Asked By
44hassan
0 points
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Posted on - 08/18/2016
I have not been using my printer for a long time. I think there is a clogging in print heads or the cartridge is empty. This has decrease the print quality. How to clean a printhead?
How to clean a printhead with different methods?
If you have a printer with removable printer head like that of the Canon printer that holds ink cartridges, here’s how to manually clean the printer head. First, you need to remove or detach the printer head and the ink tanks. Remove the ink tanks from the tank holder or the printer head and put them in a sealable plastic bag then put them aside preferably in upright position.
Next, remove the printer head by snapping it out. You can use latex gloves to keep the ink off your hands. After that, you need to soak the printer head. Get a shallow pan and lay down one or two layers of paper towels in the bottom of the pan to protect the printer head circuitry from contact damage.
Next, using microwave, heat up purified or bottled water enough to cover the paper towels. An alternative is to use a 50/50 mixture of distilled water and ammonia. Heat the mixture in the microwave for about a minute or two but it should not be boiling.
Next, slowly pour the mixture or the water over the paper towels until you have about 1/2-inch of liquid in the bottom of the pan. Next, put the printer head into the pan on top of the paper towels. After doing this, you should see ink “bleeding” out or the ink coming out.
Move the printer head to several different spots, about a minute for every spot, and shake gently. This dissolves or softens the ink clogs. On the other hand, if the printer head is badly clogged, let it soak for about three to four hours or maybe overnight. You can slightly move it to a different spot every hour or so.
After that, you need to flush the printer head with water. Hold the printer head under a softly running tap water. You should see substance build up flow out. Keep doing this until the water runs clear. Next, you need to dry the printer head. After flushing it with running water, rinse it thoroughly with distilled water.
Shake it dry and put it on folded paper towels to air dry. You can also use a hair dryer on low setting to dry the printer head. Insert the ink tanks and printer head back. Your printer should do a “Printer Head Alignment”. If it doesn’t do this, do it manually using the printer’s utility program.
After that, perform one or two printer head cleaning cycle followed by printing a nozzle check pattern to check how it goes. Do it again as needed.
