Can I clean a TIJ cartridge and keep using it?

Very often, yes, and it is always worth trying before you throw one away. Most cartridges discarded as dead were blocked at the nozzle plate rather than empty. Wipe the plate once, in one direction, with a lint-free wipe barely damp with the matching solvent, then fire a few purges onto scrap. What you must not use is paper towel or tissue, which sheds fibres straight into the nozzles and makes the blockage permanent.

What solvent should I use to clean the print head?

The one that matches your ink. A water-based ink and a solvent-based fast-dry ink need different cleaners, and the wrong one either does nothing at all or attacks the parts you are trying to clean. If you are not certain which ink you are running, tell us the surface you print on and we will work it out with you.

How do I stop cartridges blocking in the first place?

Cap the cartridge or park the machine in its holder at the end of every shift. Most blockages form overnight while a nozzle plate sits open to the air, not during a run. That single habit does more for cartridge life than any cleaning routine, and it costs nothing.

Handheld coder part

Nozzle cleaning kit and maintenance supplies

The cheapest thing on this page and the one that saves the most money, because most cartridges thrown away as dead were blocked rather than empty.

Also known as: nozzle cleaner · cleaning solution · lint-free wipes · maintenance kit · purge kit

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Parts are sold against your machine, not against a picture. Send the model plate and a photograph of the part in place and we confirm the fit in writing before anything is dispatched.

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When this is the part that has failed

Rows of dots missing from an otherwise good cartridge
The first print of the day poor, later prints fine
Print quality falling off through a shift
Ink residue visible on the nozzle plate or the contacts

What it is

Contents: Cleaning solvent, lint-free wipes and swabs
Solvent match: Must match your ink type — water-based and solvent-based need different cleaners
Use on: Nozzle plate, cartridge and holder contacts, roller
Never use: Paper towel, tissue or anything abrasive on a nozzle plate

Does it fit my machine?

The cleaner has to match your ink. Using the wrong one either does nothing or attacks the parts you are cleaning, so tell us which ink you run and we will send the right one.

Replacing it

1
Power down first
Never clean contacts on a live machine.
2
Wipe the nozzle plate in one direction
A lint-free wipe, barely damp with the matching solvent, drawn once across the plate. Not scrubbed, and never with paper towel, which leaves fibres in the nozzles.
3
Clean both sets of contacts
The gold pads on the cartridge and the matching pads in the holder. Ink residue here causes faults that look like a dead cartridge.
4
Purge and test
Fire two or three purges onto scrap. A cartridge that has sat unsealed may take a few before it clears.
5
Cap it at the end of the shift
Most blockages are formed overnight, not during a run. Capping is the whole preventative maintenance programme for a handheld.

How we sell parts

Fit: Confirmed in writing against your model plate before dispatch
Invoice: GST invoice under HSN 8443 32 50 at 18%, against your GSTIN
Delivery: Anywhere in India, or free store pickup in Pune
Bulk: Quoted directly for resellers and service providers

Frequently asked questions

Can I clean a TIJ cartridge and keep using it?: Very often, yes, and it is always worth trying before you throw one away. Most cartridges discarded as dead were blocked at the nozzle plate rather than empty. Wipe the plate once, in one direction, with a lint-free wipe barely damp with the matching solvent, then fire a few purges onto scrap. What you must not use is paper towel or tissue, which sheds fibres straight into the nozzles and makes the blockage permanent.
What solvent should I use to clean the print head?: The one that matches your ink. A water-based ink and a solvent-based fast-dry ink need different cleaners, and the wrong one either does nothing at all or attacks the parts you are trying to clean. If you are not certain which ink you are running, tell us the surface you print on and we will work it out with you.
How do I stop cartridges blocking in the first place?: Cap the cartridge or park the machine in its holder at the end of every shift. Most blockages form overnight while a nozzle plate sits open to the air, not during a run. That single habit does more for cartridge life than any cleaning routine, and it costs nothing.

Related parts

Ink cartridge

The one part you will buy again and again, and the only one that decides your cost per thousand prints. On a thermal inkjet machine the print head is inside the cartridge, so this is a consumable rather than a repair.

Cartridge holder

The clamp that holds the cartridge and carries the firing signals to it. When a machine rejects cartridges that are perfectly good, this is almost always what has actually failed.

Guide roller

The wheel that rides the pack and measures how far the machine has travelled. Everything about print geometry depends on it turning cleanly and staying in contact.

Working across other brands and machine types too? Read the full spare parts guide, which covers continuous inkjet, thermal transfer and laser coders as well.