Print heads, which are attached to the ink or toner cartridge inside your printer, control where and how ink or toner is deposited on printed pages. Depending on the model of your device, when you print a coloured page, the print head will need to pass over the page multiple times to apply each colour separately. However, if the print heads are misaligned vertically or horizontally, the printer may unintentionally print the same letters or characters side by side. The print heads can be adjusted in Windows or from the printer’s control panel.
Epson
1.Press “Windows-W” to open the Settings pane, and then type “printers” into the search field.
2.From the results, select “Devices and Printers,” and then right-click your device under Printers and Faxes.
3.Select “Printing Preferences” from the context menu, and then select the “Maintenance” tab.
4.Click the “Head Cleaning” button, and then at the prompt, click “Start” to clean the print head nozzles.
5.When the process is finished, click “Finish” to return to the Maintenance tab.
6.Click the “Print Head Alignment” button, and then follow the onscreen prompts to complete the wizard.
HP
1.Open the Apps screen by pressing “Windows-Q,” then type “HP” into the search box.
2.Open HP Solution Center by selecting your printer from the list, and then click “Settings.”
3.Select “Printer Toolbox” from Print Settings, and then click “Align the Print Cartridges” on the Device Services tab.
4.Click “Print Page,” and then follow the onscreen prompts to complete the wizard.
Brother
1.Press “Ink” on the printer’s control panel, or press “Settings,” and then press “Ink.”
2.Using the cursor buttons, choose “Test Print,” then press “OK.” Select “Alignment,” and then press “OK” to print an alignment sheet.
3.Review the printout to locate the patterns with the least visible stripes or banding in rows A, B, C and D. Starting with row A, use the control panel’s up and down arrow keys to select the best pattern, then press “OK.”
4.Repeat the previous step for rows B, C and D, and then press “Home” to return to the main screen.
Canon
1.Press “Windows-W” to open the Settings pane, and then type “printers” into the search field.
2.From the results, select “Devices and Printers,” and then right-click your device under Printers and Faxes.
3.Select “Printing Preferences” from the context menu, and then select the “Maintenance” tab.
4.Select “Print Head Alignment,” then “Align Print Head” to confirm. The printer automatically aligns the print heads.
