How do I check the nozzles on my printer for routine maintenance?

How do you know if the issue is the ink cartridge or the printer itself?

• I have an Epson Stylus C88+ which I hate with a passion and I'm just about to throw it out the window. I bought Reset Able Chip ink cartridges which worked just fine for about 3 months. Soon, I began getting every few lines missing the top portion of the print, then stripes across the entire document. I've cleaned headers, nozzles, and every other ink-eating maintenance possible, and it isn't getting any better. I thought maybe the issue was the RAC cartridge, but I really don't want to spend another $20 for an actual Epson brand only to find that the issue is with the printer. Any previous experience or advice? I'm also thinking of buying HP DeskJet 3000 instead. Any feedback?

• Answer:

  First, there is no reason to hate Epson. How many years old is your printer? It was discontinued at least 5 years ago. That's a pretty good track record. Second, it sounds like you have a partial head clog. The built-in head cleaning floods the heads with ink in the hope of washing away the clog. Ink will not dissolve ink. You need a solution designed to break down clogs, like this one: http://ccs-digital.com/epson-head-cleaner.asp Here is an article to make your printer and ink last longer http://ccs-digital.com/caring-for-epson-printers.asp HP makes a nice printer but you will find that the ink is a lot more expensive. You can buy several epson printers for what you will spend in HP ink.