How to make clean an inkjet printer

Updated: 01/24/2018 by Computer Hope

Canon printer

Over fourth dimension, inkjet printers tin can become dirty due to excess ink "leaking" out of the ink cartridges. Ink can build upwardly on major components of the printer, causing the print quality to decrease. When this occurs, it may be necessary to clean the printer.

Tip

Before following any of the steps below, effort the printer cocky-cleaning feature. All modernistic printers have a self-cleaning ability, normally accessed past pressing and belongings ane or more than of the buttons on the front. If this doesn't help or if the printer needs cleaning beyond what the cocky-cleaning tin do, effort the steps below.

Cleaning an inkjet printer

To clean your printer, there are areas you need to focus on:

  • Print Heads
  • Ribbon
  • Ink Reservoir
  • Stabilizer Bar

Many printers include the print heads on the ink cartridges themselves. To clean these, remove the ink cartridges from the printer. Have a slice of newspaper towel, fold information technology into quarters and apply some isopropyl booze to it. And so, rub the paper towel gently along the print heads on the dorsum or underside of the ink cartridges. Running the paper towel along the print heads several times should be adequate to remove most, if non all, of the ink build-upward.

Next, takes some window cleaner (e.g., Windex) and spray it on a piece of paper towel, then make clean the ribbon that sits behind the ink cartridge tray. The ribbon is often white in color.

Circumspection

Be very careful when cleaning the ribbon. But utilise minimal pressure on the ribbon or you lot could risk disconnecting the ribbon from the printer on either side. Information technology is difficult to reconnect the ribbon, then be extremely gentle when cleaning information technology to avoid it from becoming disconnected.

And then, using a cotton swab, clean upward any ink build-up in the bottom of the ink cartridge tray (the ink reservoir). If necessary, you could use a little bit of booze on a cotton swab to help make clean up the ink.

Lastly, using some sewing machine oil or printer oil, identify a few small spots of oil along the stabilizer bar, which is the bar that the ink cartridge tray slides along. Performing this procedure should also reduce squeaking, crunching, and grinding printer noises.

Yous may also want to check the newspaper pickup rollers in the back of the printer. Usually, printers accept a dorsum panel that opens up, assuasive y'all to run into and access these rollers. Clean these rollers with either a cotton swab with alcohol or window cleaner. You can besides use some canned air to accident out any pieces of paper shreds that accept built up within the printer.