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Clean the Printheads

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Issue

The printheads have microscopic nozzles that can clog when exposed to the air for more than a few minutes. The printer is designed to prevent nozzles from drying out when the printer is idle. A printhead that is not used for long periods of time can also clog, resulting in a noticeable decrease in print quality. To unclog the nozzles, clean the printheads.
Clean the printheads when lines or dots are missing from printed text or graphics.
NOTE:Cleaning uses ink, so clean the printheads only when necessary. The cleaning process takes up to 3.5 minutes.

Cleaning the printheads

Choose one of the methods below to clean the printheads.

Clean the printheads from the control panel

  1. Press and hold the Power button.
  2. Press the Resume button six times and then release the Power button.
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Clean the printheads from the Embedded Web Server (EWS)

  1. Start the EWS by using one of two methods:
    • Web browser - type the IP address assigned to the printer in the address bar of the Web browser.
    • Information tab in the printer Toolbox - click the Launch button in the embedded web server group.
  2. Click the Settings tab.
  3. Click Printer Services in the left pane.
  4. Select the option to clean printheads from the drop-down list in the Print Quality section.
  5. Click Apply .
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Clean the printheads from the printer driver (Windows)

  1. Click the Start button, and point to Settings .
  2. Click Printers or Printers and Faxes .
  3. Right-click on the HP Officejet printer icon and select Properties .
  4. On the General tab, click the Printing Preferences... button.
  5. Click the Services tab.
  6. Click Service this Device .
  7. Click the Printer Services tab and then click Clean Printheads .
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Clean the printheads from the Toolbox (Windows)

  1. To access the Toolbox in Microsoft Windows, right-click the Printer Settings icon on the taskbar.
    Figure 1: Printer Settings icon on the taskbar
  2. Click Open Toolbox .
  3. Click the Printer Services tab.
  4. Select the option to clean the printheads and follow the onscreen instructions.
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Clean the printheads manually

CAUTION:Clean the printhead contacts only after you have attempted to clean the printheads using the instructions above. Printhead contacts contain sensitive electronic components that can be damaged easily.
  1. Open the top cover.
  2. If the carriage does not move to the left automatically, press and hold the Resume button for three to five seconds or until the printheads begin to move to the left.
  3. When the carriage has stopped moving, turn off the printer. Unplug the power cord from the back of the printer.
  4. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet.
  5. Lift the printhead latch.
    Figure 2: Lifting the latch
    1 - Printhead
    2 - Printhead latch
  6. Lift the handle of a printhead and use it to pull the printhead out of its slot.
    Figure 3: Printhead handle
  7. Carefully remove any ink from the contact pads on the printhead using a dry, soft, lint-free cloth that will not come apart or leave fibers behind.
    CAUTION:Only wipe the contact pads. Wiping the nozzles (located on the underside of the printhead) can cause severe damage to the printhead.
    Remove ink from contact pads
  8. After cleaning, place the printhead on a sheet of paper or paper towel. Make sure the nozzles are not in contact with the paper.
  9. Clean the contact points in the printhead slot inside the printer with a dry, soft, lint-free cloth.
    Figure 5: Clean contact points
  10. Plug in the power cord into the electrical outlet. Plug in the power cord to the back of the printer.
  11. Turn on the printer. The control panel should indicate that the printhead is missing.
  12. Insert the printhead into its color-coded slot. Press down firmly on the printhead to ensure proper contact.
  13. Pull the printhead latch all the way forward, and then press down to ensure that the latch is properly engaged. You might have to apply some pressure to engage the latch.
  14. Where necessary, repeat the above steps for the remaining printhead.
  15. Close the top cover.
  16. Wait while the printer initializes the printheads and prints the alignment pages.
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