Clean the Print Head Nozzles

If print quality has declined and the nozzle check pattern indicates clogged nozzles, you can clean the print head.

Note:
You cannot clean the print head if an ink cartridge is expended, and may not be able to clean it when a cartridge is low. You must replace the cartridge first.

You can clean the print head using the product’s touch screen or your software.

Using the Touch Screen

1.	Load a few sheets of plain paper in the main tray.

2.	Press Home if necessary, then press  or  and select Setup.

3.	Select Maintenance.

4.	Select Head Cleaning.

5.	Press  Start.

Cleaning lasts around 2 minutes. When it’s finished, you see a message on the display screen.

Caution:
Never turn off the product during a cleaning cycle or you may damage it.

6.	When you see this screen, select Nozzle Check, then  Start, to confirm that the print head is clean.

You may need to clean the print head up to 4 times.

7.	When the nozzle check looks good, select Finish Nozzle Check, then press Home to exit.

If cleaning doesn’t resolve the problem, you can also wait at least 6 hours, then try printing a nozzle check and cleaning again if necessary.

From the Computer

1.	Load a few sheets of plain paper in the main tray.

2.	Windows: Right-click the  printer icon in the bottom right corner of your screen (the taskbar) and select Head Cleaning.

Macintosh:
Open the Applications folder, open the Epson Software folder, and select Epson Printer Utility 4. Then select Head Cleaning.

3.	Follow the on-screen instructions to start the cleaning cycle, which lasts around 2 minutes.

Caution:
Never turn off the product during a cleaning cycle or you may damage it.

4.	When cleaning cycle is finished, you can check to see if the nozzles are clean:

Click Print Nozzle Check Pattern and click Print.

5.	Check the nozzle check pattern that prints to see if there are gaps in the lines.

6.	If there are no gaps, click Finish.

If there are gaps, click Clean to clean the print head again.

You may need to clean the print head up to 4 times. If cleaning doesn’t resolve the problem, you can also wait at least 6 hours, then try printing a nozzle check and cleaning again if necessary.

Note:
If you do not use your product often, it is a good idea to print a few pages at least once a month to maintain good print quality.