Print head alignment keeps on getting worse and worse the more I try to "fix" it

First off, I know that this question doesn't really belong in the mbp section, but since I am printing from one, I thought this would be the closest match.
I have an Epson NX420 printer which came with my 2011 mbp 13in for free (err... $100 off the original $95ish to be exact). It will turn 3 years old in less than a month.
This past week, I have had troubles printing "good" images, so I did the print head alignment on Epson Printer Utility 4, following the written directions. I printed something out, and it was still disgustingly off, so I repeated the process two more times, each time printing something different. The vertical alignment is fine, but the horizontal alignment seems to get worse and worse. One thin line will be split into two in some places, and one will be dotted while the other solid, and in the case of color, the two bands are different colors. Solids come out grainy.
I don't want to waste any more paper and expensive ink for something that is not fixing itself. Since my mbp is still under Applecare warrenty, will Apple fix or trade my current printer for another one for free, or does Apple have nothing to do with printers other than its sale? If not, are there alternative ways to fix this problem? I am sure I am choosing the box without any bands at all and if there is I choose the lightest band-in-a-box and click realignment.
Here is the recent printout of random lines and text, after three unsuccesful trials of print head alignment.

This is a printer issue and it's only covered under the Epson Warranty Program, which is 1 year. AppleCare has nothing to do with that.
You'll probably have to replace the printer if the print heads cannot be replaced. That's the issue when you buy an inkjet that has print heads that aren't part of the ink cartriges... when they go bad, they go bad and you're hosed. If the issue persists after a print cartridge change, then it's definitely the heads.

Similar Messages

MG2100 Printer Head Alignment not working for color ink?

Hi,
I have a Canon MG2100, and I just changed the color ink. When I print something in color I get magenta lines through the image. I realized I had to align the heads and have been trying to do both the automatic and manual methods of aligning the printer heads. I click color every time, but when the printer prints the sheet I'm supposed to scan or input values, there are no color values printed, only the black and white? I assume it needs the color values since the manual has them... What am I doing wrong?
Here's a picture:

Hi bgill93.
First, please make sure that the ink installed in the printer is the correct ink. The correct ink cartridges are the PG-240 black and the CL-241 color.
Next, a test page should be printed. The nozzle check pattern shows if each print head nozzle is operating properly.
1. Ensure that the printer is powered on and the LED displays a 1.
2. Open the paper output tray.
3. Load a sheet Letter-sized plain paper in the Auto Sheet Feeder.
4. Press the <Maintenance> button to display [A]. The Maintenance button is the button on the Operator's panel which has the wrench and screwdriver label above it.
5. Press the Black Start button. The machine will print a nozzle check pattern. Please compare the test page that you printed with the one at the bottom of this post.
If the test page does not match the example attached to this email, printhead cleanings should be performed. To do this, please follow these steps:
1. Ensure that the printer is powered on and the LED displays a 1.
2. Press the <Maintenance> button once to display [H].
3. Press the Black Start button. The cleaning will commence.
After performing a few cleanings, please print another test page.
If you continue to have difficulties, it is recommended that the ink cartridges are replaced.
Did this answer your question? Please click the Accept as Solution button so that others may find the answer as well.

Cartridge print head alignment routine lock up

Printer locks up on cartridge alignment after starting to printi the alignment page. Gets as far as the page-edge alighment arrows and then locks up. Every time. Green LED on printer starts flashing fast green when this happens. Have to unplug printer to clear. Similar result if request test page print. But printer is printing fine when I send it a document! It's just that I can no longer do the "align printheads" routine. Have re-installed printer driver. Also installed a "patch" that was on the HP web site. Help, please. Surprisingly, the print quality looks good, even without the print head alignment, but I would like to align my cartridges.

