My Epson 4800 was not used for a 4 month period. I did the usual auto nozzle check and auto head cleaning, and all 8 colors printed ok, but there is a 1/8th inch horizontal magenta band across each of the 8 color patterns. I have tried mutiple head cleanings, and finally a power head cleaning. The one magenta band still persists. On a nozzle check pattern, the magenta band is as thick as the nozzle check pattern lines, and goes across the lower portion of the pattern. I also cleaned the sponge pads using Epson head cleaning solution. Finally, printing a 5X7 image twice on good photographic paper, the magenta band shows at the top of the first 5X7 and at the bottom of the 2nd 5X7.

Note: If you see a Print Pack low message on the photo viewer, you may not be able to clean the print head until you replace the Print Pack.

1. Load paper in PictureMate so you can print a nozzle check pattern after cleaning the print head.
2. Press Menu.
   
3. Press the arrow buttons to select Maintenance and press OK.
4. Press the arrow buttons to select Auto Cleaning and press OK.
5. Press OK again to clean the print head. Cleaning takes about 60 seconds. PictureMate makes some noise and you see an Auto Cleaning message.
   When cleaning is complete, PictureMate prints a nozzle check pattern.
6. Check the pattern to see if there are any gaps in the lines.
7. Do one of the following:
   • If there are no gaps, Press OK.
   • If there are gaps, Press the Back button.
8. Follow the instructions on the screen to clean the print head, check the nozzles, and repeat the process as necessary.

If you don't see any improvement after cleaning the print head up to 4 times, turn off the product and wait at least 6 hours. 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.

Both types of printers are OK for home use.
The color inkjet printers are cheap printers for color printing, the only disadvantage is if they are not used regularly then the nozzles in the print head can become blocked and if the head cleaning process cannot clean the nozzles then the print head needs to be replaced. These print heads are usually expensive to replace.
If you only want to print black documents I would recommend you purchase a laser printer for the best cost per page printing and they can stand long periods of non use.
Color laser printers are now cheaper, but for photo print quality inkjet printer are better especially when they use 6 or more color print cartridges.

Hi,
First of all please check the ink level. If it is not finished try followings:

First try to run a cleaning cycle. To do that:
- Load paper in the paper tray. - Access printer utilities. (Right click your printer icon, select printing preferences and click the utility tab to access printer utilities) - Click the nozzle check icon. - Print to check it.
Then click the clean button to clean the print head. - Try it a few times.
İf it doesn't help you can try to run power cleaning cycle. But it uses much ink. There must be enough ink in the cartridge.
Hope this helps.

Hi there,

To avoid drying of the Print Head and clogging of the nozzles, note the following.
*When you turn off the Machine
Follow the procedure below to turn off the machine.
1)Press the ON/OFF button to turn off the machine,
2) Confirm that the POWER lamp has gone out.
This takes a few seconds or as long as 20 seconds.
3) Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
If you are using a power outlet strip, you can switch off instead.
When you press the ON/OFF button to turn off the machine, the machine automatically puts a protective cap on the Print Head to prevent the ink from drying. If you remove the power cord or switch off the power outlet strip before the POWER lamp goes out, this capping will not be done properly, causing the Print Head to dry and clog.

* When You are not Using the Machine for a Long Time.
When you are not using the machine for a long time, print or copy in both black and white and in color or pertorm Print Head Cleaning, about once a month to prevent degradation of the Print Head.
Numerous nozzles are installed in the Print Head for high -precision printing. Just as the uncapped tip of a ballpoint pen or marker becomes dry and unusable if it is not used for a long period of time, the print nozzles becomes blocked by dried ink. Periodically printing or cleaning of the Print Head can prevent this blockage.
Note :
*If the printed area is traced with a highlight pen or paint-stick or stained with water or sweat, ink may blur depending in the paper.
*If the print head nozzles get clogged , printouts will become faint or particular colors will not be printed properly.

