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Problems and Solutions
Most problems you may encounter while operating your printer have simple solutions.
You can also use the self test to determine whether the printer or the computer is causing the problem. See Printing a Self Test for instructions on printing a self test.
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If you are an experienced user or a programmer, you can print a hexadecimal dump to isolate communication problems between the printer and computer. To print a hex dump, turn off the printer. Next, hold down the Load/Eject and LF/FF buttons while you turn on the printer. Then send data from your computer. The printer prints all the codes it receives in hexadecimal format.
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Power Supply
Power is not being supplied
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The lights on the control panel do not go on.
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Cause
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What to do
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The power cord may be unplugged.
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Check that the power cord is properly plugged into the electrical outlet.
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The outlet may not be operating.
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If the electrical outlet is controlled by an outside switch or automatic timer, use a different outlet. Plug another electrical device, such as a lamp, into the outlet to determine whether the outlet is operating properly.
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The lights come on briefly and then go off. The lights stay off even when the power is turned on again.
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Cause
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What to do
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The voltage ratings of the printer and electrical outlet may not match.
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Check that the printer’s voltage rating matches the voltage of your electrical outlet. If the voltages do not match, unplug the printer and contact your dealer immediately. Do not reconnect the power cord to an electrical outlet.
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Printing
Printing or printout quality problems
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The Pause light is off but the printer does not print.
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Cause
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What to do
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Your software is not properly set up for your printer.
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Make sure that your printer is properly selected in your application software. If necessary, install or reinstall the printer driver software. Refer to the Start Here for detailed instruction.
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The interface cable is not plugged in securely.
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Check that both ends of the cable between the printer and the computer are plugged in securely. If the cable is connected correctly, run a self test as described in Printing a Self Test.
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The printer port may not be set correctly.
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For Windows 2000, click Start, point to Settings, then click Printers. For Windows XP, click Start, Control Panel, then click Printers and Faxes. For Windows Vista, click Start, Control Panel, then click Printer. For Windows 7, click Start, Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, then click Device and Printer.
When the icon of the printer you are using appears, right-click it and select Properties (Windows Vista, XP, and 2000) or Printer Properties (Windows 7). Then, click the Ports or Details tab and select the appropriate port. |
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The Paper Out and Pause lights are on and the printer does not print.
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Cause
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What to do
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The printer may be out of paper.
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Load paper in the printer.
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The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing prints.
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Cause
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What to do
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The ribbon cartridge is not installed properly.
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Reinstall the ribbon cartridge as described in Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge.
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The ribbon is worn out.
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Replace the ribbon cartridge as described in Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge.
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The printer makes a strange noise and stops abruptly.
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Cause
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What to do
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The paper or ribbon may be jammed.
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Turn off the printer and check for a paper jam, a ribbon jam or other problems.
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The printer may have overheated.
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Let the printer cool. Then try to print again. If the printer still does not print correctly contact your dealer.
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The beeper sounds five times and all the lights blink.
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Cause
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What to do
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An error has occurred.
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Turn off the printer and turn it on again. If the problem persists, check for a paper jam or ribbon jam. If there is no jam, contact your dealer or a qualified service person. (If an error occurs when you switch between roll paper and continuous paper, make sure the paper release lever is in the correct position.)
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Lines of dots are missing in the printout.
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Cause
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What to do
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The print head is damaged.
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Stop printing and contact your dealer to have the print head replaced.
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Either there is too much slack in the ribbon or the ribbon has come loose.
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Reinstall the ribbon cartridge as described in Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge.
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The font or characters set in your application software cannot be printed.
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Cause
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What to do
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Your application software is not correctly configured for your printer.
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Make sure that your application software is correctly configured for your printer. See your application documentation.
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The printer does not print the font you selected in the default settings.
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Cause
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What to do
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Software settings override settings you make in the default settings.
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Use your software to select the font.
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Paper size cannot be set from the application.
