Filter
Top Products
Idle Jet Maintenance 3-3
Idle Jet Maintenance Due to the evaporation of the solvents in solvent-based inks, the
ink jets in solvent printers are susceptible to clogging. To mini-
mize jet-outs, keep the printer printing and clean, and use the
printer’s jet maintenance features.
The following table shows the recommended maintenance
schedule while the printer is idle. See Chapter 5, Maintaining the
Printer, for a complete listing of recommended maintenance to
keep the printer operating well and covered by the manufac-
turer’s warranty.
Time Period Recommended Maintenance
1 hour When not printing while the printheads are uncapped, a small amount of
ink is expelled (spit) periodically into the spittoons, which drain into the
excess ink containers.
See “Checking Jet Health” on page 3-7 for instructions on using Purge-n-
Wipe and AutoJet. See “AutoTune” on page 4-4 for instructions on schedul-
ing Purge-n-Wipe and AutoJet to run automatically.
Momentary Power Down If the power must be removed for a brief period of time, leave the carriage
over the service station (not the capping station) to allow the ink, which will
no longer be held inside the printheads by the vacuum/pressure system, to
drain into the excess ink reservoir. Power up the printer as soon as possible
and cap the printheads if the printer will be idle for 4 hours or more.
2 hours to 4 days Cap the printheads to prevent drying and conserve ink (idle spit is sus-
pended during capping). See “Capping the Printheads” on page 3-13 for
instructions.
This capping period can successfully extended if every four days the print-
heads are uncapped, purged to recover missing jets, prime bars or other
print is made, and recapped.
For best results, do not allow the printer to remain capped for more than 4 days; oth-
erwise, extensive cleaning of the printheads may be required. If the printer must
remain capped longer than four days (such as during a long holiday weekend, for
shipping, or storage), follow the applicable procedure below:
4 - 14 days Cap the printheads as described in “Capping the Printheads” on page 3-13.
14 - 30 days Fill the printheads with cleaning solvent and cap the printheads with a sol-
vent-soaked pad. See Cleaning Solvent Soak on page 5-8 for instructions.
30 days or more Flush the printheads with cleaning solvent, empty the printheads, and cap.
See “Extended Power Down and Restart” on page 5-21 for instructions.