HOW TO CLEAN PRINT HEADS?

Are your prints becoming bland or of poor quality but you think your ink cartridges are not empty? Your print heads may have dried out. Indeed, if your cartridges are not used regularly enough, the ink can dry and thus deteriorate the quality of your prints. To remedy this, you need to do a printhead cleaning that you can launch via a program on your device or do it manually.

Please note: 

The print head cleaning process is likely to consume a lot of ink and should therefore only be carried out when it is really needed. Some printer models will block this process if one of your cartridges runs out or if the ink level is too low. You will therefore need to replace the cartridge. A print head may require more than 4 cleanings in some extreme cases. 

1 – First solution: automatic cleaning

This is the most common solution .To find out how to start automatic cleaning, we invite you to consult your printer's user manual first.

In most cases, you can start the cleaning process either via your printer, or directly through your computer. If you don't have your user manual ready, find out below the most common procedures to help you start cleaning if a print head fails.

Cleaning the print heads via a printer

Open your printer menu. Scroll through this menu and select "configure" then "Maintenance" or "Ink". You will then have access to the "Print head cleaning" option. Wait while cleaning and then do a print test.

This printer type has a screen from which cleaning can be started. .

Cleaning the print heads via computer

For Windows users :

• Open control panel
• Find "hardware and audio", click on "Printers and peripherals"
• Right click on the printer concerned
• Select "Properties" then "Cleaning", "Maintenance" or "Services" depending on your model
• Start cleaning the printheads
• Wait while cleaning and then do a print test.

For Mac users:

• Go to "System Preferences"
• Select "Printers and Faxes" then choose the printer concerned
• Open "Print queue" (or "Open print queue")
• Click on the service icon associated with the printer
• Select "Maintenance" then "Print head cleaning"
• Wait while cleaning and then do a print test.

2 –Second solution: manual cleaning

Despite several attempts at automatic cleaning, you have not obtained any real improvement in the quality of the prints? Try manual cleaning!

Before you start

Before starting a manual cleaning of your print heads, here are some recommendations:

•  Do these manipulations with gloves so as not to get stained
• Do not use alcohol, vinegar or tap water
• Be careful not to touch the metal parts with your fingers
• Do not wet the circuit board on the print heads and the cartridges
• Do not leave the print heads in the open air for more than 30 minutes, otherwise they will dry out even more.

If the print heads are integrated directly onto the cartridges

ink cartridges with integrated printheads: clean the printheads without wetting the circuit board. . 

• Carefully remove the cartridges from the printer and place them on a paper towel

• Turn off the printer

• Moisten a soft, clean, lint-free cloth with warm, distilled water

• Remove excess dry ink from the printheads without pressing too hard

• Place the cartridges in a container containing sheets of absorbent paper covered with a few millimeters of hot distilled water (print heads down)

• Soak for 10 minutes and allow to air dry for 15 minutes by placing the printheads up this time

• Put the cartridges back in the printer

If the printheads are built into the printer

Example : can be removed from the printer: clean them without wetting the circuit board.

•  Carefully remove the cartridges from the printer and place them on a paper towel
• Turn off the printer

• Carefully remove the printhead holder (there is a handle / latch to lift, if not, see the next section

• Moisten a soft, clean, lint-free cloth with warm, distilled water

• Remove excess dry ink from the printheads without pressing too hard

• Place the print heads in a container containing sheets of absorbent paper covered with a few cm of warm distilled water (nozzles down)

• Let soak for 10 minutes and allow to air dry for 15 minutes by placing the nozzles up this time

• Replace the print heads and cartridges in the printer

Place the print heads in a container containing sheets of absorbent paper covered with a few cm of warm distilled water (nozzles down)

If the print heads are built into the printer and attached

Example: print head that cannot be removed from the printer

Si le support des têtes d’impression n’est pas pourvu d’un loquet et ne peut donc pas sortir de l’imprimante, suivez les étapes suivantes pour tenter de nettoyer votre machine manuellement.

•  Carefully remove the cartridges from the printer and place them on a paper towel

• Turn off the printer

• Take a sheet of absorbent paper and fold it so as to obtain a rectangle 2 / 3cm high over the entire width of the absorbent paper

• Slide the absorbent sheet under the carriage at the part where the nozzles are located (this part is fixed to the printer but it can be moved from left to right and from right to left)

• Moisten a soft, clean, lint-free cloth with warm, distilled water

• Place a few drops of distilled hot water on the nozzles by wringing the cloth over the nozzles or using a pipette for example

• Wait a few minutes: the absorbent paper will prevent water from getting into the printer

• Remove the sheet of absorbent paper then put the cartridges back in the printer

As a last step, repeat a print test. If the quality has not improved, it is possible that one of the ink cartridges is too old or damaged and needs to be replaced.