Epson Stylus CX4600 - Manual (Page 30)

30 Maintaining Your CX4600
Cleaning the Print Head
If your printouts are unexpectedly light or faint, or you notice light or dark bands
across your printout, you may need to clean the print head. This unclogs the
nozzles so they can deliver ink properly. Run a nozzle check as described on
page 29 to see if the print head needs cleaning.
Note:
Print head cleaning uses ink, so clean it only if quality declines and the nozzle check
indicates that the print head needs to be cleaned.
If the red B ink light comes on or flashes, you cannot clean the print head. In this case,
replace the appropriate ink cartridge first. (See page 31.)
1. Make sure the CX4600 is on and the B ink light is off.
2. Hold down the B ink button for 3 seconds until the On light starts flashing.
The CX4600 runs a head cleaning cycle and the On light flashes.
Caution:
Never turn off the CX4600 while head cleaning is in progress. You may damage it.
3. When the On light stops flashing, run a nozzle check (as described on
page 29) to verify that the print head is clean.
4. If there are still gaps or the test patterns are faint, run another cleaning cycle
and check the nozzles again.
Note:
If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning the print head four or five times,
turn off the CX4600 and wait overnight. 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. See the next section.
Tip:
If you do not use your CX4600 often, it is a good idea to print a few pages at least once
a month to maintain good print quality.
CX4600.book Page 30 Friday, May 28, 2004 1:48 PM