Forums | MacLife

The print head nozzles may need cleaning.

Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing and the red ink light is off.

In OS X open the applications folder and select EPSON Printer Utility. Select your Styles in the printer list, click OK and select head cleaning.


You can also clean the print heads without using the EPSON Printer Utility as follows ( I do this every time I start up the printer ):

Turn your printer on.

Make sure the ink light is off.

Hold down the ink button for 3 seconds until the power ON light starts flashing.

The printer runs a head cleaning cycle and the ON light flashes during this process.

Caution: Never turn off the printer while head cleaning is in progress.

When the ON light stops flashing you can now run a print job.

You may have to do this print head cleaning four or five times. If there still is no improvement just turn off the printer and wait overnight.


Let me know here if this solves your print problem.

Did you pull off the tape covering the print head? it's in the instructions.

It's shot. Spend the $80-$100 and buy a new printer. You've probably spent that much on ink just trying to get it working again. Or at least those numbers work in Canada

macmenace wrote:

Wacka646 wrote:

Did you pull off the tape covering the print head? it's in the instructions.

I don't see any tape covering up anything? I use to have to pull tape of my previous printer's ink cartridges, but I don't think I have to pull anything off the C86s, do I?

Also, I just tried printing after turning it off overnight and it is sill not printing properly.

No, there's no tape to pull off. I just remove the cartridges from the packaging and install.

I suggest that you remove all the cartridges and re-install them again.

Also Turn your printer on and off a few times. There should be a sound of the cartridges moving back and forth back and forth. That's also part of the cleaning processes.

Make sure the ink light is off.

Hold down the ink button for 3 seconds until the power ON light starts flashing.

The printer runs a head cleaning cycle and the ON light flashes during this process.

Do this at least a couple of times.

Turn the printer off and on and run the cleaning process again.


When you ran the EPSON Printer Utility did it give you a ink level reading?


As I understand it the Epson printer heads are built into the unit whereas an HP printer for example has the heads built into the cartridges. So for the Epson printer it's important to replace the cartridges as soon as they go empty. It's also important to do a cleaning at least once a week.

Also not sure here how old your printer however as you know the cost of cartridges is nearly as much as getting a brand new printer with the cartridges included.

I got the printer free with my PB.

And I just found this interesting thread- http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/forums/inkjet/31764

I tried the cleaning again and the utility says I have full ink, and it still doesn't work. It seems like it is shot.

Thank you for all the help.

Last edited by macmenace (2006-02-15 4:59 pm)

macmenace wrote:

I got the printer free with my PB.

And I just found this interesting thread- http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/forums/inkjet/31764

I tried the cleaning again and the utility says I have full ink, and it still doesn't work. It seems like it is shot.

Thank you for all the help.

Thanks for the update and providing the url for the thread. Indeed very interesting.

Looks like I'm just lucky with reviving my printer any time it stops printing.

Well I called Epson and they said they would send me a new C88, although my C86 is over a year old.

macmenace wrote:

Well I called Epson and they said they would send me a new C88, although my C86 is over a year old.

Well done.

Did they ask you to send back the "old" C86?

Epson rocks on the customer service.  I had a C82 that did the exact same thing your printer did.  Just stopped putting ink to paper one day even with new cartridges.  I called and even though it was out of warranty, they sent me a new C84 free of charge including shipping.  They provided a prepaid mailing label to send back the C82 also.  Very cool.