Live Chat
How to Check Printer Ink Levels
Are you starting to get irritated because your printouts are becoming blotchy or faded? Feel at ease because the solution for your problem is simple: just replace your printer’s ink cartridges. If your printer ink has dried out because of low ink levels, your printer’s ink nozzles might get clogged and damage your printer.
If you are wondering how to check the ink status of your printer, then you have come to the right place. Here, we will show you exactly how to do this for different printer brands, including how to check printer ink levels in Windows 10 and macOS. Without any more chitchats, let us get started.
How to Check Printer Ink Levels on EPSON
The only way you can check ink levels on EPSON printers (including the printer’s status) is through EPSON’s Status Monitor utility. Your printer should include a CD containing the appropriate driver that will help you check your EPSON printer’s status.
Follow the steps below on how to launch EPSON’s Status Monitor utility and check EPSON printer ink levels:
For Windows 10 Users
- Click on the Start button on your computer and go to Settings.
- Click on the Devices icon from the Settings window.
- Click on the Printers & Scanners tab.
- Look for your printer’s name. Click on it and choose Manage.
- Find Printing Preferences and click on it.
- Once the Printing Preferences window opens, click on the Maintenance tab.
- Find the EPSON Status Monitor 3 option and click on it. You will find your printer’s ink cartridge levels under the Consumables Status section.
Source: Epson EU
For Mac Users
- Click System Preferences from your Dock or you can find it on your Apple menu.
- Look for the Printers & Scanners, Print & Fax, or Print & Scan icon and click on it.
- Choose your printer’s name once a window opens.
- Choose Options & Supplies.
- Go to the Utility tab and click on the Open Printer Utility button.
- Choose EPSON Status Monitor. You will see the approximate ink levels of your printer here.
Source: Epson
Buy EPSON ink and toner cartridges here.
Epson 273XL / T273XL
Epson 69
Epson T220 XL
How to Check Ink Levels on Brother Printer
For Brother printers, you can either check your printer’s ink levels through your printer’s control panel or your computer’s control panel. If you are going to use your computer’s control panel, you can check Brother printer ink levels using Brother’s Status Monitor.
From Your Printer’s Control Panel
(a) For Touch-Screen Printers
- Press the Ink icon and choose Ink Volume.
- Press the Home icon to exit.
(b) For Non-Non-Screen Printers
- Press the Menu button.
- Press the dial pad or the Up or Down key and look for the Ink/Ink Management option. Press OK.
- Press the dial pad or the Up/Down keys again and look for Ink Volume. Press OK.
- Press Exit/Stop.
For Windows 10 Users
- Look for the Brother app from your computer’s app list. You can find this by clicking on your Start menu.
- Click the app and choose Brother Utilities.
(a) Using Brother Status Monitor
3. Choose your printer’s model on the drop-down list.
4. Choose Tools from the navigation bar and click on Status Monitor.
Source: Brother
3. Choose Scan and click ControlCenter4. You will find the ink levels of your printer at the bottom-left corner of the window.
Source: Brother
NOTE:
If your computer does NOT support Brother Utilities, you can follow this step:
- From the Brother app, click ControlCenter4 after choosing your printer model.
For Mac Users
For Mac computers, you can directly check your ink levels using Brother’s Control Center:
- Click Go on your Finder bar.
- Click Applications and open the Brother app.
- Double click on ControlCenter to open the window. You will see the icon added to your dock.
- Choose DEVICE SETTINGS from the left panel.
- Click on the Ink Level icon.
Source: Brother
Buy Brother ink and toner cartridges here.
Brother LC103 XL
Brother LC203 XL
How to Check Canon Printer Ink Levels
Windows 10 users can check ink levels on Canon printers using Canon’s Status Monitor while Mac users need to use Canon’s IJ Printer Utility.
For Windows 10 Users
- Click on your computer’s Start button and proceed to Settings.
- Choose the Devices icon and click on the Printers & Scanners tab.
- Look for your printer’s name. Click on it and choose Manage.
- Look for Printing Preferences and click on it.
- Once the window opens, click on the Maintenance tab.
- Click on the View Printer Status option. The window will display your printer’s status, including its ink levels.
Source: Canon Knowledge Base
For Mac Users
- Navigate to your Finder bar and click on Go.
- Open Applications and choose Utilities.
- Find the Printer Setup Utility icon and double-click on it. This will open the Printer List window.
- Select your printer from the list of printers and click on Utility from the toolbar.
- Again, choose your printer and click on the Maintenance button at the bottom section. This will launch the IJ Printer Utility.
- Choose Ink Level Information from the menu.
Source: Red River Paper
Buy Canon ink and toner cartridges here.
Canon PGI-280XL & CLI-281
Canon PG-245XL & CL-246XL
Canon CLI 42
How to Check Printer Ink Levels on HP
To check ink levels on HP printers, you can use your printer’s control panel or you can use the HP Smart app if you are using Windows 10. For Mac users, you do not need any third-party app to do this.
From Your Printer’s Control Panel
Depending on your printer’s model, you can tell which ink cartridge is empty in your HP printer through the following:
- Toner Level indicator
- Ink Levels menu
- Ink drop icon (
or 
) - Cartridge icon (
)
or 
)
)For Windows 10 Users
- Download the HP Smart app on your computer and launch it. You can find this on your computer’s Microsoft Store.
- Add your printer to the app. You can view your printer’s ink levels on the app’s home screen once you have successfully added your printer. You can also follow this method on how to check printer ink levels on HP Deskjet.
Source: HP Support
For Mac Users
- Click on the Apple icon at the top-left corner of your screen.
- Choose System Preferences.
- Choose Printers & Scanners, Print & Scan, or Print & Fax.
- Choose your printer from the list and then select Options & Supplies.
- Click on the Supply Levels tab.
Source: Apple Support Communities
Buy HP ink and toner cartridges here.
HP 63XL
HP 902XL
HP 952XL
Wrapping It Up
Checking ink levels on your printer is a very simple process. You just have to spend a few minutes and you do not need advanced technical skills to do this. The tools you need are easy to use so you will not need the help of a professional. Hopefully, this article has been helpful in answering your questions about how to check ink levels on a printer. You might also want to read about the differences between ink and toner here.