The print head nozzles may be clogged. If the nozzles are clogged, this will affect the ink flow and therefore result in little or no ink appearing on the page.

Note:
We recommend using genuine Epson cartridges. Genuine Epson ink contains an anti-coagulant. This chemical will ensure that the nozzles are cleaned as the ink passes though. The use of non-genuine Epson inks can be a major cause of blocked nozzles as the ink may not be of the same viscosity, nor contain an anti-coagulant.

1. Start with plain, A4 paper loaded in the printer. Open the printer utilities and print a nozzle check. Follow the instruction for your operating system:

   macOS:

   1. Open the Epson Printer Utility from Applications, or Applications > Utilities.
      • If you cannot complete this step, see the following Related Article: How to access Page Setup and the printer driver in OS X
   2. Click on the Nozzle Check option and follow the on-screen prompts to print it.

   Windows:

   1. Open Control Panel, and then Printers or Printers & Faxes.  (Alternatively, in Windows XP open Printers and Other Hardware and then View installed printers and fax printers).
      • See the following Related Article for help: How to open the Printers or Printers and Faxes folder in Windows
   2. Locate the icon that represents your printer. Right-click on the icon, left-click Printing Preferences, and then left-click the Maintenance or Utility tab.
2. After printing a nozzle check, examine the printed dot pattern. Each block, or for some patterns, each staggered horizontal and straight vertical line should be complete, with no gaps in the dot pattern. Click here to see esamples of a good and back nozzle check.
3. If no ink is printed or the nozzle check is incomplete, you will need to use the Head Cleaning utility from the Epson printer driver. After performing head cleaning you will need to print a nozzle check.
   • Head Cleaning - This process attempts to force a small amount of ink through nozzles in order to try to clean them.
   • Nozzle Check - This will print out a nozzle check sheet. This will show the condition of the print head nozzles and show if the nozzles are blocked.
4. The head cleaning and nozzle check must follow each other to complete a full cycle. Perform a head clean as follows:
   1. Start with plain, A4 paper loaded in the printer.
   2. Click on Head Cleaning.
   3. Once cleaning has been completed, click on the option to print a Nozzle Check.
   4. The printer will attempt to print a nozzle check sheet.
5. After printing a nozzle check, examine the printed dot pattern to see if there is any improvement. Each block, or for some patterns, each staggered horizontal and straight vertical line should be complete, with no gaps in the dot pattern. Compare the pattern with the earlier examples.
6. If there are gaps in the dot pattern, continue with another cycle and perform up to six cycles if necessary.
7. If the nozzle check is not printed completely and further head cleans do not improve the nozzle check and prints, try replacing the ink cartridges for the affected colours. If this fails to resolve the issue, your printer may require a service.

    

   Note:
   Also try powering off the printer and leaving it overnight. This will allow an opportunity for any dried ink to soften. After being left overnight, use the Head Cleaning utility print head again.

For more information, see your user guide (available from the Epson website).