Why Your Printer Won’t Print White Ink Even After Priming — Causes and Solutions

Question:
After returning from a weekend trip, I started priming my printer’s ink lines. I successfully pulled ink through the system—initially feeling some resistance, but it began flowing smoothly once started. I noticed quite a few bubbles in the line, though I’m unsure if they were already present or if I introduced them while priming slowly.

I ran another head cleaning and a nozzle check, but there was no change—white still won’t print. There doesn’t seem to be a clog anywhere. I recall you mentioned that a poorly sealing capping station could be the culprit. Would completely disassembling the capping station help diagnose this?

If it’s not the printhead, and my capping station isn’t clogged, what else can I check? Could it still be a seal issue? Should I get your pressure testing product to verify?

1. If Other Colors Print Fine, the White Channel May Be Dead

When your other colors are printing perfectly but white refuses to appear, it strongly suggests that the white ink nozzles in the printhead are no longer firing. This condition is often called a “dead channel.”

Causes can include:

• Long idle times: White ink settles and solidifies faster than standard colors due to its titanium dioxide pigment load.

• Repeated partial blockages: Over time, stubborn clogs can permanently block nozzle openings.

• Air ingestion: Excess bubbles, even if created during priming, can accelerate drying inside a channel if printing is attempted before the air clears.

Unfortunately, once a channel is truly dead, no amount of capping station work will restore it—you would be looking at a printhead replacement.

2. When to Suspect the Capping Station Instead

Your instinct about checking the capping station is correct if:

• Multiple colors are failing, not just white.

• Ink is visibly drying on the nozzles after short idle times.

• The suction test fails when you apply light vacuum at the cap port.

However, in your case—since all other colors work—your capping station’s seal is most likely fine.

3. Pressure Test Tools and Disassembly

• The pressure/vacuum testing tool we sell is designed to verify capping station seal integrity and check for blockages in the ink path. It’s useful when you suspect an air leak or partial clog.

• Disassembling the capping station is helpful only if you have clear signs of ink drying prematurely across multiple colors. It’s a more complex repair that may not benefit your current single-channel issue.

4. Confirming a Dead Channel

Before concluding that your white channel is dead:

1. Swap ink lines (white with another color) temporarily and run a nozzle check. If the “new color” also fails in that position, it’s the printhead channel.

2. Inspect ink flow from the dampers—ensure the white damper is fully filled and not partially empty after priming.

3. Run a high-frequency purge if your printer’s service menu allows it; sometimes stubborn pigment clogs loosen with extended firing.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair due to the hands-on nature of the problems. Because of that, we can’t provide remote step-by-step repair support. We do offer in-person evaluation and repair services (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service) at our local diagnostic facility. Due to high demand, all work is handled on a first-come, first-served basis, and it may take several weeks before we can inspect your printer. We can repair whole printers or individual parts, though our rates may not be the most economical. For this reason, we encourage you to use self-help resources first—like our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). Use the search icon next to “About” in our menu bar to quickly find videos relevant to your problem. With hundreds of videos produced over nine years, this is the fastest way to locate a solution, and YouTube’s suggestions may also point you to other helpful sources.

Thank you again for your patience and for giving us the chance to assist you. We appreciate your trust in BCH Technologies.