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How to Clean an Epson Printhead ?
If your Epson printer is printing out faint images, skipping lines, or is streaking your image with lines, chances are you have a clogged nozzle–a common problem many users have with Epson printers.
It’s unavoidable that print heads clog over time as small amounts of ink residue dry up and collect in the nozzles. Being judicious about replacing cartridges promptly when the low ink alert goes off can do a lot to prevent ink from drying inside the nozzles, but you still may end up with one or several may still get clogged for a different reason. Blocked printheads can happen regardless if you use original Epson or aftermarket cartridges.
The Cause of Clogs
Printheads clog because nozzles get blocked by either air or ink. Clogs usually happen when:
You don’t change your ink cartridge right away when you get a low ink warning and instead you keep printing until you see faded printouts. When you put with a new cartridge, your printer prepares the printhead for the new ink cartridge, this is called priming. Priming is when the printer pushes ink through the nozzles to force air out. The downside to this is sometimes the printer can push too much ink and the excess would smear all over the printhead where it ends up blocking more nozzles. And when the smeared ink dries, you once again end up with clogged nozzles and worse printouts than before.
You don’t turn off your printer. Ink dries up in the nozzles when you don’t use it regularly. Turning your printer on triggers the printer to run a mini-cleaning cycle and gets the ink flowing again.
You don’t use your printer regularly. As mentioned previously, ink dries up when unused so if you only use your printer about twice a month, we suggest you choose a laser printer. Laser printers use toner powder and don’t dry up.
Knowing the common causes of clogged printheads can help you take the necessary steps to prevent them from happening. As the old adage goes, prevention is always better than cure.
Ways to Clean Your Printhead
Check your nozzles and run cleaning cycles using the menu on your printer before you open up your unit and clean it manually.
Printhead Cleaning Cycles.
Epson printer models feature a pretty efficient cleaning cycle that will usually clear out the nozzles in one or two cycles. Keep in mind, however, that the newer models have longer cleaning cycles that unfortunately use more ink every time. Here’s how to get started:
• Before you do anything else, make sure the printer isn’t showing any errors on the LCD screen.
• Press the Home button and select “Setup” then select “Maintenance.”
• Select “Printhead Nozzle Check“
• Your printer will produce a page with four colored grids designed to illustrate which nozzles are blocked (and which are not).
• If no gaps are present, select done.
• If there are gaps or some lines are faint, select “Clean the printhead” and continue.
Caution: Never turn off your printer during a cleaning cycle. Doing so can cause permanent damage to the unit!
PLEASE NOTE: This process is specific to select Epson Workforce, Artisan, and SureColor model printers, but can be broadly applied across several different models, including most Expression models. Please consult with your printer manual if you have any questions about your particular printer.
Check out our video below to learn on how to run a printhead nozzle check and clean the printhead directly from your printer display.
If you run two or three cycles with no improvement in your print quality, allow the printer to rest for several hours—up to six hours wait time is recommended by Epson. After this, go through a cleaning cycle again and see if this improves the print quality. A lot of people will keep running cleaning cycles until the head clears, often running six or eight cycles, which may work—until the next morning, when all the ink used in the cleaning cycles that collected on the head dries and plugs again. Of course, doing this repeatedly will make your clog worse over time–AND use up a lot of ink.
Contact Epson for further instruction if you are under warranty and still not seeing an improvement. If you are no longer under warranty, you can manually clean the integral pieces to clear out stubborn ink clogs.
Cleaning your printhead can be done manually in one of several ways, some more complex and challenging than others. Here are some common troubleshooting solutions that work on most Epson inkjet printer models, listed from the easiest to the most involved.
Clean Sponges with Distilled Water
• Turn off the printer and open the top. You should be able to see the printhead assembly.
• Look for a small plastic lever, which will pop up when the printer isn’t printing, to the left of the assembly. Move it forward and down to release the printhead, then push the assembly to the right. It may only move an inch or less at first, but when you push it to a stop, it will click. This fully releases the assembly so you can push it to the side.
• If there is no lever next to your printhead assembly, print a page with the top up and unplug the printer with the assembly in the center, unlocked.
• You should see sponges, which store ink from the cartridges in the carriage. Using an eyedropper or plastic syringe, saturate the sponges with distilled water or Windex solution.
• Move the assembly back over the sponges as far right as it will go.
