HP Store Online

How does the self-cleaning function on hp deskjet printers actually work?

I am wondering what actually happens each time I do an auto-clean, intermediate clean, and/or prime on my printer. It's a HP Deskjet 3740. I took it apart to clean it manually since it's been being very streaky lately, and found two foam-like pads soaked full of ink. Does "auto-clean" merely squirt off some ink in a side compartment or what? How does this work? Thanks in advance!

Public Comments

1. Yea, they empty out a portion of ink, like 0.1ml and squirt it onto pads
2. The foam pads should be soaked in ink. Theyu pick up the excess ink when you have completed a print job, or when you have completed a cleaning. A print head cleaning works by heating the print head and expelling a small amount of ink and any debris that may be causing a blockage. You should run a print head cleaning every two - three weeks. Intermediate clean and priming the printer are not necessary if you do a basic cleaning. INtermediate clean and prime work just like a basic cleaning, the biggest difference is going to be the ink volume expelled.