Epson DX5050 blocked (or malfunctioning) nozzles

  • Thread starter Thread starter Matthew Ford
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Matthew Ford

I'm looking for advice with my Epson DX5050 inkjet printer. Three of
the colors are printing well (black, magenta, yellow), but some of the
nozzles are missing in cyan. Here's what I get when I try to print a
solid block of cyan (the white bands are 18.4 mm apart):

http://matthewford.org/misc/bluesquare.jpg

At first I suspected blocked nozzles. However, I've tried cleaning
them with no success. I ran several cleaning cycles, then dripped some
automotive windshield wash onto the waste ink pads and into the intake
nozzles. Nothing changed. Now take a look at the output from the
"nozzle check" feature:

http://matthewford.org/misc/printtest.jpg

As you see, some of the cyan lines are fainter than others, and there
are cyan streaks in the background (yes, those are part of the same
printout, and they are usually there). But most oddly, some of the
lines are printed in the wrong place. On the bottom row of the cyan
pattern, one of the lines is displaced upward and to the left of its
correct position; on the 4th row from the bottom, the corresponding
line is displaced downward and to the right. Some of the other lines
are wrong too, e.g. in the 2nd row from the bottom, and 4th and 7th
lines are too far left. These misalignments are consistent each time I
run the nozzle check, though the fainter lines are often missing
altogether. I've tried running the "head alignment" utility, but that
made no difference.

Help! Any ideas?
Matthew.
 
Matthew Ford said:
I'm looking for advice with my Epson DX5050 inkjet printer. Three of
the colors are printing well (black, magenta, yellow), but some of the
nozzles are missing in cyan. Here's what I get when I try to print a
solid block of cyan (the white bands are 18.4 mm apart):

http://matthewford.org/misc/bluesquare.jpg

At first I suspected blocked nozzles. However, I've tried cleaning
them with no success. I ran several cleaning cycles, then dripped some
automotive windshield wash onto the waste ink pads and into the intake
nozzles. Nothing changed. Now take a look at the output from the
"nozzle check" feature:

http://matthewford.org/misc/printtest.jpg

As you see, some of the cyan lines are fainter than others, and there
are cyan streaks in the background (yes, those are part of the same
printout, and they are usually there). But most oddly, some of the
lines are printed in the wrong place. On the bottom row of the cyan
pattern, one of the lines is displaced upward and to the left of its
correct position; on the 4th row from the bottom, the corresponding
line is displaced downward and to the right. Some of the other lines
are wrong too, e.g. in the 2nd row from the bottom, and 4th and 7th
lines are too far left. These misalignments are consistent each time I
run the nozzle check, though the fainter lines are often missing
altogether. I've tried running the "head alignment" utility, but that
made no difference.

Help! Any ideas?
Matthew.
Click to expand...

I dont have your printer, but I can say this, some nozzle blockages are damn
near impossible to fix using cleaning cycles..
I wouldnt use any cleaning agents (like you said you used) but If it's not
difficult to take out the head, or put something under it, then a papertowel
with de-ionized water against the head might allow some of the ink to
moisten up and come clean. (to be left overnight if possible) I have two
epsons here and that worked a treat for both of them, but I did eventually
(still dont know how) put a scratch on one of the heads and now it's
ruined...
 
In my opinion, you can do almost nothing about this particular printer.
Except printing in high resolution, this may improve the cyan printing
quality.

By the way, because we talk about this type printer, does anyone have the
reset program for D92 ?
 
Hi Matthew,

If you email me at the address shown below and mention your printer
model, I can probably help. I will send you, free of charge, an Epson
Cleaning Manual that suggests some easy ways to clean the head using
simple household liquids.

Email me at:

e-printerhelp(at)mvps(dot)org

(at) = @
(dot) = .

Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/
 
Squirt a cc of isopropyl alcolhol into the intake (you'll need some
tubing which fits it) and leave for a few hours. Then a little more.
Then try cleaning cycle. That can work.
 
I just want to add that squirting liquids into the head via the ink
spike or nipple can lead to permanently damaging the head. If there are
many clogged nozzles, back pressure is likely to develop and that can
cause the head to rupture or delaminate.

It is best to avoid any method that suggest using pressurized liquids
into the heads of these machines.

Also, for most of the ink formulations, isopropyl alcohol by itself is
not a good solvent, as the pH is wrong. When possible, use some
ammoniated window cleaner and isopropyl alcohol mixed about 50/50.

Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/
 
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