How to Replace an Empty Ink Cartridge in the HP ENVY 4501 e-All-in-One Series Printer – an Illustrated Tutorial in 10 Steps

Make sure you purchase the right ink cartridges for your specific printer and printer region or have your old ones refilled. Cartridges are not compatible between different brands, and often not within the same brand. HP often designs its inkjet hardware to use country-specific consumables. When you unbox a new HP inkjet printer and set it up, you install a set of ink tanks that ship with the printer. As you turn on the device and get ready to use it, an initialization sequence localizes it to the country associated with the ink cartridges you installed. HP recommends that you use original HP ink cartridges.

XL (Extra Large) cartridges cost more but do provide better value in the long run. They will be able to print at least double the pages of a regular cartridge. Our advice is that if you print often, go with XL. However, ink can dry up. So if you are not a frequent printer, go with the regular cartridges. You’ll usually install both the black and tri-color cartridges in the HP ENVY, but you can also leave one ink cartridge carriage empty (single-cartridge mode).

Ink level warnings and indicators provide estimates for planning purposes only. When you receive a low-ink warning message, consider having a replacement cartridge available to avoid possible printing delays. You do not have to replace the cartridges until the print quality is unacceptable.

Use the single-cartridge mode to operate the HP ENVY 4501 Printer with only one ink cartridge. The single-cartridge mode is initiated when an ink cartridge is removed from the ink cartridge carriage. Install both the black and tri-color cartridges in the HP ENVY 4501 to exit single-cartridge mode.

Which ink cartridges do I need for my HP ENVY 4501 e-All-in-One Printer?

For your US HP ENVY 4501 e-All-in-One Printer you need HP 61 OR HP 61XL cartridges. Check the price of HP 61 cartridges at Amazon.com .
For your European or UK HP ENVY 4501 e-All-in-One Printer you need HP 301 or HP 301XL cartridges.

Try Amazon's ink selector tool to find compatible ink cartridges for your printer.

Replace the ink cartridges

1. Press the Power button to turn on the printer, if it is not already turned on.

2. Load unused plain white Letter or A4-sized paper into the input tray.

3. Open the scanner lid.

Remove the empty cartridge
4. Open the cartridge access door. Wait for the print carriage to move to the right side of the printer, and wait until the carriage is idle and silent before you continue.

5. To release the cartridge, lift the lid on the cartridge slot, and then gently push the lid back until it stops. Then pull up on the cartridge to remove it from the slot.

Insert the new cartridge
6. Remove the new cartridge from its package. Be careful to only touch the black plastic on the ink cartridge by holding the ink cartridge by its sides.

7. Pull the coloured tab to remove the protective tape from the cartridge.



Do NOT:
– Remove the copper electrical strip.
– Touch the copper-colored contacts or the ink nozzles.
– Replace the protective tape on the contacts.
do not touch contacts

8. Slide the new cartridge in the slot at an angle under the opened lid, and then squeeze the lid closed as the cartridge slides into place.
– Insert the tri-color cartridge into the left slot.
– Insert the black cartridge into the right slot.

9. Repeat the previous steps to install the other cartridge, if necessary.

10. Close the cartridge access door and the scanner lid.

Align the cartridges
Aligning the cartridges ensures the high-quality output. The printer prompts you to align the cartridges every time you install a new cartridge.If you remove and reinstall the same ink cartridge, the HP All-in-One will NOT prompt you to align the ink cartridges.

– Follow the instructions on the control panel to start the cartridge alignment. The printer aligns the cartridges and prints an alignment page.
– Load the cartridge alignment sheet print side down on the right front corner of the scanner glass.

– Follow the instructions on the printer display to align the cartridges. Recycle or discard the cartridge alignment sheet.

The alignment page did not print?
If the alignment page did not print automatically, you can align the cartridges manually from the printer software and from the printer display.

A. To align the cartridges from the printer software (Windows)
– In the printer software, click Print & Scan, and then click Maintain Your Printer to access the Printer Toolbox.
– In Printer Toolbox, click Align Cartridges on the Device Services tab. The printer prints an alignment sheet.

B. To align the cartridges from the printer display.
– From the Home screen on the printer display, select Tools. If you do not see the Home screen, press the Home button.
– From the Tools menu on the printer display, select Align Printer. Follow the on-screen instructions.