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. If nozzles are still clogged after cleaning three times, perform a Powerful Cleaning.
  • Perform a print quality adjustment.
  • Make sure your paper meets the specifications for your product.
  • Make sure the paper is not wrinkled, folded, or bent.
  • Make sure your ink cartridges have not expired. For best results, use ink cartridges before the expiration date printed on the package (within six months of installation in the printer). Replace expired cartridges with new ones.
  • Shake the cartridges before installing them in the printer.
  • 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 all printer covers are closed during printing.
  • Keep all printer covers closed unless you are loading or unloading media to prevent dust from accumulating inside the printer.
  • 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.
  Related concepts
  Print Head Nozzle Check
  Print Head Cleaning
  Related tasks
  Adjusting Print Quality Using the Product Control Panel
  Selecting Basic Print Settings - Windows
  Selecting Basic Print Settings - Mac
  Related references
  Paper Specifications
  Color Mode Options - Windows
  Level Options - Windows
  Color Mode Options - Mac
  Level Options - Mac