Perform the cartridge cleaning procedure explained in the printer manual. If you do not have the owner’s manual, you can most likely find the information on the manufacturers web site. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP. It is the best chance you have of fixing your cartridge and is a good time for you to learn the two most important aspects of being an end user recycler.

1. The manufacturer wouldn’t explain how to correct a poor print problem using this cleaning procedure in the printer owner’s manual if it did not expect this to happen to OEM cartridges. If your remanufactured cartridge is printing incorrectly this does not mean its quality differs from that of the OEM. Like the OEM cartridge, it may print poorly if it needs to be cleaned.
   
   
2. The number one reason a cartridge will print poorly is a dirty printer. When is the last time your printer was cleaned? Every time you print, your cartridge moves to the docking station on the right side of the printer and purges itself of paper dust (gunk) collected on the print head and then continues to print. This “gunk” starts to build up from the very first day you use your printer. If you ignore your owner’s manual and do not clean the docking station then when your printer is not in use the cartridge print head (with all its tiny nozzle holes) settles in the gunk (clogging up the tiny holes the ink comes out of). A BAD PRINT is what you will end up with. Most owner’s manuals and OEM websites will explain how to clean the docking station. You should also run a damp towel under your printer carriage and if there is a wiper blade to the left of the docking station it should also be cleaned. If you can’t find this information you may try the following to clean your printer:

You will need a flashlight, damp paper towel, cotton swabs and some warm water. With the printer turned on, open the door. When the carriage moves to the center (your printer may require a button to be pushed, just like when you change out your cartridge) unplug your printer so that noting will move while you work on it. You may need a flashlight to see the docking station. It will be on the right side of the printer and the area you will want to clean will be the same size as the gold/silver plate on the bottom of your cartridge.

If your carriage holds two cartridges at a time, there will be two pads to clean one for each cartridge (FIGURE 9a). Simply take a wet cotton swab and swab the docking pad and repeat this step with a new swab until the swab comes out clean. If your printer also has a wiper blade to wipe the bottom of the cartridge as it comes out of the docking area, it will be a quarter inch long piece of thin rubber just to the left of the docking station. Wipe it clean as well with a wet cotton swab also (FIGURE 9b).

The carriage can get gunk on the bottom as it moves across a dirty docking station also. Simply take a damp paper towel and fold it long ways twice so that it is about 2” X 12” and then slide it back and forth under the carriage. The more regularly you clean your printer the easier it will be.