Epson T0731 ink cartridges

Please do not shake the cartridge before use. Before installing your compatible ink cartridge, you must remove the RED SEALING CLIP by ‘snapping’ it off.

Ignore the small piece of red plastic that remains, install the inkjet cartridge, pressing it firmly down. Do not touch the gold coloured contacts before installing the cartridge. Ensure the cartridge is completely pressed down, it will not ‘click’ when installed.

Q. My cartridge is showing as unrecognised. I have printed with it since it was installed.

A. The printer driver on later Epson printers has been programmed to display this message when the ink runs out on a compatible cartridge. This is to discourage you from saving money by buying compatible cartridges. The print yield from your compatible cartridge is equal to the original. 

Q. My cartridge shows as unrecognised or empty after switching on the printer or leaving it a while.

A. The printer periodically cleans the printhead, using ink from the cartridges. This may empty a cartridge resulting in these messages. Change the cartridge as normal.

Q. Why do I not get a low ink sign in the status monitor?

A. This is another example of the software making things difficult for compatible cartridge users.

Q. I have installed a replacement cartridge and now another cartridge is empty or unrecognised.

A. Installing a new cartridge takes ink out of all the cartridges, which may result in another one becoming empty.

Q. Why is there ink left in the cartridge when it becomes empty?

A. The printer counts how much ink is used and stops the cartridge at a certain point, this is preset and cannot be changed. Some printer models will allow more ink to be used than others.

Q. There are lines / streaks on the paper when printing.

A. Perform a print head cleaning cycle. This can be located within the printer maintenance menu. Print a nozzle check to see if all the nozzles are free of blockages. If breaks still appear on the printed page, repeat the process. If the nozzle check page displays one set of black nozzles shown below, only perform up to two cleans.
If the screen displays up to three sets of nozzles, perform up to three cleans:
99% of all blocked nozzles are caused by trapped air within the print head. If the cleaning cycle does not remove the lines, rest the printer for half an hour and perform a nozzle check. (Do not continue to clean the cartridges as this will use up valuable ink from all the cartridges). If there is no improvement, leave the cartridge for a further two hours. During the rest period, ink from the cartridge will migrate through the cartridge and absorb / push trapped air from the print head. If Epson cartridges are removed from the printer for any length of time, the print head is liable to dry out and block up. Always remove used cartridges when you have a replacement available. Never remove the power supply when the printer is in operation such as paper feed, cleaning cycle and printing. When the printer is not in use, the print head will park over the ‘capping mechanism’ which seals over the print head preventing it from drying out.

Q. I have installed a full set of replacement cartridges and the status monitor indicates they are all empty.

A. It is possible that one of the cartridge chips has not connected properly with one of the printer electrical contacts. The printer carriage needs to be placed in the cartridge change position. This can be achieved by either pressing the ink / OK button on the printer or following the step by step cartridge change guide located within the printer maintenance menu. Lift the cartridge location lever and push your finger firmly on the top of the cartridges. If this fails, carefully lift the affected cartridge without breaking the rubber seal at the bottom of the product. Push firmly back into position to re-engage the chip / printer contacts. You can buy Jet Tec ink cartridges for Epson printers here:

Epson T0731 ink cartridges