Epson 9890 Print Head Problem

I don't have a 9890, but I do have a 9900...I think they are fairly close. I think it is more likely a stubborn clog, rather than a problem with the head. It could also be air in the lines or cartridge. Have you checked the wiper blade in the cleaning unit? Make sure it is clean. You can also take the cartridge out and shake it. I have heard some people have had success bleeding air out of the cartridge...since it is Piezography, maybe Jon Cone can give you advice on how to do that with his setup. Finally, if it is not working for awhile, sometimes it is best to just turn the printer off and come back the next day if you can...sometimes that helps.
Since the printer is new, I think it is unlikely that there are any major problems with the lines, but you could open up the side and check to see if there are any signs of leaks in the lines. I used to get very frequent clogs, and it turned out to be a failing hose in the cleaning unit...it was not properly pulling a vacuum on the head, so it could not easily clean. In the meantime, keep cleaning color pairs with matte black, and printing full sheets of images in between. I would choose a full scale black and white image rather than all black...the printer driver may decide to print a color other than matte black, and if it is totally homogenous you will not use much or any of the black you want. With a longer tonal range you are likely to use matte black...

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

I've been troubleshooting my 9900 for a few months now and have learned more than I care to about Epson printer(s).

If the pattern is always showing the same dropped nozzle, then it is a stubborn clog. Leaky lines, air in the system, capping station problems, wiper issues will always result in wandering dropouts, two nozzle check patterns would not look the same.

Once you've cleaned it all multiple times, there is no point in wasting any more ink doing the same. Try running a few single color prints at the finest and highest setting.

Failing that, you may wish to try the Windex on paper towel trick (google), or as some recommend distilled water on paper towel option.

It is quite possible that a single missing nozzle may not affect the print output much unless you were to use a loupe and in time, with repeated use, the nozzle may come back.

Mine seems to be dead. Replacing a head out of warranty is simply not worth it with the Epson line. Waiting for the P9000 to become available now

It could be what is referred to as a deflection, where something on the surface of the head is not allowing the ink through. This can be physical damages but usually is caused by ink build up on the head which the wiper isn’t able to remove. Cleaning cycles often don’t fix deflections.

You might drying using some distilled water on a micro fiber cloth (do not use windex) and soaking the head to soften it up (if it’s ink) and maybe the wiper would clean it. Also you may want to pull the wiper and make sure it’s clean and doesn’t have ink build up on it. I think there is a youtube video on how to check the wiper, isn’t very hard to do.

Here are a couple of close-ups (on two different papers).

Click to enlarge.