However, after installing the new cart, the printer ran it's autoalign. I believe it's stored as LASTBLACKCARTUID and LASTCOLORCARTUID, but I haven't seen that value change since installing a new cart. I could see in the registry that it does indeed read a hidden cartridge serial number. While I'm sure there's a function in the Registry under REGEDIT/LOCAL MACHINE/IjPRTSettings/OFN11111, it was easier to 'fool' the printer/PC. Where I was hitting snag was having my printer/computer realize that there was a full ink cartridge so I would stop betting the 'LOW INK.ORDER FROM DELL TODAY' warning. Either use the same label to cover the top or, in my case, I use a piece of 1' wide blue painter's tape. The carts are filled with a sponge-type material so you can physically see them turning color as you get close to topping out. Just peel the plastic label from the top of both carts, insert the appropriate ink color into the appropriate hole and slowly fill it up. The package claimed to be able to provide up to 95 cartridge refills, so, again, I figured at roughly $35 a click per Dell cart, 95 of those would have run me over $3300.

The kit also comes with various adapters, plugs, cleaning solution and other things for just about every cartridge out there, so it's not just for Dell. I bought it at Costco for $19.95 and it comes with 8 ink bottles (3 black and 1 each for Cyan, Magenta and Yellow along with the three color inks in Photo type).

I've thought about this a bit more today and, after diggin around through my Registry, believe I've found the key to making the refills work.

Dell photo 964 printer colored ink