Aligning the Print Head

If your printouts contain misaligned vertical lines, or you see light or dark horizontal banding, you may need to align the print head.

  1. Turn on the printer.
  2. Load several sheets of paper.
  3. Windows: Right-click the printer icon on your taskbar (in the lower right corner of your screen). Select Print Head Alignment.

    4. Macintosh OS X: Open the Applications folder and select EPSON Printer Utility. Select Stylus C64 in the printer list, click OK, and select Print Head Alignment.

    Macintosh OS 8.6 to 9.x: From the File menu, select Page Setup or Print. Click the Utility button, then click the Print Head Alignment button.

  4. Follow the instructions on the screen to print a test page. You see a window like this one:



  5. On the test page, select the pattern without any visible bands. You may need to use a magnifying glass or loupe.
  6. Select one pattern each for rows 1 to 4, and enter the number of the best pattern in the corresponding boxes on the screen. Then click Next.

    7. If you can't find an aligned pattern, choose the one that's closest to being aligned. Then click Realignment to print another test page and repeat this step.

  7. After you click Next, follow the instructions on the screen to print the next test page. You see a window like this one:



  8. On the test page, select the pattern without any visible bands. You may need to use a magnifying glass or loupe.
  9. Select one pattern each for rows 1 to 4, and enter the number of the best pattern in the corresponding boxes on the screen. Then click Next.

    10. If you can't find an aligned pattern, choose the one that's closest to being aligned. Then click Realignment to print another test page and repeat this step.

  10. After you click Next, follow the instructions on the screen to print the next test page. You see a window like this one:



  11. On the test page, select the pair of horizontal bars with the least noticeable light or dark band between them. You may need to use a magnifying glass or loupe.
  12. Enter the number of the best pattern in the corresponding box on the screen. Then click Next.

    13. If every pair of horizontal bars has a light or dark band between them, choose the one that looks the best. Then click Realignment to print another test page and repeat this step.

  13. After you click Next, follow the instructions on the screen to print the last test page. You see a window like this one:



  14. On the test page, select the pair of horizontal bars with the least noticeable light or dark band between them. You may need to use a magnifying glass or loupe.
  15. Enter the number of the best pattern in the corresponding box on the screen. Then click Finish.

    16. If every pair of horizontal bars has a light or dark band between them, choose the one that looks the best. Then click Realignment to print another test page and repeat this step.