One straightforward, two tricky
There are three kinds of toner-related errors in HP LaserJets. The toner low message is fairly straightforward while the other two are often misunderstood.
Toner Low
The printers have several ways of alerting the user when the toner is running low. The toner gauge, described in the previous article, is one of these. More useful and reliable are alerts via the display, which may be just lights on some models. The printer will display “toner low” message/indication when about 15 percent of capacity remains. At this point you should order a new toner cartridge, so that you have one when the next stage is reached – a “toner out” message, after which many printers will not allow you to print until a new cartridge is installed.
Since this message can be triggered either by toner levels or by page counts or rotation counts, you may or may not notice a degradation of print quality.
Install Toner Cartridge/No Toner Cartridge
When these alerts occur with a cartridge installed, it means the printer is unable to detect it; it has nothing to do with toner levels or memory tags, as some believe.
The troubleshooting steps are as follows:
- the high voltage contacts should be checked first, as the presence of the cartridge is usually detected through them.
- the cartridge — swap it with one that is known to work.
- the high voltage power supply — replace it.
Supply Memory Error (10.10)
The supply memory error occurs when the printer finds the E-label/memory tag on the cartridge unreadable or unacceptable. It may or may not have a numerical error code before it – the most common numerical code is 10.10.
In most cases, you can bypass this error and still print by pressing the “Go” or “Continue” or “OK” button. On many printers, this is a green key with a “check mark” symbol.
Possible causes include:
- a defective chip, a common cause
- a non-HP toner cartridge, also a common cause
- a bad connection to the chip
- a bad dc controller board, in rare instances
People often assume this has to do with the formatter board, or a bad memory chip installed in the formatter. But it actually has nothing to do with that kind of memory.
