The simple procedure which helps keep your inkjet printer healthy. Neglect it at your peril...

In the menu for any inkjet printer is the nozzle check. What does it actually do? Why is it so important? How often should you use it and what to do if it fails. Making sure your printer is used often enough.
Paying attention to this simple test can prolong the life of your printer. If you then run cleaning cycles on your printer, how many should you carry out? And when is it a waste of time and only wasting more ink?
Based on years of testing and dozens of detailed printer reviews
00:00 Start
00:15 The nozzle check
01:05 What is a nozzle check
01:43 Printing a check on your printer
02:30 What does the check show?
04:06 What do problems look like
04:20 Additional information on the print
05:10 More printer info
06:30 Saving paper
08:00 How often to run a check
11:05 Leaving a printer unused?
11:50 What to do if the check fails
12:38 How many nozzle checks to run?
14:22 Avoiding power cleaning
For a full categorised index of all my videos, see:
www.northlight-images.co.uk/k...
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[@thekennethofoz3594]

Thanks for this tip, it simple and easy thing to do. Just to followup on one point you made, though. You're right,; if you had one bad product from a company years ago, it's self-defeating to hold it against them forever. However, what I DO have a very long memory for is a company's response to problems. If they behaved reasonably, and did their best to resolve the issue, I remember that. On the other hand, if they just give a middle finger salute, as a lot of companies do these days, I will remember it forever. And I will do my best to warn others.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, company attitudes to customers seem slower to change...

[@MarkEricksonArtist]

Not click bait at all - this is great advice. This is SO important. I do nozzle checks if I haven't used my printer in 5 days. My art print business was much slower 3 years ago and I ruined my P7000 by leaving it for weeks without printing. My brother sells these large format printers and he got me a good deal on a new Epson P7570 and down-time nozzle checks was the best advice he's ever given me. I've had this P7570 for about 3 years now (probably 3000 prints) and during my slower times, I run nozzle checks and they are pristine. The only time it's ever been idle for more than 6 days were due to family vacations.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I couldn't resist the title ;-)

[@jean-lucr961]

Hi Keith, As a Frenchman, I am delighted to be able to understand your explanations thanks to your expression in academic English. your channel is very fascinating 🎉

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks ... I should perhaps admit that I'm half French ;-)

[@thekennethofoz3594]

You're right, Jean-Luc. I finished watching this video with the same amount of hair as when I started! Doesn't often happen .... usually I have pulled out half of my remaining strands when I hear the absolute butchery of the English language that so many presenters perform. It's great that you acknowledged it, since English is not your first language. ( BTW, I have great respect for people who are fluent in more than one language. It was never a talent I mastered.)

[@jonkers2007]

thaqnk you for putting this out Keith. Really helpful.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@tundrusphoto4312]

Thanks, Keith. Much appreciated.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - it's easy to forget...

[@theblackandwhitefilmproject]

Always useful advice. Thanks again.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@weaverl43]

Tip for a persistent clog that has lasted for days: make an aluminum foil boat that will fit inside the printer’s bay where the print head moves. Place a very damp paper towel inside and close up the printer for a day or two. The humidity will often unclog the print head.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks for noting that

[@MrRudyc]

Also make a mixture of alcohol and ammonia and lightly dampen the folded paper towel.

[@QuickQuips]

Definitely will do this when I get back from my work trip. Thanks Keith!

[@KeithCooper]

Glad to assist ;-)

[@cnicolo]

Hi Keith thank you very much for this tips

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks...

[@lynsmith1096]

Great advice again and video Keith.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@rogercave6435]

Excellent advice Keith, just the sort of thing I value your channel for.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I do try and mix the basic but important stuff with more advanced coverage, just because it covers the range of my photo interests and what I do for a living.

[@Richardincancale]

I’ll do it now! And set a weekly reminder!

