Alps Electric MD-1300 manual Printing is light, distorted, or has gaps

Troubleshooting

Printing is light, distorted, or has gaps

Has one of the ribbons separated from the head?

Stop the printing and reinstall all the cartridges. Take up any slack in the ribbons. If a particular cartridge repeatedly causes problems try a different cartridge.

Is the head dirty? Is there something stuck on the head?

Clean the head following the directions in this guide. If anything is stuck to the print head, remove it, being careful not to damage the head. The platen often gets dirty at the same time as the head, so it is recommended that you clean the platen after cleaning the head.

Is the platen dirty? Is there anything stuck on the platen?

Clean the platen following the directions in this guide for cleaning the printer and platen. If anything is stuck to the platen, remove it, being careful not to damage the platen. The platen often gets dirty at the same time as the head so it is recommended to clean the platen as well as the head. If cleaning the head and the platen does not work, contact the store where you purchased the printer.

Are you using the correct cartridges for the chosen printing medium?

Use only Alps cartridges for the MD-1300 printer. When printing in color on the glossy side of a greeting card, use metallic cartridges. When printing transparencies, use only Alps Overhead Projector Transparency Film (Letter/ A4) (part number 106065-00/106065-00-EU).

Are you printing in “Best” quality (600 dpi) on a rough or special surface? (overhead projector transparencies, iron-on transfer sheets, back print film, etc)

Rough or specially treated surfaces may not allow Micro DryTM ink to ad- here well in high resolution printing modes, resulting in gaps or distortions. In such a case, use a Blends option in the Colors dialog box appropriate for the media.

Are you printing images with many sudden color variations or very bright colors?

In these situations, the overlap of different colors of ink can degrade the quality of the image. Try changing the Blends option in the Colors dialog box from Fine Pattern to Standard Pattern. Use a Blends option appropri- ate for the image.

Are you printing on envelopes, thermal paper, or picture postcards?

Printing is unreliable on envelopes and other surfaces which have a non- uniform thickness. Printing and feeding of thermal paper is unreliable. The back side of picture postcards may be printed on if the surface is smooth and the card thickness is 0.01" / 0.23 mm or less, but printing on the photo side is unreliable.

165