Brother DCP-330C: learning to save paint

It so happened that the designated printer fell into my hands. Good, I must say, a piece of hardware: inexpensive, prints like not bad, on the manufacturer's website there were even drivers for Linux and imputed instructions for installing them.

Found and one major drawback: working with consumables. The device uses Innobella LC-57 ink cartridges, of which four pieces (separately C, M, Y, K). The ink level is determined very roughly, often the printer signals the need to replace the cartridge when barely half of the ink is consumed. Worse, if one of the cartridges is empty or not installed, the device refuses to do anything at all.

Once again, being in an absurd situation, when the printer refused to print a black and white document, citing the lack of yellow paint, I turned to the decision of a folk remedy - a piece of paper ™. The method of application of a folk remedy is shown in the illustration (which can be increased by clicking the mouse). As a result:

• The life of the cartridge has doubled;
• Now it is possible to print black letters even without yellow paint;
• The printer now does not determine the ink level at all (it didn’t work well before).