HP 5550 cleaning funtion

  • Thread starter Thread starter Larry B
  • Start date Start date
L

Larry B

My #57 color cartridge has started to act weird. The red stops flowing after
a few lines and the red output is full of lines or "banding".

I did try to kick start the red part of the color cartridge by printing
red-filled text boxes in Word. The red would start and soon fade out to just
yellow (which must be a component of printed "red".

It seems to need replacement but I first cleaning the contacts and then ran
it through a Cleaning cycle.... which accomplished nothing except to
generate these questions:

What exactly does a Cleaning cycle do???

When it gives the option to "Prime" the cartridge, what is it doing then?

Is any part of the Cleaning cycle considered to be "destructive" to the
print heads?

Thanks, Lar
 
What exactly does a Cleaning cycle do???
Click to expand...

The printer spits out some ink, then has some rubber wipers rub across
the nozzles to scrub off dried up ink and crud.
When it gives the option to "Prime" the cartridge, what is it doing then?
Click to expand...

Similar to the above, but it spits ALOT before wiping. The idea is to
help purge out any air from a cartidge that may have been stored upside
down (you should store them nozzle down.)
Is any part of the Cleaning cycle considered to be "destructive" to the
print heads?
Click to expand...

It shouldn't damage the heads, but eats up ink.
 
Andrew Rossmann said:
The printer spits out some ink, then has some rubber wipers rub across
the nozzles to scrub off dried up ink and crud.
then?

Similar to the above, but it spits ALOT before wiping. The idea is to
help purge out any air from a cartidge that may have been stored upside
down (you should store them nozzle down.)


It shouldn't damage the heads, but eats up ink.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info!

Unfortunately, none of that worked.
 
Unfortunately, none of that worked.
Click to expand...
Assuming it's not just empty, try 10 minutes with the head dunked in 1/4" or
so of almost boiling hot water, then dab it with dry tissue until all 3
colours wick evenly before returning it to the printer.
 
SteveB said:
Assuming it's not just empty, try 10 minutes with the head dunked in 1/4" or
so of almost boiling hot water, then dab it with dry tissue until all 3
colours wick evenly before returning it to the printer.
Click to expand...

Steve, thanks for the suggestion but apparently it is fully DOA.

Not even a tiny streak of red can be had from it and it is not dry. It is
now sharing space with meat cuttings in the trash.
 
Back
Top