Printer ink problem

[layoutshooter]

OK, who else has had this problem and have you been able to work around it?

We buy a printer ink cartridge for our in truck printer. We seldom use that printer and often when we go to use it the ink cartridge has dried up or something, it no longer works.

We have tried doing nothing. We have tried taking it out and putting it in a zip lock bag. We have tried taking it out and putting it in a plastic container. No matter what we try it seems to do this. Any suggestions?

 

[Dakota]

I assume you are talking about an inkjet type printer since these are the most common and cheaper ones that people use. I also assume you are not going upside down in your truck, but then again...
I would think heat would be the biggest problem, vibration might be a secondary problem. I would try, and I am not sure it will work but definately worth a try...cleaning the bottom of the cartridge with a lint free cloth and some alcohol(rubbing not J.D.) or maybe some moist towelettes. I think what is happening is that area on the bottom is getting dried up from the heat and you need to remove the dried up ink. Good Luck

 

[layoutshooter]

I assume you are talking about an inkjet type printer since these are the most common and cheaper ones that people use. I also assume you are not going upside down in your truck, but then again...
I would think heat would be the biggest problem, vibration might be a secondary problem. I would try, and I am not sure it will work but definately worth a try...cleaning the bottom of the cartridge with a lint free cloth and some alcohol(rubbing not J.D.) or maybe some moist towelettes. I think what is happening is that area on the bottom is getting dried up from the heat and you need to remove the dried up ink. Good Luck

I will try the moist towelettes. Good idea. Thanks. Hope it works. We bought the printer to save money on faxes but we are spending so much on ink it is not working out.

 

[Turtle]

Most printer ink cartridges are self-cleaning. Once a week or so, just print out a test page.

 

[stamp11127]

What model printer are you using?
How often do you print?
Is the printer powered on only to print, or left on continuously?
Ink jet printers usually have a cleaning cycle that will keep the print heads clean and ready for use. If the printer is powered off it won't clean the heads and you end up with clogged print heads.

 

[layoutshooter]

We often go months without printing something. We seldom need too. The printer is only powered up when in use. It is just a cheap HP. I feel the problem is just most likely lack of use. We have the same problem with the printer at the house, which is hardly ever used. Just no need to print all that much.

 

[Turtle]

I have a cheap HP, a Photosmart C5180 All-In-One printer, scanner, copier, but it's a Photosmart so I can print hard copies of pictures, which comes in handy out where every now and then when people try to stick freight on the van which is already clearly damaged. 3 or 4 times now I've had obviously damaged freight get loaded on my van, and I'll take pictures of it, print out copies, and hand them to the shipper, telling them that if there's later a problem, this way they won't have to rely on just their memory, they'll have pictures to refer to. I know for sure that a picture of the freight, the forklift and the forklift operator loading the freight onto the van, eliminates any claim that I damaged the freight in transit. It's saved me at least twice that I know of.


I leave mine powered off unless I want to print something, or scan something. It's a PITA to have to wait for it to clean the print heads when I turn it on just to scan something, especially since the cleaning cycle uses more ink than you might think. The head cleaning cycle happens when you power up the printer, or (if you leave it on all the time) after a certain number of printed pages. But since it's important for me to be able to print hard copies of pictures, when I need them (even if it's just a couple of times a year), I will print out a test page once a week. Not just "print" something, but tell it to print the test page, since it allows you to check alignment, plus it uses all the colors. If the test page doesn't look right, print it a few more times until it does.

 

[layoutshooter]

Thanks, I will look into that. We never have had to do anything like you are talking about. Anytime we have had a freight problem we have either taken pics and sent the disposable camera in to FDCC or emailed them. I bet we go 2-3 months in between computer uses.

 

[LDB]

Here's an article that popped up this morning. Not overly helpful but ok.

5 Tips to Increase Printer Lifespan

 

[layoutshooter]

Thanks, Leo.

 

[JackDalton]

I will try the moist towelettes. Good idea. Thanks. Hope it works. We bought the printer to save money on faxes but we are spending so much on ink it is not working out.

Check this site out for suggestions, i wouldn't use alcohol if I were you.

How to Fix a Dry Ink Cartridge | eHow.com

 

[pjjjjj]

This won't help your particular situation, however it's a good thread to post something I learned..
One of my printer/scanner/fax/copier things is a cheap Brother model.. It has 4 ink cartridges.. if one of the 4 runs out of ink, it refuses to print. Even if I only want to print B&W, if the red ink is out, it won't print. Even if I only want to SCAN something, and therefore NO INK IS REQUIRED, it won't scan. It is a POS!
Also.. the POS doesn't even wear down to crappy print.. it just suddenly refuses to print at ALL.
Anyway, one time when I was in a real bind to get something scanned.. I looked it up on the net.. and learned how to 'trick' the stupid thing into thinking it had ink, so it would allow me to scan.
Had to put black electrical tape over one area of the ink cartridge, and it worked fine for months.
Unbelievable!

(I think printer/ink manufacturers are also criminal organizations! )

 

[xiggi]

When you remove your cartridges before putting them in a baggie try putting some clear tape over the ports like they have on them when you first get them. A clear packing tape would work.