Epson ET-3850 white or dark lines across the printout
Cause 1 of 6Print head nozzles are clogged. Source: Solving Problems: White or Dark Lines in Printout, p. 245
First checkRun a nozzle check, then clean the print head if needed.
Causes and checks
Print head nozzles are clogged. Source: Solving Problems: White or Dark Lines in Printout, p. 245
- Run a nozzle check, then clean the print head if needed. See Run a nozzle check from the control panel.
The print head is out of alignment. Source: Solving Problems: White or Dark Lines in Printout, p. 245
- Align the print head. See Align the print head from the control panel.
Horizontal banding appears, or the top or bottom of the paper is smeared. Source: Solving Problems: White or Dark Lines in Printout, p. 245
- Load the paper in the correct direction and slide the edge guides to the edges of the paper.
Vertical banding appears or the paper is smeared. Source: Solving Problems: White or Dark Lines in Printout, p. 245
- Clean the paper path.
The ink level may be low. Source: Solving Problems: White or Dark Lines in Printout, p. 245
- Check the ink levels visually and refill the ink tanks if needed. See Refill the ink tanks.
The product has not been used for a long time. Source: Solving Problems: White or Dark Lines in Printout, p. 245
- Run a Power Cleaning. It consumes a lot of ink, so run it only if cleaning the print head does not improve print quality. See Run a Power Cleaning from the control panel.
All 6 causes checked. Contact Epson Support: (562) 276-4382.
Service
If the checks above do not clear it, contact Epson Support: (562) 276-4382, epson.com/support. United States; Canada (905) 709-3839. 6 AM to 8 PM Pacific Time Monday to Friday and 7 AM to 4 PM Saturday. Source: Solving Problems: Where to Get Help, pp. 261-262
Other ET-3850 problems
- Product does not turn on or off2 causes in the manual. First: the power cord is loose, or the power button was not held long enough.
- Noise after filling the ink2 causes in the manual. First: the product charges its print head the first time the tanks are filled. The power light flashes until charging finishes; turning the product off earlier can make it charge improperly and use excess ink the next time.
- Paper does not feed or several sheets feed at once5 causes in the manual. First: the cassette or paper settings are wrong.
- Originals do not feed from the automatic document feeder2 causes in the manual. First: the ADF icon is not lit on the Copy or Scan screen.
- Paper does not eject fully or comes out wrinkled3 causes in the manual. First: the wrong paper size is set, so the paper does not eject fully.
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.