Align the Print Head

If your printouts become grainy or blurry, or you see dark or light bands across them, you may need to align the print head.

Note:
Banding may also occur if your print head nozzles need cleaning.

You can align the print head using your Epson printer’s control panel or your software. See these sections below:

Using the Control Panel (NX210 Series)

Using the Control Panel (NX410 Series)

From the Computer

Using the Control Panel (NX210 Series)

1.	Load a few sheets of plain paper in the sheet feeder.

2.	Press the Index Sheet and Scan buttons at the same time.

3.	Press  or  to select Head Alignment, then press  Start.

The alignment sheet prints.

4.	Look at pattern #1 and find the patch that is most evenly printed, with no noticeable streaks or lines.

5.	Press + or – until the number for that patch appears in the LCD display screen.

6.

Press .

7.	Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each of the other alignment patterns.

8.	When you finish, press  Start and you see a message indicating alignment is complete.

Using the Control Panel (NX410 Series)

1.	Load a few sheets of plain paper in the sheet feeder.

2.	Press Setup.

3.	Press  or  to select Maintenance, then press OK.

4.	Select Head Alignment and press OK.

5.	Press  Start.

The alignment sheet prints.

6.	Look at pattern #1 and find the patch that is most evenly printed, with no noticeable streaks or lines.

7.	Press , select the number for that patch, then press OK.

8.

Press .

9.	Repeat steps 7 and 8 for each of the other alignment patterns.

10.	When you finish, press OK and you see a message indicating alignment is complete.

From the Computer

1.	Load a few sheets of plain paper in the sheet feeder.

2.	Windows: Right-click the  printer icon in the bottom right corner of your screen (the taskbar) and select Print Head Alignment.

Macintosh:
Open the Applications folder, open the EPSON Printer Utility3, select your Epson printer, and click OK. Then select Print Head Alignment.

3.	Follow the on-screen instructions to print an alignment sheet.

Note:
Do not press the  Stop/Clear Settings button to cancel printing of the alignment sheet.

4.	Check the alignment pattern that prints and compare it to the alignment criteria on your screen.

5.	Enter the number of the best pattern and click Next.

Note:
If no patterns are aligned, choose the closest one and click Realignment. Then print another alignment sheet and check it.

6.	Follow the on-screen instructions to print and compare each alignment sheet, or click Skip.