My prints are scuffed or smeared. What should I do?

• If your prints are scuffed or smeared, try these solutions:

  • Make sure your paper meets the specifications for your product.
  • Do not use paper with folds or creases and always use new media.
  • If you are using cut sheet paper, check that changes in humidity and temperature have not made the paper wavy or curled up on the edges. Flatten the paper before loading it or use new paper.
  • If the surface of the paper is scuffed, select a wider Platen Gap setting. If results do not improve, set Custom Paper Setting > Paper Eject Roller to Use.

    Caution:
    The Paper Eject Roller setting may damage glossy paper.

  • If ink is smeared on your prints, clean the rollers. Load blank paper and select > Forward to feed it through the printer.
  • If you are using non-Epson media, make sure you create a custom paper configuration for the media.
  • Make sure the Paper Size Check setting is set to On, or the printer may print outside the edges of the loaded paper and smear ink on the back of the print.
  • Depending on the print density and type of paper you are using, the ink may take a while to dry. Do not stack the prints until the ink is completely dry.
  • Make sure that the printer driver's Media Type settings match the paper that you are using.
  • If the bottom edge is scuffed, try widening the bottom margin. Set Top Margin to 45 mm and Bottom Margin to 15 mm.
  • If the trailing edge is scuffed while printing, create your data with a wider margin. If the situation does not improve, select Optimize Edge Quality from the printer driver.
  • If you are printing multiple pages and Auto Cut is set to Never Cut, the area between pages may be scuffed. Set Margin Between Pages to 65mm from Custom Paper Setting.
  • Try cleaning the area around the print head, caps, and wipers.
  Related tasks
  Cleaning the Roll Paper Feeder
  Creating Custom Paper Settings
  Related references
  Paper Specifications
  Related information
  Cutting Roll Paper