• Let the distilled water set for at least fifteen minutes. For the best results, consider letting the printer soak overnight.
• Print six to eight pages dense with text and images until your prints are come out clean and crisp. If you are still not getting good results, consider moving on to the next step in cleaning your printhead.
Distilled Water in Ink Port.
• Remove the ink cartridges from your printhead carriage.
• With the ink cartridges removed, you will see small cone-shaped indents which take the ink from the cartridge to the printhead. These are ink ports, and there should be one for each color/black cartridge.
• Using an eye dropper or plastic syringe, put a couple of drops of distilled water or printhead cleaner into the ink port that may be plugged. Do not put cleaner into all of the ports! If you’re unsure, which color is which, look at the bottom of the ink port for color residue. Usually, yellow is the color on the far right, and going left it’s magenta, cyan, and, finally, black on the far left.
• Replace ink cartridges and wait for the printer to set up the new cartridge. If any water or solution dripped from the printhead, wipe it up with a paper towel before proceeding.
• Print out six to eight pages of text and images to test clarity. Still not getting good results? Try this next procedure:
Cleaning the Printhead with Paper Towels
• Turn your printer off.
• Tear a single sheet of paper towel in half and fold it lengthwise until it is about one-half inch wide.
• Open the top of your printer and look for a rubber roller that transports paper through the feed system. This feed system is where the printhead runs over when printing.
• Secure the paper towel to the roller with tape and apply several drops of distilled water or cleaner near the middle of the towel.
• Move the printhead assembly over the paper towel and let it rest for at least fifteen minutes. Allow time for the dried ink on the printhead to begin to dissolve. In time, you will see a collection of black ink on the paper towel—this is more than just the black ink, it’s actually a combination of all colors into one pool.
• Repeat with fresh damp paper towels until you start to see individual colors from each ink port. You may need to repeat the process several times to see good results.
• Next, you will want to turn your printer back on. Before you do so, make sure the printhead assembly has returned to its ready position, rather than resting in the center.
• Print several pages to make sure each of the ports are cleared.
Here’s a video on how to do the paper towel method to clean your printhead. Although the cartridge is not an Epson cartridge, the method is similar.
Why is my Epson printer skipping lines when printing?
Apart from a clogged printhead, one other potential culprit is the electronic connection of your cartridges with your printer. Try removing your cartridges from your printer, and then shutting your printer down. Turn it on after a few hours and wait for your printer to recognize that there aren’t any cartridges installed in the printer. Install all of the cartridges back into the printer and try printing. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt if you clean the contacts and nozzles of your cartridges beforehand. If your printer is still skipping lines when printing, go to your print quality settings and set it to high quality. If this still doesn’t fix it, try getting new cartridges and using those to see if it makes a difference. Unfortunately, Epson cartridges can be quite pricey but an affordable alternative are non-Epson ink replacements.
Printhead problems are a common headache for most Epson printer users so the more knowledgeable you are on how to fix it, the better off you’ll be. Watch out for Epson printers that use pigment ink–this ink type can cause printhead problems more than dye-based ink. Have any more questions? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Printer stops printing unexpectedly -
Head cleaning, ink charging, or ink drying is in progress
Check to see if the Pause light is flashing. If so, the printer is in the process of head cleaning, ink charging or ink drying. During head cleaning, ink charging, and ink drying, PLEASE WAIT appears on the LCD. Wait until the printer resumes printing.
An error has occurred
Many common printer problems can be identified by the messages on the LCD.
You can also check the lights on the control panel for errors.
For other messages not included in the following table.
The printer does not turn on or stay on -
When the Pause light does not come on and mechanism initialization does not start even when the Power button is pressed to turn on the printer, try the following solutions for the problem.
• Turn off the printer and make sure the power cord is securely plugged into the printer.
• Make sure your outlet works and is not controlled by a wall switch or timer.
• Make sure the supplied voltage to the printer matches the rating voltage labeled on the printer. If not, turn off the printer and unplug the power cord immediately. Contact your dealer for assistance. See Contacting Customer Support.
The printer prints nothing -
The printer is not correctly connected to the computer
Try one or more of these solutions:
• Turn off the printer and computer. Make sure the printer's interface cable is securely plugged into the correct terminal of the computer.
• Make sure the interface cable specifications match the specifications for the printer and computer.
• Make sure the interface cable is directly connected to the computer without passing through any device, such as a printer switching device, or extension cable.