When Printing Becomes Faint or Colors are Incorrect.
When printing becomes faint or colors are incorrect even if the ink remains in the ink tanks, the print head nozzles are probably clogged. Print the nozzle check pattern to confirm the condition of the nozzles and then perform the Print Head Cleaning.
Note : Before performing maintenace

*Open the Scanning Unit (Printer Cover) and make sure that all lamps for the ink tanks are lit red.
-If any one of the lamps is flashing slowly, the associated ink tank is running low. You can continue printing for a while, but we recommend you to have replacement ink tank available.
-If any one of the lamps is flashing fast, the associated ink tank is emty. Replace the ink tank.
If an ink tank is flashing fast even though ink remains in that ink tank, it is inserted into the wrong position. Make sure that the ink tank of the correct coloris inserted in each position matching the label.
-If the ink lamp is not lit, the tank is not set properly. Press the <PUSH> mark on the ink tank until the tank clicks into place. Make sure that all the packaging material is peeled off the ink tank.

*Increase the print quality setting in the printer settings.

Step 1 : Printing the Nozzle Check Printer.
1) Make sure that the machine is turned on, open the Front Feed and extend the Output Paper support.
2)Load a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in the Auto Sheet Feeder or the Front Feeder.
Set the Paper Thickness Lever to the left.
3) Press the Paper Feed Switch to select the paper source where you have loaded paper.
4)Print the nozzle check pattern.
a) Press the Menu button.
b) Use the right and left arrow buttons to select the Maintenance/settings, then press the OK button.
The maintenance /setting screen is displayed.
3) Use the right and left arrow buttons to select Maintenance, then press the OK button.
The Maintenance screen is displayed.
4) Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to select the Nozzle check and then press the OK button.
The pattern confirmation screen is displayed.
5) Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to select Yes and the press the OK button.
The nozzle check print is printed, and the pattern confirmation screens are displayed alternately.

Examine the pattern and take the appropriate action.


Step 2: Print Head Cleaning
Clean the Print Head if lines are missing or if white streaks appear in the printed nozzle check pattern. Cleaning unclogs the nozzles and restores the print head condition. Note that cleaning the Print Head causes used inl to be absorbed in the ink absorber. Cleaning the Print Head consumes ink, so perform Print Head Cleaning only when necessary.
1) Make sure that the machine is on, open the Fron Feeder, and extend the Output Paper Support.
2) Load a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in the Auto Sheet Feeder or the Front Feeder/
Set the Paper Thickness Lever to the left.
3) Press the Paper Feed Switch to select the paper source where you have loaded paper.
4) Start Print Head Cleaning.
a) Press the Menu button.
b) Use the right and left arrow button to select Maintenance/settings, then press the OK button.
The maintenance /setting screen is displayed.
c) Use the right and left arrow buttons to select Maintenance, then press the OK button.
The Maintenance screen is displayed.
d) Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to select Cleaning and then press the OK button.
The confirmation screen is displayed.
e) Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to select Yes and the press the OK button.
Print Head Cleaning starts.
Do not perform any other operations until Print Head cleaning finishes. This takes about 50 seconds.
The pattern print confirmation screen is displayed.
f) Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to select Yes and the press the OK button.
The nozzle check print is printed, and the pattern confirmation screens are displayed alternately.
Examine the pattern and take the appropriate action.
Note : If the problem is not resolved after performing steps 4 and 5 twice, try Print Head Deep Cleaning.

Print Head Deep Cleaning.
If print quality does not improve by standard Print head Cleaning, try the Print Head Deep Cleaning, which is more powerful process. Note that cleaning the Print Head causes used ink to be absorbed in the ink absorber. Print Head deep Cleaning consumer more ink than the standard Print Head Cleaning, so perform this procedure only when neccessary.
1)
1) Make sure that the machine is on, open the Fron Feeder, and extend the Output Paper Support.
2) Load a sheet of A4 or Letter-sized plain paper in the Auto Sheet Feeder or the Front Feeder/
Set the Paper Thickness Lever to the left.
3) Press the Paper Feed Switch to select the paper source where you have loaded paper.
4) Start Print Head Cleaning.
a) Press the Menu button.
b) Use the right and left arrow button to select Maintenance/settings, then press the OK button.
The maintenance /setting screen is displayed.
c) Use the right and left arrow buttons to select Maintenance, then press the OK button.
The Maintenance screen is displayed.
d) Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to select Deep Cleaning and then press the OK button.
The confirmation screen is displayed.
e) Use the Up and Down arrow buttons to select Yes and the press the OK button.
Print Head Deep Cleaning starts.
Do not perform any other operations until Print Head Deep cleaning finishes. This takes about 100 seconds.

