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

This black cartridge is pigment based ink.

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 you are installing the cartridge into the left hand slot of the cartridge carriage.

 

There is no smart chip on the cartridge, be sure the cartridge is fully inserted into the printer.

 

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 cartridge in the Stylus Photo printer, do the following;

–          Open the printer cover.  Press the cleaning button (looks like ink drops with small up and down arrows above them) for 3 seconds.  The carriage will move over to the ink cartridge replacement position.  Pull up the ink cartridge clamp, this will raise the cartridge from its holder.  (The illustrations show the replacement of the color cartridge however the procedure is the same for the black.)

 

–          Remove the old black cartridge from the printer.  Lower the new black cartridge into the left holder of the ink carriage.  Press down on the ink cartridge clamp until it locks in place.

–          Press the cleaning button and close the printer cover.  The printer will charge the cartridge.

 

Click on the picture below to view an animation on the cartridge replacement process

 

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.  There is a piece of tape on the top of the cartridge that must be removed prior to installation.  This opens a vent to allow the ink to drain from the cartridge properly during printing.

 

A print head cleaning should be performed when experiencing any type of print quality issue.  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;

–          In Windows, right click the printer icon in the taskbar on the bottom right corner of the screen and select Properties.  In the window that comes up, click on the Utility tab.  Click the Head Cleaning icon.

–          The cleaning will take roughly 2 minutes to complete.

 

You can also do a print head cleaning using the printer’s controls.  To see an animation on performing a print head cleaning using the printer’s controls click on the picture below

 

Also, remove the cartridge, cover the vent on the top with a paper towel, 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.  Double check the cartridge number on the cartridge to verify it is indeed the correct cartridge.  Make sure you are installing the cartridge in the correct orientation, try flipping the cartridge around and trying again.