Brother MFC 290C - Clogged Print Head

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[Original Article]

I have a Brother MFC 290C with a print head that is clogged up with dry ink after the unit sat without use for about 6 months. How can it be cleaned? Where can I buy a new print head and how much would it cost?

Brother Master

7,725 Answers

Re: I have a Brother MFC 290C with a print head that is...

Do the following to clean the print head:

1. Press the MENU key on the control panel.

2. Press the UP or DOWN ARROW key until INK appears on the LCD.

3. Press OK.

4. Press the UP or DOWN ARROW key until CLEANINGappears on the LCD.

5. Press OK.

6. Press the UP or DOWN ARROW key to select BLACK, COLOR or ALL depending on what you want to clean.

7. Press OK.

The machine will clean the print head. When cleaning is finished, the machine will go back to Ready automatically. If you are experiencing a print quality issue, we recommend you repeat the print head cleaning for each color showing an issue at least four (4) times.

If you are experiencing a print quality issue and want to see if the cleanings are improving the print quality, print a Print Quality Check Sheet (PQCS) after the first cleaning and then print another PQCS after repeating the print head cleaning steps at least three (3) more times (4 total cleanings). You can then compare the two Print Quality Check Sheets.

Do the following to print a Print Quality Check Sheet:

1. Press the MENU key on the control panel.

2. Press the UP or DOWN ARROW key until INK appears on the LCD.

3. Press OK. TEST PRINT will appear on the LCD.

4. Press OK. PRINT QUALITY will appear on the LCD.

5. Press OK.

6. Press COLOR START.

NOTE: The machine will generate the Print Quality Check Sheet (PQCS). On the PQCS each of the four colors is represented by a slanted square pattern made up of 96 individual blocks. The colors should appear (from left to right): Black - Yellow - Cyan - Magenta. Cyan is the light blue color and Magenta is the pinkish color.


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