General care of Epson print heads and cartridges
Most Epson printers have both the black and colour print heads permanently fixed in the printer and have separate black and colour ink reservoirs that simply clip in and out of the appropriate print head. These reservoirs are known as cartridges.
Some models of Epson have a combined removable head and reservoir where the reservoir can be removed for replacing and the head/reservoir assembly removed from the printer to facilitate changing from black to colour printing. Only one head can be used at a time.
A cartridge must only be changed when the appropriate black or colour 'ink out' light is illuminated. Changing a cartridge before the light indicates results in the printer failing to print either in black, or colour depending on which cartridge has been replaced. The printer must have its 'ink out' function reset for the printer to operate.
Do not remove a cartridge and leave it out for any length of time before fitting a new one as the print head jets can dry out and block very quickly.
Do not attempt to remove the ink cartridge from a removable combined head/reservoir with the head assembly out of the printer. Part of the print head cartridge locking mechanism can break and the printer may also not print when the assembly is refitted into the printer. The printer will have to be reset.
Changing a cartridge
When preparing to replace a cartridge make sure that you have the new cartridge ready before removing the empty. To replce the cartridge:
- Move the cartridge carriage to the 'change cartridge' position as per operating instructions. On some printers you may need to open the lid and let the cartridge carrier/print head travel to the desired position and then quickly turn the mains off so the cartridge is 'stranded' in the desired position.
- Remove the cartridge packaging and tear off the seal portion on the top of the cartridge. Removal of the complete label will render the cartridge useless, as the air/vent balance will be affected.
- Lift up the appropriate cartridge lever that raises the cartridge up from the print head.
- Remove the empty cartridge from the head and immediately insert the new one. It is highly recommended that the customer have two sets of cartridges so that there is always one in the printer. This alleviates the problem of residual ink in the heads drying out whilst the cartridge is removed.
- Close the cartridge securing lever down and put the cartridge through its cleaning cycle one or two times.
IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU COMPLETE A NOZZLE TEST OR PRINT HEAD CLEAN AT THIS STAGE, AND THEN DO A TEST PRINT. This draws the fresh ink into the print head.
After checking the results if you find that the print is satisfactory, you can Continue to use the printer. If the results are poor, repeat the clean and test cycles a few times.
Other Important Notes:
- Always have your printer operator's manual on hand for more complete details. Refer to replacing cartridge, print defects and trouble shooting.
- Always print regularly with an EPSON printer eg. daily if possible. Should you regularly print in black and rarely use colour, then at least once a week, carry out a colour cartridge clean and print test. This reduces the chance of the print head jets becoming blocked which can lead to potential piezo jet 'pump' element failure when attempting to print again.