How To Clean Your Print Heads

A clogged print head can certainly be a frustrating experience and result in poor output from yoru printer. Cleaning a print head is something that your printer may or may not do automatically through it's software, but you can always manually clean it yourself and here is how. Here are some tips to keep your printer quality high and your frustrations low.

• Cleaning the clogged head - As was just mentioned, you can use your printer's cleaning cycle may be the easiest method to cleaning your heads. However, using that feature uses your ink, which is not cheap as you know. Instead of wasting your ink, you can simply use a Q-tip with some water on it and wipe the head clean. That being said, you also have to locate the print head. Different manufacturers place the print head in different locations. Some like Epson put the head inside the printer and others the print head is part of the cartridge itself. There are some who would recommend alcohol, but that could damage your printer in the long run. A third option is to buy a print head cleaning kit, but again, that's spending money directly.


• Preventing a clogged head - It may sound overly simplistic, but the easiest way to prevent a clog is by using your printer on a regular basis. Experts suggest printing one page in color per week to keep the ink flowing. Ink getting dried out is the most common cause of a clog. Another way to prevent clogs is keeping your printer free from debris and dirt. Never use a vacuum as it can have side effects on the "guts" of your printer. Another way to prevent clogs is to make sure your printer is not powered up unless you are using it. If it is on, the heat in the machine may cause ink to bleed onto the print head. If you won't be using your printer for a while, before it gets packed away, be sure to remove the ink cartridges. Finally, never touch your print head with greasy or dirty hands, that can cause clogs as well.