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

This is a multi-color photo cartridge.  It contains 6 colors; black, cyan, magenta, yellow, red, and blue.

This is a compatible cartridge so there may be some appearance differences over the OEM.  Any differences the cartridge may have will not affect performance.

Not Recognizing

 

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

 

Make sure the cartridge is installed correctly and fully inserted.  If the cartridge is inserted crooked this can cause reading issues.

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 into a PictureMate printer please do the following;

 

–          Disconnect the USB cord and power cord from the printer and flip the handle over to the front.

–          Open the cartridge door on the back of the printer.

–          Move the lever to the Release position by sliding it left.  This releases the cartridge.

–          Remove the old cartridge.  Insert the new cartridge into the printer.

–          Move the lever to the Lock position by moving it to the right.  If it does not lock in place, the cartridge is crooked; you need to push in whichever side is sticking out too far.  Close the cartridge door, making sure it fully closes.

–          Move the handle over to the back of the printer.

–          Reconnect the power cord and turn the printer on.  When the printer recognizes the new photo cartridge it will begin charging the ink automatically.

 

Print Quality Issues

 

There’s clear pieces of plastic covering the nozzles at the bottom of the cartridge.  Do NOT remove these clear pieces of plastic, the printer will puncture these during the charging cycle.

 

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 nozzles.  A paper towel can be used to cover the nozzles 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.  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 main menu on the printer, press the up and down arrows to highlight More Options, then press OK.

–          Press the up and down arrows to highlight Maintenance, then press OK.

–          Press the up and down arrows to highlight Clean Print Head, then press OK.

–          When you see this message, press OK to begin cleaning the print head.  The cleaning will take about 40 seconds to complete.

 

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 have the correct cartridge for your specific model printer.  Make sure the lever is set to unlock when installing the new cartridge.

 

 

 

 

Click on the YouTube video below to watch a video on removing and installing a cartridge into an Epson PictureMate printer.  NOTE:  The printer and cartridge is different from the T5570 and the PictureMate printer that uses the T5570 however the procedure is the same.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwlzoP-5LMg[/youtube]