Horizontal banding
Vertical misalignment or banding
Incorrect or missing colors
Blurry or smeared printout

If you are having print quality problems, then compare it with the illustrations below. Click the caption under the illustration that best resembles your printout.

• 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.
  See Cleaning the Print Head

• Use ink cartridges within six months after opening the packages.

• Use genuine Epson ink cartridges.

• Check the error light. If the light is flashing, replace the appropriate ink cartridge.
  See Replacing an Expended Ink Cartridge

• Check the ink cartridge status by using EPSON Status Monitor 3 (Windows) or EPSON StatusMonitor (Macintosh).
  See Checking the Ink cartridge status

• Make sure the paper type selected in the printer driver is appropriate for the type of paper loaded in the printer.
  See Selecting the Correct Paper Type

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• 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.
  See Cleaning the Print Head

• Run the Print Head Alignment utility.
  See Aligning the Print Head

• Clear the High Speed check box in your Advanced printer settings. See the online help for details.

• Make sure the paper type selected in the printer driver is appropriate for the type of paper loaded in the printer.
  See Selecting the Correct Paper Type

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• Adjust the color settings in your application or in your Advanced printer settings. See the online help for details.

• Run the Head Cleaning utility.
  See Cleaning the Print Head

• Check the error light. If the light is flashing, replace the appropriate ink cartridge.
  See Replacing an Expended Ink Cartridge

• Check the ink cartridge status by using EPSON Status Monitor 3 (Windows) or EPSON StatusMonitor (Macintosh).
  See Checking the Ink cartridge status

• If you have just replaced an ink cartridge, make sure the date on the box has not expired. If you have not used the printer for a long time, replace the ink cartridges.
  See Replacing an Ink Cartridge Before It Is Expended

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• Use only paper recommended by Epson.
  See Paper

• Use genuine Epson ink cartridges.

• Make sure the printer is on a flat, stable surface that extends beyond the base in all directions. The printer will not operate properly if it is tilted.

• Make sure your paper is not damaged, dirty, or too old.

• Make sure your paper is dry and the printable side is facing up.

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

• Make sure the paper type selected in the printer driver is appropriate for the type of paper loaded in the printer.
  See Selecting the Correct Paper Type

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

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

• Do not touch or allow anything to come into contact with the printed side of transparencies or paper with a shiny finish. After printing on transparencies or glossy paper, allow the ink to set for a few hours before handling them.

• Run the Head Cleaning utility.
  See Cleaning the Print Head

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