Often, a printer runs out of toner at the most inopportune moment: the law of meanness works in this respect always on time. In order to find out in advance how much toner is left in the printer and not get into a mess, we will tell you in this article.

Unfortunately, there is no one guideline for evaluating ink in different printers, since the design of laser and inkjet printers is fundamentally different: laser uses coloring powder-toner, inkjet - ink. In monochrome printing devices, a black coloring pigment is enough, and a color one will require several containers with a substance of different colors. You will have to estimate the amount of "ink" in the printer in different ways:

How to find out the amount of toner in a laser and LED printer?

Powder is used as a coloring element in laser and LED printers - toner, which is poured into a container in a cartridge. If the printed document has faded color and light streaks throughout the image, this means that the “ink” has reached the end of its life. If you want to print a few more pages before replacing the toner, remove the cartridge and shake it. Thanks to this simple manipulation, the powder remaining on the walls of the container will be distributed more or less evenly, thereby ensuring the printing of a couple (or ten) quite clear pages.

Therefore, to find out how much toner is left in the printer, just look at the printed sheet and visually evaluate it. When it comes about laser machines, this option can be very effective, because it allows you to replace the cartridge with a new or refilled one before starting work with a large print volume.

Most modern printers signal that there is almost no toner left by means of a message on their screen. If such a screen is not provided, the LEDs light up or start blinking (it is possible that to decipher such a message, you will need to refer to the operating instructions for the device).

Inkjet printers

Inkjet printers are powered by ink. The liquid state of the substance allows the use of technologically more advanced sensors for the filling level of the cartridges, so you can find out about the amount of "paint" thanks to a special software.

The computer lets you know how much ink is in the printer without opening its case. To do this, you just need to run the software from the manufacturer or find the appropriate tab in the window with information about the printer driver. As a rule, the necessary information is located in the same place as the settings of the device. In general, the path to the ink level control window will be as follows: Printers and Faxes - Printer - Properties - Service (Options). The remaining ink level will be displayed either graphically or as a percentage.

Some manufacturers (Hewlett-Packard, for example) allow the user to independently monitor ink consumption by applying special printer settings. In this case, when the threshold level is reached, messages are not displayed, and you can find out about the complete exhaustion of the resource only by low-quality prints, as described above about laser printers.

We hope with this article, we told you how to find out how much toner is left in the printer and now you can easily change the cartridge at home without resorting to the services of a specialized service.

Owners of printers and MFPs are often faced with such a problem as unexpectedly swirling ink in the cartridge. This situation occurs due to the carelessness of the owners or failures in the printer maintenance programs.

What will be discussed:

Determine the amount of ink in a Canon printer cartridge

To determine the toner level in Canon MFPs, you need to open "Devices and Printers" through the "Control Panel" and click right button call the context menu of the required printer. In the "Properties" item, you need to go to the "Service" tab, and then select the "Printer Status" button and here you will find the necessary information.

As a rule, such a problem catches by surprise and it is good if there is a refillable cartridge and there is the necessary paint. If the cartridge is not refillable and the opportunity to purchase a new one in this moment no, one trick can come to the rescue. The program shows that one of the ink colors has run out and something needs to be done about it. It is necessary to take out the cartridge and remove the clip closing Reset button on the chip.

Using a thin object: an unbent paper clip, needle or other suitable device, you need to press the button. Reinstall the cartridge and restart the program. After the manipulations, the program should show the presence of ink and you can continue to work, but such a trick will not allow you to use the printer for a long time and soon you will need to replace the cartridge.

Determine the amount of ink in an Epson printer cartridge

Determining the ink level in Epson printers is very easy and accessible even for beginners. To see how much ink is in the printer, you need to open the printer program double click mouse on the printer icon in the system tray. In the window that opens, the level of all ink will be immediately shown.

Attention icon in the form exclamation mark, indicates a low level of paint, this aspect should not be ignored and it is better to take measures to eliminate the problem. To close the program window, click the OK button. Also, the ink level can be checked by calling the context menu on the printer icon and selecting the "Ink control" item from the list.

