Et-7700 No longer printing after print head cleaning

[bountycrook]

The print head was clogged, build up of ink gunk on the print head. I disassembled the print head and wiped the face off with isopropyl alcohol and cotton pads. I also cleaned the gunk off the wiper blade and cleaned the sponges off. Now I get no ink dispensing out of the print head where as before I was getting some ink even if it looks awful.

 

[bountycrook]

I guess I needed to prime the ink nozzles? I used some silicone tubing and the air output of a powered infant nose sucker and pumped from the fill port of the tanks while it was printing.

 

[bountycrook]

Well that didn't work.

 

[davidparker]

Wiping the nozzle face with isopropyl alcohol can push dissolved ink into the nozzles, and if it dries there it leaves a film that stops ink from firing at all — that would match going from bad output to nothing. The suction trick through the fill port may also have pulled air into the damper rather than priming it, especially if the tubing seal wasn't tight. Before anything else, I'd check whether the cartridge is actually recognized by the printer and whether the damper has ink in it. If it's empty or foamy, that points to air ingestion rather than a dead head. How does the nozzle check pattern look now — completely blank, or partial?