Epson L121 and L1210 Do Not Print, Print Blank Pages, or the Lights Are Flashing: What to Do in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Last Updated on 14.04.2026 by DriverNew

This guide applies to Epson L121 and Epson L1210 printers.

When this guide will help

• The driver is installed, but the printer does not print.
• A document is sent to print, but no sheet comes out.
• Documents remain in the print queue.
• The printer is visible in Windows, but nothing happens.
• The printer prints blank pages.
• There are streaks, gaps, or incorrect colors in prints.
• The printer does not pick up paper or shows a paper jam.
• The lights on the printer are flashing and it is not clear what that means.

Official ways to check and solve problems

If Epson L121 or L1210 does not print after driver installation

Step 1. Restart the printer and the computer

1. Turn the printer off with the power button.
2. Do not disconnect the USB cable. It must remain connected both to the printer and to the computer.
3. Disconnect only the printer power cable from the outlet for 30 seconds.
4. Plug the power back in.
5. Turn the printer on.
6. Without disconnecting the USB cable, restart the computer.

Step 2. Connect the printer directly to the computer

1. Make sure the USB cable is firmly connected both to the printer and to the computer.
2. If the printer is connected through a USB hub or USB splitter, disconnect it.
3. Connect the printer directly to a USB port on the computer.
4. If that does not help, move the cable to another USB port.
5. If you have another USB cable, try it.

Step 3. Make Epson the default printer

Windows 11:
Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.

Windows 10:
Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.

1. Find Epson L121 or Epson L1210.
2. Open that printer page.
3. Click Set as default, if that button is available.

If the button is not available, find the switch Let Windows manage my default printer and turn it off. Then select your Epson again and click Set as default.

Step 4. Check whether offline mode is enabled

1. Open the print queue window.
2. At the top of the window, click Printer.
3. Make sure Work Offline and Pause Printing are turned off.

If there is a check mark next to either item, click it to turn that mode off.

Step 5. Open the print queue and remove everything unnecessary

Windows 11:
Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > your Epson > Open print queue.

Windows 10:
Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners > your Epson > Open queue.

After that, a window opens with the list of documents Windows is trying to print.

1. If documents are listed, delete all of them.
2. Wait 10 to 15 seconds.
3. Try printing one simple document.

Step 6. Restart the Windows print service

1. Press Win + R.
2. Type services.msc.
3. Press Enter.
4. Find Print Spooler in the list.
5. Right-click that entry.
6. Select Restart.

Step 7. Check where Windows is sending the print job

1. Press Win + R.
2. Type control printers.
3. Press Enter.
4. In the window that opens, right-click Epson L121 or Epson L1210.
5. Select Printer properties.
6. Open the Ports tab.

For a USB connection, one of these is usually the correct choice:

• USB001;
• USB002;
• or another port labeled USB Virtual Printer Port.

If LPT1 is selected, that is usually the wrong setting for this printer.

1. Select a port such as USB001, USB002, or USB Virtual Printer Port.
2. Click Apply.
3. Click OK.
4. Try printing again.

Step 8. If necessary, remove the printer and add it again

Windows 11:
Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.

Windows 10:
Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.

1. Select your Epson.
2. Click Remove.
3. Restart the computer.
4. Connect the printer to the computer by USB.
5. Add the printer again through Printers & scanners.

If documents remain in the print queue

1. Open the print queue.
2. Delete all documents from the list.
3. Restart the Print Spooler service.
4. Restart the printer and the computer.
5. Try printing only one short document again.

If the problem repeats, check whether old or extra printer entries remain in Windows. If they do, remove them.

If the printer prints blank pages

1. Make sure the document really contains text or an image.
2. Check the ink level in the tanks. The level must be above the lower line.
3. Make sure the correct paper size is selected both in the document and in the print settings.
4. If the driver has a Skip Blank Page setting, check whether it is appropriate for your task.
5. Run a nozzle check.
6. If the nozzle check shows gaps, run print head cleaning.

If there is no improvement after cleaning, you can repeat it once more. If nothing changes after three cleanings in a row, turn the printer off and wait at least 12 hours. Then run the nozzle check again.

If prints have streaks, gaps, or incorrect colors

1. Check the ink level.
2. Make sure the correct paper type is selected in the print settings.
3. Check that grayscale printing is not enabled if you need color printing.
4. Run a nozzle check.
5. If the nozzle check shows gaps, run print head cleaning.
6. If the lines still look uneven after cleaning, run print head alignment.

If the printer has not been used for a long time and normal cleaning does not help, a deeper cleaning option may be available in the Epson software. Use it only as a last step because it uses more ink.

If the printer does not pick up paper or shows a paper jam

1. Remove all paper from the tray.
2. Check for wrinkled, damp, or overly thin sheets.
3. Load the paper again.
4. Move the edge guide to the edge of the paper.
5. Make sure the stack is not too high.

