All 45A style industrial ink cartridges need a certain amount of care to optimize their performance.
New Cartridges:
When using a brand new cartridge right out of the box for the first time, it is important to gently wipe the head on a lint free tech wipe* to activate it. Do this by removing the protective tape, or plastic cartridge clip that may come with a new cartridge. Hold the cartridge firmly in one hand and place the print head gently on a brand new lint free tech wipe. Gently pull the cartridge down along the wipe. You will see a large amount of ink start to flow on the wipe, then quickly turn to two solid lines. Once you see the solid lines, you are ready to place the cartridge in the cartridge holder (pen stall) of your printer.
During Job Run:
Occasionally, a cartridge will create a poor image during a job run such as, streaks running through image, blurry image, or not working at all. It may be as simple as paper dust clogging the head, or if you stopped for a period of time, ink may have dried on the print head. In this case, simply dampen the tech wipe with distilled water (for water based ink cartridges), or rubbing alcohol (for solvent based cartridges). Then follow the same procedure for new cartridges above.
If the cartridge continues to not print properly, it may have been damaged in a paper jam or some other occurrence. Simply replace the cartridge with a new one.
*Tech Wipe-These are specially made for cleaning sensitive items such as print heads. They do not contain any fibers or micro particles of things that could cause damage to a print head. These are available under the supplies tab of our site. Do NOT use paper towels, tissues, toilet paper, or any type of shop rag or cloth. These all contain fibers that will damage your print head and reduce the life of the print cartridge.