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Problem Solver

Print Quality Could Be Better

If you are having print quality problems, first perform a . 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 printout

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. Windows 3.1, 95 or 98 users can start the now.

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

Check the black and color ink out lights. If a light is flashing, replace the ink cartridge. See Replacing an Empty Ink Cartridge.

Make sure the Maximum Printable Area setting in your printer driver is deselected. When this setting selected, banding may occur in the expanded area.

Make sure the Media Type selected in the printer driver is right for the type of media loaded in the printer.

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. Windows 3.1, 95 or 98 users can start the now.

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

Run the Head Cleaning utility to clear any clogged ink nozzles. Windows 3.1, 95 or 98 users can start the now.

Make sure the Media Type selected in the printer driver is right for the type of media loaded in the printer.

Color gaps

Try one or more of these solutions.

Make sure your paper is not damaged, dirty, or too 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. Windows 3.1, 95 or 98 users can start the now.

Check the black and color ink out lights. If one of the lights is flashing, replace the appropriate ink cartridge. See Replacing an Empty Ink Cartridge.

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.

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

Make sure the Media Type selected in the printer driver is right for the type of media loaded in the printer.

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 mode for Windows or Using the Automatic settings 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. Windows 3.1, 95 or 98 users can start the now. If colors are still incorrect or missing, 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 printout

Try one or more of these solutions.

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

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

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

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

Remove each sheet from the output tray as it's 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. Windows 3.1, 95 or 98 users can start the now.

Run the Print Head Alignment utility. Windows 3.1, 95 or 98 users can start the now.

Ink may have leaked inside the printer; wipe the inside of the printer with a soft, clean cloth.

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