Inkjet Printhead Cleaning Method

[sandenscot]

alien steve.....I use Carrot ink...only as it was recommended in consumer reports as the only non oem ink to work well...dont know what you mean by cis......everything else is normal....no refillables...only new Carrot

 

[AlienSteve]

OK. CIS means Continuous Ink System, aka Bulk Feed System BFS, aka lots of other variations.

 

[sandenscot]

ok, then based on the fact that it is carrot, any other thoughts....just ran a standard cleaning and it is printing ok so perhaps a few days of idlt time did the trick. Is there one general process that is recommended for cleaning the head...and do you do it every often even if everything is oK?...thanks

 

[AlienSteve]

Perhaps Mikling was correct about it being a trapped air bubble, and the air has now 1. been sucked out by cleaning cycles 2. risen out of the head (unlikely, through that mesh) 3. been absorbed into the ink. Perhaps a combination of 1. and 2.

No, I do not run cleaning cycles unless there is a problem. On it's own the printer will run cleaning cycles occasionally. I is a waste of ink for you to add more cleaning cycles.

Look at the park pad, is it clean? It is normal for the "sponge" inside to be very dark with ink. It should look damp, but not drenched. The rubber seal around it should be clean, no hairs, no globs of ink although it may appear slightly damp.

See my signature for Canon cleaning.

 

[AlienSteve]

I strongly suggest against "pure" ammonia. It's corrosive to metals, and with a lot in the cartridge the vapors are a lot stronger. Which is also bad to breath. And it doesn't help the cleaning any.

Windex is already highly diluted. And you must be using "Windex with Ammonia D" or it doesn't have any ammonia in it, anyway.

BTW, the vinegar based Windex cleaners can solidify clogs. The way it has been explained to me is that most dye and pigmented inks are chemically dismantled based partly on the alkaline pH of ammonia. But vinegar has an acidic pH.

 

[Audra]

Partially clogged nozzle? Ok, I have a problem with my Canon MP780 printhead that is not resolving itself easily by any means. I am suspecting that the Cyan nozzle is partially clogged because in the cyan portion of the nozzle check, in color prints, and blue color tests, I am getting fine horizontal banding. Of course, this make the printer useless for color prints.
I have read through all the posts about cleaning clogged nozzles/print heads, and have tried many of the suggestions: (1) cleaning cycles, with and without pauses of several minutes in between (2) deep cleaning cycles, (3) print head alignment, auto and manual, (4) putting in a new Cyan cartridge. I tried flushing the cyan inlet with denatured ethanol, no improvement. I tried cleaning cycles with a denatured ethanol filled cartridge, but no improvement.

Then when all that did not work, I removed the print head and tried various cleaning methods, with testing in between to see if the clog was gone. I tried (1) reasonably hot water flushing (nozzle check still striped for cyan), (2) then I tried the water, followed by spraying windex on the channels that hold the cartridges, bottom of the head, which flushed out some residual cyan ink, followed with a water rinse--still same banding with cyan, (3) then I tried water, windex, followed by a shallow soak with 10% ammonia for about 1 hour, with changes of ammonia, followed by rinsing with water. I did this as before until I didn't see any cyan coming out the head. Still same banding problem with the cyan color on nozzle check, and same banding problem when printing color photos. So then I tried (4) water rinse, windex, soak with 10% ammonia, blew air through the head (not too forcefully), soaked in 10% ammonia overnight, blew air through, water rinse...and still the same banding pattern with the cyan. So then I tried (5) a water rinse, windex, and then 50% ammonia (I know this is harsh) soak of the cyan inlet, with 10 minute shallow soak, followed by a water rinse.
Same result, my other colors and blacks (I have not had problems with the black inks with this printer) look great, but the cyan has the same horizontal banding pattern (on a nozzle check the banding represents about 10% of the total area). I have tested the print quality in between the manual head cleanings I have done, and the inks are the same--great for the 4, banding for the cyan whether it is just after I have reinserted the cartridges and done a head alignment, or after running a cleaning cycle or cyan blue purge print.
I have used the same ink since I bought the machine over a year ago--it is from www.re-inks.com, non-OEM ink. I have typically refilled my cartridges with re-inks, but lately I used some new cartridges from re-inks that come filled just for ease. I have read other's posts about Formulabs inks, etc, but again, I have been using the same ink from re-inks for a year without major problems. I don't use my printer every day, so occasionally I have had clogged nozzles, which in the past have been rectified by printer cleanings, or deep head cleaning, or switching out the cartridge. I have never had to remove and clean the head in the past to resolve the problem, but since ink did leak from the cyan cartridge when I first got the printer, I thought perhaps ink had built up and a head removal and cleaning would solve the problem, but it has not.
I am at the point of thinking I will have to buy a new print head, but I am concerned perhaps something else is causing this banding pattern (the stripes) and that I will go to the expense just to wind up in the same place.
Any suggestions on how to resolve this problem with the white stripes in my cyan color (which appear worse in the lighter cyan color rather than darker cyan)? I hope someone has some insight into this problem. Thanks!

 

[AlienSteve]

Denatured alcohol softens some plastics.

There is a problem with using any alcohol when used by itself- it mixes with any water present, diluting it, but then it evaporates quickly. Using just alcohol by itself can potentially make a clog worse. I use isopropyl as part of my cleaning mix.

 

[fotofreek]

If you feel adventurous look up Grandad35's disassembly of printheads. Just be sure to grind off the little plastic nibs that hold the ribbon connection to the printhead as you will damage the connections by overstressing the ribbon. Some clogs occur in the plastic body of the printhead assembly and not necessarily in the nozzle plate. Compressed air though the body after removing the nozzle plate is a "last ditch" effort before buying a new printhead. Best price I've found for factory sealed new printheads is http://www.inkcessories.com/. Some people report getting good deals on ebay, but I know that the inkcessories heads are new and factory sealed.

 

[websnail]

Just a quick addition to the printhead cleaning thread..

HP (Hewlett Packard) K550 and most other HP printheads to be fair.


All that's really required is a cleaning solution (I bought mine from MIS rather than tear my hair out looking for ammonia, etc..) and some absorbant pads

Soak an area on the pad large enough for the printhead to then sit on and leave to soak. The cleaning fluid will wick into the printhead and eventually you end up with an absorbant pad soaked in dissolved ink and cleaning fluid.

Patience is most definitely the key! and occassional swapping of the pad for a new one with more cleaning fluid as required.

Works like a charm.

 

[AlienSteve]

Yes, this is a good method to clean HP print heads. Works to empty them, too, if you leave it there too long. ;')

Patience is definitely a virtue when cleaning any print heads.

It's strange how different our countries are when it comes to finding "common" chemicals. Any grocery store or drugstore or dollar store here carries ammonia, the tricky part is finding nonsudsing clear unscented ammonia.