Problems and Solutions
Setup and Software Installation Problems
Tip:
It's a good idea to check Epson's support web site periodically for free updates to your printer driver. Visit http://support.epson.com. Download instructions are posted for your convenience.
The Epson Stylus CX makes noise after ink cartridge installation.
- The first time you install ink cartridges, the Epson Stylus CX must charge its print head for a minute or so. Wait until charging finishes (the green
On light stops flashing) before you turn off the Epson Stylus CX, or it may charge improperly and use excess ink the next time you turn it on.
If the printer stops moving or making noise, but the green
On light is still flashing after 5 minutes, turn off the Epson Stylus CX. If the light is still flashing when you turn it back on, contact Epson as described in Where To Get Help.
- Turn off the Epson Stylus CX, then make sure the ink cartridges are inserted completely and the ink cartridge cover is closed completely. Also make sure no packing material remains in the Epson Stylus CX. Wait a moment, then turn the Epson Stylus CX back on to clear the error.
You're having problems installing the Epson Stylus CX software.
- Make sure your Epson Stylus CX is turned on and the cable is securely connected at both ends. Then carefully follow the installation instructions on the Start Here sheet. Also make sure your system meets the requirements listed in System Requirements.
- Close your other programs, including any screen savers and virus protection software, and install the software again.
- In Windows, make sure the Epson Stylus CX is selected as the default printer and that the correct port is shown in the printer properties.
- If you're using Windows 2000 and you see an error message or your software doesn't install correctly, you may not have software installation privileges. Contact your System Administrator.
- If you're using Windows and the USB port, make sure your system was not upgraded from Windows 95. The USB Printer Device Driver may not install correctly.
- Make sure the USB Controller is working properly in Device Manager. See your Windows help system for details. If it's not working, contact your computer manufacturer.
Printing or Copying Problems
Only the green
On light is on, but nothing prints.
- Make sure the interface cable is connected securely at both ends and meets the requirements listed in System Requirements.
- Run a printer check. If the test page prints, make sure your software is installed correctly.
The Epson Stylus CX sounds as though it is printing, but nothing prints.
- The Epson Stylus CX won't operate properly if it's tilted or at an angle. Place it on a flat, stable surface that extends beyond the base in all directions.
The Epson Stylus CX makes noise when you turn it on or after it has been sitting for awhile.
The Epson Stylus CX is performing routine maintenance.
You don't see the
printer icon in the lower right corner of your screen (taskbar) in Windows.
Try restarting your computer. If you still don't see the icon, follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to Settings or Printers and Faxes, then select Printers.
- Right-click your Epson Stylus CX and select Printing Preferences.
- Click the Maintenance tab.
- Click the Speed and Progress button, then click the Monitoring Preferences button.
- Click the Shortcut Icon box. Then click OK to close the open windows.
Printing is too slow.
Make sure your system meets the requirements listed in System Requirements. If you're printing a high-resolution image, you need more than the minimum requirements listed. You may also need to:
- Clear space on your hard drive or run a defragmentation utility.
- Close programs that you're not using.
- Increase your system's memory.
For the fastest printing, try these tips:
- Choose black ink in your printer settings if your document doesn't include color.
- Choose Draft for Quality Type.
- If the Epson Stylus CX is connected to a USB hub, disconnect unused USB devices.
Print Quality Problems
You see banding (light lines).
- The print head nozzles may need cleaning.
- Select a higher Quality Option or Print Quality and turn off High Speed mode. See Printing in Windows.
- Make sure the printable side of the paper is face up. It's usually brighter or whiter.
- If a dotted line appears in the image, clean the scanner glass with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth (paper towels are not recommended), or use a small amount of glass cleaner on a soft cloth, if necessary. Don't spray glass cleaner directly on the glass.
Your printout is blurry or smeared.
- Make sure your paper isn't damp or curled, or loaded face down (the printable side should be face up).
- Use a support sheet with special paper, or try loading your paper one sheet at a time.
- Make sure your paper meets the specifications listed in Paper.
- Use Epson papers to ensure proper saturation and absorption of genuine Epson inks.
