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CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

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routine. Some printers will even do this automatically from time to time.

Inkjet cartridges are usually easy to replace, but the exact process can vary

widely from printer to printer. Refer to the documentation, but typically

you’ll open a compartment on the printer and see one or more cartridges

attached to the printhead. If the printhead isn’t accessible, don’t try to force it

out; printheads often move to the center of the printer for easy access, in

which case you’ll need the printer to be on before you replace cartridges.

Cartridges may simply slide into place, but the printer may also have clips

to lock them in. Check the clips or slots on the printhead for an indicator of

which cartridge goes where. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for

removing the cartridge you need to change, then remove the new cartridge

from its packaging. Look for a piece of tape or other protective covering over

its nozzles or contacts; you’ll need to remove that before inserting it. Make

sure you follow the insertion process carefully, as an improperly seated

cartridge may catch on other components when the printhead moves. Once

you insert the new cartridges and close the compartment, the printhead

should move back into place.

Inkjet Printer Problems

Did I say that you never should clean an inkjet? Well, that may be true for the

printer itself, but there is one part of your printer that will benefit from an

occasional cleaning: the inkjet’s printer head nozzles. The nozzles are the tiny

pipes that squirt the ink onto the paper. A common problem with inkjet

printers is the tendency for the ink inside the nozzles to dry out when not

used even for a relatively short time, blocking any ink from exiting. If your

printer is telling Windows that it’s printing and feeding paper through, but

either nothing is coming out (usually the case if you’re just printing black

text) or only certain colors are printing, the culprit is almost certainly dried

ink clogging the nozzles.

NOTE All inkjet inks are water-based, and water works better than

denatured alcohol to clean them up.

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