More thoughts on the HP Photosmart D5460 Printer

Once again, I was having ink problems with my HP Photosmart D5460 printer. I had streaking and lightness of color. I tried the usual things like print-head cleaning and alignment to no avail. I replaced a few cartridges. Still no good prints. I remembered I had once taken the print-head out and rinsed with water to make the black ink work. I decided to try this again. I removed the ink cartridges, then removed the print head. I ran water over the print-head for about 15 minutes until the water stayed clear. I shook and agitated the print-head under the water stream. I dried the print-head with a paper towel and replaced it in my printer. I reinstalled the ink cartridges and began to print. It took about five 4x6 prints to get the print-head charged with ink, but after that the printer worked perfectly again. Hallelujah.

Note: I use aftermarket ink cartridges. This may contribute to the fouling of my print-head. But if an occasional print-head wash is all that is needed to restore the printer to working order, the money saved makes it worth it.