Quantcast
PCWorld.com is upgrading some back-end systems. Some site features, such as user registration, may be temporarily unavailable.
Subscribe to magazine

Blogs

    Digital Focus

  • Dave Johnson's expert tips promise to enhance your expertise with your digital camera, scanner, printer, and image editing software.
  • Subscribe to this blog

Digital Focus: How to Shoot Small Objects Up Close

Dave Johnson

Q&A: Can I Unclog My Printer?

I have an older Epson ink jet printer that no longer prints properly; I think that I left the old cartridges in the printer for too long, and now the print heads are clogged up. Is there any way to fix it?

--Garth Price, Lake Worth, Florida

Unfortunately, ink cartridges can clog, especially if your printer goes unused for a long time. That's why I recommend that you run a sheet or two of paper through your printer every month as a simple preventative maintenance step.

If your printer does clog, though, you'll see gaps, inconsistent colors, and sometimes even ink splattered on the page. Your first stop should be the Head Cleaning utility in the printer's status monitor program. This program will run a few sheets of paper though the printer. If that doesn't work, try removing the ink cartridge, turning it upside down, and gently cleaning the nozzles with a lint-free cloth that has been dipped in denatured alcohol. Replace the cartridge and run the Head Cleaner once more.

  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No

Featured APC Accessories

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.

Focus on Personal Productivitysponsored by Microsoft

  • Personal Finance 2.0 These free and fee-based Web services not only aggregate data from your online bank accounts, they give you tools for managing your money.
  • High-Tech Travel Tips Plenty of stories provide advice for elite mobile professionals. But what about you, the unproductive traveler?

People who read this also read:

Digital Focus

All PC World Blogs

  • 15 Minutes to a Secure Business Get the Secure in 15 toolkit starting with the "15 Minutes Month-at-a-Glance" calendar. McAfee will send you additional tools and tricks to stay protected around the clock.
  • A Buyer's Guide to Data Protection Implementing data protection products and processes can be daunting. Make the right decisions by exploring what is available and what makes sense for your organization. Use this simple guide to evaluate different vendor offerings.

Sponsored Links