Epson Stylus CX5200

How to Identify and Fix Common Problems ?

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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.
The sponge end of a blocked printer head can be cleaned with only one liquid other than water. This liquid is isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol isn`t strong enough to melt the sponge but is still strong enough to dissolve the ink inside the blocked printer head.
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).
Use Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) cleaning solution to clean printer exterior effectively and safely to avoid any printer damage.
If the hot water soak did not unclog the print head, place the cartridge printer head in isopropyl alcohol and allow it to soak overnight. Use a damp paper towel to wipe off the print head area and dry carefully.
Soak the Printhead

Fill a bowl with warm water (or a mixture of water and vinegar to clean the printhead) and place the printhead directly in it. Let it sit for five minutes or so. Pull the printhead out of the water and use a lint-free cloth or paper towel to remove the dried ink.

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.

Look for the contact points on the print carriage inside the printer and gently wipe them off using a lint-free cloth. Make sure there isn`t any ink left on the printer contacts. Just as on the ink cartridges, if you are having difficulty removing the excess ink, use a cotton swab and mineral water until it is clean.
Professionals don`t recommend using these tapes because of claims of poor cleaning and sometimes even damaging the tape heads. The only real way to clean your VCR is by cracking it open and doing it yourself.
Run a nozzle check to confirm that the print head is clean. You may need to clean the print head up to 4 times. You can also turn off your Epson printer and wait at least 6 hours. Then try printing again.
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.
Printhead cleanings can take about 1 or 2 minutes and they do use some ink to run through the cleaning process. Once complete, print out a test page to compare print quality. If the print results look good, you can continue printing.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Epson Artisan 835 print head cleaning question
ANSWER : I had the same problem. After reading the comments, I tried Liquid Wrench spray. 1st try got about sixty percent improvement. Tried again this time I let it set for about 10 min then did a head cleaning. Completely solved the problem. I am a little concerned about its use on plastic. So far so good.

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Epson Stylus CX5200

What fluid to clean epson head?
ANSWER : There’s only 1 left, so better hurry. http://www.rjettek.com/jiecr-ocp-rinse-epson-blue/

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Epson Stylus CX5200

Epson rx510 Printer Error solution
ANSWER : Hi all. I had similar problems as all of you with my RX510 I just bought it yesterday second hand. This info may help or encourage some one else. . .

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Epson Stylus CX5200

Need help for Epson Stylus color 3000 print head?
ANSWER : I need help changing the print head in my Epson 3000 – I have 2 printers – one will not stay in alignment and the other black ink is plugged and I have soaked it and cannot get it to budge.

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Epson Stylus CX5200

Need help for cleaning epson r300, have a kit
ANSWER : Don’t worry about the paper towel. Keep the heads as far to the right as you can and the fluid will just go into the waste sponge underneath. There’s nothing you can damage with the fluid. I wouldn’t worry about the pad that got torn. Just insert the syringe in the nozzle and gently push the fluid down into the heads. This site sold tens of thousands of those kits and I guess the instructions were pretty good because there was never a single complaint.

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Epson Stylus CX5200

Epson printer can't recognize Epson ink cartridge
ANSWER : Hi, my name is Jim.

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Epson Stylus CX5200

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 CX5200

Epson Stylus Pro 9000 print head problems
ANSWER : Shot in the wind. I have an Epson 9000 Stylus Pro. Have had it for a long time and take extremely good care of it. I run maybe a dozen or two 2X3 posters a year on it. I am very careful about dust and clean the machine often.

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Epson Stylus CX5200