As a worldwide leader in imaging and printing, HP is committed to delivering outstanding quality and reliability to our customers. Recently, we discovered that the color mix in a small portion of select HP tri-color inkjet cartridges was incorrect with some color chambers being over filled and the balance under filled. Despite this, print quality is not affected and customers who have purchased or may purchase an affected cartridge should receive the same vibrant, long-lasting prints as usual. Depending upon individual use, however, a small number of purchasers may receive fewer pages than HP intended.
While only a small amount of cartridges was impacted, HP is offering a rebate to all customers who purchased a potentially affected cartridge in the U.S. or Canada during the relevant time period. Potentially impacted cartridges include the HP 75 and HP 93 – in both their regular and promotional versions -- with the “Warranty End” date that falls between May 1, 2011 and August 31, 2011, which can be found printed on the HP print cartridge. Additionally, a small number of cartridges that shipped with Deskjet D4360 Printers and Photosmart C4500 and C4400 All-in-One Printers in this timeframe were potentially impacted.
Customers who purchased HP 75 and HP 93 cartridges meeting the criteria above can contact HP directly to obtain a 10 percent rebate off the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the ink pack. Customers that received these cartridges in the printer box can contact HP to obtain a $2 rebate. To obtain the rebate or for more information on rebate options in North America, customers can visit www.hp.com/go/inkrebate.
Question and Answer
Q: Which HP cartridges are potentially impacted?
A: Original HP 75 and HP 93 Ink Cartridges with the “Warranty End” date that falls between May 1, 2011 and August 31, 2011, which can be found on the HP print cartridge. Additionally, a small number of cartridges that shipped with HP Deskjet D4360 Printers and HP Photosmart C4500 and C4400 All-in-One Printers in this timeframe were potentially impacted.
See diagram for location of warranty date.
See diagram for location of warranty date:
Figure 2: Warranty Ends date (in form YYYY/MM/DD) and “Y”
| NOTE: | Please reference cartridge characteristics only, do not use packaging information or warranty dates to validate issue |
Q: Are some of these cartridges shipped with new printers as well? Which printer models are affected?
A: A small number of cartridges that shipped with HP Deskjet D4360 Printers and HP Photosmart C4500 and C4400 All-in-One Printers in this timeframe were potentially impacted.
Q: Can I continue to use these cartridges in my printer?
A: Yes, customers can continue to use their cartridges as they will produce the same superior print quality expected from Original HP supplies.
Q: What was wrong with these cartridges?
A: A manufacturing process error resulted in these cartridges receiving a different ink fill mix of the three colors than intended.
Q: How did HP discover the issue?
A: HP conducts rigorous testing of its products, including Original HP supplies, to ensure consistently reliable performance and a hassle-free printing experience. We discovered this issue during one of our normal quality assurance processes and worked to immediately resolve the issue and communicate with our customers.
Q: What is your normal quality assurance process? Wouldn’t you find the error before the cartridges shipped?
A: Not always. As part of our quality assurance process, some testing does occur for the cartridges on the production line. In addition, other tests are performed. If a discrepancy is found, HP investigates the extent of the discrepancy, including which SKUs are affected and where they have shipped. In this case, HP followed process and determined the affected SKUs, which included some that had already been placed in the channel and sold to end users.
Q: Is HP going to stop selling these impacted cartridges?
A: Yes, HP has stopped shipping the potentially impacted cartridges. However, it is likely that some of these cartridges may still be available on store shelves. For those that purchase one of these cartridges, HP is offering a rebate (NA only) and/or warranty replacements (ROW). The error has since been corrected to avoid this issue moving forward.
Q: How will HP ensure that this problem doesn’t occur in the future?
A: HP has made corrections to its manufacturing ink fill processes to ensure this issue does not reoccur.
Q: Was this a region-specific issue?
A: No. This issue was linked to specific, identified cartridges but was not region-specific.
