Tag Archives: getting ink out of carpet

Unpacking the Boxes: RIP my Beloved HP Printer

After months of planning and packing and two days of moving boxes and wondering where we got all this stuff… we’ve finally moved. I’m looking forward to sharing photos of my new studio with you as well as stories of trying to organize a new space, learning how to work within a new layout and just generally finding my artist self again after months of wearing a movers hat.

In the meantime, here is a quick photo of what we were doing at 6 a.m. this morning after having been up all night (those are Greg’s hands):

I was finishing up my altered book for the Marin MOCA show and getting ready to print (after finally finding the box that had all the half completed pieces) and Greg opened the box with the inkjet printer in it. I was in the other half of the house and heard a pretty serious verbal SOS. I figure that Greg or one of the cats is hurt (he yelled, “bring paper towels”) so I went running in to the office to see Greg holding my beloved printer with black ink dripping all over him, all over our office chair and all over our new pale sage colored carpet.

Well, I can tell you now, from personal experience, that Shout laundry spot remover, combined with a few rolls worth of paper towels and a Spot Bot, takes black inkjet ink out of pale color carpet.  It took more than an hour, but I was pretty motivated not to have to replace the carpet after only living here a couple of weeks! Sadly, I can also tell you that the printer has finally had it. That $150 printer that was nearly 12 years old has printed every artist book I’ve ever made. It has been a real trooper, printing on Rives BFK, handmade paper, even metal. And it has ink in places we will never reach except when there is valued paper is going through it.

Which brings me back to my book for Marin MOCA. It was meant to be in both black and white and color, but I am left with only my laser printer – which does not print in color. So I did a test print this morning and, to my happy surprise, the book looks better all in black and white. Yes Mom, things do happen for a reason.

I’ll share photos of my altered book tomorrow. I’m pretty tickled with it.

In the meantime I’ll be trying to get inkjet ink out of Greg’s sweatpants and slippers. We think maybe he has scrubbed his fingerprints right off, but his hands are now clean.

Do you have an inkjet story? Feel free to share in the comments.

~Ginger

www.gingerburrell.com