16 Maintaining Your Printer
4. Check the nozzle check pattern that prints to see if there are gaps in the lines.
5. If there are no gaps, the print head is clean. If there are gaps or the pattern is
faint, clean the print head as described in the next section.
Cleaning the Print Head
If print quality has declined and the nozzle check pattern indicates clogged
nozzles, you can clean the print head. Print head cleaning uses ink, so clean it only
if necessary.
Note:
Print head cleaning uses ink, so clean it only if quality declines and the nozzle check
indicates the print head needs to be cleaned. You cannot clean the print head if an ink
cartridge is expended, and you may not be able to clean it when a cartridge is low. You
must replace the cartridge first (see page19).
1. Make sure the printer is on and the ink light is off.
2. Hold down the ink button for at least 3 seconds to start the cleaning cycle,
which lasts around 1 minute.
Caution:
Never turn off the printer during head cleaning or you may damage it.
3. When the Ppower light stops flashing, run a nozzle check (as described on
page 15) to verify that the print head is clean.
4. If there are still gaps or lines, or the test patterns are faint, run another
cleaning cycle and check the nozzles again.
Note:
If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning the print head three times, turn off the
printer and wait at least six hours to let any dried ink soften. Then try cleaning the print
head again. If quality does not improve, one of the ink cartridges may need to be
replaced. If that doesn’t help, contact Epson as described on page 28.
If you do not use your printer often, it is a good idea to print a few pages at least once a
month to maintain good print quality.
Nozzles are clean Nozzles need cleaning