Disappearing Ink

So the printer is having some issues. That's okay, I'll just "Clean the Nozzles". Here's the level of ink before cleaning the nozzles.

It took some doing, but after four cleanings, the printout is looking better. Let's check the ink again, shall we?

Aaaiyah! What the Frak? It prints out a tiny little pattern after it cleans to confirm that the nozzles are printing properly but that's not nearly enough to account for this massive loss of ink. I understand it uses some ink to clean, but this much?!? Just where is the freakish stuff going?

Good thing ink is so cheap. Oh, that's right, ounce for ounce it's the most expensive stuff on the whole planet. Sheesh!