Clean printer heads - HP OfficeJet Pro k550 Printer

it is one of the very sensitive part in printers so don't touch the printer head nozzels if you want to clean printer head go to tools or settings and go to clean printer head option it is the only way for clening ph safelly option.

Hi Good day!! Try to do a printer maintenance
Cleaning a Clogged Print Head


1. Press the cleaning button located on the front of the printer. Hold it down for 3 seconds to begin the cleaning cycle.

2. Run a cleaning cycle using your Epson printer utilities program. In Windows, go to "Start," "Printers and Faxes," right-click on your printer and choose "Printing Preferences." Select the "Utility" or "Maintenance" tab, depending on your printer model, and click "Head Cleaning." When the head cleaning cycle is complete, run "Nozzle Check." Repeat the head cleaning and nozzle check one to three times.

3. To access the Epson printer utility in OS X, select the Epson Printer Utility icon in the Applications folder in Macintosh HD. If prompted, select your printer from the Printer List, then click "OK."

Clean the print head manually. Remove the ink cartridges from your printer according to the instructions in your owner's manual. Turn off your printer. Dip a cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol, ammonia or hot water and rub the swab against the print head. Let the printer sit overnight.

Remove the print head according to the instructions in your owner's manual. Soak the print head for at least an hour in a small dish of hot water or isopropyl alcohol.


Preventing Clogged Print Heads



1. Use your printer at least once a week. Regular use will keep dried ink from clogging your print heads. If you have a color inkjet printer, print full color pages in addition to black-and-white documents.


2. Turn your printer off when not in use. This will prevent warm ink from bleeding onto the print head. If you have to store your printer, remove the ink cartridges.


3. Use a cleaning kit regularly. A cleaning kit usually includes a tube of ammonia that you spray on the printer head to clean dry ink.

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Hi Good day. Did you try the Head Cleaning? if no i preferred to clean it..
Please follow this:
1. Click "Start
2. Click "Setting
3. Click "Printer and Faxes, you should see your installed printer
4. Right click your Printer and then Properties, you should be on the printer properties box.
5. Click "Printer Preferences" there are 5 tabs in the box.
6. Go to "Maintenance" you should see now the head cleaning. start head cleaning to clean your printer head, if it still not print in black you should head clean it again..

Looking forward to assist you.
Regards:
JR

Steps for Manually Cleaning the Printer Head Step 1 - Remove the ink tanks and printer head. Remove the ink tanks from the printer head (tank holder) and seal them in a zip lock or other sealable plastic bag. Set them aside, preferably propped upright.
Next remove the printer head (it snaps out). NOTE: You may want to wear latex gloves to help keep ink off your hands.
Step 2 - Soak the printer head. There are multiple suggestions on ways to clean the printer head and all have some variation on the following:

• Get a small, shallow pan and lay down a layer or two of paper towels in the bottom of the container to protect the printer head circuitry from contact damage.
• Heat up (via microwave) enough purified/bottled water to cover the paper towels. You can also use a 50/50 mixture of ammonia and distilled water (about a pint will do). Heat the mixture in the microwave for about a minute or so - it should NOT be boiling.
• Slowly pour the water or mixture over the paper towels so that you have approximately 1/2 inch of liquid in the bottom of the pan.
• Set the printer head into the container on top of the towels. You should see ink 'bleeding' out. Move the print head to several different spots (about a minute each spot) and shake gently. This will dissolve the ink clogs.
• If the printer head is badly clogged let it soak for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. You can move it slightly to a different spot every hour or so.

Alternative Soak Method:
Mix a 50/50 solution of warm water and Windex and place in a shallow container, enough to cover the base of the printer head and ink ports. Leave for 2 hours while agitating the unit occasionally. Remove from the mix and lightly scrub the base and internal ink ports with an old soft toothbrush. Do not scrub the gold contacts but don't be concerned if they get wet. Return the unit to the mix for another 2 hours and agitate occasionally. Remove and scrub again as before.
Step 3 - Flush the printer head with water.

• Hold the unit under a softly running warm water tap. Place your finger over the tap to create back pressure to allow you to squirt the water into all crevices of the printer head. You should see the gunk build up flow out. Do this until the water runs clear.

Step 4 - Dry the printer head and replace.

• Remove the printer head and rinse it thoroughly with distilled water. Shake it dry and set it on folded paper towels to air dry. (Some folks use a hair dryer on a low setting to dry the printer head.)
• Reinsert the printer head and ink tanks. The printer should automatically do a "Printer Head Alignment." If it doesn't, manually perform "Printer Head Alignment" through the printer's utility. Next run a printer head cleaning cycle or two followed by printing a nozzle check pattern to check your progress.
• Repeat as necessary.

