How to Identify and Fix Common Problems ?
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The product prints a nozzle check pattern. Check the printed pattern to see if there are gaps in the lines. If there are no gaps, the print head is clean and you can continue printing. If there are gaps or the pattern is faint, clean the print head.
Make sure that the printer is turned on and the ink out light is off. Access the Print or Page Setup dialog box and click the Utility icon button, then click the Head Cleaning button. Follow the on-screen instructions. The power light and the ink lights flash while the printer performs the cleaning cycle.
There isn`t much that can be done in the way of repairing a printhead, only replacing parts. By the time a printer technician assesses your printer, gets the part you need, and replaces it, you could have ordered a new printhead from allprintheads.com and replaced it yourself for much less.
The printhead is the component on your printer that`s responsible for transferring ink onto paper. This mechanism does this by coursing droplets of ink through numerous nuzzles to create the print. When these nozzles get clogged, this causes an uneven ink distribution resulting in faded or streaky prints.
Even the most inexpensive inkjet printer has a printhead. If a printhead breaks on a home printer, it`s usually more economical to simply buy a new printer. With expensive commercial printers, it`s cost-prohibitive to buy a new printer whenever the printhead is broken, which is why it`s replaced instead.
If your printer or plotter head is built into the printer cartridges, you change your printhead every time you change the ink. If the printheads are built into the printer or plotter, they`re likely to require replacement after long-term use.
If you don`t see any improvement after cleaning the print head up to 4 times, turn off the printer and wait at least 6 hours. This lets any dried ink soften. Then try cleaning the print head again. If quality still does not improve, one of the ink cartridges may be old or damaged and needs to be replaced.
Otherwise use a printer head cleaning solution recipe of 50% water and 50% rubbing alcohol. We also like a homemade printhead cleaning solution that is 8-parts Windex to 2-parts rubbing alcohol. This printer head cleaning fluid works like a charm and it`s cheap to make!
However, Epson covers head replacement while the printer is under the Epson Preferred Limited Warranty and under any Preferred Plus Plan (limited or unlimited number of head replacements, depending on the Preferred Plus Plan purchased).
It depends on the intensity of use, your print quality requirements, and variables like printer settings and the use of ink ribbons. According to the manufacturer specifications, a printhead might print up to 10 million labels.
Printhead replacement is based on average printhead life printing two (2) million linear inches/50km of material or approximately 333 rolls (based on 6,000” roll) for Thermal Transfer Printers.
The Cause of Clogs
Printheads clog because nozzles get blocked by either air or ink. Clogs usually happen when: You keep printing with depleted ink cartridges. Using empty ink cartridges can result in air bubbles that can clog your cartridge and/or printhead.
Your printer displays the “Missing or Failed Printhead” error to signal a malfunctioning printhead. The issue could be due to clogged ink nozzles, dirty ink cartridges, internal paper jams, and more. HP printers may also display this error if the printhead pulls air from ink cartridges.
You won`t need to clean the inside of your printer too often. Generally, aim to clean it every four to eight months, depending on your level of usage.
Print Appears With Bands/ Faded Or With Streaks If you are seeing light banding, which can be light lines going in the direction of the printhead, you should try a Head Cleaning, as one of your printheads may not be firing correctly. Missing dots or lines also indicate that many nozzles are missing to fire/ print.
Locate the control panel of your Epson printer. It is usually on the top right-hand side of your printer, near any digital display screen that the printer may have, and where the button used to turn the computer on and off is also located. Find the button marked Pause/Reset on the row of buttons on the control panel.
Hold down the maintenance button and press the power button to turn on the printer. Then, release only the power button. When the printer starts the operation check, release the maintenance button.
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.
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.
A method of cleaning ink jet printheads without rendering the printheads inoperative by soaking the printheads in a cleaning solution of acetone and n-methyl-2-pyrolidine, and then flushing the printhead with a gas, such as air.
Epson Printhead for L3110,L3115, L3116, L3150, L3156,.. – Rs. 3350.
Avoiding More Than Three Print Cleaning Cycles
You cannot run more than three print cleaning cycles at a time. Running any more than three such cycles will result in a build-up of ink in the print head nozzles. And, as we`ve learned already, this ink will soon dry and give you problems, if not tomorrow then very soon.
Print head cleaning takes about thirty seconds to complete. Caution: Never turn off the printer while the processing light is flashing. Doing so may damage the printer.