How to Clean an Epson Ink Jet Printer

Caring for any piece of hardware can help extend its useful life. Dust and debris settle in and on your printer. A gentle cleaning, inside and out, may prevent trouble from starting.

Things You'll Need

• Damp cloth Soft brush

Instructions

1. Turn the printer off and unplug the power cord and the cable.

2. Take any paper out of the sheet feeder.

3. Wipe all outside surfaces with a soft, damp cloth. Brush lint and debris from the sheet feeder using a soft brush.

4. Use the cloth to gently clean ink from the inside of the printer.

5. Clean the print heads by pressing and holding the cleaning button (if the printer includes one) on the front of the printer for three seconds.

6. For computers with the Windows operating system, find the printer icon in the Windows taskbar. Right-click on it. Then choose Head Cleaning.

7. For Macs, open System Preferences and choose Print & Fax. Click on Print Queue, choose Utility and click on Head Cleaning.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use alcohol, lubricant, or a hard brush on your printer. Take care not to get water on the printer.

References

• Printer Basics: Epson Stylus Color 880/880i; Seiko Epson Corporation; 2000.
• Caring 4 Your Printer

Resources

• How to Automatically Clean an Epson Inkjet Cartridge