Determine the amount of ink in the HP printer cartridge

To check ink levels in HP printers, use the HP Solution Center software. After installation, you can find it in the list of all programs in the Start menu. In this program, after starting, you must select the "Parameters" item. Next, select the "Printing Options" section and go to the "Printer Toolbox" - "Printer HP Toolbox" section. Clicking on the tab "Estimated ink levels" open a window with data on the remaining ink in the printer cartridges.

Method of checking the ink level without using the program: open the "Functions" section of the "Settings" item context menu printer icon. Next, click on the "Printer Services" - "Ink Level Information" button, a window with the necessary information will open.

Note: the program will work correctly only when using "native" cartridges, otherwise, the data received from the program may not correspond to reality and mislead users.

Determine the amount of toner in the printer

You can determine the amount of toner in a laser printer by the quality of the printed document, namely, by the decrease in print quality: faded colors. Also, services in the printer software are provided to monitor the toner level and promptly warn users of the problem.

If the ink level is low, a window will appear during printer operation, warning about this problem. If such a window is not provided, the low toner level will be indicated by a special LED on the printer body. In order not to miss such a signal, you must carefully read the instructions for the printer and know the purpose of the signaling LEDs of the device.

Tip: if you run out of toner, try to take out the cartridge and shake it a little and put it back, this will remove the remaining powder from the walls and use it.

Determine the amount of toner in the cartridge of the Kyocera FS-2000D printer

When using the printer, 2 types of messages are displayed on the screen regarding the amount of toner. The first message about a low toner level indicates the end of ink, but the situation is not critical and the printer may still work, albeit not for long. A message prompting you to replace the cartridge indicates that the toner has run out and needs replacement. To continue working, you must insert a new cartridge and click on the "Continue" button.

Note: when replacing a cartridge, you must take it out of the box immediately before replacing it, but not earlier.

Determine the amount of ink in a Samsung printer

To determine the ink level in Samsung printers, the following operations are provided:

1. For laser printers with a screen, you must press the "Menu" button, and then press "Enter" twice. After these manipulations, the printer will print a document with information about the status of the device. Toner quantity information is in the Toner Remaining column.
2. For laser printers without a display, press the buttons: Cancel, Print Screen or "WPS" for 6-8 seconds, after which the device will print a document with information about the status of all systems. Toner quantity information is in the Toner Remaining column.
3. To determine the amount of toner for a laser multifunctional device manufactured by Samsung, you must press the "Menu" button on the printer and then select the "Settings" item. Then go to the "Reports" - "Consumables" section. As a result, the device will print a document with information about the status of all systems. Toner quantity information is in the Toner Remaining column.

Determine the amount of ink in the Xerox Phaser 3435 printer

An indication of an imminent problem with the depleted toner in the printer may indicate a deterioration in the print quality of documents.

Also, information on the amount of toner can be obtained by performing several manipulations:

1. Press the "Menu" button on the printer, wait until the message "System Setup" appears on the screen, then press the "OK" button.
2. In this menu, select the "Service" item and open it.
3. Use the scroll buttons to find the "Lifetime" item, and then select the "Toner Remaining" section.

The screen displays the percentage of toner remaining.

Most owners of laser printers or MFPs will only know that toner has run out when there is an urgent need to print some important documents. This situation is certainly very unpleasant and unexpected. For this reason, the next question arises: how to check the printer cartridge? Monitoring the level of toner or ink in the printer is a must in order to avoid all kinds of unpleasant situations in the future. Generally this procedure is very simple and can only take a few seconds.

In general, usually the level of dyes in a printer consumable is monitored automatically by the office equipment itself and programs for the chips that are installed on the cartridge. But there is a catch, which is that if the device cartridge has already been refilled several times and nothing has been done with its chip, then the information displayed by the chip should not be taken into account. The point is that the chip will write that the cartridge is absolutely empty.

