Lexmark Z43 User Guide

Edition Notice

Edition: February 2001

The following paragraph does not apply to any country where such provisions are inconsistent with local

LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC., PRO VIDES THIS PUB LICATION “AS IS” WITHOUT W ARRANTY OF A NY

law:

KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTAB ILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Some states do not all ow discl aimer of
express or implied warranties in certain transactions; therefore, this statement may not apply to you.

This publication could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically made to the
informatio n herein; these ch anges w ill be incorporat ed in la ter ed itions . Impro v ements or chang es in the prod ucts or
the programs de scribed may be made at any time.

References in this publication to products, programs, or services do not imply that the manufacturer intends to make
these available in all countries in which it operates. Any reference to a product, program, or service is not intended
to state or im ply that only that product, program, or service may be used. Any functionally equivalent product,
program, or service that does not infringe any existing intellectual property right may be used instead. Evaluation and
verificatio n of operati on in conju nction with other produc ts, prog rams, or services, e xcept thos e expre ssly desig nated
by the manufacturer, are the user ’s responsibility.

Lexmark, Lexmark with diamond design, and C olorF ine are tr adem arks of Lexmark International, Inc., registe red in
the United States and/or other countries. Color Jetprinter is a trademark of Lexmark International, Inc.

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and other coun tries.

Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

© Copyright 2001 Lexmark International, Inc. All rights reserved.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS.

This software and documentation are provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. Use, duplication or disclosure by the
Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and
Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 and in applicable FAR provisions: Lexmark International, Inc.,
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Color Jetprinter

Steps to basic printing

tells you ho w to load paper and adjust
your printer software for printing.

Home page

Beyond the basics

tells you how to print booklets ,
handouts, and two-sided docum en ts .

Maintaining your printer

tells you how to install, replace, and
align the print cartridges.

Troubleshooting

provides inf ormation to help y ou solve
printing problems.

Appendix

provides power sup ply and safety
information.

Index

allows you to link directly to the
information you need.

Lexmark Z 42 Color Jetprinte r™
Lexmark Z 43 Color Jetprinte r
User’s Guide for Macintosh

Use this guide when you have questions about your printer or
when you encounter a prob le m .

Tips for using th is guide

•

Use the buttons on the left side of the screen to navigate
through the pages of this guide.

•

Click the

•

Click the left or right arrows to
move forward or back through the
pages. Click the h ouse to return to
the Home page.

•

Click
information.

•

To print this guide:

1 From the Acrobat Reader File menu, choose Page Setup....

2 Select the Landscape orientation button.
3 Click OK.
4 From the Acrobat Reader File menu, choose Print.
5 Select the pages you want to print, and then cli ck Print.

blue text

Edition Notice

to link to another part of this guide.

to view edition and trademark

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Basic printing is as easy as:

Step One: Load the paper

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Index

Step Two: Customize your printing options
Step Three: Print your document

3

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Step One: Load the paper

You can load up to 100 sheets of paper (depending on thickness).

1 Place the paper a gainst the right side of the sheet f eeder with the

print side facing you.

Note:

when you load it. F or e xample , letter or A4 size paper shou ld extend
above the top of the paper support.

Make sure y o u do not force the paper into the sheet feeder

Paper support

Sheet feeder

Index

4

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

2 Squeeze the release tab and the paper guide together and slide

the paper guide to the edge of the paper.

Paper guide

Release tab

Appendix

Index

5

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Loading specialty papers

Follo w thes e guide lines when loa ding sp ec ialty papers:

Load up to: Make sure the...

10 envelopes. • print side is facing you.

• envelopes are loaded
vertically against the right
side of the sheet feeder.

• stamp location is in the
upper left corner.

• paper guide is against the side of the envelopes.

10 greeting cards,
index cards ,
postcards, or photo
cards.

• print side is facing you.

• cards are loaded vertically against the right side
of the sheet feeder.

• paper guide is against the side of the cards.

Index

6

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Load up to: Make sure the...

25 sheets of photo

• glossy or coated side is facing y ou.

paper, glossy
paper, or coated
paper.

• paper guide is against the side of the photo
paper.

Note:

Remove each photo as it exits the printer

and allow it to dry before stacking.

25 iron-on
transfers.

• print side is facing you and you follow the
instructions included in the iron-on transfer
packaging.

