How to fix an old or clogged ink cartridge the cheap way

Presented By: Dell Printer Tech Support

If you've ever had a printer (not one of those super old ones) that hasn't been in use for a couple of months (or even a year or two!) that won't seem to print, the reason could be because of a clogged ink cartridge.

Further, there are multiple types of cartridges with different construction, so you might need another method or even to use something different.

This article refers mostly to printers used by general home consumers classified as "Drop on Demand" (DOD).

Unclogging it isn't very complicated, but can get messy so make sure to read the tips and steps before you begin!

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Find a bathroom close by that has a sink that can give you hot water. The closer the better

Place some old newspapers or paper towels in the counter of the sink. We don't want ink everywhere.

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Make sure your printer is plugged in and your computer has the printer drivers installed.

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Open the printer up to reveal the ink cartridges.

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Take out the black ink cartridge. This trick might work for a colored ink cartridge, but it's probably a better idea to use a black cartridge.

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Take the cartridge to the sink and put it down on the old newspaper or paper towels. Try to rest it sort of diagonally so that the part where the ink actually comes out isn't completely touching the paper towel or you could have a mess.

Turn on the sink and wait until you can get very hot water.

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Pull that thing behind the sink handle that closes the drain and keeps water in the sink.

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Let the sink fill with hot water, but ONLY a little bit. No more than 3/4" from the very bottom.

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Place the cartridge in the sink so the part where the ink comes out is in the water. Make sure it gets past the surface of the water. Ink may (and probably will) come out, don't be alarmed!

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If ink comes out immediately then your cartridge isn't terribly clogged. About 5 minutes in the sink should do the trick. Otherwise, you might have to wait up to 20 minutes.

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Dry off the cartridge so it's no more than damp, and put it back in the printer and give it a test run.

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