Inkjet Print Head Cleaner

[borgward]

Trying ink jet head cleaning kit from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P18Q9WV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
The adapters for For the red, blue and yellow heads fit poorly, too small. The one for black is larger and fits the head snugly. Anybody used a kit that fits well over the color heads?
And no, I do not want a color lazer printer. They print lower dpi than inkjet, are very expensive and toner is $200 a color.

 

[zrxkawboy]

I repair copiers, and occasionally we are asked to look at an inkjet. If the print head is clogged, we will run the built-in cleaning cycle, sometimes multiple times. If that doesn't fix it, soak a lint-free cloth with either warm water or alcohol and let it sit against the bottom of the print head for 5-10 minutes. If that doesn't help, there's probably not much you can do.

This is one of those cases where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Don't let an inkjet sit unused for more than a couple weeks, and you'll probably never have a clogged print head.

 

[Hall]

Don't let an inkjet sit unused for more than a couple weeks, and you'll probably never have a clogged print head.

This is a big reason why most people shouldn't buy or own an inkjet anymore. Who prints things (at home) anymore ? Okay, for those that do, do you print more than once a week, once a month ? I remember when replacement cartridges cost as much or more than a new printer !

 

[Marrk]

This is a big reason why most people shouldn't buy or own an inkjet anymore. Who prints things (at home) anymore ? Okay, for those that do, do you print more than once a week, once a month ? I remember when replacement cartridges cost as much or more than a new printer !

All true. But the piece of crap printer that I have now is, well, a piece of crap. It is an $89 laser printer. The prints are always too weak to bother reading. Besides, I like to print things in order to keep a hardcopy record. Like for taxes. When the IRS rings my doorbell and starts asking questions, I want to be able to wave a piece of paper in their faces.

 

[BHopkins]

It used to be that buying a replacement print head was expensive, and didn't make financial sense for a printer that was obsolete, compared to buying a new printer. But any longer, new print heads can be bought for $40-$50 for most ink jet printers. I've never tried this, but I'm curious, is this a reasonable option? @zrxkawboy, since you are experienced in the field, would you recommend this as an option?

I remember when replacement cartridges cost as much or more than a new printer !

An excellent reason to select tank type injet printers.

 

[Geekhead]

Trying ink jet head cleaning kit from Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P18Q9WV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
The adapters for For the red, blue and yellow heads fit poorly, too small. The one for black is larger and fits the head snugly. Anybody used a kit that fits well over the color heads?
And no, I do not want a color lazer printer. They print lower dpi than inkjet, are very expensive and toner is $200 a color.

Inkjet DPI is misleading as it yes can spray a fine dot of liquid ink but once it hits paper, starts wicking and spreading. Lazer can put a fine toner(plastic powder) dot down and it just melts into the paper and does not spread much at all. Get a used one and running costs are a fraction of inkjets.

 

[Geekhead]

I repair copiers, and occasionally we are asked to look at an inkjet. If the print head is clogged, we will run the built-in cleaning cycle, sometimes multiple times. If that doesn't fix it, soak a lint-free cloth with either warm water or alcohol and let it sit against the bottom of the print head for 5-10 minutes. If that doesn't help, there's probably not much you can do.

This is one of those cases where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Don't let an inkjet sit unused for more than a couple weeks, and you'll probably never have a clogged print head.

Another fellow tech here, spent 35 years with Canon, just retired 2 years ago servicing the segment 2-3 equipment.

 

[borgward]

It used to be that buying a replacement print head was expensive, and didn't make financial sense for a printer that was obsolete, compared to buying a new printer. But any longer, new print heads can be bought for $40-$50 for most ink jet printers. I've never tried this, but I'm curious, is this a reasonable option? @zrxkawboy, since you are experienced in the field, would you recommend this as an option?
I could not find a HP printer with replaceable print head.

An excellent reason to select tank type injet printers.

I could not find a HP printer with replaceable print head. HP had them last year.
How are the tank type doing? No problems with clogged heads?

 

[zrxkawboy]

Another fellow tech here, spent 35 years with Canon, just retired 2 years ago servicing the segment 2-3 equipment.

Wow, many years of experience there! Congrats on your long career and retirement. I work for a Toshiba dealer.

 

[borgward]

Inkjet DPI is misleading as it yes can spray a fine dot of liquid ink but once it hits paper, starts wicking and spreading. Lazer can put a fine toner(plastic powder) dot down and it just melts into the paper and does not spread much at all. Get a used one and running costs are a fraction of inkjets.

Misleading or not I have seen the results of various Color Lazer printers and was not impressed. Might be good enough for bar graphs.

This is a big reason why most people shouldn't buy or own an inkjet anymore. Who prints things (at home) anymore ? Okay, for those that do, do you print more than once a week, once a month ? I remember when replacement cartridges cost as much or more than a new printer !

I go from printing pages and pages of stuff and corrections to slack periods. I now print a test page from my computer once a week when I don't have a work load on our newer printer that is so far working fine.

Does anybody know what the HEX ? code for CYAN. That's the problem color on the older printer. I was thinking of printing a big square of CYAN to keep that color clear.

 

[zrxkawboy]

It used to be that buying a replacement print head was expensive, and didn't make financial sense for a printer that was obsolete, compared to buying a new printer. But any longer, new print heads can be bought for $40-$50 for most ink jet printers. I've never tried this, but I'm curious, is this a reasonable option? @zrxkawboy, since you are experienced in the field, would you recommend this as an option?

I wish I could offer some advice, but the majority of work we do is on copiers and a few laser printers. Once in a while, an individual will bring an inkjet in and ask if we can fix it. As a courtesy, we will try to clean the print head, but if not successful, we recommend replacement of the printer. By the time we buy a print head, mark it up to cover our expenses, and charge labor, it is almost always less expensive to replace the printer. So unfortunately, I really don't have any experience with the aftermarket parts available. If you like the printer, and don't mind doing the work yourself, it may be worth a try.

 

[Geekhead]

Wow, many years of experience there! Congrats on your long career and retirement. I work for a Toshiba dealer.

Thanks, went from the tail end of analog technology right into digital printing /scanning. As you know it is a tough business to be in now as it contracts after covid so I rode the wave right on to the beach.

 

[MHartfield]

There's a printer forum that has lots of good advise:
https://www.printerknowledge.com/whats-new/

 

[JeffChaseFan]

I repair copiers, and occasionally we are asked to look at an inkjet. If the print head is clogged, we will run the built-in cleaning cycle, sometimes multiple times. If that doesn't fix it, soak a lint-free cloth with either warm water or alcohol and let it sit against the bottom of the print head for 5-10 minutes. If that doesn't help, there's probably not much you can do.

This is one of those cases where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Don't let an inkjet sit unused for more than a couple weeks, and you'll probably never have a clogged print head.

I repair copiers as well. Well I just retired 3 weeks ago after 33 years. I’ve got a HP 8610 I’ve had 10 or 11 years print 50 or 60 a month on it never a problem never even had to clean anything and I think it’s like what you said and running it on a regular basis I use the HP instant ink maintenance program cost me 3-5 dollars a month delivered to my door. I thought about going and getting a laser cannon color probably be a little cheaper on the prints, but I can fix it, This one has been bulletproof so why even consider it I guess

 

[blain450]

This is a big reason why most people shouldn't buy or own an inkjet anymore.

I battled the inkjets for a long while. Then several years ago I threw in the towel and moved to a laser multi-function.
I've never looked back. Any photos that I care about printing, I care enough to print so the colors and images don't fade away.
I upload to CVS or Walgreens and pick up great looking pictures, that last.