Clearly more drastic action was needed, so I tried running hot (not too hot, I didn’t want the plastic to soften or warp) tap water into the bays for the ink tanks and through the nozzles. This looked promising as I could see what looked like a lot of ink bleeding out and into the sink. After drying off, I didn’t see much difference, though I could see a very faint “W” on a Windows test page. This step may be enough for some, but again, my problem called for more drastic measures.

I decided that the print head needed a good soaking to loosen up the dry ink. I put some coffee filters in a pan, set the print head on them, and poured some hot water in to the level of the ink tank bays. I periodically moved things around and I could see tiny colored lines where bits of black and colored ink were seeping out onto the filter paper. I then used a syringe (of the type that comes with infant medicine) to force some water through the black nozzle from above. More ink leaked out. I repeated this process with some isopropyl alcohol to ensure nothing was left in the nozzle and that’s when the ink really started flowing. I did this a few times and then some water again to rinse.

The Result:

After drying on some filter paper for a little while I re-tested my handiwork and was relieved to see that the black ink was finally coming through. I did a quick nozzle cleaning and print head alignment using the printer’s software tools, and all’s well. Without spending $50. Actual cost (assuming cost of tap water is negligible): $0. If you have to buy coffee filters, a syringe and alcohol, you might have to break a five.

Afterthoughts:

I probably should have used distilled water to avoid potential mineral deposits in the nozzles. The rubbing alcohol I used wasn’t pure, it was some “Wintergreen” scented stuff. Again, in the interest of purity – and not running the risk of chemically breaking down the rubber gaskets that hold the parts together – I should have used an additive-free alcohol.