'Missing' P600 Black ink head?

[alex75]

True. If it happens another time I will follow this suggestion and post the results.

[Steve_K]

Replacing low ink carts as Chris suggested solved the missing black problem for me as well.  Replacing one low cart did not solve the problem. Nor did repeated head cleanings. This appears to be a software bug.

[nirpat89]

I had a somewhat similar but a little different experience with my P400 recently.  I haven't been doing any major printing on it lately so I just do a nozzle check every once in a while.  Everything looked normal last week except that I noticed that nozzle patterns for successive colors didn't look aligned so I decided to do an alignment routine.  When I subsequently did the nozzle check again to see that made any difference, I noticed the Red one had quite a few missing nozzles.  So I thought what the hell, how did it go bad by just doing the alignment.  On to the head cleaning and the thing got even worse.  Did an another one (watching the ink levels go down) and the thing got worse still.  Ran out of the Red ink at the end so the printer refused to print any more.  Replaced the Red cartridge.  Nozzle check:  now the Red is fine but Yellow and Magenta is kaput.  The Yellow is flashing low, Magenta is not but it is on the low end.  Found this reference saying that the when the cartridge is low, it may show clogged head.

https://www.marruttusa.com/printer/support/epson-sc-p400-help.php#blo

So I replaced the Yellow with a new one.  Nozzle check:  Yellow is good now.  Magenta is still missing a few.  I am out of Magenta so I would not know until I get one and replace.  But from the looks of things for my P400, it does seem bad nozzle check is due to low ink.  But so far it is limited to the particular ink that is low and not the Black one as experienced by others on this thread.

So now the small 14ml cartridges are now even smaller since I have to toss out the last few ccs because of problems with the resulting nozzle firing....Damn you Epson! 

:Niranjan.

[ryanearl]

Replacing low ink carts as Chris suggested solved the missing black problem for me as well.  Replacing one low cart did not solve the problem. Nor did repeated head cleanings. This appears to be a software bug.

Do you have any scans or photos of the nozzle check before you added the ink? 

I have many lines missing above and below the center in the light black nozzle on an Epson P7000.  At this point I'm planning to call Epson for out of warranty service.  The Light Cyan and other carts; yellow, vivid magenta, orange, green, etc are all very low.  Could low ink on any of these affect the Light Black?  Has anyone had similar problems with the Epson P6000/7000/9000?  Is the problem limited to
Photo Black on the P600?

[GavinM]

For me, replacing low ink carts as Chris suggested also solved the missing black problem! Saved hours and days of frustration! Thanks Chris.

[KayBeausoleil]

Thanks to all who endorsed the Replace Low Inks solution because I'd tried everything short of putting it in the microwave. You saved me the price of a new printer. Final cost was reams of paper, one wasted PK cartridge, a subscription to Luminous Landscape.