epson printer (leaking black cartridge)

[queen 1954]

hi, was given an epson stylus printer c64 which wouldnt print any black so as the ink level was low i replaced the cartridge tonight.however it still wont print black and the ink has leaked out everywhere.have tried the cleaning programme 3 times and tried wiping it all clean with a damp cloth but still appears to be blocked.all ive ended up with are black hands lol.any tips would be appreciated

[ianmunt]

A feature of epson printers is that the carttridge is just an ink reservoir,the print head is built in to the machine.This means you cannot readily get to where the blockage is. It is possible to buy cleaning cartridges which contain ink solvents.You fit these as a normal cartridge and run cleaning cycles repeatedly until (hopefully) the problem is cured.However printers are so inexpensive there comes a time when its more realistic to replace than to restore.Try looking at the IJT web site www.ijtdirect.co.uk They will supply "free" printers if you buy a number of ink cartridges.