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Cleaning the Print Head
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 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 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.
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Before cleaning the print head, make sure that the tray lever is in up position.
Caution:|
Do not touch the front tray when operating the tray lever.
Do not move the tray lever while the printer is operating.
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Note:|
Before you move the tray lever, make sure no paper or other objects are on the front tray and the front tray is not extended.
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Using the Head Cleaning utility for Windows
Follow the steps below to clean the print head using the Head Cleaning utility.
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Make sure that no warnings or errors are displayed on the LCD screen, the CD/DVD tray is not inserted in the printer, and the tray lever is in up position.
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Right-click the printer icon on the taskbar, then select Head Cleaning.
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If the printer icon does not appear, refer to the following section to add the icon.
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Follow the on-screen instructions.
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The message "Cleaning print head. Please wait." appears on the LCD screen while the printer performs the cleaning cycle.
Caution:|
Never turn off the printer while the message "Cleaning print head. Please wait." is displayed on the LCD screen. Doing so may damage the printer.
Do not insert the CD/DVD tray until head cleaning is complete.
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Note:|
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.
To maintain print quality, we recommend printing a few pages on a regular basis.
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Using the Head Cleaning utility for Mac OS X
Follow the steps below to clean the print head using the Head Cleaning utility.
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Make sure that no warnings or errors are displayed on the LCD screen, the CD/DVD tray is not inserted in the printer, and the tray lever is in up position.
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Access the Epson Printer Utility 4.
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Click the Head Cleaning button in the Utility dialog box.
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Follow the on-screen instructions.
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The message "Cleaning print head. Please wait." appears on the LCD screen while the printer performs the cleaning cycle.
Caution:|
Never turn off the printer while the message "Cleaning print head. Please wait." is displayed on the LCD screen. Doing so may damage the printer.
Do not insert the CD/DVD tray until head cleaning is complete.
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Note:|
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.
To maintain print quality, we recommend printing a few pages on a regular basis.
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