Concord Supplies Blog

Printer inkjet cartridges and inkjet printers are temperamental machines as they require a fair amount of upkeep and maintenance to perform properly over the long-term.

The following outlines a number of helpful inkjet printer and inkjet cartridge tips:

1. Turn Your Inkjet Printer Off - This sounds like an overly simple solution, but the printer will often reset itself if you power it off and on. To do this, don’t shut off the power strip. You’ll have better results if you use the on/off button on the printer as it enables the reset and properly parks the printer head.
2. Print a Test Page – Most printers have a built-in diagnostics program to help you troubleshoot. Typically, running a test page involves pressing a button or two as you turn on the printer. Many printers also use a combination of indicator lights to help you pinpoint the problem. You can visit your inkjet printer’s manufacturer’s web site for more information.
3. Clean Inkjet Printer’s Surface & Interior- Keep the inside of the printer clean using tweezers and/or compressed air to clear out the debris and paper snips from inside your printer.
4. Clean the Inkjet Printer Head – If your prints are too light or contain white spots or horizontal lines, you may have a clogged print head. This is especially likely if you haven’t used your printer routinely. Most printers have a “clean the head” option that you can read about in the manual or online.
5. Cancel an Inkjet Print Job Manually – By selecting “printers” from the Windows XP “Control Panel” you can manually cancel a inkjet print job. If you have numerous printers, then select View Installed Printers. When the Printers window opens, double-click your printer’s icon. You will see a list of current print jobs. Right-click the job you want to cancel and then select Cancel Printing.

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6. Update Inkjet Printer Driver – If you’re experiencing problems visit your printer manufacturer’s web site and download the most current printer driver. The driver tells your printer how to talk to your computer and newer drivers typically offer bug fixes and enhanced functionality.
7. Ensure Inkjet Prints are Dry – Let prints dry thoroughly, especially photos. Remove prints from the printer’s output tray before they stick together. Let them dry for at least one hour; some manufacturers suggest letting them dry for a full 24 hours to be perfectly safe.
8. Regular Inkjet Printer Maintenance – In additional to regularly cleaning your inkjet printer cartridge heads, your should utilize your inkjet printer’s software tools to align and reset the inkjet heads. Running these once a month is recommended.
9. Inkjet Print Sizing – When printing photos remember that pixels have a relationship to the size of the print. The average printer has three settings: “Draft,” which is optimized for images 150 pixels per inch; “Normal” (often times the default) which is optimized for 300 pixels per inch; and “Best” which is optimized for 600 pixels per inch or higher.
10. Visit the Inkjet Printer’s Manufacturer Website – If all else fails, visit the respective inkjet printer manufacturer’s website to get helpful support, review the owners manual or read support forums for more information.

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