When the print heads or nozzles in an ink jet printer start to dry up, printing is dramatically affected. This drying causes poor print quality, streaking print, white lines across the printed page, and eventually no printing at all. All you have to do to keep the print heads and nozzles in good working order is to use the printer. It is inactivity that causes the deathly dryness. So go ahead and print often. If you don't print on a regular basis, be sure to print a test page at least one a week.

 
If you won't be using your printer for a few weeks, it may be wise to remove the cartridges and put them in sealed plastic bags. However, each printer may be different, so be sure to check the documentation that came with your printer for the proper procedure.