[ForSale-Swap] Re: cleaning printer "heads"

[Eric Jones]

de N4TGC Eric

Jim, et alia: I'm a little confused (my usual condition) - do you mean the
cartridge (which IS the 'print head'), or the cartridge carrier, which also
gets gummed up?  I rescued a printer with a carrier so loaded with dried ink
that it was stuck!  I dismantled the printer (Canon's mostly just snap
apart; there's two screws way down inside, then at least one more holding
the carrier on - I don't usually work on any other brand) and soaked the
dingus in 50% rubbing alcohol, and brushed it under warm running water
(don't do this in the kitchen sink while your wife is watching ...). Shake
the excess off, and let dry before re-installing.

As for the cartridge itself, I prop the actual print face in a small pool of
70 - 90% alcohol poured into a plastic top (a saucer would do) and leave it
overnight. I blot it gently with a rag, and try it. (BTW, all modern
printers have a test program built in - it does NOT have to be hooked onto a
computer!) Even an 'empty' cartrige should print something faint (I can
usually tell if it's empty by it's (lack of) weight). I buy re-fill kits
from the likes of Ink-Jet SouthWest (unpaid plug). I've had 90% success
resurrecting old cartridges - to the point I've not bought a new one in five
years!
    HTH, and YMMV    e