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Question

Dell 720 printer: no ink on the page fails to

Jan 6, 2012 9:44PM PST

Help please with my Dell 720 jet printer connected to a Dell
3000 desktop with XP.

Printer has worked fine for years, always located in same
spot. Three months ago when the black cartridge ran out I installed a
replacement cartridge.



I found that I could no longer get ink on the page.
Everything else about the print operation looked and sounded normal. But I got
no ink (not a bit) on the page.



I definitely removed the protective tape on the new cartridge.



Thinking the cartridge itself was defective I returned it
and installed a fresh one. But I still can't get any ink on the page.



I tried placing the cartridge print head on a wet paper
towel for 30 seconds (was told that might unclog something or other); towel
showed black ink. I reinstalled the cartridge but I still get no ink on page.




Can anyone suggest what might be wrong? Is it possible that
something inside the printer itself is
clogged?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Does this printer
Jan 6, 2012 9:56PM PST

have any "Head cleaning" options?

When I replace the ink cartridge in my ancient Epsom printer, it rarely works until I use the Epsom software to clean the printing head and print test pages. Sometimes I have to do that more than once.

I checked this printer's manual, (available here; http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/prn720/en/OM/720_English.pdf - this is a Direct Download and you will need a PDF Reader to read it), and the printer should have software installed that helps with maintenance and troubleshooting.

I hope that helps.

Mark

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Printer problem
Jan 7, 2012 1:23AM PST
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Try a different way.
Jan 7, 2012 4:32AM PST
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Printer
Jan 7, 2012 9:58PM PST

Mark: ok, I got the manual and tried the "clear the jets" option two times but still not a spot of ink on the page.

However .... I tried once again to blot the cartridge faces (the larger face that points to the back of the printer and the smaller face that points down) on damp paper towelling and I then reinserted the cartrige and tried to print. And I did get several lines of text printed! But when I tried to print a second document I again got nothing.

The fact that I got a few lines, even just once ...... what does that tell me could be the problem?

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Well, a good result, perhaps.
Jan 8, 2012 4:57AM PST

That's good work and it makes me think that the ink is just too dry.

So, that said, where do you buy your ink from, the printer's maker, or cheaper versions from local stores or online web sites?

With my Epsom I only ever purchase Epsom's own ink cartridges via their web site. I have tried cheaper cartridges before, but was never happy with the results.

Mark