Print Quality Problems (quality is correct on screen)

If your printout has a quality problem but the image looks fine on your computer screen, check the solutions in this section.

If the image also looks incorrect on screen, check for image quality problems.

Printout Has White or Dark Lines Across It

Printout Is Blurry or Smeared

Printout Is Faint or Has Gaps

Printout Is Grainy

Incorrect Colors in Printout

Printout Has White or Dark Lines Across It

•	The print head nozzles may need cleaning.

•	Select a higher Quality Option or Print Quality and turn off High Speed mode in the Windows, Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4, or Mac OS X 10.5 printer software.

•	Make sure the paper Type or Media Type setting matches the paper you loaded.

•	Make sure the printable side of the paper is face up. It’s usually brighter or whiter.

•	The ink cartridges may need replacing.

•	On Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4 or Mac OS X 10.5, try using Automatic mode.

•	Align the print head.

•	Your Epson printer 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.

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 (such as a sheet of plain paper beneath the special paper sheet), or try loading your paper one sheet at a time.

•	Make sure your paper meets the specifications.

•	Use Epson papers to ensure proper saturation and absorption of genuine Epson inks.

•	Align the print head.

•	Remove each sheet from the output tray as it is printed.

•	Turn off High Speed mode in the Windows, Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4, or Mac OS X 10.5 printer software.

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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.

•	To clean the rollers inside your Epson printer, try making several copies without placing a document on the scanner glass.

Printout Is Faint or Has Gaps

•	The print head nozzles may need cleaning.

•	The ink cartridges may be old or low on ink, and you may need to replace them.

•	Make sure the paper Type or Media Type setting matches the paper you loaded.

•	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.

Printout Is Grainy

•	Make sure the printable side of the paper is face up. It’s usually brighter or whiter.

•	Select a higher Quality Option or Print Quality, and turn off High Speed and Fast Economy or Economy mode in the Windows, Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4, or Mac OS X 10.5 printer software.

•	Select Photo RPM (Max dpi) for the Quality Type (Windows) or Photo RPM for the Print Quality (Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4 or Mac OS X 10.5). Remember that this setting increases print time.

•	Align the print head.

•	You may need to increase the image resolution or print in a smaller size; see your software documentation.

Incorrect Colors in Printout

•	Make sure your Windows, Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4, or Mac OS X 10.5 printer software is not set to print in grayscale.

•	For best results, use genuine Epson ink and paper.

•	The print head nozzles may need cleaning.

•	The ink cartridges may be old or low on ink, and you may need to replace them.

•	Try turning off Fix Photo in the Windows or Mac OS X 10.5 printer software.

•	With Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4 or Mac OS X 10.5, try using Automatic mode.

•	Try changing the Gamma setting in your Windows, Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4 or Mac OS X 10.5 printer software.

•	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 ICM (Windows) or ColorSync (Mac OS X 10.3 and 10.4).

In Mac OS X 10.5, you can select ColorSync from the Color Matching pop-up menu.