Date: May 31, 2005
Subject: Ink Jet Printer Maintenance

Ink jet printers have become an almost indispensable tool for many business. Their ability to print both high quality images and excellent text at a reasonably fast speed make them a viable alternative to the more costly colour laser printers. For all their simplicity and ease of use ink jet printers are precision instruments and should be treated as such.

Mechanically there is not a great deal that can be done to maintain the average ink jet printer other than occasionally removing excess dust from the interior of the machine. As most ink jet ink is water soluble carefully wipe down all exposed areas and paper rollers with a slightly dampened cloth. Do not use pressurized air as this could force loose particles into the print head, clogging the print nozzles and resulting in gaps in the printout. When finished ensure that no water residue remains on the printer.

The ink itself has a specific shelf life that varies by manufacturer. If they have never been removed from their original packaging most ink cartridges will have a shelf life of several months to two or three years. Once the ink cartridge has been opened this time is reduced to three or four months or less. If an ink cartridge has been in your printer for half a year it should be replaced before it causes permanent damage to the print head. If the ink cartridge remains unused in the printer for a week or two it is almost certain to result in clogged nozzles on the print head. If you do not use the printer regularly you can prevent this to some extent by printing a test page or cleaning pattern on a weekly basis.

Gaps in the printer's output indicate that one or more nozzles are clogged. Most printers are supplied with a nozzle cleaning utility that can be used to attempt to resolve this problem. Alternate the nozzle cleaning utility with a test pattern. If gaps are still evident after several cycles leave the printer for an hour or two before printing a test pattern. This will allow opportunity for any air that the nozzle cleaning introduced into the print head to dissipate. If this does not resolve the problem very carefully wipe the print head with a slightly damp cloth to remove excess ink build-up. Use a lint free cloth to avoid leaving trace fibres behind as these will result in smearing of the printer's output.

When turning the printer off it is advisable to use the printer's power switch rather than turning it off with a power bar or other device. Many modern printers will seal the print head when powered off to slow down the rate at which the ink dries out and becomes useless. If the printer's power switch is not used to turn off the printer then the print head will not be sealed and the ink will dry out more quickly as will any ink remaining in the print head itself.

Most consumer level ink jet printers have a life expectancy of two to three years. If problems occur in these models that the above cannot resolve it is time to purchase a new printer. Due to their low cost it is not cost effective to have them serviced when they fail. If your high end business ink jet has problems that cannot be easily resolved it would be a good idea to contact a company such as ELM Computers prior to discarding it to see if it is worth being serviced.