Print Quality Problems

You see banding (light lines).

•	The print head nozzles may need cleaning; see Cleaning the Print Head for instructions.

•	Select a higher print quality and turn off High Speed mode. See Printing in Windows or Printing in Mac OS X.

•	If you’re printing without a computer, make sure the printer’s Paper Type setting matches the type of paper you’re using; see Selecting the Correct Paper Type for guidelines.

•	If you’re printing from a computer, make sure the paper Type or Media Type setting matches the paper you loaded; see Selecting the Correct Paper Type for guidelines.

•	Make sure you load paper with the printable side face-up. The printable side is usually the whiter or brighter side of the paper.

•	The ink cartridges may need replacing. To replace an ink cartridge, see Replacing an Ink Cartridge.

•	Run the Print Head Alignment utility; see Aligning the Print Head for instructions.

Your printout is blurry or smeared.

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

•	Make sure you load paper with the printable side face-up. The printable side is usually the whiter or brighter side of the paper.

•	Make sure your paper isn’t damp or curled, or loaded face-down (the printable side should be face-up). If it’s damp or curled, reload a new stack of paper.

•	When printing on special paper, check the instructions in the paper package. You may need to use an included support sheet or load your paper one sheet at a time.

•	Make sure your paper meets the specifications listed in Paper.

•	Run the Print Head Alignment utility; see Aligning the Print Head for instructions.

•	Remove each sheet from the output tray after printing, especially when you’re printing on transparencies.

•	If the options above don’t work, try using the thick paper and envelopes setting:

Windows: From the Maintenance tab in the Printing Properties or Preferences window, click Printer and Option Information, then select Thick paper and envelopes.

Mac OS X: From the Print window, choose Extension Settings in the pop-up menu, then select Thick paper and envelopes.

Make sure you disable the thick paper and envelopes option before printing on other types of paper, or print quality may be reduced.

Your printout is grainy.

•	Try using a higher quality paper.

•	Select a higher print quality setting. If you’re printing from Windows, see Printing in Windows. If you’re printing from a Macintosh, see Printing in Mac OS X.

•	Run the Print Head Alignment utility; see Aligning the Print Head for instructions.

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

Your printout is faint or has gaps in the image.

•	The print head nozzles may need cleaning; see Cleaning the Print Head for instructions.

•	The ink cartridges may be old or low on ink. To replace an ink cartridge, see Replacing an Ink Cartridge.

•	If you’re printing without a computer, make sure the printer’s Paper Type setting matches the type of paper you’re using; see Selecting the Correct Paper Type in the Printer Basics manual.

•	If you’re printing from a computer, make sure the paper Type or Media Type setting matches the paper you loaded; see Selecting the Correct Paper Type for guidelines.

•	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 whiter or shinier.

You see wrong or missing colors.

•	Make sure the Ink setting is set to Color for color images or black-and-white photos. Also make sure your software is set for color printing.

•	The print head nozzles may need cleaning; see Cleaning the Print Head for instructions.

•	The ink cartridges may be old or low on ink. To replace an ink cartridge, see Replacing an Ink Cartridge.

•	Try turning off PhotoEnhance.™ Also check if you’re using a special effect that alters image colors, like Sepia.

•	Try changing the Gamma setting in the Advanced window; see Customizing Windows Print Settings or Customizing Mac OS X Print Settings for information about accessing Advanced settings.

•	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. You can also use your printer’s color management features.

•	Colors will change slightly after drying. Wait for 24 hours and check your print again to see if the colors look right.

•	If you are printing without a computer, check your printer’s control panel settings to make sure the Filter setting is not set to Sepia or B&W and that the image adjustment settings are set to Standard (see your Printer Basics manual).