Do you wipe it?

[alexandereci]

I notice when taking out my Canon 41 cart that the ink nozzle area is wet with ink, and is usually in the form of the sponge used when the cart is parked. Should I worry about this? Maybe I should wipe the sponge too? Or is this "normal"?

 

[hpnetserver]

You don't really need to worry about it. Before the print head is moved out of the parking area to print anything the printer first raises the print head and wipes it by a soft rubber blade.

 

[alexandereci]

I'm worried about the excess ink sitting on that printhead. Won't that cause a clot later on?

 

[mikling]

alexandereci, if I link the post on refilling the PG40 to this one I suspect you are overfilling the cartridge causing leaks even when it is parked. If the sponge in the parked area is seriously oversaturated with ink, it would get wicked back into the printhead and cause crosscontaminated colors. Without being there, I'm guessing. The rubber blades should clean but if it is dripping wet.......................

 

[headphonesman]

If the sponge in the parked area is seriously oversaturated with ink, it would get wicked back into the printhead and cause crosscontaminated colors. Without being there, I'm guessing. The rubber blades should clean but if it is dripping wet.......................

With "normal" usage the parking pads are not a problem until a substantial amount of time has passed- However if you are refilling and printing much more as result of being able to use all that lovely cheap ink it pays to keep the pads clear of "excess" ink build up.

On a regular basis I fold a tissue into a small pad, locate it by hand on top of the first pad press gently (its sprung loaded) 2 or 3 times and withdraw. The same procedure is done with a fresh tissue on the other pad.

If you look at the amount of ink that you get on the tissue you will understand how it can wick up into a parked printhead if there is a surplus amount on the pad.
This does not do any harm and reduces the possibility of cross contamination.
I carry out this procedure on the MP 150, 4000 and 5200.

 

[alexandereci]

I am not overfilling the carts, but I know these sponges are wet... and I know wet stuff on printheads suck out ink, or let ink sit which would become a clot later on.

Does the sponges make contact with the printhead when the printer is off or turned on but on standby? How does the printer "preserve" the printhead (ensuring no clots will form)?

 

[AlienSteve]

No, the sponge (it's really a hard foam) should not touch the print head surface. It works by staying damp, thereby keeping the print head exposed to damp air.

So you don't want to keep drying that foam in the park station out. It is supposed to look damp, but it should not look wet and floating in ink.

Because it is actually a hard foam, be careful when trying to clean it or soak excess fluid out. It will pull particles right off of paper towels and many fabric towels. If you are getting a build-up on the park station, continually cleaning it is like dumping a quart of oil into your car instead of fixing the leak.

Sometimes ink dries in the hose leading from the park pad to the waste ink sponge, passing through the cleaning pump on the way. Or the hose pops off the bottom of the park pad. This will cause ink to build up, and cleaning cycles will have little effect. So check the hose, and a few drops of cleaning solution may clean out the hose. See my signature for a recipe.