Easy · 8 minInk & print qualityEpson
Fix streaky or banded Epson prints
White lines across photos or faded stripes in text mean clogged nozzles. A nozzle check tells you which color, and a cleaning cycle usually clears it.
01 · Identify — does this match what you see?
- Horizontal white bands across prints
- One color missing or faded
- Prints were fine before a few weeks of no use
02 · Resolve — follow in order
- 1
Run a Nozzle Check from Settings → Maintenance. The pattern shows exactly which nozzles are blocked.
- 2
If there are gaps, run Head Cleaning once, then print another nozzle check.
- 3
Repeat up to three cleaning cycles; more than three wastes ink and rarely helps.
- 4
Let the printer rest for six hours — dried ink often softens on its own — then check again.
- 5
Still banding? Run Power Cleaning (EcoTank) or a printhead cleaning via the Epson utility on your computer.
Pro tip
Print a small color page once a week. Inkjet nozzles clog from disuse, not overuse — a weekly page is cheaper than cleaning cycles.
03 · Applies to
EcoTank ET-2800EcoTank ET-4800Expression XP-4200Expression XP-5200