Death by suffocation

Do not let the Epson printer head get exposed to air. If a cartridge is empty, there is a well of ink left in the print head to keep it moist and UNCLOGGED. If you remove the empty cartridge without replacing it with a new one, that well of ink will dry and clog the head. That's why Epson printers keep track of how much your print--so they can stop you before you let it dry out.