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Problem Solver

Printing and Copying problems

Print and Copy Quality Could Be Better
Cannot print or copy
Paper Doesn't Feed Correctly
Printouts Are Not What You Expected

Print and Copy Quality Could Be Better

If you are having print quality problems, first perform a Test Printing. Then, compare your test printing with the illustrations below. Click the caption under the illustration that best resembles your printout.

Horizontal banding	Vertical misalignment or banding
Horizontal banding	Vertical misalignment or banding
Color gaps	Incorrect or missing colors
Blurry or smeared printouts

Horizontal banding

Try one or more of these solutions.

• Make sure the printable side of the paper is face up in the sheet feeder.

• Run the Head Cleaning utility to clear any clogged ink nozzles.

• Select the Automatic mode in your printer driver's Main menu (Windows) or Print dialog box (Macintosh).

• Check the Error light and LCD panel message. If the Error light is on and the LCD panel displays an Ink Out message, replace the ink cartridge. See Replacing Empty Ink Cartridges.

• Make sure the Maximum Printable Area setting in your printer driver is turned off. When this setting is on, banding may occur in the expanded area.

Vertical misalignment or banding

Try one or more of these solutions.

• Make sure the printable side of the paper is face up in the sheet feeder.

• Run the Print Head Alignment utility.

• Turn off the High Speed setting in your printer driver. For instructions, see Using the Advanced settings for Windows or Using the Advanced settings for Macintosh.

• Run the Head Cleaning utility to clear any clogged ink nozzles.

Color gaps

Try one or more of these solutions.

• Make sure your paper is not damaged, dirty, or old. Also, make sure the printable side of the paper is face up in the sheet feeder.

• Run the Head Cleaning utility to clear any clogged ink nozzles.

• Check the Error light and LCD panel message. If the Error light is on and the LCD panel displays an Ink Out message, replace the appropriate ink cartridge. See Replacing Empty Ink Cartridges.

• Adjust the color settings in your application software or your printer driver. For instructions, see B&W/Color button.

• Select Automatic mode in your printer driver.

Incorrect or missing colors

Try one or more of these solutions.

• Change the ink setting in your printer driver to Color. For instructions, see Using the Automatic setting for Windows or Using the Automatic setting for Macintosh.

• Adjust the color settings in your application software or your printer driver. For instructions, see Using the Advanced settings for Windows or Using the Advanced settings for Macintosh.

• Run the Head Cleaning utility. If colors are still incorrect or missing after cleaning is finished, replace the color ink cartridge. If the problem persists, replace the black ink cartridge. See Replacing an Old or Damaged Ink Cartridge.

Blurry or smeared printouts

Try one or more of these solutions.

• Make sure your paper is dry and the printable side is face up. Also, make sure you're using a suitable paper type. See Paper for specifications.

• Select the Automatic mode in your printer driver's Main menu (Windows) or Print dialog box (Macintosh).

• Set the adjust lever to the "+" position, and make sure the Media Type setting is set correctly in your printer driver.

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

• Remove each sheet from the output tray as it is printed, especially if you're using transparencies.

• If you're printing on glossy media or transparencies, place a support sheet (or a sheet of plain paper) beneath the stack. Or load one sheet at a time.

• Run the Head Cleaning utility.

• Run the Print Head Alignment utility.

• Ink may have leaked inside the Stylus Scan. Wipe the inside of the Stylus Scan with a soft, clean cloth.

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Cannot print or copy

If one of the following problems has occurred, try the solutions listed for the following conditions.

• All lights are off

• Lights came on and then went out

• Only the Operate light is on

• Error light is on

• Error light is flashing

Note:

When the Stylus Scan is connected through the parallel interface in Windows, it is impossible to use the scanner if the printer driver is uninstalled.

All lights are off

• Press the power button and make sure the Stylus Scan is on.

• Turn off the Stylus Scan and make sure the power cord is securely plugged in.

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

Lights came on and then went out

The voltage required by the Stylus Scan may not match the voltage rating of your outlet. Immediately turn off the Stylus Scan and unplug it. Then check the label on the Stylus Scan to determine the required voltage.

If the required voltage does not match your outlet rating, DO NOT PLUG THE STYLUS SCAN BACK IN. Contact your dealer.

Only the Operate light is on

Try one or more of these solutions.

• Turn off the Stylus Scan and the computer. Make sure the interface cable is securely plugged in at both ends.

• Make sure there is no packing material inside the Stylus Scan.

• Turn off the Stylus Scan and the computer, and then disconnect the interface cable. Then print an operation check page. See Running a printer operation check.

• If the check page prints, make sure the Stylus Scan software and your application software are installed correctly.

