No Ink Flow After DTG Printhead Replacement? Troubleshooting DTG Pro Fusion Model J Head Cleaning and Startup Issues

Customer Question:

After replacing the printhead and ribbon cables on my DTG Pro Fusion Model J printer, I'm experiencing an issue where no ink flows during cleaning cycles or test prints. I flushed the printhead with cleaning solution, and it looked fine, but now during power cleanings and test prints, no ink comes out at all. Is there a reset step that I might have missed, or could something else be causing the issue?

Answer

Replacing the printhead and ribbon cables is a major step in printer maintenance, and it's great that you’ve already flushed the new printhead with cleaning solution. The fact that ink is not flowing during a “power cleaning” or any test prints usually indicates a fluid path problem or a vacuum pressure issue—not necessarily a firmware or reset failure.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to resolving this:

1. Ensure Proper Printhead Parking

First, make sure the printhead is correctly seated on the capping station:

• Power the printer ON and allow the printhead to park naturally on the capping station.

• Avoid pushing or forcing it into place while the printer is off, as this can cause misalignment.

2. Vacuum Test the Waste Line

To determine whether ink is being drawn properly:

• Attach a syringe with tubing to the printer’s waste line.

• Gently draw out 2 ml of air, but do it in stages:

  • Start by pulling 1.5 ml. At this stage, you should feel slight resistance.

  • If you only pull air with no resistance, either:

    • The printhead isn’t seated correctly,

    • There’s an air leak (usually in the capping station seal), or

    • The ribbon cables are misaligned, especially if this was recently replaced.

  • If you feel strong resistance and can’t draw anything, the capping station is clogged, which prevents the head from priming ink.

3. Listen for the Damper Membrane

After pulling the 1.5 ml, continue gently until you reach 2 ml. During this, you may hear a “crinkle” sound from the damper membrane—a good sign that the nozzles are open and the vacuum is affecting the dampers.

4. Hold and Stabilize

Once you've drawn the full 2 ml, hold the plunger for 10 seconds to let the vacuum stabilize inside the system. This helps prime ink into the dampers and prepare the head for cleaning.

5. Run Regular Cleaning (Not Power Cleaning)

After the vacuum step:

• Run a regular cleaning cycle from the printer menu.

• Avoid strong or back-to-back power cleanings, especially within 12 hours, as this can stress the head and dampers.

• Allow the printer to rest between cleanings to let capillary pressure draw ink naturally.

Additional Tips

• If the printer uses DTF ink, it’s thicker and harder to draw, requiring more patience during the priming stage.

• Ensure the ribbon cables are fully and correctly inserted with no bent pins—this is crucial for head signal communication.

• If you previously replaced a head without this issue, it could be that this particular capping station has degraded over time or is misaligned.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair due to the hands-on nature of the problems. So, we're not able to provide remote troubleshooting, suggestions, or support for printer repairs. We offer an in-person evaluation and repair service via our local diagnostic facility (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service). Given the high demand, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis. So, it might take a few weeks before we can get your printer to drop it off. Our services are structured to repair either a whole printer or specific parts, with clear instructions on how to proceed. However, we acknowledge that our rates aren't the most economical. Thus, we highly recommend that you resort to self-help via online research. You can start by checking out YouTube or visiting our YouTube channel's homepage (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). Look for specific videos using the search icon next to "About" on the right-hand side of the menu bar. I receive dozens of queries every day asking about videos for specific topics. Having created videos over the past nine years, it's challenging to remember every single one. Therefore, using YouTube's search function would be most efficient. Plus, YouTube might suggest relevant videos from other channels that could assist you.

Thanks again for your question and for your trust in BCH Technologies. We're here to help where we can, and we appreciate your continued support.