Head Free Warranty Request and Actual Response Case — Printhead Basics (Part 5) ARTJET 2026

In the early days of UV printing, print heads were sold as items covered under the free warranty from the date of installation.

Today, heads are classified as consumables and free warranty coverage no longer exists — but there are situations where one might reasonably wonder: “Shouldn’t the manufacturer cover this?”

Looking at actual cases where customers requested free warranty coverage during that earlier period, and how printer manufacturers responded, may help you judge whether your own situation warrants a claim.

1. Head Damage Caused by Physical Crash

• For reference, we worked at a UV printer development and manufacturing company from 2005 to 2019 — and the following is based on actual negotiations with customers during that time.
• A customer in Germany was printing on Dibond (aluminum composite) when a thin aluminum burr on the cut edge scratched the underside of the print head carriage, damaging all 8 heads.
• The heads were Konica KM1024 units, and the combined replacement cost exceeded approximately 30 million KRW.
• The customer’s argument was: “The anti-crash system — a mechanical device that automatically stops printing if something is struck — should have stopped the head before it was scratched. Since it failed to activate properly, the manufacturer should cover this under warranty.”
• However, the product manual clearly stated: “The anti-crash is an auxiliary device only. Head damage caused by a physical crash is excluded from free warranty coverage.”
• The manufacturer held firm on this position. The German dealer, frustrated by the situation, replaced all 8 heads upfront, and after 6 months of negotiations, the cost was split equally among the dealer, the customer, and the manufacturer — a 1:1:1 arrangement.
• Strictly speaking, any head damage caused by the head scraping a sharp object or physically striking something during printing is not covered under free warranty.
• The reason the manufacturer agreed to share the cost at all was the strong sales volume the German dealer had been generating.

2. Head Nozzle Clogging Caused by LED Lamp Reflection

• This is also not covered under free warranty.
• The product manual explicitly states the following:
• “When printing on tall substrates, place a material of similar height in the adjacent space. Failure to do so significantly increases the risk of head nozzle clogging.”
• “When printing on glass or mirror surfaces, clean the head after each print pass.”

3. Head Clogging Caused by Ink Degradation

• Even with the same ink, defects can occur on a per-production-lot basis.
• If a head is damaged as a result, warranty coverage may be possible — but the end user must prove that the ink currently in use is the cause.
• When ink-related head clogging is suspected, the overall process proceeds as follows.
• The dealer managing the customer files a report stating the issue appears to be ink-related. The equipment manufacturer then contacts the ink supplier to request an inspection of whether the same lot of ink has degraded, while simultaneously loading that lot into a test machine.
• If the ink manufacturer’s test confirms degradation, and the printer manufacturer is able to reproduce the same issue the customer experienced, the equipment manufacturer will provide free warranty coverage for the head.
• If neither the ink manufacturer nor the printer manufacturer can reproduce the problem with the same lot, a further round of testing should be requested.
• Ink should be drawn directly from the customer’s ink tank and sent for physical property testing to check for abnormalities.
• Occasionally, ink degrades when passing through hot regions during shipping.
• If the customer sends in a sample of the ink actually being used, and the same problem is reproduced with that sample, free warranty negotiation through the manufacturer becomes possible.

4. Nozzle Clogging and Deflected Jetting

• After extended use, print quality gradually declines. A nozzle test will reveal blocked nozzles, or nozzles that jet at an angle rather than straight down.

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• This case is not eligible for free warranty coverage.

1. How Head Manufacturers Handle Warranty Requests

• Head manufacturers are, in almost all cases, large Japanese corporations.
• When a problem occurs with the print head itself and a printer manufacturer submits a warranty claim to the head manufacturer, the process unfolds as follows.
• The head manufacturer first requests that the defective head be shipped to them. After one to two months — sometimes as long as three — they send back a detailed report along with a determination of whether free warranty coverage is approved.
• Based on over 15 years of experience, the answer is “not covered” 99% of the time.
• We once submitted a head to Konica for warranty review after receiving a customer complaint, only to be told that the head showed physical scratching and was therefore excluded from coverage.
• Head manufacturers are, almost without exception, large corporations — and being large corporations, their response process is slow, and precisely because it is slow, it is extremely thorough.

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2. How Printer Manufacturers Handle Warranty Requests

• Up until around 2010, free warranty coverage for heads was provided. However, that coverage came with conditions.
• “Print heads are included in the 1-year warranty. User fault, however, is excluded.”
• In addition, customers had to meet certain requirements to receive free head coverage during that one-year period:
• A nozzle pattern test had to be printed and kept on file every day.
• A specified amount of head cleaning solution had to be used each month.
• The customer had to prove that no glass had been printed, no tall substrates had been used, and no operator error had occurred.
• Today, heads are sold under the premise that they are consumables — full stop.

3. A Free Head Warranty That Required a Written Apology

• In 2007, I was working in overseas sales. After spending two to three years interpreting for engineers, I had picked up enough to handle simple overseas after-sales support on my own.
• A problem report came in after hours, and with no engineer available, I handled it myself.
• “Try swapping in the recently updated board and see if that helps.” → “Looks like an accident — swapped the board, powered it on, and smoke started coming from the board.” → “Check the nozzles first and let me know if they’re okay.” → “The nozzle pattern isn’t printing at all…” → “How many? Which colors?” → “All 6 heads…”
• Six heads were destroyed in the middle of the service call.
• The development team had recently changed the electronic board spec, and the information about potential issues when swapping immediately had not been properly communicated.
• The team manager at the time stood up for me, saying: “This was an accident caused by information that wasn’t properly shared — it’s excessive to make the person responsible write a formal apology.” But a written apology was required before the 6 replacement heads could be received and shipped to the dealer.
• Free head warranty is not something even a company representative can approve on their own — and for that reason, actually receiving a head replacement under warranty is, in practice, nearly impossible.