How to Avoid a Clogged Printhead

Print heads usually sit below the print cartridge.

Like with any piece of electronic equipment with several moving parts, printers require maintenance to keep them performing at their best. Separate from the actual cartridge, the print head moves the ink from the cartridge to the paper. It is connected to the printer and may be difficult to replace. To avoid a clogged print head, clean them while they are still attached to the printer. A clogged print head will result in your documents coming out smeared or even light.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton swabs

Instructions

1. Run your printer at least once a week to prevent the ink from drying up around the print heads. Make sure you print out at least one color page a week to keep all the colors from drying.

2. Turn off your printer after you are finished with it. When the printer is on, the ink is warmed and may bleed into the print heads.

3. Remove the ink cartridges and unplug your printer. Locate the print heads, which usually lie under where the print cartridges are inserted. Refer to your printer manual because they may be located somewhere else depending on the model. Dip a cotton swab into some warm water and clean the print heads about once every week or two weeks. This will loosen any dirt and grime that has accumulated on the print heads. Allow the print heads to dry before plugging the printer back in. Avoid using alcohol that may damage or dry out the print heads.

4. Run your printer through its print head cleaning cycle about once every couple of weeks to give them a good flush out. This will vary from printer to printer so refer to your specific printer's instruction manual. This method uses up the ink in the printer, so to cut down on costs, do this sparingly.

References

• Print Country: Printer Cartridges: How to Clean a Clogged Printer Head
• Print Country: Printer Cartridges: Tips on Cleaning a Clogged Printer Head
• Printer Ink Cartridges Cheap: Clogged Print Head -- prevention and cure
• Print Country: Printer Cartridges: What is the Difference between Ink Cartridge, Printhead & Toner Cartridge?