Why Does My Epson EcoTank Print Lines?
Lines, streaks, and banding across your prints are one of the most common problems with Epson EcoTank printers used for sublimation. The good news is that in most cases, the fix is straightforward. The cause is almost always clogged print head nozzles, though print settings and paper feed issues can also play a part.
This guide walks you through diagnosing the problem, cleaning the nozzles, and knowing when to escalate to a power cleaning. If you follow these steps in order, you should be back to clean prints without wasting unnecessary ink.
Step 1: Run a Nozzle Check
Before you clean anything, you need to confirm which nozzles are actually blocked. The Epson EcoTank has a built-in nozzle check utility that prints a test pattern showing the status of each colour channel (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black).
To run a nozzle check on Windows, open the Epson Printer Utility from your system tray or Control Panel, then click "Nozzle Check". On a Mac, open System Preferences, go to Printers & Scanners, select your EcoTank, click Options & Supplies, then Utility, and run the nozzle check from there. You can also run it directly from the printer's control panel on models like the ET-2850 and ET-2810 by holding the stop button for a few seconds (check your model's manual for the exact button combination).
The printer will produce a pattern of fine horizontal lines in each colour. A healthy nozzle check shows solid, unbroken lines across all four colours. If you see gaps, missing segments, or faint patches in any of the colour blocks, those nozzles are partially or fully clogged.
Take note of which colours are affected. If only one colour has gaps, the issue is isolated to that channel. If multiple colours show problems, the print head may need more thorough attention.
Step 2: Head Cleaning (For Minor Clogs)
If your nozzle check shows minor gaps, a standard head cleaning should sort it. Open the Epson Printer Utility and select "Head Cleaning". The printer will push ink through the nozzles to clear any dried ink or debris.
After the cleaning cycle completes, run another nozzle check to see if the gaps have cleared. If there is some improvement but the pattern still is not perfect, you can run a second head cleaning cycle. Do not run more than two cycles back-to-back. Each cleaning uses a fair amount of ink, and running them repeatedly without pausing can push air into the ink lines, which makes the problem worse.
If two cleaning cycles have not fully resolved the issue, wait at least six hours before trying again. This gives the ink time to soften any stubborn dried residue in the nozzles. After the wait, run another nozzle check. Often, the combination of cleaning plus resting time is enough to clear the remaining blockage.
Step 3: Power Cleaning (For Stubborn Clogs)
If standard head cleaning has not worked after a couple of attempts with rest periods in between, it is time to use the Power Cleaning function. This is a more aggressive cleaning cycle that pushes significantly more ink through the print head. It uses roughly three to four times as much sublimation ink as a standard clean, so only use it when the regular cleaning has genuinely failed.
You can find the Power Cleaning option in the Epson Printer Utility under the Maintenance tab. On some models, you may need to access it through the printer's control panel. For a full walkthrough of this process, see our guide on how to perform a power cleaning on Epson EcoTank printers.
After a power cleaning, run a nozzle check straight away. If the pattern is now clean, you are good to go. If there are still gaps after a power clean, the nozzles may need a manual clean or the print head itself could be reaching the end of its life. Manual cleaning involves removing the print head and soaking it in a cleaning solution, which we cover in our print head cleaning guide for the ET-2810 series.
Other Causes of Lines on Prints
Wrong Print Settings
Lines and banding do not always come from clogged nozzles. One of the most overlooked causes is printing in Draft or Fast Economy mode. These lower-quality settings reduce the number of passes the print head makes across the page, which creates visible gaps between each pass, particularly in areas of solid colour or gradients. For sublimation work, you should always print at High Quality or at least Standard quality. Check your print driver settings before each job, as some applications can default back to draft mode.
Paper Feed Issues
If your nozzle check comes out perfectly clean on plain paper, but you still see lines when printing on sublimation paper, the problem is likely mechanical rather than ink-related. Sublimation paper is slightly thicker and has a different coating to standard paper, which can cause it to feed unevenly through the printer. Uneven feeding creates inconsistent gaps between print passes, resulting in visible horizontal lines.
Make sure you are loading the paper correctly, with the printable (whiter, brighter) side facing the right direction for your printer model. Fan the paper before loading to prevent sheets from sticking together. Also check that the paper guides in the tray are snug against the stack without being too tight, as both too-loose and too-tight guides can cause feeding issues.
Printer Sitting Idle
Sublimation ink is dye-based, and like any dye ink, it can dry out in the nozzles if the printer sits unused for extended periods. If you only print occasionally, try to run a small test print at least once a week. Even printing a simple colour chart or nozzle check pattern is enough to keep ink flowing through all the channels and prevent clogs from forming in the first place.
A Simple Decision Tree
To save time, here is the order you should work through when lines appear on your prints:
First, check your print settings. Make sure you are not printing in draft mode. If the setting is correct, run a nozzle check. If the nozzle check is clean but you still see lines on sublimation paper, check your paper orientation and feed path. If the nozzle check shows gaps, run one or two standard head cleanings with a six-hour gap between attempts. If standard cleaning does not fix it, run a power cleaning. If power cleaning does not fix it, move on to a manual print head clean.
Most cases resolve at the head cleaning stage. Power cleaning and manual intervention are rarely needed if you maintain a regular printing schedule and keep your ink topped up. Keeping a spare set of sublimation ink on hand means you will not be caught short after a cleaning cycle drains the tanks.