How to Clean an Epson Printhead?

Clean an Epson Printhead:

Are you getting faint, incomplete or line streaked prints from your Epson printer? Yes, this is one of the most common problems you may go through because of a clogged nozzle in your Epson printer. You can't ignore and deny the fact that print heads get clogged over a certain period of time.

This action does a lot to save ink from drying inside the nozzles, but unfortunately, the ink dries up one or several times for a different reason. Remember, blocked print heads can be caused both in case of original Epson or aftermarket cartridges.

Common Causes of Epson Ink Clogs-

Printheads clogs happen due to blockage by either air or ink. Below listed are some common reasons:

1. You don’t change the existing ink cartridges when a low ink warning prompts. Instead, you continue the printing job until you get faded and incomplete prints.
2. You don’t turn off your printer after its use.
3. You don’t use your printer at regular intervals.

Whatever be the potential reason for clogs, you must follow certain methods to clean an Epson printhead.

Methods to Clean an Epson Printhead:

Firstly, you must check the printer nozzles and run cleaning cycles using the menu shown on your printer. This is the first step before you open up your unit and Clean an Epson Printhead.

Perform Printhead Cleaning Cycles-

Epson printers feature an automatic feature of efficient cleaning cycles that itself clear out the nozzles in one or two cycles. However, the new models have comparatively longer cleaning cycles as they use more ink every time.

Here’s you can get started:

• Ensure that the printer is not showing any errors on the LCD screen.
• Press the Home button to select “Maintenance" mode under “Setup”.
• Next, select “Printhead Nozzle Check“ option.
• Your printer prints a pattern of four colored grids to illustrate which nozzles are blocked (and which are not).
• If no gap is present, simply select done.
• If gaps are there or few lines are faint, select “Clean the printhead” option and then continue.

Note: Do not switch off your printer during cleaning cycles as this might damage the unit.

Clean Sponges with Distilled Water-

• Open the top side of the printer after turning it off. You will see the printhead assembly.
• If the printer isn't printing, a small plastic lever pops out. You can move it forward and down to release the printhead. Next try to push the assembly to the right side until it stops and clicks.
• If you find no lever next to your printhead assembly, then print a page with the top up and unplug the printer along with the assembly in the center, unlocked state.
• You will see sponges that store ink from the cartridges in the carriage. With the help of an eyedropper or plastic syringe, saturate the sponges using distilled water or Windex solution.
• Allow the distilled water to set for at least 15 minutes. For the best results, let the printer soak overnight.
• Try printing 6-8 dense pages with text and images until the prints come out clean and crisp. For better results, follow the next method to clean an Epson printhead.

Distilled Water in Ink Port-

• Firstly take out the ink cartridges from the printhead carriage to clean an Epson Printhead.
• You will find small cone-shaped indents which take the ink from the cartridge to the printhead. They are the ink ports which ideally should be one for each color/black cartridge.
• With the help of eye dropper or plastic syringe, pour drops of distilled water or printhead cleaner into the ink port that may be plugged. Remember not to put cleaner into all of the ports. Check the color residues if you are unsure about colors. Generally, yellow start on the far right, magenta on the left, cyan, and, finally, black on the far left.
• Wait for the printer to setup after replacing ink cartridges. In case if the water or solution is dripped from the printhead, wipe it up with a paper towel before proceeding.
• Again try printing 6-8 dense pages of text and images to test print clarity.

The ink residue dries up in small amounts and consequently collects into the nozzles. So, one must be judicious to clean an Epson printhead regularly to avoid defective printing. As prompted, you replace the cartridges when the low ink alert goes off.

Hope this guide to Clean an Epson Printhead is helpful for an improved performance of your printer.