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Cause
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What to do
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The application’s specifications and the driver’s default settings do not match.
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You may be able to select the paper size from the application by clicking OK in the Advanced Option screen as shown below.
For Windows 2000, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers. For Windows XP, click Start, Control Panel, and then click Printers and Faxes. For Windows Vista, click Start, Control Panel, and then click Printer. For Windows 7, click Start, Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, and then click Device and Printer. When the icon of the printer you are using is displayed, right-click it and select Properties (Windows 2000, XP, or Vista) or Printer Properties (Windows 7). Next, click Printing Preferences and then click Advanced. When the Advanced Options screen is displayed, click OK. Click OK on the Printing Preferences screen, and then click OK.
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Printing position problems
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Printing starts too high or too low on the page, or the bottom part of one page is printed at the top of the next page.
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Cause
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What to do
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Your application software settings may be incorrect.
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Check the margin or top-of-form position setting in your application software.
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Page length does not match the length of the paper.
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Cause
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What to do
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The page length setting in your application may be incorrect.
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Check the page length set by your application software and adjust it if necessary.
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The printer’s page length setting for the tractor may not match the size of the continuous paper you are using.
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Check Page length for tractor of the printer’s default settings. See About Your Printer’s Default Settings.
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Regular gaps occur in the printout.
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Cause
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What to do
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One-inch skip-over-perforation may be set.
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Set skip-over-perforation to off in the Default Setting mode. See About Your Printer’s Default Settings.
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Paper Handling
Continuous paper does not feed properly
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The tractor does not feed the paper.
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Cause
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What to do
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The paper release lever may be in the wrong position.
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Check that the paper release lever is pulled forward to the continuous-paper position. If not, turn off the printer, move the lever, and turn it on again.
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The paper may have come off the tractor.
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Reattach the paper to the tractor as described in Printing on Continuous Paper.
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Paper feeding is crooked or the paper jams.
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Cause
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What to do
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The paper supply is obstructed.
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Make sure the paper supply is not obstructed by a cable or some other object.
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The paper supply is too far away from the printer.
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Make sure that your paper supply is within 1 meter (3 feet) of the printer.
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The printer cover may be opened.
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Close the printer cover.
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The edge guide positions may be incorrect.
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Position the edge guides at the diamond-shaped guide marks.
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The holes on the sides of the paper are misaligned.
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Check that the holes on the sides of the paper are aligned with each other. Also make sure the sprocket units are locked and their covers are closed.
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Your paper may be the wrong size or thickness for the printer.
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Make sure that the paper size and thickness are within the specified ranges. See Paper for information on the continuous paper specifications.
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When you use side-crimped multipart forms, the copies may not align with the original.
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Raise the paper guide to keep the printing position accurate.
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The paper does not eject properly.
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Cause
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What to do
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Your paper may be too long or too short.
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Make sure the page length of your paper is within the specified range. See Paper for information on the continuous paper specification.
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Roll paper does not feed properly
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The paper does not feed automatically.
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Cause
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What to do
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Paper ejection is not complete.
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Eject the roll paper and then remove the paper manually.
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Network problems
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A communication error occurs
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Cause
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What to do
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Are multiple users are logged into a single computer at the same time?
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On a Windows XP (64 bit)/Vista (32 bit/64 bit) system with multiple users, a communication error may occur when switching to a new user and starting a new print job while the previous user is still printing.
Make sure that the print job for the first user is complete and that user is logged off before switching to a new user and starting a new print job.
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You are unable to monitor the shared printer using EPSON Status Monitor 3
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Cause
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What to do
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Are you using a Windows XP (64-bit)/Vista (32-bit/64-bit) print server with a client set up for an operating system (Windows 95/98/Me/NT4.0/2000) which is older than Windows XP (32-bit)?
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When using an operating environment with this combination, the error window for EPSON Status Monitor 3 may not pop up on the client when an error occurs.
Please keep EPSON Status Monitor 3 running when using the printer.
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