Epson L210 User Guide

							Print Head Cleaning
If print quality has declined and the nozzle check pattern indicates clogged nozzles, you can clean the
print head.
Note:You cannot clean the print head if the ink level has reached the lower line on the ink tank, and may
not be able to clean it when the ink level in any of the tanks is low. You must refill the ink tank first.
Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Buttons
Cleaning the Print Head Using a Computer Utility
Parent topic: Print Head Maintenance
Related tasks
Refilling the Ink Tanks
Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Buttons You can clean the print head using the buttons on your product.
1. Make sure no product lights are indicating errors.
2. Load a few sheets of plain paper in the product.
3. Hold down the stop button for 3 seconds to start the cleaning cycle.
The power light flashes throughout the cleaning cycle and stays on when the cleaning cycle is
finished.
Caution: Never turn off the product during a cleaning cycle or you may damage it.
4. Run a nozzle check to confirm that the print head is clean.
If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning the print head up to 4 times, turn off the product and wait
at least 6 hours. Then try cleaning the print head again. If quality still does not improve, flush the ink
tubes.
Parent topic: Print Head Cleaning
Related concepts
Print Head Nozzle Check
Ink Tube Flushing
Cleaning the Print Head Using a Computer Utility You can clean the print head using a utility on your Windows or Mac computer.
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							1. Load a few sheets of plain paper in the product.
2. Do one of the following:
•Windows: Right-click the product icon in the Windows taskbar.
• Mac OS X 10.6/10.7/10.8: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. Select
Print & Fax orPrint & Scan, select your product, and select Options & Supplies. SelectUtility
and select Open Printer Utility.
• Mac OS X 10.5: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. SelectPrint & Fax,
select your product, and select Open Print Queue. SelectUtility.
3. Select Head Cleaning.
You see one of these windows:
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							4. Click
Startto begin the cleaning cycle.
The power light flashes throughout the cleaning cycle and stays on when the cleaning cycle is
finished.
Caution: Never turn off the product during a cleaning cycle or you may damage it.
5. When the power light stops flashing and remains on, you can check to see if the nozzles are clean; click Print Nozzle Check Pattern and clickPrint.
6. Check the printed pattern to see if there are gaps in the lines. Print head is clean
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							Print head needs cleaning
• If there are no gaps, click
Finish.
• If there are gaps or the pattern is faint, click Cleanto clean the print head again.
If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning the print head up to 4 times, turn off the product and wait
at least 6 hours. Then try cleaning the print head again. If quality still does not improve, flush the ink
tubes.
Parent topic: Print Head Cleaning
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							Related concepts
Print Head Nozzle Check
Ink Tube Flushing
Ink Tube Flushing If you still see white or dark lines or missing colors in your printouts, even after cleaning the print head
several times, you can flush the ink tubes.
Flushing the ink tubes replaces all the ink inside the tubes, so flush the ink only if your cannot improve
print quality by cleaning the print head several times.
Caution:Flushing the ink tubes consumes a lot of ink. Before flushing the ink tubes, make sure there is
enough ink in the ink tanks. If necessary, refill the ink tanks before flushing the ink tubes.
Flushing the ink tubes effects the service life of the ink pads by causing them to reach their capacity
sooner. Contact Epson to purchase replacement ink pads before they reach the end of their service life.
When the ink pads reach the end of their service life, the product stops printing and you must contact
Epson for support.
Flushing the Ink Tubes Using a Computer Utility
Parent topic: Print Head Maintenance
Flushing the Ink Tubes Using a Computer Utility You can use the Power Ink Flushing utility to flush the ink tubes.
Before you begin, make sure there are no warnings or errors indicated by the product control panel.
1. Make sure the transportation lock on the ink tank unit is set to the unlocked (printing) position: .
2. Do one of the following:•Windows: Right-click the product icon in the Windows taskbar and select Printer Settings. Then
click the Maintenance tab.
• Mac OS X 10.6/10.7/10.8: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. Select
Print & Fax orPrint & Scan, select your product, and select Options & Supplies. SelectUtility
and select Open Printer Utility.
• Mac OS X 10.5: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. SelectPrint & Fax,
select your product, and select Open Print Queue. SelectUtility.
3. Click the Power Ink Flushing button.
You see one of these windows:
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							4. Follow the on-screen instructions to flush the ink tubes.
5. When you finish flushing the ink tubes, run a nozzle check to check the print quality. If necessary,
also clean the print head.
If you don’t see any improvement, turn off the product and wait at least 6 hours. Then check the print
quality again. If quality still does not improve, contact Epson for support.
Parent topic: Ink Tube Flushing
Related concepts
Print Head Nozzle Check
Print Head Cleaning
Print Head Alignment If your printouts become grainy or blurry, you notice misalignment of vertical lines, or you see dark or
light horizontal bands, you may need to align the print head.
Note:Banding may also occur if your print head nozzles need cleaning.
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							Aligning the Print Head Using a Computer Utility
Parent topic:
Adjusting Print Quality
Related concepts
Print Head Cleaning
Aligning the Print Head Using a Computer Utility You can align the print head using a utility on your Windows computer or Mac.
1. Load a few sheets of plain paper in the product.
2. Do one of the following:•Windows: Right-click the product icon in the Windows taskbar.
• Mac OS X 10.6/10.7/10.8: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. Select
Print & Fax orPrint & Scan, select your product, and select Options & Supplies. SelectUtility
and select Open Printer Utility.
• Mac OS X 10.5: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. SelectPrint & Fax,
select your product, and select Open Print Queue. SelectUtility.
3. Select Print Head Alignment.
4. Click Next, then click Printto print an alignment sheet.
Note: Do not cancel printing while you are printing a head alignment pattern.
You see one of these windows:
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							5. Check the printed pattern and follow the instructions on the screen to choose the number
representing the best printed pattern for each set.
• After choosing each pattern number, click Next.
• If no patterns are aligned in one or more of the sets, choose the closest one in each set and click Realignment. Then print another alignment sheet and check it.
Note: ClickSkip(where available) if you want to skip a particular alignment sheet.
6. When you are done, click Finish.
Parent topic: Print Head Alignment
Cleaning the Paper Path If you see ink on the back of a printout, you can clean the paper path to remove any excess ink.
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