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Epson ET-8550 Users Guide - Page 231

Adjusting Print Quality, Print Head Maintenance, Print Head Nozzle Check

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Adjusting Print Quality If your print quality declines, you may need to run a utility to clean or align the print head. If running these utilities does not solve the problem, you may need to run a Power Cleaning or clean the paper path. Print Head Maintenance Print Quality Adjustment Power Cleaning Cleaning the Paper Guide Cleaning the Paper Path Cleaning the Translucent Film Cleaning the Paper Rollers Checking the Number of Sheets Fed Print Head Maintenance If your printouts become too light, or you see dark or light bands across them, you may need to clean the print head nozzles. Cleaning uses ink, so clean the nozzles only if print quality declines. You can check for clogged nozzles before you clean them so you don't clean them unnecessarily. Note: You may not be able to clean the print head when the ink level in any of the tanks is low. You may have to refill the ink tank first. If you still see white or dark lines or gaps in your printouts, even after cleaning the print head several times, you can run a Power Cleaning. Print Head Nozzle Check Print Head Cleaning Parent topic: Adjusting Print Quality Print Head Nozzle Check You can print a nozzle check pattern to check for clogged nozzles. Checking the Nozzles Using the Product Control Panel Checking the Nozzles Using a Computer Utility Parent topic: Print Head Maintenance 231

