Thanks for yet another great video! I own a Epson p800 and often get clogged nozzle head. The nozzle cleaning program always works for me but this is a great tip for that inevitable day when it won't work. 👍😁
Thanks! Not sure if I will ever try this, but in case, can you clarify the ammonia starting solution. Ammonia is a gas naturally at room temp and pressure, so need to specify the solution concentration.
Oh boy, how true. I had a $$$ Canon printer but wasn't using it that much and the nozzles got so clogged the remedy was replacement, and it wasn't worth it. I still haven't replaced it because I'm worried I won't use it enough to justify the expense. So right now I'm not printing at all (took a darkroom course in Dec but getting to the community darkroom is a two hour trip and requires an appt to use the lab) and that annoys me because I think printing is the whole point of photography! Maybe this video will give me the motivation to invest in a nice printer again.
@@robertkerner4833 I find it great to have and have always gone the Epson route ( mostly because it was the standard for a long time- lots of info and drivers etc…) Canon makes great printers and in my mind till I read your comment assumed they did not clog 🫢. Now I knew that was not true but gave justification to complain about Epson’s clogging 😳
I got into inkjet printing photos a few years ago on a Canon Pro-10, and always ran it fairly frequently. We were moving, so it was all put in a hot storage unit where it baked for like a year. After dragging it out of storage, it took me a while to get the courage to try resurrecting it. At first I thought it was not going to work without a deep clean, but after a while all the inks came back to life, and the prints seem to be coming out as I remember. I suppose it's probably due now for something like this, but I'll have to check by eye with a test chart that I have an old copy of to see if I can tell the difference though.
Question: to avoid having to do this sort of thing, would you suggest printing a full color print once a week? Especially if you're not printing often?
Ammonia based cleaners are used to clean copper fouling out of rifle barrels. My Epson 4900 finally had a terminal clog years ago. It made a lot of prints. I don't know if the Cone Editions black and white ink set did it in or if it was at end of life. Probably the latter. Print heads weren't available and they had discontinued the printer by the time it failed so I took it to a friend for parts. I still miss printing with it.
The best way to clear a clogged print head is to not allow it to clog in the first place. I use my printer infrequently. To solve this problem I print a test 1/2 sheet every other day. This uses very little ink. My setup is automatic. I have a Windows 10 micro computer running Qimage. It has a function to send a test pattern to the printer every other day. I reuse the same stack of paper over and over, no reason not to. This prevents the printer from running an ink wasting print head clearing procedure every time I want to make a print. I have been running a Canon Pro-100 since 2012 with never a clogged print head.
@@photobobo This is fantastic… will look into the software you mention. I try to print once a week or more for this very reason but fail often… having an automated system would be helpful for sure. Only problem I see is my laptop travels with me so may not always be idle and on but think that can be worked around. Thank you!
I'm between inkjet printers, in part because I use them infrequently and always faced some clogging problem. After old Epson bit the dust, I bought one of the large, new Canons, but knowing its reputation for head clogging and my lack of need, I still have it new in the box. This may be my motivation to bust it out.
I have the same printer and have used s similar process but using Windex. Only once had it taken hours but that was a really bad clog after not using the printer for 2-3 months.
@@paulstillwell yeah mine does sit for months without real use at times. I need to get better about this. Really is my only complaint with the printer. Using the cleaning head cycle can waste a lot of ink and the cartridges are not cheap.
Thank you for that video! Clogging is a big problem on my canon ip8750 printer too and it was more than once that I wanted to dump that thing in the trash can. I usually take the printer head out (easy to do) and sit it for a few hours in a tray filled with a solution of distilled water and 5 % ammonium. Often it works, but sometimes not and I have to repeat the procedure. But: Due to all the problems with the printer I more and more lost my inclination for self-printing. Today, I mostly let my photos be printed by a professional printing service. This may be more expensive, but it saves my nerves a lot! Nevertheless, I will try your method, if I ever take my printer in service again.
Hi, I'm desperate, my head prints started clogging even though I used it regularly right after the end of the warranty. I tried everything to unclog it. I even ordered another head print to replace it and this one is apparently clogged too. I tried your method but it has been 18 hours and there is no mark of ink on the cleaning pad. Do you have an idea of what could be happening to my printer ? It is the second printer I have this same issue with, I never figured it out for the first one. It was an epson workforce 7620, the present one is the epson workforce 7835. Thank you.
The next step would be to clear the head with pushing fluid through the head via syringe... Have not had to do this and am also not familiar with that model. But if you replaced the entire head and still have issues it might be something else all together. Are you sure the inks are not dried up in the cassettes?
