It is very convenient to be the owner of an inkjet photo printer. You do not need to go to the photo printing service every time in order to print photos or color images. Unfortunately, an inkjet printer is not always capable of performing flawlessly. What to do if unprinted stripes appear on the printouts, or even a single color has disappeared altogether? The first step is to perform a nozzle test.
It is necessary
- - A4 sheets of office paper
- - the drivers installed on the computer for your inkjet printer
Instructions
Step 1
Typically, the nozzle check utility is installed on your computer along with the drivers for your printer. To find it, open the Printers and Faxes section of the Start menu. Select the printer you are interested in and right-click on its name. A context menu will appear. It is necessary to select the item "Printing preferences".
Step 2
You will see a dialog box that is already familiar to you if you have repeatedly made printouts from your printer. Only now, instead of printing options, you will need to select the "Service" or "Printer Maintenance" section - usually it is either on a separate tab, or opens with a special button, depending on the printer model.
Step 3
Going to the "Service" section, you will see a list of various utilities for maintaining the printer. Among them should be “Nozzle Check”. Select it by clicking the corresponding button.
Step 4
In a dialog box that appears on the monitor, you will be prompted to place one or more sheets of A4 paper in the printer tray and click the “Print” or “Start” button. Follow the instructions in the nozzle check wizard.
Step 5
In the next dialog box you will be asked to compare the test print with the sample shown on the monitor. Typically, a test print consists of identical rectangles filled with lines at a specific angle. The number and colors of the rectangles correspond to the number of nozzles and cartridges in the printer. The print quality of the test sheet will help you determine the condition of the nozzles. If one of the rectangles is missing completely, this means that the nozzle is dry, or air has entered the cartridge. In this case, the help of a printer repair specialist is required.
Step 6
If the test print does not match the pattern on the screen, use the nozzle cleaning utility as prompted by the test program. After cleaning, let the printer sit for a while and repeat the check procedure. If the condition of the nozzles does not improve much, repeat the cleaning. It can be carried out up to three times, but if this does not help and the printed samples leave much to be desired, you should contact the service center.