Section	Page
Contents	3
Product Basics	14
Product Parts Locations	14
Product Parts - Front	15
Product Parts - Inside	17
Product Parts - Back	18
Using the Control Panel	18
The LCD Screen	19
Status Icon Information	20
Navigating the LCD Screen	21
Entering Characters on the LCD Screen	22
Adjusting Control Panel Sounds	23
Adjusting the Screen Brightness	24
Changing LCD Screen Language	25
Viewing Animations	26
Turning Off Auto Selection Mode	27
Using Power Saving Settings	28
Changing the Sleep Timer Settings	28
Changing the Power Off Timer Settings	29
Epson Connect Solutions for Smartphones, Tablets, and More	30
Setting Up Epson Connect Services	30
Using Epson Email Print	31
Using Epson Remote Print	32
Using Epson Scan to Cloud	32
Using the Epson Smart Panel Mobile App	33
Voice-Activated Printing	34
Setting Up Printing on a Chromebook	34
Using AirPrint	34
Android Printing Using the Epson Print Enabler	35
Using Fire OS Printing	36
Using Windows 10 Mobile Printing	36
Using Epson Print and Scan App with Windows Tablets	37
Using the Mopria Print Service	37
Wi-Fi or Wired Networking	39
Network Security Recommendations	39
Wi-Fi Infrastructure Mode Setup	40
Selecting Wireless Network Settings from the Control Panel	41
Setting Up Wireless Printing from a Smartphone or Tablet	43
Wi-Fi Direct Mode Setup	44
Enabling Wi-Fi Direct Mode (Simple AP)	45
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)	46
Using WPS to Connect to a Network	46
Printing a Network Status Sheet	47
Printing a Network Connection Report	48
Network Connection Report Codes and Messages	49
Changing or Updating Network Connections	55
Accessing the Web Config Utility	55
Changing a USB Connection to a Wi-Fi Connection	56
Changing a Wi-Fi Connection to a Wired Network Connection	56
Connecting to a New Wi-Fi Router	57
Disabling Wi-Fi Features	57
Loading Paper	59
Loading Paper in Cassette 1 (Upper Cassette)	59
Loading Paper in Cassette 2 (Lower Cassette)	64
Loading Paper in the Rear of Your Product	69
Turning Off the Paper Mismatch Alert	73
Paper Loading Capacity	74
Double-sided Printing Capacity	76
Borderless Paper Type Compatibility	77
Compatible Epson Papers	79
Selecting the Paper Settings for Each Source - Control Panel	81
Paper or Media Type Settings - Control Panel	83
Paper or Media Type Settings - Printing Software	84
Placing Originals on the Product	85
Placing Originals on the Scanner Glass	85
Copying	88
Copying Documents or Photos	88
Restoring Photos While Copying	89
Copying Books, ID Cards, or Borderless Photos	91
Copying Options	92
Printing from a Computer	95
Printing with Windows	95
Selecting Basic Print Settings - Windows	96
Paper Source Options - Windows	98
Print Quality Options - Windows	98
Multi-Page Printing Options - Windows	99
Selecting Double-sided Printing Settings - Windows	99
Double-sided Printing Options - Windows	102
Print Density Adjustments - Windows	102
Selecting Additional Layout and Print Options - Windows	103
Custom Color Correction Options - Windows	105
Image Options and Additional Settings - Windows	106
Header/Footer Settings - Windows	107
Selecting a Printing Preset - Windows	108
Selecting Extended Settings - Windows	110
Extended Settings - Windows	111
Printing Your Document or Photo - Windows	113
Checking Print Status - Windows	114
Selecting Default Print Settings - Windows	115
Changing the Language of the Printer Software Screens	116
Changing Automatic Update Options	117
Printing with the Built-in Epson Driver - Windows 10 S	118
Selecting Print Settings - Windows 10 S	118
Printing on a Mac	122
Selecting Basic Print Settings - Mac	123
Paper Source Options - Mac	127
Print Quality Settings - Mac	127
Selecting Page Setup Settings - Mac	128
Selecting Print Layout Options - Mac	129
Selecting Double-sided Printing Settings - Mac	129
Double-sided Printing Options and Adjustments - Mac	131
Managing Color - Mac	131
Color Matching and Color Options - Mac	132
Selecting Printing Preferences - Mac	133
Printing Preferences - Mac	134
Printing Your Document or Photo - Mac	135
Checking Print Status - Mac	135
Printing from a Smartphone or Tablet	136
Printing with Epson Photo+	137
Cancelling Printing From the LCD Screen	137
Scanning	138
Starting a Scan	138
Starting a Scan Using the Product Control Panel	138
Scanning to a Memory Device	140
Scanning to a Connected Computer	141
Scanning to the Cloud	143
Setting Up a WSD Port (Windows 7/Windows Vista)	144
Control Panel Scanning Options	145
Changing Default Scan Job Settings	146
Starting a Scan Using Epson ScanSmart	147
Starting a Scan Using the Epson Scan 2 Icon	148
Starting a Scan from a Scanning Program	150
Starting a Scan from a Smartphone or Tablet	152
Scanning a Document or Photo in Epson ScanSmart	152
Saving a Scan	155
Attaching a Scan to Email	156
Sending a Scan to a Cloud Service	157
Printing a Scan	158
Selecting Epson ScanSmart Settings	160
Changing the Epson Product	160
Changing the Scan Settings	161
Changing the File Name Settings	163
Changing the Save Settings	164
Save Settings	166
Customizing Action Icons	168
Scanning in Epson Scan 2	169
Additional Scanning Settings - Main Settings Tab	172
Additional Scanning Settings - Advanced Settings Tab	173
Saving Scanned Documents as a Searchable PDF Using Epson Scan 2	174
Image Format Options	175
Scan Resolution Guidelines	176
Using Memory Cards with Your Product	178
Inserting a Memory Card	178
Removing a Memory Card	180
Printing from a Memory Card	181
Viewing and Printing Photos	181
Viewing and Printing Photos From the LCD Screen	181
Memory Card or External USB Device Print Settings	184
Printing Photo Layouts from a Memory Card with a Template	186
Printing ID Photos from a Memory Card	189
Creating and Printing a Greeting Card Template	192
Printing a Greeting Card from a Template	194
Transferring Photos on a Memory Card	195
Setting Up File Sharing for Photo Transfers from Your Computer	195
Transferring Photos from a Memory Card to Your Computer	196
Using an External Device with Your Product	198
Printing from a Camera	198
Selecting Print and Photo Adjustment Settings	198
Print Settings - Camera	200
Photo Adjustments - Camera	202
Connecting and Printing from a Camera	203
Printing from a Camera Wirelessly	204
Viewing or Printing from a USB Flash Drive or External Device	205
Connecting and Using a USB Flash Drive or External Device	205
Printing Personalized Projects	208
Printing a Personalized Project	208
Printing on CDs/DVDs	210
