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Problem Solver

Print Quality Problems

The background is dark or dirty
White dots appear in the printout
Print quality is uneven darkness
Half-tone images print unevenly
Toner smudges
Areas are missing in the printed image
Completely blank pages are output
The printed image is light or faint
The non-printed side of the page is dirty

The background is dark or dirty

Cause What to do
You may not be using the correct type of paper for your printer. If the surface of your paper is too rough, printed characters may appear distorted or broken. EPSON special paper, or smooth, high-quality copier paper is recommended for best results. See Available paper types for information on choosing paper.

The paper path inside the printer may be dusty.

Turn off the printer. Clean internal printer components by printing three pages with only one character per page.


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White dots appear in the printout

Cause What to do

The paper path inside the printer may be dusty.

Turn off the printer. Clean internal printer components by printing three pages with only one character per page.


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Print quality is uneven darkness

Cause What to do

Your paper may be moist or damp.

Do not store paper in a humid or damp environment.

There may be no toner left in the imaging cartridge.

If the message in the EPSON Status Monitor 3 indicates that the amount of toner is low, see Replacing an imaging cartridge.


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Half-tone images print unevenly

Cause What to do
Your paper may be moist or damp. Do not store paper in a humid or damp environment. Be sure to use paper that is newly unwrapped.

There may be no toner left in the imaging cartridge.

If the message in the EPSON Status Monitor 3 indicates that the amount of toner is low, see Replacing an imaging cartridge.


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Toner smudges

Cause What to do
Your paper may be moist or damp. Do not store your paper in a humid or damp environment.
You may not be using the correct type of paper for your printer. EPSON special paper or smooth, high-quality copier paper is recommended for best results. See Available paper types for information on choosing paper.

The paper path inside the printer may be dusty.

Turn off the printer. Clean internal printer components by printing three pages with only one character per page.


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Areas are missing in the printed image

Cause What to do
Your paper may be moist or damp. This printer is sensitive to moisture absorbed by the paper. The higher the moisture content in the paper, the lighter the printout. Do not store paper in a humid or damp environment.

You may not be using the correct type of paper for your printer.

If the surface of your paper is too rough, printed characters may appear distorted or broken. EPSON special paper or smooth, high-quality copier paper is recommended for best results. See Available paper types for information on choosing paper.


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Completely blank pages are output

Cause What to do
The printer may have loaded more than one sheet at a time. Remove the paper stack and fan it. Tap it on a flat surface to even the edges. Then reload the paper.
There may be no toner left in the imaging cartridge. If the message in the EPSON Status Monitor 3 indicates that the amount of toner is low, see Replacing an imaging cartridge.
The problem may be with your application or interface cable. Print out a status sheet. See Printing a Status Sheet. If a blank page is ejected, the problem may be with the printer. Turn off the printer and contact your dealer.
The yellow tape may not be pulled out of the imaging cartridge. Make sure that the yellow tape has been pulled out completely. See Replacing an imaging cartridge for details.

The MP tray cover is not attached correctly.

Check the MP tray cover. Next, remove the imaging cartridge and confirm that there is no paper remaining in the printer, then reinstall the imaging cartridge.


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The printed image is light or faint

Cause What to do
Your paper may be moist or damp. Do not store your paper in a humid or damp environment.

The Toner Save mode may be on.

Turn off the Toner Save mode using the printer driver.

There may be no toner left in the imaging cartridge.

If the message in the EPSON Status Monitor 3 indicates that the amount of toner is low, see Replacing an imaging cartridge.


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The non-printed side of the page is dirty

Cause What to do

Toner may have spilled onto the paper feed path.

Clean internal printer components by printing three pages with only one character per page.


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Version 1.10E, Copyright © 2003, SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION