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General discussion

Color cartridge dries out with infrequent use

Jan 18, 2006 3:17AM PST

I seldom use my Lexmark Z52 to print in color, maybe once every few weeks, but even after a few days the color cartridge won't print all the colors. The yellow clogs up soonest, then the blue. (You can go weeks without the black cartridge clogging up.) Cleaning the nozzles from within the Lexmark control program does not unclog the yellow and blue inks. The only way to fix it, which is not just a hassle but expensive inkwise, is to remove the cartridge, soak the bottom in hot water, wipe it with alcohol, then use the printer software to spray out the nozzles.
Does there exist a printer with color inks that do not dry out so fast?

Discussion is locked

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ink...
Jan 18, 2006 3:52AM PST

I use the Epson Stylus Photo R800. I have had the cartridges (all 8 of them) in there for over a year and like you, I don't print all that often either. I have yet to have a problem. The quality of ink has everything to do on its clogging ability. On the cheaper side, I use the Brother MFC 210C without the clogging.

and life goes on...

Jack

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(NT) (NT) CANON
Jan 19, 2006 1:01AM PST
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You gotta use it...
Jan 19, 2006 6:51AM PST

If you don't then please use the "proper" shutdown procedure for any printer, suaully hitting the printer's own power-OFF button. Don't use a power strip, you didn't mention.

Infrequent usage is common problem for many printer's as the "capping mechanism" is very simple and truly places a rubber cap upon the printhead to seal against the outside. Wear&tear plus any ink build-up can allow a small gap to appear and increase the lilelyhood of dried nozzles. The best defense against this is to actaully power-ON the printer even if not used to allow it to "cycle" through as a basic reflooding of the ink pathways and/or simple complete test printout to "refresh" nozzles, otherwise intense cleaning and actions as you've stated are required. The Lexmark Z-series are simple printers so you get what you pay for. There are better designed(expensive to Lexmark) printers though still simple that do a better job but they too fall prey to infrequent usage, again the advice applies above.

tada -----Willy Happy

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Infrequent usage
Jan 19, 2006 10:19AM PST

I have only turned it on when needed, hence have always shut it off manually. Are you saying that merely turning it on every day or two should repressurize the nozzles and keep them from drying? It would seem that the nozzle surface would need to be warmed up also to redissolve whatever was beginning to precipitate out. Does powering it on also warm it up? In the case of this poor Lexmark (which I bought on the recommendation of a widely-read computer magazine), the longer between uses, the more encrustation is visible on the nozzle surfact. It would seem then that the rubber seal has lost its pliability, but the printer has been this way since the beginning, about 5 years ago, so either it was defective to begin with or this is a design defect, perhaps cost related.

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The nature of the beast
Jan 20, 2006 12:00AM PST

The Lexmark Z-series had or is being sued for issues not of ink dryouts but rather the "paper media feed jams" that are constant or appear during the life of the printer. regardles, that's not your issue(is it?).

Turning on the printer does not warm-up the ink nozzles itself, only actual printing or cleaning does. It does usually go through a cycling which wipes the ink cart print face and by going by the amount of usage/time from the monitoring s/w or build-in h/w(not sure) it will spray to clean and refresh the ink pathways. Yes, ink crud does build-up and overtime causes its own problem and transfers alot of ink to the wiper and parking cap. The printer itself can be easily served by the user, provided you're capable of removing the skins(covers) to access the printing mechanism fully exposed. Don't try this while skins are on, it will be too hard and may cause problems itself. I forget exactly but only a few screws hold it together and maybe a snap-on/off parts. Once done access the parking station area when the printhead rests after shutting-OFF and power removed, lift the prthead and slide away and clean the area with a damp(water) cloth or paper shop towel and remove all ink residue/crud from cap&wiper, etc.. The wiper is a simple rubber blade, thus you see how simple overall all this is but its what protects the inkcart when parked. Consider yourself well off still using a 5-yr. old Z-series printer, but expect these problems on any inkjet printer as it does effect all of them some more than others.

tada -----Willy Happy