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Troubleshooting

Printer stops printing unexpectedly
The printer does not turn on or stay on
The printer prints nothing
Printouts are not what you expected
Print Quality Could be Better
Color documents print in black ink only
Printing could be faster
Paper skew occurs when printing on A3 or larger plain paper
Paper feed or paper jam problems occur frequently
Clearing paper jams

Printer stops printing unexpectedly
Head cleaning, ink charging, or ink drying is in progress

During head cleaning, ink charging, and ink drying, CLEANING PLEASE WAIT, CHARGING INK, and INK DRYING appears on the LCD panel respectively. Wait until the printer resumes printing.

An error has occurred

Many common printer problems can be identified by the messages on the LCD panel.

You can also check the lights on the control panel for errors. See Lights.

For other messages not included in the following table, see Messages.

Error messages

Message

Description

What to do

MAINTENANCE CARTRIDGE IS NEARLY FULL

The maintenance cartridge is almost full.

Although you can continue printing, you need to replace the maintenance cartridge with a new one immediately. See Replacing the Maintenance Cartridge.

MAINTENANCE CARTRIDGE NEARLY FULL

REPLACE THE CARTRIDGE

The maintenance cartridge is almost full.

Replace the maintenance cartridge with a new one. See Replacing the Maintenance Cartridge.

INK LOW

The ink cartridge is almost expended.

You need to replace the ink cartridge soon.
Although you can continue printing when the INK LOW message appears, your print quality may decline.

MAINTENANCE REQUEST NNNN

A part used in the printer has nearly reached the end of its life. "NNNN" shows the code of the part.

Note the code and contact your dealer. See Where To Get Help.

CLEANING ERROR

PRESS THE DOWN BUTTON AND REMOVE THICK PAPER

Cleaning cannot be executed because thick paper is loaded.

Remove the thick paper.

PAPER REMOVE

REMOVE PAPER FROM THE REAR

The paper is removed from the rear manual feed slot.

Remove the paper from the rear manual feed slot.

PAPER FEED ERROR

LOAD PAPER CORRECTLY

PRESS THE DOWN BUTTON

Double-sided printing has been performed, and the printer could not feed the paper correctly.

Load the paper that was just ejected, and then press the Paper feed button.

PAPER EJECT ERROR

PRESS THE DOWN BUTTON AND REMOVE PAPER

The printer could not eject the printout.

Press the Paper feed button, and then remove the printout.

PAPER JAM

REMOVE PAPER

The paper is jammed.

Remove the jammed paper. See Clearing paper jams for details.

CLEANING ERROR

PRESS THE CANCEL/RESET BUTTON

The nozzles are still clogged.

Press the Cancel button. Then, run the Head Cleaning utility. For Windows, see Cleaning the print head. For Mac OS X, see Cleaning the print head.

PAPER SENSOR ERROR

PRESS THE BUTTON.

LOAD THE CORRECT PAPER

The loaded paper does not match the paper type selected for the Auto Head Alignment.

Press the Cancel button, and then load the paper that matches with the paper type selected for the Auto Head Alignment. See Aligning the print head automatically for details.

PAPER SENSOR ERROR

PRESS THE BUTTON

LOAD DIFFERENT PAPER

The loaded paper does not match the paper type selected.

Press the Cancel button, and then load the paper that matches with the paper type. See Aligning the print head automatically for details.

PAPER SIZE ERROR

LOAD THE CORRECT SIZE PAPER

The loaded paper size does not match the data size.

Match the loaded paper size to the data size.

PAPER ERROR

LOAD PAPER

No paper is loaded in the printer or is loaded incorrectly.

Load paper correctly.

BORDERLESS ERROR

PRESS THE DOWN BUTTON.

LOAD THE CORRECT SIZE PAPER

The paper installed is not supported for borderless printing, or the PAPER SIZE CHECK setting is off.

Press the Paper feed button, and then load a different size media. Also, select ON for PAPER SIZE CHECK on the printer’s control panel. See Selecting the Borderless setting for Windows, or Selecting Borderless Print Settings for Mac OS X.

PAPER ERROR

PRESS THE DOWN BUTTON.

