T i m wrote:
On Sun, 16 May 2021 20:04:35 +0100, Jeff Layman
wrote:

snip

From what I understand, inkjet print heads are of identical design,
it's just that HP and Canon put them in the cartridge, while Epson has a
separate print head.

I thought you had 'Ink jet' and 'Bubble jet', one being the ink being
thrown out by a piezoelectric crystal and the other by heating the ink
with a small coil and the bubble forcing the ink out?

Yes. Epson is inkjet, HP and Canon are bubblejet. The nice thing about
Epsons is you can fill them with things other than dye-based ink (eg
pigments), whereas that's more difficult with bubblejet where the nozzle
boils the ink on the way through.

They all eventually dry up and block if not used
enough. With an Epson, that might mean a new printer, but with the other
two just a new cartridge.

I think that can depend on the spec of the printer. With some you can
buy / replace the head. With 'bubble jets' the head is generally built
into the cartridge in any case (HP's etc).

The bubblejet head is simpler I think, which makes it more feasible to
supply a new one with every cartridge. On Epsons you can get head cleaning
cartridges, eg:
https://www.cityinkexpress.co.uk/che...tridge/magenta

They also come with a cap for the cartridge that presumably stops it getting
dry (also on refill carts - they have a rubber layer inside the cap).

Given they often come with a 'film' or cap over the ink outlet / head,
it may be possible but the issue with re-filming is getting it dry
enough to stick (they probably put the film on before filling in the
factory).

Wrap them in cling film?

Theo