Cleaning the Print Head
If your printouts are unexpectedly light or faint, or you notice light or dark bands across your printout, you may need to clean the print head. This unclogs the nozzles so they can deliver ink properly. Run a nozzle check as described on page 16 to see if the print head needs cleaning.
Note:
Print head cleaning uses ink, so clean it only if quality declines and the nozzle check indicates that the print head needs to be cleaned.
If the H ink light comes on or flashes, you cannot clean the print head as described below. In this case, replace the appropriate ink cartridge first (see page 19).
1.Make sure the printer is on and the H ink light is off.
2.Hold down the H ink button for 3 seconds until the P power light starts flashing. The printer runs a head cleaning cycle.
Caution:
Never turn off the printer while head cleaning is in progress. You may damage it.
3.When the P power light stops flashing, run a nozzle check (as described on page 16) to verify that the print head is clean.
4.If there are still gaps or lines, or the test patterns are faint, run another cleaning cycle and check the nozzles again.
Note:
If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning the print head up to 4 times, turn off the printer and wait at least 6 hours. This lets any dried ink soften. Then try cleaning the print head again. If quality still does not improve, one of the ink cartridges may be old or damaged and needs to be replaced (see page 19).
Tip:
If you do not use your printer often, it is a good idea to print a few pages at least once a month to maintain good print quality.
Cleaning the Print Head 17