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.

Note: Banding may also occur if your cartridges are low on ink or you need to clean 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 double-click the EPSON Printer Utility icon. Select C84 Series 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 black vertical alignment test page. You see this screen:



  5. Look at the five sets of patterns in your printout. For each set, if you see a pattern with no visible vertical lines, enter its number in the corresponding box on the screen and click Next.

    6. If you can't find a pattern without any vertical lines, select the best pattern and click Realignment. Then repeat this step.

  6. Click Print to print the color vertical alignment sheet. You see this screen:



  7. Look at the four sets of patterns in your printout. For each set, if you see a pattern with no visible vertical lines, enter its number in the corresponding box on the screen and click Next.

    8. If you can't find a pattern without any vertical lines, select the best pattern and click Realignment. Then repeat this step.

  8. Click Print to print a black horizontal alignment sheet. You see this screen:



  9. In your printout, select the pattern with no gap or line between the rectangles. Enter its number in the box on the screen and click Next.

    10. If you can't find an aligned pattern, choose the best pattern and click Realignment. Then repeat this step.

  10. Click Print to print a color horizontal alignment sheet. You see this screen:



  11. In your printout, find the pattern with no gap or line between the rectangles and enter its number in the box on the screen.

    12. If you can't find an aligned pattern, choose the best pattern and click Realignment. Then repeat this step.

  12. Click Finish to close the Print Head Alignment Utility.