Color printing sucks even though the cartridge isn't empty - help!

Factual Questions
1

We have an old Lexmark Z45 printer and use “genuine” Lexmark ink cartridges for it. I don’t do a lot of color printing, and I know that the color cartridge is still fairly full (according to the little meter that pops up when I print). However, whenever I try to print something in color, it looks damned crappy. There’s almost no yellow, and it has bad blank horizontal stripes across it. Can I revive the cartridge somehow, or am I SOL?

Thanks!

2

[QUOTE=Avarie537]
There’s almost no yellow, and it has bad blank horizontal stripes across it. Can I revive the cartridge somehow, or am I SOL?
[/QUOTE]

Sounds like possibly clogged print head nozzles. Have you tried running the head cleaning cycle? How you do that varies, but in general there is a utility that comes with the printer for doing this and other troubleshooting functions.

3

Here is the Google cached page (no longer on the site or moved for some reason) from Lexmark, detailing the head cleaning process:

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:MoCPp0eWfbMJ:www.lexmark.com/US/solutions/home/develop/articles/clean_nozzles.html&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3

4

[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]
Sounds like possibly clogged print head nozzles. Have you tried running the head cleaning cycle? How you do that varies, but in general there is a utility that comes with the printer for doing this and other troubleshooting functions.
[/QUOTE]

YAY! Worked like a charm. Thanks bunches.

Damned thing still prints for shit, but it looks a whole lot better!

5

[QUOTE=Avarie537]
Damned thing still prints for shit, but it looks a whole lot better!
[/QUOTE]

Well, it’s a Lexmark. :stuck_out_tongue:

I’ve had great luck knocks on wood with HP printers. The only complaint I have is ink prices. The refill kits work pretty well, though. I find I can generally get 4-5 refills before a cart craps out.