Designjet Z6200 Ink Absorber Cartridge

[AsciiLady]

We have a Z6200 that was donated to our library that seems to be in working order after cleaning/unclogging the printheads. There is a message on the display that both the ink absorber cartridge and maintenance cartridge are almost full and need to be replaced. I have found the replacement maintenance cartridge online but I can't find the ink absorber cartridge replacement. Is it possible to clean out the ink absorber cartridge and reuse it? I was also wondering the same about the maintenance cartridge but I don't mind purchasing a new one if cleaning/reusing is too much hassle or not an option.

[Repairatrooper]

While some users have cleaned these items, doing so is a messy proposition that can result in large amounts of ink entering the municipal sewer system causing pollution. The maintenance items should be replaced when they are exhausted. The absorber may be a service part. It appears that the absorber is part of a maintenance kit https://partsurfer.hp.com/Search.aspx?type=PROD&SearchText=CQ109A

incorrectly spelled insorber.

[D Hook · Accepted solution]

I've had clients who have removed the ink absorber from the printer, take the sponge out and turn it over and return it to it's place.  Others have had success cleaning them but Repairtrooper is correct is saying it's very messy.  I would do it in a bucket instead of a sink for the initial cleaning, then finish in a sink.

The build up of ink on that part is hard on the printheads because the ink drys hard and then the printhead gets drug across it, ruining the nozzles.  

Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

[AsciiLady]

Thank you for the information. Since the maintenance kit is pretty costly for a small library IT budget I am trying to find out if this printer is worth putting money into. I am thinking I would need to put in about $2k max (maintenance kit, maintenance cartridge, printheads, print cartridges) to get it printing as it should. I am worried that the printer will become totally obsolete or that it will suffer a major mechanical/digital failure before we can recoup the cost (from in-house prints) that would be put into it.

[D Hook]

Are any of the printheads working at all?

If not then you estimate of $2k isn't too far off if you have to replace them all.  

I would do some price checking at different web sites.  Look at Ebay too.  You can usually find some good prices there for ink and printheads that are near their warranty date.  They still work fine; just out of warranty.

They're great printers but can be pricey to get going if they've been neglected.  What was this one used for before you got it?

[AsciiLady]

The printer came from our State Dept of Transportation, I am sure it was a workhorse and probably not the only one. We got it in April/May and I didn't realize that it should always be powered on so it sat for a few months and was only turned on to run one or two prints. When I started working on the printer last week 4 of the printheads weren't working so I followed a YouTube video on cleaning the printheads by letting them sit for a few minutes on a damp paper towel. After that, I printed a diagnostic print and all the printheads were working. When I tried to print a high-resolution image on Tuesday it got about 1/4 of the way through the print and the banding started up again so I ran another diagnostic print and 3 of those original 4 printheads are not working again. 

I ran the Printer Usage Information and the Current Media, Printhead, and Ink Information Reports. The printer's display says the Printhead cleaning kit is full and to replace, and there is also a warning about serious damage if the maintenance cartridge is not replaced. It is currently Full at 101%. Most of the Printheads are out of warranty but the status on the report is OK for all of them. Most of the ink is expired and their levels range from 26% to 64%. I didn't see anything about the ink absorber when I checked it today so maybe I confused it with the Printhead cleaning kit. 

I will start looking online for a maintenance cartridge and printhead cleaning kit.  Thanks in advance for any feedback.