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128 | Maintaining and Transporting the Printer
Checking and Cleaning the Print Head
If your printed image shows a color shift or horizontal lines, you should
check the print head to see if any nozzles are clogged or deflected. Then you
can run a cleaning cycle to clear the nozzles.
You can also turn on Auto Nozzle Check from the printer’s control panel.
The printer will then check the nozzles periodically or before each print job
and clean them if necessary.
Running the Nozzle Check and Head Cleaning Utilities
You can use your printer software to check the print head nozzles, then
examine the pattern to determine whether any nozzles are clogged or
deflected.
1. Make sure paper is loaded in the printer.
2. Do one of the following to access the printer utilities:
• Mac OS X: Open the Epson Printer Utility2 in your Applications
folder. Select your printer and click
OK.
• Windows Vista or XP: Click Start and select Control Panel. Select
Printers or Printers and Faxes. Right-click your printer icon and
select
Printing Preferences. Click the Utility tab.
Note: You can run a
cleaning cycle by holding
down the r button for
three seconds. You can
also use the printer’s
Maintenance menu to
run a power cleaning
cycle or clean the nozzles
for pairs of colors. See
page 131 for details.