[@KeithCooper]

The reminder also reminds you the printer is there, if you've not got round to doing some printing ;-)

[@Soulartist13]

Excellent advice all around.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@alanparkinson549]

A great reminder, Keith, I'll run a check today.

[@KeithCooper]

And in two weeks time!

[@gosman949]

Thanks for the reminder this Sunday. Ran my P900 and all is good!

[@KeithCooper]

Excellent...

[@deniseracine6788]

Thanks! This is excellent advice that will surely save me money.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks!

[@johncameron6853]

More great advice, thank you. 👍😎

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks!

[@frankcolak2]

Great reminder, thanks! Haven't fired up my Pro200 in almost a year, luckily the nozzle check was perfect. :)

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks!

[@gordonbunker3272]

Thank you Keith for the excellent advice. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Just ran a nozzle check (all OK), and have added a reminder to my calendar to repeat every two weeks.

[@KeithCooper]

Excellent - glad to have helped.

[@tomfred008]

Thanks!

[@KeithCooper]

thanks for that!

[@roderashe]

As always, Keith, you give excellent advice! The best part about this video was what you said about letting the printer sit. During the pandemic, our printers sat for many many months without use. Some of them would be fine and some of them wouldn’t maybe even after a couple of weeks.then you would come back the next day and they’d be fine. Thanks again, Keith. You are such a great resource!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - The printer makers tell me it's all about bubbles...

[@naturelvr123]

Great tips!😄

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@shortsonfire79]

Haven't printed for three, maybe four-ish weeks. Usually I just run a small credit card sized crop on a full sheet of paper. Decided to run this nozzle check this morning instead. Turned out fine. This is way easier to tell than inspecting my crops under loupe for any missprays or white dots.

[@KeithCooper]

Excellent - hope it helps keep the printer happy ;-)

[@MarcelJomphe]

This is great advice. I'm not using my Epson P600 a lot these days, and I run the test it a few minutes ago and discover that I had two nozzles completely blocked.

[@KeithCooper]

Hope it clears...

[@johnpollock6996]

Great info Keith. My tightwaddedness is treated by using scrap paper and 4 times through.

[@KeithCooper]

Ah... an extra saving I'd not mentioned ;-)

[@spyderryder6519]

Suggestion for another video. How often should I check the print head alignment? I haven't done one for over a year on my ET-8500, but decided to check it today, and most of the alignments we off. Some of them significantly. Thank you for these great videos.....Brian

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks, my normal suggestion with new printers is to run it after the first major ink change. I'll have a look at some more detailed notes.

[@Wairoakid]

Thanks Keith. I shudder when I see advice in various Facebook pages about power cleaning and to print full pages of different colours to try to clear blockages. I try to print a photo every week and/or nozzle check on my P900. I usually print a monthly combined nozzle check, configuration status sheet, usage history sheet and supply status sheet ( on 2 A4 plain paper sheets) to keep a record of the printer. Last check showed - First print 18/11/2021 -A4 equivalent prints 12530 or 2349 A2 equivalents.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - regular print is the key...

[@yeldaRooBTKAM]

Thank, Keith. 🙏🤝

[@KeithCooper]

Hope it helps!

[@yeldaRooBTKAM]

@@KeithCooperindeed it does. Thank you, sir.

[@lindenwatson846]

I have had an Epson R2400 since 2007, and I haven't done this yonks lol, have printed some photos of late and no problems, one thing I have never printed borderless which has kept the 'inners' clean. But now I will run a maintenance check!

[@KeithCooper]

A good solid printer - one I reviewed many years ago...

