Good day all,

I have an Epson Stylus Color 600 printer (circa. 1997) that, until recently, has printed very nicely. It still
does - except for black. Whenever black is required, there are gaps, streaks, and faint areas. It's mostly
noticeable when printing black-only text, but the quality of text or pictures seems to be directly related to the
amount of black ink required.

I know that Epson printers do this if left idle for long periods, but the built-in cleaning utility usually solves
it - not this time, however. Multiple cleanings have made very little difference. Other than using the cleaning
utility, I have done the following in my attempt to solve this, with minimal results...

- Replaced all cartridges with new Epson brand cartridges (el-cheapo brands have been used in the past).
- Realigned the print heads, which did appear to be 'out' by one number pattern - minimal success.
- Changed print speed from 'faster' to 'better quality' (360dpi to 720dpi)...again with some, but minimal change.

I'm using what I believe(?) to be the last and latest drivers (SC622EES)
I know printers are cheap, but this has been a great little unit and I'm reluctant to give up on it. Should I
concede that this is normal wear and tear, and that the color ink will probably do the same soon? Or is there a
reasonable fix that will help it limp on a little longer? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Al Thompson

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