Cleaning the Print Head

If your printouts are unexpectedly light, or dots or lines are missing, you may need to clean the print head. This unclogs the nozzles so they can deliver ink properly. Print head cleaning uses ink, so clean it only if quality declines.

Note: You can also use a printer software utility to clean the print head right from your computer. Select the ? or Help button on your printer settings window for instructions running the print head cleaning utility.

  1. Make sure the EPSON Stylus Photo RX500 is turned on but not printing, and the Error light is off. (If the Error light is flashing or on, you may need to replace an ink cartridge; see Replacing an Ink Cartridge for details.)



  2. Press the Setup button to enter setup mode. You see an LCD screen similar to this:

  3. Press the top left button (next to Ink levels in the illustration) until you see this LCD screen:



  4. Press the Color button.

    5. Cleaning takes about 30 seconds, during which the message Head Cleaning . . . appears on the LCD screen.

    Caution: Never turn off the EPSON Stylus Photo RX500 while the  message Head Cleaning . . . appears on the LCD screen, unless the Stylus Photo RX500 hasn't moved or made noise for more than 5 minutes.

  5. When you again see the LCD screen shown on the right, run a nozzle check to confirm the print head

    nozzles are clean.

    6. Make sure letter-size paper is loaded. Press the top left button until you see Nozzle Check on the LCD screen, then press the x Color button. The nozzle check pattern prints.

    Note: You can also use a printer software utility to print a nozzle check right from your computer. Select the ? or Help button on your printer settings window for instructions on running the nozzle check utility.

  6. Examine the nozzle check pattern you print. It should look something like this:



    7. Each line should be complete, with no gaps in the dot pattern. If your printout looks okay, you're done.

    If you see any gaps in the dot pattern, clean the print head again.

If you don't see any improvement after cleaning three or four times, check the solutions in Solving Problems. You can also turn the EPSON Stylus Photo RX500 off and wait overnight-this allows any dried ink to soften-and then try cleaning the print head again.

Caution: When you don't turn on your EPSON Stylus Photo RX500 for a long time, the print quality can decline. It's a good idea to turn it on at least once a month to maintain good print quality.