HP Laser Printers Using 203X (CF54x) Firmware Issue

The following instructions are for any customers experiencing an issue with unrecognised compatible cartridges using any printers below that may have recently received a firmware upgrade.

Affected Printers

HP LaserJet M153 or M154 Series
HP LaserJet Pro M180 or M181 Series
HP LaserJet Pro M254 (dn or nw) Series
HP LaserJet Pro M280 or M281 Series

Solution: Downgrade your HP Printer Firmware to the previous version

*Please note: There is no disadvantage to downgrading your printer's firmware.

Step 1

Configure your printer to allow firmware downgrades by the steps below:

Step 2

Download and open the .exe program file relevant to your printer's model number below. Once downloaded, run the firmware downgrade software found inside.

Firmware Download Links

HP LaserJet M153 or M154 Series 

HP LaserJet Pro M180 or M181 Series 

HP LaserJet Pro M254 (dn or nw) Series 

HP LaserJet Pro M280 or M281 Series

Step 3

Select from the dropdown box, your Printer's model number and click 'Send Firmware' button as shown below...

Step 4

A status bar will be displayed while the firmware is being applied to the printer. Once complete, please Exit.

Which Printers Would We Recommend For You To Buy?

When it comes to choosing a new printer, it can be a real headache. With all the pros and cons you need to consider, it can become a minefield of conflicting information, depending on who you talk to!

We have taken the time to identify, research and recommend the following three printers. We consider them amongst the best currently available to get you printing efficiently, economically and with as little fuss as possible! Be sure to click the links to see if any of the cartridges or printers are currently on sale!

Canon PIXMA TS5051 All-in-one Printer

Our first recommendation goes to the Canon PIXMA TS5051 £59.99 (RRP £99.99), for affordability and reliability. Similarly to the Canon PIXMA MG5750, the TS5051 requires the same bargain PGI-570/CLI-571 cartridges. It is a compact printer, with wireless features allowing you to print directly from your phone, tablet or PC which is getting ever more important for home users.

When it comes to navigating and operating the TS5051 - the redesigned user interface works hand-in-hand with the wireless connectivity to ensure high quality, stress-free printing, on a budget.

Unlike the MG5750 below, the Canon PIXMA TS5051 does feature a rear paper feed and a lower tray so it's good news for those printing photos! It also allows for easy printing, scanning and copying thanks to the clear 6.2cm screen and simple array of buttons on the dash.

Overall, this printer serves the purpose of making printing easy, while providing excellent quality, all at an affordable price. The printer is a neat, understated little package, but has all the features we feel a home user would need.

Canon PIXMA MG5750 All-in-one Printer

Our next recommendation is Canon PIXMA MG5750 at £59.99 (RRP £99.99) This printer was first released 4 years ago and is still being produced today, albeit only from Currys/PC World. The printer regularly fluctuates in price between £49.99 and £99.99 so it's definitely worth snapping up at the lower end of the range.

It requires the PGI-570/CLI-571 cartridges, which are both affordable and reliable. We sell the extra capacity cartridges from this range and as it stands, is still one of our most popular ranges! Whether you need to print, scan or copy - this printer can do it all and is ideal for home users.

It's easy to navigate, control and connect with the MG5750 as you can print directly from your phone, tablet or computer using the wireless system built into the printer. The MG5750 remains our top pick for printers due to the availability and price of both the cartridges and the printer itself. You will be printing in no time.

The only disadvantage we can see is the lack of a rear paper feed, which may limit your choices when it comes to photo printing on thicker paper.

Brother MFC-J497DW All-in-one Printer

The final printer we would recommend belongs to the Brother family. The Brother MFC-J497DW (RRP £89.99) fits the criteria of being affordable, reliable and easy to navigate. This printer requires the LC3213 cartridges, which like the printer, are cheap and cheerful whilst also maintaining high quality consistently throughout your printing.

The Brother MFCJ-497DW is not shy of effective features, with one of them being built-in Wi-Fi to enable an unchallenging experience when it comes to connecting your electrical devices. An impressive component of the MFCJ-497DW is the USB port which allows you to directly print from the USB - meaning you wouldn't even need to use any other device to print! As well as the standard print, copy and scan functions, this model provides the ability to fax.

With a 100 page paper tray capacity and print speeds of up to 27 pages per minute (Black) and 23 pages per minute (colour), you won't be left waiting to complete those larger print jobs!

Can We Really Reduce Your Business Print Costs Without Compromise?

Yes, we can.

Making the change from OEM to our compatible inks is not just cost effective, but stress free. We’ll help you every step of the way in helping your ink go four times further!