[@thierryhoornaert9950]

Thanks, Keith. This is great advice. I leave the printer on, which saves a lot of ink. As you should keep the nozzles wet, you should print frequently -- like weekly -- using every cartridge or tank. It saves you ink to print a (small) photo every week. I do a nozzle check once in a while, or if I forgot to print. I also print a small version before printing it big.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@Wpoolesf]

I now do a nozzle check before EVERY print session to be sure all is OK. This after I had problems with my Canon P-300 after 400 sheets and the machine was throwing a fatal error code. (Out of warranty, natch.) Canon tech told me that the printer needed to be replaced, but I was, and still am, hesitant. So I ran a few nozzle checks and cleanings. Now, most of the time, the checks come out OK and I am able to print that session. If not, I run a cleaning. (Luckily, the printer allows you to clean half the channels, and I only have trouble with MBK.) Usually I am back in business after one cleaning. Has the printer been miraculously healed? Maybe not. But I am willing to play this game and waste a little ink to save $1,000.

[@KeithCooper]

Seems reasonable - the 300 is not high on the 'due for replacement' list.

[@richardlopez46]

Good advise, especially if you are not printing regularly. I think once a week or every couple weeks, but also, if you haven't used your printer in a couple of weeks it would be a good idea to run a nozzle check before you make a print.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - it can save wasting good paper and ink

[@mrca2004]

Great advice. I have 2 printers and just drag and drop my nozzle check reminder 3 days. Some folks recommend a print but it might not exercise every nozzle. Have a 10 year old 3880 that will develop a clog beyond that in the cyan channel after I let it sit a year unused. I just do a check on the 5 yr old p7000 at the same time. If a second nozzle check hasn't cleared it after waiting a few minutes, rather than doing a head cleaning on all the inks, Qimage 1 that I use for page setup, printing and remembering settings, allows me to only do a half or full page cleaning of the color with the clog. And yes, I cut my paper on a rototrim. I also try to print on each printer at least once a month.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@SeanMcGown]

Thanks for this. Hearing your litany of disclaimers towards your listeners, it sounds like more than a few might need to review their life priorities.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - Indeed ;-)

[@sawdoctor2737]

Hi Keith , very informative video ( as usual ) . I fully understand the need to give your printer something to do quite often ( as I do ) , but just wanted to share my lucky printer purchase story . I understood the risks of buying a used printer but I went in feet first and picked up a 3 year old Canon Pro-1000 that had been in a loft for over 2 years since the inks ran out . When I switched it on at home it did show every cart empty ( as expected ) . Like a crazy man I'd pre-ordered a complete set of Canon inks and went ahead installing . My next move was to run a nozzle check and to my huge relief all was perfect and its continued to print great images . This isn't in any way an advert for this brand I just thought it showed how very clever printer tech has developed .

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - thanks for that, bad news about clogs and ink use gets all the publicity. Printers are generally getting better...

[@jamesmgreen15]

Thanks again. This is one thing I was good at. Sadly a now ancient HP8620 has said print head error failure. For ''legal type'' docs incl. of diagrams (colour needed) it's done very well for 9 years, and no clue how many pages.......I can't complain. I would happily buy another from HP. Mostly I use a Laser printer.....Away from your world I know but they have improved massively since the mid 2000s

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - It's been a while since I tried one.

[@geoffhoward2171]

Hi Keith, I have been an Epson user for many years now, from basic A4 with 3+1 colour upto my current 3880 (purchased as a refurb some years ago), I have a 1300 and 1400 sitting Idle after giving up with blocked nozzles (using a continuous ink system), the trouble was with Magenta and Light Magenta. The 1500 was with a service agent for two weeks who returned it saying they could not find the fault, no charge. Doing some research I discovered whatever brand of ink (if a Dye Ink) this was a known issue if not used often enough, those two colours would go thixotropic and slightly gelatinous, so I think it has to be something to do with the dye chemistry. Larger Epson's use Pigment Ink and the cartridges have a slightly pressurised system which shuts off when printing has ceased, thereby causing a minuscule release of pressure drawing ink back from the nozzles.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - leaving ink to 'rest' in the system can sometimes cause issues too.

