Ink tasks with printer: printer broken?

Hello
There are indeed several possibilities:

An ink pad that no longer absorbs enough; its role is to clean the print head before and after printing. It's quite impossible to change, by the way, on most models. But I doubt that is the issue.

It’s probably the print head that is leaking; either it is worn out (not replaceable because it is difficult to find and very expensive compared to a new one), or, and I think this is more likely, it is clogged due to non-original cartridges and a lower viscosity quality.

There are some very good "off-brand" cartridges, but the problem is that there are so many of them, and finding the ones that will work is not always easy.

Currently, I would go for original cartridges, just to "clean" and test if after several prints, the problem goes away. If so, it’s indeed the "no name" quality that is to blame, which seems quite probable here.

If nothing changes, then it means the print head is starting to age.

Best regards

Hello ProZac;

I am attaching a sort of "tutorial" for cleaning the print head of an Epson or similar... It's a "patchwork" collection with a bit of personal experience added, allowing for cleaning without dismantling... Because I also think it's used ink that is deposited under the print head, causing those marks on your document.

It's up to you to take action..

How to unclog an Epson printer

Please note:

We accept no responsibility for any damage caused (to you or your equipment) while using the cleaning methods proposed below. Although all the following methods have been tried, tested, and proven to work (in most cases). By reading this article and performing your own repair, you agree to follow these suggestions at your own risk.

   Why do Epson printers have clogged nozzles?

 ? Epson uses a permanent and fixed print head that remains inaccessible and difficult to reach (without significant disassembly). Such print heads allow Epson to use high-quality print heads that rely on the insertion of separate ink tanks to supply ink to the heads. Ink tanks are generally cheaper to manufacture, whereas other manufacturers like HP, Lexmark, Canon, and many others provide a new quality (and less costly) print head with and attached to the ink tank. In other words, when you change the tank, you change the head "but" the cartridges are often much more expensive.   For those who fear losing a printer warranty, they will often stick with original Epson cartridges (at very good prices), but others will successfully use compatible cartridges or even refill their own. Epson "hints" at, and in some cases actually claims, that compatible, refilled, and remanufactured cartridges remain lower in quality, resulting in poor performance and yields. Epson also claims that, in extreme cases, they may damage your printer. In our experience, this is simply not true; original and non-OEM cartridges will encounter blocked nozzles at some point during the printer's life cycle.   So why do the nozzles get clogged?

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As a regular user of an Epson Stylus SX…, I have noticed that every time I change an ink tank, I get bands or gaps in the print. At first (a few years ago), I would "clean the heads" repeatedly, often failing to improve things. It's essential at this stage to remember:
 

 “ Don't blame the cartridges ”   

