Epsons seem to be prone to this problem.  I had a CX5200 and CX5400 with 
the same issue.  Epson sent me 3 refurbished 5400's under warranty 
before I got one that worked thru the end of the 1 year warranty.  It 
clogged up a few months later.  The jets are separate from the ink 
cartridges, other than replacing the heads or disassembling the printer 
to clean them, there doesn't seem to be a solution.  Epson is in a class 
action suit where the settlement is $45. per registered printer for 
future purchases from their website.   http://www.epsonsettlement.com 
for more info.  Basically, the suit is about ink cartridges signaling 
the printer that they were empty when they were not, causing you to buy 
more ink.
You can find disassembly info on the web if you're willing to take it 
apart.  Replacing the inkjets is not cost effective unless you can 
obtain the parts and do it yourself.  Maybe you can clean them if you 
have the time.
Best advice I got:  turn off the printer when not in use so the 
cartridges 'park' in the proper location to minimize the drying process 
and print a color page every few days just to keep the jets clear. 
Paul Hachmeyer


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.
>
>
>
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