[@andyplatt6729]

I have a canon pro 1000 and use Qimage and is set to print a test print once a day, works a charm and doesn’t waste an awful lot of ink. I do this as it’s a pro level printer and they are made to be used

[@KeithCooper]

Excellent - although I don't personally think I'd do it _every_ day

[@PaulGibbings01]

Ooops, I've only done a nozzle check when I've run into problems. Thankfully so far my Canon Pro10s has been faultless, unlike the user. I just ran a nozzle check and it was perfect. It does get used at least once a week, so maybe that helped. However I've now set up a monthly reminder now. Thanks.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, it's a solid printer in that respect [same printhead as the PRO-300]

[@peterdixon6807]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. I’ve been using ‘home’ inkjet printers since the early 1990’s and definitely agree printers have improved. My early Epson experience turned me into a Canon man, and I have been abusing their pro and multi-function devices since. I learnt early on that inkjet printers don’t like central heating. Incidentally, nice to see an AirPort Time Capsule still in use [another product Apple have dropped …].

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks. Yes, I've two of those providing wifi for the house with external USB big drives as part of our distributed back ups

[@e.colemantlpss6406]

Magic Bullet for stubborn blockages. Works wonders.

[@KeithCooper]

The sort of stuff I'll try if I'm already thinking about the need to replace the printer ;-)

[@meececa]

This is a great video. Keith, what should one do with the printer when one’s going away for two or three months? Perhaps follow up video?

[@KeithCooper]

Personally, I'll have someone visit the house, to check for mail, water plants etc. so I'll persuade them to add a monthly printer check... ;-) This is important for bigger printers - where I may leave them on and run a print via remote access, which I'll have to the house network anyway. Otherwise for smaller printers, I'd turn it off, unplug and seal the printer in a plastic bag. Storing it somewhere without any temperature extremes

[@yorkieinnz4648]

I didn't use my Canon PRO 9500 Mk2 for almost a year and boy oh boy it took a full set of cartridges to clear the nozzles...lesson learnt.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks for sharing

[@JohnDoe1999-lg7mh]

Thanks. Yeah, I don't do borderless print. Can't wait to get the Epson P900 in a couple of month or so. When I had the P800, I would be able to get away without printing for a couple of months without issues. I do a quick nozzle check before making a print. Always amazed that when the printer runs out of ink in one color, just swap it out and continue. Can't see where it stopped.

[@KeithCooper]

Glad it was of interest. There are some papers where I've noticed a slight mark if inks are changed, but it's often OK

[@billytetlow]

Thanks Keith for the common sense advice.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@Dianaranda123]

Thanks for this video, i am reminded that i needed to use my printer that has been unplugged for about 2 or 3 months or so. The cable on that printer is a bit on the short side so sadly it has the extension box dangling -_-

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks

[@jessekoskinen]

When you brought up the money saving methods with the A4 paper, I got a nice giggle out of that. Love the dry humour.

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks! :-)

[@williamsadler6467]

I have left my Canon PixmaPro 100 idle for over 6 months with no problems. I only once got a clog after months of no use, which was cleared up with one cleaning cycle. I think at least the Canon dye based printers are not much susceptible to clogging issues, and a test print every two weeks is excessive. Of course Epsons may be different.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - the interval varies by printer. On a PRO-100 I'd likely set it at 3 weeks for myself

[@supraptosuryodiharjo4338]

We use epson for so many years, for bulk 4x6 prints, we use Epson Surelab series, and bigger size we use surecolor . Always same story with epson, even you are using your printer daily, at some points you'll get missing nozzles. For last two years, for bigger print, we switched to canon pro 44inch printer, why we switched, because our epson printhead was gave up and it's not economical wise to buy new printhead becaus it's almost the same price to get new printer. And Canon jumped in, they offered us with lifetime warranty for printhead as long we use original inks (which we always do to all our printers), 2 years to today we never need to do cleaning sequenze, the printer can maintain by itself, we do nozzle check every morning when the shop opened, and it always looks perfect. I love how canon treated their printhead as consumable, so they're cheap and easy to replace as easy as 1 2 3

