An inkjet or laser printer needs periodic cleaning of various units and parts. For inkjet devices, problems with cartridges are more relevant and the most difficult thing is to clean them of dried paint on the nozzles. For laser, there are no such problems, but there you will find other troubles in the form of problems with the drum and the compartment for working out the cartridge.
How to clean a printer and not harm it, we will tell you in detail in our article. Here you will find working instructions to properly clean devices from companies such as HP, Kyocera, Brother, Canon, Epson, and others. All described procedures are quite applicable to any model.
When is it time to Clean
The printer needs periodic cleaning. This process will significantly extend the life of the device. Determining the need for cleaning is not so difficult, but it may not always help. Therefore, experts do not advise waiting for signs, but taking measures regularly for the purpose of prevention.
The harbingers of cleaning the printing device can be:
- Extraneous sounds during work.
- Poor print quality. For example, stripes.
- Ink or toner smudges on the sheets when printed.
- Any deviation from the usual form of work.
- Frequent paper jams.
How to clean a laser printer
Unlike an inkjet printer, software cleaning of a laser is not possible. This is all a consequence of the way these devices are printed. But you can do “good” to your assistant manually. To do this, you need to have dry wipes, cotton swabs, a soft paintbrush, a special cleaning fluid, ideally an old vacuum cleaner. You can also buy disposable gloves so as not to get your hands dirty during work.
We clean the inside of dust and toner
Perform all actions protecting your respiratory tract with at least a respirator. If there is a gas mask in the house, you can use it. Protect your hands with rubber disposable gloves. Wear not the newest clothes, but rather the old ones, which are not a pity to throw away. All this is needed to protect against toxic toner, which is produced from oil.
The sequence of actions is as follows:
Cartridge
The most important element of a laser printer cartridge is the drum unit. It is a long shaft with a special colored coating. Mostly, a green or blue coating is used, but there are others, although this does not change the essence of the work. Its layer is very thin and capricious. Despite this, the service life, with proper care, is quite long.
The element can fail very quickly due to the ingress of foreign objects on its surface. In most cases, these are paper clips. This is not permissible. Remember, drum damage is the least problematic outcome.
It is also important to use high-quality paper and toner to extend the useful life. Use high-quality toner. Be sure to select the product according to the model of your printer or cartridge. The timely replacement and quality of the magnetic roller affect the “health” of the photo roller. Maintaining a comfortable temperature and cleanliness is your responsibility in the operating room. Layers of dust must be avoided, as it easily gets to any surface.
Immediate cleaning may be indicated by various print defects on the printed paper. They can be in the form of stripes, dots, spots, gaps in the text. To start the cleaning procedure, you need to remove the cartridge itself from the device. In most cases, this is easily done by lifting the front cover-up. Pull the cartridge towards you with slight force. You now have two cleaning options: with and without removing the shaft. The first is quite laborious and requires certain skills, and the second is simpler. Which option to choose is up to you. The description of the execution of both is below.
Shaft removal method:
Method without removal:
Waste Bin
When talking about cleaning a laser cartridge, the waste bin is often overlooked. This is a special part where the rest of the powder is collected, which was used during printing but did not get on the paper. Over time, a lot of it is collected. Only a small part of it can be accommodated in a small compartment. The rest starts to get enough sleep and we get into the cartridge itself. And as a result, stains are left when printing.
How to clean an inkjet printer
An inkjet printer has its own specific sores. It has a lot more different parts that need to be cleaned. Let’s consider each element in detail.
Cartridges and CISS
The most problematic is the cartridge. In many device models, there may be several of them at once. At least black and one or three-colored. Each one requires maintenance and flushing. You can perform the same procedures in two completely different ways. The first option involves the use of special software for such purposes and the second – physical effort.
The continuous ink supply system is less demanding but also requires little attention. If the print quality drops, then, first of all, pay attention to the presence of air in the ink supply tubes. The clogged air filter can be another problem. Problems need to be fixed. You can do this yourself.
Cleaning the pallet, rollers and nozzles through a special program
When traces of paint begin to appear on a sheet of paper after printing, which, of course, should not be there, then “hello” is given to you by the printer’s pallet. It clearly needs cleaning. And if the device begins to grip or stretch paper poorly during printing, then the trouble is clearly with the feed rollers. They need to pay attention in such a situation. Over time, they can become clogged with dust or completely wear off. If the teeth are erased, they will need to be completely replaced.
To clean the pallet and rollers of the inkjet printer, use software for this purpose. It can already be installed on the computer automatically when the drivers were installed. In some cases, you need to do the installation yourself. It is easy to download such software on the website of your device manufacturer. To get to the “Services” section, where all the manipulations are performed, you need to find your model in the list in the “Devices and Printers” section of the control panel. Right-click on it and select “Printer Properties”.
Use the Cleaning and Deep Cleaning menu items to clean the nozzles. The nozzles of an inkjet printer are much more sensitive than any other part of the device. They are able to clog or dry out after a slight downtime, therefore the software cleaning method does not always help, but it is recommended to carry out such a procedure. In most cases, it often comes to physical manipulation. As one of the first options to try something, this method is suitable for all users of technology.
Pampers
The pampers in an inkjet printer are a special absorber that helps the printer stay clean for a long time. Pampers are made of special foam rubber or felt that absorbs paint well. This prevents it from getting inside the printing device and its individual elements. As a result, only the absorber has to be cleaned of dried paint. If you have extra money, then it is not necessary to wash the diaper, it can be easily bought at any computer store or ordered online. The only negative is the cost.
Related to Printers
This thing is much more demanding in cleaning, but everything is within the power of even an inexperienced person in these matters. To clean up, follow the following list of procedures:
Features of devices from different Companies
The principle of operation of a printing device of any company is not significantly different from each other. Minor differences can only be in the form of spare parts and some printer units. Therefore, the instructions described in this article apply to any model of all well-known printer manufacturers: Canon, HP, Epson, Samsung, Xerox, Brother, Kyocera, and many others.
Cleaning agents can be applied without detriment, but software cleaning will require a special utility for your printer model. In some cases, programs of different versions may be used for different series or devices released in different years by the same manufacturer. We recommend installing such software from the disk that comes with the device.
Problem prevention
Many of the problems described are easy to avoid if you follow simple rules.
- Do wet cleaning once a week and ventilate the room daily.
- Make repairs and replacements as soon as you find defects in your printing device. Failure or improper operation of one element can lead to the breakdown of others. That will make repairs many times more expensive.
- For preventive purposes, it is recommended to do program activities regardless of the occurrence of problems with print quality.
