General Technology Print Cartridge Maintenance Tips
•Cleaning Frequency•Cleaning Procedure
•Storage Recommendations
Purpose of Cleaning:Cleans out the nozzles and firing chambers. Water will dissolve and free up any “plugs”.
What Are You Buying?
• From General Technology, you are getting an original manufactured product, filled at the HP factory in Ireland.
• Know your cartridges—the difference between an original manufactured cartridge and a refilled cartridge—
is QUALITY• What goes into a cartridge—
calibrations of many kinds…monitoring of air pressure, filling procedural quality control to make sure the environment is dust free, and so much more.
• General Technology GUARANTEES quality. And we want you to know how to get the most out of each and every cartridge.
How IQ2392A (G404) is Manufactured
Ink: Developed & manufactured by GTC in Japan
• Cartridge: Manufactured, Ink filled, and packaged by HP in Ireland
Benefits of G404 Ink• Longer Decap Time
– Much longer than previous ink and Versatile Black– Same or longer than Hobbs
• Better Print Quality– Sharp edges and higher O.D.
• Wider Media Spectrum Compatibility– Aqueous Acrylic Overcoated medias
• PVC film and board – Some other films and many paper based media
DECAP Time• Significant improvement in decap time*
8 sec. 15 sec. 30 sec. 60 sec. 120 sec.G404
G222
V.B.
Hobbs
*Results of standardized lab tests. Actual decap time is significantly longer.
Print Quality (P.Q.)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
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Media No. VB G222 G404※Observed sharpness. (The details are wetting on the substrate, bleeding.)
Note: Grade 1 Fail, 2 Below average, 3 Fair, 4 Very good, 5 Excellent
Comments•G404 gave good PQ (over 3) on most substrates except UV varnish coated
paper.•G404 has less blot on matte substrates than G222.
• Significant improvement in Print Quality
Print Quality (P.Q.)• Significant Optical Density
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
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Media No. VB G222 G404
Wider Media Spectrum Box# Type of Substrate G404 G222
1 Aqueous Cork Gloss on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T3
2 Aqueous Ni Coat Hi Gloss on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T3
3 Aqueous Gan Satin on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T3
4 Aqueous Prisco gloss on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T3
5 Aqueous Cork Matte Dull on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T3
6 Aqueous Cork Satin on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T3
7 Aqueous Diamond Varnish on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T4
8 UV Coated on 120# Centura Gloss Cover ??
9 Gans Special Dull Varnish on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T4
10 Ink Systems S/F-H/D-Gloss OP Varnish on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T4
11 Aqueous Gans Gloss on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T3
12 No Coating on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T2
13 No Coating on 80# Accent Opaque Cover ##
14 Ink Systems SF.HI-Gloss O/P Varnish on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T4
15 Gans Satin OP Varnish on 120# Centura Gloss Cover T4
16 PVC film (white) ??
17 PVC film (transparent) ??
18 Silver foil ??
When to Clean?• When received – A new
cartridge is not necessarily a clean cartridge.
• When inactive for more than 2 hours
• When streaks are noticed in the printed image
• If cartridges are used in an environment with high amounts of paper dust or debris, cartridges may need to be cleaned more frequently.
How to Clean - Preparation
• Use cotton-free, fibreless, clean “tech wipes” are best – no paper towels or cotton rags.
• Fold wipe once, and place folded cloth on a firm, flat surface.
• Moisten an area on cloth approximately 1” X 4” with water (de-ionized is best, bottled water such as Dasani or Poland Springs is better than tap water.)
• Fold wipe once, and place folded cloth on a firm, flat surface.
Cleaning Procedure• Place cartridge – pen nozzles down – on damp area with approximately
1-2 pounds of downward pressure, and hold for 1-2 seconds to allow ink to “wick”.
• Wipe slowly across long-axis facing down with one 3” stroke, pulling in the same direction as the nozzle lines. Two lines of ink should appear if nozzles are clear.
• Do not wipe in dry area of cloth – this may scratch or damage nozzles.
• Repeat as necessary
• If streaks still appear after cleaning, execute Purge operation.
• DO NOT CLEAN WITH SOLVENTS OR CHEMICAL CLEANERS. DO NOT IMMERSE CARTRIDGES IN ANY LIQUID.
Cartridge Storage
• Place cartridges nozzles up in a plastic (e.g. Tupperware) container. For best results, put sponge on bottom of container before placing cartridge in. Tightly seal container.
• Store plastic container in a dry, dust free environment
General Technology Print Cartridge Maintenance Tips—A Review
•Cleaning Frequency•Cleaning Procedure
•Storage Recommendations
Purpose of Cleaning:Cleans out the nozzles and firing chambers. Water will dissolve and free up any “plugs”.
Contact us: Sales Strategy Support: Steve Wood at [email protected] Planning Support: Deborah Grant at [email protected]