If the Epson L800 printer began to "strip" and regular pumping does not help, then this only means one thing - the print head is dried up or clogged. It is worth cautioning and informing initially that this procedure should be done carefully, without rush and with “even” hands. If, after reading this article, it comes to the understanding that it is not possible to carry out such a procedure on your own, then it is better to contact specialists. But how to clean the Epson printer head and not harm it can be found below.
Tool construction
The main tool is done independently, and the name of this tool is a flushing device. For the manufacture of a syringe and a dropper are required. Cut off a piece of 30-40 centimeters from the dropper and fix it on the tip of the syringe. Make sure that the dropper on the tip of the syringe sits tight and does not slip. To do this, squeeze the dropper and create air pressure from the syringe.
Additional tool
Fortunately, you don’t need to do anything on your own, but you will need the following tool:
- Crosshead screwdriver.
- A dull awl with a curved tip.
- Napkins.
- Window washing liquid.
- Medical gloves.
Removing the print head
There is no need to completely disassemble the printer, and to remove the print head, you only need access to the carriage where the cartridges are located. To ensure that the printer carriage is in the correct position for operation, turn on the printer with the top cover open, and as soon as the carriage with cartridges begins to move, unplug the power cord. You can not worry, such an action will not lead to breakage, after repeated switching on, the carriage is independently positioned in the working position.
Next, unscrew the upper mounting bolt and flip the top cover to the side.
The next step is to carefully remove the cartridges from the printer carriage before cleaning the Epson printer head. Please note that there are latches on the cartridges that must be pressed in before removing the cartridge.
The next step, before cleaning the head of the Epson L800 printer, is to remove the guide pad. This is a truly laborious process, and one cannot do without proper dexterity. The difficulty lies in catching a blunted awl on the back wall with hooks that secure the guide pad in the printer carriage. Additionally, with the second hand, the guide pad must be pulled up without effort. The platform does not fasten strongly, so you should not make efforts to remove it, the trick is only in the hooks, if you pry them off, the guide platform will give in easily.
Now access to the print head of the printer is open, but before you clean the Epson printer head, oddly enough, you need to free the cables. On the right wall of the carriage with cartridges are two protective covers - one inside, the second outside. Both are mounted on a single latch. The process is not time-consuming, a single latch is released, and the lid is easily removed without effort. The latches of the protective covers are visible visually, and they do not need a separate presentation.
There is a crucial process before cleaning the Epson printer head - removing the print head. Before pulling the print head out of the printer, three fixing bolts are unscrewed.
After the bolts are finished, slowly (so as not to damage the loops), we extend the head to the level of the carriage without any effort. After that, carefully disconnect the two loops that lead to the print head.
Print head cleaning
Before you clean the print head from an Epson printer, you will need a tool that was created earlier - a syringe with a dropper. Detergent for windows is collected through a dropper (it cleans best with a cleaner). There is no specific requirement for a detergent, for example, “Mr. Muscle” will do. Epson special flushing liquids are also used, which are no better in effect than the same “Mr. Muscle” for windows.
In order not to fill the surface of the table during washing, you must first lay the napkins under the print head. After the surface of the table is prepared and the syringe is filled with liquid, the cleaning process begins.
The free end of the dropper is put on the nozzle of the print head, and gently, over a napkin, liquid is passed through the dropper into the head. Squeeze the syringe slowly and carefully, with a sharp rush, the liquid will damage the nozzle. Keep the print head in a raised position while cleaning so that the print part does not touch the cloth. For normal cleaning, two cubes of liquid are enough. Given that the Epson L800 has a print head with 8 nozzles, then, accordingly, this procedure must be carried out with each nozzle in turn, the order and priority do not matter. During cleaning, make sure that no liquid escapes into the contacts with the loop mounts.
Printer assembly
After cleaning, gently wipe off any remaining fluid from the print head with a dry cloth. Do not reassemble the printer if traces of smudges and fluid residues are present on the print head. If liquid has got on the contacts where the cables are attached, blow dry the contacts. Final assembly takes place only in strict reverse order.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that Epson Stylus, like the L800, can clean the printer head using the same technology. The method described above applies to most Epson product lines.