Variations on the Above Steps

• Soak the printer head in one of the proprietary solutions (Cartridge Flush, Magic Inkjet Flush) specifically designed to clear print heads. Soak the print head for about 10 minutes to overnight depending on the degree of blockage. It has also been reported that you can clean the print head with an electronic toothbrush and cleaning solution for about 20 seconds with excellent results.
• Use a full eye dropper to flush alcohol through the appropriate ink 'hole(s)' that show inside the printer head unit. Don't rush this: do a drop at a time or you might flood the inside of the unit.
• Purchase an ultrasonic cleaner. Wash the printer head under the water tap to remove excess ink. Load the cleaner with the printer head and water so that the printer head rests lengthways in the cleaner with the electrical contact surface visible. Repeat the cleaning program a few times, using clean water in each program.

Preventive Maintenance
It's a good idea to regularly conduct preventive maintenance on your inkjet printer to prevent it from developing clogged printer heads. Printer heads become blocked for a number of reasons, but the most common is simply that the ink cartridge and the printer head have dried out. Never let the printer stand with an empty cartridge. Either fit a fresh one, or seal the print head unit in a plastic bag with a few drops of water for humidity. Since print heads become clogged when not used for long periods of time, regularly print a page or two to keep the print heads clear. Some experts say that it is better to print one colorful page a week than to run a printer cleaning cycle, because doing so uses a lot less ink. Ideally, printer cleaning cycles should be started once a week to prevent the printer head from getting clogged.
There are other more ink-efficient ways to be able to clean printer heads that will prevent their clogging just as effectively as running the printer's cleaning cycle:

• Brush the printer heads with Q-tips soaked in water. Sources vary on whether alcohol would be more effective than water, but in the opinion of some printer experts alcohol can be harmful to printer heads and should thus be avoided.
• Buy a cleaning kit and use it regularly on your printer. A typical cleaning kit usually has a tube of ammonia that you can spray on the printer head to remove dried ink.
• Covering the printer when not in use to keep it free from dirt and debris also helps prevent the printer heads from getting clogged.

If the self-cleaning cycle does not solve the problem, try turning the printer off overnight to allow the ink to soften. Turn the printer on the next day and try printing a test pattern to see whether the problem has either disappeared or become less noticeable. This ink-saving procedure can work effectively because sometimes the dried ink on the print head needs time to soften before the printer head can be cleaned completely. Try running the self-cleaning utility again one or more times.
Steps for Manually Cleaning the Printer Head

If the overnight cleaning still does not work, there may be a layer of thick ink that is blocking the holes of the printer's head. The next option is to manually clean the printer head. Follow these steps:

* Determine from the owner's manual where the print head is located.
* Remove the ink cartridge from your printer and then dip a cotton swab in hot water or isopropyl alcohol and rub it against the print head. This should loosen any crusted ink. NOTE: Be careful, especially if you use isopropyl alcohol to clean your print heads: Some printers use rubber gaskets, and if you get isopropyl alcohol on the gaskets it could dry them out.
* For models where the print head is in the printer, drop 7 to 10 drops of isopropyl alcohol (91% denatured isopropyl alcohol - not 'rubbing' alcohol) down the ink receptacle area where the ink actually flows from the cartridge into the head. Run a few self-cleaning utilities. If possible, allow the printer to sit a few hours or overnight and repeat the self-cleaning utility.
* If the print head is in the cartridge, soak the cartridge print head in hot water. Allow it to soak overnight. Dry the print head area with a paper towel. Repeat the self-cleaning utility.
* If the hot water soak did not unclog the print head, place the cartridge printer head in isopropyl alcohol and allow it to soak overnight. Use a damp paper towel to wipe off the print head area and dry carefully. Try the self-cleaning utility again.
* If the alcohol soak did not unclog the print head in the cartridge you may need to purchase a new cartridge. This will provide new print heads that won't be clogged. Contact a service technician for repair of print heads in the printer if the alcohol did not unclog the printer head.

