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Printer ink — run a color-bar nozzle check before a clean

Printer ink

Before a printer ink clean wastes cartridges, print a color-bar nozzle check so you see which stall is weak — one small beat, not a blind clean.

color bar nozzle check before clean — related household tip photo
Photo: CiPi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

A blind printer ink clean can burn through ink cartridges. Print a color-bar nozzle check first so you see which stall is weak before you start a clean cycle.

Color-bar nozzle check before a printer ink clean

  1. From the printer menu or computer utility, run the nozzle check / color-bar test — not a deep clean — and let the page finish.
  2. Read each color bar: broken or missing lines in one stall mean that path needs attention; a solid bar means stop cleaning that color.
  3. Only run a short clean for the weak stall your manual allows, then print another color-bar check.
  4. If the same gaps remain after one clean and a fresh cartridge of the right ink cartridge number, stop — further cleans rarely fix a clogged printhead.

Honest stop: laser toner streaks are not an inkjet color-bar problem — use a toner/drum path instead of ink clean cycles.

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