Hi bf5113,
With the information you have provided, it appears there may be an issue where the encoder film may have been smudged or damaged.
The printer uses this film to determine where it should release ink. A smudged encoder film can cause double printing, blurry printing, misaligned text, and shifted printing. A problem with the encoder film can also cause the printer to make loud noises.
There is an article available through our online Knowledge Base that contains the information that you need to know. I will include a link to this article a little further down. However, before you start doing anything to the printer, please finish reading the next three paragraphs.
The encoder film is a thin strip of plastic ribbon that is inside the printer. Above the encoder film is a drive belt. Below the encoder film is a metal rail called the chassis. Do NOT clean the chassis. This metal rail is normally lubricated. Cleaning the grease off of it can cause the printer to not work properly. There is no need to clean the drive belt.
Be very careful when cleaning the encoder film. If you press or push on the ribbon, it can bust. If that happens, the printer definitely needs service. You only need to gently wipe the ribbon with a cotton swab that has been dampened with a glass cleaner or isopropyl alcohol. You should start by checking the entire length of the ribbon for smudges and cleaning any that you find. If the problem persists, clean the entire strip, even if you do not see smudges.
Before you start cleaning the encoder film, I recommend reading the article completely. Please pay particular attention to the information marked next to a CAUTION. Please click HERE to view an article that contains the instructions for cleaning the encoder film. You can now start cleaning it if you would like to do so.
Also, I note that you would like to reseat the print head. With the way this printer is designed, the print head is is connected to the ink cartridge. Reseating each ink cartridge will reseat the print heads.
If cleaning the encoder film does not fix your issue, please write back with an answer to the following question:
- Did you encounter any issues before the printer started printing abnormally?
- When you place a perfectly good document on the scanner glass, close the cover, and press the “Black” Start button, do you see the same printing issues?
- Please reply back with a jpeg or pdf copy of your printout.
