Canon printers have removable printer heads that hold the ink cartridges when they are in the printer. These printer heads often become clogged after a long period of inactivity. Some Canon printers include software that automatically fixes any problems that might have arisen as a result of dried ink. If you have run this software and the printer is not printing correctly or you are getting error messages, you may have to manually fix the problem by cleaning the printer head.
Instructions
1. Remove the ink cartridges from the printer head. Grasp them and firmly pull them out of the head. Place them upright in an area where they will not be knocked over.
2. Remove the printer head from your printer. The printer head snaps out when you firmly pull it. If you are having difficulty removing your printer head, consult your Canon instruction manual.
3. Soak the printer head in warm water. Heat up a bowl of water in the microwave for no longer than one minute. Cover the bottom of a pan with paper towels and pour enough water on them so there is about 1/2 inch of water in the pan. Place the printer head on top of the paper towels and let it soak. For worse clogs, soak it overnight. Dry ink will dislodge itself from the printer head.
4. Flush the printer head with warm water. Run your faucet and let the temperature of the water increase until it is warm. Hold the printer head under the faucet and use your finger to guide the stream into all areas of the head. The water will be dirty at first but will start to become clear as the head is cleaned.
5. Dry the printer head. Rinse the printer head once more, but with distilled water this time. Shake the printer head to accelerate the drying process after rinsing it. Place some paper towels onto a flat surface and set the printer head on them. Let the head air dry for an hour or two. When it is dry, place it and the ink cartridges back into the printer and print a test page to confirm the head is fixed.
Tags: printer head, paper towels, Canon printers, firmly pull, from printer, from printer head