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

• Try the following:
  • Epson inks, specialty papers, and printers are designed to work together. For the best results, use genuine Epson ink and paper.
  • Make sure your paper meets the specifications and isn't damp, curled, or wrinkled. In addition, if you are using special, coated, or glossy photo paper, try the following:
    • If the paper you're using has a printable side (check your paper packaging for details), make sure the printable side is loaded face down. The printable side is usually brighter or whiter.
    • 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.
  • 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 help prevent marks or smudging.
  • Try cleaning the rollers inside the product.
  • Make sure the following settings are set correctly in the Windows, Mac OS X 10.5/10.6, or Mac OS X 10.4 printer driver:
    • Type or Media Type: Select a Type or Media Type setting that matches the paper you loaded.
    • High-Speed (Windows only): Try turning this setting off.
      
      Note:
      This setting controls whether the print head prints in both directions (bi-directional) or in one direction (uni-directional)—from right to left. Turning this setting off to print in one direction decreases print speed but may improve print quality.
    
    If you're printing double-sided automatically with the duplexer, try adjusting the print density and drying time settings. To access these settings in the printer driver, click the Page Layout tab in Windows or select Output Settings from the printer options pop-up menu in Mac OS X.
  • Print a nozzle check pattern. If there are gaps or the pattern is faint, clean the print head.
  • Try aligning the print head.