revised Jan 5, 2016

For most third party ink companies, a flush fluid is a simple task. They take clear ink base and package it. We set out on a different mission. Our goal was to create a solution that was strong enough to clean dried print heads and yet safe enough to use as a long-term storage solution in the same print heads for a year or more. We also stain it pink with some nano-dye so that you can actually see it when it is printed during nozzle check tests.

PiezoFlush is the strongest and the safest and the most effective flush, storage and cleaning fluid that you can buy. PiezoFlush is a premium product and is manufactured at a cost significantly higher then competing products.

In its simplest form, PiezoFlush can be used as a cleaning fluid that is a safer alternative to ammonia, simple green, windex and other home-made concoctions. PiezoFlush can not harm a print head. The same can not be said for ammonia based cleaning fluids such as Windex which can interract with the copper components of print heads.

For those who like to clean the bottom of the print heads, it can be safely used with our recommended methods. We even supply a PiezoFlush cleaning kit designed for small desktop printers that have ink cartridges that are attached directly to the print head. This kit will not work with print heads that are connected by long ink lines.

For printers with ink lines (such as Epson Pro printers, The R3000, and many of the Workforce printers) PiezoFlush is put into refillable cartridges. Then an Initial Fill procedure is initiated so that the capping station sucks powerfully through the print head and pulls the PiezoFlush throught the ink lines, the ink exchanger and ink dampers, and finally through the print head. The most effective way to use it with stubborn clogs is to let it sit at this point inside the printer for 24-48 hours. Then the Initial Fill procedure is repeated to suck out all of the resolubized matter.

One of the best uses of PiezoFlush is to take an extra set of refillable carts and fill them with PiezoFlush. These carts can then be used to flush the printer so that the printer can be stored safely for a few weeks or a few months. Users have reported that printers stored this way with PiezoFlush have been able to be revitalized even after one years rest. Leaving a printer sit for weeks with pigment inks is a sure method to produce a wide variety of problems including pigment settling, clogged print heads, clogged ink dampers. The best benefit of PiezoFlush is not so much as a rescue remedy, but as a preventative remedy. We can not recommend enough that if you must park your printer, you should first fill it with PiezoFlush.

A set of cartridges filled can be used many times. The PiezoFlush will stay fresh in the carts for two years or more as long as the vent tabs are closed.

There are other ways to use PiezoFlush. If you are not battling a stubborn clog (in which case the Initial Fill or similar is the best practice), it can be used to flush out a single channel using custom inkseparation.tif targets with QuadTone RIP. We have a technical document in our technical support site concerning this. But, the method, while saving ink in all the other channels, is not effective on clogs. It is not a good practice to try and bust a clog by printing PiezoFlush through it. The strong suction from the capping station is much more effective. Unfortunately, if you need only to clear one channel, ink from all the other channels is pulled through during an Initial Fill procedure. It is very difficult to avoid ink waste with Epson printers.

PiezoFlush is also part of an annual preventative maintenance routine. Blow the lint out of your printer. Flush the printer out with PiezoFlush. Clean the capping station and wiper blade with PiezoFlush. Clean under the print head with PiezoFlush. Vacuum out the remaining or losse lint. Clean off the surfaces with a household cleaner to make the printer look new.