Inkjet cartridges don't come cheap and I have an inkjet printer by Canon I use on occasions. Sometimes it goes unused for months at a time and when I need it most, I only find that the ink cartridge has dried out or is completely clogged. If I'm lucky, cleaning the inkjet cartridge head works but most of the time I end up having to go buy another one. This is quite frustrating and a big waste of money.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who experiences this and my question is, what can I do to preserve the ink cartridge when it's not in use for a long period of time? Will removing the ink cartridge when not in use help? Or something else? Please help me out.
Much appreciated.-Submitted by: Gary H. If your ink cartridges are just ink, remove them and place a piece of scotch tape over the hole to seal it shut. If you have an HP and others that have an integrated print head in the cartridge, remove it and place tape over the print head. If you find it has got a clog, to get the ink flowing again, take warm water with a drop of Windex in the water, take a q-tip and soak it in the water, and then gently rub it over the print head to remove the clog, gently tap the cartridge, the corner of the cartridge not the print head, on folded paper towel to get the ink flowing again. If this does not work, and you get a stubborn clog, set the ink cartridge in the warm water solution for 10 to 15 minutes and then remove and gently wipe clean on paper towel. Do not use alcohol. It drys the ink out and can cause clogs more than help, and will turn some colored inks into a gel.
May 04, 2013 Low quality aftermarket ink can contribute to this problem but, I have even seen brand new Epson ink cartridges come with old dried out ink as well, although that is very uncommon. It is important to note that while many printer manufacturers use cheap disposable print heads attached to their cartridges, Epson does not.
Great suggestion rdarke250. I tried something like that on my clogged Brothers and Canon cartridges a few years ago, but the method only worked some of the time. Eventually they still clogged beyond ANY attempts. So the bottom line for people who only print infrequently, unless printing many photos (which inkjet printers beat laser printers in quality) is a necessity, why not just use laser printers and save all the hassles? For the odd photos, just go to places like Wal-Mart which charges like 19 cents for each print.
Gary H.Gary, I actually have two laser printers. One is for general printing and letters, and the other one is for high quality printing. I also have a Canon Inkjet printer for colour printing. Even though I don’t have to, at least once a month when I pay a bill online and the receipt is coloured, I use the inkjet printer. I have been using it for more than two years and it works every time.
If you do not have something that has colour that needs to be printed, I suggest you make a small colour chart and pick a day like the first of the month and print the chart out every month. It may seem like a waste of ink, but it will at least allow you to use all, or nearly all the ink in your cartridges.Ronald M.PS. I also believe that taking your cartridge out will just dry it out even faster. I find that the environment in which the printer is kept makes a huge difference. During Summer months I find that jets can dry and clog.
Because I had set up an older model (dual cartridge with heads attached) for my father to use as a photo copier, the normal summer heat would cause the heads to clog with dried ink. My solution for him was to create a copy page in colors, and large enough print (35 pt) to ensure that every jet head was activated:BLACKCYANMAGYELAfter creating the initial page, because the machine was not connected to a computer, I got my father to run a color copy of the created page twice a week. It didn't matter if he re-used a previous page or not, the back (or front) of a bad copy, just as long as a 'purge page' passed through the printer to exorcise ink-clog.Admittedly, this is a poorly insulated house that has no A/C. It gets so hot inside that 'sticky' hooks fall off the walls, so imagine how much evaporation of ink-solvent is taking place!I'm in a different position to you, in that I have a full-color Resin printer which is cheaper to run than laser-except that it's intended to be used all day, industrially, to achieve its economy.
Turning it on from a cold start requires a similar ink purge, except that it consumes as much ink as I would use in six months, and leaving it turned on sucks 125W of electricity. Fortunately, there is a purge by-pass function when turning it on. Because I'm not moving it around, meaning it never has to be put into lock-down mode for transport, I can save on this ink.You would think that this negates the need for a bubble-jet printer at all, except that the Canon is used primarily for printing Optical Discs.As long as you run a 'purge page' through your bubble-jet, once or twice a week, particularly in warmer weather, that should keep the head(s) free and clear.While I'm not permitted to advertise, and have no particular brand to recommend anyway, I suggest that you look into replacing cartridges with a Continuous Ink System. This means that you end up with a Reservoir Tank unit that sits beside the printer connected by ink-feed tubes to 'fake' cartridges in the printer. It may be an expensive up-front cost, but the amount of ink you are obtaining is far more cost-effective than the equivalent in original (or even copy) cartridges.My first such system outlasted the printer. Because you can see the levels of ink in the Reservoir you can always top it up without having to fiddle with the printer and you can safely tell the printer to 'ignore' empty cartridges, because you know they're not.
It also means that if you must run a head-cleaning cycle that the ink being wasted is much cheaper.With a CIS connected, you may find that you use the Bubble-Jet more frequently than the Laser. There are a few things you could try1)Keep the printer away from any heat source (windows, heating and air ducks)2)Print at least one page with each color about once every week or two (this is a waste of ink and paper)As for taking the inks out this may help the tanks but the heads will still have ink in them and that is where the inks usually dry’s and or becomes clogged.The best way around this inevitable situation is to purchase a color laser Printer / MFP as they use toner (which is already dry).
In the long run the laser printer will save you money.One little side note:If the claims from the inkjet manufactures are as good as they say they are then why are they still making laser / led Printers / MFP’s. Maybe just maybe they know that most of the inkjets are not as good as they claim. Or at least it should be; I don't print often enough to use up my original factory cartridge in my laser printer. I've been using the same 'short' cartridge for over 7 years now. I've never had to break open the regular size cartridge that I bought at the same time!!