When it comes to printer issues, there are few things as frustrating as expecting a clearly-printed document and ending up with something that looks like a cross between a Picasso and a Rorschadt blot. If you notice that the print quality of your documents has decreased considerably or if you are bringing an old inkjet out of retirement, you need to clean the print head to ensure you?re getting the best from your printer. A dirty or clogged print head will hinder a regular flow of ink from the ink cartridge to paper. The first step is actually knowing where the print head is and what it does. As you print a document, ink droplets leave the ink cartridge through the cartridge?s nozzle and go to the print head. The print head then lays the ink on a precise point on the paper. As you print, tiny droplets of ink can get stuck around the print head opening. If these drops get time to dry, they can form a crust around the print head opening and cause it to print poorly. Clean It With Software There are a few ways to go about cleaning the print head. Potentially, the easiest way is to let your printer clean itself. Many inkjet printers will have maintenance options in the printer?s software that will actually clean your printer for you. We used a streaky Canon BJC-80 for our testing, and the driver we installed on our system for this inkjet had quite a few maintenance options. (Keep in mind that the process for cleaning your specific printer?s print head may be slightly different than what we?re describing here.) To check these out in Windows XP, click Start and then Printers And Faxes. Right-click your printer and then Printing Preferences. This displays the Canon Bubble-Jet BJC-80 Printing Preferences dialog box, which houses various layout and print-quality preferences, as well as the printer?s maintenance options. Click the Maintenance tab to view what your printer can do from a software perspective. Our printer has two cleaning modes?Cleaning and Deep Cleaning. Cleaning isn?t quite as time-consuming as the Deep Cleaning mode, but Deep Cleaning mode does a more thorough job and can resolve some issues that the normal Cleaning mode can?t. Just click the proper cleaning mode to start it and let the cleaning process run its course. You may have to do this a number of times to get the print head clean. If you don?t see a maintenance tab, it doesn?t necessarily mean your printer doesn?t have a self-cleaning function; it just means that it doesn?t use commands from your computer to do it. For instance, on the BJC-80 you can also start the cleaning process by holding down the Resume button until you hear two beeps. Check your printer?s manual for ways to clean your print head. Clean It Yourself Some software bundles that come with printers have cleaning functions that you can use to clean your print head. If the built-in cleaning functions don?t seem to do the job, there are a few ways to clean your print head manually. Some swear by isopropyl alcohol, while others believe in just plain ol? water. When used correctly, either can help your printer perform better. First, remove your ink cartridges from your printer and then dip a cotton swab in hot water or isopropyl alcohol and rub it against the print head. This should loosen any crusted ink. Some printers, such as many Canon models, feature removable print heads that give you easy access to the print head and its nozzle(s). Many other inkjet printers don?t have this feature, so you?ll have to do your best to work around parts in your printer. Be careful, especially if you use isopropyl alcohol to clean your print heads: Some printers use rubber gaskets; if you get isopropyl alcohol on the gaskets, it could dry them out. If you have a removable print head, remove the ink cartridge from the print head and take the print head out of your printer. Put some isopropyl alcohol or hot water into a saucer and set the printer head in the saucer. Let it soak for at least an hour. If it?s really dirty, it might be a good idea to let it soak overnight. Let it air dry, reinstall it in your computer, and run a cleaning cycle. This should get rid of any dried ink that was loosened during the soaking.

its the problem of print head in your printer. You are not the only one facing this problem there are many other users facing this same problem.in canon printer users out of 10 users ---- 8 users face this problem.
Now I will explain the problem
In the printer where you insert the cartridges is called carriage.in the carriage there is a part called PRINT HEAD. In the print head there are tiny – tiny holes from where the ink passes.when you insert the cartridge in the carriage /head of the printer the ink from the cartridge passes from the head.but if the head is got blocked then the ink will not pass from the head and you get no print out still with the new brand cartridges.now in the printer there is a in built cleaning assembly , so when you give the command of cleaning from your pc/laptop the inbuilt cleaning assembly tries to clean the blocked ink in the tiny holes of the head.but if the ink is got stuck up hard the cleaning assembly in the printer does not have that much power to clean the ink in the head.the other procedure to clean the head is a manual cleaning.in this procedure the head needs to be removed from the printer by disassembling the printer.but in this case out of 100 only 4 to 5 heads gets cleaned and start working but that also don’t last long.its not any guarantee that how much the manually cleaned head will work.
In some cases it has been seen that ink gets used only in cleaning but after inserting new cartridges the printer starts working.if you have inserted new cartridges in the printer and still don’t get any printout then its advisable that you go for any other brand printer.hp is the best brand of printer. Or the other option is you take the printer to local printer repair shop to get the head manually cleaned if you at present don’t want to invest in new printer.a repair center have some special tools to clean the print head its 50 ---- 50 Chance.you can try that first.
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generally catridge head cloged in case the printer is not in use for a long time,to clean the head chemical is available,alcohol based liquid is used to clean the head.