What is the best cleaning/ unclogging method for you?

[sophia]

I find the site very helpful. I think it's fate that I stumbled into it while doing endless research on refilling

I am interested to know what cleaning method you are using which you find very effective and highly recommended. Same question goes for unclogging printheads. Can an ultrasonic cleaner really unclog or does it do more damage? wet tissues heated in a microwave oven... centrifuging... steam gun... are most of the things I've come upon. I've tried most of it... I'm still undecided which one works best. I need tips form the experts?

 

[sophia]

Anyone would like to share their experiences? Or am I the only one going gaga searching for the effective-- and less costly-- cleaning and unclogging method?

Anyone? Please

 

[Nifty]

sophia, glad you like the forum!

That's a tricky question. Everyone has different techniques for cleaning printheads and some techniques seem to work better on different print head models. Issues with cartridges and ink only add more variables to the problem. I've spent lots of time trying to solve a printhead issue only to find it was a cartridge / ink issue.

My list of cleaning techniques are here: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=63

Fortunatley I haven't (yet) had to do anything past step #2 with distilled water on my canon print head, but I've used most of the other techniques on other printers.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[BlasterQ]

I still have to encounter printhead clogging that cannot be resolved by the standard head cleaning routine done by software, however, soaking the printhed in windex seems like what most people do and with good results.
Compressed air is also on the top list.
If I do encounter stubborn clogging, I will go with Windex, and if that fails, a can of compressed air should do the trick.

 

[LinkinParkIM14]

I recently unclogged a particularly sneaky clog on the cyan color. I used pure alcohol, first letting it sit in it,
then presing it against heated alcohol on a paper towel, andd then back to the bowl of alcohol, i got a syringe, added a straw to the end, hot-glued it on, and filled it up with alcohol, then putting that around the ink receptors. OR whatever the metallic things are that the ink soaks through. I couldn't do it on the bigger 3ebk one. But mainly i was doing ti for the cyan. After that, i again let it soack and then put it on top of a fan blowing straight upwards, for 3 hours. Putting it back in, it prints without any problem. Untill the 5th 4x6 came out. Now i suspect a bad ink that i refilled with. I dont know. I'll have to check into it. But it did minimize the light banding i was seeing.

 

[Nifty]

LP, thanks for that post! I really like the methods you tried and I'd agree that it sounds like the ink is suspect. Do you have an OEM magenta that you could put in and use to see if it is a ink issue or a reoccurring nozzle issue?

 

[sophia]

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for the tips
The cartridges i mainly have problems unclogging are hp17/23/78 and i also have a problem on hp 26 and 29
Thanks for your help

 

[LinkinParkIM14]

actually, since i just got a new IP4000, it came with OEM catridges which i could put in the MP780( the one that has light banding), but i've decided to print most photos on the new ip4000 for now anyways.