Before you start
- The DeskJet switched on, with its cartridges accessible through the front door.
- Damp and dry kitchen paper, cotton buds and a surface protected against ink.
- A small plastic container with very shallow water.
- Plain paper loaded for the final test print.
Step 1:Remove the cartridges and check their ink numbers
Open the front panel, then pull the small handle on the inner access door towards you. Let the carriage bring the cartridges into reach and stop. Black is on the right and tri-colour is on the left in the source printer. Grip the raised tabs on each cartridge and pull it carefully towards you until it clicks out.
Before cleaning, read the ink number on each cartridge and compare it with the cartridge label inside your printer’s front access area. The source uses this check to identify the right supplies. Use the number on your own printer; do not copy a number from a different regional model.
Step 2:Clean the printhead with a damp cotton bud
Find the small shiny printhead area on the bottom of each cartridge, where ink comes out. Use a damp cotton bud to clean that area. In the video, ink transfers to the cotton bud as the presenter works over it. Then use the dry end to remove moisture.
Keep the cleaning focused on that ink outlet rather than wetting the whole cartridge. Work over the kitchen paper so the ink does not stain your surface.
Step 3:Dab each cartridge onto damp kitchen paper
Place the printhead on damp kitchen paper and lift it again to examine the mark. Repeat with the tri-colour cartridge, looking for colour marks, then with black. The presenter initially gets little black ink on the paper and reports more appearing as he continues dabbing.
This step gives you a visible check of ink transfer before the soak. It is not yet a printed-page test.
Step 4:Soak only the printhead in shallow water
Put a very shallow layer of water in a small plastic container. Stand the cartridge so only the bottom printhead area is in the water. Add just enough water to cover that area, keeping the cartridge’s electrical contacts and upper body out of it.
The presenter suggests about 2–3 minutes, and later says you can leave it for up to about 5 minutes. Repeat for the other cartridge. The objective of this stage is to loosen dried ink at the printhead.
Step 5:Dry the cartridges thoroughly
Take each cartridge out and dab it on dry kitchen paper. Check small crevices for remaining water; the video suggests using a dry cotton bud to reach those spots. Move to dry areas of the paper as needed before putting the cartridges back.
Step 6:Click the cartridges back into their slots
Open the inner door again and let the printer present the carriage. Follow the slot diagram: tri-colour on the left and black on the right. With the label facing up and the raised tabs towards you, slide a cartridge loosely into position. Use a finger on top for leverage and push with your thumb until it clicks. Repeat for the other cartridge, then close the door.
Step 7:Print a page and inspect the result
The printer may produce an alignment page after the cartridges are reinstalled. If it does not, the source prints a Wi-Fi information page by holding the Information and Wireless buttons together for a few seconds, until printing starts.
Check that text is now appearing instead of an entirely blank sheet. The presenter reports printed Wi-Fi information pages after this cleaning sequence. If colour was also missing, check a colour document as well; a black-text report alone does not check every colour.
If the page is still blank
The presenter recommends revisiting the shallow-soak step if dried ink remains. He also suggests comparing a small run of test prints—up to 5–10 pages—to see whether output improves as printing continues. Inspect the pages as you go rather than assuming that sending a job means it printed correctly.
If there is no improvement after the cleaning attempts, his next recommendation is replacement cartridges. Check your printer’s own ink label when choosing them. The process is an attempt to recover ink flow; it cannot guarantee that every old cartridge will print again.
Questions & troubleshooting
The display still shows ink. Can the printhead still need cleaning?
That is the symptom described in the source: an ink estimate is present but the printed page is blank after a long period without use. The three-stage method targets dried ink at the cartridge outlet.
How much water and how long?
Only enough water to cover the printhead at the bottom of the cartridge. The source suggests roughly 2–3 minutes, with up to about 5 minutes mentioned later. It does not give a millilitre quantity.
Must I buy the same ink number shown in the video?
Use the label inside your own printer and check the number on both cartridges. The number shown in a recording is not a universal number for every region or similar-looking printer.
