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Problems and Solutions
Most problems you may encounter while operating your printer have simple solutions.
You can check the operation of your printer using the self test. See Printing a Self Test. If the self test works properly the problem probably lies in the computer, the application software, or the interface cable. If the self test does not work, contact your dealer or a qualified service person for assistance.
Power Supply
Power is not being supplied
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The lights come on briefly and then go off. The lights stay off even when the power is turned on again.
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Cause
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What to do
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The voltage ratings of the printer and electrical outlet may not match.
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Check that the printer’s voltage rating matches the voltage of your electrical outlet. If the voltages do not match, unplug the printer and contact your dealer immediately. Do not reconnect the power cord to an electrical outlet.
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The printer does not work and the control panel lights are off even when you turn on the printer.
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Cause
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What to do
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The power cord is not properly plugged into the electrical outlet or your printer.
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Turn off the printer, and make sure the power cord is firmly plugged into the electrical outlet and the printer, if necessary. Then turn on the printer.
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The electrical outlet does not work.
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Use a different outlet.
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Printing
Printing or printout quality problems
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The printer is on but it doesn’t print.
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Cause
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What to do
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The interface cable is broken or twisted.
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Check that the interface cable is not broken or twisted. If you have another interface cable, replace the cable and check whether the printer works correctly.
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The printer is not connected directly to your computer.
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When you use a printer changer, printer buffer, or a extension cable, the printer does not print correctly due to the combination of these devices. Make sure that the printer works correctly when it is connected to your computer without these devices.
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The printer driver is not installed correctly.
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Check that the printer driver is installed properly. If necessary, reinstall the printer driver.
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Paper is jammed or the ribbon or guard mechanism is stuck.
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Turn the printer off, open the printer cover and remove the jammed paper or things that are stuck. To eject the jammed paper, see Clearing a Paper Jam.
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The USB setting is incorrect.
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Confirm the USB setting is correct. See Correcting USB Problems for details.
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The printer is hung-up (stopping in abnormal situations).
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Turn the printer off and wait for a while. Then, turn the printer on again, and start printing.
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The cable used in the WNI 4915 mode is not the one shipped with the printer.
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Ensure that the correct dedicated cable is always used.
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The printer does not print when the computer sends data.
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Cause
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What to do
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The printer is paused.
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Press the Offline button to turn off the Power light.
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The interface cable is not plugged in securely.
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Check that both ends of the cable between the printer and the computer are plugged in securely. If the cable is connected correctly, run a self-test as described in Printing a Self Test.
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Your interface cable does not meet the printer and/or computer specifications.
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Use an interface cable that meets the requirements of both the printer and computer. See Electronic and your computer documentation.
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Your software is not properly set up for your printer.
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Select your printer from the Windows desktop or in your application. If necessary, install or reinstall the printer driver software. For the information on installing the software, see Start Here.
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The printer makes noise, but nothing prints or printing stops abruptly.
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Cause
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What to do
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The ribbon has too much slack, the ribbon has come loose, or the ribbon cartridge is not installed properly.
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Remove any slack in the ribbon by turning the ribbon-tightening knob, or reinstall the ribbon cartridge as described in the section under Replacing the ribbon cartridge.
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The printout is pale.
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Cause
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What to do
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The ribbon is worn out.
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Replace the ribbon cartridge as described in Replacing the ribbon cartridge.
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The printout is faint.
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Cause
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What to do
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The ribbon is worn out.
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Replace the ribbon cartridge as described in Replacing the ribbon cartridge.
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Part of the printout is missing, or dots are missing in random positions.
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Cause
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What to do
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The ribbon has too much slack, the ribbon has come loose, or the ribbon cartridge is not installed properly.
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Remove any slack in the ribbon by turning the ribbon-tightening knob, or reinstall the ribbon cartridge as described in Replacing the ribbon cartridge.
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The ribbon is worn out.
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Replace the ribbon cartridge as described in Replacing the ribbon cartridge.
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Lines of dots are missing in the printout.
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Cause
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What to do
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The print head is damaged.
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Print the current settings in the default settings mode and check the pin condition. See Changing default settings to see how to print them.
If only one pin is broken, other pins can compensate for it. See Broken pin compensation for details.
If more than two pins are broken, stop printing and contact your dealer to have the print head replaced.
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Caution:
Never replace the print head yourself; you may damage the printer. Also, other parts of the printer must be checked when the print head is replaced. |
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All the text is printed on the same line.
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Cause
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What to do
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No line feed command is sent at the end of each line of text.
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Set the Auto line feed setting to On in the default settings mode so that the printer automatically adds a line feed code to each carriage return. See Changing default settings.
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The printout has extra blank lines between lines of text.
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Cause
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What to do
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Two line feed commands are being sent at the end of each line of text, because the printer’s auto line feed setting is on.
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Set the Auto line feed setting to Off in the default settings mode. See Changing default settings.
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The line space setting in your application software is incorrect.
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Adjust the line space setting in your application software.
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The printer prints strange symbols, incorrect fonts, or other inappropriate characters.
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Cause
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What to do
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Your printer and computer are not communicating correctly.
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Make sure that you use the correct interface cable and that the communications protocol is correct. See Electronic and your computer documentation.