• paper guide is against the side of the iron-on
transfers.

Note:

Many software
applications accept iron-on
transfers differently . We
recommend printing your
design on plain paper before
printing the iron-on transfer.

Index

7

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Load up to: Make sure the...

100 sheets of

• the print side is facing you.

custom-sized
paper.

• paper size fits within these dimensions:

- Width dimensions:
mm: 76 - 216
inches: 3.0 - 8.5

- Length dimensions:
mm: 127 - 432
inches: 5.0 - 17.0

• paper guide is against the side of the paper.

Index

8

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Load up to: Make sure the...

20 sheets of
banner paper.

• print side is facing you, and
then place the banner paper
behind the printer. Next,
bring the unattached edge of
the first page over the top of
the printer and into the sheet
feeder.

• paper guide is against the side of the paper.

Note:

Select the
Paper Size in the Lexmark Z42-Z43 Page Setup
dialog box.

Banner (Letter)

or

Banner (A4)

Index

9

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Load up to: Make sure the...

10 transparencies. • rough sides of the transparencies are f acing y ou

(smooth side down). If your transparency has a
removable stripe, make sure it is away from you
and pointing down.

• paper guide is against the side of the

transparencies.

Note:

Remove each transparency as it exits the
printer and allow it to dry before stacking.

Index

10

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Step Two: Customize your printing options

The printer software for your printer lets you perform printing tasks
with superior printing results.

The Page Setup dialog box comes with your operating system. It
includes options such as paper size, orientation, and watermarks.

Click Help to
access the
printer driver
Help.

Click this pop­up menu to
select a paper
size.

Click one of
these to select
the page
orientation.

Index

11

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

The Print dialog box comes with your printer software. It includes
options such as number of copies, pages to print, paper source, p rint
quality, booklet printing, pages per sheet (handouts), print last page
first, print on both sides, color matching, backgro und printing, and
print time.

Click this
pop-up menu
to select print
settings. See
the following
table for a
description of
these
options.

Appendix

Index

12

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

From the pop-up
menu, choose:

When you want to select:

General the number of copies, the pages to print, and wait f or pages to dry .
Paper Ty pe/Quality paper type and print quality.
Layout booklet printing, pages per sheet, print last page first, print on both

sides, and binding.
Color ColorSync or Built-In color matching.
Background Printing print in foreground, print in background, or print time.

Changing you r pa ge se ttings

To change your paper size, orientation, scaling, and watermarks,
open the Pag e Setup d ialog box from your application.

1 Open the application’s File menu.
2 Choose Page Setup.
3 Change option s as needed.
4 Select OK.

Index

13

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Changing your print settings from an application

To change y our print settings from an application (f or e xamp le, word
processing, spreadsheet, graphics , and so on), open the P rint dialog
box.

1 Open the application’s File menu.

2 Choose Print....

3 Change option s as needed.
4 Select Save Settings.

Changing your print settings from your desktop

T o chan ge your print settings from your deskto p, open the Print dialog
box.

1 From your desktop, open the File menu.

2 Choose Print....

3 Change option s as needed.
4 Select Save Settings.

Index

14

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Changing your print se ttin gs for specialty paper

When you installed y our p rinter software , the Page Setup dialog bo x
and the Print dialog box were set to the def ault settings. Use the
default settings f or printing most documents on plain paper. Ho wev er,
you ma y need to change yo ur printer options for printing on specialty
papers.

When you are
printing on:

Envelopes Page Setup From the Paper Size pop-up menu, select the

Greeting cards,
index cards, or
postcards

Banner paper Page Setup From the Paper Siz e pop-up menu, select

Custom-sized
paper

Open this
dialog box:

And make these selections:

appropriate envelope size.

Page Setup From the Paper Size pop-up menu, select the

appropriate card size.

Banner

(Letter)

Page Setup From th e Paper Size pop-up menu, select

Paper Sizes

or

Banner (A4)

.

Edit Custom

and enter the dimensions for your custom

paper size.

Index

15

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

When you are
printing on:

Open this
dialog box:

And make these selections:

Coated paper Print From the Paper Type/Quality pop-up menu, select

Coated

Paper Type.

Transparencies Print From the Paper Type/Quality pop-up menu, select

Transparency

Paper Type and

Normal (600 dpi)

Print

Quality.

