1. Fold a paper towel several times and completely saturate it with warm water or isopropyl alcohol if available. Do not squeeze out excess water from the paper towel. (Use bottled water or distilled water for Edible Ink Cartridges used in the Eddie)
2. Press the cartridge nozzles to the wet paper towel for 1-5 seconds.
3. Tap the top of the cartridge firmly with your fingers.
4. Repeat until all three colors are visible on the paper towel.
Watch this video for a demonstration of the cleaning process.
1. Clogged nozzles. (Banding / poor quality)
2. Mixing Colors (Colors are different from one cartridge to the next)
3. Cartridge not recognized (Not able to print)
1. Clogged nozzles can usually be fixed by the cleaning procedure explained above. You may have to repeat the cleaning procedure more than once. If the cartridge still does not work, the cartridge is probably defective.
2. Mixed Colors can be diagnosed before you even put the cartridge in the printer by the same cleaning procedure described below. Check for red, yellow, and blue when you manually clean the cartridge. If the colors look different from one cartridge to the next, you'll know that the cartridge is defective. If the colors appear to be correct after the manual cleaning, then the colors are mixing at some other point in the printing process. See the first article below.
3. If the electronics (copper area) on the cartridge are damaged, it may not be recognized by the printer. This is easy to diagnose. Try another cartridge. If the new cartridge works but the old one doesn't, the first cartridge is probably defective. To be sure, clean the copper contacts on the cartridge and the cartridge carrier with an alcohol wipe or an isopropyl alcohol-soaked paper towel. Try the cartridge again. Ink overspray can build up inside the printer over time causing interrupted electrical signals. See instructions below or the video in this article.
If none of these apply, you may have an issue that can be explained by something other than a defective cartridge. Check the following articles regarding quality problems with ink cartridges to see if they apply to you:
Ink Replacement Policy: