My printer keeps telling me that I need to change the color cartridge even though it still has lots of ink. It won't allow me to return to the menu and try to clean the printer head. It won't let me do anything

The printer would need all cartridges to have sufficient ink levels to continue printing - that's to prevent damaging the printhead. Every time a cartridge is replaced, all colors are primed simultaneously thus the need for all cartridges to have ink.


To save on your ink investment, try printing in draft mode and by making sure that your printing preferences is set to print using black ink only.

You won't be able to print if one of the cartridges is out of ink. The printer needs all cartridges with sufficient ink levels to prevent damaging the printhead.

Every time a cartridge is replaced, all colors are primed simultaneously thus the need for all cartridges to have ink.

Even though the interface says the cartridge is full, if the printer detects it being empty, odds are you will have to replace the color cartridge, even though you are only printing black.
You can try taking the cartridge out and cleaning the contacts with a pencil eraser and reseat the color cartridge. If no change, replace the cartridge.

That's the way Kodak works
It won't allow yu to do anything if any of the lights are flashing or there is a error message

NO RESOLUTION

Get your color ink cartridge replaced by Kodak.
Just say its a new color ink cartridge and printer is saying its empty!!

Hurraay you'll get a free color ink cartridge

Looks like that ink wasn't compatible after all. Not all replacements are. Maybe you can return it and get the Epson one.

Did you replace the ink cartridge with a new one, or did you refill an old one.

Some printers have a memory and can tell which ink cartridge is in them. This prevents them from easily being fooled into printing with refilled cartridges.

Another option is that you changed the ink cartridge without following the specific guidelines for replacement e.g. To replace the ink cartridge, select replace ink cartridge from the main menu, then open the printer panel when the light flashes X number of times.

You might also try unplugging the printer for a couple of minutes the reset it.

This is a known problem with this printer, functions such as fax and copy will also be unavailable if the ink is low.

The low ink alert will appear even though the cartridge is not empty.

Here is the solution:

The ink cartridge has a sensor on the bottom, between the nozzles.
cut a small piece of tape and tape over the sensor.
The printer will now think the cartridge is full.

This will allow you to use every function of the printer regardless of how much ink you have. The cartridge will truly be empty when your print outs come out blank.

Disregard the monitor information and rely on the printer.

On the left panel of the printer are your indicator lights and buttons. Push the button immediately to the left of the 'ink drop' light [looks like a little tear drop]. Open the cover and the printhead assembly will move to the left and stop. Look very closely and find that little 'ink drop' imprinted into the plastic in the very middle of the printer where the printhead assembly stopped. That 'ink drop' will line up wih the ink cartridge that needs replacing. Push that button on the left again and the printhead assembly will either return to the 'replace' position, or move to the next ink cartridge that needs replacing. Keep pushing that button just once at a time until the printhead assembly identifies all cartridges that need replacing and moves into the 'replace' position. This 'replace' position will be on the right side of the printer where the opening occurs that allows the top cover of the printhead assembly to open.

Change the appropriate cartridges and you should be good to go.

Some newer printers, such as Lexmark, will have a place in the properties app that allow you to "tell" the printer the cartridge is new. Check yours and see, it fixed mine.

try taking the cartridge out and putting it back in. sometimes this makes the printer think you have changed the cartridge and it works.