How to Fix Missing White Ink in an Epson L1800 DTF Printer- Diagnosis and Repair Tips

Question: My Epson L1800 DTF printer suddenly stopped printing white ink. After watching your YouTube videos, I disassembled and thoroughly cleaned the printhead and manifold, and verified that the nozzles are not clogged. The white ink channels appear open, but white still doesn't print correctly—only the first and last lines appear on a nozzle check. Also, my capping station is spraying ink upwards during cleaning. Is my printhead salvageable, or should I replace it? Would the Tornado and TMS tools help, and which cleaning solutions do you recommend?

Answer:

Printhead Diagnosis and Why You’re Not Seeing White Ink

From what you've described, you’ve done an impressive and thorough job cleaning the printhead, including removing the manifold, ultrasonically cleaning it, checking all the nozzles with a syringe, and ensuring no apparent clogs. The fact that you can see ink bead up at the nozzles indicates that the printhead isn't internally clogged. That’s good news—it suggests the printhead is not permanently damaged and may still be salvageable.

You also mentioned an interesting symptom: when pushing fluid through one of the white ink nipples, some fluid exits the other white channel. This could suggest internal crossflow between the channels inside the printhead, which might occur when one nozzle’s internal seal is compromised. However, minor cross-channel bleeding isn’t unusual during syringe tests and doesn’t necessarily mean failure.

What’s more concerning is that only the first and last segments of the white nozzle pattern are printing. This typically suggests air gaps in the ink channel or failure to maintain proper ink flow, not necessarily a clog. The issue is very likely in the priming process or capping station function rather than the printhead itself.

Printhead Priming and Capping Station Issues

Your next step should be properly parking the printhead and manually priming it to draw ink through all channels. Here's how:

1. Power on the printer and let the printhead park itself onto the capping station naturally. This ensures proper alignment and seal.

2. Connect a syringe (with a tube) to the waste ink line.

3. Gently draw 1.5 ml of air. You should feel slight resistance—a good sign.

   • If you feel no resistance, it means the capping station isn’t sealed correctly.

   • If you feel strong resistance or nothing draws, the capping station may be clogged.

4. Continue to draw slowly up to 2 ml. Hold the plunger at that point for about 10 seconds.

5. You might hear damper membranes crinkling—this signals ink is pulling through the nozzles.

6. Afterward, run a standard cleaning cycle, but avoid vigorous or back-to-back cleanings. Let the printer rest between attempts.

Important: If you skip this process, air bubbles may persist in the white ink lines, especially with DTF inks, which are more viscous and prone to clogging if not properly primed.

Should You Buy the Tornado or TMS Tool?

Based on your test results (ink beading out of all nozzles), you do not need the Watertornado or TMS tools. These are primarily for opening completely blocked nozzles. Since your channels are already open, they wouldn’t offer much additional benefit.

Instead, focus your effort on proper priming and ensuring the capping station is working correctly.

Capping Station Troubleshooting and Videos

The erratic ink spray during cleaning suggests that your capping station is either clogged, misaligned, or has a poor seal. This can prevent proper suction and ink flow, especially for more delicate white ink channels.

Here are several resources that walk you through the most common capping station issues:

• Removing and Installing the Capping Station (https://youtu.be/_cZEkmgIZYc)

• Unclogging the Capping Station (https://youtu.be/WbY_6O1-w2c)

• Capping Station Maintenance (https://youtu.be/5yjq3ZN0qv8)

• Repairing the Capping Station (https://youtu.be/5UC2IMu9V90)

• Rewiring Capping Station Tubes (https://youtu.be/J9im3s8UJfo)

If none of these solve the problem, we have a step-by-step premium video showing how to disassemble and rebuild the L1800 capping station completely, available on our website here:
Capping Station Assembly Guide
(https://bchtechnologies.com/products/video-capping-station-assemble-disassemble-guide-for-l1800-1390-artisan-1430-and-1400)

Recommendations on Cleaning Solutions

Since your nozzles are already flowing and not blocked, no strong cleaning fluid is necessary right now. We suggest using priming fluid or DTF-friendly flushing fluid if you need to re-moisten or stabilize the ink channel.

Our store offers cleaning solutions tailored for DTF use (https://bchtechnologies.com/collections/dtf-cleaning-solutions) in case you later encounter clogs that don’t respond to water flushing.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair due to the hands-on nature of the problems. So, we're not able to provide remote troubleshooting, suggestions, or support for printer repairs. We offer an in-person evaluation and repair service via our local diagnostic facility (https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service). Given the high demand, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis. So, it might take a few weeks before we can arrange for your printer to be dropped off. Our services are structured to repair either the whole printer or specific parts, with clear instructions on how to proceed. However, we acknowledge that our rates aren't the most economical. Thus, we highly recommend that you resort to self-help via online research. You can start by checking out YouTube or visiting our YouTube channel's homepage (https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies). Look for specific videos using the search icon next to "About" on the right-hand side of the menu bar. I receive dozens of queries every day asking about videos for specific topics. Having created videos over the past nine years, it's challenging to remember every single one. Therefore, using YouTube's search function would be most efficient. Plus, YouTube might suggest relevant videos from other channels that could assist you.

Thanks again for reaching out. We're glad to be of help and truly appreciate your kind words—you've made our day! Please keep us posted on your progress, and we hope your L1800 is up and running soon!