If you find that the printout is unexpectedly faint or that dots are missing, you may be able to solve these problems by cleaning the print head, which ensures that the nozzles are delivering ink properly.
You can clean the print head from your computer using the Head Cleaning utility in the printer driver or from the printer by using the buttons.
Note:
Because print head cleaning uses some ink from all cartridges, clean the print head only if quality declines; for example, if the printout is blurry or some segments are missing.
Use the Nozzle Check utility first to confirm that the print head needs to be cleaned. This saves ink.
When ink is low you may not be able to clean the print head. When ink is expended you cannot clean the print head. Replace the appropriate ink cartridge first.
Using the Head Cleaning utility for Windows
Follow the steps below to clean the print head using the Head Cleaning utility.
Make sure that no lights are indicating errors.
Right-click the printer icon on the taskbar, then select Head Cleaning.
If the printer icon does not appear, refer to the following section to add the icon.
The light flashes while the printer performs the cleaning cycle.
Caution:
Never turn off the printer while the light is flashing. Doing so may damage the printer.
Note:
To maintain print quality, we recommend printing a few pages on a regular basis.
If print quality has not improved after repeating this procedure about four times, turn the printer off and wait for at least six hours. Then run the nozzle check again and repeat the head cleaning if necessary. If print quality has still not improved, contact Epson support.
Click the Head Cleaning button in the Utility dialog box.
Follow the on-screen instructions.
The light flashes while the printer performs the cleaning cycle.
Caution:
Never turn off the printer while the light is flashing. Doing so may damage the printer.
Note:
To maintain print quality, we recommend printing a few pages on a regular basis.
If print quality has not improved after repeating this procedure about four times, turn the printer off and wait for at least six hours. Then run the nozzle check again and repeat the head cleaning if necessary. If print quality has still not improved, contact Epson support.