How to Clean Your Inkjet Printer

Contents

    – Step 1: Determine the Right Time to Clean Your Printer

    – Step 2: Clean Your Inkjet Printer

The documents produced by your inkjet printer are starting to show worrying signs: white stripes, faded colors when the cartridges are full, streaks, and even ink stains? Like any “mechanical” machine, a printer gets dirty and needs maintenance!

Here is how to clean an inkjet printer.

1. Determine the right time to clean your printer

There are three main reasons why your printer gets dirty:

    – Ink that dries and clogs the printheads and feed rollers;

    – the paper micro-particles, which accumulate in all the areas where the paper passes through;

    – dust and debris circulate in the printer environment and are deposited over time.

Physical cleaning of a printer is an essential complement to software cleaning. If your prints are still unsatisfactory despite software cleaning the print nozzles and realignment of the print heads, you will have to move up a gear and clean your device.

There is no rule concerning the regularity of the operation, do it as soon as your printer shows signs of malfunctioning (try first and more often to clean the nozzles and print heads). Nevertheless, as a preventive measure, a manual cleaning every 6 months seems a good idea.

2. Clean your inkjet printer

Cleaning consists of dismantling the different parts of the printer, cleaning them with a new, lint-free cloth or a foam tip, cleaning the inside of the printer of dust and other dirt accumulated in the printer casing, and then putting everything back in place.

    – Set up your printer (unplugged, of course) on a clear work surface.

    – Start by removing the print head assembly and then remove the cartridges from the assembly.

Tip: Wrap the cartridges in cellophane to prevent them from drying out while cleaning the printer.

    – Clean the printhead contact area and the printhead ramps, i.e., the cartridge insertion areas, with a foam tip.

    – Clean the interior areas with a dusting nozzle or aerosol spray. You can find this type of product in electronics stores and computer dealers. With a dry air blower (non-flammable gas), you can remove dust from your printer and your keyboards or central units, which require regular maintenance.

Necessary: never use a liquid product for this operation! The electronic components are fragile and could be damaged.

    – Once the major cleaning is finished and all the elements are back in place, reconnect your printer and print a test page. If the problems persist, you will have to turn to a professional and perhaps change your equipment. Printers, like computers, do not have an unlimited life span.

Caution: Do not touch the ink nozzles or electrical contacts with your fingers. Remove the ink stains if your skin or fabrics are stained during this process.

Read more:

• How to Remove a Printer Ink Stain;
• 2 Steps to Clean the Nozzles of Your Printer;
• 3 Easy Steps for Cleaning Print Heads;
• How to Clean a Printer;
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