Step 7: Performing a Printing Test

Before you carry out actual printing, perform a printing test to ensure no dot drop-out or dot displacement occurs. If dot drop-out or dot displacement occurs, perform cleaning of the print heads (normal cleaning).
MEMO When performing printing tests successively, you can select Feed (vertical printing) or Scan (horizontal printing) as the printing position for the second and later tests in comparison to the first test.

Performing Printing Tests Arranged Horizontally

Procedure
  1. Tap Printing Test - Execute.
    Printing of the test pattern starts.
  2. Check whether there is dot drop-out or dot displacement in the test pattern.
    Missing blocks indicate dot drop-out. Collapsed or inclined blocks indicate dot displacement.


  3. If you have opened the front cover, close it.
    If dot drop-out or dot displacement is present in the printing test, follow the procedure below to perform normal cleaning.
    If there is no dot drop-out or dot displacement, proceed to Step 4.
    1. Tap Cleaning - Normal Cleaning.

      The screen shown below appears.


      VG3_Panel_NormalCleaning
      MEMO If the media has already been set up, the After cleaning, perform a printing test. menu appears on the Normal Cleaning screen. When this setting is turned on, a printing test is performed after cleaning.
    2. Check for the group with dot drop-out or dot displacement by viewing the results of the printing test.
      The space from "A" to "B" is group A. The space from "B" to the right side is group B.


      IMPORTANT If the printing-test results are difficult to interpret

      Check the results in a bright location, changing your line of vision. They are visible using the reflection of the light.

    3. Select the group of print heads to clean.
    4. Tap Execute.

      Cleaning will start. The details of the operation in progress and the (approximate) remaining time of that work are displayed in the status bar at the top of the screen. When the work is finished, the status bar returns to its original display.

    5. Tap AP-640_Panel_Icon_BACK twice.
    6. Tap Printing Test - Execute.
    7. Check to make sure the dot drop-out or dot displacement has been corrected.
      If the problem persists, try performing normal cleaning again. If the printer has been used for a long period, dot drop-outs may not be fixed even after performing normal cleaning two or three times. In such cases, refer to When Normal Cleaning Is Not Effective.
      If there is no dot drop-out or dot displacement, proceed to Step 4.
  4. Tap Next.