@@Distphoto Thank you for your answer. Yes, I did try to inject the cleaning fluid inside the headprints but it doesn't go through. If I push very hard, it splashes all around but doesn't go through. I even tried to inject ink into the heads but it doesn't go through either. And it was the same with my previous head print which I ended up taking apart. Once it was in three "layers" I manage to clean the 2 upper parts but the fluid still doesn't go through the lowest part. I even tried to immerse it in isopropyl alcohol and inside the ulstrasound cleaner. A bit of ink dissolves in the ultrasound cleaner but I still cannot get the cleaning fluid through it. The cartridges are not clogged and what is the most surprising is that I did not let the printer sit for months before it happened. It started on just the black and the more I tried to fix it, the more the colors were gone. Regarding the second printhead, I guess it wasn't new as advised.
I've had several Epson inkjet printers over 25 years. The P600 is the worst I've owned in terms of clogged heads after sitting unused. It's horrible if you let it sit for more than several days without printing. The auto cleaning procedure is quite ineffective. I cringe at how much ink I've wasted trying to clean the damn heads. Thanks for the tutorial!
@@scottfineshriber5051 It is pretty bad and I cringe at that as well. Wondering if the P700 or 900 are the same. I had a P2200 and remember it being not quite as bad but still not good.
Was that printer ink he just drank? In all seriousness great tip that I'll have to try. Removing and cleaning the print head is so messy and fiddly I really don't want to do it again!
A lot of printers have the option in there maintenance menu settings to "Replace ink cartridge. and will move the printhead to the left into a position where you can access it , I just select replace ink cartridge , hit ok,, then the printer will move the printhed left undocking it from the cleaner/ capper , then I unplug , and can gently move the print head to a position where it can be cleaned ,, The printer wont see a valid ink cartridge change as it does not see a new cartridge chip now in place..
Thanks for yet another great video! I own a Epson p800 and often get clogged nozzle head. The nozzle cleaning program always works for me but this is a great tip for that inevitable day when it won't work. 👍😁
@@evensjursen4383 Let’s hope you don’t need it 🙌
Thanks! Not sure if I will ever try this, but in case, can you clarify the ammonia starting solution. Ammonia is a gas naturally at room temp and pressure, so need to specify the solution concentration.
Oh boy, how true. I had a $$$ Canon printer but wasn't using it that much and the nozzles got so clogged the remedy was replacement, and it wasn't worth it. I still haven't replaced it because I'm worried I won't use it enough to justify the expense. So right now I'm not printing at all (took a darkroom course in Dec but getting to the community darkroom is a two hour trip and requires an appt to use the lab) and that annoys me because I think printing is the whole point of photography! Maybe this video will give me the motivation to invest in a nice printer again.
@@robertkerner4833 I find it great to have and have always gone the Epson route ( mostly because it was the standard for a long time- lots of info and drivers etc…) Canon makes great printers and in my mind till I read your comment assumed they did not clog 🫢. Now I knew that was not true but gave justification to complain about Epson’s clogging 😳
@@Distphoto My Canon Imageprograf 1000 Pro doesn't clog even after 6 weeks turned off. The Epson P900 I had before did often.
I got into inkjet printing photos a few years ago on a Canon Pro-10, and always ran it fairly frequently. We were moving, so it was all put in a hot storage unit where it baked for like a year. After dragging it out of storage, it took me a while to get the courage to try resurrecting it. At first I thought it was not going to work without a deep clean, but after a while all the inks came back to life, and the prints seem to be coming out as I remember. I suppose it's probably due now for something like this, but I'll have to check by eye with a test chart that I have an old copy of to see if I can tell the difference though.
@@dubhd4r4 glad it’s still kicking for you 👍
Question: to avoid having to do this sort of thing, would you suggest printing a full color print once a week? Especially if you're not printing often?
@@thetinmansheart Yes, that should prevent clogs. I always have the intention of doing this but when it comes down execution I often fail
Ammonia based cleaners are used to clean copper fouling out of rifle barrels. My Epson 4900 finally had a terminal clog years ago. It made a lot of prints. I don't know if the Cone Editions black and white ink set did it in or if it was at end of life. Probably the latter. Print heads weren't available and they had discontinued the printer by the time it failed so I took it to a friend for parts. I still miss printing with it.
@@MichaelLloyd Always wanted that one… had a 2200 that I used for quite a while. Should have loaded it with Cone inks but it was pretty old too
@@Distphoto It was a great printer. I wish Epson would try to match it.
The best way to clear a clogged print head is to not allow it to clog in the first place. I use my printer infrequently. To solve this problem I print a test 1/2 sheet every other day. This uses very little ink. My setup is automatic. I have a Windows 10 micro computer running Qimage. It has a function to send a test pattern to the printer every other day. I reuse the same stack of paper over and over, no reason not to. This prevents the printer from running an ink wasting print head clearing procedure every time I want to make a print. I have been running a Canon Pro-100 since 2012 with never a clogged print head.
