Epson ET-4850 how to clean the print head path
When quality has not improved after cleaning and aligning the print head and cleaning the paper path, and ink may have smeared the path inside the printer.
Steps
Do not use any other liquid to clean the print head path or you may damage your product. Do not use tissue paper to clean the inside of the product. The print head nozzles may become clogged with lint.
Marked CAUTION by the manufacturer Source: Cleaning the Print Head Path, p. 242
- Collect several cotton swabs, 1/4 cup (59 ml) of water with 2 to 3 drops of mild dish detergent, and a small flashlight.
- Turn off the product.
- Unplug the power cable.
- Disconnect any connected cables.
- Close the document cover, if necessary.
Do not touch the flat white cable, translucent film, or ink tubes inside the product. Doing so may cause a malfunction.
Marked CAUTION by the manufacturer Source: Cleaning the Print Head Path, p. 243
- Lift up the scanner unit with both hands until it locks.
Do not touch the print head rail or wipe the grease off of it. You may not be able to print.
Marked CAUTION by the manufacturer Source: Cleaning the Print Head Path, p. 244
- Use the flashlight to look for ink smears on the translucent film.
Do not press too hard on the film or you may dislocate the anchor springs and damage your product.
Marked CAUTION by the manufacturer Source: Cleaning the Print Head Path, p. 245
- Moisten a cotton swab with the water and detergent mixture, squeeze out the excess and lightly wipe the ink off the translucent film.
- Dry the film with a new, dry cotton swab.
- Repeat the wiping and drying until all ink smears are gone.
- When the film is dry, close the scanner unit.
- Reconnect the cables, plug in the power cord and turn on the product.
Source: Cleaning the Print Head Path Source: Cleaning the Print Head Path, pp. 242-245
Other ET-4850 procedures
- How to remove jammed paperWhen the LCD screen says paper has jammed in 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 clean the print head from the control panelWhen the nozzle check pattern shows gaps. Cleaning uses ink, so clean only if print quality declines.
- How to run a Power Cleaning from the control panelWhen white or dark lines or missing nozzles remain after several head cleanings.
- How to align the print head from the control panelWhen printouts are grainy or blurry, vertical ruled lines are misaligned, or 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 clean the paper rollersWhen paper repeatedly fails to feed from the cassette.
- How to refill the ink tanksWhen an ink level is below the lower line on a tank, or the LCD screen asks you to refill.
- How to check the maintenance box statusTo see how much capacity is left in the maintenance box.
- How to replace the maintenance boxWhen a message on the LCD screen asks you to replace the maintenance box.
- How to run a product checkTo find out whether the printer itself works when printing from a computer fails.
- How to view the help screenTo see troubleshooting or how-to topics, including instructional images or animations, on the LCD screen.
- 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 touch screen.
- How to set up wireless printing with Epson Smart PanelTo connect the printer to Wi-Fi from a smartphone or tablet.
- 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 IP address, MAC address or signal strength of the product.
- How to print a network connection reportTo get an error code for a network 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-FiWhen 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 from Wi-Fi to a wired network connectionWhen you move the printer from wireless to Ethernet.
- How to turn off IEEE 802.3az for the printerWhen a wired connection through a router or access point that supports IEEE 802.3az becomes unstable, slow or unreachable.
- How to check the number of printsTo see the total, black-and-white and colour prints.
- How to clean the scanner glass, ADF 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-4850. Epson America, Inc. Document CPD-60205, revision CPD-60205R1, 333 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.