Your Epson printer is not selected as the default printer -
Install the printer driver if it is not installed yet, and follow the steps below to select your Epson printer as the default printer.
For Windows XP -
• Click the Start button, and Printer and Faxes.
• Right-click EPSON Stylus Pro 4800.
• Select Set As Default Printer, then close the window.
For Windows 2000
• Click the Start button, point to Settings and select Printers.
• Right-click EPSON Stylus Pro 4800 in the Printers window.
•Select Set As Default, then close the Printers window.
For Mac OS X
Make sure that the printer driver Stylus Pro 4800 is correctly added to the Printer Setup Utility (for Mac OS X 10.3), and the correct one is selected in the Printer Setup Utility.
Printer port setting does not match the printer connection port (for Windows only)
To select the printer port, follow the steps below.
For Windows XP
• Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
• Right-click EPSON Stylus Pro 4800, then select Properties.
• Click the Ports tab.
• Make sure that your printer port is selected.
For Windows 2000
• Click Start, point to Settings, and then select Printers.
• Right-click EPSON Stylus Pro 4800 in the Printers window, then select Properties.
• Click the Ports tab.
• Make sure that your printer port is selected.
Try one or more of these solutions:
• Run the Head Cleaning utility. For Windows, see Cleaning the print head. For Mac OS X, see Cleaning the print head.
• If the Head Cleaning utility does not work, replace the ink cartridges. See Replacing Ink Cartridges.
Printouts are not what you expected
Incorrect, garbled characters, or blank pages print
Try one or more of these solutions:
• For Windows, clear any stalled print jobs from the Progress Meter. See Using the EPSON Spool Manager.
• If the problem persists, turn off the printer and computer. Make sure the printer's interface cable is plugged in securely.
Incorrect margins
Try one or more of these solutions:
• Check the margin settings in your application.
• Make sure the margins are within the printable area of the page. See Printable area.
• For Windows, check the Borderless setting in the Paper menu. Make sure they are correct for the paper size you are using. See Making Settings on the Paper Menu.
• Make sure the paper set position is correct. See Using Roll Paper, or Using Cut Sheet Media.
Inverted image
• For Windows, turn off the Flip Horizontal setting in the Advanced menu. See Making Advanced setting.
• For Mac OS X, turn off the Flip Horizontal setting in the Advanced Settings selected in the Print Settings selected in the Print dialog. See Advanced Settings.
Printed color differs from the color on the screen -
Try one or more of these solutions:
• Adjust the Color Density in the Paper Configuration dialog. For Windows, see Paper Configuration.
For Mac OS X, see Paper Configuration.
• Make sure the media type setting matches the paper being used.
• Since monitors and printers produce colors differently, printed colors will not always match on screen colors perfectly. However, the above color systems are provided to overcome color differences.
For Mac OS X, select ColorSync to color match your system in the Printer Color Management selected in the Print dialog. See Printer Color Management.
• You can produce sharper images with more vivid colors.
For Windows, select PhotoEnhance in the Advanced menu. See Making Advanced setting.
• For Windows, select Color Controls in the Advanced menu, and adjust color, brightness, etc. as required. See Making Advanced setting.
For Mac OS X, select Color Controls in the Printer Color Management selected in the Print dialog. See Printer Color Management.
A ruled line shifts
Perform the print head alignment. For Windows, see Aligning the print head. For Mac OS X, see Aligning the print head.
If the problem persists, perform the print head cleaning. For Windows, see Cleaning the print head. For Mac OS X, see Cleaning the print head.
Printout has smears on the bottom edge
Try one or more of these solutions:
• If the paper is curled towards the printable side, flatten it or curl it slightly to the opposite side.
• For Windows, if you use Epson special media, check the Media Type setting in the Main menu. See Making Settings on the Main Menu.
For Mac OS X, if you use Epson special media, check the Media Type setting in the Print Settings selected in the Print dialog. See Page Setup.
For paper other than Epson's, register and select paper thickness in the SelecType mode. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Making the paper settings.
• Set the PLATEN GAP to WIDE in the PRINTER SETTING of the SelecType mode. See PRINTER SETUP.
Print Quality Could be Better
If you are having print quality problems, try the solutions offered here.
Horizontal banding
Try one or more of these solutions:
• For Windows, check the Media Type setting in the Main menu. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Making Settings on the Main Menu.