If the printer feeds multiple sheets at once:

1. Remove the paper.
2. Straighten the edges of the stack slightly.
3. Load the paper again.

If paper is jammed:

1. Cancel printing on the computer.
2. Carefully remove the jammed paper completely.
3. Check that no torn scraps remain inside.
4. Press the Cancel button on the L121 or the Stop button on the L1210 if the error does not clear automatically.

If the error still does not clear after that, turn the printer off and on again. For the L1210, if the paper light keeps flashing, load A4 or Letter paper into the rear tray and press Stop to try to eject any remaining paper from inside.

If the printer was just filled with ink for the first time

After the first fill, the printer may perform initial ink charging.

For Epson L121: after filling the ink, the power light may flash for about 20 minutes. Do not interrupt this process.

For Epson L1210: if the ink light is on, the initial ink charging may not be complete. Follow the startup instructions for the first ink fill.

If this is not the first fill, such a long process is usually not considered normal. If the printer keeps flashing for a long time, shows an error, or does not print after a normal refill, move to the troubleshooting steps above.

What the lights mean on Epson L121

• The power light is on: the printer is turned on.
• The power light is flashing: the printer is performing an operation. Wait until the flashing stops before turning the printer off.
• The power and error lights are flashing: there may be a paper jam or an internal error. Remove the paper, check for any foreign objects inside, and turn the printer on again.
• The power and error lights flash at the same time: the service life of the waste ink pad is near the end or already ended.
• The power light is flashing and the error light is on: there is no paper or multiple sheets were fed at once.
• The power light is on and the error light is on: the initial ink charging may not be complete.

What the lights mean on Epson L1210

• The power light is on: the printer is turned on.
• The power light is flashing: the printer is performing an operation. Wait until the flashing stops before turning the printer off.
• The ink light is on: the initial ink charging may not be complete.
• The paper light is on: there is no paper or multiple sheets were fed. Load paper and press Stop.
• The paper light is flashing: there may be a paper jam. Remove the paper and press Stop.
• The ink and paper lights are on: the printer may have been turned off incorrectly. Press Stop, then run a nozzle check and delete all stuck documents from the print queue.
• The ink and paper lights flash at the same time: the service life of the waste ink pad is near the end or already ended.

How to check the printer itself without a computer

For Epson L121:

1. Turn the printer off.
2. Load a few sheets of plain paper.
3. Disconnect the USB cable from the printer.
4. Press and hold Cancel.
5. Without releasing it, press Power.
6. When the printer turns on, release both buttons.

For Epson L1210:

1. Turn the printer off.
2. Load a few sheets of plain paper.
3. Press and hold Stop.
4. Without releasing it, press Power.
5. When the printer turns on, release both buttons.

The printer should print a test sheet.

• The test sheet printed normally. That means the printer itself is working. The problem should be looked for in Windows, the cable, the settings, or the driver.
• The test sheet has gaps. You need to clean the print head.
• The test sheet did not print at all. There may be a printer hardware problem.

How to clean the print head using the button on the printer

For Epson L121:

1. Make sure the printer is not showing an error.
2. Load a few sheets of plain paper.
3. Press and hold Cancel for about 3 seconds.

For Epson L1210:

1. Make sure the printer is not showing an error.
2. Load a few sheets of plain paper.
3. Press and hold Stop for about 5 seconds.

Cleaning starts. During cleaning, the power light flashes. Do not turn the printer off until cleaning is complete.

After cleaning, run the nozzle check again. If there is no improvement after three cleanings in a row, turn the printer off and wait at least 12 hours. Then repeat the check.

Additional user tips

Important: this section contains unofficial user tips. They often help, but they are not part of Epson’s official instructions. First complete the official checks, and only then move to these options.

• Connect the printer to a rear USB port on the system unit instead of a front one.
• If several similar Epson entries remain in Windows, remove the extra ones and keep only one working printer.
• If the printer stopped printing after a Windows update, fully remove the device from Windows and reinstall the driver from the official page for your model.
• If print quality improved after cleaning but gaps still remain, do not run many cleanings in a row. Let the printer sit for a few hours, and only then test again.
• If Windows created another copy of the printer after changing the USB port, check which icon actually prints, then remove the extra one.
• If one document gets stuck again and again, first try printing a plain text file. This helps determine whether the problem is with the printer itself or only with one specific program.

When it is better to contact service

• The test sheet will not print at all without a computer.
• Print quality does not improve after several cleanings.
• The error lights keep flashing after the jammed paper was removed.
• The printer keeps showing an error for a long time after a normal refill.
• The waste ink pad related lights are flashing.
• Printing still does not work after removing and adding the printer again.

Brief conclusion

First check the USB cable, the print queue, offline mode, and the default printer in Windows. If that does not help, print a test sheet without a computer. Based on the result, it will be easier to understand whether you need print head cleaning, a printer reconnection, or service.