I only use OEM, new, HP ink cartridges. The ink cartridges (both 21 and 22) are new and full. The link you provided is to the standard instructions, which I followed, and which say simply "perform the align cartridges" routine. But as I explained, that routine starts and then locks up. Every time. The routine gets as far as printing the page alignment arrows when the lockup occurs (starts fast flashing on the front panel green LED). I have had this printer for several years, and have performed the align cartridges routine many times without difficulty. Have always used HP OEM cartridges, never any non-OEM refills. Then this lock up problem started. Don't recall if it was associated with one of the HP printer driver updates I get (and install) from time to time. Printer will also lock up if asked to print a test page. But printer works when I send files to it, and the print quality looks good, so the alignment of the cartridges must be pretty close. But it would be nice to be able to perform the alignment, just to be sure.

How much ink does a print head alignment use on a MX860 printer?

Just wanted to know how much ink is being used when I run a print head alignment job on a MX860 printer?
Thanks.

This is a printer issue and it's only covered under the Epson Warranty Program, which is 1 year. AppleCare has nothing to do with that.
You'll probably have to replace the printer if the print heads cannot be replaced. That's the issue when you buy an inkjet that has print heads that aren't part of the ink cartriges... when they go bad, they go bad and you're hosed. If the issue persists after a print cartridge change, then it's definitely the heads.

Apple getting worse and worse?

I am a huge fan and occasional user of Apple since the 80s and buy exclusively Macs since 2006 and have become a power user.
I buy the newest machine every 1-2 years.
I currently own an MBA 11, 2011, i5, 4GB, 256GB SSD. ( also Ipad, iphone)
Since Lion and now Mountain Lion- both of which I love from the User Interface standpoint my experience is getting worse and worse over the years, though:
- I see the spinning beach-ball often
- yesterday mail was so unresponsive I couldnt type an email
- it seems that iCloud doesnt care what I am doing it claims the full internet bandwidth (I have 8Mbps) for itself whenever it feels like it
- now iphoto (which gives me lots of beachballs) just crashed while I was editing a picture
- lots and lots of times, the mac does not wake from sleep and instead I have to hold the on-button for 8s to restart the hard way
- sometimes something is clogging up the CPU and then the fans kick in and they never come down although no processes are running that require lots of resourses, then I have to restart to get the fans to behave like normal again
-sometimes I cant quit iTunes, whenever I quit it restarts all by itself- again rebooting is the only solution
All in all my experience is slowly moving from: "it just works!" to "it is becoming a nuisance!"
I am working with my computer almost all day every day, so I really need it to work smooth in order not to waste my time.
But I am mostly using mail, Office 2011 and iphoto, skype and a few other things - nothing that resource intensive and of course all my system is running the most recent versions of everything and I verified and repaired disk permissions recently.
I am starting to look at Windows machines again if it goes on like this.
Anyone else like this? Any suggestions for help?

