Answered by Jay Nelson, Editor and Publisher, Design Tools Monthly

Question:
I'm really happy with my Epson inkjet printer, but it seems to clog a lot. I've been told that's not normal, but I'm not sure what I'm doing to cause the clogging. Do you have any advice?

Answer:
I know of two common causes of clogging:

• Not turning the printer off
• Using a power strip to turn it off

When not using the printer for extended periods of time, you'll want to press the power button to turn it off. That way, the print head will be capped (saving ink and print head life) and the printer will be prepared properly for its next use.

But the most commonly-overlooked source of Epson printer problems is using a power strip to turn the printer on and off. While that may be convenient if you have other peripherals to power up and down at the same time, leave your Epson printer attached to a constant source of electricity.

Epson inkjet printers run an initialization cycle when you turn them on. The duration of the cycle is determined by how long the printer has been turned off -- 30–90 seconds is normal. The printer requires a constant connection to a power source to keep track of how long it's been off. If you use a switch on a power strip, the printer gets confused about how long it's been off.

This question was answered by Jay Nelson, Publisher & Editor, Design Tools Monthly. We love DTM's tips and advice and think you will, too. For a free sample PRINTED issue, contact Design Tools Monthly at 303-543-8400, e-mail info@design-tools.com, or go to their website: www.design-tools.com.