Cleaning Solution

Using The Printer’s Self-Cleaning Mechanism

The simplest way to clean a blocked printer head is to use the printers self-cleaning  mechanism  however, this mechanism is only useful for lightly blocked printer heads.  the older you inkjet printer and cartridge gets, the less useful this method will become. Still, in the earlier stages it can be very effective.

This mechanism is available with most modern printers but the method  of activation may vary from one brand to another. Some brands have a button on the printer that you can press to activate the self-cleaning  mechanism, while others have the commend available in the software. In the latter case, you’ll have to open the ‘properties’ tab of the specific printer from the ‘printer’s  section ‘control panel’.

Using Air through the Channels to Push Dry Ink Out

In the majority of cases, printer’s self-cleaning  mechanism clean blocked printer heads by flushing the nozzles with air. The air works to dislodge dry ink inside the cartridge channels  and also push it out. The intensity of the self-cleaning process of printers is usually not vary  strong.

This means that if you can find a way to increase  the air pressure inside the cartridge  channels then it will probably clean the cartridge faster. The only way to do this would be to used a pipe of the right diameter. This pipe will need to be attached to the nozzle of the cartridge on the end and a handheld vacuum cleaner o the other.

The vacuum cleaner can be used to either blow air  into the cartridge or suck the dry ink out. When you blow air into the cartridge, you’ll see ink coming out from the other end. Keep in mind that nozzle channels in your cartridge are delicate and can’t take too much  air pressure. so, try to the pressure from the vacuum cleaner.