Please read this whole message carefully, especially the warnings, before doing anything.
1. The changes to your configuration suggested here should be considered provisional; they may not solve your problem, or they may remove functionality that you find useful. If a third-party system modification that you want to keep is causing the problem, seek help from its developer.
2. WARNING: Back up all data now if you haven’t already done so. Before proceeding, you must be sure you can restore your system to its present state, even if it becomes unbootable. If you’re not sure you can do that, STOP — DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING. If you’re dissatisfied with the results of the procedure suggested below, restore from your backup. I will not be responsible for the consequences, and I will not be able to help, if you ignore this warning.
3. You should either remove or update the following system modification(s), if an update is available from the developer:
N/A
and definitely remove at least the following:
† CleanMyMac
† DivX
† MacKeeper
† SIMBL
4. Whatever you remove must be removed completely, and (unless otherwise specified in this message) the only way to do that is to use the uninstallation tool, if any, provided by the third-party developers, or to follow their instructions. In some cases it may be necessary to re-download or even reinstall the software in order to get rid of it. I can't be more specific, because I don't install such things myself. Please do your own research.
Here are some general guidelines to get you started. Suppose you want to remove something called “BrickYourMac.” First, consult the product's Help menu, if there is one, for instructions. Finding none there, look on the developer's website, say www.brickyourmac.com. (That may not be the actual name of the site; if necessary, search the web for the product name.) If you don’t find anything on the website or in your search, email the developer. While you're waiting for a response, download BrickYourMac.dmg and open it. There may be an application in there such as “Uninstall BrickYourMac.” If not, open “BrickYourMac.pkg” and look for an Uninstall button.
Again, please don't ask me to do this research for you. You can do it better than I can, because I haven't installed the product and I may not even know what it is.
If you can’t remove software in any other way, you’ll have to erase your boot volume and perform a clean reinstallation of OS X. Never install any third-party software unless you're sure you know how to uninstall it; otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.
WARNING: Trying to remove complex system modifications by hunting for files by name often will not work and may make the problem worse. The same goes for "utilities" that purport to remove software.
5. I recommend that you never reinstall the modifications marked with a dagger (†) above, if any. If your problem is resolved after uninstalling all the above modifications and rebooting, but you still want to use some of those not marked with a dagger, you can experiment with putting them back, one at a time, testing carefully after each step. Keep in mind that system modifications may be incompatible with each other or with future OS X updates, so it may not be clear which one is at fault.
6. If you still have problems after making the suggested changes and rebooting, post again. Remember: if you don’t like the results of this procedure, you can undo it by restoring from the last backup you made before you started.
Remove the "MacKeeper" crapware as follows.
Note: These instructions apply to the version of the product that I downloaded and tested in early 2012. I can't be sure that they apply to other versions, nor do I intend to repeat the test.
IMPORTANT: "MacKeeper" has what the developer calls an “encryption” feature. In my tests, I didn't try to verify what this feature really does. If you used it to “encrypt” any of your files, “decrypt” them before you uninstall, or (preferably) restore the files from backups made before they were “encrypted.” As the developer is not trustworthy, you should assume that the "decrypted" files are corrupt unless proven otherwise.
In the Finder, select Go ▹ Applications from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-A. The "MacKeeper" application is in the folder that opens. Quit it if it's running, then drag it to the Trash. A dialog will pop up asking why you want to uninstall it. You don't have to provide that information. Enter anything you like in the text box, then click the Uninstall button. All the functional components of the software will be deleted. That's the only useful feature of "MacKeeper:" it deletes itself. Reboot.
Do not try to uninstall by dragging the MacKeeper icon in the Dock or the LaunchPad to the Trash.
Here are some general suggestions. If you want your computer to be usable, don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” “extenders,” “cleaners,” “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, this kind of material is useless, or worse than useless.
The more actively promoted the product, the more likely it is to be garbage. The most extreme example is the “MacKeeper” scam.
The only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for — such as creating, communicating, and playing — and does not modify the way other software works. Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it.
Uninstall SIMBL as follows. Back up all data before making any changes.
Select Go ▹ Go to Folder… from the Finder menu bar, then enter the following text in the box that opens:
/Library
A folder will open. From that folder, delete the items listed below (some may be absent.) You may be prompted for your administrator login password.
Application Support/SIMBL
InputManagers/SIMBL.bundle
LaunchAgents/net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist
ScriptingAdditions/SIMBL.osax
Log out and log back in.
Make sure you never reinstall SIMBL. It’s likely to come bundled with another third-party system modfication that depends on it. If you want trouble-free computing, avoid software that makes miraculous changes to other software, especially built-in applications. The only real exception to that rule is Safari extensions, which are mostly safe, and are easy to get rid of when they don’t work. SIMBL and its dependents are not Safari extensions.

