The print quality is uneven, too light, or too dark, or lines appear in the printout. What should I do?

  • If you notice that your print quality is uneven, too light, too dark, or there are vertical or horizontal lines in the print (banding), try these solutions:

    • Run a nozzle check to see if any of the print head nozzles are clogged. Then clean the print head, if necessary.
    • Align the print head.
    • Adjust the media feed. For the most accurate adjustment, print a test pattern using the Manual > 500mm Pattern setting. The same media in a different width may require different adjustment values.
    • Use genuine Epson ink packs and make sure the ink packs have not expired.
    • Raise the temperature of the after heater, and give the after heater and your media time to warm up before printing again.
    • Make sure the media settings in your RIP software are correct for the media you are using.
    • Set the Head Movement setting to Printer Full Width on the product control panel for higher quality printouts.
    • If you are comparing the print result with the image on your computer screen, the colors may not match. Since monitors and printers produce colors differently, printed colors and screen colors do not always look the same.
    • Make sure that the front cover is closed. Do not open any covers during printing. This can cause the print head to stop abruptly, resulting in uneven color.
    • If you print with 1 or 2 passes in the RIP software, reduce the feed speed in the RIP software.
    • Check that the media edge guides are installed correctly and are not damaged.
    • If you are using the media settings in the product control panel, set the Feeding Tension setting to Lv1.
    Related tasks
    Checking for Clogged Print Head Nozzles
    Cleaning the Print Head
    Aligning the Print Head
    Related references
    Media Setup Menu Settings
    Consumables and Replacement Parts
Published:  Sep 5, 2017 Was this helpful?​ Thank you for the feedback!
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