How to Print With an "empty" Ink Cartridge.

It's late and you have to print out some reports to take with you to a meeting. Your printer runs out of one colour of ink and holds your whole job hostage until you can put in a new cartridge. You have none and the ink cartridge store doesn't open until tomorrow morning. All you need is the black or that last little bit of colour left in the “empty cartridge”. What to do?

Note: These instructions are for a Brother multi function printer. Print quality will degrade as ink cartridges really do become empty.

- Thin electrical tape or thin opaque tape.

(Don't use old tape where the adhesive has become gummy)

Locate the ink cartridge compartment and open the cover according to the instructions in your printer manual.

Pop the cartridge out of the cartridge bay.

Locate the clear plastic panel that shows how much ink is in the cartridge.

Unroll a short piece of tape and cut a piece about 1 cm wide.

Place the tape over the clear plastic panel.

Wrap the remaining tape around the side of the cartridge and make sure there are no corners or edges sticking out.

Press the cartridge back into the cartridge bay.

Close the cover of the cartridge compartment.

Follow the instructions on the printer's screen to accept the cartridge.

Print the report and go to your meeting.