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Troubleshooting common
inkjet printer problems
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Inkjet printers aren’t as complex as laser printers; therefore, there’s less that can go wrong with them. On the
flip side, many inkjet printers sell for well under $100 and just aren’t built to last. The vast majority of problems
with inkjet printers involve either communications problems ( with the computer) or problems with print quality.
Here are a few solutions to the most common inkjet printer problems.
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A word to the wise
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Before I get started, I’d like to point out that this article is intended only to assist with
basic printer repair and maintenance. If you’re unsure of your ability to perform any sort of printer repair, or
if performing such repairs will void the printer's warranty, you should contact a qualified service professional
or the manufacturer.
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Print quality and
the print head
By far the most common problem with inkjet printers is poor print quality. Usually, these problems manifest themselves
in the form of horizontal white lines running through each line of print. These white lines are caused by clogged
nozzles that aren’t dispensing ink. Some printer manufacturers are trying to solve this problem by incorporating
the print head into the ink cartridge. By doing so, each time you get a new ink cartridge, you also get a new print
head.
Replacing the print head along with the ink cartridge may sound
like a good solution at first, but what happens if you are using a printer that doesn’t have a disposable print
head, or if your ink cartridges aren’t ready to change yet?
Cleaning the print head
In such cases, you can sometimes fix the problem by using a cotton swab to rub alcohol on the surface of the print
head. Alcohol (while ethyl alcohol or denatured might work you can also try plain drug store isopropyl) is a solvent
and will usually help to dissolve any ink buildup that might be clogging the print head. After cleaning the print
head with alcohol, I usually use a paper towel to gently wipe any excess ink off of the print head. When you’re
done manually cleaning the print head, turn the printer on and run the printer’s built-in cleaning process. The
method for initiating the cleaning mode varies widely between printer models, so you’ll have to check your manufacturer’s
recommendations to see how to initiate the cleaning mode on your particular printer.
Cleaning the printhead on the inkjet printer is not really
recommended. But, if its dead , what do you have to loose. Cleaning the printhead my clog the tiny inkjets. there
are 50 on the black cartridge. Also, if you leave a hair or some lint from your cloth then the print will have
black lines running through it(fiber tracking). I have experience with inkjet printers and the only issue I have
ever seen with the data cable is when an enduser has pulled it out.
Check the print head ribbon
Occasionally, you may run into a situation in which cleaning a print head doesn’t fix the problem. There are a
few other things that can cause the white lines besides just a dirty print head. One other possibility is that
some of the printing instructions may not be making it to the print head. Although I’ve never seen this occur on
a newer printer, it’s not at all uncommon for the print head ribbon to work its way partially loose on some older
printers. If you’re trying to fix an older inkjet printer, make sure that the print head ribbon is secured firmly
to the print head. You can see the print head ribbon in Figure A. The ribbon is the wide gray cable connecting
the print head to the printer’s system board.
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Figure A
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On some older printers, the print head ribbon has a tendency to come loose.
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Paper dust
Another thing that can cause the white lines that I described earlier is paper dust interfering with an electrical
connection. You may have noticed that a print cartridge contains potentially dozens of electrical contact points,
as shown in Figure B. When a printer is very heavily used, paper dust can sometimes work its way in-between
the print cartridge and the cartridge housing. This dust can interfere with the printer’s ability to send instructions
to the print cartridge. To remove the dust, unplug the printer and clean the print head’s electrical contacts with
alcohol. Make sure that the alcohol has dried completely before reinserting the ink cartridge or plugging the printer
back in.
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Figure B
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You can sometimes fix a printing problem by cleaning the print head’s electrical
contacts.
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If all of these techniques fail to fix the problem, then there’s a good chance that a mechanism inside of the print
head has gone bad, and the print head will need to be replaced.
A failure to communicate
The other major cause of inkjet printer malfunctions is communications failures. Inkjet printers are susceptible
to the same sort of communications problems as any other printer. Therefore, if your printer is printing gibberish,
or nothing at all, turn off the printer and the PC to which it is connected. Verify that all cables are tight and
that the printer is getting power. Turn the printer back on and then the PC. Most of the time, this will fix any
sort of communications problems that might be present.
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