Dedup performance getting worse and worse

Hi Everyone
I am running Windows 2012 Server and using it for storing VEEAM backups of our VMware environment, and well as a lot of SQL database backups
Deduplication has been running well for the past couple of months (about 35Tb saved), but the performance seems to be getting worse and worse and it is now struggling to keep up with the rate at which new data is added
Checking task and resource manager it doesn't appear that the fdsmhost.exe is really doing much work at all. I see long periods of complete inactivity with no disk access which is not really what I would expect. The files deduped and dedup savings are not
changing either
Does anyone have any good information about factors affecting dedup performance. I've tried manually starting the dedup job with the priority and memory usage parameters to force it to high priority and give it a decent amount of memory but still no joy
We have recently added some more VMs to our setup so some of the backup files are very large (around 1.6Tb). is it likely to just be struggling with these large files?
Any clues or best practices?
Thanks
Harley

1) I can share current stats but don't have anything historically before things started to slow down
Volume                         : D:
VolumeId                       :
\\?\Volume{222fb
StoreId                        : {4D7E4D3E-EC7F-4
DataChunkCount                 : 79157302
DataContainerCount             : 2188
DataChunkAverageSize           : 27.09 KB
DataChunkMedianSize            : 0 B
DataStoreUncompactedFreespace : 0 B
StreamMapChunkCount            : 69269
StreamMapContainerCount        : 564
StreamMapAverageDataChunkCount :
StreamMapMedianDataChunkCount :
StreamMapMaxDataChunkCount     :
HotspotChunkCount              : 758605
HotspotContainerCount          : 21
HotspotMedianReferenceCount    :
CorruptionLogEntryCount        : 0
TotalChunkStoreSize            : 2.07 TB
2) There is no integration between VEEAM and MS as such. VEEAM just writes the backup files to a share and then Windows goes and deduplicates these at a later date. This was working fine for a couple of months but now seems to basically be doing nothing.
This is causing me to run out of space fast as a weekly full backup is around 1.6Tb and the nightly incrementals are about 200Gb each. When this was working they would all get deduplicated back close to nothing freeing up nearly all of the space. Obviously
this makes a massive difference. VEEAM itself is still working, but no deduplication seems to be happening
3) I probably wasn't very clear, but it is only SQL backups being stored on here and not any actual live databases. As the nightly backups don't change very much and are never accessed except in a restore they should be perfect candidates for deduplication
and do actually give very good deduplication rates.
I do notice that one of the items on your list is files approaching or greater than 1Tb
so maybe that is the problem as the weekly backup is one 1.6Tb file
Maybe i'll try to split the backups up slightly and see if that makes any difference. Thinking about it ..... before we adding the recent batch of servers to VMware the backup was around the 1Tb mark and it seems to have died around the jump to 1.6Tb

Skype is getting worse and worse

Until Windows 8 I was a happy paying Skype user.
Over the last couple of years the functionality is getting worse and worse.
After spending many hours/days/weeks searching and seeing that sooooo many people have problems likewise I decided to stop using skype and the payment.
How difficult can it be to make a normal working program? (I develop so I am able to jugde)
Actualy I only know software that improves haha.
The last 2 issues that appeared over the last half year or so:
- a green dot next to a contact. Why? You skype and don't hear a ringtone, just nothing.
- skype popup screen apprears and I press the answering button - THIS USED TO WORK - now skype is starting up and the connection is gone/went wrong or whatever.
Don't talk about uninstall re-install etc. I tried everything. Skype uninstall is not even able to uninstall all the skype files ...................

To quit Skype you have to right click on the Skype icon in the system/notification tray and select "Quit". I don't see this changing, no matter the argument. This is by design and this is not the only program in the world that does this. If you want to shut down Skype with a single step then you can always do so with a shortcut on your desktop or a hotkey (using that shortcut). The following shortcuts will accomplish this:
http://www.pcdust.com/Downloads/Skype/SkypeShutdown.zip
If your AVG isn't automatically working properly, then best thing to do is remove it completely, then reinstall it again. It isn't the responsibility of an application to specially add itself to the exception list of any AntiVirus/Firewall. Any pop-ups or Security software exception-handling prompts would be a feature of that software. If it continues not to operate properly automatically (blacklisting new/update software installs), contact the maker of that Security software.