Note:

Remove each transparency as it e xits the printer

and allow it to dry before stacking.

Iron-on
transfers

Print From the P aper Type/Quality pop-up

menu, select

Iron-On Transfer

Paper Type.

Note:

Many software applications
accept iron-on transfers differently.
We recommend printing your design
on plain paper before printing it on an iron-on transfer.

Index

16

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

When you are
printing on:

Glossy/Photo
Paper

Open this
dialog box:

Print

And make these selections:

• From the Paper Type/Quality pop-up menu,

select Glossy Pap er Type and High (1200 dpi)
or Maximum (2 40 0 dpi) Print Quality.

• From the Color pop - up menu, select Built-In

Color Matching.

• From the Document Color pop-up menu, select

Natural Color.

Note:

Remove each photo as it exits the printer and
allow it to dry before stacking.

Saving y our settings

To save your settings and use them the next time you print:

1 Open the File menu.

2 Choose Print....

The Print dialog box displays on your screen.

3 Change settings as needed.
4 Select Save Settings.

Index

17

Steps to basic printing

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Going back to the de faults

You may want to change your settings back to the default settings.

1 Open the File menu.

2 Choose Print....

The Print dialog box displays on your screen.

3 Select Revert to Defaults.

Step Three: Print your document

1 Open the File menu.

2 Choose Print....

The Print dialog box displays on your screen.

3 Select Print.

Index

18

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

You can customize your printer software f or:

Printing booklets

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Index

Printing handouts
Printing last page fir s t
Printing on both sides of a sheet of paper

Printing booklets

You can print and bundle yo ur docum ent together to m ak e a booklet.

Step One: Load the paper

Load up to 100 sheets of paper against the right side of the sheet
feeder. For help loading paper, see

19

page 4

.

Bey ond the basics

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Step T w o: Customize the Print dialog bo x f or booklets

1 Open the Page Setup dialog box. For help, see
2 Select the appropriate paper size.
3 Select the appropriate page orientation.
4 Open the Print dialog box. For help, see

page 14

5 From the General pop-up menu, select Layout.

page 13

.

Select
Layout.

Select the
number of
sheets to
bundle.

.

Index

20

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Bey ond the basics

6 From the Booklet Printing pop-up menu, select the appropriate

number of sheets to bundle.

Notes:

•

A bundle is any n um ber of sheets of paper folded together. For
help, see the next section,

•

When printing with a heavier paper stock , select a sm aller
number of sheets to bundle to allo w for binding considerations.

7 Select Print.

When the first half of your bookl et is finished printing , your printer
software prompts you to reload the paper.

8 Insert the stack of paper and paper

reloading instruction page w ith th e printed
side facing away from you and the arrows
pointing down.

Note:

The direction of the arrows on your
instruction page may be different than the
instruction page shown. Alw ays insert the
stack of paper and instruction page with the
arrows pointing

down

.

9 Select Continue.

Building a booklet

.

Index

21

Bey ond the basics

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Building a booklet

Once your document prints, you need to stack the bundles together
and bind your booklet.

To build a booklet:

1 Take the first bundle from the paper exit tray, fold it in half, and

set it aside.

2 Take the next bundl e, fold it in half, and stack it on top of the first

bundle.

3 Stack the rest of your bundles on top of each other until your

booklet is complete.

4 Bind the bundles together to complete your booklet.

Index

22

Bey ond the basics

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Printing handouts

You can conserve paper by printing handouts, or multiple page
images, on a single sheet of paper.

Step One: Load the paper

Load up to 100 sheets of paper against the right side of the sheet
feeder. For help loading paper, see

Step Two: Customize the Pr int dialog box for Pages
per Sheet (handouts)

You can print your handouts on one side o f the paper or on both sides
of the paper .

1 Open the Page Setup dialog box. For help, see
2 Select the appropriate paper size.
3 Select the appropriate page orientation.
4 Open the Print dialog box. For help, see

page 4

.

page 14

page 13

.

.

Index

23

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Bey ond the basics

5 From the General pop-up menu, select Layout.
6 From the Pages per Sheet pop-up menu, select the number of

page images you want to print on a single sheet.
The graphic changes to show you how the printed page will look.

7 Select Print Borders if you want to print a border around each

page image.

