New ink tank printer stuck on initial ink charging

The first charge pushes ink through empty tubes into the print head, and many printers take 5 to 20 minutes; some take longer. Leave the printer alone on a level surface until the screen or lights show that it's finished.

Interrupting the charge can mean it starts again when you turn the printer back on, using more of the setup ink. Only consider restarting if nothing has changed for well over the time your setup guide gives.

The first charge uses a lot of ink, so every tank should be filled to the upper line before it starts. Some setup bottles still have ink left once the tank is full; cap it tightly and keep it upright for your first refill.

Printers with a transport lock or ink valve lever often ship with it in the locked position, and the setup guide tells you when to release it. If it's still locked, ink can't flow and the charge may stall or finish with blank nozzle checks.

On models with user-installed print heads, such as many HP Smart Tank and some Canon G series printers, each head needs its protective tape and caps removed and must be latched in place. Also look for leftover tape or foam inside the printer, since packing can stop the carriage moving.

Many printers pause while the scanner unit, ink tank cover or front door is open, so close them all firmly. Load plain paper too, since some models print an alignment page as the last step of setup.

If the printer has shown no change at all for an hour or more beyond the expected time, turn it off with its power button, wait a minute and turn it back on. It normally resumes or restarts the charge; check the tank levels afterwards and top up any that dropped low.

If the printer shows an error or a pattern of flashing lights instead of progress, look it up in the manual or on the manufacturer's official support website. Errors during setup often point to a print head that isn't seated or a cover that isn't detected.