The lifetime of an average printer is 200million characters. Which means the print head is capable of printing 4800 pages before it begins to collapse. One thing bear in mind it is not sure that every printer can print 4800 pages. After printing 4200 pages the printer starts collapsing.
Ribbon of the printer should be of high quality, which helps in lubricating the print head in the end.
You should know when the ink or the lubricant decrease and now the time is to change it. If you ignore this dust residue can be the cause of blocking your printer.
The print head positioning gap should be at appropriate position. Normally in Epson print head, it is marked as -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. You just require adjusting the gap. A wrong position can harm the lifespan of the printer. One can read the manual that how can adjust the position of the print head.
A faulty ribbon mask can spoil the ribbon threads. Although the retailer gives you the warranty but it does not include the print head. Even if you buy a new Epson print head, no warranty is give for it.
People are not aware about the maintenance of the Epson print head.