Checking the Nozzles Using a Computer Utility

You can check the print head nozzles using a utility on your Windows or Mac computer.
  1. Load a few sheets of plain paper in the cassette (or in cassette 1 if your product has two cassettes).
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Windows: Access the Windows Desktop and right-click the product icon in the Windows taskbar.
    • OS X 10.6/10.7/10.8/10.9: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. Select Printers & Scanners, Print & Fax, or Print & Scan, select your product, and select Options & Supplies. Select Utility and select Open Printer Utility.
    • OS X 10.5: In the Apple menu or the Dock, select System Preferences. Select Print & Fax, select your product, and select Open Print Queue. Select Utility.
  3. Select Nozzle Check. You see a window like this:


  4. Click Print.
  5. Check the printed pattern to see if there are gaps in the lines.

    Print head is clean

    Print head needs cleaning

  6. If there are no gaps, click Finish. If there are gaps or the pattern is faint, clean the print head.
If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning the print head up to 4 times, wait at least 6 hours. Then try cleaning the print head again. If quality still does not improve, one of the ink cartridges may be old or damaged and needs to be replaced.
Related concepts
Print Head Cleaning
Related tasks
Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges
Related information
Loading Paper