5) Check the condition of the Print Head.
a) Print the nozzle check pattern to check the print head condition.
If a particular color is not printed properly, replace the ink tank of that color.
b) If the print head nozzles are still not cleaned, turn off the machine and perform another Print Head Deep Cleaning after 24 hours.
c) If this does not solve the problem, the Print Head may be damaged. Contact your Canon service representative.

Hope this helps.
Please rate my response.
Thanks.
Have a good day.

If you have carried out 4 to 5 head cleans, waited about 8 hours and done another 3 or head cleans doing nozzle checks after each clean (as recommended by the manual) and there is still no improvement then you will need a third party head cleaning solution such as this one:
http://websites.uk-plc.net/UK_Inkjet_Cartridges_PLUS/products/Print_Head_Cleaner.htm
Other makes & brands are available just google "inkjet head cleaning solution" Hope this helps.

Hi, one or two head cleans won't clear a badly clogged nozzle. Try doing 4 or 5 head cleans, wait about 10 hours for the ink to soften and do another 3 or 4 cleans with a nozzle check after each. You should see a gradual improvement in the nozzle checks. If there is no improvement then you need a head cleaning solution such as this one:
http://www.powerklin.co.uk/?gclid=CNGDypir-JgCFQ4yQgodZlC4lw

Others are available just try googling "inkjet head cleaning".
Note that head cleaning uses between 5 and ten percent of your ink cart's, if any are low on ink have some new ones ready. Epson recommends printing a colorful document at least once a month to prevent nozzles getting clogged, see the Epson online guide:
http://esupport.epson-europe.com/ProductHome.aspx?lng=en-GB&data=lkuCfcvA9cwxY9S6wZhcOql4VsOeN1ay&tc=5#10
Hope this helps.
Please take a moment to rate this solution, thanks.

Hi

Try to run head cleaning cycles from printer utility. then print a nozzle check pattern. If all fails then you have to bring it to a servicer to unclog nozzles.

Hope this helps

Don't use nozzles clean function, besides ink consuming it can cause damages that cannot be fixed: black lines on the back side of the page that will be permanent. Instead put two photo paper together (2x260 gr) and push the two papers together into the printer while printing a motive including many colors. Do so a couple of times and the clogg usually disappears. Good luck! jonk

If you do a nozzle check...do a cleaning...then do another nozzle check, you can "read" the patterns to see exactly what the problem may be. If the first nozzle check is missing half, then you do the cleaning, and the second is missing half also, check the pattern of the box to see if the missing nozzles are jumping around. If the pattern is exactly the same, you have clogs. If the pattern jumps around, you are having ink starvation issues, and may need dampers.

Follow these steps to clean the print head using the control panel on the printer:

1. On the Main Menu, press UP or DOWN arrow to highlight More Options, then press OK.
2. Press UP or DOWN arrow to highlight Maintenance, then press OK.
3. Press UP or DOWN arrow to highlight Clean Print Head, then press OK.
4. Press OK to begin cleaning the print head.
*NOTE: The cleaning takes several seconds, during which the message 'Cleaning print head. Please wait.' appears on the screen.
5. When cleaning is complete, you see a message asking if you want to print a nozzle check pattern. To see if the nozzles are clean, load a sheet of photo paper, then press OK to print the nozzle check.
6. Check the pattern to see if there are any gaps in the lines. If there are gaps, press OK to clean the print head again. If there are no gaps, press Cancel to go back to the PictureMate Main Menu.