Epson AcuLaser CX21NC User Manual

							Printing Problems301
Completely blank pages are output
The printed image is light or faint
You may not be using the correct type of 
paper for your product.If the surface of your paper is too rough, printed 
characters may appear distorted or broken. Epson 
special paper or smooth, high-quality copier paper is 
recommended for best results. See Available paper 
types on page 359 for information on choosing 
paper.
Cause What to do
The product may have loaded more than 
one sheet at a time.Remove the paper stack and fan it. Tap it on a flat 
surface to even the edges, then reload the paper.
One of the toner cartridges may be near the 
end of its service life.If the message on the LCD panel or in EPSON Status 
Monitor indicates that one of the toner cartridges is 
near the end of its service life, replace it. See Toner 
Cartridge on page 278.
For Windows users, you can also check the 
remaining service lives of the toner cartridges by 
looking at the Basic Settings tab in the printer driver.
The problem may be with your application, 
interface cable, or product.Confirm the application setting and interface 
connection, and print out a status sheet. See 
Printing a Status Sheet on page 254. If a blank page 
is ejected, the problem may be with the product. 
Turn off the product and contact your dealer.
The Paper Size setting may be incorrect. Make sure the correct paper size is set in the Tray 
Menu on the control panel.
There may be a problem with the 
photoconductor unit.Replace the photoconductor unit. See 
Photoconductor Unit on page 281.
Cause What to do
Your paper may be moist or damp. Do not store your paper in a humid or damp 
environment.
The Toner Save mode may be on. Turn off the Toner Save mode using the printer driver.
One of the toner cartridges may be near the 
end of its service life.If the message on the LCD panel or in EPSON Status 
Monitor indicates that one of the toner cartridges is 
near the end of its service life, replace it. See Toner 
Cartridge on page 278.
For Windows users, you can also check the 
remaining service lives of the toner cartridges by 
looking at the Basic Settings tab in the printer driver.
 
						

							Printing Problems302
The non-printed side of the page is dirty
Memory Problems
Print quality decreased
Insufficient memory for current task
Insufficient memory to print all copies
There may be a problem with the 
photoconductor unit.Replace the photoconductor unit. See 
Photoconductor Unit on page 281.
The print head is dirty. See Cleaning the print head on page 288 and 
clean the print head.
Cause What to do
Toner may have spilled onto the paper feed 
path.Clean internal product components by printing 
three pages with only one character per page.
Cause What to do
The product cannot print at the required 
quality level because of insufficient memory, 
and the product lowers the quality 
automatically so that the product can 
continue printing.Check to see if the printout is acceptable.
If not, add more memory for a permanent solution or 
lower print quality temporarily in the printer driver.
Cause What to do
The product has insufficient memory for 
current task.Add more memory for a permanent solution or lower 
print quality temporarily in the printer driver.
Cause What to do
The product does not have sufficient memory 
to collate print jobs.Only one set of copies will be printed. Reduce the 
contents of print jobs, or add more memory. For 
information on installing more memory, see Memory 
Module on page 273.
 
						

							Printing Problems303
Printing in the PostScript 3 Mode Problems
The problems listed in this section are those that you may encounter when printing with the 
PostScript driver. All procedural instructions refer to the PostScript printer driver.
The printer does not print correctly in the PostScript mode
The printer does not print
Cause What to do
The printer’s emulation mode setting is 
incorrect.The printer is set to the Auto mode by default, so that 
it can automatically determine the encoding used in 
the received print job data and select the 
appropriate emulation mode. However, there are 
situations where the printer cannot select the correct 
emulation mode. In this case, it must be set manually 
to PS3.
Set the emulation mode through the SelecType 
Emulation menu on the printer. See Emulation 
Menu on page 243.
The printer’s emulation mode setting for the 
interface that you are using is incorrect.The emulation mode can be set individually for each 
interface which receives print job data. Set the 
emulation mode for the interface you are using to 
PS3. 
Set the emulation mode through the SelecType 
Emulation menu on the printer. See Emulation 
Menu on page 243.
Cause What to do
The Print to file check box is selected in the 
Print dialog box (except on Mac OS X).Clear the Print to file check box in the Print dialog 
box.
The Save as File check box is selected on the 
Output Option sheet in the Print dialog box 
(Mac OS X only).Clear the Save as File check box on the Output 
Option sheet in the Print dialog box.
An incorrect printer driver is selected. Make sure that the PostScript printer driver that you 
are using to print is selected.
The Emulation menu in the printer’s Control 
Panel is set to a mode other than Auto or PS3 
for the interface that you are using.Change the mode setting to either Auto or PS3.
 
