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Cleaning and Maintaining the 600 Series Printer

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Introduction
This document explains how to clean and maintain the HP Deskjet 600 series printer and ink cartridges.
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Printer case exterior graphic
Inkjet printers print by spraying a fine mist of ink from the print head onto the paper. In some situations, small amounts of ink from the printing process may be deposited on the printer case and become visible over time. If this situation occurs, the exterior of the printer can be clean with a soft cloth moistened with water to remove ink deposits, dust, smudges, and fingerprints (see Figure 1 below). A mild detergent may be used if necessary on the exterior. Do not use harsh household cleaners as they may damage the finish on the printer case.
Figure 1: Cleaning the exterior
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Printer interior
All Inkjet printers produce a small amount of ink residue that may build up inside the printer's case. This is normal. There is no need to clean this residue. Platen cleaners or alcohol may damage the HP Deskjet printer and should not be used. Cleaning the interior of the printer should be limited to cleaning only the print cartridges. Do not clean anything else inside the printer. For cartridge cleaning information, see the Cleaning the print cartridges section below. Keep all liquids away from the inside of the printer
CAUTION: Do not clean or lubricate the carriage rod. Cleaning or lubricating the rod may reduce its life. The ink present on the rod will not hinder the operation of the product.
NOTE: The carriage rod is the shaft inside the printer that the print cartridges move back and forth on.
Accumulations of paper or lint should be carefully removed by brushing the loose material onto a cloth or by using a small computer vacuum cleaner.
Cleaning the drive rollers
Perform this procedure if the printer is jamming or failing to pick up paper.
  1. Unplug the printer from the power source.
  2. Open the top cover.
  3. Remove all paper from the IN tray.
  4. Hold a cloth moistened with water against one of the drive rollers (see Figure 1), and manually turn the roller.
    Figure 2: View of drive rollers on an HP Deskjet 670c printer
  5. Repeat the above step to clean the other drive rollers.
  6. Load paper into the IN tray.
  7. Plug the printer in, and make sure that the power is on.
  8. Check the printer will pick paper from the IN tray by printing a self-test. Press and hold the RESUME button for approximately five seconds. If the printer does not pick up the paper from the IN tray, repeat the steps above. If the paper pick problems continue, contact an HP Customer Support Center for repair options.
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Cleaning the print cartridges
Running the clean print cartridges routine
Perform this procedure if light or dark lines, or bands are seen, if colors are incorrect, or if white lines appear, such as those shown in Figure 2.
Figure 3: Missing colors and white lines
To run the Clean Print Cartridges routine from the printer toolbox, follow the steps below:
  1. Open the printer toolbox icon .
  2. Select Printer Services tab.
  3. Choose Clean the Print Cartridges .
If the Clean Print Cartridge routine does not restore print quality, follow the steps below to clean the print cartridge contacts and nozzles, or replace the print cartridges.
Cleaning the print cartridge contacts
  1. Raise the top cover of the printer. The ink cartridge carriage should move to the center position.
  2. Remove the ink cartridges. Examine the copper flex circuitry on the back of each cartridge. Ensure that the flex circuitry is fully intact and not damaged.
  3. Unplug the power to the HP Deskjet 600 series printer.
  4. Use the instructions below to clean the print cartridges:
    1. Use a clean, foam rubber swab or a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with water.
    2. Locate the copper-colored circuitry strip on the back of the cartridge.
    3. Clean the copper-colored strip with the dampened swab or cloth. Do not wipe the nozzle end of the cartridge or touch the nozzle plate.
      CAUTION: A dry cloth may scratch and damage the ink cartridge contacts.
    4. Clean the carriage contacts on the back wall of the ink cartridge carriage with a damp, foam-rubber swab or a lint-free cloth. Then, use a dry foam-rubber swab or a lint-free cloth to remove the moisture from the contacts. If the carriage contacts show noticeable damage, contact HP Customer Care using the number listed in the printer's User Guide .
  5. Plug in the power and turn on the printer.
  6. Place the ink cartridges into the carriage, and snap or lock them into position.
Cleaning the print cartridge nozzles
Before starting, make sure that the following materials are available:
  • Cotton swabs or any soft material that will not come apart or leave fibers (for example, a piece of clean cotton cloth)
  • Distilled, filtered, or bottled water (tap water might contain contaminants that can damage the print cartridges).
  • Scrap paper or paper towels to set the print cartridges on while working.
    NOTE: Use care to avoid getting ink on hands or clothing.
  1. Remove the print cartridges.
    1. Turn the printer on, and lift the top cover of the printer. The print cartridges move to the center of the printer.
    2. After the print cartridges have moved to the center of the printer, unplug the power cord from the back of the printer (see Figure 3).
      Figure 4: Power cord attachment and removal of print cartridges
    3. Remove the print cartridges, and place them on their sides on a piece of scrap paper.
      CAUTION: Make sure the print cartridges are not outside of the printer for more than 15 minutes.
      WARNING: Keep new and used print cartridges out of the reach of children.
  2. Clean the print cartridges.
    1. Dip a clean cotton swab into distilled water and squeeze the excess water from the swab.
    2. Grasp the black print cartridge by the colored cap.
    3. Clean the face and edges of the print cartridge as shown (see Figure 4).
      NOTE: Make certain to avoid wiping or cleaning the nozzle plate (see Figure 4, call-out 1).
    4. Clean the face as shown in Figure 4, call-out 2.
      Figure 5: Cleaning the print cartridge
    5. Hold the print cartridge up to the light, and inspect for fibers on the face and edges. If fibers are still present, repeat Steps 2a through 2c.
    6. Repeat Steps 2a through 2d to clean the tri-color print cartridge using a clean, moistened cotton swab to avoid contamination.
  3. Clean the print cartridge cradle.
    1. Position yourself at eye level with the printer.
    2. Locate the cradle that holds the print cartridges. Then, locate the three black, hook-shaped arms on the bottom of the cradle (see Figure 5).
    3. Using clean, moistened swabs, wipe the flat surfaces (shaded area) on the undersides of each arm from back to front. Repeat until no ink residue appears on the clean cotton swab (see Figure 5).
      Figure 6: Cleaning the print cartridge cradle
  4. Reinstall the print cartridges, and close the top cover.
  5. Plug the power cord into the printer, and try printing.
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