The chip on the ink cartridge will show empty even after the tank has been refilled. To restore the chip setting to full it must be reset with an electronic chip resetter.

It is possible to use the refilled tank on the printer even though the chip indicates empty. However, you must always ensure that the cartridge has ink in it while printing. If it does not have ink while printing, permanent damage to the printhead will likely occur.

A reset chip allows the cartridge to electronically function as a brand new one. It will estimate the remaining ink in the tanks during printing and more importantly, when the tank has run out of ink, it will provide a TRUE warning that the cartridge ink level is low and you should do something about it. This is Canon's patented process of optically detecting true ink levels and is a feature to protect the printhead from damage resulting from printing without ink.

For the low cost of the resetter it is a good investment towards minimizing damage to the more costly printhead.

The resetter shown uses a CR2032 battery that will reset hundreds of times. The nominal cost of a replacement battery is rewarded with portable convenience.