8 To print your handout on bo th si de s of th e paper, select Print on

Both Sides.

9 Select the appropriate graphic for the binding

edge you want.
You can either bind on the left edge or the top

edge of the pa per.

10 Select Print.

If you fo rmatted your hando uts to print on one side of each page ,
you are finished. If you formatted your handouts to print on both
sides of each page, continue with printing t he second side of
your handouts.

Appendix

Index

24

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Bey ond the basics

11 When the first ha lf of your handouts i s finished

printing, your printer software prompts y o u to
reload the paper. Insert the paper and
instruction page with the pr inted side facing
away from you and the arrows pointing down.

Note:

instruction page may be different than the
instruction page shown. A lwa ys insert the stack
of paper and instruction page with the arrows
pointing

The direction of the arrows on your

down

.

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Index

12 Select Continue.

Printing last page first

You can print your pages in reve rse orde r. The last page prints first
and the first page prints last.

Step One: Load the paper

Load up to 100 sheets of paper against the right side of the sheet
feeder. For help loading paper, see

25

page 4

.

Bey ond the basics

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Step Two: Customize the Print dialog box to print the
last page first

1 Open the Page Setup dialog box. For help, see
2 Select the appropriate paper size.
3 Select the appropriate page orientation.
4 Open the Print dialog box. For help, see
5 From the General pop-up menu, select Layout.
6 Select Print Last Page First.
7 Select Print.

Printing on both sides of a sheet of paper

Your Lexmark printer lets you print on both sides of a sheet of paper .
Besides saving paper, this feature is helpful when you want to print
tablets.

Step One: Load the paper

Load up to 100 sheets of paper against the right side of the sheet
feeder. For help loading paper, see

page 4

page 14

.

page 13

.

.

Index

26

Bey ond the basics

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Step Two: Customize the Pr int dialog box to print on
both sides of the paper

1 Open the Page Setup dialog box. For help, see
2 Select the appropriate paper size.
3 Select the appropriate page orientation.
4 Open the Print dialog box. For help, see
5 From the General pop-up menu, select Layout.
6 Select Print on Both Sides.
7 Select the approp riate gr aphic f or the bind ing

edge you want.
You can either bind on the left edge or on the

top edge of the paper.

8 Select Print.

The odd-numbered pages print first. When the odd-numbered
pages finish printing , you r printer sof twa re prom pts yo u to reloa d
the paper.

page 14

page 13

.

.

Index

27

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Bey ond the basics

9 Insert the stack of paper and instruction page

with the printed side f acing a way from you and
the arrows pointing down.

Note:

instruction page may be different than the
instruction page shown. Alw ays insert the stack
of paper and instruction page with the arrows
pointing

10 Select Continue.

The even-numbered pages print on the other side.

The direction of the arrows on your

down

.

Appendix

Index

28

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

This chapter describes how to install, replace, and care f or your print
cartridges. You can use the Control Pane l, one of y o ur printer’s
software programs , to help you with these tasks.

Using the Control P anel
Installing or replacing print cartridges
Improving print quality

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Index

Aligning the print cartridges
Cleaning the print nozzles
Wiping print nozzles and contacts
Preserving print cartridges

29

Maintaining your printer

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Using the Control Panel

The Control P ane l includes two tabs:

Opening the Control Panel

1 Open the Apple menu.
2 Choose Control Panels.
3 Choose Lexmark Z42-Z43 Control Panel.

Cartridges

and

About

.

Index

30

Maintaining your printer

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Select the About tab to find
printer software v ersion and
copyright information.

Select the
Cartridges
tab to
maintain
your print
cartridges.

Select Help to
access the printer
driver Help.

Index

31

Maintaining your printer

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Installing or replacing print cartridges

1 Make sure the Power light is on.

Power
light

2 Raise the front cover.

The print cartridge carrier moves to the loading position unles s the
printer is busy.

Print cartridge
carrier in the
loading position

Paper Feed
light

Front
cover

Index

32

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Warning:
Do NOT
touch the
gold contact
area on the
print
cartridge!

Maintaining your printer

3 Remove the old print cartridge. The Cartridge Setup dialog box

displays on your screen.

4 Install the replacement cartridge in the printer:

b

a If you are installing a new

cartridge, remove only t he
sticker and transparent
tape from the bottom of
the print cartridge.

