Cleaning the Print Head Using a Computer Utility

You can clean the print head using a utility on your Windows or Mac computer.
  1. Load a few sheets of plain paper in the product.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Windows: Right-click the product icon in the Windows taskbar.
    • Mac OS X 10.6/10.7/10.8: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. Select Print & Fax or Print & Scan, select your product, and select Options & Supplies. Select Utility and select Open Printer Utility.
    • Mac OS X 10.5: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. Select Print & Fax, select your product, and select Open Print Queue. Select Utility.
  3. Select Head Cleaning. You see a window like this:


  4. Click Start to begin the cleaning cycle. The  power light flashes throughout the cleaning cycle and stays on when the cleaning cycle is finished.
    Caution:
    Never turn off the product during a cleaning cycle or you may damage it.
  5. When the  power light stops flashing and remains on, you can check to see if the nozzles are clean; click Print Nozzle Check Pattern and click Print.
  6. Check the printed pattern to see if there are gaps in the lines.

    Print head is clean



    Print head needs cleaning



    • If there are no gaps, click Finish.
    • If there are gaps or the pattern is faint, click Clean to clean the print head again.
If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning the print head up to 4 times, turn off the product and wait at least 6 hours. Then try cleaning the print head again. If quality still does not improve, one of the ink cartridges may be old or damaged and needs to be replaced.
Parent topic: Print Head Cleaning
Related information
Replacing Ink Cartridges