Epson T676XL120, T676XL220, T676XL320, T676XL420

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

There are four colors in this series of cartridges; Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow.

These are the high yield cartridges. The black is pigment based ink and the colors are dye based.

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 you 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.

Try resetting the machine as this resolves a lot of Epson recognition issues. 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 replace an ink cartridge in the Epson WorkForce WP-4020 do the following;

– Make sure the printer is turned on

– Open the front cover

– Push the ink cartridge in, then pull it out of the slot

– Make sure you have the correct color cartridge for the color you are replacing. Insert the cartridge into its correct color slot

– Close the front cover

Print Quality Issues

There is a piece of clear plastic over the ink nozzle on the cartridge that gets punctured when the cartridge is installed into the printer. Make sure this nozzle was properly punctured.

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.

Run a printer nozzle check to help determine which color(s) are causing the print quality issue. To run a printer nozzle check do the following;

– Make sure paper is loaded into the paper tray

– Turn the printer OFF

– Hold down the color cleaning button (has a graphic of 3 droplets of ink in yellow, magenta, and cyan) as you press the power button to turn the printer back on. Hold down both buttons until the power light begins to flash, then release the buttons

– Check the printed pattern to see if there are gaps in the lines or colors missing

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;

– Make sure paper is loaded into the tray and the printer is powered ON

– Hold down either the black cleaning or the color cleaning button (depending on which one is experiencing a print quality issue) for 3 seconds to start the cleaning cycle, which lasts 1 minute