
Tip #397 - Streaky Printing
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Q:
When my printer prints, I get black streaks across the words. What's causing
this?
A:
Sounds like your printer's ink jet heads need cleaning. Now the procedure for
this varies from printer to printer. Some printers (HP) have the ink jet
nozzles built into the ink cartridge. Remove the cartridges and wipe their
little bottoms with a soft, lint-free cloth. Make sure you clean both the
color and black cartridges - sometimes a black streak can be caused by something
sitting on a color cartridge.
If you can't remove the ink jet nozzle / head, you'll need to try to wipe
them off using a lint free cloth. Getting to them can be difficult, so if they
are unreachable or you're not comfortable messing around with your printer
you may want to take to a repair shop for cleaning.
Finally, check with your printer manufacturer and see if they offer some kind
of a cleaning kit. HP had one that came free with an ink cartridge, so I know
they're out there. In addition, your printer help file may give some advice
for recommended cleaning procedures.
~ Steve
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