[@KeithCooper]

Canon marketing are also very pro-active in the desire for sales ;-)

[@supraptosuryodiharjo4338]

@@KeithCooper Their tech support also top notch, unlike Epson, we have epson printer broken, the tech came to our shop but couldn't fix it, he promised that he'll be back on Monday, until this day he never came back, and that was in 2019, i want to call again back then but my boss said, don't let see when they'll comeback....on that moement, my boss replaced all Epson printer with other brands, even the working one...now we use mostly Canon, and Fujifilm inkjet printer for bulked 4x6 orders but none Epson

[@michaelwiley5427]

I find the Epson nozzle check a bit hard to see. Someone suggested rectangular bars of CMYK about 1 CM wide by 5 CM long. I used word to make it but also have it saved as a jpg. I set a reminder so if I haven’t printed in a week, I print the page, save the page and print at different orientation. I lost a HP Photosmart due to inactivity, expensive ink but great all in one. Now I don’t worry about ink usage with Epson tank printer.

[@KeithCooper]

A magnifying glass works for me... The problem with such test patterns is that such a CMYK block does not always translate to every nozzle firing for every ink. Especially since inkjet printers are actually RGB devices in the driver [irrespective of the inks] You are going through the driver - sure it exercises the printer, but does not give the thorough check of _every_ nozzle that the built in nozzle check does.

[@RichardLaurence]

A timely reminder for me - I’m too embarrassed to say how long since I checked. Luckily my Epson SureColor P-800 is incredibly forgiving!

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I just forget it too easily ;-)

[@ronboe6325]

I really should do a reminder. GAh! I keep a log for my motorcycles on when I rode them (date and mileage - mainly to keep the batteries in good nick) - should make a log for the printer.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - stuff doesn't like being left unused...

[@MarkSeymourPhotography]

Thanks Keith , great tips . Can I ask please as I’ve not used my printer in over a year what’s the best way forward? Thanks Mark

[@KeithCooper]

See my pro-300 video about after I'd not used one for a while... Proceed carefully and be prepared to wait. If it works good - but don't do any more than 2-3 cleans in a session

[@Philou91]

Great video, as usual, thank you Keith ! Following your advice, I try to print at least one photo every week or so on my P900 to avoid problems. Do you think I should also perform a nozle check if I only print in B&W for several weeks ? Thank you so much Philippe

[@KeithCooper]

No - any printing will actually exercise the whole system. B&W uses coloured inks too ;-) The nozzle check is mainly for if you've not printed for a bit.

[@Philou91]

Ok, thank you Keith !

[@dianthus605]

Good advice. Though the thing which killed my perfectly-healthy printer was the manufacturer stopped making ink for it. There's no protection against that.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - that hits many a printer eventually.

[@hendox7117]

Epson iPrint for holiday times keeps it ticking over. Once a week on my 8550.

[@KeithCooper]

That should definitely help it

[@dretwav]

My process is 1)do a nozzle check, 2) scan that page and save it. 3)Have a cron job that prints the scanned image once a week. I just leave plain paper loaded. I ASSume that printing the scanned image will come close to exercising all the nozzles. I have an Epson P900

[@KeithCooper]

The scanned image achieves nothing extra - remember these printers are RGB devices, no matter what inks. That said, just printing something will be fine.

[@dretwav]

@@KeithCooper The only reason to scan it is so the cron job has a file to send. I don't know how to do a nozzle check from the terminal.

[@KeithCooper]

Good point...

[@whiskyandlemon]

I fixed my printer´s clogged nozzles with WD40 ! Lots of it ! It did work, but of course, it was the last resort.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes - in extreme... ;-)

[@TravelPhotoGuy]

I have a Canon ProGraph Pro 1000 and it's been a learning experience to say the least. I have been told by a few people I should leave the printer on and let it go to sleep mode instead of turning it on and off. What is your opinion on this? Thanks for another insightful video my friend.

