The Printer Sounds Like It Is Printing, But Nothing Prints; The Prints Are Not What You Expected - Epson Stylus Pro 9860 User Manual

Epson Stylus Pro 9860

The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing prints

Cause
The ink cartridges may have a
problem.
The print head moves, but nothing
prints.

The prints are not what you expected

Cause
Print quality is poor, uneven, too
light, or too dark.
User's Guide
Problem Solver
What to do
If the print head moves, but nothing prints, confirm the printer operation.
Print a nozzle check pattern. You can check the printer's operation and status without
connecting the printer to the computer.
See "Nozzle check" on page 64
If the nozzle check pattern has missing dots, perform a print head cleaning.
See "Head cleaning" on page 65
If you replace the ink cartridges while the printer is turned off, the remaining amount of ink
cannot be detected correctly so that the Ink Check light does not come on even when the
ink cartridge needs to be replaced; otherwise you cannot print correctly. Be sure to follow
the instructions in this manual to replace the ink cartridge.
See "Replacing Ink Cartridges" on page 56
Has the printer not been used for a long time?
If the printer has not been used for a long time, the nozzles are dried and may be clogged.
See the following section.
"If you have not used your printer for more than six months" on page 71
Is the message Motor Self Adjustment displayed on the control panel's screen?
The printer adjusts the internal motor. Wait for a while without turning off the printer.
What to do
Are the print head nozzles clogged?
If the nozzles are clogged, the print quality is reduced. Print the nozzle check pattern.
If you replace the ink cartridges while the printer is turned off, the remaining of the ink
cannot be detected correctly so that the Ink Check light is not on even the ink cartridge is
needed to be replaced or you cannot print correctly. Be sure to follow the instructions in
this manual to replace the ink cartridge.
See "Replacing Ink Cartridges" on page 56
Is there any gap in the print head during bidirectional printing?
With bidirectional printing, the print head prints while moving left and right. If the print
head is misaligned, ruled lines may be printed misaligned with gaps. If vertical ruled lines
are misaligned with bidirectional printing, adjust the gap.
See "Print head alignment" on page 67
Are you using a genuine Epson ink cartridge?
If you use the non-Epson ink cartridge, the prints may smear, or the color of the printed
image may be changed because the ink end is not correctly detected. Be sure to use the
correct ink cartridge.
Are you using an old ink cartridge?
The print quality decreases when an old ink cartridge is used. Replace the old ink cartridge
with a new one. Be sure to use the ink cartridge before the expiry date.
Did you open the front cover during printing?
If the front cover is opened during printing, the carriage stops suddenly causing
unevenness in the color. Do not open the front cover during printing.
Does INK LOW appear on the LCD panel?
The print quality may decrease when the ink is nearly expended. Replace the ink cartridge
with a new one. If the print quality is not good after replacing the ink cartridge, perform
head cleaning a few times.
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