Epson ET-3850 how to clean the print head from the control panel
When the nozzle check pattern has gaps. Cleaning uses ink, so clean only when print quality declines.
Steps
- Make sure there are no errors on the LCD screen and the output tray is extended.
- Load a few sheets of plain paper in the product.
- Press the home button, if necessary.
- Select Maintenance > Print Head Cleaning.
Never turn off the product or open the scanner unit during a cleaning cycle or you may not be able to print.
Marked CAUTION by the manufacturer Source: Adjusting Print Quality: Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel, p. 188
- Press the OK button to start. The power light flashes during the cleaning cycle and stays on when it finishes, and a nozzle pattern prints.
- If there are no gaps in the pattern, select O.
- If there are gaps or the pattern is faint, select X and follow the instructions on the screen to clean again.
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. Refill first.
Source: Adjusting Print Quality: Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel Source: Adjusting Print Quality: Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel, pp. 181, 187-189
Other ET-3850 procedures
- 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 white or dark lines or missing nozzles remain after cleaning the print head several times.
- 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.
- How to refill the ink tanksWhen the ink level is below the lower line on a tank. Fill the tank to the upper line.
- How to clear a paper jamWhen the LCD screen reports paper jammed in the product.
- How to run a product checkTo find out whether the product itself is working when printing from a computer fails.
- How to restore control panel settings to their defaultsWhen a control panel, network, copy or scan setting causes a problem.
Sources
- User's Guide, ET-3850. Epson America, Inc. Document CPD-60203, revision CPD-60203R1, 283 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.