How to Clean Your Epson Printhead Manually
Trying to repair your printer can seem like a daunting task, especially for those who aren’t confident in electronics. There is good news, though! The majority of printer issues are straightforward to solve. To help you build some confidence, repair a basic yet common printer problem, and improve the longevity of your Epson printer, we’re going to go over how to quickly and easily clean your Epson printhead manually to save you some heartburn and money.
Step 1: Consult your printer’s manual to see how to run the machine’s inherent automated printhead cleaning cycle. Many machines have a preventative maintenance cleaning cycle programmed into the logic. Follow the instructions and run the cycle as dictated by your manual. If you feel you still have an issue, proceed to step 2.
Step 2: Start printing something and kill the job suddenly. You can print anything you want, including a copy or a scan. While your document or photo is printing, unplug the power cord from the printer itself to kill the job. This should make it much simpler to slide the ink cartridge carrier back and forth when you open the machine.
Step 3: Remove the ink cartridges and set them aside. Store them in zip lock baggies or plastic wrap to prevent the cartridges from drying out while you’re cleaning the printhead(s) of your machine.
Step 4: Prepare your work area with blotting paper inside the machine so that you don’t make a mess and it’s easy to discard old ink after you clean the printheads.
Step 5: Clean your printhead nozzles using your printhead cleaning solution. Use a lint-free cloth with the solution and a syringe to get at the nozzles. Dried ink can cause all of your print issues, mainly if you don’t print too often.
Step 6: If you don’t think cleaning the nozzles was enough to do the trick, you can soak your printhead. Get a Tupperware or bowl, mix a few ounces of cleaning solution with distilled water, and warm it up for just 10 seconds in the microwave. Make sure the water is just warm to the touch. Put your printhead in the warm mixture and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 7: Remove the printhead from your container, and use another lint-free cloth and the syringe around any area you suspect dry ink to linger.
Step 8: Let the printhead dry thoroughly. Since you’ve put the ink cartridges inside bags or wrapped them with plastic wrap, you can leave the printhead out to drive for a full day.
Step 9: Reassemble your printer, discard the blotting paper, plastic wrap/bags, and give your Epson machine a good test run.
Regards,
Will