Reports from 2019 suggest that the average employee in Britain prints a whopping 8,000 pages per year! If we consider that at a 5% coverage costing you or your company 5p to print each page of paper when using genuine cartridges, this can equate to somewhere in the region of £400 per employee over the course of a single year.

According to the 2012 Small Business Survey the average SME in the UK employs 16 employees, totalling £6,400 worth of printing costs over the course of a year. And remember, this is based only on a 5% coverage* of ink on each page. Based on the average saving you can expect when using our inks, a single employee’s printing costs could be dramatically reduced to just £100, and so for a team of 16, would set you back just £1,600!

That's a saving of up to 75%!

Not only would you save a packet on your inks, but you also get expert advice on any of your printing needs. With over 20 years in the business, there aren’t many problems we’ve not come across and problem solving is our second nature! As an Inkredible Business Account Holder you can take advantage of access to your own personal account manager to help you get back to printing as quickly as possible, so that you can continue with your day and doing what you do best.

Let us take the stress out of printing for a quarter of the price. To register your interest in becoming a Business Account Holder, simply email lottie@inkredible.co.uk and you’ll soon be able to take advantage of the benefits.

Also, if you’re considering one of our credit accounts whereby you can pay up to a month after the invoice date via BACS, take a quick peek here Business Accounts

Did You Know?

Many printers have a built in function that can create lined paper, graph paper and even weekly or monthly planner templates, direct from the printer! Very handy in the current climate of home schooling, especially when many kids books are full and parents spend half their time with a ruler and pencil drawing lines onto printer paper!

We take a look at how to do this on the most popular printer ranges below.

Canon Printers

This is nice and simple on many Canon printers. From the home screen, choose the following:

Press 'Setup' button > Template Print

or

Scroll down to 'Advanced Print' > Scroll Right to 'Template Print'

You then have a selection of 5mm, 6mm or 7mm lined paper (with margin), 3mm or 5mm graph paper and a checklist, weekly planner or monthly planner. You can select a quantity

Epson Printers

If your Epson printer has this feature, you will most likely find it under one of the following:

More Functions > Print Ruled Papers

or

Press 'Photo' button > Print Ruled Papers > Scroll left/right to select 

Wide Rule, Thin Rule or Graph Paper should be the available options and you can usually set a quantity of up to 99 to print at one time.

HP Printers

HP printers can vary, but it's an app or tool called 'Quick Forms' that you'll be need to find on your printer menu.

Quick Forms can be used in a similar way to the Canon or Epson equivalent tools to produce blank Music Sheets, Checklists, Calendars, Note Paper and Graph Paper.

We have some fantastic FREE Printables to keep the kids entertained this Easter!

Three great designs to choose, will you use them all?

Want to stay in the loop and find out when we have more freebies on offer? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and don't miss out on our cards and printables. 

 Is she a fan of Gavin and Stacey? Does she love Freddie Mercury? Select your favourite card below and get printing!

Freddie Mercury Card                                                   Nessa Card 

 'MUM' Card  

How To Get Your Free Card 

1.      Select your preferred card design (below)
2.      Next, load your printer with card or paper – which ever you prefer and have to hand
3.      Now click on ‘more settings’ – here you will see a drop down menu for ‘paper size’. Make sure you select ‘B5(JIS) paper card if you’ve bought a card pack from INKredible, if not you can select the paper size that matches the card or paper you’ve loaded into your printer.
4.      Finally, press print and receive your free card.

Have you downloaded one of these free Mother's Day cards? Take a photo of your mum with her card and tag us on Facebook or Instagram. Or follow us on social media to stay up to date with our INKredible sales, freebies, advice and more. 

Photos are a great way to reminisce on your favourite memories; nostalgia has been proven to increase feelings of happiness, heighten self esteem and bring you closer to your loved ones.

Printing your images at home is an easy and cost effective way to hold onto those special moments, although many people aren’t sure how to print their images correctly and to a high quality. To get the most out of your printer and produce the highest quality photos, here’s what you have to do.  

For this example we’ve used A4 Matt 190gsm inkjet paper which is compatible with all inkjet printers.

01

Firstly, you’ll need to start with an empty paper tray before placing your A4 matt 190gsm paper (or alternative matt photo paper) into your printer.

It’s important that your image is printed onto the smooth side of the photo paper to achieve the highest quality. 

Each printer may vary depending on the make and model. For example, we used the HP Officejet Pro 8610 printer and placed the smooth side of the photo paper face down into the tray.