LOAD PAPER CORRECTLY

The printer cannot detect the loaded cut sheet media, because it is wavy or curled.

Flatten the cut sheet media.

The printer cannot detect the loaded cut sheet media, because the color of the paper is either transparent or black like the platen color.

Select OFF for PAPER SIZE CHECK on the printer’s control panel, or load the genuine Epson paper.

PAPER SKEW

PRESS THE DOWN BUTTON.

LOAD PAPER CORRECTLY

The paper is not loaded straight.

Press the Paper feed button, and then load the paper straight.

PAPER SETTING ERROR

CHECK PAPER SOURCE IN THE DRIVER SETTINGS AND LOAD PAPER CORRECTLY

The paper path is wrong.

Check the Paper Source setting in the printer driver, and load the paper correctly.

COMMAND ERROR

CHECK DRIVER SETTINGS

Damaged data has been sent to the printer.

Stop printing, and press the cancel button for 3 seconds.

The printer receives data with a wrong command.

The installed printer driver is not correct for the printer.

Stop printing, and press the cancel button for 3 seconds. Then make sure that the installed printer driver is correct for the printer.

INK CARTRIDGE ERROR

PRESS THE UP BUTTON

REPLACE THE CARTRIDGE

An ink cartridge has been installed incorrectly.

Press the Ink cover open button to open the ink cover. Then remove the ink cartridge and install it again.

INK CARTRIDGE

REPLACE INK CARTRIDGE

The ink cartridge is expended.

Install a new ink cartridge.

INK CARTRIDGE ERROR

CHECK CARTRIDGE

An ink cartridge with the wrong product code is installed.

Remove the ink cartridge, and install the ink cartridge with the correct product code. See .

INK CARTRIDGE ERROR

PLEASE INSTALL THE CORRECT CARTRIDGE

An ink cartridge that cannot be used with this printer is installed.

Remove the ink cartridge, and install an ink cartridge that can be used with this printer. See .

INK CARTRIDGE

PLEASE USE GENUINE EPSON INK CARTRIDGES

A non-genuine Epson ink cartridge is installed. You must use the Epson ink cartridges designed for your printer. Other ink cartridges will not work and may cause damage not covered by your warranty.

Replace the ink cartridge with a genuine Epson ink cartridge. See Replacing Ink Cartridges and .

INK CARTRIDGE

NON-GENUINE CARTRIDGE MAY NOT PERFORM AT OPTIMUM. CONTINUE?
<YES NO>

A non-genuine Epson ink cartridge is installed. You must use the Epson ink cartridges designed for your printer. Other ink cartridges will not work and may cause damage not covered by your warranty.

Select NO (press the Menu button) to replace the ink cartridge with a genuine Epson ink cartridge. See Replacing Ink Cartridges. Otherwise, select YES (press ).

INK CARTRIDGE

THIS MAY VOID EPSON’S WARRANTY.
DO YOU ACCEPT THIS?
<ACCEPT DECLINE>

A non-genuine Epson ink cartridge is installed. You must use the Epson ink cartridges designed for your printer. Other ink cartridges will not work and may cause damage not covered by your warranty.

Select DECLINE (press the Menu button) to replace the ink cartridge with a genuine Epson ink cartridge. Selecting ACCEPT (press ) may cause damage not covered by Epson’s warranty.

INK CARTRIDGE ERROR

REPLACE CARTRIDGE

An error has occurred while reading or writing data.

Remove the ink cartridge and reinstall it. If this message appears after reinstalling the ink cartridge, replace it. See Replacing Ink Cartridges.

NO INK CARTRIDGE

INSTALL INK CARTRIDGE

No ink cartridge is installed.

Install an ink cartridge.

FRONT SLOT CLOSED

OPEN THE FRONT MANUAL FEED SLOT

The front manual feed slot is closed during operation.

Open the front manual feed slot by pushing it. If necessary, remove any jammed paper.

FRONT FEED SLOT OPEN

LOAD MEDIA

PRESS THE DOWN BUTTON

The front manual feed slot is open, but no paper is loaded.

Load a sheet of paper in the front manual feed slot, and then press the Paper feed button.

FRONT FEED SLOT OPEN

CLOSE THE FRONT MANUAL FEED SLOT

The front manual feed slot is opened during operation.

