How do I get a printer running after it was dormant for 5 years? -

I have a Epson cx5200 was working fine five years ago. Took it out of storage, and it said it needed black ink. I replaced the black cartridge but no ink prints color or black. Does something need to be cleaned?

If a printer has not been used for a long period of time, the many tiny holes that make up a modern inkjet printer s head may become clogged with dried ink. Clogged printer heads greatly affect the quality of the printing job and can eventually lead to damage to the printer. It is very important to clean out printer heads when they are clogged. Printer Self-Cleaning Most inkjet printers have some sort of automatic utility program by which you can instruct the printer to go through a self-cleaning cycle. A number of these cleanings, in succession, will usually take care of a clogged printer head. However because the cleaning cycle needs to be repeated multiple times, a significant amount of ink can be consumed during this process - as much as 10-25% of the cartridge s ink. If the self-cleaning cycle does not solve the problem, try turning the printer off overnight to allow the ink to soften. Turn the printer on the next day and try printing a test pattern to see whether the problem has either disappeared or become less noticeable. This ink-saving procedure can work effectively because sometimes the dried ink on the print head needs time to soften before the printer head can be cleaned completely. Try running the self-cleaning utility again one or more times. Steps for Manually Cleaning the Printer Head If the overnight cleaning still does not work, there may be a layer of thick ink that is blocking the holes of the printer s head. The next option is to manually clean the printer head. Follow these steps: * Determine from the owner s manual where the print head is located. * Remove the cartridge from your printer and then dip a cotton swab in hot water or isopropyl alcohol and rub it against the print head. This should loosen any crusted ink. NOTE: Be careful, especially if you use isopropyl alcohol to clean your print heads: Some printers use rubber gaskets, and if you get isopropyl alcohol on the gaskets it could dry them out. * For models where the print head is in the printer, drop 7 to 10 drops of isopropyl alcohol (91% denatured isopropyl alcohol - not rubbing alcohol) down the ink receptacle area where the ink actually flows from the cartridge into the head. Run a few self-cleaning utilities. If possible, allow the printer to sit a few hours or overnight and repeat the self-cleaning utility. * If the print head is in the cartridge, soak the cartridge print head in hot water. Allow it to soak overnight. Dry the print head area with a paper towel. Repeat the self-cleaning utility. * If the hot water soak did not unclog the print head, place the cartridge printer head in isopropyl alcohol and allow it to soak overnight. Use a damp paper towel to wipe off the print head area and dry carefully. Try the self-cleaning utility again. * If the alcohol soak did not unclog the print head in the cartridge you may need to purchase a new cartridge. This will provide new print heads that won t be clogged. Contact a service technician for repair of print heads in the printer if the alcohol did not unclog the printer head.

You need to purchase a cleaning cartridge. Epson have a permanent print head and if the ink dries in the nozzle or heads it needs to be cleaned out! Really it should be done before storying and then left with the cleaning cartridge in place to stop the heads drying. Chances are after 5 years the damage is permanent. It is probably better, cheaper and easier to replace the printer with the cheapest Epson printer in the stores and it will still be faster, quieter and more reliable than the CX5200 than the cost to get a cleaning cartridge for the color and one for the black and then try and clean the printer heads on it.