Epson Stylus Pro 4800
10 - Epson Stylus Pro 4800 8/05
Aligning the Print Head
Aligning the print head is the most important thing you can 
do to ensure the best print quality. If banding appears on your 
prints, if they look grainy or blurry, or you see misregistration 
or “ghosting,” you need to align the print head. 
Although you can align the print head using the printer utility 
software, it’s best to align from the control panel. This will do 
the most thorough job in the shortest time, and it’s all 
automatic.
If you haven’t already done so, it’s a good idea to run a nozzle 
check before aligning the print head (page 9). This ensures 
that the print head alignment patterns print correctly.
Follow these steps to align the print head using the control 
panel:
1. Make sure the printer is turned on. Then load Epson 
Enhanced Matte paper or the paper that came with the 
printer. 
Tip:
To properly align the print head, you can use letter-size Epson 
Enhanced Matte Paper or Premium Luster Photo Paper. 
2. Press the Menu   button. 
3. Press the   button so you see 
HEAD ALIGNMENT, then 
press 
Menu  . You see PAPER THKNS. 
4. Press the 
Menu   button again so that *STD appears on 
the display. This is the correct thickness setting for most 
Epson papers, including Enhanced Matte paper. 
5. Press the 
Menu   button to register the value, then press 
the   button to display 
PAPER THKNS again. 
6. Press the   button to display 
ALIGNMENT. 
7. Press the 
Menu   button to display AUTO, then press the 
Menu   button again. You see UNI-D (uni-directional). 
This is the type of alignment to start with.
8. Press the 
Menu   button again to start the alignment 
process. 
It takes about 7 minutes to run the automatic uni-
directional head alignment. The printer’s white beam sensor 
reads the alignment pattern and adjusts the printer 
automatically. Make sure you don’t open the top cover or 
turn off the printer during this process.
9. When the uni-directional alignment is finished, press the   
button until you see 
BI-D 2-COLOR. Then press the Menu 
 button again to start the bi-directional black alignment 
process, which is also completely automatic and takes about 
7 minutes. 
10. When the bi-directional black alignment is finished, press 
the   button until you see 
BI-D ALL. Then press the Menu 
 button again to start the alignment process. Again, this 
process is completely automatic and takes about 7 minutes. 
11. When done, press the 
 Pause button to exit the head 
alignment mode. 
If you want to verify or fine-tune the automatic alignment 
process, you can perform a manual head alignment. See your 
electronic Reference Guide for instructions.
Replacing the Paper Cutter Blade 
If you notice that your paper isn’t being cut cleanly, the cutter 
blade may need to be replaced. If you use the blade to cut 
heavy stock, you will damage the blade and need to replace it. 
See the Printer Guide for a list of media that do not work with 
the cutter.
Note:
You can purchase genuine Epson ink and paper from an authorized 
Epson reseller. To find the nearest reseller, please call 800-GO-
EPSON (800-463-7766). To purchase online, visit 
www.epsonstore.com (U.S. sales only). In Canada, please call (800) 
463-7766 for reseller referral.
You can check the status of your cutter by printing the status 
check sheet or viewing its status on the control panel. See page 
8 for instructions.
You can obtain a new cutter blade from Epson (part number 
C12C815291). 
Make sure the printer is on, then follow these steps to replace 
the blade:
1. Press the 
Menu   button.
2. Press the   button until you see 
CUTTER REPLACE.
3. Press 
Menu   to display EXEC. 
Caution: 
Do not try to slide the carriage by hand, or you may 
damage the printer. 
4. Press Menu   again. The print head moves to the 
replacement position. 
OPEN TOP COVER is displayed. 
5. Open the top cover.