EPSON Stylus Photo 785EPX
Running the Head Cleaning Utility | Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern |
Follow these steps to run the Head Cleaning utility:
1.Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and the red b error light is off. (If the red light is flashing or on, you may need to replace the ink cartridge; see page 7 for details.)
2.Do one of the following:
❏Windows: click Start, point to Settings, then select
Printers.
(Windows 98 or Me) or Printing Preferences
(Windows 2000). Click the Utility tab.
Examine the nozzle check pattern you print. Each staggered horizontal and straight vertical line should be complete, with no gaps in the dot pattern, as shown below:
❏If your printout looks okay, you’re done.
❏If any dots are missing (as shown below), clean the print head again; see the previous section for instructions.
❏Macintosh: Open the File menu and choose Page Setup
or Print. Then click the 
Utility button.
3.On the Utility menu, click the 
Head Cleaning button.
4.Follow the instructions on the screen to clean the print head. Cleaning takes about 30 seconds, during which the printer makes some noise and the Processing light flashes.
Never turn off the printer while the Processing light is flashing, unless the printer hasn’t moved or made noise for more than 5 minutes.
5.When the Processing light stops flashing, run a nozzle check to confirm the print head nozzles are clean.
Make sure paper is loaded in the printer and click Print nozzle check pattern. Then click Print. The nozzle check pattern prints (see the next section for details).
6.If the nozzle check pattern has no gaps in its dots, click
Finish.
If the pattern is missing dots, click Clean to clean the print head again.
If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning three or four times, check the solutions in your Printer Basics book. You can also turn the printer off and wait
Aligning the Print Head
If your printouts contain misaligned vertical lines, you may need to align the print head. Your printer must be connected to a local port, not on a network, to use the Print Head Alignment utility.
1.Make sure the printer is turned on, but not printing, and
Load paper that’s at least 8.27 inches (210 mm) wide to prevent ink from spraying inside the printer and smudging your printouts. For the best results, load EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper in the printer whenever you check the print head alignment.
2.Do one of the following:
❏Windows: click Start, point to Settings, then select
Printers.
(Windows 98 or Me) or Printing Preferences
(Windows 2000). Click the Utility tab.
❏Macintosh: Open the File menu and choose Page Setup or Print. Then click the 
Utility button.
3.In the Utility menu, click the 
Print Head Alignment button.
4.Follow the instructions on the screen to print a test page. You see the alignment window.
5.On the printed page, select the pattern that shows the two vertical lines most precisely printed on top of each other. You may need to use a magnifying glass.
Select one pattern each for rows 1, 2, and 3. Then enter the number of the best pattern for each row in the corresponding boxes on the screen.
6.Click Realignment to print another test page. Make sure the pattern numbered 8 in each row is the best aligned. If not, repeat steps 5 and 6.
7.When you’re finished, click Finish.
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