How To Remove Dust And Particles From Printer Cartridge Holders

2010-11-16

Printers can be a magnet for dust and particles, and to ensure you maintain high, consistent print quality, you should remove dust and other debris from your printer cartridge holders frequently. If dust builds up on the printer cartridge holders, this can cause bleeding, streaking, or the printer cartridge may not work at all if the connections in the holder are too clogged. It could even cause leaking, which can damage a printer.

To remove dust and particles from your printer cartridge holder, first open your printer cover and let the printer cartridge holder come to a stop in the middle. You should never move the holder by hand, as this can damage it and cause it to work improperly. Once the holder has stopped, flip up the covers on the two printer cartridges and remove the printer cartridges. Place the cartridges on something flat, with their bottoms facing upward so no ink leaks out. Now you can get to work cleaning your printer cartridge holder.

Wipe the holder down with a bit a rubbing alcohol on some cotton swabs. This will remove dust and particles clinging to the surface of the printer cartridge holder, and it is also great for removing dust in the crevices of the holder, which are harder to thoroughly clean with a dry cloth. Check the connectors in the printer holder as well for any dust or debris, and carefully remove any with a dry cotton swab. Once you are finished, wipe a dry, clean cloth over the holder to grab any moisture left by the swabs, or any dust or debris they may have missed. If you have a computer vacuum, use this to remove dust and debris around and beneath the printer cartridge holder. Canned air is also great for removing any leftover dust and debris, so if you have some on hand, blow out the area around and beneath the holder, and use the canned air to remove any dust on the printer cartridge holder that was missed by your previous methods. Once your cleaning is complete, replace the ink in the printer cartridge holder and print a test page.

If you notice streaks in your print outs, or if color or text quality is diminished, you should clean your printer first to see if this fixes the problem, but should the poor quality print outs continue, clean your printer cartridges and holder to remove dust and debris that could be clogging print nozzles. Consider cleaning the holder every time you change printer cartridges to remove dust and particles that can clog nozzles, causes leaking, and diminish the lifespan of your printer.