|
Tips for print head cleaning |
To keep your printer on tip-top shape we wanted to share this week how you can clean the print heads, for all those that need further info on the term, the print head is the element of a printer that applies the mark or image to the paper; print heads are activated when you insert the ink cartridge into the printer.
Tip #1: Run print head cleaning cycles.
- Run up to five cycles in sequence. Print a nozzle check pattern after every one or two cleaning cycles to see if you have made any progress. On most printers, after approximately every fifth cycle, the printer will perform a more power head cleaning routine.
- Compare the nozzle check patterns and see if there is an improvement. If you see steady progress, by the time you have run 5 cycles, try one or two more and see if it continues to improve.
Tip #2: Dislodge air bubbles from the cartridges.
- Whenever you remove and reinstall a cartridge, you will admit air into the print head, which could temporarily affect the printer operation. Oftentimes, allowing the printer to sit undisturbed for an hour will help the air bubble to move out of the way.
- You can try to dislodge a bubble that is blocking ink flow out of the cartridge, by tapping the cartridge gently on a table surface a few times before installing the cartridge. Place a few sheets of newspaper or paper towels on the table to protect it from ink drips. Note that certain cartridges have spring loaded valves at their ink outlet holes, but many cartridges do not. The cartridges without valves can drip more than other cartridges when you tap them, so be careful.
Tip #3 Turn your printer off
- Perhaps you’ve noticed that even if you rarely print, your ink may start to run low. This happens because the printer may automatically run routine maintenance to clean the print heads (the little nozzles that distribute the ink). If you don’t want to use ink for this, here are two things you can do:
- Print regularly—once a week is a good goal. This will keep the print heads clear of any ink buildup. If you go long periods between prints, turn your printer off from the on/off button. (Don’t turn it off from the power strip—the printer needs to reset before shutting down.) |
|
|
|
