How to Clean HP Printer Heads | Manually | Automatically

Hewlett-Packard, or HP, produces top-notch printers worldwide. However, to use them optimally, you must know how to clean HP printer heads. If they are unclean, your printer will produce low-quality printouts. In HP printers, ink or dust dries up and gathers in the nozzle. So, if you keep them unclean, transferring ink onto the page won’t be possible.

Moreover, a simple printhead cleaning extends the cartridge life. This, in turn, prevents you from spending money on replacing them frequently. In this post, we will help you learn how to clean the printhead so you attain the desired printouts from your HP printer.

How to Clean Printheads on HP Printer 

• Use the ‘Clean Printhead’ function on your computer to clean the printer head automatically
• Manually clean an HP printhead with dry paper towels, lint-free cloth, and distilled warm water.
• Use the paper towel method if your HP printer has cartridges with an integrated printhead.

How to Clean HP Printer Heads Automatically?

You can clean your HP printer heads automatically from your computer. Follow these pointers to clean them effectively without physical effort.

• Hit the ‘Start’ button on your Windows system.
• Now, navigate to ‘Control Panel’ and then tap ‘Printers and Scanners.’
• There will be a set of printers that you have linked previously and those that you currently use.
• Tap on the current printer and select ‘Properties.’
• You can find the ink available in the cartridges on the window that appears.
• If the ink cartridges are full, but the quality of your printouts is not great, it means you must clean the printhead.
• Select ‘Printing Preferences.’
• Now, choose the ‘Service’ tab.
• After this, pick the ‘Printer Services’ option on the succeeding window.
• You will now view a command to clean the printheads.
• This command will commence the process of cleaning.
• You don’t need to physically remove anything to clean your HP printer heads.

Follow the process mentioned above to learn how to clean HP DeskJet printer heads. This process will also work if you want to clean your HP DeskJet printers.

How to Clean HP Printer Heads Manually?

Although you can clean your printer heads automatically using the ‘Clean Printhead’ function in your system, sometimes it may not work. In this case, follow these steps to clean your printhead manually.

• Open your printer’s cover.
• Now unplug the printer from its outlet.
• Take out all ink cartridges and clean their contacts with a lint-free cloth and distilled warm water.
• After cleaning, insert the cartridges into their slots again.
• Plug back your printing device into its outlet.
• Let the printer boot up.
• Allow it to execute the automated startup sequence.
• Now perform a test print and inspect the quality of the prints.
• If you don’t find the printout satisfactory, repeat this process several times.

The Process of Cleaning Printheads Integrated with Ink Cartridges

Many HP printers have printheads built into the ink cartridges. If you have this printer model, use the paper towel approach to clean the printer heads. For this method, you will need a damp and warm paper towel and a fully dry paper towel.

• Blot the cartridge using a damp and warm paper towel.
• The printer head of your cartridge should face down towards the towel. This will take away all the ink that has dried on the printhead.
• Now, hold the cartridge in a way that the printhead faces down against the fully dry paper towel.
• Let it remain so for about 3 minutes.
• The dry paper towel will take out the excess ink.
• Do not use the towel to wipe the printhead. It may cause damage to the equipment.
• After that, install the cartridge again and perform a test print.

When Is the Right Time to Replace Your Printer Heads?

Sometimes, cleaning the printhead may not give you the desired result. In this case, you should get your printer or the printhead replaced. Here are the indications that you need to get your printhead replaced.

1. You have not received a satisfactory result even after cleaning the printer head multiple times.
2. You find yourself engaging in printhead cleaning frequently.
3. Your printouts have bands or streaks through text. This is becoming a regular scenario.
4. There’s a message on the printer display to replace the printer head.
5. You also see an error message on the screen of your system indicating the same thing.

POINT TO NOTE: Before you commence the printer head cleaning process, ensure that you are using cartridges from the HP brand. Genuine cartridges enhance the efficiency of the printer parts.

Summing up

Hopefully, you are now aware of the right processes to clean your HP printhead effectively. Use either the manual or the automatic cleaning method according to your unique needs. If you need more help in any part of the process, contact an HP printer technical support service.