INK TANK – These don’t have a print head attached so DO NOT perform the paper towel method.

 

The T007 Black is pigment based ink.  The T008 color cartridge is dye based ink and contains 5 colors; light cyan, light magenta, cyan, magenta, and yellow.  The T009 color cartridge is also dye based and contain 5 colors but it is physically larger and contains more ink than the T008 color cartridge.  It is used in select Epson photo printers in place of the T008.  It is important to check they have the correct cartridges for their specific Epson printer model.

These are re-manufactured cartridges which mean the casing is an original Epson casing that’s been refilled, and relabeled/sealed..

 

Not Recognizing

 

Verify you have the correct cartridge for your specific model printer.

 

Make sure the cartridge is installed correctly and fully inserted.  Make sure that they are installing the right color into the right slot.

 

There is a smart chip on the cartridge located on the end that is installed into the printer.  Check to see if there is any dirt or damage on the gold contact points.  It’s normal for the Epson name on the chip to be crossed out with permanent marker.  You can use a dry Q-tip to gently wipe the chip contacts.  Do not touch the chip with your fingers, as finger print oil can cause false readings.

You can try resetting the machine.  To do this; remove the cartridges from the printer, power the printer off, unplug the power cord for 10-15 seconds, re-insert the power cord, turn the printer on, and re-insert the cartridges.

 

To install the cartridges in the Stylus Photo printer, do the following;

–          Open the printer cover and press the orange cartridge replacement button to move the carriage over.

 

–          The color cartridge is on the right and the black cartridge is on the left.  Pull up the ink cartridge clamp all the way.  The cartridge will rise up from its holder.

–          Lift up and remove the cartridge from the printer.

–          Tilt the new cartridge forward slightly as you lower it into its holder.  Hang the tabs at the back of the cartridge on the hooks on the holder clamps.  Don’t place the cartridge tabs under the hooks on the holder clamp; you may damage the clamp when you close it.

–          Press down the ink cartridge clamp until it locks in place (the color clamp is a bit harder to close than the black clamp).

–          Press the orange ink cartridge replacement button and then close the printer cover.  The printer will then charge the ink.

 

Sometimes when our cartridges are installed the LCD screen of certain Epson printers may ask if it is ok to use third party cartridges.  You must select Yes, the default option will have No selected so you must change it to Yes.

 

Print Quality Issues

 

There’s clear pieces of plastic covering the nozzles at the bottom of the cartridges.  Do NOT remove these clear pieces of plastic, the printer will puncture these during the charging cycle.  You will need to remove a yellow piece of tape on the top of the cartridge.  This opens a vent hole and it is important that this is removed prior to installation.

 

Try shaking the cartridge or gently tapping it on a hard surface.  Take caution if the cartridge has already been open as ink may leak out of the punctured nozzle and vent hole.  A paper towel can be used to cover these two holes before attempting to shake or tap to prevent ink leakage.

 

A print head cleaning should be performed when experiencing any type of print quality issue.  On some Epson printers you will have the ability to select whether the cleaning will be done on the black or the colors depending on which cartridge is giving the issue to help conserve ink.  Print head cleaning does use a lot of ink so it should be done sparingly.  Epson recommends that if the first cleaning doesn’t resolve the issue to perform a second clean but allow the printer to sit for 10-15 minutes BEFORE attempting to do any printing.  This allows the ink to soak on the print head and help soften or loosen any dried ink which may be clogging the nozzles.  To perform the cleaning;

–          On the printer press the cleaning button for 3 seconds.  It’s the button that has small ink droplets with two small arrows above them.

 

Also, remove the cartridge and check the bottom to make sure the nozzle has been punctured.  While the cartridge is out check the slot in the printer to make sure there is no debris that may be blocking the ink from coming out correctly.

 

Not Fitting

 

Verify you are installing the correct cartridge into the correct slot.  Have them read back the cartridge number on the cartridge to verify it is indeed the correct cartridge and not a light cyan going into the cyan slot for example.  Also, check the ridges on the back of the cartridge for differences from the OEM.