Cranky Lexmark All-In-One Printer

I've got a Lexmark LX-1290 All-in-Printer, which has worked pretty well during the time I've owned it. Recently the ink cartridges that I've been using (and self-refilling successfully), started to experience some serious problems with 'dropout' from at least one of the inkjets.

So, I figured it was time to just invest in a new set of black and color cartridges, since I know they are fairly fragile and they will not last forever. However, when I installed the new cartridges, neither one of the cartridges could be coerced into working - not matter what I tried (and yes, I pulled off the OEM sealing strip first . . .). When I tried to install the old cartridge, which had been experiencing the 'dropout', that cartridge didn't seem to want to work at all either. As close as I can tell, the computer and laptop are communicating properly. I've tried uninstalling/reinstalling the printer driver and switched between the two USB ports on my computer. The paperfeed and the cartridge all seem to be worked properly, just no ink being fed. I soaked all the cartridges heads in warm water and they all seem to have good ink and I tried cleaning all the cartridge and caddy contacts with a Q-tip. All of this was for naught. Any other suggestions that I might want to try. I'll admit, it's a puzzle.

 

Although I'll be the first to admit that ink costs are criminal, one sure way to minimize the effective life of an inkjet printer is to use do it yourself ink refill kits. You can try a little Windex if the print heads are plugged up but I suspect its time to go shopping for a new printer.