I've got an Epson SX235W printer that has four separate ink tanks – black, cyan, magenta and yellow. I recently had to replace the cyan and subsequent prints didn't come out properly – the cyan was missing.
I reseated the cartridge and printed a test page – the cyan was there but not fully. A couple of uses of the printers "Head Cleaning" option and the quality is ~90% but it's still noticeably worse than the other colours.
I could carry on using the "Head Cleaning" option and using the "Nozzle Check" option to see if I can get it better, but that'll run the option on all four print heads wasting black, magenta and yellow ink for no benefit.
Is there any way I can run the "Head Cleaning" option on just the cyan head? I suppose I could take the other three cartridges out, but I'm not sure that the printer will actually work in that state – it certainly doesn't report the ink levels in the remaining cartridges.
Best Answer
No, but...
The direct answer to what you asked is no, there's no way to do that. The cleaning cycle will clear some, even most, clogs, but it isn't a panacea. In fact, some printers will automatically stop running repeated cleaning requests after a preset number of times, and give you a message that further cleaning cycles aren't likely to help. Running cleaning cycles on a single color isn't included as an option because if you get to the situation you describe, it probably won't help, anyway. However, you can likely fix your printing problem another way.
When built-in cleaning cycles don't work
The cleaning cycle relies on the solvent in the ink to dissolve the dried ink. However, that is more ink. If it doesn't quickly dissolve the clog, it can build up and even make things worse. The cleaning cycle exposes the clog to solvent for a few seconds. Stubborn clogs can take orders of magnitude more time. The fix is to actually clean the printhead. I'll describe several procedures you can use to do that.
Printhead Cleaning
You basically need to expose the clog to an ink solvent long enough for it to dissolve. Part of the fix is using a procedure to accomplish that, and part is the solvent you use. I'll start with the solvent.
Ink solvent
There are many things that will dissolve ink, but doing it in and on the printhead has special considerations. The nozzle holes are microscopic, and any impurities in the cleaner can clog them. Some chemicals can react with chemicals used in some inks and cause strange things, like making residual ink gel. Tap water can be corrosive to the printhead, and contains minerals that can eventually clog the nozzles when residual is evaporated in the printing process.
There are printhead cleaning solutions you can buy and various concoctions you can make yourself (but don't trust every YouTube video that shows how to mix somebody's home-brewed cleaner from household ingredients).
I've successfully used distilled water (sold in gallon jugs in the grocery store for use in ironing, etc.), isopropyl alcohol (the common 70% is fine), and various commercial cleaners. I found that the commercial cleaners tend to do a faster and better job. If you have the time to purchase it, that's the way to go, and then keep it on-hand for next time. In a pinch, use distilled water or isopropyl alcohol. They may take a little longer. It will help to warm them a little, but nothing close to boiling temperatures.
Commercial printhead cleaner is sold in small bottles, often in the ink section of your office supply or computer store. Many of the online companies selling ink refill kits also sell this. Here's an example sold on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Printhead-Cleaner-Epson-Printers-150ml/dp/B004VMWTSO (I've never tried this particular product, this is just to illustrate what I'm referring to).
Procedure if your printhead is a user-replaceable part
If the printhead is a user-replaceable part, the printer may even have been shipped with that as a component that you insert yourself during setup. Insertion and removal is usually a simple operation; the printhead drops into the carriage and a lever holds it in place. In this case, cleaning is pretty simple.
Procedure if your printhead is NOT a user-replaceable part
If printhead removal is not a trivial process, you can accomplish the cleaning in the printer with a different procedure. I'll describe the steps here, but it's always clearer if you see it in action. I found a video from a printhead cleaner manufacturer that demonstrates a slight variation of the procedure using tools they provide. The video is pushing a particular commercial product. I've never used this one and can't comment on it, but use this basic procedure with that or another appropriate solvent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i78Tu3RVO3s.
The procedure:
Use an eyedropper or syringe (a few drops at a time).
Note that the video shows use of a syringe with a tube that is supplied with that product. If you use that product, don't use a lot of pressure on the syringe plunger; this works by dissolving the ink, not blasting it with pressure. If you use too much pressure, you could damage the head, or cause the tube to pop off and spray solvent everywhere.
Especially for a situation where only a few of the nozzles are clogged, you may get better results putting in a few drops at a time, letting it sit a few minutes, and repeating, rather than squirting in 2 ml all at once. In the latter case, the cleaner may drain through the good nozzles before it has much time to work on the clogged ones.
If these procedures don't work
If you can't clean the printhead by one of these methods, you need a new printhead or a new printer.