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Printer and Photocopier Troubleshooting and Repair Collection : Cleaning Epson inkjet print heads       
 Copyright © 1994-2007, Samuel M. Goldwasser. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this document in whole or in part is permitted if both of the following conditions are satisfied: 1. This notice is included in its entirety at the beginning. 2. There is no charge except to cover the costs of copying. I may be contacted via the Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ (www.repairfaq.org) Email Links Page.

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Cleaning Epson inkjet print heads

(From: Mike Harrison

The symptom is missing horizontal lines through text or graphics -- or no print at all. This occurs when the water based inks dry at the print heads in amounts that the head cleaning routine cannot dislodge.

The newer Epson Stylus Color series print heads are particularly affected.

It can happen whether you refill your inkjet cartridges or not.

One contributing factor is turning off the printer from a power bar. This prevents a complete shutdown and docking of the heads at their docking stations. You will notice some activity even after turning the printer off by its switch, as it continues to take a trickle charge.

To unclog the heads:

  1. Run 3 cleaning cycles from the Epson Utility.

  2. Turn off printer, and restart in Test Print mode.

  3. When cartridges/ print heads are at extreme left of carriage, quickly spray 3 shots of Windex or Ammonia onto docking station(s) affected, and turn off printer for 5 minutes.

  4. Repeat process as needed until perfect test prints are restored - usually 2 procedures.

We've saved 14 printers this way.


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