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 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.
  • Make sure you are using genuine Epson ink cartridges. If you use non-Epson ink cartridges, printouts may be faint, or the color of the printed image may be uneven because the remaining ink level is not correctly detected.
  • Make sure your ink cartridges have not expired. For best results, use ink cartridges before the expiration date printed on the package (within one year of installation in the printer). Replace expired cartridges with new ones.
  • Shake the cartridges before installing them in the printer. To maintain optimum print quality, remove and shake the installed cartridges every six months or if the printer has not been used in the last three months.
  • Make sure you selected the correct Media Type setting in the printer driver that matches the paper loaded in the printer.
  • Compare the print result with the image on your computer screen. Since monitors and printers produce colors differently, printed colors and screen colors do not always look the same.
  • Make sure that the printer cover is closed during printing.
  • Check the ink levels on the LCD screen. Replace any cartridges that are low on ink.
  • Enable color management in the software application or in the printer driver.
  • If you are using non-Epson media, make sure you create a custom paper configuration for the media.
  • Check the quality setting that you selected in the printer driver. Using a faster printing method may decrease the overall print quality.
  • If colors are uneven near the leading edge of the print, add a larger margin. In the print driver, you can also set Quality Options > Paper Edge Quality to Add Top Margin or Optimize Media Edge Print Quality.
  Related concepts
  Print Head Nozzle Check
  Ruled Line Alignment
  Related tasks
  Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges
  Selecting Basic Print Settings - Windows
  Selecting Basic Print Settings - Mac
  Creating Custom Paper Settings