My printout is grainy when I print from any application. What should I do?

• Check 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 up. The printable side is usually brighter or whiter.
  • Make sure the following settings are set correctly in the Windows or Mac OS X printer driver:
    • Print Quality (Windows) or Output Resolution (Mac OS X): Try selecting a higher print quality setting.
    • High Speed: Try turning this setting off.
      
      To access this setting in Windows, select Quality Options for the Print Quality setting.
      
      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.
    • Platen Gap: If you're printing on thicker paper, try selecting Wide for this setting by following the steps below for your operating system.
      
      Windows: Click the Paper Config button on the Main tab, then select Wide for the Platen Gap setting.
      
      Mac OS X: Select Advanced Media Control from the print options pop-up menu, then select Wide for the Platen Gap setting.
  • Try aligning the print head.
  • If you're printing a photo or a document that contains images, you may need to increase the image resolution or print the images in a smaller size (see your software documentation).