8500a printhead cleaning doesn't help, test pages get worse and worse

Tried to print a photo and it came out looking like one of my ink cartridges might be empty. Checked the levels and all are good. Ran the printhead cleaning process through all three levels and the result pages got worse and worse. Tried again and now the test pages are almost blank. Pulled all the ink cartridges and gave them a shake to verify contents. Yep, they have ink. Pulled the two printheads and gave them a wiggle before reinserting them. Test pages have black and magenta blocks, very faint, with gaps. Cyan and yellow blocks don't show up at all. Any help appreciated.

I am having the same exact problem. Two years and the cost of repair will exceed the cost of a new printer. My next choice will not be HP!

When I download an excel spread sheet from a Ford web site I seem to be getting code and not the work sheet. Example- MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Document-Type: Workbook Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="====Boundary===="

I have a Macbook Air. I have MS office installed and work in Excel often with no issues. But When I download an excel spread sheet from a Ford web site I seem to be getting code and not the work sheet.
Example-
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Document-Type: Workbook
Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="====Boundary===="
--====Boundary====
Content-Location: file:///C:/HOLD.XHT
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"
<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml"
xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<HEAD>
<meta name="Excel Workbook Frameset">
<xml>
<x:ExcelWorkbook>
<x:ExcelWorksheets>
   <x:ExcelWorksheet>
    <x:Name>BTB</x:Name>
    <x:WorksheetSource HRef="./IBIT0001.xht"/>
   </x:ExcelWorksheet>
   <x:ExcelWorksheet>
    <x:Name>GSM</x:Name>
    <x:WorksheetSource HRef="./IBIT0002.xht"/>
   </x:ExcelWorksheet>
   <x:ExcelWorksheet>
    <x:Name>RODetail</x:Name>
    <x:WorksheetSource HRef="./IBIT0003.xht"/>
   </x:ExcelWorksheet>
</x:ExcelWorksheets>
</x:ExcelWorkbook>
</xml>
</HEAD>
</HTML>
--====Boundary====
Content-Location: file:///C:/IBIT0001.xht
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"
<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml"
xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<HEAD>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<style>
<!--table
        {mso-displayed-decimal-separator:"\.";
        mso-displayed-thousand-separator:"\,";}
@page
        {margin:1.0in .75in 1.0in .75in;
        mso-header-margin:.5in;
        mso-footer-margin:.5in;
        mso-page-orientation:landscape;}
tr
        {mso-height-source:auto;}
col
        {mso-width-source:auto;}
br
        {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}
.style21
        {color:blue;
        font-size:10.0pt;
        font-weight:400;
        font-style:normal;
        text-decoration:underline;
        text-underline-style:single;
        font-family:Arial;

Try search/ask in the forum devoted entirely to Excel issues:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mac/forum/macexcel

When I download a movie from iTunes the cover art disappears. I try get info and add the art, it doesn't show up. So it's just gray. It opens and plays fine. Apple can't figure it out. It's an nas drive. When I use a firewire drive I get the art

When I download movies from iTunes to my NAS drive, I don't get the cover art. It shows up while its downloading, but when it's finish it disappears. If it has an iTunes extra the cover art is there. I tried get info and add the cover art, it never shows. Regardless of how I add it. Funny thing is, if I download the same movie to my external firewire drive, no problem its there. I've called Apple with no success. I've even tried copying the movie with the art from the firewire drive to replace the file on then NAS drive I still loose the movie cover art. I also tried several times to re download it, no luck. Any ideas? I'm out of ideas.

Do you have any videos/movies in the video app?
In iTunes if you right click on the video and select Get Info and go to the Option tap what Media Type is shown?

I want to do a clean install of Windows 7 Pro on my computer and my installation of Adobe Design Premium CS3 is not functioning. I cannot start it to get in and deactivate the Creative Suite installation.

