Removing the Print head IS THE ONLY way to do it correctly, that is the way
Printer Service shops do it..
Any other way it a hack..
Yes, fine, call it a hack. It's a hack that works well over 95% of the
time, and does so with almost zero risk of harming anything, and you
don't even have to own a screwdriver, or know how to open the case.
As I have stated dozens of times, I know of no cases of anyone who has
damaged their printer using the techniques I offer, I know of MANY cases
of people who have damaged BOTH their printers and their printer's heads
via removal and cleaning outside the printer.
While service depots may indeed remove the heads to clean them (and they
all do not, because I happen to know of several using the technique I
came up with) service depots not only have full Epson service manuals,
but also have access to Epson parts which they will gladly charge the
client for should they damage the printer during repair.
Further, I know of literally dozens of Epson printers which went to
service depots where they were informed "your printer requires new
heads" which I have either personally cleaned, or told the people how to
clean using the methods I suggest.
I have provided my Epson Cleaning Manual to thousands of people at this
point. I have made exactly ZERO financially from doing so. I don't
sell any Epson parts, I don't sell inks, I don't sell magic "cleaning
fluids". If it didn't work, you'd think by now the net would be full of
hundreds of complaints about how the methods didn't work, wouldn't you?
Instead, I get a steady flow of requests for the manual daily coming
from dozens of sources, (and I only post to this newsgroup). There is
even some guy on eBay selling what appears to be mainly a set of URLs on
Epson head cleaning for about $8 a pop.
Why do I do it for free? I do it because I am trying to keep perfectly
good printers out of the landfills and to protect people from
suggestions like yours, and web sites which suggest forcing fluid or air
through the heads which often lead to useless damaged printers. At
least once a week, I have to deliver an RIP for a printer to someone who
followed either the advice to remove the heads or forced liquid into the
heads and ended up with a completely dead printer head.
In cases of head clogs (not head failures, which unfortunately, I can't
help fix other than suggesting a head replacement) I can count on one
hand the number of people who have been unable to resolve the problem
after reading any applying the suggestions I provide.
Print head removal on Epson printers to clear clogs is potentially
dangerous to the printer and unnecessary, plain and simple. You can
call what I offer a hack. I'll call it effective.
Art