Determining the amount of toner

How do I know if a cartridge is out of toner? Usually, a faded color of the printed documents and the presence of light streaks that remain throughout the printed sheet of paper indicate that this dye has run out.

A similar effect, as a rule, is formed due to the uneven distribution of the dye residues in the container of the consumable. The question arises as to what to do in this case? When faced with such a nuisance, first remove the cartridge and shake it well. Thanks to this action, the powder remaining on the walls of the hopper will be distributed more or less evenly, as a result of which it can be enough to print several more pages. This visual way of assessing the toner level is the simplest and most effective. Thanks to it, you can refill in advance the practically exhausted consumables of a laser printer so that at the right moment it does not let you down.

Many modern models of printers of this type signal that the toner has begun to run out using a special control panel, which displays a corresponding message. If there is no screen on the device, then an LED light starts to glow on it (as a rule, there is an inscription toner next to it, or the light itself is made in the form of a pile of toner). To decrypt such a signal, you will most likely have to use the instructions supplied with the printer. But the accuracy of the readings in this case will be guaranteed only if the office equipment consumable is original and its owner buys a new cartridge when the old toner is completely empty.

Determine the amount of ink

Finding out how much dye is left in the consumable of an inkjet printer is somewhat easier than in the case of a laser. The fact is that thanks to the liquid substance that the cartridge is filled with, manufacturers use more advanced sensors that monitor its level. Therefore, you can find out whether the cartridge has run out or not in a timely manner, because the software of such a printer is capable of producing more accurate information. But this is only true for original parts. For this reason, when using re-stamped or refilled cartridges, you should not trust their readings.

To check the ink levels without opening the device, you should run software from the printer manufacturer or go to the corresponding tab located in the window that displays information about the office equipment driver.

In the standard version, you need to go to the "Printer and Faxes" tab, then select "Printer" - "Properties" - "Service". The ink level in the opened tab will be shown either as a percentage or in graphical format. Thanks to this, you can find out about when the ink cartridge will run out.

If a re-filled consumable is installed in the printer, then the software from the manufacturer will not help in this case, since it will give far from the most accurate readings. The only way in this case is to visually assess the amount of ink in the cartridge container. To do this, open the printer or MFP and, pulling out the ink bottle, estimate how many of them are still there.

Thus, determining how much toner or ink is left in a printer cartridge is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Moreover, the print quality can indirectly indicate that the level of the dye in the container of the consumable is far from ideal. It should be remembered that color inkjet and laser printers will stop printing if at least one of their bins is empty. The fact is that the required color and shade is obtained exclusively by mixing several other colors.

If the toner or ink in the office equipment cartridge has run out, you will have to purchase a new original consumable, compatible or refill the old one. The second option is a kind of golden mean, but using the instructions on our website, you can easily find out or, depending on the type of device used.

An active user of a printing device may have a reasonable question: how to find out how much ink is still in the printer? This up-to-date information will help prevent unpleasant moments when the necessary document becomes simply impossible to print. One can already suspect that something was wrong when deterioration in print quality... But it is better to be able to monitor the level of ink (toner) in the device in advance.

Today there are several methods that help to understand the amount of ink in a printer:

• using special software;
• printout of a special page;
• information on the display of the device;
• visual comparison.

We use software

Several popular options are used for this.

Printing a test page

There are several ways to print such a page (it is also called diagnostic):

• by launching the appropriate command from the "Settings";
• by pressing keys on the panel of the printer itself.

In the first option, you need to select such step-by-step commands.

1. Through "All Programs" go to "Devices and Printers", select the desired user, then go through the tabs "Management" - "Settings" - "Service".
2. Choose the optimal command that will show the ink status.

As for the second point, it is worth explaining in more detail - there are several options for further actions. They will help you understand if there is little ink, or if the matter is in another "culprit" of poor printing:

• nozzle check (when streaks or fuzzy areas appear on the last printed version);
• check the print head (with a general decrease in print quality);
• calibration of the print head itself (in case of print stripes).

