How to Clean an Inkjet Printer
Cleaning your inkjet printer not only makes it look nice, it will improve its performance. Make cleaning nozzles, print heads and the exterior of your printer a regular part of your routine maintenance. Follow each one of these steps as you clean your inkjet printer.
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Instructions
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Turn off your printer. Make sure all parts have stopped moving and the power indicator light is off.
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Wipe down the outside of your printer. Using a dry, lint-free cloth, wipe down all the outer surfaces of your printer. Remove trays to reach all areas.
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Clean the inside. Open the panel used to access the ink cartridges. Use a dry cloth or air-duster to remove dust, dirt and scraps of paper. Wipe up spots of ink as well. Be careful and avoid making physical contact with circuits and other electronics.
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Run your printer's head cleaning or nozzle test. This will vary by manufacturer, but can generally be accessed through the printer's properties page. For PC's, click "Start | Settings | Control Panel | Printers and Faxes" and right click your printer's icon. Select "Properties." From this screen, find a tab that relates to maintenance or troubleshooting. You'll find an option for head, cartridge or nozzle cleaning. For Mac's, open any program that prints and select "File | Page Setup." Select "Utilities" and find the nozzle cleaning option under printer tests.
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If the printer's test doesn't work, clean cartridges manually. This is a drastic step. You should only do this if the printer's self-cleaning fails.
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Remove the ink cartridge. Refer to your manual for specific instructions.
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Clean the opening. This will be on the bottom, where the ink comes out. Use a Q-Tip with a little bit of water or isopropyl alcohol.
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Soak the cartridge. You can also place the cartridge in a shallow dish of water overnight. Fill the dish up just enough to submerge the opening.
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Clean heads. Some printers have the heads built-in to the printer rather than the cartridge. To clean the heads, remove the cartridge and put a few drops of alcohol or water into the hole that the ink comes from. Re-insert your cartridge and run the printer's head cleaning system again.
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Tips & Warnings
Your printer's user manual should offer tips for cleaning your specific model.
You can use a damp cloth on the outside, but avoid getting liquids or other cleaners inside the printer at all costs.
To prevent clogged nozzles, print something in black and white as well as in color every week or so to keep ink from drying.
Always, always refer to your manual before doing any manual cleaning. Not all printers and cartridges can handle this.
Some cartridges have connections on them that look like circuits. You should never get them wet!
