Clean Your Printer Cartridges

We’ve spent a lot of time discussing various ways to save money on your printer ink. However, we haven't talked much about maintaining the quality of the ink in your printer and the quality of the outcome you get whatever you print documents. Today, we're going to concentrate on some of the things that you can do to ensure that the quality emitted by your printed documents.

Many people are curious as to the inner workings of a computer printer and as to why some days are better than others in terms of print quality. Often times, and unbeknownst to most people, print heads and printer cartridges become dirty or cluttered with debris thereby damaging print quality. The best way to ensure that your print quality maintains optimum levels is to ensure that your print heads and your printer cartridges are clean. So, how do you do this?

The first thing you should do is to run a test print with your printer. Most computer printers come equipped with standard print tests and will print a pattern of targets or other inanimate shapes. Upon examining the quality of your test print, you might notice streaking, heavily inked areas, light areas, illegible areas, et cetera. If, upon examining your test print, you find the quality is not as pristine as you desire, it may be time to clean your print head or your printer cartridge.

You should start with cleaning the print head. If you have your computer printer manual, now would be a good time to break it out. Some printers have varying instructions as to how the print head cleaning process should be undertaken. The good news is that most modern printers have automatic print head and printer cartridge cleaning guidelines. Simply follow the instructions given in your printer's manual, and you'll have a pristine print in no time.

After you’ve followed these instructions, it’s a good idea to run another test print. If you find that even your "post-cleaning" print quality is not up to par, you may find it beneficial to undergo a manual cleaning of the print cartridges.

Manually cleaning a print cartridge can be kind of intimidating at there are a few quick steps you can follow to ensure that you end up with a smooth flowing print without damaging your cartridge. The solution you use to clean your print cartridge should be at least 90% alcohol. For example, consider using a solution of 10% water to 90% isopropyl alcohol and a dry handkerchief or rag. You should not use cotton balls or Q-tip; nothing that could leave behind fibers, on your print head or print cartridge.

Simply soak your handkerchief or rag in your alcohol solution and wipe the print cartridge before running a subsequent test print. After you've run a test print, you may repeat the process if desired. However, by this point, your printer should be printing perfectly. However, if you notice that your printer ink is pooling, running, or skipping, it may be time for a new printer ink cartridge, to have a qualified professional examine your printer.