It sounds like you print heads are dirty
How To Clean A Dirty Print Head
When it comes to printer issues, there are few things as frustrating as
expecting a clearly-printed document and ending up with something that
looks like a cross between a Picasso and a Rorschadt blot. If you
notice that the print quality of your documents has decreased
considerably or if you are bringing an old inkjet out of retirement,
you need to clean the print head to ensure you’re getting the best from
your printer.
A dirty or clogged print head will hinder a regular flow of ink from the ink cartridge to paper. The
first step is actually knowing where the print head is and what it
does. As you print a document, ink droplets leave the ink cartridge
through the cartridge’s nozzle and go to the print head. The print head
then lays the ink on a precise point on the paper. As you print, tiny
droplets of ink can get stuck around the print head opening. If these
drops get time to dry, they can form a crust around the print head
opening and cause it to print poorly.
Clean It With Software There
are a few ways to go about cleaning the print head. Potentially, the
easiest way is to let your printer clean itself. Many inkjet printers
will have maintenance options in the printer’s software that will
actually clean your printer for you. We used a streaky Canon BJC-80 for
our testing, and the driver we installed on our system for this inkjet
had quite a few maintenance options. (Keep in mind that the process for
cleaning your specific printer’s print head may be slightly different
than what we’re describing here.) To check these out in Windows XP,
click Start and then Printers And Faxes. Right-click your printer and
then Printing Preferences. This displays the Canon Bubble-Jet BJC-80
Printing Preferences dialog box, which houses various layout and
print-quality preferences, as well as the printer’s maintenance
options. Click the Maintenance tab to view what your printer can do
from a software perspective. Our printer has two cleaning modes—Cleaning
and Deep Cleaning. Cleaning isn’t quite as time-consuming as the Deep
Cleaning mode, but Deep Cleaning mode does a more thorough job and can
resolve some issues that the normal Cleaning mode can’t. Just click the
proper cleaning mode to start it and let the cleaning process run its
course. You may have to do this a number of times to get the print head
clean.
If you don’t see a maintenance tab, it doesn’t
necessarily mean your printer doesn’t have a self-cleaning function; it
just means that it doesn’t use commands from your computer to do it.
For instance, on the BJC-80 you can also start the cleaning process by
holding down the Resume button until you hear two beeps. Check your
printer’s manual for ways to clean your print head.
Clean It Yourself
Some software bundles that come with printers have cleaning functions that you can use to clean your print head. If
the built-in cleaning functions don’t seem to do the job, there are a
few ways to clean your print head manually. Some swear by isopropyl
alcohol, while others believe in just plain ol’ water. When used
correctly, either can help your printer perform better.
First,
remove your ink cartridges from your printer and then dip a cotton swab
in hot water or isopropyl alcohol and rub it against the print head.
This should loosen any crusted ink. Some printers, such as many Canon
models, feature removable print heads that give you easy access to the
print head and its nozzle(s). Many other inkjet printers don’t have
this feature, so you’ll have to do your best to work around parts in
your printer. Be careful, especially if you use isopropyl alcohol to
clean your print heads: Some printers use rubber gaskets; if you get
isopropyl alcohol on the gaskets, it could dry them out.
If
you have a removable print head, remove the ink cartridge from the
print head and take the print head out of your printer. Put some
isopropyl alcohol or hot water into a saucer and set the printer head
in the saucer. Let it soak for at least an hour. If it’s really dirty,
it might be a good idea to let it soak overnight. Let it air dry,
reinstall it in your computer, and run a cleaning cycle. This should
get rid of any dried ink that was loosened during the soaking.
Don’t Panic Printing
problems happen to us all sooner or later, but it’s important not to
panic when you realize that something other than an empty ink cartridge
is vexing your printer. The next logical step, cleaning your print
head, is a straightforward process that can give your printer—and your documents—new
life. Though most printers include software or a button that can clean
print heads, if that doesn’t work, the do-it-yourself method is simple
enough that it’s worth giving it a shot. Before you scrap an old inkjet
printer that yields shoddy printouts, give the print head a quick
cleaning. It may end up paying major dividends.
Thank you for using Fixya and please let me know if you need further help
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