CD/DVD Printing Features	210
Loading a CD/DVD	210
Copying onto a CD/DVD	212
Refilling Ink and Replacing the Maintenance Box	215
Ink Safety Precautions	215
Checking the Ink and Maintenance Box Levels	217
Checking the Ink Levels on Your Product	218
Checking Maintenance Box Status on the LCD Screen	218
Checking Ink and Maintenance Box Levels - Windows	219
Checking Ink and Maintenance Box Levels - Mac	221
Disabling Special Offers with Windows	222
Purchase Epson Ink and Maintenance Box	223
Ink Bottle and Maintenance Box Part Numbers	224
Refilling the Ink Tanks	224
Maintenance Box Replacement	229
Adjusting Print Quality	231
Print Head Maintenance	231
Print Head Nozzle Check	231
Checking the Nozzles Using the Product Control Panel	232
Checking the Nozzles Using a Computer Utility	234
Print Head Cleaning	235
Cleaning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel	236
Cleaning the Print Head Using a Computer Utility	237
Print Quality Adjustment	240
Aligning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel	240
Power Cleaning	242
Power Cleaning Using the Product Control Panel	242
Cleaning the Paper Guide	243
Cleaning the Paper Path	246
Cleaning the Translucent Film	248
Cleaning the Paper Rollers	250
Checking the Number of Sheets Fed	253
Checking the Number of Sheets on the LCD Screen	254
Checking the Sheet Counter - Windows	254
Checking the Sheet Counter - Mac	255
Cleaning and Transporting Your Product	256
Cleaning Your Product	256
Transporting Your Product	257
Solving Problems	265
Checking for Software Updates	265
Viewing the Help Screen	266
Product Status Messages	266
Running a Product Check	271
Resetting Control Panel Defaults	272
Solving Setup Problems	273
Product Does Not Turn On or Off	274
Noise After Filling the Ink	274
Message Appears Prompting You to Reset Ink Levels	274
Software Installation Problems	275
Solving Network Problems	275
Product Cannot Connect to a Wireless Router or Access Point	276
Network Software Cannot Find Product on a Network	277
Product Does Not Appear in Mac Printer Window	278
Wireless Network Connection is Unstable on a Mac	279
Wired Network Connection Becomes Unstable	279
Cannot Print Over a Network	280
Cannot Scan Over a Network	281
Solving Copying Problems	282
Product Makes Noise, But Nothing Copies	282
Product Makes Noise When It Sits for a While	283
Solving Paper Problems	283
Paper Feeding Problems	283
Paper Jam Problems in the Paper Cassettes	284
Paper Jam Problems Inside the Product	286
Paper Jam Problems in the Rear Cover	288
Rear Paper Support Problems	292
Paper Ejection Problems	292
Solving Problems Printing from a Computer	292
Nothing Prints	293
Product Icon Does Not Appear in Windows Taskbar	294
Printing is Slow	294
Solving Page Layout and Content Problems	296
Inverted Image	296
Too Many Copies Print	297
Blank Pages Print	297
Incorrect Margins on Printout	298
Border Appears on Borderless Prints	298
Incorrect Characters Print	299
Incorrect Image Size or Position	300
Slanted Printout	300
Solving Print Quality Problems	301
White or Dark Lines in Printout	301
Blurry or Smeared Printout	303
Faint Printout or Printout Has Gaps	305
Grainy Printout	305
Incorrect Colors	307
Solving Scanning Problems	308
Scanning Software Does Not Operate Correctly	308
Cannot Start Epson Scan 2	309
Scanning is Slow	310
Cannot Send Scans to a Cloud Service	310
Solving Scanned Image Quality Problems	310
Image Consists of a Few Dots Only	311
Line of Dots Appears in All Scanned Images	311
Straight Lines in an Image Appear Crooked	312
Scanned Image Quality Problems	312
Characters are Not Recognized During Conversion to Editable Text (OCR)	314
Image Colors are Patchy at the Edges	314
Ripple Patterns Appear in an Image	314
Streaks Appear in All Scanned Images	315
Scanned Image Edges are Cropped	315
Resetting the Epson Scan 2 Settings	315
Solving Memory Card Problems	316
Memory Card Does Not Fit Into a Slot	316
Cannot View or Print Photos from a Memory Card or Device	316
Cannot Transfer Photos to or from a Memory Card or Device	317
Solving USB Device Problems	317
Cannot View or Print from a USB Device	318
Cannot Save Files on a USB Device	318
Cannot Transfer Files To or From a USB Device	318
Solving CD/DVD Problems	319
Problems Printing on CDs/DVDs	319
Uninstall Your Product Software	320
Uninstalling Product Software - Windows	320
Uninstalling Product Software - Mac	322
Where to Get Help	322
Technical Specifications	324
Windows System Requirements	324
Mac System Requirements	325
Paper Specifications	326
Printable Area Specifications	327
Scanning Specifications	329
Ink Specifications	329
Dimension Specifications	330
Electrical Specifications	331
Environmental Specifications	331
Interface Specifications	332
Memory Card Specifications	332
External Device Specifications	332
Supported Data Specifications	333
Network Interface Specifications	333
Safety and Approvals Specifications	336
Notices	337
Important Safety Instructions	337
General Product Safety Instructions	337
Wireless Connection Safety Instructions	339
LCD Screen Safety Instructions	339
FCC Compliance Statement	340
Binding Arbitration and Class Waiver	341
Trademarks	344
Copyright Notice	344
libTIFF Software Acknowledgment	345
A Note Concerning Responsible Use of Copyrighted Materials	346
Default Delay Times for Power Management for Epson Products	346

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231

Adjusting Print Quality

If your print quality declines, you may need to run a utility to clean or align the print head.

If running these utilities does not solve the problem, you may need to run a Power Cleaning or clean the

paper path.

Print Head Maintenance

Print Quality Adjustment

Power Cleaning

Cleaning the Paper Guide

Cleaning the Paper Path

Cleaning the Translucent Film

Cleaning the Paper Rollers

Checking the Number of Sheets Fed

Print Head Maintenance

If your printouts become too light, or you see dark or light bands across them, you may need to clean the

print head nozzles. Cleaning uses ink, so clean the nozzles only if print quality declines.

You can check for clogged nozzles before you clean them so you don’t clean them unnecessarily.

Note:

You may not be able to clean the print head when the ink level in any of the tanks is low. You may

have to refill the ink tank first.

If you still see white or dark lines or gaps in your printouts, even after cleaning the print head several