With the arrival of winter, low temperature has an adverse effect on printhead which is the core component of inkjet printing equipment. If inspection and maintenance are neglected, equipment failure may occur, resulting in unnecessary losses. Therefore, it is crucial to understand which factors will affect the printhead in winter and take corresponding countermeasures.

Effect of Temperature
When the temperature drops, the printheads often experience "false blocking", which is manifested as "broken lines" when some printheads are printed. This is because the viscosity and surface tension of the ink increases due to the drop in temperature, and the ink droplets cannot be sprayed normally during the printing process, especially when printing at high speeds, which makes it more likely to "broken lines". Some operators mistakenly think that the printheads are blocked. After cleaning, the "broken lines" temporarily disappears, but after a period of use, the above problem will recur. In fact, this is caused by temperature changes.

In addition, low temperatures will also affect the subsequent absorption and drying of inks, which not only hinders the effective absorption of ink by the medium coating, but also delays the volatilization of the ink solvent, which is easy to cause the occurrence of "ink piling" phenomenon.

Influence of Humidity
The relative humidity is low in winter, and the air is relatively dry, so the ink is easily condensed on the printhead, causing the illusion of "printhead clogging"; in addition, a dry environment makes it easier for materials to curl, such as PP paper. Once the material curls, it may touch the printhead, and in severe cases, it may even cause damage to the printhead and motor.

Influence of Static Electricity and Dust
In winter, the air is dry, the dust increases, and the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor is large, which is very easy to generate static electricity. Static electricity has a great impact on inkjet printing machine and is easy to burn circuit boards and printheads. At the same time, static electricity will also affect the printing quality. If the inkjet printing equipment lacks effective anti-static measures or is not grounded, the ink droplets will deviate from the predetermined trajectory due to the effect of static electricity, resulting in "flying ink" or "splashing ink", which seriously reduces the printing effect. In addition, if the static electricity increases, the dust in the air and the fibers on the substrate are more likely to adhere to the surface of the material and the printhead under the attraction of static electricity, further reducing the printing quality.

Printhead Maintenance Manual in Winter

01 Preheating
After starting the inkjet printer, do not put it into use immediately. It is recommended to preheat it for about 10 minutes to achieve the best printing state of the machine. In addition, you can also try to use a hair dryer to blow warm air for a while before starting the machine to help the machine warm up quickly.

02 Proper Shutdown
It is best not to turn off the power when the inkjet printing equipment is in the printing state. Please first adjust the digital printing machine to the OFF/shutdown state, cap the printhead, and then turn off the power, and finally unplug it. Otherwise, for some models of inkjet printers, the capping operation cannot be performed after the power is turned off, and the printheads are directly exposed to the air, which will cause the ink to dry up and contaminate the printhead.

03 Control the Indoor Temperature
To ensure that the inkjet printer can still work stably in winter, the operating environment temperature should be maintained between 25℃ and 30℃ to avoid excessive temperature difference. Otherwise, the paper-grabbing gear at the bottom of the printer will become hard and paper cannot be fed effectively, affecting the working stability of the printing equipment.

04 Control the Indoor Humidity
Dry air in winter can easily cause static electricity. By installing a humidifier indoors and other measures to maintain the indoor humidity within the range of 40% to 60%, the air humidity can be effectively increased and the impact of static electricity on the inkjet printer can be reduced.

05 Clean the Printhead Regularly
The digital ink of the inkjet printer is easy to dry and agglomerate in winter, causing the printhead to be blocked. At this time, professional cleaning fluid or pure water should be used regularly to clean the printhead. Do not use fingers and tools to directly touch the printhead surface during cleaning to avoid sweat, grease, alcohol and other chemicals from contaminating the printhead, causing printhead damage or ink contamination. At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to use facial tissue, lens paper, cloth, etc. to wipe the printhead surface to protect the cleanliness and integrity of the printhead.

06 Maintaining Idle Printheads
For printheads that are not used temporarily or need to be idle for a long time, you need to follow the correct steps: After removing the printhead from the printer, thoroughly remove the ink stains remaining on the printhead. Then use a special printhead cleaning fluid for deep cleaning, and then inject a professional maintenance agent into each ink needle of the printhead. Finally, wrap the printhead properly with a protective film, place it safely in the printhead packaging box and store it properly.

07 Abnormal Cases Handling
When an abnormal case occurs in the inkjet printer, the printing work should be stopped immediately and the conventional method should be tried first. If the problem still cannot be solved, please contact the equipment after-sales service in time.