iamtheit
Back Share
Fix

Prints are faded, streaky or missing a colour

Step 1 of 3

Open Printing preferences › Maintenance

Settings › Printers & scanners › the printer’s name › Printing preferences, then the Maintenance tab.

The simulation shows Windows in English, like most laptops.

  1. Open Printing preferences › Maintenance

    Settings › Printers & scanners › the printer’s name › Printing preferences, then the Maintenance tab.

    SettingsPrinters & scannersEPSON L3210 SeriesPrinting preferencesMaintenance

  2. Print a Nozzle Check

    The printer prints a pattern of lines. Broken lines mean clogged nozzles.

  3. Run Head Cleaning, then check again

    Wait until it finishes, then print the Nozzle Check again. Repeat at most 3 times.

    Still streaky after 3 times? Leave the printer on for 6–12 hours, then try again.

From basic to technician

BasicRefill the ink in an ink-tank printerBasicReplace an ink cartridge
FixPrints are faded, streaky or missing a colourYou are here
FixPrinter won't print
Technician fixes (advanced)

The simple steps didn’t help? A technician would try these next, in this order. Stop as soon as the problem is fixed. Commands marked “as administrator”: right-click Start › Terminal (Admin).

  1. Read the nozzle pattern properly

    Only one colour broken → clean once and check again. All colours faint → the ink may not be reaching the head (tank empty, tube airlock, transport lock still on). Lines shifted or doubled → run Print Head Alignment instead of cleaning.

  2. Power cleaning (ink flushing): only as a last step

    Many ink-tank printers have “Power Cleaning” or “Ink Flushing” in the Maintenance tab or the maker’s utility. It pushes a lot of ink through the head and uses a big part of the ink. Use it once, only after normal cleanings failed and the printer rested a few hours.

    Check that every tank is at least one-third full before power cleaning.

  3. “Ink pad at end of service life”

    After many cleanings the waste ink pad is full and the printer stops with a service message. A service centre replaces the pad or fits an external waste-ink bottle. This is maintenance, not a broken printer.

  4. Still faded after everything

    If the pattern doesn’t improve after cleanings, a rest of 12 hours and power cleaning, the print head is dried out or damaged. On ink-tank printers a service centre can replace just the head, usually much cheaper than a new printer.

Technical details (for the curious)

What nozzles are

The print head has hundreds of tiny holes (nozzles) per colour. Dried ink blocks some of them, which shows as white lines or a missing colour.

Why not to clean too often

Every Head Cleaning flushes ink into a waste pad inside the printer. Doing it too often wastes ink and fills the pad, and then the printer asks for service.

Preventing clogs

Print something in colour at least once a week. Turn the printer off with its power button (not by pulling the plug) so the print head gets capped.

Coming soon

Still not fixed?

In the next update you can tell us what happened, and our AI helper will suggest another way. Until then, restart the device and go through the steps once more.