How do I clean the heads on a Lexmark T642 as it is starting to leave large ink drops on the paper

If there is no paper on paper bin and you are getting error to remove paper from the standard paper bin, please check for paper jam. it possible that paper stuck right on the path on the paper bin.

For further assistance, please contact Lexmark Technical Support.

Your rollers could be causing this problem. Your printer could use a Mainetance Cleaning done by a certified technician to resolve this issue.

Hi
If you have storage your printer for nearly a year then myself I think the heads have gone dry and blacked you will need to clean the heads, if the heads are on the inks then no problem just get new ink but if it been standing that long and the heads are on the printer itself and not on the ink cartridge then you will have to find the heads some will clip out but some will have to be screwed out and then you can clean them by dabbing a little worm water on a cloth on the heads to try get them clean.
It not good to leave them standing, if you go to store them for a long time then you go to take out the inks and clean the heads before storage.

All The Best: Pineworks

Are you using genuine Canon inks? This is a typical problem with 'compatible' ink cartridges.
What happens is that ink leaks from the cartridge and out of the bottom of the print-head. As the print-head moves back and forth across the paper these little leaky bits drop off on to the paper.
Another possibility is that the sponge that sits under the print-head when it's at rest is really saturated with ink and it's leaving a large mount on the bottom of the print head which then get moved on to the paper as the print-head moves. (This too is often caused by a leaky cartridge.)
A quick way to check is to open the printer and take out the print-head (you can do it on this model without taking the cartridges out of the carriage) and look at the bottom off it. If it's all smeared with ink then there's your problem. Use some paper towel and clean the surplus ink off. Then , get some fresh paper toel and a bright light and examine the area at the right hand end of the printer where the carriage normally sits when the printer is off. You should see the absorber sponge. It will probably be very wet. Use the paper towel and try to get as much ink as you can out of that sponge - you'll get your finger ends all inky but that's the price you'll have to pay.
When you've got as much ink out as you think you can, put the carriage back in and test the system out.
Please let us know if that works.

The error 201 means exactly what you are getting;
a paper jam between the printer input and exit sensors.

It is common on these printers for toner to build up on the fuser input guide and eventually gets so big as to catch on the leading edge of the paper,

you will need to scrape the encrusted toner off of the guide.

If the device has done a large volume of printing (say over 100k) it may be a faulty fuser assembly.

You can replace those rollers. They wear smooth very quickly. In a pinch you can also peel them off the hub and put them on inside out. It will give it traction. It sounds like you already know about the little sensor in the trays themselves. I've seen them pop out of position and cause those probs. I don't think they could have made those sensors any cheaper if they had tried!

take the cartridges out and clean the spot they go into then clean them off also

I have been plagued by the same problem - the nozzles don't appear clogged - yet on heavier media there is a definite abrasive sound - and its leaving horizontal bands. After many cleanings with no luck I tried cleaning the heads with a bunch of Q-Tips lightly coated in Windex. After removing a ton of black deposits - it didn't immediately fix the problem; frustrated I turned the printer off. The next morning when the clean-heads-on-power-up kicked in - I noticed a large amount of ink collected in the vacuum sponge. It seams the bit of reside left over from the cleaning may have finally dissolved what I can only guess was a large ink deposit that had hardened and was striking the media when heavier stock was loaded. At any rate - no more abrasive sounds - and more importantly no more horizontal banding.

To clean I disconnected the power when the head was traveling. Then the head was free to move as I gently tried using the Q-Tips to clean the heads.

Hope this helps.

Sounds like there is something corrupt with the driver or the wrong driver is associated with the printer. Delete the printer from the computer, but leave attached. Download the newest driver directly from Lexmark and execute the download. The computer should then automatically re-install the printer.

please visit the link below to download the correct driver for your printer directly from Lexmark.

http://support.lexmark.com/perl/support/support.cgi?ccs=229:1:0:0:0:0

use the product selector to enter your model number and operating system.

If you are able to drag out your users manual, most lazer printers have a self cleaning process for the head, which takes around 3-5 minutes to complete, after that try to run a test page to ensure the colors are working fine.

Failing that, unless the printer is brand new, and or unless it has been sitting ( unused - regardless of age ) the print heads can dry out leaving a blockage ... hence, no ink, hence blank page.

The only other suggestion after running a Print head clean, would be to replace or refill the ink cartridges.