When I was using ink jet it cost me whether I printed or not, because of all the clogged or dried up ink. So it ended up costing me big time each time I finally needed to print something important. I have a brand new ink jet I've never setup, and it is still in the box - because my laser really does everything I need, in black and white.
I will admit though that I'd sure like to use the DVD printer feature on the stored machine!! Reminds me of a work story. I won't mention where I worked or the department that was involved.
They had a budget for IT stuff. The rule was, usually, that it was better to EXCEED your budget. If you didn't spend your budget in one fiscal year, you got a shortened (smaller) budget the next year and a nasty-gram from management that the money could have been used elsewhere. (Here's where the printer stuff comes in). So, they had all this extra money just before the end of the year and wound up spending it on laser cartridges. They bought TONS and then someone discovered that they had an expiration date on them. They could NOT use the cartridges in the time-frame needed.
Was written up by the press, I think. You just reminded me of that story. I know what you mean - we had the same problem in the Army - I finally got smart and started trading the TONs of supplies we bought with civilian offices in the area that needed those supplies for the stuff we actually did need. It was a good system, and the tax payers got their value from us that way.
Many of the places we traded with were also government offices on a budget, some were non profit services organizations, but they had what we needed, and we had what they needed, so we traded value for value on a cost basis, and we both came out like a champ!As far as toner cartridges, I looked at what a Brother full sized B/W toner cost, and it was WAY less that I was spending on dried up ink cartridges before - so depending on whether you use you ink jet everyday, the ink jet might be cheaper - if not every day, I can't see why toner isn't the winner. I had an Epson printer for years. Couldn't believe the amount of 'cleanings' I had to do with it - and it used up a massive amount of ink. Cartridges WAY too expensive. I hesitated to get an HP as I was mesmerized by all the different models.
I was initially attracted to it because it mentioned that the ink used for cleaning is recycled. Finally got one and haven't need to clean the heads in years - not once. I was in disbelief though when one HP tech told me to leave it on, another one told me to turn it off immediately after each use. The 'notices' that the ink has expired are irritating. I believe someone got HP for that one. Depending on factors such as local electricity rate, refrigerator efficiency, etc., running a refrigerator can typically cost between $13 to $18 dollars per month.
If I am going away for the winter, I would not leave any food in the refrigerator, and turned it off. Assuming your customer goes away for 4 months, leaving the refrigerator on just to prevent the ink cartridge from going dry will cost them on average (based on $15) $60 in their hydro bill. That would buy them a new ink cartridge (or even several), or a laser cartridge. So this method only solves the drying problem, not the cost problem? With 3 Brother laser printers and two injet printers I run those machines continuously so the ink does not dry out. But you can still get clogged print heads.If your inkjet print heads clog up, try a shot of ammonia mixed in hydrogen peroxide injected with a syringe into the ink port will clear the clog.
Wait a while after injecting, and you may have to do it a few times, printing a test page each time (NOT an ink cleaning which just clogs it more). You can also put a shot of ammonia into the ink cartridge which works like adding a can of fuel injector cleaner in your car gas tank.For those concerned about the cost of ink/toner: I buy GENERIC toner and inkjet cartridges in bulk online, have had NO problem with printing or ink drying out, even in my very old Brother machines one being ten years old and still printing. The price is crazy on generic Brother TN115 and TN450 toner for $8 each, and inkjet cartridges for Brother MFC-6490CW for $3 each. Then recycle them and receive $2 each at Office Depot and Staples.
I have an old HPCse printer, the kind that actually still prints with an empty color cartridge in it. I was given a bunch of old cartridges filled with ink that had dried out. After googling around, I found that I can actually simmer the cartridges standing up in a pot of water for 20 minutes (about 3/4 inch deep)- and then they are perfectly fine.Have not done this with Epson cartridges but I certainly would try before throwing them out.Also, when the old HP has trouble feeding the paper, I take an Emory nail file and roughen up the rollers that pull in the paper. Because they are worn smooth after years of use!Barbara. I had an similar experience for several years with HP cartridges. They would begin to dry up by exhibiting drop outs & streaking. I solved this problem with countless printheads using an coffee cupwarmer.
By taking an cleaned Smuckers peanut jar lid, filling it with distilled water, I found it sitsperfectly in the coffee warmer. Once the liquid is warmed (not too hot), Remove the lid from the warmer. Place the print head in the liquid and rest the step portion of the cartridge on the lid edge (perfect fit).Allow ten minutes to soak or until the liquid has cooled and remove the cartridge. Press cartridge gently on an paper towel. If an color unit, all three colors will be viewed. Ready for the printer.
Be very careful, as the switches are very delicate. Have had good luck with this combination. I have two HP printers on my network. My 3210 all in one series is about 10 + yrs old. This machine runs its own maintenance when turned on, it has never dried out and there are 6 cartridges. When i shut it down i kill power to it completely. Ink is however expensive, but lasts long enough to warrant keeping it.The newer model HP7525 eats ink up and has two black cartridges.
One is supposed to be just for photos but still draws black from both when printing anything????? HP is all i ever owned and never had issues. Coming from the North East USA here!!!!
When ink soaks into paper quickly, it often dries faster. But the very nature of glossy paper requires that the paper fibers be more closed and therefore ink penetrates glossy paper much more slowly, if at all. Because of this lack of absorbency, some method other than being absorbed into the paper must be used to speed up the drying time of ink on glossy paper. When using most home printers, the user is limited in the types of ink available. But when possible, those printing at home should purchase inks or toners that are designed for glossy paper.