As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Spectraflow will be working remotely starting Tuesday, March 17. However, we and our distribution partners will remain open for business, processing orders and responding to technical queries.

And, speaking of working remotely, many of Spectraflow’s clients are also working remotely. Even those not printing would like to know how to maintain their printers from afar, since inkjet printers that are not used for a prolonged period tend to develop clogged nozzles. Fortunately, most manufacturers have an infrastructure in place to help with this – your printer’s driver. Any computer that is on the same network as your printer (or connected via USB) can host the driver, which runs under a variety of Mac and Windows operating systems. Using Epson as an example, here’s a link to download your driver.

Generally, we recommend running a nozzle check prior to a cleaning in order to save both time and ink. But, the driver’s nozzle check utility requires that you visually assess the results, which doesn’t work so well if you are working remotely. So, the more useful approach would be to run the remote cleaning utility at a minimum of weekly or before you print. If you set your printer to go through 3 cleanings if it detects clogged nozzles (you can set this on your printer’s control panel in Printer Setup / Auto Nozzle Check / Auto Cleaning Times), then you can be confident that each time you run a remote cleaning your printer should be in good operating condition. Here’s how to access the driver’s cleaning utility.

Mac
Navigate to Apple Menu -> System Preferences -> Printers & Scanners Click on your printer -> Options and Supplies -> Utility -> Open Printer Utility -> Head Cleaning

PC
Navigate to the Control Panel-> Devices and Printers-> Select your printer-> Printer Management-> Select Adjust Print Options. This will launch the Printing Properties dialogue box. Select the Utility Tab and Select Head Cleaning. Click Start.

If you need to gain remote access to an on site computer connected to your printer, or need a password to install the driver, your IT department should be able to help with that.

If you have any questions about printing remotely or maintaining your printer remotely, feel free to write to me directly. And good luck weathering this challenging period. Stay safe.

Clark Omholt
President
Spectraflow
clark[at]spectraflow[dot]com