[@KeithCooper]

Unfortunately I last tested the PRO-1000 when it first came out - i.e. with V1.0 of the firmware. so my usage experience is not necessarily relevant today. That said, my preference would be to leave it on, but I'd need to do more research on it - there have been quite a few tweaks to the firmware in 8 years

[@TravelPhotoGuy]

@@KeithCooper I appreciate your advice.

[@thierryhoornaert9950]

I had a Canon Pixma photo printer and was consuming lots of ink cartridges by turning the printer off and on. After the reseller suggested to leave it on, I saved a lot of ink. As you should keep the nozzles wet, you should print frequently -- think once a week -- using every cartridge or tank. It saves you ink to print a (small) photo every week. I do a nozzle check once in a while. I also print a small version before printing it big. I ruined this printer completely by using cheaper ink cartridges just once. I continue to follow these rules with my current Epson ET8550 printer. I'm still very enthusiastic with this printer after 2.5 years of use: I only had to refill the ink tanks once in all that time! My A3+ prints are being used in expositions.

[@TravelPhotoGuy]

@thierryhoornaert9950 I appreciate the advice. It's not hard for me at this stage to find something to print at least once a week, lol. I'm gearing up for my first art fair, and it's been nothing but print print print 😆

[@gary4739]

@@KeithCooper I have the PRO-1000 too. I use Qimage One with it's scheduling feature that prints a test pattern. I've heard from various sources to schedule daily to monthly. I schedule every two weeks from my last color print job.

[@MrRudyc]

Best way to make your printer work best, is to use it and not let it dry out. Don’t let your printer stand w/o using it at least once a week.

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, and a nozzle check counts as 'use'

[@MrRudyc]

@@KeithCooper no, it counts as ultra fast ink usage

[@Wairoakid]

To follow up my original posting. Do you have a view on whether it is best ( for the printer) to leave the printer turned on at the wall but off at the printer button ( which I do with my P900) OR leaving leaving it fully on. My P900 has a sleep timer up to 15min but I assume that it not the same as turning it off using the button.

[@KeithCooper]

There is no firm evidence available to suggest any one course of action is better. Someone at Epson may know, but it is not public knowledge. Personally I leave them to go to sleep...

[@darylcheshire1618]

not sure if true, I have an Epson Ecotank printer, if I turn it off but leave it connected to power, it will go through a nozzle clean cycle every so often. But if not connected then it does not do anything and the nozzles dry out and need a nozzle check.

[@KeithCooper]

I don't know all that range, but I'd generally keep it turned on.

[@carlomariamosco]

Hi Keith, I've read some answers you gave, but some doubts remain. So, just two stupid questions aiming at making a newbie a little less ignorant (a quality which unfortunately I abound in every field of knowledge). 1) In general, is it appropriate to leave the printer on all the time, day and night? Both in terms of ink saving and with regard to clogs? 2) In case of clogs, having carried out two or three unsuccessful nozzle checks/clean cycles, to remove the airlock you suggest to let the printer alone over night. During this time, should the printer remain on, or may it be turned off? Thanks a lot for helping me with your videos to pierce the darkness with flashes of knowledge.

[@KeithCooper]

Which printer? ...there is no 'in general' that I know of. Differences are likely to be dependent on the printer model and frequency of use. There is no specific answer... there is no advice from the manufacturers. My own preference is to leave a printer switched on, and if it goes to a low power mode, to let it.

[@carlomariamosco]

@@KeithCooper First, thanks for aswering me. About the printers, they are a Epson XP-6105 and a Epson L8050. Well, before I was an unaware ignorant, now I'm a conscious ignorant... better than nothing and at least I'm not alone ;-) Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge

[@pauldinky]

Hi Keith my cannon TS3452 it’s 8 months old and when i print pictures there are vertical lines going through them i’ve done a clean and nozzle check and it’s still got vertical lines any thoughts? thanks

[@KeithCooper]

Head alignment springs to mind - I don't know that particular printer though, so see the setup section of the guide.