- If you are copying, make sure your original is placed flat against the document table glass and the Epson Stylus CX is not tilted or placed on an uneven surface.
- Remove each sheet from the output tray as it is printed.
- Avoid handling printouts on glossy paper for a few hours to allow the ink to set.
- If ink smears on the back of a printout, clean the inside of the printer.
- If you are using double-sided paper and printing heavily saturated or dark images on the front side of the paper, you may notice that smudges or marks appear on the front when you print the second side. If one side of the paper will contain a lighter image or text, print that side first to eliminate marks or smudging.
Your printout is faint or has gaps.
- The print head nozzles may need cleaning.
- Make sure your paper isn't damaged, old, dirty, or loaded face down. If it is, reload a new stack of paper with the printable side up; it is usually brighter or whiter than the other side. For best results, use genuine Epson paper.
You see wrong or missing colors.
- Make sure your printer software is not set to use black ink only.
- The print head nozzles may need cleaning.
- Try turning off PhotoEnhance.
- Your printed colors can never exactly match your on-screen colors. However, you can use a color management system to get as close as possible. Try using the ICM.
- For best results, use genuine Epson ink and paper.
Your printout is grainy.
- Make sure the printable side of the paper is face up. It's usually brighter or whiter.
- Try using a higher quality paper or select a higher Quality Option or Print Quality setting. See Printing in Windows.
- Select Photo RPM for Quality Type. Remember that this setting increases print time.
- You may need to increase the image resolution or print it in a smaller size; see your software documentation.
Scan Quality Problems
You see only a few dots in your scanned image.
A line of dots always appears in your scanned images.
The document table may be dusty or scratched. Clean the document table as described in Cleaning the Epson Stylus CX.
Straight lines in your image come out crooked.
Make sure the document lies perfectly straight on the document table.
Your image is distorted or blurred.
- Make sure the document lies flat on the document table. Also make sure your document is not wrinkled or warped.
- Make sure you do not move the document or the Epson Stylus CX while scanning.
- Make sure the Epson Stylus CX is placed on a flat, stable surface.
You can also select Color Control and Continuous auto exposure in the Configuration window, or select the Color tab and click the Recommended Value button to return the Auto Exposure setting to the default. See Epson Scan Help for details.
Colors are patchy or distorted at the edges of your image.
If your document is very thick or warped at the edges, cover the edges with paper to block external light as you scan.
Your scanned image is too dark.
- Change the Display Gamma setting to match your output device, such as a monitor or printer, in the Epson Scan Configuration window. See Epson Scan Help for details.
You can also select Color Control and Continuous auto exposure in the Configuration window, or select the Color tab and click the Recommended Value button to return the Auto Exposure setting to the default. See Epson Scan Help for details.
- Check the brightness and contrast settings of your computer monitor.
An image on the back of your original appears in your scanned image.
If your original is printed on thin paper, images on the back may be visible to the Epson Stylus CX and appear in your scanned image. Try scanning the original with a piece of black paper placed on the back of it. Also make sure the Document Type and Image Type settings are correct for your original. See Selecting Basic Settings for details.
Moiré (cross-hatch) patterns appear in your scanned image.
A moiré is a cross-hatch pattern that may appear in a scanned image of a printed document. It is caused by interference from the differing pitches in the scanner's screen and the halftone screen in your original.
- Select the Descreening Filter check box in Epson Scan's Home or Professional Mode window. In Professional Mode, set the Screen Ruling of the Descreening Filter setting to an appropriate setting for your document and deselect the Unsharp Mask Filter setting. See Adjusting the Color and Other Image Settings for instructions.
Characters are not recognized well when converted into editable text (OCR).
- Make sure the document lies perfectly straight on the document table.
- In Home Mode, select Black&White as the Image Type setting. In Professional Mode, select None for the B&W Option setting. Then try adjusting the Threshold setting.
- Check your OCR software manual to see if there are any settings you can adjust in your OCR software.
Scanned colors differ from the original colors.
- Change the Image Type setting in Epson Scan's Home or Professional Mode. See Selecting Basic Settings for instructions. Select different combinations of this setting and the others mentioned below.