For Mac OS X, check the Media Type setting in the Print Settings selected in the Print dialog. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using, see Page Setup.
• Make sure the printable side of the paper is face-up.
• Run the Head Cleaning utility to clear any clogged ink nozzles. For Windows, see Cleaning the print head. For Mac OS X, see Cleaning the print head.
You can also clean the print head nozzles using the control panel. To clean the print head nozzles, press the Menu button for 3 seconds.
• Check the Paper Feed value. Reduce the value to improve light banding, and increase it for dark banding. For Windows, Paper Configuration. For Mac OS X, see Paper Configuration.
• Check the Ink check light. If necessary, replace ink cartridges. See Replacing Ink Cartridges.
Vertical misalignment or banding
Try one or more of these solutions:
• For Windows, turn off the High Speed setting in the Advanced menu. See Making Advanced setting.
For Mac OS X, turn off the High Speed setting in the Advanced Settings is selected in the Print Settings selected in the Print dialog. See Advanced Settings.
• Run the Print Head Alignment utility. For Windows, see Aligning the print head. For Mac OS X, see
Aligning the print head.
Faint printout or gaps
Try one or more of these solutions:
• Make sure that the ink cartridges do not exceed the expiration date. The expiration date is labeled on the outside of the ink cartridge.
• For Windows, check the Media Type setting in the Main menu. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Making Settings on the Main Menu.
For Mac OS X, check the Media Type setting in the Print Settings selected in the Print dialog. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Page Setup.
• Run the Head Cleaning utility to clear any clogged ink nozzles. For Windows, see Cleaning the print head. For Mac OS X, see Cleaning the print head.
You can also clean the print head nozzles using the control panel. To clean the print head nozzles, press the Menu button for 3 seconds.
• Check the Ink check light. If necessary, replace ink cartridges. See Replacing Ink Cartridges.
• Select Standard as Platen Gap in the Paper Configuration dialog box. For Windows, see Paper Configuration. For Mac OS X, see Paper Configuration.
Blurry or smeared printout
Try one or more of these solutions:
• For Windows, check the Media Type setting in the Main menu. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Making Settings on the Main Menu.
For Mac OS X, check the Media Type setting in the Print Settings selected in the Print dialog. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Page Setup.
• If the paper you are using is not supported by the printer driver, make the paper thickness setting in the SelecType mode. See CUSTOM PAPER.
• Make sure your paper is dry and the printable side is face-up. Also, make sure you are using the correct type of paper. See Paper for specifications.
• Ink may have leaked inside the printer; wipe the inside of the printer with a soft, clean cloth.
• Run the Head Cleaning utility. For Windows, see Cleaning the print head. For Mac OS X, see Cleaning the print head.
You can also clean the print head nozzles using the control panel. To clean the print head nozzles, press the Menu button for 3 seconds.
Color documents print in black only
Try one or more of these solutions:
• Make sure the color data settings in your application are correct.
• For Windows, make sure Color or Color/B&W Photo is set in the Main menu. See Making Settings on the Main Menu.
• For Mac OS X, make sure Color or Color/B&W Photo is set in the Print Settings selected in the Print dialog. See Color.
Printing could be faster
Try one or more of these solutions:
• Select High Speed on the Advanced dialog box. For Windows, see Making Advanced setting. For Mac OS X, see Advanced Settings.
• For Windows, select the Automatic mode and move the slider towards Speed in the Main menu to increase print speed. See Making Settings on the Main Menu.
For Mac OS X, select Automatic mode and move the slider towards Speed in the Print Settings selected in the Print dialog to increase print speed. See Mode.
• Do not run too many applications at the same time. Close any applications you are not using.
• Change the interface card of your computer to IEEE1394 or USB 2.0.
• Delete unnecessary files to make room on your hard disk drive.
Roll paper cannot be cut
Try one or more of these solutions:
• Make sure that paper cutter cover is set correctly. See Replacing the Paper Cutter.
• Make sure that the is selected as the Paper Source on the LCD. Press the Paper Source button if necessary. Then press and hold the Paper Source button for 3 seconds. The printer cuts the roll paper.
• Make sure that Normal Cut, Single Cut, or Double Cut is selected as the Auto Cut in the printer driver. For Windows, see Making the Auto Cut setting. For Mac OS X, see Auto Cut.
