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The Control Panel

Using Special Power-On Functions

Nozzle check and printer settings
Print head alignment
Paper size and media type check
Parallel interface ECP mode
Platen gap adjustment for the manual feed slots

The following functions are enabled if you hold down the corresponding button (in parentheses) while turning on the printer. See the following sections for more details.

• Nozzle check and printer settings (Reset)

Prints a nozzle check pattern and printer settings.

• Print head alignment (Reset + Eject/Continue)

Enters the printer-adjustment mode.

• Paper Size and Media Type verification (Cleaning)

Enables and disables the printer's paper size and media type check. This is useful for when the printer driver cannot perform a similar check due to a lack of bi-directional communication between the printer and your computer.

• Parallel interface ECP mode (Reset + Cleaning)

Enables or disables ECP for the printer parallel interface.

• Platen gap adjustment for the front and rear manual feed slots (Eject/Continue)

Changes the adjustment mode for thickness of paper fed from the manual feed slots: Auto or Fixed (thick paper).

Nozzle check and printer settings

A nozzle check pattern can be printed to check the six colors for missing dots.

Make sure the printer is turned off.

Load several sheets of A4 or letter size into the paper tray.

Set the paper size lever to match the size of the paper you loaded above.

While holding down the Reset button, press the Operate button to turn the printer on. When the Operate light starts flashing, release the buttons. The printer prints a nozzle check pattern and settings list similar to the one below.

Check the nozzle check pattern. If the printed pattern is faint or some dots are missing, like in the sample shown below, try cleaning the print head. To clean the print head, press down the Cleaning button for 3 seconds. After cleaning, the nozzle check pattern is printed automatically. Check that there is no missing dot.

Press the Operate button to exit this mode.

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Print head alignment

The procedure for head alignment using the control panel is described below.

General flow of the head alignment procedure

Aligning the print head

Make sure the printer is turned off.

Load several sheets of A4 or letter size Archival Matte Paper, Premium Semigloss Photo Paper, or Professional Glossy Paper into the paper tray.

Set the media type lever to match the type of the media you loaded above.

While holding down both the Reset and Eject/Continue buttons, press the Operate button to turn the printer on.

When the Operate light starts flashing, release the buttons. The printer enters the print head alignment mode and prints a pattern similar to the one below.

<Example>

After the printing, the black ink light comes on and the paper light (lower paper tray) starts flashing.

Check the printed pattern and select the numbered patterns, from #1 to #3, that are misaligned. For example, pattern #1 above requires alignment. Referring to the table below, press the Reset button to select a pattern until the ink lights indicate the appropriate numbered pattern.

Ink light	Black	Cyan	Magenta	Yellow
#1
#2
#3

Press the Eject/Continue button to enter your selection so that the Operate light starts flashing.

The printer prints 15 patterns, similar to the ones below. In this mode, the paper light (paper tray) and yellow ink light turn on.

Determine which set of lines on the printed sheet is vertically aligned. Referring to the table below, use the Eject/Continue button (forward) and the Reset button (reverse) to select the appropriate pattern.

Ink light	Black	Cyan	Magenta	Yellow
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Press the Cleaning button to enter your selection. The printer goes back to the print head alignment mode.

If other numbered patterns in step 5 are misaligned, repeat steps 6 through 10.

After finishing the print head alignment, press the Operate button to save the alignment setting, and turn off the printer.

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Paper size and media type check

If this setting is on, the printer checks whether the paper size lever and media type lever positions match the corresponding settings in the printer driver. The control panel lights will indicate if they do not match. To enable this function or check whether this function is enabled, follow the steps below.

Make sure the printer is turned off.

While holding down the Cleaning button, press the Operate button. The Operate light flashes and the paper tray light turns on.

Using the table below, press the Reset button to change the setting, if necessary.

Press the Eject/Continue button to exit the setting mode or press the Operate button to exit the mode and turn the printer off.

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Parallel interface ECP mode

Set this ECP mode setting to Off under normal circumstances. Set it to On only when you use your printer with peripheral devices that require this mode to be set to On.

Make sure that the printer is turned off.

While holding down the Reset and Cleaning buttons, press the Operate button to turn on the printer. The Operate light turns on and the paper light (paper tray) starts flashing.

Using the table below, press the Reset button to change the setting, if necessary.

Press the Eject/Continue button to exit the setting mode or press Operate to exit the mode and turn the printer off.

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Platen gap adjustment for the manual feed slots

When the platen gap adjustment setting is enabled and you load paper into the front or rear manual feed slot, the printer increases the gap between the platen and the print head to avoid smearing ink on thick paper. If you load paper into the paper tray, leave this setting on Auto, and the printer will automatically determine the proper gap according to the Media Type and Paper Size settings you make in the printer driver. If ink smears on your printout when you load paper into the front or rear feed slot (especially if you print on thick documents), change this setting to Fixed (thick paper). To make this setting, follow the steps below.

Make sure that the printer is turned off.

While holding down the Eject/Continue button, press the Operate button to turn on the printer. You can see the Operate light flashing and the lower paper tray light turn on.

Using the table below, press the Reset button to change the setting, if necessary.

Press the Eject/Continue button to exit the setting mode or press the Operate button to exit the mode and turn the printer off.

Return the setting from Fixed (thick paper) to Auto after you finish printing on thick paper.

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