Diagnosing the Problem

Troubleshooting printer problems is best handled in two steps: first diagnose the problem, then apply likely solutions until the problem is fixed.

The information that you need to diagnose and solve most common problems is provided by online problem solving, the control panel, the status monitor, or by running a printer operation check. Refer to the appropriate section below.

If you have a specific problem relating to print quality, a printout problem not related to print quality, or a paper feeding problem, or if the printer does not print at all, refer to the appropriate section.

To solve a problem, you may need to cancel printing.
See Canceling Printing

You can diagnose and solve most problems by checking the error messages on the LCD screen. If you cannot solve the problems by checking the messages, refer to the User’s Guide -for use without a computer- manual.

If a problem occurs while printing, an error message will appear in the status monitor window.

When the status monitor indicates that the photo cartridge is expended, refer to the User’s Guide -for use without a computer- manual to replace the photo cartridge.

To confirm the status of the photo cartridge, see one of the following sections:
See Using EPSON Status Monitor 3 (Windows)
See Using EPSON StatusMonitor (Mac OS X)

If an error message appears indicating the printer’s ink pads or ink tubes are nearing the end of their service life, contact Epson support to replace them. When the printer’s ink pads are saturated or the ink tubes come to the end of their service life, the printer stops and replacement by Epson support is required to continue printing.

If you are unable to determine the source of the problem, run a printer operation check to help you determine whether the problem comes from the printer.

To run a printer operation check, follow these steps.

A test page prints showing a nozzle check pattern. (If the pattern has gaps, you need to clean the print head. See Cleaning the Print Head.)