Dick Wisan said:
I learn from postings here that an ink-jet printer that sits
unused for a long time will cake up and may be uncleanable.
If you know your printer is going to be unused for a long time
(BTW, how long is long?), how should you store it? Would it
be enough to merely remove the cartridges?
It really depends on the type of printer and what cartridge design it has. If
the printheads and ink supplies are separate you need to *not* remove the ink
supplies as you may plug up the printhead or the plumbing between the printhead
and the ink supply. If the printheads and ink supply are integrated into a
single unit
How long is long also depends on a lot of factors. For HP DeskJet printers
that use the 15, 45 or 56 black cartridges and the 41, 23, 25, 78 or 57 color
cartridges I would expect the printer to recover after sitting for a month
without requiring user interaction, and perhaps 2 or 3 months if a cleaning
cycle is run on the printer after putting it back in service. In a hot/dry
climate it will be worse.
For best results store the printer with its cartridges installed in a cool dry
(but not too dry...) place. If you are going to leave the printer for six
months or a year it may be best to remove the print cartridges and/or just plan
on replacing them. For a year or more you would probably be better off just
selling the printer and buying a new one later. Prices are declining and
features improving at a rate such that you may be able to get a better printer
in a year for what you could get for your printer today.
Regards,
Bob Headrick, not speaking for my employer HP