Insert the
replacement
print cartridge
into the print
cartridge carrier.

c

Push back
firmly on the
cartridge until it

snaps

into place.

securely

Appendix

Index

5 Close the front cover.
6 Store or dispose of the old cartridge.

33

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

7 Verify the settings on the Cartridge Setup dialog box.

a Select the

cartridge(s)
you installed.

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Index

b

Specify whether
the cartridge is a
New Cartridge or
an Old Cartridge
(one that has been
used before).

c

Select OK.

34

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Select Print

Test Page.

Maintaining your printer

8 If you installed a New Cartridge, select Yes to align the cartridges.

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the cartridge
alignment. For additional help, see

9 To see how the cartridges print, select Print T est Page.

Aligning the print cartridges

.

Appendix

Index

35

Maintaining your printer

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Improving print quality

If print quality is not satisfactory, you may need to align your print
cartridges or clean your print nozzles.

Aligning the print cartridges

Normally, you only align the print
cartridges after installing a new print
cartridge. How ever , yo u m ay also need
to align the print cartridges when:

•

The black portions of a graphic or te xt
do not align properly with the color portions.

•

Characters are not aligned correctly at left margin.

•

Vertical lines appear “wavy.”

To align your print cartridges:

1 Load plain paper in the printer.
2 Open the Control Panel. For help, see

page 30

.

Index

36

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

3 From the Cartridges tab, select Align Cartridges.

Your printer prints an alignment test page with several alignment
patterns. The test page looks similar to the one shown:

Depending on the
cartridge
combination you
installed, an
alignment test
pattern prints.
Each pattern has
a number under it.

Maintaining your printer

In this example ,
in alignment
group A, 16
comes closest
to forming a
straight line.

Appendix

Index

4 From each alignment group on the test page, find the number

under the alignment pattern that comes closest to forming a
perfectly straight line.

37

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Maintaining your printer

5 In the Align Cartridges dialog box, enter the pattern numbers from

the printed test page that come closest to forming a straight line.

Appendix

Index

6 After you have entered a number for each of the patterns, select

OK.

38

Maintaining your printer

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Cleaning the print nozzles

The print cartridge nozzle test cleans the print cartridges by forcing
ink through the nozzles to clear any clogged nozzle s. A test line prints
so you can see if the cleaning proce ss w a s su cc es sful.

Run the nozzle test when:

•

Characters are not printing completely.

•

White dashes appear in graphics or printed characters.

•

Print is too dark or smudged.

•

Colors do not print correctly.

To run the nozzle test:

1 Load plain paper in the printer.
2 Open the Control Panel. For help, see

page 30

.

Index

39

Steps to basic printing

Maintaining your printer

3 From the Cartridges tab, select Clean Print Nozzles.

The printer feeds a sheet of paper and prints a nozzle test pattern,
similar to the one shown:

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

These cyan,
magenta, yellow,
and black purge
lines print when
ink is forced
through the
nozzles to unclog
them. If any of
these colors are
missing on your
printed test page,
your cartridge
may be out of
that color of ink.

Broken lines at
the top of the
page indicate
clogged
nozzles.

Unbroken lines
at the bottom
of the page
indicate the
nozzles were
cleaned.

40

Index

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Maintaining your printer

4 Compare the diagonal lines above the printed bars to the

diagonal lines below the printed bars. Look for a break in the
diagonal lines. A broken line indicates clogged nozzles.

If the bottom line still has breaks, run the test two more times.

•

If the print quality is satisfactory, the print nozzles are clean. You
do not need to complete the remaining steps.

•

If the print quality of both sets of lines is not satisfactory , contin ue
with the next step .

5 Remove and reinstall the pri nt cartridge.
6 Repeat the nozzle test.
7 If the lines are still broken, see the next section,

nozzles and contacts

.

Wiping print

Appendix

Index

41

Maintaining your printer

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Warning: Do
NOT wipe the

nozzles and
contacts with
the same
section of
cloth.

Wiping print nozzles an d contacts

If print quality does not improve after cleaning the print nozzles (see

page 39

1 Remove the print cartridges from the printer (see
2 Dampen a clean, lint-free cloth with water. Gently wipe the

nozzles and contacts in one direction.

a Hold the damp cloth

against the nozzles for
about three seconds.
Gently blot and wipe dry.

