Cleaning The Print Head - Epson Stylus Photo 1290 User Manual

The printer prints an operation check page that includes your
printer's ROM version information, the ink counter code, and a
nozzle check pattern. Below are sample printouts.
Good sample
Print head needs to be cleaned
The above sample may be shown in black and white, but the actual test prints
in color (CMYK).
If the nozzle check page does not print satisfactorily (for example,
if any segment of the printed lines is missing), there is a problem
with the printer. This could be a clogged ink nozzle or a
misaligned print head. See the next section for details on cleaning
the print head. For information on aligning the print head, see
"Aligning the Print Head" on page 9-8.

Cleaning the Print Head

If you find that the printed image is unexpectedly faint or dots in
the printed image are missing, you may be able to solve these
problems by cleaning the print head, which ensures that the
nozzles are delivering ink properly.
You can clean the print head from your computer using the Head
Cleaning utility in the printer software, or from the printer itself
by using the printer's control panel buttons.
Segments are missing
Maintenance
9-3