My routine for unclogging a printhead is to get 99% IPA, blot the head on a paper towel and then drag the head down a sheet of paper until it is leaking ink. As an IT guy, I have recovered several ink cartridges this way.
After you have done this, do several prints until the ink flows properly.
If you have the ability to do so, you should look into buying a used laser printer. The toner is more expensive upfront, but you don’t have these issues and total cost of ownership is significantly cheaper.
Word of warning, do not buy consumer HP printers. These only exist to make you purchase HP toner.
Agreed, I have one of the last “good” HP Color LaserJets from a tech recycler and last time I checked it was two model revisions old. This one still has a config option to allow unofficial toner, so I pay like $120 for a set of all four high capacity cartridges now, I think 5k pages black and 3k pages C Y and M. (It’s a MFP m477fdw I think) I think the next model was the first one that took the option away.
You can still use third party toner with some of the later models, but those are more expensive and come with some kind of jig for transplanting an HP chip into their cartridge.
I will never buy another HP product again (apart from replacement parts for my current printer), and will jealously guard this one and nurse this one along until it dies.
But in a general sense, being able to completely ignore the printer for literally months, and then turn it on and get a perfect print, and then ignore it again… really nice. That’s all laser printers. Never buy HP.
The M477fdw is pretty solid. You can find parts and manuals aplenty for that.
Definitely check before you buy a used HP to see if there is a firmware lockout for toner. I have seen other newer models complain about counterfeit toner and still print.
That being said, I endorse HP printers. They are anti-competitive and have terrible software.
No problems with their enterprise desktops, but again, buy used!
My routine for unclogging a printhead is to get 99% IPA, blot the head on a paper towel and then drag the head down a sheet of paper until it is leaking ink. As an IT guy, I have recovered several ink cartridges this way.
After you have done this, do several prints until the ink flows properly.
If you have the ability to do so, you should look into buying a used laser printer. The toner is more expensive upfront, but you don’t have these issues and total cost of ownership is significantly cheaper.
Word of warning, do not buy consumer HP printers. These only exist to make you purchase HP toner.
Agreed, I have one of the last “good” HP Color LaserJets from a tech recycler and last time I checked it was two model revisions old. This one still has a config option to allow unofficial toner, so I pay like $120 for a set of all four high capacity cartridges now, I think 5k pages black and 3k pages C Y and M. (It’s a MFP m477fdw I think) I think the next model was the first one that took the option away.
You can still use third party toner with some of the later models, but those are more expensive and come with some kind of jig for transplanting an HP chip into their cartridge.
I will never buy another HP product again (apart from replacement parts for my current printer), and will jealously guard this one and nurse this one along until it dies.
But in a general sense, being able to completely ignore the printer for literally months, and then turn it on and get a perfect print, and then ignore it again… really nice. That’s all laser printers. Never buy HP.
The M477fdw is pretty solid. You can find parts and manuals aplenty for that.
Definitely check before you buy a used HP to see if there is a firmware lockout for toner. I have seen other newer models complain about counterfeit toner and still print.
That being said, I endorse HP printers. They are anti-competitive and have terrible software.
No problems with their enterprise desktops, but again, buy used!