How to Clean Laser Printer Print Heads

1. Click on the Start button if you have Windows XP. If you have Windows Vista, click the Windows icon that resides in the lower left corner of your computer screen.
2. Click on 'Control Panel,' then 'Printers and Other Hardware.' Finally click on 'View Installed Printers or Fax Printers.'
3. Right-click on the name of your printer and choose 'Printing Preferences.' This should open a new window; next look for a tab or button marked Maintenance, or something similar.
4. Find the button that says 'Print heads' or 'Clean the Print heads' and click on it. You may be asked to choose which print heads; choose them all if you are. Make sure there is paper and ink in your printer, and that it is turned on ahead of time.
5. Take out the page your printer has printed and see if there are any grids or boxes missing. If there aren't, then you can just exit the program--your print heads are not clogged. If there are grids missing, then click on the 'Cleaning' or similarly worded button.
6. Once the cleaning process has completed, print another page to be sure that your print heads are no longer clogged. If they are still clogged, repeat Steps 1-5 until your printer is printing clearly.
Other Options to Try
1. Let the printer sit overnight after running the self-cleaning utility and then print something to see if your initial try with the self-cleaning utility just needed a few hours to work, as this is sometimes the case.
2. Remove your printer cartridge. If your print heads are on your printer cartridge rather than inside your printer, soak your printer cartridge in hot water overnight. Dry it off the next morning, and then put it back in your printer and run the self-cleaning utility again.
3. Remove your printer cartridge. If your print heads are inside your printer, take a Q-tip and dip it in warm water. Run the Q-tip over the print heads to loosen and remove any dried ink from them. Put the cartridge back, and run the self-cleaning utility again. This should unclog your print heads.
4. Remove the printer cartridge. If your print heads are inside your printer, take an eyedropper and put 7 to 10 drops of isopropyl alcohol inside the area where the ink receptacle is and where the ink flows from the cartridge to the print heads. Wait overnight and then put the cartridge back in and run the self-cleaning utility again.
5. Remove the printer cartridge. If your print heads are on your cartridge, spray a paper towel with a household cleaner and wipe it gently over the print heads on your cartridge. Pat the cartridge dry and then put the cartridge back in your printer and run the self-cleaning utility again.