Running A Nozzle Check; Running A Cleaning Cycle; Aligning The Print Head - Epson Stylus Pro 9000 Series Manual

EPSON Stylus Pro 9000 series

Running a Nozzle Check

The nozzle check prints a pattern of dots that lets you see if
any print head nozzles are clogged. If any dots are missing,
you can run a cleaning cycle to clear the nozzles.
Follow these steps to print the nozzle check:
1. Load a sheet of paper in the printer. (You can print the
nozzle check on roll paper, but you will use more paper.)
2. Press the button on the control panel repeatedly
SelecType
until you see
TEST PRINT MENU
3. Press the button. You see
Item
on the display.
4. Press the button. The nozzle check prints as shown
Enter
below.
If all the lines on the check pattern are complete, with no
gaps in the dot pattern, the print head doesn't need
cleaning:
If dots are missing from the pattern, as shown below, you
need to run a cleaning cycle. See the following section for
instructions.

Running a Cleaning Cycle

If your printed image is unexpectedly light or faint or dots are
missing from the image, you may need to run a cleaning cycle.
This unclogs the print head nozzles so they can deliver ink
properly.
The cleaning process uses ink, so you should run it only if
print quality declines. Always run a nozzle check first to
confirm that the print head needs cleaning; the nozzle check
uses only a small amount of ink.
If you have installed the EPSON printer driver and utilities,
you can run the Head Cleaning utility.
Follow these steps to run the cleaning cycle from the printer's
control panel:
1. Make sure none of the
so, you need to replace the indicated ink cartridge before
you can run a cleaning cycle.)
2. Press the button and hold it for three seconds.
Cleaning
10 - EPSON Stylus Pro 9000 series
on the display.
NOZZLE CHECK=PRINT
lights is on or flashing. (If
Ink Out
The light flashes as the printer cleans its print head.
Pause
The cleaning cycle takes about three minutes, and does not
use any paper.
Caution:
To avoid damaging the printer, don't turn it off until the cleaning
cycle is finished and the
3. When the
Pause
nozzle check to confirm that the print head is clean.
You may need to run the cleaning cycle several times to get a
clean nozzle check pattern. If the lines on the pattern still
appear broken after several cleaning cycles, contact EPSON
for assistance.
Always run a test print or nozzle check between cleaning
cycles. Otherwise, cleaning will not be effective.

Aligning the Print Head

If banding appears on your printouts, or vertical lines are not
straight, you need to align the print head. You can use the
Print Head Alignment utility if you have the EPSON printer
driver installed. If not, you can align the print head using the
control panel. Both procedures align the head for all modes
and resolutions.
Print head alignment is a two-part procedure:
❏ First you print a series of alignment or adjustment patterns.
❏ Then you determine which numbered row of patterns
(EPSON Stylus Pro 9000) or numbered line or box
(EPSON Stylus Pro 9500) is best aligned (has the smallest
gaps). You enter the information on the control panel to
align the print head.
Printing the Alignment Patterns
For the EPSON Stylus Pro 9000, use 13
coated ink jet paper (short edge first). You'll need 4 sheets to
complete the alignment procedure, which includes 12 patterns
of 7 rows each and takes about 15 minutes.
For the EPSON Stylus Pro 9500, you can use EPSON roll
paper. Six patterns of 15 lines or boxes are printed, which
takes about 10 minutes. The patterns are repeated across the
width of the paper.
Follow these steps to align the print head using the control
panel:
1. Load paper in the printer.
2. Press the
SelecType
is displayed.
MENU
8/00
light has stopped flashing.
Pause
light goes off, print a document or run a
19-inch EPSON
×
button until
HEAD ALIGNMENT