🚀 go-pugleaf

This is what I did to clear my Epson 3000 last year, It is not exactly easy and it can be a slow process.

ATTEMPT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

1) Remove the top half of the unit. Requires removing loading tray, knobs etc. When you get the top totally free, hinge it up so it is sitting on its end to the right of the printer. You will notice the ribbon cable that connects the control panel to the printer -LEAVE THIS CONNECTED.

2) Power on the unit and wait for the print heads to finish seating themselves then gently slide the print head mechanism a few inches to the left to reveal two sponge cleaning pads. The left pad is black and the right is cyan, magenta, yellow.

3) Generously soak both of these pads with inkjet cleaning fluid with a syringe. (I purchased a cleaning kit which contains a syringe, fluid, rubber gloves and Q-tips).

The cleaning fluid is basically just amonia slightly watered down. I bet Windex would work just fine.

4) Power the printer off. The print head mechanism will re-seat itself before the printer turns off. Now the ink nozzels should be resting on their "freshly soaked" cleaning pads.

5) I let it sit for a few hours and repeat steps 2 through 5 a few times depending how plugged up they are. I run the occasional print head clean manually from the control panel as well.

Important: Always turn the printer off, waiting for it to do it's thing and then on again BEFORE running a head cleaning cycle. This allows the printer to re-seat the head unit to it's proper start position.

6) When it appears as though you can see a bit of each colour of wet ink on the cleaning pads things should be loosened up. I dab the pads with a clean cloth to check.

7) When I get to this stage, I re-assemble the printer and continue to print a Photoshop file containing swatches of each color on it until everything frees up. If things are still not flowing freely, I run head cleans between printouts.

I am NOT a printer expert by any means. Someone else may have a better solution, so I repeat, TRY THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

I am doing this dance myself, with my 3000 as I write this.

Good luck.

If anyone has a better solution, jump in - I usually do things the hard way. ;-)

Best,
B