Printer Problems

Sorry that I have posted a few reviews up lately so now I will post some not so common solutions to a common problem.

If I can ask the question ‘have you got an inject printer at home? And if you have, has there ever been a time where you went to print on it and the print has come out all blotchy, with streaks or with lines of no ink. I bet it would be most of you because this is one of the most common problems I see with people’s printer.

This symptom is a common cause of the printer not being used on a regular basis. You see an inkjet printers’ printing head is designed to transfer ink onto the paper your printing onto. Of course I hear you say! But during this process a gradual and continued flow of fresh ink is left on the printing head, thus keeping it moist.

Problems occur when you don’t print for a while, say 2-3 months given varying atmospheric conditions. What happens then is that the ink left on the print head from the last print has had time to dry and harden, creating a barrier for fresh ink to flow from the ink cartridge through the printer head and onto the paper, hence the blotches and stripes.

The problem is in extreme cases, running a ‘deep head’ cleaning cycle probably won’t solve the problem. Unfortunately if you have this sort of problem, much more extreme measures are called for.

Here are some measures that may, and I say ‘may’ loosely, fix your beloved printers print head from dried ink blockage.

If the print head has become clogged and the printer's head-cleaning cycle won't help (run it 10 times if you have to) you could try these things:

Soak the printer head in hot water then leave it overnight, then try it again

If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner that will take the print head, use that. (These are used by jewellers and other people which have to clean small, intricate parts)

Buy some Isopropyl Alcohol and soak the print head in that overnight. (You can get it from the chemist)

Use a Mr Cappuccino (or your Espresso machine). It's a small kitchen appliance which creates a jet of steam for frothing milk for making a cappuccino. You can use the jet of steam to blast the print head. But be careful that you don't melt things -- short, sharp jets only.

Each time you try a cleaning method, use a damp paper towel to gently wipe and dry the print head area.

Put a teaspoon of water in the bottom of the empty cartridge and try the cleaning cycle a few times

Please remember though use these tips at your own risk, chances are if your print head of your printer is clogged with dried ink from lack of use and a print head cleaning cycle doesn’t solve the problem, it means you will probably have to buy a new print head

Alternatively, a simple way to avoid this problem is to print a small full colour image at least once every month or so, this way all the ink colours ours circulated through the ink head, one full colour print a month should keep you out of trouble.

Remember to visit my website and contact me if you need any help with any of your computer problems.

'Computer Support'!