How to clean an Epson printer – instructions, solutions

A clogged Epson inkjet printer can lead to both minor losses of image quality and the complete impossibility of further printing. A blockage usually refers to the drying out of the dye in a certain area of ​​the ink path, which causes the printer to strip for a while, and then begins to produce clean white sheets. Downtime of the device leads to similar situations. The longer they are, the more difficult it will be to fix the problem.

Locating printer blockages

Epson printing devices can be divided into several basic types:

• Household printer with replaceable cartridges. In such devices, ink cartridges are installed in the print head and drying out (contamination) can occur only in the latter.
• Household or office printer with built-in CISS. In such devices, the cartridges in the print head are replaced by dampers, and the ink goes to the PG along the trains from the donor containers. Drying of ink in the plume or getting into the last air is added to the list of possible problems.
• Professional office printer or plotter. Most Epson business devices use a system similar to CISS: dampers enter the print head, which are connected through loops to cartridges that act as donor containers. The problems encountered on such devices are similar to those mentioned in the previous paragraph, adjusted for the size of the device.

Air ingress into the loop is corrected according to approximately the same principle, regardless of the type of device:

• Removing air from the ink loop of Epson CISS

System cleaning of nozzles

By systemic means of cleaning the printing system is meant running ink through the print head. Usually, in the functionality of the printer, there are several degrees of cleaning the device, which differ in the amount of ink that is driven through the GHG. For slight ink stagnation, a few of these cleans should be sufficient.

To start system cleaning:

1. Go to the operating system settings and select “Devices”.
2. In the “Printers and Scanners” tab, select the required model and click on “Manage”.
3. Select “Printing Preferences” and go to the “Maintenance” tab.
4. Run “Nozzle Check” and evaluate the result. If the test result is poor, run Clean Printhead.
5. Repeat “Checking” and “Cleaning” 2-3 more times. If the test print does not improve, move on to deeper cleaning tools.

System cleaning with service fluid

This method is not suitable for original and disposable compatible cartridges. The flushing service liquid is poured into the shut-off device or CISS (factory or compatible, not fundamentally) instead of ink. This approach is only slightly better for removing blockages than conventional system cleaning (most often this method is used to flush the system when transferring the printer to another brand of ink). Its main advantage is the low cost of the service fluid compared to ink.

1. Pour the service fluid into the slam-shut valve or CISS (do not pour too much). Put some ink in the liquid to see the result on the nozzle test. Liquid can only be refilled into the cartridge of the problem color.
2. Run head cleaning, print some high-fill images, then let the printer stand for 10-15 minutes.
3. Do a nozzle test. If the printer prints the template as expected, go to the next step. Otherwise, repeat the cleaning of the steam generator after 30-60 minutes and return again to this point. But if there are no improvements after 3-5 cleanings, move on to more complex cleaning methods.
4. Pour the cleaning liquid out of the cartridge, and immediately refill with ink without drying out. If you want to rinse the cartridges (this is not necessary, the cleaning liquid from the walls will simply dilute the ink a little), then you can rinse with distilled water, then blow everything with air and dry it. Do not leave the printer without cartridges for more than 15 minutes – the fittings in the carriage of the device (and therefore the print head) air dry.

Manual head cleaning

The easiest way to rinse the printhead is to soak it. It is relevant only if the gas generator is easily removed.

1. Remove the printhead from the printer.
2. Pour a small amount of the service fluid into a saucer.
3. Immerse the steam generator nozzles in the service liquid about 2 mm.
4. Soak the steam generator in the liquid for 7-10 minutes (do not allow the steam generator to be completely immersed in the liquid or get any electronic parts wet, except for the lower platform with nozzles).
5. Wipe the PG, reinstall and run the nozzle test.
6. If the test is unsatisfactory, try 2-3 additional cleanings and, if there is no positive dynamics, proceed to more complex methods.

If the print head is not removable, cleaning may require a syringe and multiple tissue techniques.