Epson Print Head Recovery Manual 

with Print Head Doctor 

WARNING: Print heads can be damaged by excessive use of ultrasound, pressure, 
temperature and aggressive chemicals. It is always a good idea to minimize the risk of a 
print head damage by using no ultrasound, low pressures, low temperatures and using less 
aggressive recovery fluids (1DX, 1W, DX-C).  

Do not pressurize Epson heads. They will be damaged by a pressure above 2 psi supplied 
to their input ports. The only viable way to clean Epson heads is to use the vacuum and 
reduce the forward pressure to almost zero. 

Print Head Sensitivity 

Epson print head recovery is not easy. They are extremely sensitive to internal pressure, ultrasound and
chemicals.

Internal pressure exceeding 2 psi may damage an Epson print head. If you notice the fluid coming out of the
side of a print head, it’s an evidence or irreversible damage done by the excess pressure. To minimize the risk
of print head damage, we highly recommend using vacuum instead of pressure. Even a strongest vacuum
applied at the bottom of a printhead (outside the nozzles) cannot damage it, because the internal pressure
stays low. In fact, vacuuming the heads from the bottom is how any printer cleans or primes print heads.

Ultrasound applied to a fluid creates microscopic bubbles that help clean print heads very well. Unfortunately,
it has a side effect: the sonic vibrations can damage your Epson print head in a matter of seconds. We
recommend using only the 75 kHz ultrasound on Epson heads, and reducing the output power of the tank to
25%.

Chemicals that we use for print head recovery can destroy your Epson print head if they are applied for an
extended period of time. Usually the strength of chemicals is higher with higher numbers: recovery fluid 1DX
is the weakest and safest one, 6DX is the strongest and most destructive for a print head. Water-based
recovery fluids 1W, 2W, 3W and 4W are not as strong at the DX or UV line of fluids, so they are much safer
for Epson heads and can stay in them for hours. Our latest recovery fluids DX-A, DX-B and DX-C are safe to
use on the OEM Epson heads from Japan. Chinese-made heads won’t be able to stand these fluids.

Temperature also affect Epson heads. With higher temperature the chemicals become more aggressive and
hence more destructive. We recommend keeping the temperatures at a maximum of 35°C. Please bear in
mind that during print head recovery the temperature may rise. If you notice it’s gone higher than 35°C, stop
the machine and let it cool down.

 
Explanation of the Recovery Cycles 

Dr - Drain Cycle - is used to empty the tank, or when you need to pump fluids in a forward direction for a
short time.
Ar - Air Cycle - is used to purge the fluid out of the internal filter and tubing. Do not start Air cycle when a
print head is connected, as it will over-pressurize it.
C0 - Combined Forward - pumps the fluid into the print head and sucks it out of the RF cap, without any
ultrasound.
F0 - Forward Cycle - only the pressure pumps will work (no vacuum), with no ultrasound.

Note: be careful using F cycles with Epson heads. Forward pressure alone is not the best method of cleaning
those heads. Make sure the pressure is kept at 1 psi and never exceeds 2 psi. At such pressure, it’s
impossible to test the nozzle condition with most recovery fluids. Only fluids 1DX and 1X have a low enough
viscosity to be able to test the nozzles without over-pressurizing the print head. If you are cleaning
water-based print heads, use a distilled water for nozzle testing.

Useful Tips 

Protect your print head’s electronics from the fluids. Wrap the areas where fluids may get on the electronics
with tape. Make sure that the print head is submerged into the fluid by only 3mm (1/8”) and not deeper.

Do not clean your print head for too long. One hour a day per one print head will be enough. Purge the print
head with a weak flush and then with air, gently pushed by a syringe, and let it sit for a day without any fluids
inside. Before installing the print head on your printer, test the nozzles by pushing the flushing solution that
came with your ink through the print head using a syringe. Do not apply too much pressure. Once you see the
nozzles are in a good condition, put the head on the printer. Otherwise you’ll need to re-flush it.

Do not use alcohol to clean the electronics of a print head. If you want to remove moisture from the electronic
parts, use the spray-on Contact Cleaner that can be found in automotive parts stores. The best method of
drying a print head is to place it near the desiccant bags, or in a room with a dry air, and let it sit there for a
few hours.

Precautions on Epson Heads 

Epson heads are extremely sensitive to everything: pressure, ultrasound, chemistry. Follow these precautions
to keep them safe during recovery, and disregard the pressure settings shown on the diagrams in this
document. Epson heads cannot handle any kind of pressure applied to the input ports. Keep the print head
pressure at a maximum of 2 psi.

If you have a 40 kHz ultrasonic tank, do not use any ultrasound on Epson heads, as it will damage them in a
matter of a few seconds.

A 75 kHz ultrasound is much safer for Epson heads. Set the power to 25% by pressing the P button and then
the up and down arrow until you see 25. P On means 100%. The recovery cycle to use: C2
(Combined-Easy). Do not pre-heat the recovery fluid, let it run at a room temperature. Watch the temperature:
it should not get warmer than 35°C.