 The cartridge is simply an ink reservoir designed to deliver liquid to the print head. While we agree there is a copper chip on the front of each tank that allows the printer to know a cartridge has been installed, it does not affect the liquid flow in the tank. If your heads are clogged or air is trapped (after changing an ink tank), it's not the cartridge causing the problem!   Clogs, bands, printing holes, weak colors and "blank sheets of paper being produced" can occur at any time. However, in most cases, this happens when changing a cartridge or if the printer has been idle for a long time. It is less likely to happen if you use your printer every day and clean the head each time a new cartridge has been installed. As a routine, I would perform a simple head clean on my Epson SX… (once) after inserting a new cartridge. Mine is now 6 years old and works like new!   So, what happens? Many people ignore low ink warnings and run their prints until the black ink runs out or color prints are of poor quality (missing colors, etc.). When this happens, it's clear that ink has been used, the tank is empty, and the "nozzles" are now full of air. The copper chip can only "guess" ink levels as nothing in the tank indicates actual levels. In many cases, the printer simply "counts" the number of pages printed, assuming the tanks are empty. Sometimes, it can miscalculate, and the tank simply prints fresh air.   To "clean" the air trap/blockage (which prevents new ink from flowing), your Epson printer will need to prime the new ink tank added to the machine. The idea is to pull and suck enough ink into the pipes, tubes, and print head to effectively eliminate any trapped air (it will also use your expensive ink). Unfortunately, this "priming" can sometimes leave excessive and residual ink on the internal pads. The specially designed wipers remove residual ink droplets from the head and then spread the ink across the full width of the print head, which in turn dries and clogs some or all of the nozzles. In other words, more head cleaning often equals more ink inside the print head, inevitably leading to more clogged nozzles.   So how to solve this problem? Well, it is obvious that all this dried ink needs to be removed from the print head, "easy" if you can get to it, "but" as mentioned before, Epson uses a permanent, fixed and inaccessible print head. Please note that other printer manufacturers use separate head assemblies (i.e., Canon) that can be removed. Removable print heads can be wiped, soaked, cleaned, and primed "out" of the printer and returned as good as new!   So, before diving into the "cleaning cycles" and major disassembly of your printer, a quick and surprising fix lies within the Epson print software itself. By trying to print text or a color document/image, open the preferences and set the print option to "best photo" (even if you're just printing text). This will force the print head to use the entire range of nozzles and, in doing so, blow out any trapped air. Repeat this several times before resetting the settings to "normal" mode (i.e., print at least 10 pages).   Manually cleaning the print head: While there are a number of slightly different approaches for cleaning your print heads, we suggest trying the following methods in the order indicated. You can buy cartridge cleaning solutions and other cleaning solutions, but you can mix your own cleaner using distilled water (if you have it) and a glass cleaner solution (mix 50/50).   Just use distilled water.. or "modified alcohol"   Method (1) Soak the print head sponge With the Epson print head in the resting or "off" position, the heads are on a single sponge (or sometimes double). By soaking these sponges with the cleaning liquid, any excess dried ink on the print head will soften and mix with the water before being sucked into the sponge, away from the head and into the waste tank/internal pads. To move the entire print head assembly to the center or cartridge change position, you can follow the Epson software called "replace cartridge". With the head assembly "parked" in the middle of the printer, use a syringe or dropper to soak the sponges on the right post. Once filled, allow the head block to return to its "park" position and wait at least 30 minutes before running a head cleaning cycle. You can repeat this procedure two or three times. It may also help if the printer is left in its parked position (after soaking the sponges) overnight.   Method (2) Add cleaning liquid directly into the ink nozzles

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Using the Epson software, remove all ink cartridges from your printer. Looking at the print head assembly above, you can now see the small cone-shaped ink tips or ink ports that puncture the ink tanks. These tips suck the ink from the cartridge directly to the print head itself. Using a syringe (with a blunt needle), or a plastic tube at the end of a syringe, put a few drops of cleaning solution into the clogged cone. The color of the tips is determined by the color of the cartridge seated there. Try printing several pages of dense prints or graphics on the "best photo setting".
 
Method (3) Clean the head with a tissue strip.
Turn off the printer, fold a paper towel or a tissue to create a strip about 25 mm wide, length is not an issue, but it should be less than 400 mm long so it fits in the printer (long and skinny). Open your Epson printer cover to see the ink carriage. You’ll notice it is parked on the right side; most Epson printers use a mechanical lock to hold the carriage in that position.

Turn on the printer and when the lock is released, the carriage moves to the left, when it is freed from the "Park" station, unplug the power cord. The carriage will stop but can be moved freely by hand (the lock has been disabled).

Slowly move the entire print head assembly from right to left over the paper towel/tissue. By slowly introducing the tissue under the print head, “THE TISSUE MUST NOT FORCE UNDERNEATH" if the tissue is too thick, then reduce the thickness until it slides under the head assembly. The tissue should rest in the lower track of the printer between the feed rollers. Then, the tissue should extend out on both sides of the carriage.
With the heads resting on the tissue, apply drops of cleaning solution on the tissue to the left and right of the carriage, the tissue will immediately absorb the fluid and expand the tissue so it touches the face of the print head. Let the print head rest on the damp tissue for at least 15 minutes. This will soften any dried ink and it will start coloring liquid ink through the head and into the tissue.

After about 15 minutes, slide the whole head assembly back to its park position while keeping the tissue damp. The tissue will become "black" as it has drawn ink from all the cartridges onto the tissue; it has also eliminated any trapped air bubbles and any dried ink that may have been present. Repeat the above procedure until you can see evidence of all three primary colors and black (CMYK). You may need to use several strips of tissue.

Make sure that “all” the tissue has been removed and that the carriage can move freely before plugging the power cord back in and replacing

Thank you, I will read that carefully. It seems quite complex ^^