Manuals

Cleaning the Print Cartridges

Cleaning your print cartridges can improve the quality of printing.

If your printed page is missing lines or dots, perform Procedure 1 below. If your printed page contains streaked ink, perform Procedure 2.

Procedure 1: Correcting missing lines or dots

Clean the print cartridges when you notice that the lines or dots are missing from your printed text and graphics, as shown in the left margin. The print cartridges can be cleaned from the HP Toolbox.

NOTE: Do not clean the print cartridges unnecessarily, as this wastes ink and shortens the life of the print cartridge.

To clean the print cartridges from the HP Toolbox:

1. Double-click the HP Toolbox icon on the computer screen.
2. Click the Printer Services tab.

NOTE: MS-DOS users can clean print cartridges from the HP DeskJet Control Panel for MS-DOS.

3. Click Clean the print cartridges and follow the directions on the screen.

If the preceding procedure does not improve the print quality, your print cartridges might be low on ink. Replace the print cartridges.

Procedure 2: Eliminating ink streaks

Customers using HP DeskJet printers in dusty environments might occasionally experience ink streaks or smearing because of a small accumulation of debris inside the printer. This debris can include dust, hair, carpet, or clothing fibers. Ink streaking is easily prevented or corrected by doing scheduled cleaning to three areas of the printer: the print cartridges, the print cartridge cradle, and the service station. HP recommends that you perform this cleaning every 3 months.

Before you begin, make sure you have the following materials available:

• Cotton swabs or any soft material that will not come apart or leave fibers (for example, a piece of clean cotton cloth).
• Distilled, filtered, or bottled water (tap water might contain contaminants that can damage the print cartridges).
• Scrap paper or paper towels to set the print cartridges on while you are working.

CAUTION: Be careful not to get ink on your hands or clothing.

Steps to Clean Your Printer

1. Remove the print cartridges
   1. Turn the printer on and lift the printer's top cover. The print cartridges move to the center of the printer.
   2. After the print cartridges have moved to the center of the printer, unplug the black power cord from the back of the printer.
   3. Remove the print cartridges and place them on their sides on a scrap piece of paper.

CAUTION: Once you've removed the print cartridges, make sure that they are not outside of the printer for more than 15 minutes.

WARNING: Keep new and used print cartridges out of the reach of children.

2. Clean the print cartridges
   1. Dip a clean cotton swab into distilled water and squeeze any excess water from the swab.
   2. Grasp the black print cartridge by the colored cap.
   3. Clean the face and edges of the print cartridge as shown. DO NOT wipe the nozzle plate.
      
   4. Hold the print cartridge up to the light to inspect for fibers on the face and edges. If fibers are still present, repeat steps 2a through 2c.
   5. Repeat steps 2a through 2d with the tri-color print cartridge using a clean, moistened cotton swab to avoid any contamination.
3. Clean the print cartridge cradle
   1. Position yourself at eye level with the printer.
   2. Locate the cradle that holds the print cartridges, then locate the three black, hook-shaped arms on the bottom of the cradle.
   3. Using clean, moistened swabs, wipe the flat surfaces (shaded area) on the undersides of each arm from back to front. Repeat until no ink residue is seen on a clean swab.

4. Clean the service station
   1. Using a clean, moistened swab, clean the rim of the sponge holder.
   2. Remove any built-up ink and fibers from the top of the sponge. If the sponge is higher than the rim, use the cotton swab to push it below the rim.
   3. Using a clean, moistened swab, clean wiper 1 and the top surface of cap 1.
      

      CAUTION: Use light force when cleaning the print cartridge caps. Heavy force might unseat the caps, eventually causing damage to the print cartridges.

   4. Using a clean, moistened swab, clean wiper 2 and the top surface of cap 2.

5. Reinstall the print cartridges
   1. Reinstall the print cartridges and close the printer's top cover.
   2. Reinsert the power cord into the back of the printer.
   3. Print a test page. On the Printer Services tab of the HP Toolbox, click Print a test page.
   4. Examine the printout for ink streaking.

NOTE: This procedure should remove all fibers that would cause ink to streak on a printout. However, fibers can be missed. If the printout still shows streaking, repeat the procedure until the test printout is clear and sharp. HP recommends that you perform this procedure every 3 months. This procedure and additional maintenance tips are located on the HP Customer Care Web site at: http://www.deskjet-support.com/maintenance.

Aligning the Print Cartridges

To ensure that you get the best print quality, align the print cartridges for the final step in setting up your printer. Also, be sure to align the cartridges whenever you install a new cartridge.

1. Be sure the printer's IN tray contains plain paper. Don't waste your photo or glossy paper by using them to align the cartridges.

2. Double-click the HP Toolbox icon on the computer screen.

3. Select the Printer Services tab, and then click Align the print cartridges. Follow the directions on the screen.