FotoHog Loc: on Cloud 9

Print heads need regular maintenance to keep them performing flawlessly. The more we print the less likely they will clog. I do not do a lot of printing and as a result experienced clogging on many occasions. It can take a lot of effort (and money) to get the suckers back to work properly.

Here is my "secret solution" to the clogging headache: First clean the head thoroughly according to the manufacturer's instructions, and then keep the ink flowing by printing a small patch (4"x6") of each separate solid color on a sheet of plain paper once or twice a month. Once a month is usually enough. That prevents each color from clogging the print head. Yes, it wastes a bit of ink but not nearly as much as when you have to do the annoying cleaning, especially deep cleaning.
This may not be news to many, but I had never heard about this before and have been ink clogging "caniption free" for a long time . . . . Happy Anti-Clogging Day !!!

distill Loc: Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire UK

Just had my printer ip8750 come up with an error, traced it to print head, removed ran under water for ages and replaced, all printing fine now but I did have my fingers crossed. Will now do your tip every month. Loved your site and images, stunning

Peterfiore Loc: Where DR goes south

I make a 6"x9" print every week. The print is from an ongoing body of work. The heads stay in perfect shape...

markwilliam1

I simply use the Nozzle Check couple times a week. Uses very little ink. Works like a charm on my Epson 3000.

Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

I just don’t buy Epson anymore. My Canons have Never had a clogged head even with 3rd party ink.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

An ultrasonic cleaner works wonders for unclogging heads. I have an old one from K&E left over from my drafting/design days.

markwilliam1

How long have you let them sit before printing? From what I’ve read Canon printers clog also due to lack use!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I think it depends on the Canon printer. I have a 9000 pro MKII 13” photo printer that literally sat for 2 years without being powered up or making a print. Several of the cartridges were dried up, so I bought a cheap set of after market cartridges to see if there was hope before investing $130 in a set of genuine Canon cartridges. To my complete amazement, it printed perfectly on the first try.

markwilliam1

I had an old Epson 2200 printer that could set for long time and still printed perfectly. Man I miss that Awesome printer! My Epson 3000 needs to print twice a week to avoid clogs 😡!

one_eyed_pete Loc: Colonie NY

Qimage software includes an option to automatically print a "purge print" on whatever schedule you define. I have it set to print a 5"x7" purge print every 4 days That happens regardless if I'm home or away and even wakes up my computer if it's hibernating. It keeps my Epson photo printer free of clogs and ready to go.

markwilliam1

That still uses a lot of ink! Why not use Nozzle Check instead? My Epson 3000 had 9 ink tanks and printing a 5X7 image almost twice a week would be Very Expensive!

CTTonymm Loc: Connecticut

Some suggestions:
Go to YouTube.com and search for "jtoolman" videos - this is José Rodriguez printing techie who hosts a multitude of printing videos and discussions - around 1700 videos and 6.7k subscribers. You will find lots of "How-to" clean, maintain, unclog print heads for various printers - and learn the best ink refill suppliers. I have learned so much here and my Epson r1900 (2012-2013 model) is running just fine on 3rd party ink recommended by José (Precision Colors).

Use Windex Original to clean printer platens and underside of printheads (find how to in videos above)

Strongly recommend buying Qimage (Binartem) software for all printer setup and printing, printer management and the unclog scheduled printing procedure (they recommend running a print with their unclog pattern around every 4 days to keep print head ink channels from clogging/drying out). And you will notice that there are many Canon printers experiencing these clogging problems - it ain't just Epsons !

one_eyed_pete Loc: Colonie NY

For me, Two reasons. I don't know if you've seen the purge prints produced by Qimage but it's a lot less ink than a typical 5x7 print because it consists of a series of lines of varying thickness to exercise every nozzle. Yes, it's more ink than a typical nozzle check but it does a more thorough job of exercising the nozzles. The biggest reason is it's automatic (set it and forget it) whether you are home at the computer or in Hawaii. I don't know any way of setting up automatic nozzle checks and I haven't seen any option for changing paper size for a nozzle check. I have to print nozzle checks on full size sheets then manually flip them over and turn them around and I also cut the sheets in half so I don't waste too much paper. Don't forget you can schedule the purge prints once a week or once a month if you prefer.

Whatever method you use would be a small fraction of the ink used for a single cleaning cycle. Once upon a time I've gone thru a whole set of OEM ink carts doing repeated cleaning cycles before clearing all the nozzle plugs after letting the printer sit for a few months.

FotoHog Loc: on Cloud 9

markwilliam1

Do you keep your printer turned on all the time?