The most effective way of cleaning Epson heads is by using a vacuum-assisted forward flushing method with
the maximum forward pressure of 2 psi. There is no limit to the vacuum: it can be as high as it gets. Vacuum
cannot damage print heads.

Print Head Recovery Steps 

Before you remove a print head from your printer, you should do on-printer print head cleaning, which is
safe for a print head and also time-saving.
1. Unplug the dampers from your print head.
2. Connect the output ports of the PHD machine to the print head.
3. Open the Relief Valve. If you have a PHD with a pressure control, set the pressure to 1 psi.
4. Park the carriage over the capping station of the printer.
5. Turn on the capping station pumps. This can be done by executing strong print head recovery function
on your printer. Make sure the carriage doesn’t move away from the capping station.
6. While the capping station motors are running, turn on the F0 cycle on the PHD machine.
Recommended recovery fluids: DX-C (for UV inks), DX-B, DX-A, 5DX (eco-solvent inks), 1W-4W,
DX-D (water-based inks).
7. If a print head is not completely clogged, you will see the fluid running into the print head.
8. Be sure to cancel the head cleaning cycle on the printer before it attempts to move the carriage away
from the capping station.
9. Stop the F0 cycle on the PHD.
10. Let the print head sit with the fluid inside for 30 minutes.
11. Repeat the steps 3...9 again.
12. Disconnect the tubing from the print head.
13. Run the head cleaning cycle on your printer again. This will pull the air into the print head and purge
the fluid.
14. Re-connect the dampers and do the strong head cleaning cycle again, to prime the print heads with
ink.
15. Do the nozzle test.

Next step would be Print Head Soaking. It is a very important step. Best fluids to use: DX-C (UV inks), DX-B,
DX-A or 5DX (eco-solvent inks), 3W, 4W (water-based inks). We also have a special gel called DX-G for
Epson head soaking.
1. Pour a small amount of fluid into a clean container which can fit a print head. You can use the
ultrasonic tank of the PHD machine. Make sure it’s turned off. You only need 1-2mm of fluid there. If
you have a lint-free cloth, you can place it folded in two pieces on the bottom of the tank and soak it
with fluid.
2. Place your print head in the container (on the cloth), nozzles down.
3. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
4. Take a syringe full of fluid 1DX (for eco-solvent heads), or a distilled water (for water-based heads) or
UV flushing solution (for UV heads) and gently push the fluid into the print head, applying only a slight
pressure.
5. Purge the fluid out with a syringe full of air. Do it slowly.
6. Test the print head on a printer.
If your print head is severely clogged, there is a very high chance that the mesh inside it is also clogged and
needs to be flushed. To flush the mesh:
● Remove the screws that are holding down the print head’s manifold (the black plastic piece with ink
ports).
● Connect the tubes of the PHD adapter to the manifold.
● Connect the other end of the tubes to the vacuum ports of the machine.
● Pour recovery fluid into the ultrasonic tank. You can use any of the recovery fluids with a lower
number.
● Submerge the manifold into the fluid.
● Run the Vacuum cycle with 30% ultrasound for 5 minutes.
● The mesh should be clean now.
● Re-install it on the print head.

Mount your print head on the adapter.

Take a lint-free cloth and put a little bit of the flushing solution that comes with your inks on it, or use one of
our fluids:
● 1DX for solvent heads
● Intermediate fluid for UV heads
● 1W fluid for water-based heads

Wipe the nozzle plate of your print head. If there is ink residue on the sides, wipe it too.

You should start print head recovery with one of these fluids:
● Solvent inks: Fluid 1DX or the flushing solution that comes with your ink.
● UV curable inks: Fluid DX-C or the flushing solution that comes with your ink.
● Water based inks: Fluid 1W or DX-A.

If you have a Reverse Flushing Cap for your print head, you can jump directly to the Vacuum-Assisted
Forward Flushing (see below), as it’s the best method of Epson head cleaning. It can be done with Print
Head Doctor 6, 11, 12, 13. Without an RF cap, your only option is to run the Forward Flushing, which is
explained below.

Do not set the temperature, but watch it not to exceed 35°C.

After performing the Vacuum-Assisted Forward Flushing you should purge the print head with a syringe full of
air, and then flush it with a syringe full of native flushing solution that comes with your ink. Apply very little
pressure to the syringe.

Let the head dry for several hours and test it on a printer. If you still see clogged nozzles, the next step would
be to use a stronger recovery fluid. Fluids with a higher numbers are usually more aggressive and more
effective cleaners.
Please follow our recommendations on switching between recovery fluids. The PHD machine and the print
heads must be properly flushed to avoid clogging. Our fluids are not compatible with each other. Many of them
will coagulate when mixed! Refer to our Tech Support page where you can find these manuals.

