JP 1000/Colour Kit (260-2960/63) Hints and Tips Faxback Doc. # 15522 The following information is related to the JP 1000 print head and ink cartridge. In many cases issues with the print head and ink cartridge can be solved at the store or by the customer without having to send the printer to repair unnecessarily. 26-2961 Ink Cartridge Symptom: Printing stops and the ON and On Line lights flash slowly (once per second) in an alternating pattern. This indicates that the ink cartridge is out of ink. Replace the ink cartridge (26-2961) following the instructions in the Ink Cartridge Replacement section of the User's Guide (page 6-6). There have been cases where a printer or print head have been sent to repair or returned as defective when the ink cartridge just needed to be replaced. Symptom: After replacing the ink cartridge the ON and On Line lights flash rapidly. Make sure the ink cartridge is snapped into place. Check if the two metal contacts on the bottom of the ink cartridge and the two metal contacts inside the print head are dirty. Clean them off if necessary. Check if the print head is properly installed. Note that it is not necessary to remove the entire print head to change the ink cartridge. Symptom: After replacing the ink cartridge printing stops or the print quality is not good. Make sure the sealing tape was removed from the bottom of the ink cartridge. Occasionally, it will be necessary to perform a prime operation (page 6-9) after installing a new ink cartridge. Symptom: The ink cartridge was refilled with ink and the print quality is now poor or the printer stops printing. The JP 1000 ink cartridge should NOT be refilled. Only use the 26-2961 replacement ink cartridges. Although there are refill kits on the market, Radio Shack has not tested or approved any of them for use with the JP 1000. Compared to other printers, the JP 1000 ink cartridges are very reasonable at $10.99 for two. 26-2962 Print Head Symptom: One or more nozzles on the black print head are not printing as shown by horizontal white bands in the printout. Doing a print test as described in the User's Guide (page 3-1) can help determine the cause. On the first page of the print test printout there is a test pattern below "Print Head Test". A gap in the diagonal line indicates a nozzle on the print head is not printing. 1. If the print test has gaps in the test pattern and shows "Nozzles test Fail on xx xx xx", this indicates that the print head may not be making good contact with the print head carriage. Remove the print head and examine the 58 round gold contacts on the side of the print head and the corresponding contacts on the white strip inside the print head carriage on the printer. Check for dust, debris, or ink on these contacts. Use a dust-free cloth that has been dampened with water to clean the contacts. Make sure the contacts are dry, insert the print head, and do a print test. If it still shows "Nozzles test Fail" check the contacts again and try reinstalling the print head. 2. If the test pattern still has gaps but shows "Nozzles test Pass", this indicates there are clogged nozzles. Starting with the prime operation do the following to clear clogged nozzles. If one does not work, proceed to the next. A. Perform a prime operation as described in the User's Guide (page 6-9). In most cases this should clear the clogged nozzles. If ink does not appear in the ink tube during the priming make sure the print head is in its parked position at the right. Also check for a disconnected Colour/Black switch (see below). B. Using a dust-free cloth that has been dampened with water, gently blot the bottom of print head on the cloth, moving it to a clean area each time. Do not rub the cloth on the nozzles. C. Rinse the bottom of the print head under a slow stream of water. Dry off the print head, avoiding contact with the nozzles. D. As a last resort in cases where the print head has been allowed to dry out, do the following. Remove the ink cartridge from the print head. Run water over the inside and outside of the print head. Carefully dry off the print head without touching the nozzles. Reinstall the ink cartridge and run a print test. It may be necessary to perform a prime operation and may take several pages of printing before the print quality returns to normal. Symptom: The printer acts like it is printing (moves print head and advances paper) but nothing prints. Use the procedures described above, starting with a prime operation. Symptom: The On Line light flashes twice followed by the ON light once. This indicates that the Colour/Black switch setting does not match the type of print head installed. Symptom: The On Line light flashes five times followed by the ON light once. This indicates that the printer driver setting does not match the type of print head installed. Symptom: The printer still does not recognize the change between a black and color cartridges as indicated by the error patterns in items 3 and 4 even though everything appears to be set correctly. The Colour/Black switch may be disconnected. How to check for and correct this problem is described in detail in the March Merchandising Newsletter. Other Tips 1. Before turning off the printer, always make sure the print head is in the parked position at the right side of the printer. In this parked position the print head is capped to keep it from drying out. 2. Always leave the print head installed in the printer or in the storage case that comes with the 26-2963 Color Kit. Do not open new ink cartridges or print heads until you are ready to use them. If you have an extra print head that cannot be stored in the printer or color kit storage case, the nozzles at the bottom of the print head can be covered with the plastic strip originally on the print head (or with a piece of thin plastic such as from a sandwich bag). 3. In cases where the printer is not used for a long time it is probably a good idea to periodically do some printing (such as a print test) every 1-2 weeks. 4. The print head should last for seven ink cartridge changes before it needs to be replaced. This will vary depending on how the printer is used. (tmc/all-06/05/95)