						

							Printing Problems304
The printer driver or printer that you need to use does not appear in 
the Printer Setup Utility (Mac OS 10.3.x and 10.4.x) or Print Center 
(Mac OS 10.2.x)
The font on the printout is different from that on the screen
The edges of texts and/or images are not smooth
The printer does not print normally via the USB interface
Cause What to do
The printer name has been changed. Ask the network administrator for details, then select 
the appropriate printer name.
The AppleTalk zone setting is incorrect. Open the Printer Setup Utility (Mac OS 10.3.x and 
10.4.x) or Print Center (Mac OS 10.2.x), then select 
the AppleTalk zone that the printer is connected to.
Cause What to do
The PostScript screen fonts are not installed. The PostScript screen fonts must be installed on the 
computer that you are using. Otherwise, the font 
that you select is substituted by some other font for 
display on the screen.
For Windows users only
The Send TrueType fonts to printer according 
to the font Substitution Table setting on the 
Fonts sheet of the printer’s Properties dialog 
box is turned on, but the TrueType fonts are 
not replaced by the printer fonts.
(For Windows Me or 98)
The appropriate substitution fonts are not 
correctly specified on the Device Settings 
sheet of the printer’s Properties dialog box.
(For Windows XP. XP x64, or 2000)If the Send TrueType fonts to printer according to the 
font Substitution Table setting on the Fonts sheet of 
the printer’s Properties dialog box is turned on, 
TrueType fonts are replaced by the printer fonts 
before they are printed. Specify the appropriate 
substitution fonts using the Font Substitution Table.
Specify the appropriate substitution fonts using the 
Font Substitution Table.
Cause What to do
The Print Quality is set to Fast. Change the Print Quality setting to Quality.
The printer does not have sufficient memory. Increase the printer memory.
Cause What to do
 
						

							Printing Problems305
The printer does not print normally via the network interface
An undefined error occurs (Macintosh only)
For Windows users only
The Data Format setting in the printer’s 
Properties is not set to ASCII or TBCP.The printer cannot print binary data when it is 
connected to the computer via the USB interface. 
Make sure that the Data Format setting, which is 
accessed by clicking Advanced on the PostScript 
sheet of the printer’s Properties, is set to ASCII or 
TBCP.
If your computer is running Windows XP, XP x64, click 
the Device Settings tab in the printer’s Properties, 
then click the Output Protocol setting and select 
ASCII or TBCP.
Cause What to do
The Data Format setting is different from the 
data format setting specified in the 
application (except on Mac OS X)If the file is created in an application that allows you 
to change the data format or encoding, such as 
Photoshop, make sure that the setting in the 
application matches that in the printer driver.
For Windows users only
The computer is connected to the network 
using AppleTalk in a Windows 2000 
environment, and the Send CTRL+D Before 
Each Job or Send CTRL+D After Each Job 
setting on the Device Settings sheet of the 
printer’s Properties dialog box is set to Yes.Make sure that both the Send CTRL+D Before Each 
Job and Send CTRL+D After Each Job settings are set 
to No.
For Windows users only
The print data is too large.Click Advanced on the PostScript sheet of the 
printer’s Properties, then change the Data Format 
setting from ASCII data (default) to TBCP (Tagged 
binary communications protocol).
When the Binary setting is set to On, TBCP is not 
available. Use the Binary protocol. See PS3 Menu on 
page 249 for details.
For Windows users only
Printing cannot be performed using the 
network interface.Click Advanced on the PostScript sheet of the 
printer’s Properties, then change the Data Format 
setting from ASCII data (default) to TBCP (Tagged 
binary communications protocol).
When the Binary setting is set to On, TBCP is not 
available. Use the Binary protocol. See PS3 Menu on 
page 249 for details.
Cause What to do
The version of the Mac OS that you are using 
is unsupported.This printer’s driver can only be used on Macintosh 
computers running Mac OS X version 10.2.8 or later.
 
						

							Printing Problems306
Printing in the PCL6/5 Mode Problems
The problems listed in this section are those that you may encounter when printing in the 
PCL6 mode. All procedural instructions, refer to the PCL6 printer driver.
The printer does not print
The printer does not print correctly in the PCL mode
The font on the printout is different from that on the screen
The edges of texts and/or images are not smooth
Cause What to do
The Print to file check box is selected in the 
Print dialog box.Clear the Print to file check box in the Print dialog box.
Cause What to do
(PCL5c mode only) Graphics Mode may 
be set to HP-GL/2 and the printing data 
may include the data that cannot be 
printed in the setting.Access the printer driver, click the General tab, click 
Options, then select Raster as Graphics Mode.
Image Optimum may be set to Auto or On 
and the printing data may include the 
data that cannot be printed in the setting.Access the Printing Menu on your printers control 
panel, then set Image Optimum to Off.
Cause What to do
The EPSON screen fonts are not installed. The screen fonts must be installed on the computer that 
you are using. Otherwise, the font that you select is 
substituted by some other font for display on the 
screen.
Cause What to do
The resolution is set to Fast (300 dpi). Access the printer driver, click the Print Quality tab, 
then select Fine (600 dpi) as the resolution.
The printer does not have sufficient 
memory.Increase the printer memory.
 
