Priming printer head

[duncan22]

If you are using a new printer head for the first time or have cleaned a printer head, how does the ink get to the fine jet heads on this first run.
What I am getting at here is that to use the printer without ink could damage the heads, so does the ink flow by gravity to the jets or is there some system that causes it to run.
Just curious

using Canon ip 4000 & Canon MP610

 

[on30trainman]

The first time a printer is turned on or a new cartridge is installed the printer does a cleaning/purge cycle. That draws ink through the printhead with out firing the nozzles so there will be no damage to the printhead. At least that is what a Canon printer does.

Steve W.

 

[ghwellsjr]

The cleaning/purge cycle is performed by the printer sucking on the bottom of the print head. There is a peristaltic pump connected to the bottom of each of the pads that the head parks on. The extracted ink goes to a large piece of foam at the bottom of the printer.

 

[duncan22]

leo8088,
Thanks for your reply. I suspect this is the very problem that caused my printer head to fail (MP610). I Have followed several posts regarding the cleaning of printheads but fine lines still appear in my test printouts on the maintenance page.
I Have gone ahead and purchased a new printer head @ 42 and will certainly follow your advice as my previous printer head did no more than 12 A4 photographs before it started to play up.
I Would add that I print a lot of disk labels on imprintable disks but assume this would have no bearing on the problems I had?