-----Original Message-----

Greg Purvis wrote:

> Hi
>
> Is there a way to clean printer heads from the outside, rather than
> allowing so much ink to be wasted by the machine blowing the ink
> through the heads to clean them.
> (This must be in a FAQ.  I just need to be pointed to where this has
> been discussed a thousand times already.)
>
> A bit of background:
> I have an Epson CX6600 printer/scanner that has suddenly quit
> printing. The company sent the machine to me to replace an earlier
> model that developed the same problem.
> Maybe this machine has the same problem, or maybe it just needs head a
> more aggressive cleaning. I've "blown the jets" a few times, using
> over half the ink in the cartridges to do it, and the machine still
> barely leaves an image on the paper.
>
> (I keep a towel over my printers when I don't use them, and no one
> smokes in the house.)
>
> I'm hoping to avoid taking the time to crate and ship this machine as
> well.  I'm not really interested in another replacement anyway.
>
>
> Thanks in advance for any help.
>
> Greg P.
------------------------------
I have an Epson 480SXU that has had this problem in the past. I can't find
the specific article online, but I'll try to recite from memory.

You'll need:
1. Bottle of Isopropyl alcohol
2. Cotton swabs (J&J swabs are the best-will not leave cotton strands
behind)
3. Paper towels
4. the narrow plastic spray tube from a can of compressed air or WD-40 (for
example)

One item of note; Where the head parks is a little sponge pad and small well
that is usually drained to a larger well in the bottom of the printer. The
drain tube from there to the larger well underneath is rather small and can
become clogged with old, dried ink. This prevents the pad from effectively
cleaning the nozzles properly.

You'll need to remove the cartridges and somehow store them so the bottom
doesn't dry out (further complicating things). Take the spray tube and dip
it into the alcohol, then put your finger over the top to draw the alcohol
out. Place the tube into the small orifice located in the print head and let
the alcohol run out into the head. (you'll need to "park" the head somewhere
in the middle of the track. Unplugging the printer while the head moves
across into the middle is a good way). The paper towels will help keep the
mess under control. Repeat this for each nozzle. This will soften the dried
ink. When no more dye comes out (and onto the paper towels located
underneath) the head should be clear. Replace the cartridges and run the
head cleaning program to refill the heads and push fresh ink into them.

This 'should' work. I've resurrected my printer several times this way. (the
cotton swabs help to cleanup stray mess)

As for the head cleaner (at the far right of the carriage), you'll have to
perform the same operation to clean out the old dried ink from there as
well. After a while, the head cleaning sponge becomes clogged with old dried
ink and constantly reapplies it onto the jets, re-clogging them. This can
get a little messier as it's harder to get to without completely
disassembling the printer.

Hope this helps. Even though the Epson I have is older (and only prints at a
maximum of 1200x600 dpi) I like the quality of the prints. That's why I
refuse to give up on it!

HTH

Chris Ryan

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