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The wrong character table is selected in your software.
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Select the correct character table using your software or the default-setting mode. The character table setting in your software overrides settings made in the default-setting mode.
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The printer you want to use is not selected in your software.
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Choose the correct printer from the Windows desktop or in your application before printing.
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Your application software is not configured correctly for your printer.
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Make sure that your application software is configured correctly for your printer. See your application documentation. If necessary, install or reinstall the printer driver software. For the information on installing the software, see Start Here.
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Software settings override settings you make using the default-setting mode or the control panel buttons.
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Use your application software to select the font.
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Vertical printed lines are not aligned.
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Cause
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What to do
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Bidirectional printing, which is the printer’s standard printing mode, is out of alignment.
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Use the printer’s bidirectional adjustment mode to correct this problem. See Aligning Vertical Lines in Your Printout
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Printing position problems
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Your printing appears too high or low on the page.
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Cause
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What to do
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The paper size setting in your application software or printer driver does not match the size of the paper you are using.
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Check the paper size setting in your application or printer driver.
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The top margin or top-of-form position setting is incorrect.
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Check and adjust the margin or top-of-form position settings in your application software. For information about recommended printable area, refer to the Paper/Media.
You can also adjust the top-of-form position using the Micro Adjust function. However, settings made in Windows applications override settings made in the Micro Adjust mode. See Adjusting the top-of-form position for more information.
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The printer driver settings you want to use are not selected in your software.
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Choose the correct printer driver setting from the Windows desktop or in your application before printing.
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Scanning
EPSON Scan for Business problem
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You cannot start EPSON Scan for Business
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Cause
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What to do
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The scanner is not turned on or not connected properly.
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Make sure the scanner is turned on and the USB cable is connected properly.
Make sure your computer supports USB. See Correcting USB Problems for detail.
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You have upgraded your computer’s operating system.
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You need to reinstall EPSON Scan for Business. Uninstall it as described in Uninstalling the Scanner Software, and then reinstall it.
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The Scanner or Source setting in the TWAIN-compliant program is incorrect.
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Make sure that the correct scanner is selected as the Scanner or Source setting.
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Scan quality problems
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Scanned image have streaks or it is dirty.
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Cause
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What to do
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Glass surface of the scanner is dirty.
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Clean it with a soft dry lint-free cloth.
If the glass surface is stained with grease or some other hard-to-remove material, use a small amount of glass cleaner with a soft cloth to remove it. Wipe off all remaining liquid.
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You see only a few dots in your scanned image
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Cause
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What to do
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The Threshold setting in the Black & White mode is not correct.
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Adjust the Threshold setting or use the Auto Threshold.
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Scanned image is too dark
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Cause
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What to do
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The Brightness setting is not correct.
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Adjust the Brightness setting.
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Brightness and contrast settings of the computer monitor is not adjusted properly.
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Adjust brightness and contrast settings of the computer monitor.
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Characters are not recognized well when converted into editable text (OCR)
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Cause
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What to do
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Settings are not appropriate for text recognition.
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Select the Text Enhancement option.
Select Black & White as the Image Type setting, and then try adjusting the Threshold.
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Scanned colors differ from the original colors
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Cause
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What to do
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The Image Type setting is incorrect.
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Select the setting that matches the original color.
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Magnetic Ink Character Reading
Reading quality problems
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Magnetic Ink Character cannot be read correctly
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Cause
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What to do
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Electromagnetic waves from other products may be interfering.
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Do not place near a CRT display that is emitting strong electromagnetic waves.
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Paper Handling
Paper loading or feeding problems
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The printer does not load single-sheet paper or does not feed it properly.
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Cause
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What to do
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Single-sheet paper is not loaded properly.
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See Loading Single Sheets for instructions on loading single-sheet paper.
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Paper is creased, old, too thin, or too thick.
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See the Paper/Media for information about the printable paper and use new, clean sheets of paper.
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The printer does not fully eject a single sheet.
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Cause
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What to do
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Paper is too long.
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When the printer is in the PR2 mode, see Clearing a Paper Jam for instructions on ejecting paper. When you are in the WNI4915, ESC/P and IBM PPDS modes, press the F1/Eject button. Make sure the page length of your paper is within the range specified for single-sheet paper in Paper/Media. Also check and adjust the paper size setting in your application or printer driver.
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The printer does not load passbook or does not feed it properly.
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Cause
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What to do
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Passbook is not loaded properly.
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See Loading Passbooks for instructions on loading passbooks.
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Network problems
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The printer does not print when using a network.
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Cause
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What to do
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The network setting is wrong.
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Check whether or not print jobs from other computers are being printed through the network.
When the print job is executed, the printer or your computer may have a problem. Check the connection between the printer and your computer, settings on the printer driver, and settings of your computer.
When the print job is not executed, network settings may be incorrect. Ask your network administrator for help.
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A communication error occurs
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Cause
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What to do
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Are multiple users are logged into a single computer at the same time?
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On a Windows Vista (32 bit/64 bit) system with multiple users, a communication error may occur when switching to a new user and starting a new print job while the previous user is still printing.
Make sure that the print job for the first user is complete and that user is logged off before switching to a new user and starting a new print job.
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