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Remove cartridge protective tape before trusting empty

Printer ink

Leftover pull-tab or orange protective tape on a new ink or toner cartridge can fool the chip into an empty or missing warning — peel every labeled seal before you reseat.

remove cartridge protective tape — related household tip photo
Photo: TamperTechTeam / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A brand-new cartridge that immediately reads empty or missing sometimes still has packaging tape or a pull-tab on it. Fix that before you run another clean cycle or buy a second supply.

Peel every labeled seal

  1. Pull the cartridge back out. Look for a plastic pull-tab, orange clip, or clear film over vents, nozzles, or the chip area — makers mark these as remove-before-use.
  2. Peel only the labeled protective pieces. Leave permanent labels, barcodes, and the chip itself alone.
  3. Confirm nothing is stuck over the gold contacts or nozzle face. Reinstall until it clicks, close the door, and print a nozzle check — not a deep clean yet.

If the number on the box matches the door sticker and every tab is gone, continue with Printer says empty after a new cartridge for a single reseat and dry contact wipe.

Honest stop

Do not peel chip labels, scrape contacts with metal, or chase “chip reset” tricks. If a matching sealed cartridge still fails after the tab is fully removed, try the maker’s support path or a different sealed cartridge of the same number.

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