Epson ET-4850 how to clean the print head from the control panel
When the nozzle check pattern shows gaps. Cleaning uses ink, so clean only if print quality declines.
Steps
- Make sure there are no errors on the LCD screen and the output tray is extended.
- Make sure no ink tank is at 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 > Print Head Cleaning.
CAUTION
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: Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel, p. 230
- Select Start to clean the print head.
- Wait while the power light flashes. It stays on when the cycle ends and a nozzle pattern prints.
- Check the printed pattern for gaps.
- If there are no gaps, select O. If there are gaps or the pattern is faint, select X to clean again. If almost the entire pattern is missing, select O and run a Power Cleaning.
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. 229-232
Used for
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 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 print head pathWhen 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.
- 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.