• Cut the roll paper by hand if necessary. Check that the paper thickness of the roll paper loaded in the printer matches the paper specification (see Paper). If so, the paper cutter may be blunt and require replacement. See Replacing the Paper Cutter.
Paper feed or paper jam problems occur frequently
Try one or more of these solutions:
• Before loading paper and guiding it through the paper insertion slot, adjust paper suction.
To adjust the paper suction using the printer driver, see Paper Configuration for Windows or see Paper Configuration for Mac OS X.
To adjust the paper suction using the control panel, see CUSTOM PAPER.
• Make sure the paper is not folded or wrinkled.
• Make sure the paper is flattened.
• Make sure printing occurs within the operational temperature range.
• Make sure the paper is not damp.
• Make sure the paper is not too thick or too thin. See Paper.
• Make sure no foreign objects are inside the printer.
• For Windows, check the Media Type setting in the Main menu. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Making Settings on the Main Menu.
For Mac OS X, check the Media Type setting in the Print Settings selected in the Print dialog. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Page Setup
• Make sure that the platen gap setting matches your paper. You can change the platen gap setting in the PRINTER SETUP of the SelecType mode. See PLATEN GAP.
• For non-Epson special media, check the paper type selected in the CUSTOM PAPER of the SelecType mode. See Making the paper settings.
Whenever loading non-Epson special media, test if the paper can be loaded correctly before printing.
To clear Paper jams, see Clearing paper jams.
Roll paper does not eject properly
Try one ore more of these solutions:
• Roll paper is wound tightly and may feed with a curl. Flatten it before you load it.
• Select Starwheel-Roll Curled as the Feed Roller Type in the Paper Configuration dialog box. For Windows, see Paper Configuration. For Mac OS X, see Paper Configuration.
Clearing paper jams
When roll paper is jammed
To remove jammed roll paper, follow the steps below:
• Turn off the printer.
• Open the roll paper cover, and move the paper lever to the released position.
• Cut the paper at the paper insertion slot, and remove the roll paper.
• Remove the jammed paper from the front or rear side of the printer.
If necessary, open the top cover, and remove the jammed paper.
When paper loaded from the paper tray is jammed
To remove jammed paper, follow the steps below.
• Turn off the printer.
• Move the paper lever to the released position.
• Remove the paper tray from the printer.
• Carefully remove the jammed paper.
If necessary, open the top cover, and remove the jammed paper.
If the paper is jammed around the rear cover, remove the rear cover by squeezing the knobs, and remove the jammed paper.
When paper loaded from the front manual feed slot is jammed
To remove jammed paper, follow the steps below:
• Turn off the printer.
• Move the paper lever to the released position.
• Remove the jammed paper from the front or rear side of the printer.
When paper loaded from the rear manual feed slot is jammed
To remove jammed paper, follow the steps below:
• Turn off the printer.
• Move the paper lever to released position.
• Remove the jammed paper from the front. If necessary, open the top cover and remove the jammed paper.
Contacting Customer Support
If your Epson product is not operating properly and you cannot solve the problem using the troubleshooting information in your product documentation, contact customer support services for assistance. If customer support for your area is not listed below, contact the dealer where you purchased your product.
Customer support will be able to help you much more quickly if you give them the following information:
• Product serial number
(The serial number label is usually on the back of the product.)
• Product model
• Product software version
(Click About, Version Info, or similar button in the product software.)
• Brand and model of your computer
• Your computer operating system name and version
• Names and versions of the software applications you normally use with your product
Where To Get Help -
Epson provides technical support and information on the installation, configuration, and operation of professional printing products through the Epson Preferred Protection Plan. Dial +1(856) 333-8626, +1(877)368-0677, 6 AM to 6 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday. Support hours and days are subject to change without notice.
Before you call, make sure you have your Unit ID number, which is included with the Epson Preferred Protection Plan information that came with your printer. You’ll also need your printer serial number and proof of purchase.
Epson also provides technical assistance 24 hours a day through the World Wide Web. You can reach Epson Support at http://support.epson.com. At this site, you can download drivers, firmware, and other files, look at product documentation, access troubleshooting information, and receive technical advice through e-mail.
You can purchase genuine Epson ink cartridges, paper, and accessories from an Epson reseller. To find the nearest authorized reseller, please call 800-GO-EPSON (+1(856) 333-8626). To purchase online, visit www.epsonstore.com (U.S. sales only). In Canada, please call +1(877)368-0677 for a reseller referral.
