Cleaning print heads -- Epson

Stanley, First welcome to the discussions..
Generally, most printers come with a couple of things.
1st, Most come with paperwork that have instructions and a trouble shooting guide, that includes, cleaning, and lubrication..
2nd, Some come with diagnostic software that gives low ink, paper and test page, diagnostic's. If there is a problem..
Unless the rack got bent or dislodged some how but it would affect both ink's not just color..
I tend to think it has something to do with your color cartridge not being in quite right... I would try to remove it then replace it and try to print a test page.. Not much goes wrong generally.....Good Luck....Don

You have learned a lesson here as to why many users prefer each component seperate..
If there is a problem with any aspect of an all in one, You normally have to send it in for a fix..
On the other hand individual scanner or printers that are used on a daily basis throughout the design and photo industry, are not and do not have to be the top of the line to get profesional results..They are cheaper to operate and a lot cheaper to replace.
In other words if you have a $200.00 or $300.00 Copier it is easier to throw it in the trash and go buy a new one than it is to send in a $6 or 700.00 dollar all in one in for a 500.00 dollar repair...
Of course this is speculation on my part, but they are not in buisness not to make money and they can't always tell you WHATS THIS GONNA COST ME....Cheers...Don

I just went through the same thing with both an Epson Stylus C82 and C86. Then I stumbled upon a discussion on CNET about Epson print head issues, and someone had posted a link to a website that addresses all sorts of printing issues, with entire sections dedicated to Epson printers. It's called www.maxpatchink.com. They explain that, yes, Epson inkjet printers can print amazingly fine details, but the downside is that this requires tiny printhead nozzle openings... which, unfortunately, leads to clogs. They recommend all sorts of tips, like printing one color page from your computer every day to keep the ink flowing, making sure you turn your printer off every night from the printer's power button (so that it will disengage the cartridges from the printheads), not from a power strip (which will cause the cartridges to continue to leak ink and coagulate in the printheads), and they even offer workarounds to get your Epson to keep printing after it registers that you're out of ink (which in actuality means you still have 10-15% ink left in the cartridge -- thanks a lot, Epson). But most importantly, they sell a special cleaning kit that unclogs the printheads. I just used it on both my Epson Stylus inkjets and it did the trick -- I got my ink back! But I'll stop blabbing now and let you see for yourself -- you MUST check out this site before you give up completely on your Epson.

This is the actual link to their Epson dedicated page: http://www.maxpatchink.com/epson-tips.shtml

Hope this helps, and FYI, their customer service staff are very helpful.

Dual 2.3 GHz Power Mac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.2) Epson Stylus C82 and C86

not sure if you have this problem solved.
I tried to print some color patterns and get rid of clogs.

try this -
http://www.InkRepublic.com/KnowledgeBase/ColorOff.asp
http://www.InkRepublic.com/members/nozzle/index.asp

Power G5 Quad Mac OS X (10.4.3)