Printer Repairs

Many people throw their inkjet printers away and purchase new ones rather than repairing them. They feel that in the end, it is cheaper to purchase another printer instead of taking the time to figure out what the problem is and then do their own printer repairs. Because they are afraid they may break their printers, many people wait until they need printer repairs, instead of maintaining and cleaning their inkjet printers. With just a few common household items, you can clean your printer. Often, this saves you from ending up purchasing a new printer.

Regular Upkeep

A clogged inkjet print head leads to missing colors or creates streaking on your printing. This is incredibly frustrating because the problem seems to happen when you are printing something important that you need right away. Instead of rushing out to purchase a new printer, it is time to put some effort into trying to fix the problem and do your own printer repairs. The print head mechanism of your inkjet cartridge is where the ink comes out. Using the head-cleaning cycle a few times, which is a function built into your printer, often flushes out print head clogs quickly and easily. It is smart to do this specialized routine often, to prevent future clogs.

The way this cleaning cycle works on your inkjet printer is that, while drawing tiny vacuum underneath, it sends a print signal to the printer at the same time. These two combined steps endeavor to suck out or remove the clogged ink blocking the print head. This could take five or six runs depending on the severity of the clog. Refer to the owner’s manual to find the specific instructions and location of this procedure, as each printer brand varies. If you lost or threw away the manual, the manufacturer’s website usually has a printer manual online.

Getting Rid of Print Head Clogs

Glass cleaner that contains ammonia usually works well for dissolving ink that has dried up or for tough print-head clogs. Soaking the print head in a solution of half ammonia and half distilled water often gets the job done. For print heads located right on the inkjet cartridges, soak the print head in this solution for a couple of hours. For inkjet printers that have the print head unit located inside the printer, remove the inkjet cartridges first and put the solution directly onto the nozzle holes. Leave this for a few hours but be sure to put a little on the print head resting seat, which is the little rubber rectangle that seals the print head unit. When using ammonia for printer repairs, be sure to always work in a well-ventilated room and never mix ammonia with other chemicals.