Epson ET-3850 color printing stops after software update(s)

[David999]

Epson printer: ET-3850
System: Win11
Firmware: 05.13.XB22P1

After installing Epson software on a new workstation and also completing a clean install of Win11 on my laptop, my lightly used Epson ET-3850 (344 total pages placed in service 31-Dec-2023) no longer prints color... not a drop. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the Epson software, tried all the available drivers offered by Windows, and tried printing from another laptop which had never been updated. Given that the printer was printing color as recently as 6 weeks ago, and not one drop of color appears on the nozzle check or on printouts of color documents, and "grey" shading (Hex: #BFBFBF - 191/191/191) does not print, it appears to be a software/firmware issue (the latest firmware was installed today 28-Feb-2025). It is possible that I set a no color option for a print job or a nozzle cleaning in the last few weeks or updated the software while Black/Greyscale was selected but, if so, the settings appear on color now (see below). Epson is unable or unwilling to provide a firmware rollback. (I also completed the online Epson troubleshooting and completed a session with Epson support.) There are suggestions online that changing the settings (e.g., color mode) may unbrick an Epson printer stuck in black only but what I tried did not work. Any recommendations for how to unbrick the color on my ET-3850 would be welcome.
David
EPSON ET-3850 Series Driver Settings

Color : Color
Paper Source : Paper Cassette
Document Size : Letter (8.5 x 11 in)
Borderless : Off
Orientation : Portrait
Paper Type : Plain Paper / Bright White Paper
Quality : Standard
Quality Detail : Level 3(43)
Reduce/Enlarge Document : Off
2-Sided Printing : Off
Create Folded Booklet : Off
Pages per Sheet : Off
Poster : Off
Copies : 1
Collate : On
Reverse Order : On
Rotate 180° : Off
Mirror Image : Off
Color Management : Color Controls
Color Mode : EPSON Vivid
Gamma : 2.2
Edge Smoothing : On
Color Universal Print : None
Anti-Copy Pattern : None
Watermark : None
Header/Footer : Off
Emphasize Thin Lines : Off
Emphasize Text : Off
Bidirectional Printing : On
Fix Red-Eye : Off

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

Can you run a few - up to 3 - cleaning cycles each with a nozzle check - does anything change - do some colors - even partially - come back ?

 

[David999]

Thanks for your reply. I have run about a half dozen cleanings with nozzle check. Even though I was printing in color a month ago, there is not even one sketchy line in color. If there is known problem, I would happily replace a part since the printer is barely used. I would also consider a manual printer head cleaning, but how likely is a complete blockage of three colors but not black? I have yet to try the power cleaning which uses a substantial amount of ink so that will be the final step. For reference, the replacement cost for the entire printer is about $320 (I just don't like to toss what I can fix).

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

What is the warranty status of the printer ? Search for 'Epson warranty checker' for your country and check your serial number, the printer still may be under Epson warranty.

I'm at this point not assuming yet that it is a firmware/driver problem but some issue with the ink flow from low usage. There is something to check for if you have the right tools for it. The ink tubes go from the reservoirs to the printhead, but there is a damper in between, in the print carriage , it looks like a kind of cartridge substitute. It's not easy to get there on some printers, but better on others. Get the printhead into a position that you can move it around - power up the printer and pull the power cord as soon as the carriage starts moving. The ink tubes go to the top of these dampers, the ink tubes are connected to the top of the dampers, and this under a plastic cover which easily can be removed - held with about 2 - 3 small screws. Do not disconnect the tubes at this time. you can take out a damper , there is a small latch on the backside which you can release with a small screwdriver. The damper has a small about circular reservoir, and this should contain some ink. If there is no ink the printhead won't get any ink onto the paper. Let's see if there is any ink in the damper(s).

 

[David999]

Thank you for the clarification. The printer is not in warranty and Epson offered a 15% discount on the purchase of a replacement. Regarding the dampers, I have seen these accessed and detached in the video demonstration of a manual cleaning. So, if the damper is wet with ink when removed then supply to the printer head seems likely. I also noticed during the head cleaning this morning that there is ink spatter to the right where the carriage parks.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

The WIC Reset utility - free to download - should have a few different cleaning options incl. an ink charge function.
The status report should list error codes with a short description if there was some malfunction with the printer.
Dampers should look about similar to this one

There is the top connection for the ink tube, and the ink outlet is at the bottom, it is springloaded, you can pull ink herre with a syringe pushed into the ink outlet slightly tilted.