Move the printhead away from the home position as discussed in other FAQ sections. The capping station is underneath the printhead ‘home’ position to the right of the printer as you look at it. Most Epson’s we’ve looked at, from 980 to 7000, operate the capping station as follows:

As the print head moves back to the home position, it hits and pushes a small plastic post / pillar. It continues moving for a few millimeters, and as the post is moved over that distance, a small foam pad (the capping station) is raised up and to the right. In normal operation, then, the movement of the print head actually causes the capping operation with no extra motors or complex mechanics. To the right is a small animation that shows the printhead capping station being operated through the use of a finger. For simplicity, we photographed this without a cover on the printer, but mostly you will see this part hidden away under the printer cover.

You need to check for relatively smooth operation of the capping station post. As the sponge is raised, check that it sits level, and is evenly sprung. You can see that under the front and back of the sponge pad is a small spring; WITH CAUTION: carefully check that each spring is working smoothly and correctly. Do not be heavy-handed here as overzealous approach can result in a spring flying off to unknown parts of your print-room.

There is another image of the printhead capping pad here: How do I clean the parking pad?.

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