How to Fix “Unrecognized Cartridge” & “Incompatible Ink Cartridge” On HP Photosmart C4640?

The “Unrecognized Cartridge” or “Incompatible Ink Cartridge” error is fairly common to the HP PhotoSmart C4640 and all other Photosmart, Deskjet, and Officejet printers. Alas! I do not have an interesting experience or back story to assert my claim but I do believe that many have come across this problem. Without further ado let’s get down to business. This type of error messages usually appear after the printer has been inactive for a lengthy period of time and/or during the replacement or replenishment of HP 60xl and HP 60 ink cartridges. Hence, this troubleshooting guide aims to resolve cases related to aforesaid issues.

Phase #1: Remove and reseat the HP 60xl ink cartridge.

1. 1. Turn the printer on.
2. 2. Open the front panel of your HP PhotoSmart C4640 to access the HP 60xl ink cartridges.
   
3. 3. Remove all the ink cartridges from the station.
4. 4. Clean electrical contacts with a non fibrous paper towel.
5. 5. Reseat the cartridges in their stations.
6. 6. Close the front panel of your inkjet printer.
7. 7. Turn your device off for a minute and then turn it back on.
8. 8. Print a test page following your printer’s instructions. If you still get “ Unrecognized Cartridge ” or “Incompatible Ink Cartridge” error, proceed to Phase 2.

Phase #2: Clean electronic contacts on the HP 60xl ink cartridge.

1. 1. Keep the printer powered on.
2. 2. Open the front panel to access the ink cartridges. Remove all HP 60xl ink cartridges from the carriage.
   
3. 3. Wipe the contacts on the print cartridge from top to bottom using a clean and dry lint-free cloth. The contacts inside the printer may also need to be cleaned. Refer to *this guide* for the whole cleaning procedure.
4. 4. Reinstall the HP 60xl ink cartridges and close the front panel of your HP PhotoSmart C4640, after cleaning the suspect printer parts.
5. 5. Run a nozzle check and test print. Phase 2 should be enough to do away with the “Unrecognized Cartridge” error.

The procedures discussed above can also be used to resolve the “Unrecognized Cartridge” or “Incompatible Ink Cartridge” on all HP Photosmart, Deskjet, Officejet series of printers.