Epson Stylus Color 880
what is the best way to clean the color nozzles?

Experienced technical support provide their insights in answering this question :
Inject cleaning solution down into the heads. You can search Epson head cleaning kit on Ebay

How to Identify and Fix Common printer Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced technical support :

Cleaning the print head will start the ink cartridge replacement process. If you do not intend to replace an ink cartridge, press the ink button again to return the print head to its home position. The printer starts cleaning the print head and the power light and the ink lights begin flashing.
Open the Applications folder, open the EPSON Printer Utility3, select your Epson printer, and click OK. Then select Head Cleaning. 3. Follow the on-screen instructions to start the cleaning cycle, which lasts around 1 minute.
In the majority of cases, printers` self-cleaning mechanisms clean blocked printer heads by flushing the nozzles with air. The air works to dislodge dry ink inside the cartridge channels and also push it out. The intensity of the self-cleaning process of printers is usually not very strong.
The head cleaner removes dust and light debris that accumulates from tapes. They get rid of grime, and your VCR will continue to play peacefully and correctly. When debris forms, it reduces the signal quality/sound distortion if you don`t keep up.
Print head cleaning uses both color and black ink. To avoid wasting ink, clean the print head only if print quality declines (for example, if the printout is blurry or the color is incorrect or missing).
It goes into a device called the waste ink pads, waste ink reservoir or similar name depending on the printer. Depending on the printer the pads are user serviceable or can only be serviced by Canon becasue of major disassembly required.
To clean the print head manually, press the Menu button and hold it for 3 seconds. Note: You can also run nozzle checks and head cleaning cycles from your computer using the Epson Printer Utility 2 (Macintosh) or the Utility tab in your printer driver (Windows).
Clean the printhead nozzles.

Dampen a microfiber cloth with distilled water. Be sure to use distilled water to prevent any residue from being left behind. Avoid using a paper towel that could leave lint on your printhead. Carefully clean your printhead with the wet cloth to remove dried ink.

The nozzle check function allows you to check whether the print head is working properly by printing a nozzle check pattern. Print the pattern if printing becomes faint, or if a specific color fails to print.
Lift the lever and open the ADF cover. Use a soft, lint-free cloth (microfiber is recommended) moistened with a little water to clean the rollers and the interior of the ADF. Caution: Do not use a dry cloth; you may damage the ADF rollers.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

cleaning nozzles
ANSWER : Inject cleaning solution down into the heads. You can search Epson head cleaning kit on Ebay

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Epson Stylus Color 880

One small segment (nozzle check) missing/clogged – cleaning?
ANSWER : You need to buy a “head cleaning kit”. What that does is inject cleaning fluid through the ink port on top down through the heads using a syringe. They don’t cost much. Do a search on eBay for “Epson head cleaning kit” There’s lots of them. Another idea stolen from this site. Gotta love the internet.

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Epson Stylus Color 880

Nozzles do not clean.
ANSWER : The head cleaning uses wet ink to clean dry ink. Really bad idea. Go on eBay and search for Epson head cleaning kit. They work a lot better and don’t use ink.

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Epson Stylus Color 880

black will not print after cleaning the nozzle head 5 times
ANSWER : There’s way to clear your print head. Go to Youtube site of Jose Rodriquez. He’s got a video on just about every aspect of printing. Put something like a folded shop towel, spray it with Windex, no deodorants etc. just the original Windex, no ammonia D, and some alcohol (not rubbing alcohol but 90 percent or some such). Fold towel into a strip about and inch and a half or so and put it in the cup like trough that the print head follows when printing. Start printer. Let printer just begin. When head moves out of the dock, and unplug the printer. Now you can move head manually. Maneuver head over the towel. Leave it overnight. You may need to do this many times. I had about given up when my print head cleared up. I think you need to see Jose’s video, then you’ll understand better. If you can’t find it or you need more help, feel free to email me. There are other resources, but I wouldn’t go for commercial cleaning kits. That’s just me. And I’m leery of trying to put pressure through the head. I hope this helps. It’s kind of brief. There is a man I found who had written almost a book on the subject. He’s not anxious for his name to be given out however.

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Epson Stylus Color 880

Clean Printing
ANSWER : Simply look at the drum and the belt. If there is still a latent image on either one, that is what you should replace.

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Epson Stylus Color 880

how to clean ink pad
ANSWER : It’s kind of hard to disassemble to get the pad out. Since the pad holds way more ink than when it gives the warning, it is easier to just reset the warning. Do a search on waste ink reset for that model.

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Epson Stylus Color 880

Printer Nozzle
ANSWER : Search ebay for Epson head cleaning kit.

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Epson Stylus Color 880

How To Buy Your Head Cleaning Solution
ANSWER : The new site owner doesn’t sell kits anymore. Try doing a search for Epson head cleaning kit on eBay.

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Epson Stylus Color 880