To my knowledge, all thermal printheads eventually break down by the
very action that allows them to print. They heat and cool the ink at
the head each time the ink is released from a nozzle in the head.

Canon (and as I understand it, some HP models) now use a thermal
printhead that is designed to last much longer than the ones which are
part of the printhead.

They may last upwards of 2 years or more depending upon use before
failing (I have no information on the newer HP product to determine it's
reliability yet). The heads that are integrated into the cartridge will
last several refillings but will eventually fail. They are built to
last for the ink they come with, and are overdesigned, allowing them to
get several more lives, but that was never designed to be permanent.

Piezo heads, such as the Epson printers use, are designed as a permanent
head. They will typically last many years. They may clog, but almost
always, can be rescued from a clog. Some do eventually fail from use,
poor manufacturer or bad design, but they are basically designed for
several billion ink droplets per nozzle.

Art

george wrote:

> Susan,
>
> You have me confused...at least when I worked at HP, the print heads were
> in the ink cartridge (i.e., everytime you replaced the cartridge...with a
> NEW
> HP cartridge, not a refilled cartridge, you got new print heads). If you've
> been
> refilling, well...once in awhile, you need to buy a NEW HP cartridge as the
> print heads in a cartridge aren't designed to print THAT many pages.
>
> George
>
> "Susan Sharm" <susanshaarm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1131861989.689133.299360@f14g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
>
>>What is the procedure for home repair of Hewlett Packard #14 print
>>heads?
>>
>>My CYAN stopped printing (even though the refilled cartridge is full)
>>and a diagnostic report from the HP OfficeJet D145 all in one printer
>>says the CYAN print head needs to be replaced.
>>
>>Since the print head has to be replaced, I may as well attempt a home
>>repair. But how?
>>
>>A friend suggested I remove the bad cyan printhead drip a solvent such
>>as alcohol or acetone or hydrogen peroxide on the top steel grid until
>>it runs clear - which might unblock the screen in case it's blocked by
>>teeny tiny honey-I-shrunk-the-kids debris.
>>
>>He said then to gently swipe the bottom of the print head with the
>>solvent so as to free up goldish metallic strips on the bottom.
>>
>>Is there a published procedure for home cleaning & repair of print
>>heads as a last ditch effort before replacing them altogether?
>>
>>Susan
>>
>
>
>