Checking The Print Head Nozzles And Ink; Cleaning The Print Head - Epson Stylus DX4250 Basic Operation Manual

11. Press the B ink button.
The EPSON STYLUS DX begins charging ink and
the On light starts flashing. This takes about one
minute. When it's finished, the On light stops
flashing and remains on, and the B ink light goes
out.
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Caution:
Never turn off the EPSON STYLUS DX while the On light is
flashing as this wastes ink.
Note:
If the B ink light stays on (not flashing), the ink cartridge may
not be installed correctly. Press the B ink button again and
reinstall the ink cartridge until it clicks into place.
Checking the Print Head
Nozzles and Ink
If your printouts are faint or have gaps in them, some
of the nozzles in the print head may be clogged, or you
may be running out of ink. Follow the steps below to
check the print head nozzles and ink levels.
1. Turn off the EPSON STYLUS DX.
2. Load A4-size plain paper in the sheet feeder.
3. While holding down the B ink button, press and
hold down the P On button for about 3 seconds.
The EPSON STYLUS DX turns on and prints a test
pattern. It also shows the percentage of ink left in
each cartridge:
Print head does not need to be cleaned yet:
Print head needs to be cleaned:
If the pattern does not look good, try cleaning the print
head as described in the next section.
16
Maintaining and Transporting Your EPSON STYLUS DX

Cleaning the Print Head

If your printouts are unexpectedly light or faint, or you
notice light or dark bands across them, you may need
to clean the print head. This unclogs the nozzles so
they can deliver ink properly.
Run a nozzle check as described on page 16 to see if
the print head needs cleaning.
Note:
Print head cleaning uses ink, so clean it only if the nozzle check
indicates that it needs cleaning.
If the B ink light comes on or flashes, you cannot clean
the print head. In this case, replace the appropriate ink
cartridge first. (& Page 14)
1. Make sure the EPSON STYLUS DX is on and the
B ink light is off.
2. Hold down the B ink button for 3 seconds until the
On light starts flashing. The EPSON STYLUS DX
runs a head cleaning cycle and the On light
flashes.
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Caution:
Never turn off the EPSON STYLUS DX while head cleaning is
in progress. You may damage it.
3. When the On light stops flashing, run a nozzle
check (& Page 16) to verify that the print head is
clean.
4. If there are still gaps or the test patterns are faint,
run another cleaning cycle and check the nozzles
again.
Note:
If you do not see any improvement after cleaning the print head
four or five times, turn off the EPSON STYLUS DX and wait
overnight. This lets any dried ink soften. Then try cleaning the
print head again. If quality still does not improve, one of the ink
cartridges may be old or damaged and needs to be replaced.
(& Page 14).
If you do not use your EPSON STYLUS DX often, it is a good
idea to print a few pages at least once a month to maintain good
print quality.