Why Use Blue Tape on Printheads? Creating Airtight and Watertight Seals for Long-Term Inkjet Maintenance

Question:

I saw blue tape being used on a printhead in one of your videos. Was the purpose of the tape to prevent it from getting scratched?

Answer:

Now, to answer your question about the blue tape seen in the video (watch here), it is not used to protect the printhead from scratches. Instead, the primary purpose of this blue tape is to create a seal — both watertight and airtight — over the printhead nozzles.

When you're storing, transporting, or temporarily disabling a printhead, it is critical to prevent ink from drying inside the nozzles. If air reaches the tiny nozzles or if there's a leak, the ink can dry out and cause clogs, potentially rendering the printhead unusable. That’s why a proper seal is essential.

Using just any tape won’t do. Most adhesive tapes can:

• Leave sticky residue behind, damaging delicate nozzle plates

• Fail to maintain a complete seal, letting air and moisture seep in

That's why special low-tack tapes are used. These tapes offer just the right amount of adhesion to hold the seal without leaving residue or pulling up the nozzle coating. At BCH Technologies, we recommend the following specialty 3M tapes for this purpose:

• 3M Specialty Tape - ½" Blue Narrow for Sealing Ink Cartridge/Printhead

• 3M Specialty Tape - 1" Blue Wide for Sealing Ink Cartridge/Printhead

These tapes are designed specifically for printhead and cartridge applications. They’re easy to peel off when you’re ready to use the printhead again, without risking nozzle plate damage.

So no — the tape isn’t for scratch protection. It plays a vital role in preventing nozzle clogging and extending printhead life, particularly when the printhead is out of service or in transit.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair due to the hands-on nature of the problems. Therefore, we're unable 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. Therefore, it may take a few weeks before we can arrange for your printer to drop it off. Our services are structured to repair either the 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 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 the most efficient approach. Additionally, YouTube may suggest relevant videos from other channels that can assist you.

Thanks again for your question and for supporting BCH Technologies. We're here to help where we can and always appreciate your engagement!