The diagnostic page can also be printed using the appropriate key combination on the device panel. They are different for different brands, but the principle of operation is the same.

Printing the info page will also help you check the toner status. laser devices(where it is housed in a completely opaque cartridge). What to do?

1. Press the "Cancel" button (or "Print screen", or WPS) and hold it for 5-7 seconds.
2. This will print a report with a Toner Remaining field with all the information we need.

Display to help

Many modern printers have a special display indication that helps to understand that the ink is almost empty. The closer this state is, the more actively the device starts flashing. And in latest models printers and a small monitor is built in at all, on which this information is already presented in an understandable multimedia form.

The user must take into account: with active printing consumables run out very quickly. To avoid an unpleasant surprise in the form of a complete stop of the process, the display indication signals must not be ignored.

Good old inspection

Despite the "antiquity" of visual research, it remains a fairly popular method, especially when it comes to inkjet printer with SPNCH where the paints are poured into translucent jars. In this case, it is enough to look and determine "by eye" the level of the remaining ink.

In a conventional "inkjet", it is enough to gently open the front cover, and the carriage with cartridges will be right in front of the user. We take out the cartridge - it turns out to be opaque. We weigh it together with the new one and see how the results differ.

How to check ink levels in different brands of inkjet printing equipment

Today, many manufacturers for the convenience of users provide special software bundled with the device being sold. The task of such drivers is precisely to monitor the condition of the paint.

Immediately it is necessary to warn that many of these programs will not work with foreign (non-original) ink.

This is how it works in practice.

Progress does not stand still - it is quite possible that universal smartphone apps to check if the ink cartridge has run out. Of course, this only applies to those devices that are able to receive files for printing via wireless technology... With any variant of technology, all data provided by the programs are only indicative. It is best not to bring the situation in the printer to a complete cessation of printing and solve the potential problem in time.

How is a high-quality gas station carried out?

1. First, the cartridge is disassembled.
2. Then it is cleaned, freed from the old toner. If this is not done, then the old toner will begin to crumble directly onto the printer and then the printer itself will have to be repaired. And this, as you know, costs extra money.
3. At the last stage, the cartridge is carefully assembled and tested. Test sheets are shipped with the cartridge.

What is the difference between the Cartridge Refilling service and the Cartridge Restoration service?

When the cartridges are refilled - only the toner is changed in the cartridge, when the cartridges are restored - in addition to replacing the toner, the units and parts of the cartridge that have critical wear are changed.

What is needed: refilling or cartridge restoration?

In most cases, you can tell this visually. In a simplified version, it is enough to print three pages on your printer. The first is white, the second is black, and the third is gray. If you see printing defects on these pages, then you need to repair it. If there are no printing defects, you can limit yourself to refueling only.

How many times can a cartridge be refilled?

It is recommended to restore the cartridge approximately every third refill.

To increase the "survivability" of the cartridge you need to:

• Use the highest quality paper.
• Refill only with "native" toner, i.e. designed specifically for this type of cartridge, and not for everything in the world.
• Give the cartridge for refueling to a company with professional equipment.

Do all refuellers have professional refueling equipment?

Not all. Professional equipment for one working place of a refueller costs from 150,000 rubles.

"Professionals" who refill the cartridge right in your office "on their knees" do not carry this equipment with them, and therefore, after a couple of hundred pages, your printer may be covered with toner, which leads to its breakdown.

How do I know how much ink is left in the printer?

• In printers Epson you must click on the "Setup" button, select "Ink Levels". After that, a message about the remaining ink level will appear on the display.
• In cartridges from HP... Click the Start button, click All Programs HP, click the folder with the name of your HP product. Click on the Estimated Ink Levels tab and a graph displays the approximate ink levels in the cartridge.
• Checking paint in company devices Canon is carried out in a similar way.

P.S. If you purchased “third party” cartridges (from a different manufacturer), the software cannot determine the exact toner level.