49Routine MaintenanceKeeping the Best Printing ResultsTo avoid drying of the Print Head and clogging of the nozzles, note the following. When You Turn Off the MachineFollow the procedure below to turn off the machine.(1) Press the ON/OFF button to turn off the machine.(2) Confirm that the Power lamp has gone out.This takes a few seconds or as long as around 30 seconds.(3) Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.If you are using a power outlet strip, you can switch it off instead.When you press the ON/OFF button to turn off the machine, the machine automatically puts aprotective cap on the Print Head to prevent the ink from drying. If you remove the power cord orswitch off the power outlet strip before the Power lamp goes out, this capping will not be doneproperly, causing the Print Head to dry and clog. When You Are Not Using the Machine for a Long TimeWhen you are not using the machine for a long time, print or copy in both black & white and incolor, or perform Print Head Cleaning, about once a month to prevent degradation of the PrintHead.Numerous nozzles are installed in the Print Head for high-precision printing. Just as theuncapped tip of a ballpoint pen or marker becomes dry and unusable if it is not used for a longperiod of time, the print head nozzles become blocked by dried ink. Periodically printing orcleaning the Print Head can prevent this blockage.Notez Ink may blur depending on the paper in the following cases;– Printed area is traced with a highlight pen or paint-stick– Printed area is stained with water or sweatz If the print head nozzles get clogged, printouts will become faint or particular colors will not be printedproperly. For details, see “When Printing Becomes Faint or Colors Are Incorrect” on page 50.
