HP supply memory error: the printer cannot talk to a cartridge

The last digit tells you which cartridge

HP documents these as a family, and the numbering carries information. For 10.000X and 10.100X — supply memory error — HP says there is a communication failure with one of the cartridges, and that the X indicates which: 0 is black, 1 is cyan, 2 is magenta and 3 is yellow.

That makes the code self-diagnosing in a way most printer errors are not. You do not have to work out which cartridge is at fault; the number already says so, and you can go straight to the one that matters instead of reseating all four.

Two codes in the same family point somewhere else entirely. HP gives 10.0004 as a supply error and 10.1004 as a supply memory error, both meaning a communication failure with the imaging drum rather than a cartridge. The remedy differs accordingly: HP's escalation there is to replace the imaging drum.

HP's sequence, which is three steps long

For a cartridge communication failure, HP's steps are short and ordered. Turn the printer off, wait ten seconds, and then turn it on. Remove and reinstall the toner cartridge. If the error persists, replace the toner cartridge. If it still persists, contact HP Customer Support.

The ten seconds is worth honouring rather than rounding down. A printer switched off and straight back on often retains enough state to reproduce the same reading, and the pause is what makes it a real power cycle.

Reseating is more often the fix than people expect, because the failure is a communication one. The printer reads a small chip on the cartridge, and a cartridge slightly out of position, or with a contact that has picked up toner dust, cannot be read even though it is physically present and full.

For the imaging drum codes the sequence is the same power cycle first, then replacement of the drum rather than a cartridge.

The codes that are not faults

Several neighbouring messages in HP's table describe a policy rather than a malfunction, and it is worth knowing which is which before buying anything. 99.106B means a used cartridge has been installed, most likely refilled. 99.1088 means the cartridge is not genuine HP. 10.310X means a non-HP cartridge is installed, and 10.330X means a used one is — both with the same last-digit colour code.

HP's recommended action for all of these is the same: replace non-HP or refilled cartridges with genuine HP cartridges. That is HP's guidance rather than ours, and it is worth reading as what it is — the manufacturer's position on third-party supplies, not a diagnosis of a broken part.

One message goes further. HP describes Non-HP Chip Detected as cartridges blocked by the printer firmware because they contain a non-HP chip, and states the printer is designed to work only with genuine HP toner cartridges, pointing at its Dynamic Security documentation. A cartridge blocked this way is not faulty and will not start working; the printer is declining to use it.

There is also a purely informational one. HP lists 99.108c and 10.400X as meaning you are using a genuine HP cartridge, with no action required. If that is what you are seeing, nothing is wrong.

Low, Very Low, and empty

HP separates cartridge life messages from errors, and the distinction affects what you should do. Cartridge is low means the cartridge is nearing the estimated end of its life — HP's guidance is that you can continue to print, but consider having a replacement available.

Cartridge is Very Low means it is at the estimated end of its life. HP recommends replacing it at that point to avoid print quality interruptions, but notes you can continue printing until the print quality is unacceptable. That is a more permissive position than most people assume, and it is HP's own wording.

The empty codes are firmer: 10.7100 means one of the colour cartridges is empty and 10.8100 means the black cartridge is empty, with replacement as the action. 10.700X means the cartridge life status has passed the Very Low stage, again with the colour in the last digit.

Finally, 99.101F and the Cartridge missing message both mean a cartridge is missing or not installed properly, where HP's action is to install the cartridges correctly and, if the error persists, remove and reinstall all of them.

Sources and review notes

Checked on September 8, 2026. Based on HP's support document listing supplies-related error codes and cartridge messages for LaserJet printers, which is where the code meanings, the colour digit and the recommended actions come from. HP's guidance on non-HP and refilled cartridges, and its Dynamic Security position, are quoted as HP's own rather than endorsed. The explanation of why a reseat fixes a communication failure is editorial. Codes vary between printer families — check HP's document for your model. Glitchary is independent of HP.

• HP: a supplies error code or cartridge message on LaserJet printers