Why Is My Printer Printing Blank Pages After Mainboard Repair? Common Causes and Solutions

Question:
I recently shorted the mainboard on my printer while cleaning the printhead. I replaced two transistors, and now the printer powers on. However, it doesn’t print anything — every printout is blank, even after ink charging and multiple cleanings. No lines appear in the nozzle checks, so I don’t think the printhead is clogged. I confirmed the F1 fuse is good and all cables are correctly connected and reseated. Could you help identify the faulty part? Do you stock it?

Answer:

Possible Reasons for Completely Blank Pages

Based on your detailed description, here are the likely causes and considerations:

1. Dead Printhead

When a printhead is dead electrically, it won’t respond even if physically clean. If the printer goes through cleaning cycles and appears to operate normally but produces no ink output whatsoever, this is often the issue. An electrically dead printhead will show no lines at all during nozzle checks, which you’ve observed.

Even after replacing the transistors, if the head receives no firing signals or voltage, it's likely damaged. Shorting the mainboard may have sent a surge through the head, burning out internal components.

2. Blown Printhead Driver IC

Another highly likely scenario is that the printhead driver IC (integrated circuit chip) on the mainboard is damaged. These chips generate the precise electrical pulses needed to open nozzles in the printhead. If the IC is blown, the printer might behave like it’s printing — moving the head and feeding paper — but the printhead won’t actually fire any ink.

The symptoms of a blown IC include:

• Powering on normally.

• Ink charging completes.

• Printhead movement is normal.

• But all pages print blank, even after multiple cleans.

In some printer models, this condition may also trigger subtle error codes, but not always. Since you’ve already verified that the F1 fuse is intact and cables are seated correctly, the next logical suspect is the driver IC.

3. Cable Issues – Ribbon Cables or Printhead Flex

Although you mentioned cables are properly connected and reseated, it’s worth rechecking under magnification for:

• Bent or misaligned ribbon cable pins.

• Cracks in the flex cables or signs of arcing (dark spots).

• Damaged traces at connectors or corrosion.

A tiny defect here can break communication between the board and head.

Do We Have the Part?

We stock many components including printheads, ribbon cables, and sometimes even mainboard IC chips or complete mainboards. However, because part availability changes frequently, we recommend checking our printer parts store [https://bchtechnologies.com] directly. If you're unsure about compatibility, feel free to reach out through our site’s contact page with your printer model and photos of the part needed.

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 reaching out to us — we truly appreciate your patience and your commitment to resolving this issue. We’re here to help however we can, and your support means a great deal to our community.