Restart printer

[sarel]

I have to restart our little Pixma MP140 after about a year not using it. I imagine the ink will be dry, although it does not look like it. Any tips that I need to do before I use it again?

sarel

[Iantech]

Providing your ink is ok. When you power it on it will most likely do a charge, once completed I would do a head alignment check. Or you could just start printing with it and get some ink flowing through. Something in colour will soon tell you whats working and whats blocked up.

[Zippity]

Print a test page

[Nomad]

My Epson 2100 according to the Internet is notoriously bad for clogging but I haven't used it for maybe over a year. I did a print nozzle check and then did 2 cleans and it now it's fab. Just printed some stuff out and not a single banding (unprinted) line.

I also got a portable bubblejet, that hasn't been used for about 10yrs, that one doesn't print

[sarel]

So I started the printer - with the old proper ink cartridges - and it printed first time, no trouble. I'm amazed, to be honest - previous experiences with Canons showed dry ink after a month's non-use.

sarel

[RB_Core]

Newer printers, especially ink cartridge ones have improved a lot since the times of "dry ink". when they park the heads it seals as if the cartridge was in a sealed package on the shelf.

i remember the days of the old HP desktop printers when I was doing retail store tech service... we'd get them in every day and had to manually clean the damn heads, cartridges and a thin print ribbon the head traveled on, even that would get gummed up with ink. it was a pain, glad I don't ahve to do that anymore.