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| Solving Printer Problems |
Epson printers have a high printing resolution (DPI = dots per inch); this
means that the print head nozzles have to be manufactured much smaller
than most other printer manufacturers' nozzles. The size of the actual
nozzle hole is smaller than a human hair and this means it does not take
very much for them to clog. Epson printers have a built-in print head
and are prone to having ink dry in the print head nozzles, causing
streaking and void areas. Over time, the print head clogs, which can
sometimes render the printer unuseable. Running the cleaning cycle is
NOT enough!
The most common cause of clogged Printheads is from infrequent printing.
A printer is designed to be used regularly, at least once per week.
Regular use helps keep the ink flowing through the Printhead nozzles.
Another cause of clogged heads is not powering the printer down
properly. When you are finished printing, use the printer's on/off
switch to turn it off. This allows the Printhead capping mechanism to
fully engage. Using a power block to power down does not allow the
capping mechanism to activate and ink in the heads is then exposed to
the drying effects of air.
If your printer is producing poor prints (incomplete lines/gaps, etc) or
no print at all, first check the obvious; is there ink in the cartridges
? Are they seated properly, no error messages, etc ? Then consider
frequency of use. Most all branding/streaking or missing colour issues
are due to infrequent use.
Maintenance is the key!
Many users, just do not know how to access their printer's software
utility (drivers). Of course, you can refer to the manual but a quick
way to access it is to click on the 'Start' button (located on the lower
left of your monitor screen) and click on 'Control Panel'. From there
look for 'printers' or 'printers and fax' link. Click it and look for
your printer's icon. Place your mouse cursor over the icon and
'right-click' on it. Choose 'Properties' from the drop-down list. Your
printer's software will come up. Look under the various tabs for
cleaning or maintenance. There are also other settings in there like
paper and colour adjustment.
Unclogging Printheads
First, let's try eliminating banding on Epson printers.
This tip is somewhat generic, it is recommended for Epson printers but
works on all printers.
DO NOT run more than 3 consecutive cleaning cycles, it just makes the
problem worse!
Epson printers have 3 durations of cleaning: short, medium and long. The
short cleaning cycle occurs on the 1st and 4th cleaning cycle and on
every one after that, until a print is made. This short cleaning cycle
can eventually damage all the nozzles. If you do a lot of cleaning
cycles (8 or 10) with out making a print, you may damage your Printhead.
After 3 cleaning cycles, print a test pattern.
NB: To make a test pattern, try using Microsoft's Paint program or
similar Click on Start, Programs (or All Programs), Accessories and
choose the Paint program or preferred program. Draw four separate
squares about four inches each. Fill one with black, one with red, one
with blue and one with yellow. Name the file something like Test Pattern
and save it.
Print the 'Test Pattern' using 'normal' mode and plain paper settings.
Make at least one print. It may not be perfect, but this will reset the
firmware in the printer so you can get the short, medium and long
cleaning cycles again. It is the medium and long cleaning cycles that
may get your printer back up and running again.
If you have done 6 cleaning cycles, two groups of 3 (with test pattern
in between), and the nozzles are not getting any better, give the
printer a rest for at least 2 hours. This rest period will allow the
small air bubbles in the ink to rise to the surface and get out of the
nozzles.
After the rest period, try a few more cleaning cycles. If you are seeing
the same nozzles missing print each time, you probably have dried ink in
the print head.
Note: The newer Epson printers, like the C80/C82/C84 are sensitive to
too many cleaning cycles. For these printers only do 3 cleanings, then
give them a 2 hour rest. If you run too many cleaning cycles, you may
never get a good nozzle pattern.
Attention: If are having problems with sudden lack of inkflow after
replacing one or more cartridges when using the Epson C and especially
the CX all-in-one printers, we have been made aware of a design issue on
these printers which may cause this problem.
Some of these Epson printers have a design flaw which causes the ink
purge tube under the cleaning station to come apart during cartridge
replacement. If this occurs, the printer is no longer transferring the
vacuum from the purge pump to the printhead. In other words, no ink will
be moved through the printhead onto the paper.
You need to look under the cleaning station and determine if the
pump/vacuum tube has come off, and if so, reinstall it.
NEVER leave your Epson printer without an installed cartridge, even an
empty one, for more than half an hour. The ink will begin to gel in the
built-in print head to the consistency of honey! It will require
multiple head cleaning routines to clear (if it ever does).
The type of ink a printer requires is based on several things, among
them:
-the technology the printer was built on
-the type of print head the printer has (piezioelectric like Epson's,
for instance)
-the way the printer lays the ink on the paper
-the type of cartridge or ink tank used
Ink characteristics are specific to EACH printer manufacturer and within
their different printer models. The inks are formulated specifically for
them. They are based in part on ink viscosity (thickness), PH (acid or
base), drying times, UV (lightfastness), etc.
Ergo Compatible/Recycled Ink Cartridges are produced as close to OEM
specifications as the law allows and are fully guaranteed against
problems and defects.
Problem Solving Tips for Original and Compatible Epson Cartridges
Sometimes an Original or Compatible Epson Cartridge may appear to not be
working properly. There are three (3) reasons for this.
1) There may not be a pool of ink at the exit port (the pre-chamber)
that the built-in print head can suck from. The solution to this is the
"Centrifugal Force" tip below.
Wrap the Cartridge in a paper towel and hold firmly with your fingers.
With the ink outlet hole pointed towards the ground, snap it downward
several times, like shaking a thermometer.
2) The vent grooves to one or more chambers (on colour tanks) may be
blocked by the adhesive from the tear away seal or name plate sticker.If
air cannot get into the cartridge, the ink will not flow. Use a pin to
puncture the name plate foil and vent the cartridge. If you run your
finger nail across the foil, you will find there is a hole under the
foil for each chamber. This is where to stick the pin through the foil.
After making the pin holes in each chamber, run a few cleaning cycles to
re-establish solid ink in the head.
3) Printer stops printing after a few pages have been printed. Try
switching the printer off and unplugging it from the wall - wait a
couple of minutes before plugging it in again. This Should "clear" the
memory so the printer recognises the cartridge again.
There is one more potential problem: a clogged printheads ! Don't
despair, call us for information on the Epson Printhead Cleaning
Cartridge for your own printer model.
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