This is refreshing my memory. Not sure if this is still applicable. At one point I bought a generic ink refill kit to refill my carts. Still showed no ink and would not print. I think the chip in the cart keeps track of the ink and kills it when it runs out.

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Tony H
W111 280SE 3.5 Coupe
Manual transmission

Past cars:
Porsche 914 2.0
'64 Jaguar XKE Roadster
'57 Oval Window VW
'71 Toyota Hilux Pickup Truck-Dad bought new
'73 Toyota Celica GT

I have seen these, too. But in my example the print quality just got worse and worse after about four refills. You could still read it but it looked worse than the first generation of printers that used heat on thermal paper like a cash register.