Epson ET-3850 how to align the print head from the control panel
When printouts are grainy or blurry, vertical lines are misaligned, or dark or light horizontal bands appear.
Steps
- Make sure there are no errors on the LCD screen and the output tray is extended.
- Load a few sheets of plain paper in the product.
- Press the home button, if necessary.
- Select Maintenance > Print Head Alignment.
- Select Vertical Alignment or Horizontal Alignment.
- Press the OK button to print an alignment sheet. Do not cancel printing while the pattern prints.
- Select the number representing the most solid printed pattern for each set on the LCD screen, then press the OK button.
Banding can also mean the nozzles need cleaning.
Source: Adjusting Print Quality: Aligning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel Source: Adjusting Print Quality: Aligning the Print Head Using the Product Control Panel, pp. 196-197
Used for
Other ET-3850 procedures
- How to run a nozzle check from the control panelWhen printouts are light or banded, to see whether the print head nozzles are clogged before cleaning.
- How to clean the print head from the control panelWhen the nozzle check pattern has gaps. Cleaning uses ink, so clean only when print quality declines.
- How to run a Power Cleaning from the control panelWhen white or dark lines or missing nozzles remain after cleaning the print head several times.
- How to refill the ink tanksWhen the ink level is below the lower line on a tank. Fill the tank to the upper line.
- How to clear a paper jamWhen the LCD screen reports paper jammed in the product.
- How to run a product checkTo find out whether the product itself is working when printing from a computer fails.
- How to restore control panel settings to their defaultsWhen a control panel, network, copy or scan setting causes a problem.
Sources
- User's Guide, ET-3850. Epson America, Inc. Document CPD-60203, revision CPD-60203R1, 283 pages, en-US. files.support.epson.com (PDF). Listed on the manufacturer's support page. Retrieved 13 November 2026.
Page numbers are the numbers printed in the manual. Where this page and the manual differ, follow the manual.