						

							Printing Problems307
The RITech is set to Off. Access the printer driver, click the Print Quality tab, 
then select On for RITech from the drop-down list.
 
						

							Scanning Problems308
Chapter 16 
Scanning Problems
Scanner Operational Problems
Problems you may have while using the product often involve the operation of your 
software and computer. Operation problems usually occur because of:
❏Incorrect setup of the interface
❏Incorrect setup of your computer or software
❏Incorrect operation of your software
See the Setup Guide to confirm that you have done the set up in the correct way. Also, see 
the documentation that comes with your computer and software for possible solutions.
The Print light does not come on.
Make sure the power cord is plugged into an electrical outlet and the product is turned on 
by pressing the Power button.
If you cannot solve a problem, contact your dealer or a qualified customer support person 
for assistance.
The product does not scan.
Try one or more of the following solutions:
❏Wait until the Print light stays on in green (ready for scanning).
❏Your system may not work properly if you use a USB cable other than the one supplied 
by Epson. Use the USB cable that comes with your product.
❏The product may not work properly when connected to the computer through more than 
one hub. In this case, connect the product directly to the computer’s USB port, or 
through one hub only.
 
						

							Scanning Problems309
Pressing the Start button does not start scanning.
Try one or more of the following solutions.
❏Make sure EPSON Scan is installed.
❏For Windows XP users:
Click the Events tab in your product’s Properties dialog box and make sure Take no 
action is not selected. Also, make sure the desired button is selected in the Select an 
event list box, and Start this program is selected.
❏For Windows Me, 98, and 2000 users:
Click the Events tab in your product’s Properties dialog box and make sure the Disable 
device events check box is clear. Also, make sure the desired button is selected in the 
Scanner events list box, and the desired application in the Send to this application list 
is selected.
❏For Mac OS X users:
In the Classic mode, the xB&W Start or xColor Start button is disabled. Therefore, 
quit the Classic mode.Initially, only the user who installed the scanner software can 
scan using the xB&W Start or xColor Start button. For other users, they must first 
start EPSON Scanner Monitor in the Applications folder; subsequently they can use the 
button to automatically start the application to scan.
Pressing the Start button in a Mac OS X environment starts the 
Classic mode.
Do not install the scanner software in a Mac OS X environment in the Classic mode.
You cannot scan multiple images.
Try one or more of the following solutions.
❏Position photos at least 20 mm apart from each other.
❏Make sure your application can scan multiple images.
 
						

							Scanning Problems310
Scanning Software Problems
Note:
Some Epson Scan settings may be unavailable or grayed out based on your scanner’s capabilities 
or the currently selected settings.
You Cannot Start Epson Scan
❏Make sure the scanner’s P On light is turned on.
❏Turn off your computer and scanner, then check the USB cable connection between 
them to make sure it is secure.
❏The scanner may not work properly when your computer is in standby mode 
(Windows), or sleep mode (Mac OS X). Restart Epson Scan and try scanning again.
❏The scanner may not work properly if you upgrade your operating system but do not 
reinstall Epson Scan. See Uninstalling Your Scanning Software on page 316 for 
instructions on uninstalling and reinstalling it.
❏Make sure that Epson Scan is selected in your scanning program. See Starting a Scan 
With Another Scanning Program on page 138 for instructions.
❏In the Windows Device Manager, make sure your scanner’s name appears under 
Imaging devices without a question (?) or an exclamation (!) mark. If the scanner 
appears with one of these marks or as an Unknown device, uninstall Epson Scan as 
described in Uninstalling Epson Scan on page 316. Then reinstall it by following the 
instructions in your Start Here sheet.
The Scanner Software Does Not Work Properly
❏Make sure your computer has enough memory and meets the other system 
requirements for the software you are using. See your software and computer 
documentation for details.
❏With Windows, check whether your scanner appears more than once in the Scanners 
and Cameras utility. Do one of the following:
Windows XP and Me:
Double-click the Scanners and Cameras icon in Control Panel. Delete your scanners 
icon and reinstall Epson Scan by following the instructions in your Start Here sheet.