Do I have to turn the printer off?

[dicky109]

I've used an Epson 1280 to print photos for about 3 years and have been advised to turn it off when not in use to cap the printhead. This is supposed to prevent ink drying and clogging the printhead. Never had a clog, so I guess that advice is correct.
Just picked up a Canon i560 to basically use for text since I was able to get a brand new one for about $30 (legally). Is it recommended to shut off the Canon printers also, or can I leave it turned on, which would be a great convenience.

Any experience either way?

Thanks in advance.

[Scottes]

I've never turned my printer off. I've never had a clog. Current 1280 and I print something maybe once a week, sometimes going weeks between a print.

It's certainly not a bad idea, but I don't know if it does anything besides save money.

[scottbergerphoto]

Turning off the printer, parks the print head, helps prevent the nozzles from drying out and initiates a clean cycle whe you start the printer up. It's a very good idea.
Scott

[dicky109]

I received the following e-mails from Canon support.

Canon recommends keeping the printer powered On at all times. If you do shut down the printer please ensure the S520 is powered off with the printer's power switch and not using an external surge suppressor or powerstrip. Shutting down the printer using the power button ensures the printhead will seat and cap properly.


& then I questioned that the information seemed contradictory, & they also quoted the wrong printer model, & received this reply:

The information provided is the same for the i560 printer. Though it does seem contradictory, the reason it is recommended that the printer be left on is to allow the printers purge unit to function.

The purge unit will clean the excess ink from the nozzels periodically when the printer is left powered on. This helps maintain the print head, as the ink that is being released from the nozzles will not dry out and clog the print head. At the same time, the rollers that grab the paper are moving backwards briefly and the print head caps itself, or seals itself to protect against the ink becoming dried out.

When it is necessary to turn the printer power off, we recommend turning it off using the POWER button on the printer. This assures that the print head will move fully into the capping position.


Seems to make a lot of sense when explained, & they did respond twice very quickly. Only downside to leaving it on, as far as I can see is that maybe it uses a bit of ink.

2 thumbs up for Canon's tech support & thanks for the replies on this forum to my question

[stopbath]

Only downside to leaving it on, as far as I can see is that maybe it uses a bit of ink.


And it will use some electricity each day as the circuits continually run. Even shut off (at the off button) the unit may still use electricity as it is still checking the power button. To use no electricity at all, use the power bar off button after the printer off button...

[dfrost]

On my i960, there's a setup option to auto-power down the printer after X minutes of inactivity; X has several options available. And there's a corresponding auto-power-on option. Power-on involves lots of internal activity, which I assumed was print head cleaning.

[mookiemeister]

I don't know if turning off printer is good or bad, but I turn on printer, when I need to print something and turn it off after I finish printing. No need to waste extra power leaving something on that I don't use very often.

[Penguin_101_1]

I never turn mine off and I have never had a problem.

I never turn anything off. And I have never had a problem.

I never turn off 9/10 of my computers.