If different recovery fluids didn’t help to fully unclog your print head, the next steps would be:

● Introducing a small amount of ultrasound. With a 40 kHz ultrasonic tank, give it only 20-30 seconds at
a time. A 75 kHz ultrasound is much safer.
● Running the Vacuum-Assisted Forward Flushing cycles with a plugged vent hole on the RF cap. This
will supply a full strength vacuum to a print head.
● Increasing the fluid temperature to 30...35°C

If none of these steps have helped, and you already tried all the recovery fluids, please contact us for a further
advice.

Vacuum-Assisted Forward Flushing 

If you have a Reverse Flushing cap for your print head (RF cap), you can do a so-called vacuum-assisted
forward flushing. The vacuum is applied to an RF cap attached to the nozzles of your print head, which sucks
the fluid out of it, while the fluid is supplied to the input ports of the print head at a minimal, safe pressure. In
this setup, vacuum does all the work. The print head is not pressurized and stays safe.

Set up your print head as shown on this diagram.

Warning: do not use fluids 1UV, 2UV, 3UV and 4X for this method.

If you have a screw on the side of the RF cap, remove it. The screw is plugging the small hole that will let the
fluid to come in and reduce the amount of vacuum applied to the print heads.

Set the pressure to zero. If you have a PHD9, 10, 11, 12, or 13, open the relief valve by turning it
counterclockwise a few turns. If you have a PHD10, 12 or 13, set the pressure to 1psi.

Run the C0 (Combined) cycle with no ultrasound.

To get the highest effectiveness out of this flushing method, replace the small filters beforehand or make sure
they are clean enough not to create too much resistance to the flow.
Reverse Flushing with an RF Cap 
If you have a Reverse Flushing cap for your print head, here is another method of cleaning heavily clogged
print heads. It will run the fluid in a reverse direction, pushing the clog out of the print head as opposed to
pushing it through the nozzles, as it happens during the forward flushing.

Keep the vent hole in the RF cap closed with the screw.

First, we need to clean the insides of the RF Cap. This is very important to prevent clogging of the
nozzles from the outside of a print head.
● Switch the tubing to the Vacuum-Assisted Forward Flushing setup.
● Open the vent hole in the RF Cap.
● Run the C1 cycle for 15 minutes.
● If you have a Sonic Flow RF Cap (the one with 2 ports): Connect one port of the RF Cap to the
pressure port of the machine. Connect the second port of the RF Cap to the dummy fitting on the
adapter plate. Plug the print head inputs. Run the F1 cycle for 15 minutes with a pressure not
exceeding 5 psi.

Connect the RF Cap to the pressure port and the print head to the vacuum port, as shown on the diagram
above. Run the C0 cycle. Because all the pressure is applied to the outside of the nozzles, it’s safe to use a
high pressure of up to 10 psi.

Forward Flushing 

Forward flushing can be done but not recommended for Epson heads. Please exercise caution: follow our
recommendations, especially regarding the maximum pressure and ultrasound.

Connect your print head as shown on this diagram.

Set the pressure to 2 psi. PHD9 or 11 will require watching the pressure during the cleaning cycles, because it
doesn’t have an automatic pressure control. If pressure starts climbing, reduce it immediately. PHD10, 12 or
13 will take care of that by itself.

Run the Forward cycle. If you have a 75 kHz ultrasonic tank, it’s safe to use ultrasound. You can set the sonic
power to 25% on the tank controls and run the Forward cycle with 10% ultrasound (F1). If you have a
standard 40 kHz ultrasonic tank, you will need to install the dampening plate (as shown on the picture above)
and run the Forward cycle with only 5% ultrasound (F0.5), though this method may result in a print head
damage.

Checking nozzles is possible only with low-viscosity fluids, which are:

● Fluid 1DX (for solvent-based and UV heads)
● Flushing solution that comes with your ink
● Distilled water (for water-based heads only)

You probably won’t see a curtain of jets at a pressure of 2 psi. If you try increasing it for a moment to see the
jets, be advised that it’s dangerous: you may over-pressurize and destroy the print head. The safest method
of testing is on a printer. Allow the print head to dry for several hours before installing it on a printer.

Important Notes 

If you are working with Epson heads that were running UV curable ink, use the Recovery Fluids DX-C and
DX-B which are designed specifically for Epson heads.

Another effective fluid for Epson heads with eco-solvent inks is DX-A and DX-B.

DX-D effectively cleans water-based inks such as dye sublimation, dispersed dye or reactive dye, but don’t
use it on water-based DX4 or DX5 heads, because this fluid contains some solvent, which will melt the plastic
parts if they’re not solvent-proof. Hint: if your DX5 head has a green electric connector, then it’s safe to use
DX-D on it.

We’d like to hear from you. Please share your experiences in print head recovery by emailing us at
support@solventcartridges.com