Ink tank printer won't print after refilling
Refilled the tanks and now nothing prints, or a color is missing? Check the caps and valve, the fill line, the level reset and the nozzles, in that order.
Quick fix
Check that every tank cap is closed, the tank cover is shut and any transport lock or ink valve lever is in the printing position. If the printer asks you to confirm the refill or reset the ink level, do that. Then print a nozzle check: if there are gaps, run one standard cleaning, not a power cleaning, and check again.
Didn’t work? Go to the full stepsYou might see
- Blank pages, or pages with one color missing, right after a refill
- The printer still says a tank needs refilling although you can see ink above the line
- A nozzle check shows gaps, or one color block missing entirely
Usually caused by
- A tank cap, tank cover, transport lock or ink valve left in the wrong position
- The printer hasn't been told the tank was refilled, on models that need it
- The tank ran below the lower line before the refill, letting air into the ink path
- Nozzles that dried or partly blocked while the ink was low
- Ink poured into the wrong tank, or a bottle meant for a different model
Safety first. If you reach inside the printer, turn it off and unplug it first; when refilling, put paper towels under the tanks and keep bottles capped and out of reach of children and pets, since ink stains skin and fabric and must not be swallowed.
Step-by-step fix
Work through the steps in order and check each one off. Most people are printing again before the last step.
Any ink tank printer
0 of 6 steps tried
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Check the caps, cover and valve
Make sure each tank cap is pushed fully closed and the ink tank cover is shut. If your model has a transport lock or ink valve lever (the name varies by maker), set it to the printing position; left closed after a move, it stops ink reaching the print head and pages come out blank.
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Confirm the ink reaches the upper line
With the printer level, every color you refilled should sit at or just below the upper line, and none below the lower line. If you saw bubbles while filling, leave it for a few minutes so they can rise. If a tank was nearly empty before you filled it, read our fix for air in the ink tubes too.
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Tell the printer you refilled
Some models only carry on printing after you confirm the refill or reset the ink level, on the control panel, in the maker's app or with a button. Do it only for colors you actually filled to the upper line; the refilling section of your manual shows how.
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Print a nozzle check
Run a nozzle check from the printer's Maintenance or Setup menu, the maker's app, or the button combination in your manual. A complete pattern in every color means the ink system is fine and the fault lies elsewhere, such as the print queue; gaps point to the nozzles or the ink path.
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Run one standard cleaning, then check again
Start a standard head cleaning and print another nozzle check when it finishes. If the gaps shrink, run one more. Stop after two in a row, because each cleaning uses ink and sends some of it to the waste ink pad.
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Rest, then use power cleaning as a last resort
If two cleanings don't help, leave the printer idle for several hours, ideally overnight, and check again. Only then try the stronger cycle, called power cleaning, ink flush or system cleaning depending on the maker. It uses a lot of ink and fills the waste pad faster, so don't repeat it the same day.
Windows 11 / 10
0 of 3 steps tried
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Open the maintenance tools in the driver
Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select your printer and click Printing preferences (Windows 10: Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners > your printer > Manage). Many Epson and Canon drivers have a Maintenance tab with nozzle check and cleaning; HP models usually put these tools in the HP Smart app or on the printer's panel.
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Read the status message
If the driver's status window or the maker's app mentions a tank, a cover or confirming a refill, deal with that first.
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Clear failed jobs before testing
Click Open print queue on the printer's settings page (Open queue on Windows 10), cancel jobs that failed while the tank was empty, then print a nozzle check.
macOS
0 of 3 steps tried
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Open the printer utility
Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners, click your printer, then Options & Supplies. If there's a Utility tab, click Open Printer Utility for nozzle check and cleaning; if not, use the maker's Mac app or the printer's panel.
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Treat supply levels as a hint
Where your driver shows Supply Levels, it's the printer's estimate. Trust what you see in the tanks instead.
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Resume a paused queue
Open the printer's queue from Printers & Scanners or its Dock icon. If it's paused, click Resume and delete any failed jobs.
Did this fix it?
Good. To confirm everything is healthy, print a test page. It takes a minute and shows any quality problems early.
Try these next
Still stuck? Our printer assistant can walk you through it by live chat, free. . Or the The troubleshooter asks a few questions and narrows it down. If your printer is under warranty, the manufacturer can repair or replace it at no cost. Find their official support site on our brand pages.
Common questions
Should I run power cleaning straight away?
No. Try one or two standard cleanings first, and save power cleaning for when they haven't worked even after a rest.
Can I reset the ink level without filling the tank?
It's best not to. On models that estimate ink use, the warning protects the print head from running dry and drawing in air, so reset only after filling to the upper line.