Using the Head Cleaning utility for Windows
Using the Head Cleaning utility for Mac OS X

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. For more information on using the printer buttons, see the Basic Operation Guide.

Note:

Print head cleaning consumes some ink. To avoid wasting ink, clean the print head only if print quality declines; for example, if the printout is blurry or the color is incorrect or missing. Use the Nozzle Check utility first to confirm that the print head needs to be cleaned. This saves ink. When the ink low icon is displayed in the upper-left corner of the LCD screen, or the ink out icon is displayed as shown below, you cannot check the print head. Replace the appropriate ink cartridge first.

Follow the steps below to clean the print head using the Head Cleaning utility.

Make sure the printer is turned on, and the ink low icon is not displayed in the upper-left corner of the LCD screen, or the ink out icon, as shown below, is not displayed.

Make sure that A4 size paper is loaded in the sheet feeder and that the paper thickness lever is set to the position.

Access the printer settings.

Accessing the printer driver for Windows

Click the Maintenance tab, then click the Head Cleaning button.

Follow the on-screen instructions.

The  On light flashes while the printer performs the cleaning cycle.

Caution:

Never turn off the printer while the  On light is flashing. Doing so may damage the printer.

When the  On light stops flashing, load a few sheets of paper and click Print Nozzle Check Pattern in the Head Cleaning window to confirm that the print head is clean.

Below are two sample nozzle check patterns:

Compare the quality of the printed check page with the sample shown below. If there are no print quality problems, such as gaps or missing segments in the test lines, the print head is fine.

If any segment of the printed lines is missing, as shown below, this could mean a clogged ink nozzle or a misaligned print head.

If the nozzle check page does not print satisfactorily, you may need to repeat the head cleaning and print the nozzle check pattern again.
See Cleaning the Print Head

Note:

If print quality has not improved after repeating this procedure four or five times, turn the printer off and wait overnight. Then run the nozzle check again and repeat the head cleaning if necessary. If the print quality still has not improved, at least one of your ink cartridges may be old or damaged and may need to be replaced. See Replacing an Ink Cartridge Before It Is Empty If print quality remains a problem after replacing the ink cartridges, contact your dealer. To maintain print quality, we recommend printing a few pages at least once every month.

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Follow the steps below to clean the print head using the Head Cleaning utility.

Make sure the printer is turned on, and the ink low icon is not displayed in the upper-left corner of the LCD screen, or the ink out icon, as shown below, is not displayed.

Make sure that A4 size paper is loaded in the sheet feeder and that the paper thickness lever is set to the position.

Access the EPSON Printer Utility.

Accessing the printer driver for Mac OS X

Click the Head Cleaning button in the Utility dialog box.

Follow the on-screen instructions.

The  On light flashes while the printer performs the cleaning cycle.

Caution:

Never turn off the printer while the  On light is flashing. Doing so may damage the printer.

When the  On light stops flashing, click the Confirmation button in the Head Cleaning dialog box to print a nozzle check pattern. Use the check pattern to confirm that the print head is clean.

Below are two sample nozzle check patterns.

Compare the quality of the printed check page with the sample shown below. If there are no print quality problems, such as gaps or missing segments in the test lines, the print head is fine.

If any segment of the printed lines is missing, as shown below, this could mean a clogged ink nozzle or a misaligned print head.

If the nozzle check page does not print satisfactorily, you may need to repeat the head cleaning and print the nozzle check pattern again.
See Cleaning the Print Head

Note:

If print quality has not improved after repeating this procedure four or five times, turn the printer off and wait overnight. Then run the nozzle check again and repeat the head cleaning if necessary. If the print quality still has not improved, at least one of your ink cartridges may be old or damaged and may need to be replaced. See Replacing an Ink Cartridge Before It Is Empty If print quality remains a problem after replacing the ink cartridges, contact your dealer. To maintain print quality, we recommend printing a few pages at least once every month.

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