I like most people do not want to have to throw away a perfectly good print cartridge just because the expiration date has passed. I have done a small search to see if there was a way to bypass this problem. I found a few sites that explain in very good detail ways to continue using those older cartridges. These are for HP but I am sure that Epsom, Lexmark, and Elite are all similar. I hope this helps those of you trying to save some money.   There is a cmos battery in most Hp printers it can be removed. This should make your printer able to use the older cartridges. The expiration date does not mean the ink is bad. It might dry out but never go bad. Hp is putting smart chips in their cartridges. This makes it harder for users to refill the cartridges. It also assures that even refilled cartridges will have to be replaced much sooner than they actually wear out.   So like I said to get past this you can either remove the cmos battery or you can change the registry for the printers driver. It is possible to replace the battery after putting in the new cartridge, the printer having accepted it. If you really want to, you can rig up a switch to turn the battery off while replacing cartridges, and back on again after.  I hope this helps.