I need help with deactivation.
I want to do a clean install of Windows 7 Pro on my computer and my installation of Adobe Design Premium CS3 is not functioning. I cannot start it to get in and deactivate the Creative Suite installation.

if you're using the same computer hardware to reinstall your cs3, you don't need to deactivate first.
but if there's a significant hardware change you can ask adobe support for an activation count reset. contact adobe support by clicking here and, when available, click 'still need help', https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

When I download itunes, it says that Ipod Service failed to start. I checked the services under task manager and when I try to start it, it says access denied. How to I get access and for the ipod service to start and run?

Please help. My ipod classic could not be recognised by itunes when I connect my ipod to PC. Previously it has been recognised before I updated. This was a while ago now and so I removed all apple files and re installed the latest itunes but am having the same problem.
When I download itunes, it says that Ipod Service failed to start. I checked the services under task manager and when I try to start it, it says access denied. How to I get access and for the ipod service to start and run?

Some anti-virus programs (e.g., McAfee) have this rule that can be invoked under the "maximum protection" settings: PREVENT PROGRAMS REGISTERING AS A SERVICE. If that rule is set to BLOCK, then any attempt to install or upgrade iTunes will fail with an "iPod service failed to start" message.
If you are getting this problem with iTunes, check to see if your anti-virus has this setting and unset it, at least for as long as the iTunes install requires. Exactly how to find the rule and turn it on and off will vary, depending upon your anti-malware software. However, if your anti-virus or anti-malware software produces a log of its activities, examining the log may help you find the problem.
For example, here's the log entry for McAfee:
9/23/2009 3:18:45 PM Blocked by Access Protection rule NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe \REGISTRY\MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\iPod Service Common Maximum Protection:Prevent programs registering as a service Action blocked : Create
Note that the log says "Common Maximum Protection: Prevent programs registering as a service". The "Common Maximum Protection" is the location of the rule, "Prevent programs registering as a service" is the rule. I used that information to track down the location in the McAfee VirusScan Console where I could turn the rule off.
After I made the change, iTunes installed without complaint.

How to add a scroll bar within a view window ?I want to display x and y axis outside the scoll window and keep those axis static and move the graph within scroll area

how to add a scroll bar within a view window ?I want to display x and y axis outside the scoll window and keep those axis static and move the graph within scroll area
ananya

Hey Ananya,
I believe what you want to do is possible, but it will not be
easy. If you want to add a scroll bar that will scroll the graph
back and forth but keep the axis set, you would want to add a
horizontal or vertical scrollbar. Then you would create an event
handler for the scroll event. You would have to manually plot
different data within this scroll event. Unfortunately, there is
not really a built in way to do this with the Measurement Studio plot
control.
Thanks,
Pat P.
Software Engineer
National Instruments

My iPad mini keeps turning itself off and then the apple logo keeps flashing constantly, i have charged it fully and restored it many times. what can i do?

My iPad mini keeps turning itself off and then the apple logo keeps flashing constantly, i have charged it fully and restored it many times. what can i do?

If you have restored to factory settings and started as new, there is nothing more that you can do on your own. Make an appointment at an Apple Store and ask them for help. You might have a hardware problem and the Apple Store techs will be able to determine that.

Now my fairy tail account is get back , but cannot attack and mix the puzzle ,can help me fixed it

Now my fairy tail account is get back , but cannot attack and mix the puzzle ,can help me fixed it

Hello, Alan.
Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.
Try forcing all applications to close and power cycle the device. Once this is done test to see if you can access and manage this game.
iOS: Force an app to close
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5137
iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Turning off and on (restarting) and resetting
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1430
If the issue persists, try the steps in the article below. You may have to reach out to the developer of the application to report an issue.
iOS: An app you installed unexpectedly quits, stops responding, or won’t open
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1702
Cheers,
Jason H

Print head alignment keeps on getting worse and worse the more I try to "fix" it

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for