Epson Artisan 1430 - Yellow / Black not responding to head cleaning

[dave_n_s]

Hi,

Quick reintro.... I have a Canon Pro 1 myself, so familiar with the trials of decent photo printers. I volunteer at the thrift shop that supports our only non-profit hospice and work on the interesting stuff mostly.

A 1430 came in, looking good, but yellow and black are not responding to cleaning x3. It came in with not much ink in the cartridges, but a full set of cartridges in boxes dated mid 2020 and Oct 2021, to give an idea of how long it might have been sitting, plus an extra couple of black cartridges.

Please see the attached photo, showing incomplete yellow & black patterns and some smearing (?) below.

What is the recommended next step from the Epson experts please?

 

[stratman]

Remove all doubt about ink flow/levels from the old cartridges and replace them all with the brand new and never opened cartridges. It will also give you an opportunity to visualize the condition of the print head and printer interior for leaked ink that may need cleaning. Then run a nozzle check and post here.

If issues continue as before, perform a single cleaning then run another nozzle check and post for comparison.

 

[dave_n_s]

Remove all doubt about ink flow/levels from the old cartridges and replace them all with the brand new and never opened cartridges. It will also give you an opportunity to visualize the condition of the print head and printer interior for leaked ink that may need cleaning. Then run a nozzle check and post here.

If issues continue as before, perform a single cleaning then run another nozzle check and post for comparison.

Thank you. I was suspecting that would be the sequence.

Given that my task here is to maximize the value of the donation for the hospice, are there things I could note / tasks to do when I've removed the cartridges before I unseal the spare set (which has a decent value even if the printer gets sold for parts)?

 

[dave_n_s]

Cancel last message. I went through a head cleaning method, leaving it installed and using a paper towel soaked in Windex, leaving the head over it for a while. It has worked very well. I now know the smears below yellow and black are in fact text. All inks changed and this will now generate some much needed income for our hospice.

 

[stratman]

Excellent job!

I hope the printer brings in a nice penny or two. Hospice is one of the few great governmental programs and is as worthy as it is underused - ie very much.

Thank you for the work you do with your hospice.