nozzle clog Archives - John Paul Caponigro

Printer Power Cleaning Cycles

Printing Comment

0 Likes

Problem
I cleaned the heads but they’re still clogged.

Solution Clean them again. The fourth time in a row initiates a power cleaning cycle.

printerutilities_nozzleclog

New Epson printers have anti-clogging coatings on the nozzles and initiate self-clean cycles automatically.
When power cleaning cycles don’t work you can humidify the heads (rest them no wet sponge for a while).
You’ll need to perform nozzle checks more often if you’re in a very dry environment (air conditioning dries) or you don’t use a printer for extended periods of time.

Light Micro-Banding

Printing Comment

0 Likes

micro-banding_light

Problem
I’ve got white micro-banding in my print(s).

Solution
Check for nozzle clogs with the Printer Utility.

printerutilities_nozzleclog

Realign the print heads with the Printer Utilities.

printerutilities_printheadalignment

If the problem persists, adjust print speed slower with Advanced Media Control’s Paper Feed Adjustment.

PaperFeedAdjustment

In rare cases, the media feed speed can’t be adjusted with software adequately and that means it’s time to send a printer in for servicing.

Colored Micro-Banding

Printing Comment

0 Likes

microbanding_colored
Problem
I’ve got colored micro-banding in my print(s).

Solution
Unclog the nozzles with the Printer Utility.

printerutilities_nozzleclog

Colored micro-banding means one of the inkheads isn’t firing. It’s not always uniform.

Locating Printer Utilities

Printing Comment

0 Likes

Problem
I can’t find my printer utilities.

Solution
On a Mac, go to System Preferences, click on Print&Fax, double click on the icon for your printer, click Printer Setup, click Utility, Click Open Printer Utility.

systempreferences_print&fax

Print&Fax_3800 copy

openprinterutilities

printerutilities copy

The most common uses for the printer Utility are to remove nozzle clogs and to align print heads. New Epson printer models are self-cleaning and self-aligning so you won’t have to do this often. But when the automated systems fall short, knowing where this utility is can be helpful.