My printout is blurry or smeared. What should I do?

• Check the following:
  • Make sure the paper type or media type setting matches the paper you loaded.
  • Make sure your paper isn't damp or curled, or loaded face up (the printable side should be face down). It's usually brighter or whiter.
  • Make sure your paper meets the specifications.
  • Use Epson papers to ensure proper saturation and absorption of genuine Epson inks. Also, make sure you're using genuine Epson ink cartridges.
  • Align the print head.
  • Remove each sheet from the output tray as it is printed.
  • Avoid handling printouts on glossy paper for a few hours to allow the ink to set. Let your prints dry separately for at least 12 hours before framing or placing them in protective sheets. If you need to stack them, place a sheet of plain paper between each print.
  • Turn off High Speed mode in the Windows or Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.3 and 10.4 printer software.
  • If you are using double-sided paper and printing heavily saturated or dark images on the front side of the paper, you may notice that smudges or marks appear on the front when you print the second side. If one side of the paper will contain a lighter image or text, print that side first to eliminate marks or smudging.
  • If ink smears when you print on envelopes or other thick paper, select Envelope in your printer software (Windows) or select Thick paper and envelopes (Macintosh).
  • To clean the rollers inside the Artisan, try making several copies without placing a document on the scanner glass. Adjust the Density setting to 1 level darker before you copy.
  • Select a higher Quality Option in the printer software.
  • If you are having this problem while printing on a CD or DVD, make sure you're using an ink jet-printable CD or DVD, and handle the disc carefully. Allow the ink to dry for at least 24 hours before inserting the disc in a drive.