Epson ET-2800 how to clean the print head from the control panel
When the nozzle check pattern has gaps or is faint. Cleaning uses ink, so run it only when print quality declines.
Steps
- Make sure there are no errors on the LCD screen and the output tray is extended.
- Check that no ink tank is at or below its lower line. Refill first if one is.
- Load a few sheets of plain paper in the product.
- Press the home button, if necessary.
- Select Maintenance and press the OK button.
- Select Head Cleaning and press the OK button.
CAUTION
Never open the inner cover or turn off the product during a cleaning cycle or you may damage it.
Marked CAUTION by the manufacturer Source: Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel, p. 165
- Press the start button to clean the print head.
- Wait until the power light stops flashing and stays on.
- Select Nozzle Check, press the OK button and press the start button to print the pattern.
- If there are gaps or the pattern is faint, select Yes and press the OK button to clean again. If all or most lines are missing, select No and run a Power Cleaning.
Epson states that the print head cannot be cleaned when the ink level has reached the lower line on a tank, and may not be cleanable when any tank is low.
Source: Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel Source: Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel, pp. 164-168
Used for
Other ET-2800 procedures
- How to clear a paper jam inside the printerWhen the LCD screen shows W-01 or a message that paper has jammed inside the product.
- How to run a nozzle check from the control panelWhen printouts are light or banded, to see whether the print head nozzles are clogged before cleaning.
- How to run a Power Cleaning from the control panelWhen most or all lines are missing in the nozzle check pattern, or the printout is blank. If most of the lines appear, run a Cleaning instead.
- How to align the print head from the control panelWhen printouts are grainy or blurry, vertical lines are misaligned, or dark or light horizontal bands appear. Banding can also come from clogged nozzles.
- How to clean the paper guide rollersWhen there is ink on the back of a printout.
- How to refill the ink tanksWhen an ink level is below the lower line on a tank, or the LCD screen reports low ink.
- How to run a product checkTo find out whether the printer itself works when printing from a computer fails.
- How to reset the network settingsWhen the network settings need to return to their defaults, for example before reinstalling the software.
- How to restore all control panel settings to their defaultsWhen a problem with control panel settings remains and you want to reset all of them.
- How to connect to Wi-Fi with the Wi-Fi Setup WizardTo join the printer to a wireless router from the control panel.
- How to turn on Wi-Fi DirectTo connect a computer or mobile device directly to the printer without a router.
- How to connect to a router with WPSWhen the router or access point has a WPS button, hardware or virtual.
- How to print a network status sheetTo read the product's IP address, MAC address, signal strength or number of Wi-Fi Direct devices.
- How to print a network connection reportTo get an error code for a Wi-Fi connection problem.
- How to open the Web Config utilityTo view or change the printer's network settings in a web browser.
- How to turn off Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi DirectWhen you change the connection type or need to clear a network problem.
- How to connect the printer to a new Wi-Fi routerAfter you replace the wireless router.
- How to change from a USB connection to Wi-FiWhen the printer is connected to the computer by USB and you want it on Wi-Fi.
- How to change the LCD screen languageWhen the LCD screen text is in a language you cannot read.
- How to block computer access over USBTo restrict access to the product from a USB-connected computer.
- How to check the number of printsTo see the total, black-and-white and colour prints.
- How to clean the scanner glass and outer caseTo clean the product, which Epson says to do several times a year.
- How to prepare the printer for transport or storageBefore you move the printer any distance or store it.
- How to update the printer softwareTo get free updates to the product software.
Sources
- User's Guide, ET-2800/ET-2803. Epson America, Inc. Document CPD-60271, revision CPD-60271R2, 253 pages, en-US. files.support.epson.com (PDF). Listed on the manufacturer's support page. Retrieved 13 November 2026.
Page numbers are the numbers printed in the manual. Where this page and the manual differ, follow the manual.