JP-1000  (260-2960)     Cleaning the Print Head        Faxback Doc. # 15050

If there is debris or ink on the contacts of the print head and/or print
head carriage, the printer may stop printing (ON and ON-LINE lights flash) 
or some of the ink jet nozzles may not print (lines of missing dots appear 
in the printout).  These are symptoms that may lead the user to think the 
print head or printer is bad, causing them to unnecessarily purchase a new 
print head or send the printer to repair.

Sometimes when removing the printhead to replace it or when switching
between the black and color cartridges, a drop of ink may fall on the
contacts.  The User's Guide mentions cleaning the contacts (page 6-17), but
does not go into any detail on how or when to clean them.

Follow these steps to clean the printhead:

1.  Press INSTALL CARTRIDGE to move the print head carriage to the center
    position.

2.  Remove the print head and turn off the printer.

3.  Examine the gold colored contacts on the side of print head (not the 
    nozzles on the bottom) and the corresponding contacts on the white
    strip inside the print head carriage in the printer.  Check for any
    dust, debris, or ink on these contacts.  To clean the contacts use a
    dust-free cloth that has been dampened with water.

4.  Make sure the contacts are dry.  Insert the print head and run a self 
    test.

If it still doesn't print correctly, the problem may be due to one of the
following:

If the ON-LINE and ON lights flash alternately, check if:

 - The cartridge is snapped in all the way.

 - The Colour/Black switch matches the installed cartridge.

 - The Windows driver setting (color or black) matches the installed
   cartridge.

 - There is debris or ink on the print head contacts that needs to be
   cleaned off.

 - The ink cartridge is out of ink and needs to be replaced.

If some of the nozzles on the print head do not print, check the following:

 - There is debris or ink on the print head contacts that needs to be
   cleaned off.

 - The nozzles are clogged.  Do a Prime, or as a last resort blot the print
   head nozzles on a cloth dampened with distilled water.

 - The print head may need to be replaced, especially if it has been
   refilled many times.


(ABO/all-04/19/95)