Close the front manual feed slot by pushing it.

FRONT FEED SLOT OPEN

PRESS THE DOWN BUTTON AND REMOVE PAPER

There was a problem loading paper in the front manual feed slot.

Press the Paper feed button, and then remove the paper from the front manual feed slot.

MAINTENANCE CARTRIDGE FULL

REPLACE THE CARTRIDGE

The maintenance cartridge is full.

Replace the maintenance cartridge with a new one. See Replacing the Maintenance Cartridge.

MAINTENANCE

PLEASE USE GENUINE EPSON CARTRIDGES

A non-genuine Epson maintenance cartridge is installed. You must use the Epson maintenance cartridge designed for your printer. Other maintenance cartridges will not work and may cause damage not covered by your warranty.

Replace the maintenance cartridge with a genuine Epson cartridge. See Replacing the Maintenance Cartridge and .

MAINTENANCE

NON-GENUINE CARTRIDGE MAY NOT PERFORM AT OPTIMUM. CONTINUE?
<YES NO>

A non-genuine Epson maintenance cartridge is installed. You must use the Epson maintenance cartridge designed for your printer. Other maintenance cartridges will not work and may cause damage not covered by your warranty.

Select No (press the Menu button) to replace the maintenance cartridge with a genuine Epson maintenance cartridge. See Replacing the Maintenance Cartridge. Otherwise, select YES (press ).

MAINTENANCE

THIS MAY VOID EPSON’S WARRANTY.
DO YOU ACCEPT THIS?
<ACCEPT DECLINE>

A non-genuine Epson maintenance cartridge is installed. You must use the Epson maintenance cartridge designed for your printer. Other maintenance cartridges will not work and may cause damage not covered by your warranty.

Select DECLINE (press the Menu button) to replace the maintenance cartridge with a genuine Epson maintenance cartridge. Selecting ACCEPT (press ) may cause damage not covered by your warranty.

MAINTENANCE CARTRIDGE ERROR

REPLACE THE CARTRIDGE

The maintenance cartridge is not installed in the printer.

Install the maintenance cartridge. See .

NOT ENOUGH INK

REPLACE INK CARTRIDGE WITH A NEW ONE

An ink cartridge is nearly expended.

Replace the ink cartridge with a new one. See Replacing Ink Cartridges for details.

CANNOT OPEN COVER

IS THERE ANYTHING ON THE PRINTER?

PRESS THE UP BUTTON

Something may be placed on the printer (ink cover).

Remove whatever is placed on the printer (ink cover). Then press the Ink cover open button.

PAPER FEED ERROR

LOAD PAPER CORRECTLY AND PRESS PAPER/FEED BUTTON

The printer could not feed the paper.

Load the paper correctly, and then press the Paper feed button.

PAPER FEED ERROR

REMOVE PAPER AND LOAD PAPER CORRECTLY

The printer could not feed the paper.

Remove the paper, and then load it correctly.

INK COVER OPEN

CLOSE THE INK COVER

The ink cover is open.

Close the ink cover.

MAINTENANCE COVER OPEN

CLOSE THE MAINTENANCE COVER

The maintenance cartridge cover is open.

Close the maintenance cartridge cover.

NO MAINTENANCE CART.

INSTALL THE MAINTENANCE CARTRIDGE

The maintenance cartridge is not installed in the printer.

Install the maintenance cartridge.

PAPER JAM

CLEAR JAMMED PAPER

SEE PRINTER GUIDE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

The paper may be jammed.

Remove the jammed paper. See Clearing paper jams for details.

CARRIAGE LOCKED

RELEASE THE CARRIAGE LOCK

Print head is locked.

Remove the protective materials from the print head to unlock it.

PRINTER ERROR

RESTART THE PRINTER

A printer error has occurred.

Turn the printer off, and then turn it on again.

SERVICE CALL ERROR NNNN

PLEASE CONTACT TO THE REPAIR CENTER

Print head is locked.

Remove the protective materials from the print head to unlock it.

A fatal error has occurred.

Turn the printer off, let it sit with the power cable unplugged for a while. Then try connecting the power cable and turning the printer back on again. If this message appears on the LCD panel again, note the code and contact your dealer. See Where To Get Help.