Note:

If you're trying to print a large image, your computer may not have enough memory available to print.

• Clear any stalled print jobs from the Spool Manager.

• If the Stylus Scan sounds like it's trying to print, but can't, run the Head Cleaning utility.

• If the above does not work, replace the ink cartridges.

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Paper Doesn't Feed Correctly

If one of the following problems has occurred, try the solutions listed for that problem.

• Paper doesn't feed

• Multiple pages feed

• The paper jams

• Paper isn't ejected fully or is wrinkled

Paper doesn't feed

Check that the loaded paper stack does not extend above the arrow mark on the left edge guide.

Remove the stack of paper and check that:

• The paper isn't curled or creased.

• The paper isn't too old. See the instructions that came with the paper for more information.

• The loaded paper stack does not extend above the arrow mark on the left edge guide.

• The paper isn't jammed inside. If it is, remove the jammed paper.

Then load paper again. Make sure you follow any special loading instructions that came with your paper. See also Loading Special Paper and Other Media.

Multiple pages feed

Remove the stack of paper and:

• Make sure the paper is not too thin. See Paper for specifications.

• Fan the edges of the stack to separate the sheets, then reload the paper.

If too many copies of a document are printing, check the Copies settings in both the printer driver and your application. For instructions, see Modifying the printout style for Windows or Modifying the Layout for Macintosh.

The paper jams

Press the load/eject button to eject the jammed paper. If the error message does not clear, follow the steps below.

Click the EPSON Stylus Scan 2500 button on the task bar.

Select all print jobs and click the Cancel button.

Open the maintenance cover and turn the Stylus Scan off.

Remove all the paper inside, including any torn pieces.

Close the cover and turn the Stylus Scan on and load paper again.

If your paper jams frequently, make sure you:

• Use smooth, high-quality paper, loaded with the printable side up.

• Fan the stack before loading it.

• Don't load paper above the arrow mark on the left edge guide.

• Adjust the left edge guide to fit your paper.

Paper isn't ejected fully or is wrinkled

Try one or more of these solutions:

• If the paper doesn't eject fully, press the load/eject button. Also check the paper size setting in your application or printer driver.

• If the paper is wrinkled when it comes out, it may be damp or too thin. Load a new stack.

Note:

Store any unused paper in its original packaging in a dry place. See Paper for specifications.

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Printouts Are Not What You Expected

If one of the following problems has occurred, try the solutions listed for the problem.

• Incorrect or garbled characters

• Incorrect margins

• Inverted image

• Blank pages print

• Printout has smears on the bottom edge

• Printing is too slow

Incorrect or garbled characters

Try one or more of these solutions.

• If you are using a Windows machine, select the Stylus Scan as the default Windows printer.

• Clear any stalled print jobs from the Spool Manager. Windows 98 and 95 users can do this by selecting Clear all print jobs now.

• Turn off the Stylus Scan and the computer. Make sure the Stylus Scan's interface cable is securely plugged in.

Incorrect margins

Try one or more of the following solutions.

• Check the margin settings in your application software.

• Make sure the margins are within the printable area of the page. See Paper for specifications.

• In Windows, check the settings in the Paper menu. Make sure the settings are correct for the paper size you're using.

In Macintosh, check the settings in the Page Setup dialog box. Make sure the settings are correct for the paper size you're using.

Inverted image

Turn off the Flip Horizontal setting in the printer driver, or the "Mirror" setting in your application software. For instructions, see online help for the printer driver or for your application.

For Macintosh, see also Using the Advanced settings.

Printouts are blank

Try one or more of these solutions.

• If you are using Windows, select the Stylus Scan as the default Windows printer.

• If you are using Windows, check the settings in the Paper dialog box. Make sure they're correct for the paper size you're using.

• If you are using a Macintosh, check the settings in the Page Setup dialog box. Make sure they're correct for the paper size you're using.

• Run the Head Cleaning utility to clear any clogged nozzles.

After trying one or more of these solutions, run a printing operation check to see whether the problem has been solved. See Running a printer operation check.

Printing is too slow

Try one or more of these solutions.

• Make sure the Media Type setting is set correctly in your printer driver. For instructions, see Making the Media Type setting for Windows or Making the Media Type settings for Macintosh.

• To increase speed, select the Automatic mode and then set the slide bar to the Speed setting. For instructions, see Using the Automatic setting for Windows or Using the Automatic setting for Macintosh.

• Do not run unnecessary applications at the same time. Close any applications you are not using at the moment.

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

Note:

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

• If you upgraded from Windows 95 to Windows 98, uninstall the EPSON Stylus Scan software using Add/Remove Programs in Windows, then install the software again.

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