Top Tip: If you’re not sure which way to place the paper, use a regular A4 sheet and draw a small ‘x’ on one side. Place this into the tray face down and press print on your laptop/ computer. If the side of the paper with the ‘x’ has been printed onto, you’ll know that you should place your paper smooth side down in order to have your image on this side and vice versa.

02

Next you’ll need to place your favourite images into Microsoft Word, Publisher or an alternate A4 canvas on your computer.

We find that placing the images into a word document works perfectly fine. Scale the images to your preferred size and head to ‘file’ > ‘print’.

Now click on ‘printer properties’, here you’ll be able to select a different paper type. We recommend selecting ‘everyday photo paper matte’ or something similar.

Most importantly, make sure you change the ‘print quality’ to ‘best’. This can also be found within ‘printer properties’.

03

Finally, make sure that you are only printing one sided, you don’t want to be printing your images back to back. Once these simple steps have been completed, go ahead and press print.  

If you’ve followed these steps, you should have a high quality image which has been printed onto the smooth side of your matt photo paper. If you’ve accidently printed onto the textured side of the page, the image is likely to be dull and of poor quality. If this has happened, simply load the tray with more photo paper and place the opposite way down to the way you placed it before.

To achieve high quality images at home, it is also beneficial to print with good quality inks, we recommend searching your printer model at inkredible.co.uk to find the best cartridges for photo printing. 

We would love to see your photos, please tag us in any images on Facebook or Instagram of your prints.

Need printing advice or guidance? Contact our customer support team today.  

Has an important birthday slipped your mind? No need to panic. If you’re short for time or haven’t been able to pop to the shops to pick up a birthday card, you can simply print one of these free designs, saving yourself some time and money.

Choose Your Free Card Design

'Avo Great Birthday' Card                   'Excuse To Eat Cake' Blue Card

'Excuse To Eat Cake' Pink Card                  'Doughnut Look Old' Card

'Excuse To Eat Cake' Sprinkle Card

Want to stay in the loop and find out when we have more freebies on offer? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and don't miss out on our cards and printables. 

Valentine’s Day can quickly become an expensive and over commercialised event, but there are more affordable ways to show someone you love them this February.

Instead of splashing the cash, tighten up your purse strings and try these inexpensive ways to say ‘I love you’.

Send a Heartfelt Message

Most people buy a Valentine’s Day card for their loved one; make yours extra special by writing a message or love letter inside. Not only is this an affordable way to show that certain person how much you care, it’s also a thoughtful memento that doubles up as a keepsake.

Print a free card and list the things you love most about that person, write about the day you met, or share a funny story that makes you think of your Valentine.

Cook A Valentine’s Day Dinner

Why share your Valentine’s Day with other people when you can stay home and enjoy some quality time together. Cook up a Bolognese or make your own pizzas, pop open a bottle of wine and relax without the noise of a restaurant or bar.

If you want keep the theme romantic, have a go at baking your own heart shaped macarons by printing a template, whipping up a recipe and enjoying this sweet treat with your loved one.

Get Creative

Why not have a go at something new together? A couples craft night is a great option for those who are creative at heart. Search Pinterest for ideas like making your own bath bombs, or if you love reading you could print and make your own origami bookmarks.

Papercrafts are an affordable and easy option as you can find designs online and print them at home, giving you freedom to try various creative ideas.

For couples who are less creative, use your home printer to gather together your favourite images and start creating a photo album filled with your favourite memories. This is a great way to reminisce and can also be shared with your family and friends whenever they come to visit.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Have a go at these ideas and save a penny or two in the process.

Don't forget to download and print your free Valentine's Day card and give these ideas a go, all of which are great options if you have access to a home printer. 

Make sure that you have enough printer ink and paper before you get started.

In need of printing supplies? Head to the INKredible website.

Want to stay in the loop with our INKredible offers and freebies? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and never miss out. 

Want to show your loved one how much they mean to you this Valentine's Day? With these free and printable cards, spreading the love is easy and won't cost you a penny. 

Get your pen and paper at the ready and write a heart felt message inside one of these free cards.

To get yours now, simply load your printer with paper/card, download your favourite design and hit print. It's as easy as that!

Make sure to change the paper settings just before you print by clicking 'page setup' OR 'More Settings' and set the paper size to 'B5(JIS)' if you're using one of our card sets.

'Apple To My Pie' card                                    'YOU' Joe card

 'I Turtley Love You' card                                Catching Spiders card 

'Yoda One For Me' card

 Don't miss out on more freebies like these. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay in the loop. 

 If you need any advice or support with your printing, don't hesitate to get in contact with our INKredible team.