3 Reinstall the print cartridges and repeat the nozzl e test. F or hel p ,

see
If the print quality has not improved after this cleaning process,

replace your print cartridge. If print quality still does not improve , your
printer may req u ire service.

), there may be dried ink on the nozzles or contacts .

Nozzles Contacts

b

Use another clean section of cloth to gently
wipe the contacts. Hold the damp, lint-free
cloth against the contacts for about three
seconds. Gently blot and wipe dry.

page 39

.

page 32

).

Index

42

Maintaining your printer

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Preserving print cartridges

To ensure the longest life from your print cartridges and optimum
performance from your printer:

•

Keep a new print cartridge in its packaging until you are ready to
install it.

•

Do not remov e a print cartridge from the printer except to replace,
clean, or store it in an air-tight container. The print cartridge does
not print correctly if removed from the printer and left e xp os ed for
an extended period of time.

•

If a print cartridge runs out of ink, leave the empty cartridge in the
printer until you are ready to replace it. Printing with only one print
cartridge installed ma y cause printer problems.

Lexmark’s printer warranty does not cover repair of failures or
damage caused by a refilled cartridge. Lexmark does not
recommend use of refilled cartridges. Refilling cartridges can affect
print quality and cause damage to the printer. For best results, use
Lexmark sup plies.

Index

43

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Troubleshooting

This section lists printer problems that can occur and what you can
do to solve them. From the list of printing problems below, select a
category that describes your printing problem. Then search for the
solution to your problem.

General printing problems
Printer prints slowly or doesn’t print

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Index

Paper misfeeds or jams
Document prints with mistakes or poor quality
Problems with envelopes, transparencies, or photos
Error messages and flashing lights
Macintosh computer locks up while printing

44

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

General printing problems

When there is a problem, first make sure that:

•

The power supply is plugged into the printer and a properly
grounded electrical outlet.

•

The printer is turned on.

•

The printer is set as the default printer . To check the printer status:

1 Double-click the Lexmark Z42-Z43 printer icon on your

desktop.

2 From the menu bar, choose Printing.
3 Make sure Set Defau lt Pri n ter is checked.

Index

45

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Printer prints slowly or doesn’t print

If your printer does not print, your printer and your compu ter may not
be able to comm unic ate properly.

The follo wing ev ents also in dicate two-wa y com munication problems:

•

A message displays on your computer screen indicating an error
has occurred while printing a document and sug ges ts you try
printing again.

•

Print cartridge ink lev el indic ators on the Cartridges tab of the
printer’s Control Panel are shaded.

•

Error messages (such as P aper Out) and job progress inf ormation
do not display on your computer screen.

Before proceeding, verify that:

•

The USB cable is se cu rely attached to both the printer and the
computer.

•

The printer is plugged in and turned on.

If you hav e a hub or peripheral, such as a scanner or f ax m ach ine ,
you may need to disconnect your printer from those devices and
connect the printer directly to your computer.

Index

46

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Printer is plugged in but doesn’t print

Make sure:

•

The printer is turned on.

•

The USB cable is co m pletely plugged into the printer

•

The printer is set as the default printer . To check the printer status:

1 Double-click the Lexmark Z42-Z43 printer icon on your

desktop.

2 From the menu bar, choose Printing.
3 Make sure Set Defau lt Pri n ter is checked.

•

Paper is loaded correctly

•

The print job is not paused. To check the print job status:

.

1 Double-click the Lexmark Z42-Z43 printer icon on your

desktop.

2 Make sure the Pause button is not selected.

•

The print queue is not stopped. To check the print queue status:

1 Double-click the Lexmark Z42-Z43 printer icon on your

desktop.

2 From the menu bar, choose Printing.
3 Choose Start Print Queue.

.

Index

47

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

Print a test page. If the test page prints, the printer is functioning
properly. Check your application.

Test page does not print

Make sure the print cartridges are installed correctly. For help, see

page 32

Printer ejects a blank page after appearing to print

Make sure y ou have removed the stic ker and transparent tape on the
bottom of the print cartridges. For help, see

Printer prints very slowly

•

•

•

.

page 32

Close any open applica tion s not in use .
Decrease your Print Quality setting.
Check the docum ent y o u are printing. Photos and g raphics may

take longer to print than regular text.