[@chrisogrady28]

Good advice, sadly I can't utilise it at the moment as my Pro 1000 has bricked itself! (just gives me an error on the screen) I don't seem to be able to find a way to get canon to fix it, do you know anyone in the UK that can come out and fix photo printers?

[@KeithCooper]

Try www.inkjetservice.co.uk/ However - the PRO-1000 is known for being somewhat difficult to do any major servicing on.

[@glyndavies6592]

Thanks Keith. I have a Canon Pro 200 and one of the colours is marked as empty. i can feel that there is ink in the cartidge and a nozle test prints that colour fine. Any ideas please?

[@KeithCooper]

Nothing much you can do directly - I'll keep on until it forces a change. Asking here might get you a bit more info? www.printerknowledge.com

[@glyndavies6592]

@@KeithCooper Thanks Keith, i will keep using it until it tells me to stop

[@Chris-NZ]

Probably would have save my Pro 900 from getting scrapped

[@KeithCooper]

Sorry about that - what broke?

[@Chris-NZ]

@@KeithCooper I got a “replace print head” error and couldn’t clear it, Canon could not supply a new one. It was a tragedy as it had had good use originally but quite light for a few years but otherwise fully functional. I took it apart to see what makes printers tick and they are works of art internally but buggered for lack of spare parts. I gave away all my paper to the local photography club and just get my prints done by a service, these days you can get a truck load of decent enough prints for the price of an A3 pro printer, inks and paper .

[@KeithCooper]

@@Chris-NZ That's unusual, since print heads are a user serviceable part

[@Chris-NZ]

@@KeithCooper I guess if the master plan was to get me to get another printer it was a fail😀

[@tonywise198]

Best advice would be to avoid rip-off inkjets, certainly avoid the scam that is HP inkjets and their £4000 per litre chipped ink carts, and get a colour laser.

[@KeithCooper]

Cannot agree about lasers, they have their place, but there is not one capable of high quality photo and art reproduction, which is, after all, most of why I cover printers in my testing. Can agree about some aspects of HP though...

[@BoneTime]

Can't afford the ink for nozzle checks

[@KeithCooper]

It's a choice... a poor one IMHO, but it's a choice ;-)

[@Jenny_Digital]

I will never update firmware without knowing the consequences, for I have been bitten in the past. Go to the community and see what they are saying, especially if you are using inks other than that supplied by the manufacturer or you might be hung out to dry. Also, if you are printing very infrequently, might a laser behave better…

[@KeithCooper]

Yes, my specific advice to update firmware is for users of original inks, and I am aiming this primarily at users of better than basic printers. For 3rd party ink users, add it to the general risks of using them [IMHO - YMMV] Unfortunately, lasers don't do photos at any real quality - by all means get one for office use, but that's not what I look at printers for when I test them.

[@pouch.studio]

Thanks Keith, awesome video like always!! I set up a (free) Zapier integration with Epson Connect to automatically print a test page on my Epson EcoTank every week. Works like a charm, except sometimes the automatic print startles me 😂 A couple questions: I was wondering if you have ever tried using a "printer purge file" as a step to try to unclog the print heads before running a full clean. Would you recommend this? I'm also curious if you've ever used one of those manual print head cleaning kits people sell online. I maintain my printer regularly and I've never had a problem I couldn't fix using the maintenance techniques you describe in the video, so I'm just curious if you have an opinion on these things! PS: Sorry if this comment posts twice! I originally wrote a comment that included a link to an example printer purge file, but I think KZbin didn't like that and blocked it 😂

[@KeithCooper]

Thanks - I've not used a purge file for years, since swapping black inks on large Epson printers was a hugely wasteful process. I have cleaned print heads manually, but only for a printer I was almost ready to write off as scrap. If I get to such measures, things are already not going well...