Dell 944 All-in-One Photo Printer: Setup, Drivers, Ink and Common Problems

Is the Dell 944 All-in-One Photo Printer right for you?

The Dell 944 was a USB photo all-in-one bundled with Dimension and Inspiron PCs in 2005-2006, built by Lexmark and fed by Dell Series 5 cartridges. Genuine ink is effectively unavailable now and the last driver targets Windows Vista, so it is a nostalgia machine more than a practical printer. Owners asking for help usually want to recover scanned documents or print once more from an old cartridge.

Best for: Collectors and owners trying to revive a mid-2000s Dell inkjet

Setting up the Dell 944 All-in-One Photo Printer

Dell's site still lists the 944 Vista driver; it may install on Windows 10 and 11 in compatibility mode, but results vary. A USB connection is the only option. If the cartridge is dried, soaking the nozzle plate in warm water for a few minutes can sometimes revive it; if the driver will not install, the scanner is unlikely to work on modern Windows.

1. Unbox and prepare. Remove every piece of shipping tape and packing material, install the ink cartridges, and load paper in the tray.
2. Join your Wi-Fi. Keep the printer close to the router for setup. Most printers only connect to the 2.4GHz band, so if your router broadcasts one merged network name you may need to split the bands temporarily. See our Wi-Fi guide if it will not join.
3. Install the setup app. Use Dell's official app rather than a driver you found on a search result — third-party driver sites are the most common source of printer malware.
4. Add the printer. On Windows 11: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Printers & scanners › Add device. On macOS: System Settings › Printers & Scanners › Add Printer.
5. Print a test page and run a scan if this is an all-in-one, so you find any problem now rather than when you are in a hurry.

Ink, toner and supplies

The Dell 944 All-in-One Photo Printer uses the following consumables. Match the number exactly when you buy: the same printer family often uses several different cartridge numbers by region.

• Dell Series 5 M4640 black cartridge
• Dell Series 5 M4646 colour cartridge
• Dell Series 5 photo cartridge

High-yield (XL) versions almost always cost less per page if you print regularly. On third-party ink and toner, read our honest assessment first, and note that some manufacturers push firmware that rejects non-original chips.

Full specifications