CLI-251XL Ink Longevity (drying up)?

[tkurkowski]

Hi, all!  I'm new to this forum (as you can see).

Background for my question: I'm very new to inkjet printers - all of my printers have been, and are, lasers except for one.  That one is a dedicated disk printer that uses a Lexmark engine and ink cartridges.  Lexmark left the inkjet business 2 years ago and for that reason and some others I just purchased an MG7120, which will mostly be used for printing disks.

I print intermittently - a week or 2 can go by with no disks printed then I'll need to print a bunch.  The Lexmark cartridge nozzles dry up over a week or two and then I have to pull the cartridge and wipe the nozzles with rubbing alcohol on a tissue before printing.  This is not the end of the world but it's annoying and also wastes ink.  So my question is: can the 7120 sit for a week or more without printing, and not have the nozzles dry up?    

TIA!

[Ramona · Accepted solution]

Hi tkurkowski,

We recommend following these steps to prevent the ink from drying out and the print head from clogging:

1.  Never disconnect the power plug until the power is turned off.  If you touch the ON button to turn off the power, the machine caps the print head (nozzles) automatically to prevent from drying. If you disconnect the power plug from the wall outlet before the POWER lamp is turned off, the print head will not be capped properly and this will cause drying or clogging.  When disconnecting the power plug, make sure that the POWER lamp is not lit.

2.  Print periodically.  Even if the print head it is capped, it may become dried or clogged if the machine has not been used for a long time.  We recommend you to use the machine at least once a month to prevent the print head from clogging and the inks from drying out.

Hope this helps!

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