T-Jet Maintenance Tip #1 - Is your printhead clogged?

Printhead clogged? Check the capping assembly!

If you are experiencing a clogged printhead there may be underlying reasons for the clog. The reason that Epson-based direct to garment printers can print detailed and colorful prints is the Epson printhead. The nozzles in the bottom of the head are very small and only allow a small drop size to pass through them which is the reason that you can achieve such detail in your prints. Because of this, the printhead is prone to clogging not only in your direct to garment printer but in a normal Epson printer. For this reason it is very important that the head cleaning components are in very good working order. A simple thing that you can do on a daily basis is to be observant. What I mean by this is to perform a head cleaning before printing every time that you turn on your printer and watch for two important things;

1). Initiate the head cleaning and watch the cap and wiper assemblies. When you observe the operation of the wiper you simply want to make sure that it is either moving back and forth or rolling up and down (depending on which printer you have). Just make sure it is moving it’s full distance, but it does not matter when. If it is moving properly the printer will time itself or will move it at the proper time. If it is not moving, that is an indication that something is wrong and will have to be corrected (usually a capping assembly replacement).

2.) Watch the cap (the sponge looking thing) under the printhead when the printer is turned off or on the right side as you are looking at the front of the printer. Normally you will see the printhead spray ink into the cap and then move across the wiper. When it moves across the wiper, you should hear the pump turn on and see the ink being pulled from the cap into the waste ink container. The key in this observation is to make sure that the ink is indeed being pulled and not pooling up on the cap. If the ink is pooling or not being pumped out, this is an indicator of a problem that may be as simple as a clog in the waste ink line or an indication of a pump malfunction of the pump assembly. If you are experiencing either one of these two issues, they will need to be resolved quickly or you will be replacing a printhead within hours not days. The operation of these components is often overlooked but is as important to the operation of the printer as the printhead is.
Happy printing and remember that a well maintained machine is a happy machine.

Good Luck,
Dr. Karl, The Printer Doctor