How to Clean the Epson Print Head

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If you have an Epson printer and your prints are blurry, incomplete, or streaky, chances are you have a clogged nozzle – a common problem that many users experience with Epson printers. The print head becomes clogged over time because a small amount of residual ink dries and collects in the nozzles.

Taking care to replace the cartridges immediately when the low ink warning can go a long way in preventing the ink from drying in the nozzles, but you may still find that one or more cartridges may still be clogged for different reasons. 

A clogged printhead can occur regardless of whether you are using genuine Epson or aftermarket cartridges. This time around Printers will provide tips on How to Clean the Correct Epson Print Head:

How do I clean my Epson printer head?

The way to clean it is to check your nozzles and run a cleaning cycle using the menu on your printer before you open the unit and clean it manually. Epson printer models feature fairly efficient cleaning cycles that will usually clean the nozzles in one or two cycles. 

However, keep in mind that newer models have longer cleaning cycles which unfortunately use more ink each time. Here's how to get started:

• Before you do anything else, make sure the printer doesn't show any errors on the LCD screen.
• Press the Home button and select “Setup” then select “Maintenance”.
• Select “Print Head Nozzle Check”
• Your printer will generate a page with four colored grids designed to describe which nozzles are blocked (and which are not).
• If there are no gaps, select Finish.
• If there are gaps or some blurry lines, select “Clean the printhead” and continue.

PLEASE NOTE: This process is specific to Epson Workforce, Artisan, and SureColor model printers, but can be widely applied across several different models, including most Expression models. Please consult your printer manual if you have any questions about your particular printer.

1. Clean the Sponge with Water

1. Turn off the printer and open the top. you should be able to see the printhead assembly.
2. Look for the small plastic lever, which will appear when the printer is not printing, to the left of the assembly. Move it forward and down to release the printhead, then push the unit to the right. It may only move an inch or less at first, but when you push it to a stop, it will click. It fully releases the assembly so you can push it aside.
3. If there is no lever next to your printhead assembly, print a page with the top up and unplug the printer with the unit in the center unlocked.
4. You will see a sponge that holds the ink from the cartridges in the cart. Using a pipette or plastic syringe, soak the sponge in distilled water or Windex solution.
5. Move the assembly back onto the sponge as far as it will go.
6. Let the distilled water infuse for at least fifteen minutes. For best results, consider leaving the printer submerged overnight.
7. Print six to eight pages dense with text and images until your printouts are clean and sharp. If you are still not getting good results, consider moving on to the next step in cleaning your printheads.

2. Distilled Water in the Ink Port

1. Remove the ink cartridge from your printhead carriage.
2. With the ink cartridge removed, you will see a small cone-shaped groove that carries the ink from the cartridge to the print head. These are the ink ports, and there should be one for each color/black cartridge.
3. Using an eye dropper or a plastic syringe, insert a few drops of distilled water or printhead cleaner into the ink port that may be installed. Do not apply cleaner to all ports! If you are not sure, which color, look at the bottom of the ink port for the remaining colors. Usually, yellow is the color on the far right, and on the left is magenta, cyan, and, finally, black on the far left.
4. Replace the ink cartridges and wait for the printer to prepare the new cartridges. If any water or solution drips from the printhead, wipe it off with a paper towel before continuing.
5. Print six to eight pages of text and images to test clarity. 

Still not getting good results? Try the following procedure:

3. Cleaning the Print Head with a Paper Towel

1. Turn off your printer.
2. Tear a sheet of paper towels in half and fold them lengthwise until they are about an inch and a half wide.
3. Open the top of your printer and look for the rubber roller that transports the paper through the feed system. This feeding system is where the printheads run when printing.
4. Secure the paper towel to the rollers with tape and apply a few drops of distilled or cleaning water near the center of the towel.
5. Transfer the printhead assembly to a paper towel and let it sit for at least fifteen minutes. Allow time for the dry ink on the printhead to begin to dissolve. In time, you'll see a pool of black ink on a paper towel — it's more than just black ink, it's actually a combination of all the colors into one batch.
6. Repeat with a fresh, wet paper towel until you start to see the individual colors of each ink port. You may need to repeat the process several times to see good results.
7. Next, you want to turn your printer back on. Before you do this, make sure the printhead assembly has returned to its ready position, not centered.
8. Print several pages to make sure each port is cleaned.

Faster printing speeds and sharper images mean your printheads may be damaged. With more and more Epson printers being produced with this capability, the better you will know how to prevent clogged nozzles. So much information about how to clean the correct Epson Print Head, hopefully it can be useful and helpful.