PC Hardware A Beginner’s Guide

(^584) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide
Packard and Canon printers, and those that separate the print head and ink reservoir,
such as an Epson.
Herearesomecleaningandmaintenancetipsthatcanextendthelifeofaninkjetprinter:

Clean the print nozzles regularly. Most inkjet printers have a built-in utility
to clean or unclog the print head nozzles. You should do this fairly regularly,
especially if the printer sits idle for a couple of weeks. If this doesn’t work, you
can remove the ink cartridge and use a swab or lint-free cloth (that you don’t
mind staining permanently) dampened with a small amount of isopropyl alcohol
and wipe the print head lightly. Don’t rub back and forth across the nozzles.
Reinstall the print cartridge and rerun the print head cleaning utility. If the
cartridge is still clogged, replace it.
 Never turn the printer off at a plug strip or surge suppressor or other power
source. Always use the printer’s power switch to turn it off. The printer has
some built-in functions, such as parking the print head, that are tied to the
power-off function of the printer’s on/off switch.
 Use inkjet quality paper. Standard bond paper, which is not treated for inkjet inks,
absorbs too much ink. On black and white printing, the result may be a fuzzy or
blurry print image. On color prints, the result may be light or blurred images.
Inkjet paper is treated to provide the best possible image. The printer’s owner’s
manual most likely has a recommendation for the paper that should be used.
Figure 22-10. An inkjet printer. Photo courtesy of Hewlett Packard Corporation