Cartridge Care - Inkjet Cartridges
Inkjet Cartridges
Inkjet printer cartridges work on the principle of rapidly heating ink in a series of extremely fine capillary holes known as jets or nozzles that have their own individual microscopic heating elements.
As the print head moves across the page and the print paper moves forward the data sent from the computer is converted in the printer electronics to electronically ‘fire’ the appropriate jet element at the right time. This forms a bubble of ink which is deposited onto the paper to form part of a character, whether it is a letter, numeral or graphic, hence the term ‘bubble jet printer’.
A typical cartridge may have between 48 and 128 jets and associated heating elements, depending on the type and manufacturer, with a capability to print 300 to 1400 plus dots per square inch.
The ink flowing through the rapidly heating jets is also used to cool them. This gets the heating jets ready again for the next data pulse to cause them to ‘fire’ again. Through this process the correct operating temperature of each individual jet is maintained.
Special Note: As the ink runs out and the cartridge empties, or if the cartridge has not been used for a long time and a blockage has occurred, jet elements can burn out if printing is continued for any length of time. This renders the cartridge useless for refilling. This condition is known as ‘electrically dead’. This can be compared to an old style electric kettle boiling dry, as the element simply burns out.
Indications of ink running out or jets becoming blocked are: parts of printed characters will have lines of missing print area appearing through them or in extreme cases there will be almost no sign of print on the page. When printing colour photographs a sudden change of colour may occur.
As soon as you observe any print defects occurring, immediately cease printing and carry out the print head cleaning procedure for one or two cycles. Carry out a nozzle or print test and repeat the clean cycle and print test if the first attempt is unsatisfactory.
Refer to your printer operation manual for full details on how to carry out these functions.
Should you still not obtain satisfactory results, the cartridge is probably empty.
Note, with a colour cartridge one colour usually runs out before the others. Do not continue printing with the remaining colours as the jets of the one that has run out will probably burn out. In all cases of your cartridge running out of ink take it to your Local Cartridge World Store.
Whilst most inkjet cartridges are reasonably resilient to handling, care should be taken to only unpack a new or refilled cartridge immediately prior to replacing it in the printer.
When a cartridge has been refilled it may have a seal placed over the print head in the form of a plastic adhesive strip. This strip has a special adhesive that does not affect the print head.
When a cartridge has run out and there is a time delay in being able to have it refilled, place it in its carry case and store in a cool place. Alternatively, if a case is not available, simply wrap it in Glad wrap or place it in a small plastic bag and place it in the refrigerator.
The success rate of refilling cartridges rises considerably if the cartridge still has a small amount of ink left in it. This particularly applies to cartridges that do not have a sponge type reservoir. Sometimes a new refilled combined print head reservoir type cartridge does not print if it has been left for any length of time in the printer without printing. If the cleaning cycle does not improve the result to any extent, then remove the cartridge and place the print head surface onto a damp tissue. An elongated pattern of ink should appear on the tissue and in the case of a colour cartridge, all of the colours should show as spots on the tissue.
In extreme cases, if the above procedure does not work, then place the cartridge, print head down, in the bottom of a saucer. Boil water and pour it into the saucer so that the print head surface is completely covered and gently agitate the cartridge for approximately twenty seconds. Remove the cartridge and gently touch-dry the print head with a tissue.
- Make sure that there is no moisture on the electrical contact areas of the cartridge, if so, gently wipe clean with a soft tissue. Wet contacts can cause serious damage to the printer electrics.
- Do not use methylated spirited to clean print heads, the chemical composition is not compatible and can cause blockage problems
- If in doubt and you still cannot rectify the problem, take your cartridge to your nearest Cartridge World Store.
Follow these tips to save money and keep your printer in top condition:
- Do not use any adhesive such as, packaging or standard sticking tape, as the chemical composition of the adhesive is harmful to the print heads
- Colour cartridges can become contaminated if left for long periods with tape across the heads or left unused for long periods in the printer. Capillary action causes colours to mix.
- Do not carry or leave the cartridges on the seat or dashboard of vehicles, even on a relatively cool day. Heat build-up will cause the cartridge to leak. Place them in the glove box and remove as soon as possible. In cold weather do not place on the car floor as the heater may also cause the cartridge to leak.
Note: Even with a seal, the cartridge can leak - Never let a cartridge run out of ink completely. Your inkjet will burn out if it continues to fire while the supply of ink is cut off. Always have a replacement cartridge on hand. If the cartridge is showing ‘empty’, have it refilled or replace immediately.
- Don’t shake your cartridge. This can damage your cartridge, making it impossible to refill.
- If the cartridge is removed from your printer, wrap the cartridge in cellophane, place it into a re-sealable plastic bag, and/or attach the clip provided by the manufacturer. Store it in the refrigerator until you can bring it in for refilling.
- Have the cartridge refilled as soon as possible (within a week). The cartridge cannot be stored for an indefinite period.
- When lines and/or missing dots form on your text or graphics it’s time to clean the print head. Do not touch the copper plate on the print head with your fingers. Use the printers cleaning cycle (refer to your printer manual). If this fails to clear the problem, call us for the best solution.
- Keep colour cartridges upright. The colours will cross contaminate if left on its side.
- Special instructions apply to Epson inkjet cartridges. Please contact one of our stores for more information.
- After installing a new or refilled cartridge, print at least 2 test pages to settle the new cartridge.