The Printer Sounds Like It Is Printing, But Nothing Prints; The Prints Are Not What You Expected - Epson SC-P5000 SERIES User Manual

SC-P5000 Series User's Guide
The printer sounds like it is
printing, but nothing prints
The print head moves, but nothing
prints.
Confirm the printer operation.
o
Print a nozzle check pattern. Because a nozzle check
pattern can be printed without connecting to a
computer, you can check the operations and print
status for the printer.
"Checking for clogged nozzles" on page 123
U
Check the next section if the nozzle check pattern is
not printed correctly.
Is the message Motor Self Adjustment
o
displayed on the control panel's screen?
The printer adjusts the internal motor. Wait for a
while without turning off the printer.
The nozzle check pattern is not
printed correctly.
Perform head cleaning.
o
The nozzles may be clogged. Print a nozzle check
pattern again after performing head cleaning.
"Cleaning the print head" on page 124
U
Has the printer been left unused for a long
o
time?
If the printer has not been used for a long time, the
nozzles may have dried up and have been clogged.
Do you mainly print on roll paper?
o
Dust may have collected on the roll paper's feed
slot. Use the dedicated cleaning sheet to clean the
roll paper feed slot.
See the following for the cleaning procedure.
"Cleaning the roll paper feed slot" on page 138
U
Problem Solver
The prints are not what you
expected
Print quality is poor, uneven, too
light, or too dark.
Are the print head nozzles clogged?
o
If the nozzles are clogged, specific nozzles do not
fire ink and the print quality declines. Print a nozzle
check pattern.
"Checking for clogged nozzles" on page 123
U
Was Head Alignment performed?
o
With bidirectional printing, the print head prints
while moving left and right. If the print head is
misaligned, ruled lines may be misaligned
accordingly. If vertical ruled lines are misaligned
with bidirectional printing, perform Head Alignment.
"Adjusting print misalignments (Head
U
Alignment)" on page 126
Are you using a genuine Epson ink cartridge?
o
This printer is developed for use with Epson ink
cartridges. If you use non-Epson ink cartridges,
printouts may be faint, or the color of the printed
image may be changed because the remaining ink
level is not correctly detected. Be sure to use the
correct ink cartridge.
Are you using an old ink cartridge?
o
The print quality declines when an old ink cartridge
is used. Replace the old ink cartridge with a new
one. We recommend using all the ink in the
cartridge before the expiry date printed on the
package (within six months of installation).
Have the ink cartridges been shaken?
o
The ink cartridges for this printer contain pigment
inks. Shake the cartridges thoroughly before
installing them in the printer.
"Replacing Ink Cartridges" on page 130
U
Are the Media Type settings correct?
o
Print quality is affected if the Media Type you have
selected in the Printer Settings screen (Windows) or
Print screen (Mac OS X) in the printer driver does not
match with the paper that is loaded in the printer.
Be sure to match the media type setting with the
paper that is loaded in the printer.
152