Epson 1520 Product Information Guide - Page 11

EPSON Stylus COLOR 1520 Using the Head Cleaning Utility Follow these steps to run the utility from a Windows or a Macintosh computer connected directly to the printer: 1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing. Note: If either Ink Out light is flashing or on, you need to replace the ink cartridge instead. 2. To clean the black print head, make sure the Ink Out B light is off. To clean the color print head, make sure the Ink Out A light is off. 3. Access the Main printer settings dialog box. 4. Click the Utility tab (Windows) or the Utility button (Macintosh). You see the Utility menu. 5. Click the Head Cleaning icon. 6. Follow the instructions on the screen to clean the print heads. Cleaning each head takes about two minutes, during which the printer makes some noise and the Pause light flashes. When the Pause light stops flashing, you need to run a nozzle check to test the print quality and reset the cleaning cycle. Caution: Never turn off the printer while the Pause light is flashing. If, however, the Pause light flashes for more than five minutes after the printer has stopped moving or making any noise, you may turn off the printer. 7. Make sure paper is loaded in the printer and click Print nozzle check pattern (Windows) or Confirmation (Macintosh), and then click Next. If your print quality has not improved, repeat the steps above. You may need to do this two or three times. Using the Control Panel 1. Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing. 2. To clean the black print head, make sure the Ink Out B light is off. To clean the color print head, make sure the Ink Out A light is off. Note: If either Ink Out light is flashing or on, you need to replace the ink cartridge instead. 3. Press the Pause button. The Pause light comes on. 4. To clean the black print head, press the Alt and Cleaning B buttons. Or, to clean the color print head, press the Alt and Cleaning A buttons. Cleaning each head takes about two minutes, during which the printer makes some noise and the Pause light flashes. Caution: Never turn off the printer while the Pause light is flashing. If, however, the Pause light flashes for more than five minutes after the printer has stopped moving or making any noise, you may turn off the printer. 5. After the cleaning cycle is complete and the Pause light stays on without flashing, you can repeat step 4 to clean the other print head, if you wish. 6. When you're finished cleaning the print heads, press the Pause button to turn off the Pause light. 7. Now you need to print a page to test the print quality and reset the cleaning cycle. If you're using DOS or a network interface card, open an application and print a document containing black and color data. Then go to step 10. If you're connected directly to the printer, run a nozzle check. Go to step 8. 8. Access the Main printer settings dialog box. Then click the Utility tab (Windows) or the Utility button (Macintosh). You see the Utility menu. 9. Click the Nozzle Check icon, then click Next. See the next section for instructions on examining the nozzle check pattern. 10. If your print quality has not improved, repeat the steps above. You may need to do this two to three times. Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern Examine the nozzle check pattern you print. It should look something like this, with the lower pattern colored cyan, magenta, and yellow: W02271 C01267 Each staggered horizontal and straight vertical line should be complete, with no gaps in the dot pattern. If your printout looks okay, you're done. If any dots are missing, clean the print heads again, as explained in the previous sections. 5/97 EPSON Stylus COLOR 1520 - 11