get new reading spectacles or
replace the black cartridge with a new, refurbished or
re-filled one!

The colours, of course, you merely replace when they finally
and visibly appear exhausted.

Once the black cartridge is replaced the counter resets itself
and the colours then display whatever their current status is.

I'm sorry if I can't quite remember the CP1515/1525's menu
selection to allow the black cartridge to continue past '0
pages left', but it's easy to find..

but not so easy to identify.

In the HP ToolboxFX utility, or the web site embedded in the
printer, see 'Device Settings - System Setup' and set 'Auto
continue' to ON. Also provide a figure for 'Cartridge low
threshold'. Mine is set at the lowest value, 1%, which has let
me run down the magenta toner to zero. Even then, the printer is
still printing colour pages correctly so I am deferring the
change of cartridge until I can detect faulty magenta colour
output. The other 2 colour cartridges have a very little way to
go before reaching empty and black is about 1//3 full.

[ ... ]

Hope helps - at least in some part.. )

Me too.

Brian.

--
__________________________________________________ ____________

Brian Carroll, Ripon, North Yorkshire, UK
__________________________________________________ ____________

Brian wrote:
On 04/11/2013 08:36, Bill (Adopt) wrote:
So ..despite any messages, you don't have to worry
about continuing printing ..just keep on until your
pages are showing only faint lines and lots of blank
space - or until you finally give up and either get
new reading spectacles or replace the black cartridge
with a new, refurbished or re-filled one!

As far as I'm aware laser printers aren't harmed by continuing to print
with cartridges that are running out of "ink" (toner), unlike inkjet
printers where the printing head can overheat and burn out if no ink is
present inside it.

You are absilutely correct. Unlike inkjet printers no harm will be done to a
laser printer even if you run with no toner at all (could be a waste of paper
though ): )
Tony