EPSON Stylus Photo 820
8 -
 EPSON Stylus Photo 820 9/01
8. If you need to replace the other ink cartridge, repeat steps 3 
through 7 before continuing with step 9.
9. Press the 
 
e ink cartridge replacement button and close the 
printer cover. The printer begins charging the ink delivery 
system.
The green 
 
P power light flashes and the printer makes 
noise. Charging takes about half a minute. When it’s 
finished, the green 
 
P power light stops flashing and stays 
on, and the red 
 
b
 error light goes out.
Never turn off the printer while the green
 
 
P
power light 
is flashing, unless the printer hasn’t moved or made 
noise for more than 5 minutes.
Cleaning the Print Head
If your printouts are unexpectedly light or faint, or dots or 
lines are missing from the image, 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. This is the recommended method 
when the printer is connected directly to your computer (not 
over a network). 
You can also clean the print head by holding down the 
 
b maintenance button on the printer for three seconds (when 
the red 
 
b error light is off). See the electronic Reference Guide 
on your printer software CD-ROM for detailed instructions. 
When you don’t turn on your printer for a long time, the 
print quality can decline. It’s a good idea to turn on your 
printer at least once a month to maintain good print 
quality.
Running the Head Cleaning Utility
Follow these steps to run the Head Cleaning utility:
1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and the 
red 
 
b error light is off. (If the red 
 
b error light is flashing 
or on, you may need to replace the ink cartridge; see page 6 
for details.)
2. Do one of the following:
❏ Windows: Right-click the  printer icon on your 
taskbar (in the lower right corner of your screen). Select 
Head Cleaning
.
❏ Macintosh: Open the File menu and choose 
Page 
Setup
 or 
Print
. Click the   Utility button, then click 
the 
Head Cleaning
 button.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to clean the print 
head. Cleaning takes about 30 seconds, during which the 
printer makes some noise and the green 
 
P power light 
flashes. 
Never turn off the printer while the green 
 
P
 power 
light is flashing, unless the printer hasn’t moved or 
made noise for more than 5 minutes.
4. When the green 
 
P power light stops flashing, run a nozzle 
check to confirm the print head nozzles are clean.
Make sure paper is loaded in the printer and click 
Print 
nozzle check pattern
. Then click 
Print
. The nozzle check 
pattern prints (see the next section for details). 
5. If the nozzle check pattern has no gaps or lines, click 
Finish
.
If the pattern has white lines, click 
Clean
 to clean the print 
head again. 
If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning three or 
four times, check the solutions in the Printer Basics book. 
You can also turn the printer off and wait overnight 
(allowing any dried ink to soften); then try cleaning the 
print head again. 
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern
Examine the nozzle check pattern you print. Each black and 
colored area should be complete, with no gaps or lines, as 
shown below:
❏ If your printout looks okay, you’re done. 
❏ If you see any white lines or gaps (as shown below), clean 
the print head again; see the previous section for 
instructions. 
Aligning the Print Head
If your printouts contain misaligned vertical lines, you may 
need to align the print head. Your printer must be connected 
directly to your computer (not over a network) to use the 
Print Head Alignment utility. 
1. Make sure the printer is turned on, but not printing, and 
plain letter-size paper is loaded.
Load paper that’s at least 8.27 inches (210 mm) wide to 
prevent ink from spraying inside the printer and smudging 
your printouts.