HelP Please with Epson 4900 printer

[durr3]

Hello
I am a newbie to LL although I have followed it for some time. 

I just bought an Epson 4900 printer for $650!  It is 18 months old and looks great, BUT the display says that I need to clean the heads.  I did that
with the utility and it still says all heads need cleaning.  Does anybody know how to manually clean the heads? 

Any help would be appreciated.

Durr

[Mark D Segal]

You DO NOT "manually clean the heads", if by that you mean somehow intervening externally. First, if you got the manual with the printer, read everything they say about cleaning the printhead using the controls in the printer. If you did not get the manual, download from the Epson website and do the same.

Not knowing anything about the prior condition of this printer, how it was transported, when it was last used, how well it was maintained, it is impossible to provide any kind of diagnosis. As a matter of standard procedure, however, now that you have cleaned the heads once, cancel any cleaning prompts; run a print - forget about what it looks like - doesn't matter. Turn-off automatic cleaning from the panel controls following the instructions in the manual. Print a nozzle check using either the Epson 4900 utility on your computer or from the menu on the printer's control panel (see the manual for instructions). If the nozzle check shows broken lines, either print the affected pairs, or do a general cleaning. Run another nozzle check and see whether there are broken lines. If not, you are fine. If there are, run another print and then run another cleaning cycle. Repeat this pattern three times. If you still don't have a cleared print head, do a power clean after running a print. It uses a lot of ink, but your last resort before calling in a technician. After the power clean, run a  nozzle check. If this still shows broken lines, call Epson Pro Graphics for help.

[PeterAit]

My reply is based on the 4880, I expect the 4900 is the same.

There are 2 (at least) cleaning modes. One, which I believe you have already tried, is "low intensity" and solves most problems. But, you may have to run it multiple times, and sometimes it's a good idea to wait overnight. In other words, run it a couple of times and if that does not work wait until tomorrow.

Then there is power cleaning, for serious clogs. It uses a lot of your expensive ink and is a last resort.

Lesson learned, always demand proof that the head is not clogged before buying. Getting a used printer cheap sounds good, but the printer cost is a minor part of the whole picture. It's the ink and paper that will eat you alive.

[Mark D Segal]

Peter,

The printheads differ between these models and so do some of the inks. Also, as I mentioned above it is NOT a good idea to run multiple cleanings without making prints between each one. Perhaps your experience differs, but leaving a clogged printer overnight after a cleaning will not necessarily achieve anything. You are quite correct that power-cleaning is an expensive semi-last resort (the last resort is the repair people), and that paper and ink are the big-ticket expenses over the long-haul.

[jenea]

use the epson LFP remote panel. click on printer head maintenance. then do a nozzle check and print the check pattern. this will tell you which heads are clogged and how bad. also from the head maintenance tab you can then do manual cleanings of pairs of colors depending on which is clogged. the above mentioned advice about how often to run them and so on should be followed. if that does not work you can buy cleaning solution the flush out the line. worked for me and glad I did it as it saved the printer. I have no affiliation with cone systems, just a happy customer

http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.362672/it.A/id.5757/.f?sc=18&category=68404