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The printer does not turn on or stay on

When the  Power light does not come on and mechanism initialization does not start even when the  Power button is pressed to turn on the printer, try the following:

  • Turn off the printer and make sure the power cord is securely plugged into the printer.

  • Make sure your outlet works and is not controlled by a wall switch or timer.

  • Make sure the supplied voltage to the printer matches the rating voltage labeled on the printer. If not, turn off the printer and unplug the power cord immediately. Contact your dealer for assistance. See Where To Get Help.


Caution:

If the supplied voltage and rating voltage do not match, do not plug the printer back in again, as damage may occur.

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The printer prints nothing
The printer is not correctly connected to the computer

Try one or more of these solutions:

  • Turn off the printer and computer. Make sure the printer’s interface cable is securely plugged into the correct port of the computer.

  • Make sure the interface cable specifications match the specifications for the printer and computer.

  • Make sure the interface cable is directly connected to the computer without passing through any device, such as a printer switching device, or extension cable.

Your Epson printer is not selected as the default printer

Install the printer driver if it is not installed yet (see the Start Here sheet for instructions), and follow the steps below to select your Epson printer as the default printer.

For Windows XP x64 and XP

Click Start, Control Panel, Printers and Other Hardware, and then Printers and Faxes.

Right-click EPSON Stylus Pro 3800.

Select Set As Default Printer, then close the window.

For Windows 2000

Click Start, Settings, and then Printers.

Right-click EPSON Stylus Pro 3800 in the Printers window.

Select Set As Default, then close the Printers window.

For Mac OS X

Make sure that the printer driver Stylus Pro 3800 is correctly added to the Printer Setup Utility, and the correct printer is selected in the Printer Setup Utility.

Printer port setting does not match the printer connection port (for Windows only)

Follow the steps below to select the printer port.

For Windows XP x64 and XP

Click Start, Control Panel, Printers and Other Hardware, and then Printers and Faxes.

Right-click EPSON Stylus Pro 3800, then select Properties.

Click the Ports tab.

Make sure that your printer port is selected.

For Windows 2000

Click Start, Settings, and then Printers.

Right-click EPSON Stylus Pro 3800 in the Printers window, then select Properties.

Click the Ports tab.

Make sure that your printer port is selected.

The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing prints

Try one or more of these solutions:

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Printouts are not what you expected
Incorrect, garbled characters, or blank pages print

Try one or more of these solutions:

  • For Windows, clear any stalled print jobs from the Progress Meter.

  • If the problem persists, turn off the printer and computer. Make sure the printer’s interface cable is plugged in securely.

Incorrect margins

Try one or more of these solutions:

  • Check the margin settings in your application.

  • Make sure the margins are within the printable area of the page. See Printable area.

Inverted image

For Windows, turn off the Flip Horizontal setting under the Advanced menu. See Selecting the Advanced settings.

For Mac OS X, turn off the Flip Horizontal setting under the Advanced settings selected in the Print window. See Advanced Settings.

Printed colors differ from the colors on the screen

Try one or more of these solutions:

  • Make sure the media type setting matches the paper being used.

  • Since monitors and printers produce colors differently, printed colors will not always match on screen colors perfectly.

  • For Mac OS X, select ColorSync to color match your system in the Printer Color Management selected in the Print window. See Printer Color Management.

  • You can produce sharper images with more vivid colors.

    For Mac OS X, select Color Controls under the Printer Color Management in the Print window. See Printer Color Management.

A ruled line shifts

Align the print head. For Windows, see Aligning the print head. For Mac OS X, see Aligning the print head.

If the problem persists, clean the print head. For Windows, see Cleaning the print head. For Mac OS X, see Cleaning the print head.

Printout has smears on the bottom edge

Try one or more of these solutions:

  • If the paper is curled towards the printable side, flatten it or curl it slightly to the opposite side.

    For Mac OS X, if you use Epson media, check the Media Type setting under the Print Settings in the Print window. See Page Setup.

    For paper types other than Epson’s, register and select paper thickness in Menu mode. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Selecting paper settings.

