How to Troubleshoot Blank Printing Issues on the Epson ET-8550

Question: 

I have an Epson ET-8550, and no ink is showing up on the paper when I print. I’ve already replaced the printhead, but it didn’t fix the issue. Unfortunately, I live several hours away, so I can’t bring it in. Can you help me figure out what’s wrong?

Answer:

Thanks for contacting us at BCH Technologies! Thank you for your interest in our YouTube channel. Your question is valuable to us as we can improve our skill-set by answering better and in the process provide solutions for technical problems.

If the problem is that after replacing your printhead no ink comes out on paper it can be for several reasons. A detailed process to follow in order to troubleshoot this problem is like the following:

Inspect the Damper to Get Them priming correctly.

The most obvious cause is blank printing, usually due to insufficient ink supply. Your printer cannot print anything without ink in the damper, the damper is used to control how much color flow in between printhead so you will need to prime it with ink before starting. The ET-8550 runs a priming routine when you first use of the printer, so if you change the printhead in the middle, it won't be primed.

Here’s how you can do it with Et-8550.

Move the print head carriage to the capping station.

Draw slowly from the waste ink tube with a syringe. You should feel slight resistance, not totally drawing air. If you feel you are drawing air, move the printhead to the left a bit, and push down.

If ink is drawn into the syringe, it means that your printer heads are not completely clogged and inks are in some of the dampers, at least. That bodes well as you should be able to get some ink on paper. Of course, if it does not suck ink in at all then this would mean a more serious issue with the ink system, either clogging, or you didn't create a tight seal with the printhead.

Verify all FFC (Flat Flexible Cable) connections to the Printhead

This issue will still not print blank after you replace the printhead, if the FFC connections are loose or faulty. The cables of this type are crucial for communication between the printer mainboard and the printhead, so if there is any malfunction in their functioning than it will lead to heavily distorted or failed printing. Check all the connections, they should be tight and in good shape. Re-seat them if necessary. If you need a new pair of FFC cables, here is where you can find them https://bchtechnologies.com/ffc-bundle-for-epson-ecotank-et-8550-printhead-2pcs-of14x2-pins-ffc-flat-flex/

Consider the Mainboard

If the dampers are primed and the FFCs connections have all been checked for security but you still experience problems, is likely that there may be a hardware issue on mainboard. Issues here would have to be looked at by a professional tech as the mainboard does all of the communication between your printer and printhead.

Printhead Quality

Remember to account for the quality of the replacement printhead as well. The problem may be from where you sourced the part. A brand new Epson ET-8550 print head is generally for sale at the cost of $150 to $200 USD. If your purchase was from Amazon, it could perhaps be inferior or just plain faulty equipment to begin with: thus your continued problems. I have a video here to address this issue https://youtu.be/8GFTccfqKpE.

These types of printer issues are a complex problem to deal with due to the nature in which they operate, hands on.

Troubleshooting, recommendations or assist with printer repairs cannot be done remotely. However, if you want in-person testing or repair through our local diagnostics facility (Printer Repair Service), it is available for a fee at https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service In any case, due to the high volume of repairs and limited capacity performed by only handful part-time employees on first-come-first -served basis, we may not be able schedule your repair until few weeks from now. He has is trained for Whole Printer and Each Part Level Repairs. You are able to mail it back or walk in we will give you the directions whether way.

We know that we may not offer the best rates. Therefore, we strongly recommend you to fix it yourself using internet help. If you are not familiar with our print quality issue Youtube channel: https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies, use its SEARCH to find the VIDEO related to your ISSUE. We have been making videos for about nine years and there is probably the best way to find something helpful.

Again, thank you for reaching and I hope these steps have fixed the Epson ET-8550 issue for you.