Epson Stylus Color 980 Manual page 167

If print quality hasn't improved after repeating this procedure
four or five times, turn the printer off and leave it alone overnight.
Then, perform the head cleaning again.
If the print quality still has not improved, one or both of your ink
cartridges may be old or damaged and may need to be replaced.
To replace an ink cartridge before it is empty, see "Replacing an
Old or Damaged Ink Cartridge" on page 8-8.
If print quality remains a problem after replacing the ink
cartridges, contact your dealer.
Note:
To maintain print quality, EPSON recommends turning on the printer
for at least one minute every month.
For Macintosh users
Follow the steps below to clean the print head.
1. Make sure that the printer is on, and the B black and A color
ink out lights are off.
2. Click the
Cleaning button.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions.
The P power light flashes while the printer performs the
cleaning cycle. This operation takes about one minute to
complete.
c
Utility icon button, then click the Head
Caution:
Never turn off the printer while the P power light is flashing.
Doing so may damage the printer.
9-7
Maintenance