@@photobobo This is fantastic… will look into the software you mention. I try to print once a week or more for this very reason but fail often… having an automated system would be helpful for sure.
Only problem I see is my laptop travels with me so may not always be idle and on but think that can be worked around. Thank you!
I'm between inkjet printers, in part because I use them infrequently and always faced some clogging problem. After old Epson bit the dust, I bought one of the large, new Canons, but knowing its reputation for head clogging and my lack of need, I still have it new in the box. This may be my motivation to bust it out.
@@randallstewart1224 Well when you do I would be interested to see how you like the Canon compared to the Epson 👍
I have the same printer and have used s similar process but using Windex. Only once had it taken hours but that was a really bad clog after not using the printer for 2-3 months.
Also... another great video... thanks!
@@paulstillwell yeah mine does sit for months without real use at times. I need to get better about this. Really is my only complaint with the printer. Using the cleaning head cycle can waste a lot of ink and the cartridges are not cheap.
@@paulstillwell Appreciate that a lot, thanks!
Thank you for that video!
Clogging is a big problem on my canon ip8750 printer too and it was more than once that I wanted to dump that thing in the trash can. I usually take the printer head out (easy to do) and sit it for a few hours in a tray filled with a solution of distilled water and 5 % ammonium. Often it works, but sometimes not and I have to repeat the procedure. But: Due to all the problems with the printer I more and more lost my inclination for self-printing. Today, I mostly let my photos be printed by a professional printing service. This may be more expensive, but it saves my nerves a lot! Nevertheless, I will try your method, if I ever take my printer in service again.
@itonuoro3813 this has cleared my clogs many many times so have never had to remove the head still a pain but much less 👍
Hi, I'm desperate, my head prints started clogging even though I used it regularly right after the end of the warranty. I tried everything to unclog it. I even ordered another head print to replace it and this one is apparently clogged too. I tried your method but it has been 18 hours and there is no mark of ink on the cleaning pad. Do you have an idea of what could be happening to my printer ? It is the second printer I have this same issue with, I never figured it out for the first one. It was an epson workforce 7620, the present one is the epson workforce 7835. Thank you.
The next step would be to clear the head with pushing fluid through the head via syringe... Have not had to do this and am also not familiar with that model. But if you replaced the entire head and still have issues it might be something else all together. Are you sure the inks are not dried up in the cassettes?
@@Distphoto Thank you for your answer. Yes, I did try to inject the cleaning fluid inside the headprints but it doesn't go through. If I push very hard, it splashes all around but doesn't go through. I even tried to inject ink into the heads but it doesn't go through either. And it was the same with my previous head print which I ended up taking apart. Once it was in three "layers" I manage to clean the 2 upper parts but the fluid still doesn't go through the lowest part. I even tried to immerse it in isopropyl alcohol and inside the ulstrasound cleaner. A bit of ink dissolves in the ultrasound cleaner but I still cannot get the cleaning fluid through it. The cartridges are not clogged and what is the most surprising is that I did not let the printer sit for months before it happened. It started on just the black and the more I tried to fix it, the more the colors were gone. Regarding the second printhead, I guess it wasn't new as advised.
I've had several Epson inkjet printers over 25 years. The P600 is the worst I've owned in terms of clogged heads after sitting unused. It's horrible if you let it sit for more than several days without printing. The auto cleaning procedure is quite ineffective. I cringe at how much ink I've wasted trying to clean the damn heads. Thanks for the tutorial!
@@scottfineshriber5051 It is pretty bad and I cringe at that as well. Wondering if the P700 or 900 are the same. I had a P2200 and remember it being not quite as bad but still not good.
Was that printer ink he just drank?
In all seriousness great tip that I'll have to try. Removing and cleaning the print head is so messy and fiddly I really don't want to do it again!
@@jhb2580 Definitely give this a shot first 👍
A lot of printers have the option in there maintenance menu settings to "Replace ink cartridge. and will move the printhead to the left into a position where you can access it , I just select replace ink cartridge , hit ok,, then the printer will move the printhed left undocking it from the cleaner/ capper , then I unplug , and can gently move the print head to a position where it can be cleaned ,, The printer wont see a valid ink cartridge change as it does not see a new cartridge chip now in place..
Brilliant!
@@tundrusphoto4312 👍
Very useful indeed! The _main_ problem is staying cool enough with these bloody printers - AND LET IT SIT… ;-)
👍
@@ЕвгенийМалышкин-з6к 👍👍👍