Printing Problems

The printer has not been use for a short time. Two or three weeks

1. This is common when the Epson printer is not used for a short time. It is important that you see some ink when you do a nozzle check and especial after doing three cleaning. The nozzle check does not have to be perfect but there should be some ink in the color test grid.

a. Do up to three cleanings. Test the nozzles after each cleaning and there should be a change in the nozzle test. If you clean more then three times the nozzles might get worse, this is normal.

b. Let the printer sit for a few hours or over night. This will fix the problem most of the time.

c. If you only have one or two missing spaces print in the highest or best printing mode and pick glossy photo paper even if you are printing a document, This will help purge the printhead.  

Failed Printhead?

1. No colors show on the nozzle check.

a. After doing many cleaning sessions there is still no color at all when you do a nozzle check. At this point you probably have used up a set or two of cartridges.

b. You even try some printhead cleaning chemicals and still no luck. Our Epson R1800 printer was printing perfectly one day and then the next day one color would not print. We tried new cartridges, many cleanings and our nozzle blaster and nothing would work. It seams that the printhead just fail for no reason.

After doing a nozzle check there is some color in one or more of the nozzle patterns.

If you see broken lines do a cleaning. If that shows improvement then do two more cleanings if needed. If there is no improvement then one or more nozzles are clog.

Remove the system and install a set of Epson cartridges and see if this fixes the problem If not then you will need to clean and prime the printhead.

You should never let the printer sit without cartridges in the printer. This will keep the needles from drying out.

Step 1

The best way to dissolve this dried ink is to make a tool with a syringe and a piece of tubing. It is very important the hose fit tight over the needle and never push down to hard.

Fill the syringe with some cleaner and place the hose over the needle and push down and then pull up. Let it sit for awhile, then do the same thing again. You should see some ink being pulled back into the syringe. now push the Windex back down. Hold the hose onto the needle with the aid of a paper towel,

Note: (  Heat up the cleaner to coffee temperature. )

Step 2

Fill the syringe with 2ml of ink then put the tubing back over the needle and hold the tubing while push very slowly the ink into the printhead.

Very Important: If you push to hard the hose may slip off and squirt ink all over you the printer and the room.

Now install a set of cartridges and do a cleaning and nozzle check.

Even if the nozzles are not perfect, you can sometimes over come this by setting the paper to best glossy photo paper and set to print best photo. This can work for text and photos.