- Change the Display Gamma setting to match your output device, such as a monitor or printer, in the Epson Scan Configuration window. See Epson Scan Help for details.
- Try selecting the following settings in the Configuration window: Color Control, Continuous auto exposure, and Recommended Value (on the Color tab). Also try turning off the Fast Preview setting. See Epson Scan Help for details.
- Check the color matching and color management capabilities of your computer, display adapter, and software. Some computers can change the palette of colors on your screen. See your software and hardware manuals for details.
- Use the ICM color management system for your computer. Add a color profile that matches your monitor to improve on-screen color matching. (Exact color matching is very difficult. Check your software and monitor documentation for information on color matching and calibration.)
- Printed colors can never exactly match the colors on your monitor because printers and monitors use different color systems: monitors use RGB (red, green, and blue) and printers typically use CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black).
You have trouble adjusting the scan area in the thumbnail preview.
- In the Configuration window, adjust the thumbnail cropping area using the Thumbnail Cropping Area slide. See Epson Scan Help for details.
Paper Feeding Problems
Paper doesn't eject fully or is wrinkled.
- If the paper doesn't eject fully, you may have set the wrong paper size. Press the
Start Color button to eject the paper, and then select the correct paper size.
- If it's wrinkled when it ejects, the paper may be damp or too thin. See the Paper specifications.
Paper doesn't feed correctly or jams in the printer.
- If paper doesn't feed, remove it from the sheet feeder. Reload it against the right edge, behind the tabs, then slide the left edge guide against the paper. Make sure the paper is not in front of the feeder guard.
- If multiple pages feed at once, remove the paper from the sheet feeder, fan the edges to separate the sheets, then reload it.
- Don't load too many sheets at once (up to 20 sheets of photo paper, 80 sheets of Premium Bright White paper, or 100 sheets of plain paper). See Special Papers for details.
- Heavily saturated prints may curl, causing a paper jam when printing on both sides of the paper.
- If paper is jammed, the red m Error light flashes. Follow these steps to clear the jam:
1. Press the
S
tart Color button to eject the jammed paper. If the jammed paper is not ejected, go to the next step.
2. If the paper is stuck near the sheet feeder or output tray, gently pull it out.
If the paper is stuck inside the Epson Stylus CX, press the
On button to turn it off. Open the scanner and remove any paper inside, including any torn pieces. Do not pull it backward however; this can damage the sheet feeder. Close the scanner, then turn the Epson Stylus CX back on.
If your paper loads incorrectly or jams frequently:
- Use new, smooth, high-quality paper, loaded printable side up.
- Fan the edges of the stack of paper to separate the sheets.
- Don't load paper above the arrow mark inside the left edge guide.
- Place the paper against the right edge behind the tab. Slide the left edge guide against it, but not too tightly.
- If you're printing on both sides of the paper, try loading fewer sheets.
Miscellaneous Printout Problems
The image is inverted, as if viewed in a mirror.
- Turn off the mirror setting in your application program.
- Turn off Mirror Image in the Page Layout window of your printer driver.
The Epson Stylus CX prints blank pages.
The margins are incorrect.
- Make sure the paper settings are correct for your paper size. For instructions, see Printing in Windows.
- Make sure the paper you loaded matches the paper size and paper type settings you selected on the Epson Stylus CX control panel or in your printer software.
- Choose the correct margins for your paper size.
- Use the Print Preview option in your printer software to check your margins before you print.
- Make sure your paper is positioned next to the right side of the feeder.
Output is not what you expect when printing borderless photos.
Too many copies are printing.
Make sure that the Copies option in your printer software or program is not set for multiple copies.
You see incorrect characters.
- Make sure the interface cable is securely connected and meets the requirements listed in System Requirements. Then try printing again.
- Make sure your printer is selected in Windows.
- If you're using a switch box or USB hub with your printer, connect the printer directly to your computer.
The image size/position is incorrect.
Make sure the paper and layout options are set correctly.
There are scratches on your print.
If you're printing on glossy paper, prints may be scratched if not handled properly. Don't place objects on top of your prints, and be careful not to scratch them with your fingernails. For best results, frame your prints under glass.