  • Set the PLATEN GAP to WIDE in the PRINTER SETTING of Menu mode. See PRINTER SETUP.

  • Make sure the paper is ejecting without obstruction.

Printouts are curled when they are ejected

If the printouts are curled on the output tray, remove the paper before the next sheet of paper is ejected.

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Print Quality Could be Better

If you are not satisfied with your print quality, click the caption under the illustration that best resembles your printout.

Horizontal banding

Vertical misalignment or banding

Color documents print in black ink only

Faint printout or gaps

Blurry or smeared printout

 
Horizontal banding

Try one or more of these solutions:

    For Mac OS X, check the Media Type setting under the Print Settings in the Print window. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using, see Page Setup.

  • Make sure the printable side of the paper is face-up.

    You can also clean the print head nozzles using the control panel. Press Menu for 3 seconds.

Vertical misalignment or banding

Try one or more of these solutions:

    For Mac OS X, turn off the High Speed setting on the Advanced Settings window in the Print window. See Advanced Settings.

Faint printout or gaps

Try one or more of these solutions:

  • Make sure that the ink cartridges’ expiration date has not passed. The expiration date appears on the ink cartridge label.

    For Mac OS X, check the Media Type setting under Print Settings selected in the Print dialog. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Page Setup.

    You can also clean the print head nozzles using the control panel. Press the Menu button for 3 seconds.

Blurry or smeared printout

Try one or more of these solutions:

    For Mac OS X, check the Media Type setting under the Print Settings in the Print window. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Page Setup.

  • If the paper you are using is not supported by the printer driver, select the paper thickness setting in Menu mode. See CUSTOM PAPER.

  • Make sure your paper is dry and the printable side is loaded face-up. Also, make sure you are using the correct type of paper. See Paper.

  • Ink may have leaked inside the printer; wipe the inside of the printer with a soft, clean cloth. See .

    You can also clean the print head nozzles using the control panel. Press the Menu button for 3 seconds.

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Color documents print in black ink only

Try one or more of these solutions:

  • Make sure the color data settings in your application are correct.

    For Mac OS X, make sure Color is selected in the Print Settings section of the Print window. See Color.

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Printing could be faster

Try one or more of these solutions:

    For Mac OS X, select Automatic mode and move the slider toward Speed in the Print Settings section of the Print window to increase print speed. See Mode.

  • Do not run too many applications at the same time. Close any applications you are not using.

  • Connect the printer to a USB 2.0 port.


Note:

USB 2.0 is available only with the following operating systems: Windows 2000, XP, and XP x64.

  • Delete any unnecessary files to make room on your hard disk drive.


Note for Windows:

Your computer may not have enough memory. For further tips, see Increasing the Print Speed.

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Paper skew occurs when printing on A3 or larger plain paper

Use the edge guide located on the right side of the Auto Sheet Feeder to help the paper feed straight.

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Paper feed or paper jam problems occur frequently

Try one or more of these solutions:

  • Make sure the paper is not folded or wrinkled.

  • Make sure the paper is flat.

  • Make sure the printer is located in an environment that is within the operational temperature range.

  • Make sure the paper is not damp.

  • Store unused paper in its original package.

  • Make sure the paper is not too thick or too thin. See Paper.

  • Make sure no foreign objects are inside the printer.

    For Mac OS X, check the Media Type setting under the Print Settings in the Print window. Make sure it is correct for the paper you are using. See Page Setup.

  • Make sure that the platen gap setting matches your paper. You can change the platen gap setting in the PRINTER SETUP of Menu mode. See PLATEN GAP.

    Whenever loading non-Epson media, test if the paper can be loaded correctly before printing.

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Clearing paper jams

Follow the steps below to remove jammed paper.

When paper loaded from the Auto Sheet Feeder is jammed

Turn off the printer.

Carefully remove the jammed paper.

    If necessary, open the top cover, and remove the jammed paper.

When paper loaded from the front manual feed slot is jammed

Turn off the printer.

Remove the jammed paper from the front or rear side of the printer.

    Front

    Rear

When paper loaded from the rear manual feed slot is jammed

Make sure the printer is turned on.

Press the paper feed button to feed the paper back.

Remove the jammed paper from the back.

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