Epson Stylus C88 Product Information

Epson Stylus C88
6 - Epson Stylus C88 6/05
Cleaning the Print Head
If your printouts are unexpectedly light, or dots or lines are
missing, you may need to clean the print head. This unclogs
the nozzles so they can deliver ink properly. Print head
cleaning uses ink, so clean it only if quality declines.
This section explains how to clean the print head using the
Head Cleaning utility.
You can also clean the print head by holding down the
button on the printer for three seconds. (This only works
when the red light is off.)
Note: When you don’t turn on your printer for a long time, print
quality can decline, so turn it on and print a few pages at least once a
month to maintain good print quality.
Running the Head Cleaning Utility
1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and the
red
ink light is off. (If the ink light is flashing or on,
you need to replace a cartridge.)
2. Windows: Right-click the printer icon on your taskbar
(in the lower right corner of your screen). Select
Head
Cleaning
.
Note: If you don’t see the icon, go to your printer properties
window, click the Maintenance tab, then select Head Cleaning.
Macintosh OS X: Open the Applications folder and
double-click
Epson Printer Utility. Select Stylus C88 in
the printer list, click
OK, and select Head Cleaning.
You see a screen like the following:
3. Click
Start or Next.
Cleaning takes several seconds. The printer makes noise and
the green power light flashes.
Caution: Never turn off the printer while head cleaning is in
progress; you may damage the printer.
4. When the green power light stops flashing, make sure
paper is loaded in the printer, then do the following:
Windows: Click
Print Nozzle Check Pattern. Then click
Print.
Macintosh: Click
Confirmation, then click Next.
The nozzle check pattern is printed.
5. If the pattern has no gaps or
white lines, click
Finish.
If the pattern has white lines
or gaps, click
Clean to clean
the print head again.
You can also turn the printer off and wait overnight—this
allows any dried ink to soften—and then try cleaning the print
head again.
Replacing an Ink Cartridge
❏ When the red ink light flashes, one or more ink
cartridges are low on ink.
❏ When the red ink light stays on, you need to replace the
cartridge(s).
When you print, you’ll also see a message on your screen
telling you which cartridge is low or empty.
When a cartridge is more than six months old, you may need
to replace it if printouts don’t look their best. If the quality
doesn’t improve after cleaning and aligning the print head,
you can replace the cartridge even if the red ink light is off.
Note: You cannot continue printing with one ink cartridge empty,
even if the other cartridges still contain ink. Before printing, replace
the empty cartridge.
Checking the Ink Supply
To check your ink supply, do the following:
❏ Windows: Double-click the icon on the Windows
taskbar.
Note: If you don’t see the icon, go to your printer properties
window, click the Maintenance tab, then select Status Monitor.

Epson Stylus C88 Specifications

Printing Technology

nozzle configuration monochrome	180 nozzles
nozzle configuration color	59 nozzles x 3 (CMY)
minimum ink droplet size	3 picoliters

Print Performance

maximum resolution	5760 x 1440 optimized dpi
print speed black	up to 22 ppm
print speed color	up to 12 ppm

Paper Handling

paper sizes supported	Letter, legal, A4, A6, half letter, executive, exclusive, user definable (3.5" to 44" in length; borderless photo sizes 4" x 6, " 5" x 7, " 8" x 10" and 8.5" x 11")
paper capacity	120 sheets/15 envelopes
envelope types supported	No. 10, DL, C6; plain paper, bond paper, air mail

Weight and Dimensions

storage dimensions	18.11" x 9.53" x 7.60"
printing dimensions	18.11" x 17.2" x 12.2"
weight	10.14 lb (with ink cartridges)