Repeatedly pressing Clean without inspecting the result can turn a print-quality problem into an expensive guessing exercise. A nozzle-check pattern gives you a small, repeatable sample to compare before and after a manufacturer-supported maintenance step.

Start with the pattern, not the strongest option

Use the nozzle-check procedure for the exact printer, with the specified paper and no unresolved error message. Keep the sheet and note the time. Compare it with the complete and incomplete examples in that model's guide.

Epson's cited nozzle-check instructions distinguish a complete pattern, gaps or faint lines, and a pattern with most lines missing. Those conditions lead to different actions. A complete nozzle pattern is a reason to investigate other print settings or causes rather than blindly escalating cleaning.

Run only the indicated maintenance step. Do not turn off the printer or open its scanner unit during a cleaning cycle when the guide prohibits it. Print the next check and place the sheets side by side; an impression that the page looks slightly better is less useful than seeing which pattern segments changed.

Respect the model's stopping rules

Power Cleaning is not a universal next button. Read its ink-level prerequisites and waiting interval first. For example, Epson's ET-15000/L14150 procedure requires each tank to be at least one-third full and at least twelve hours before another Power Cleaning. Applying those figures to an unrelated model would be unsafe guesswork.

If you have already reached the model's stated cycle limit, stop and follow its waiting or support instructions. Keep the check sheets, maintenance count and any displayed message for the technician. Do not improvise flushing fluids or reach into a moving printhead path.

Resume a normal document only after the check or manufacturer guidance supports it. The goal is an evidenced improvement with controlled maintenance, not the largest number of cleaning cycles you can complete in one sitting.

Sources: Epson nozzle-check decisions; Epson ET-15000 Power Cleaning limits.