When you turn your printer on, the LED panel screen will light up. Select the icon that looks like a teardrop. I have an HP8710 and previously had a 8600 but checking the ink levels were the same process on both printers. You can see the levels of each cartridge when you select the teardrop icon. If your ink levels are already low, if/when you try and print, you will get a warning that the ink is low.