I have an Epson printer too, I know of what you speak.
Hmmmm. I think I might need to buy more ink for my EcoTank in about July or so...
I have a Epson XP-620 inkjet and use it with my windows 7 desktop pc.
I almost replaced it this past month as it was printing with streaky lines and no matter how many cleanings or adding a new cartridge, it was not printing right.
The fix was to uninstall all the printing software and restart the pc. I next went to the Epson website and downloaded the latest software and it now prints perfectly. Maybe some Windows update messed with the printing software?
BTW a good source of ink is www.4inkjets.com
I have used them since 2007 and their refill ink is as good as the OEM ink. You will save 2 to 3 times the money with the refill. The ink does not fade. I also use HP Bright White 100 brightness paper and their photo paper.