Ink level doesn't update after refilling

Stand the printer level and look at each tank from the front in good light. Note where each color sits between the lower and upper lines. On almost every ink tank printer, this is the reading to trust.

Some models show a prompt after you close the tank cover, asking which colors you filled or whether you filled to the upper line. Answer it for each color you filled. If you dismissed it, use the manual method in the next step.

On printers without ink sensors, the level is a counter that only resets when you tell it to. Depending on the model, that's an option on the panel (often under Maintenance or an ink menu), an option in the maker's app, or a button you hold for a few seconds. Check your manual rather than guessing, since on some models a held button starts a cleaning instead.

Confirming a refill tells the printer that tank is full. If you only topped a tank up halfway and confirm it as full, the real ink will run out before the estimate does, so watch that tank and refill when it nears the lower line.

Some models detect ink levels with sensors instead of estimating. Close all covers, turn the printer off with its power button, turn it back on and wait a minute. If a full tank still reads empty, contact the manufacturer through its official support website.

The maker's app and your computer only show what the printer last reported. Once the printer's own panel shows the right level, close and reopen the app; if it still shows an old reading, rely on the panel or the tanks.

Counters work out ink use from pages printed and cleaning cycles run, which can't be exact. Standard cleaning, power cleaning and the initial ink charge all use amounts the estimate only approximates, so look at the tanks every few weeks rather than relying on the gauge.