.

Appendix

Index

•

Check y o ur co m puter’s resources. Consider purchasing more
memory or increasing the virtual memory for your computer.

•

Print the document in the foreground rather than in the
background.

48

Steps to basic printing

•

Disconnect your printer from any hu bs or peripherals, such as
scanners or fax m achin es, and conn ect the printer directly to you r
computer.

Paper misfeeds or jams

Troubleshooting

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Index

Paper misfeeds or multiple sheets feed through the printer

Make sure:

•

The printer is on a flat, lev el sur face.

•

The paper is recommended f o r inkjet printers.

•

You do not force the p aper d o w n into the printer when you load it.
For e xample, if you are loading letter or A4 s ize paper, the top edg e
of the paper should extend above the top of the sheet feeder.

•

You do not load too much paper in the sheet f eeder. Dep ending on
the thickness of you r paper, the sheet feeder can hold up to 100
sheets of paper.

•

The paper guide is against the left side of the paper and it does not
cause the paper to bow in the sheet f eed er.

49

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Printer does not feed envelopes or specialty papers

•

Make sure your printer will feed regular paper. For help loading
paper , see

•

If regular paper feeds without problem s, load the envelopes

page 4

.

vertically against the right side of the sheet f eeder. Make sure the
paper guide is against the side of the envelopes.

•

Make sure e nv elope or the appropriate specialty pa per is selected
in the Page Se tup dialog box or the Print dialog box.

•

Make sure y o u are using a pap er or envelope size supported by
your printer.

•

Your application may no t be designed to print env elopes. F or help ,
check yo ur app lication’s documentation.

Printer has a paper jam

If the paper is lodged too far into the printer and can’t be removed:

1 Press the Power button to turn the printer off.
2 Press the Power button to turn the printer back on.
3 If the printer does not eject the page, turn the printer off.

Index

50

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

4 Pull firmly on the paper to remove it. If you cannot reach the paper

because it is too far into the printer, raise the front cover and pull
the paper out from the front of the printer.

5 Close the front cover.
6 Press the Power button to turn the printer back on.
7 Resend your document to print.

Document prints with mistakes or poor quality

Print is too dark or smudged

•

Make sure the paper is stra ight and unw rinkled.

•

Let the ink dry before handling the paper.

•

Make sure the Paper Type or Paper Size setting in the printer
software matches the type of paper loaded in the printer.

•

Change the print quality setting to

•

Clean the print nozzles. For help, see

Quick Print

page 39

.

.

Appendix

Index

51

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Vertical straight lines are not smooth

To improve the print quality of vertical straight lines in tables, borders,
and graphs:

•

Select a higher Print Quality.

•

Align the print cartridges. For help, see

•

Clean the print nozzles. For help, see

page 36

page 39

.

.

Print smears on the page

•

The next page exiting the printer may be smearing the ink.
Remov e each p age as it e xits the printer and allo w it to dry before
stacking.

•

The print nozzles may need c leaning . For help, see

page 39

.

Printed pages have alternating bands of light and dark print
(intermittent printing)

•

Select the Print Quality setting

(2400 dpi)

•

Print the document in the foreground rather than in the
background.

.

High (1200 dpi)

or

Maximum

Index

52

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

•

You may have two-way communication problems. For help, see

page 46

Print quality is poor at the left, right, top, or bottom edge of page

Like other printers, y our printer cannot print in the e xtreme left, right,
top, or bottom edges of a page .

Use these minimum settings :

•

Left and right margins:

6.35 mm (0.25 in.) each for all pape r siz es except A4
For A4 size paper - 3.37 mm (0.133 in.) each

•

Top and bottom margins:
Top - 1.7 mm (0.067 in.)

.

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Index

Bottom - 16.51 mm (0.65 in.) for most jobs
Bottom - 19 mm (0.75 in.) for best print quality for color jobs

53

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Printed characters are improperly formed or misaligned

•

Cancel all print jobs, if any, and resend your job to print.

•

Align the print cartridges. For help, see

•

Clean the print nozzles. For help, see

page 36

page 39

.

.

Colors on the printout differ from the colors on the screen

•

For ColorSync color matching , selec t the profile and rendering
intent you want:

1 From the File menu, choose Print....

2 From the General pop-up menu, select Color.
3 Select ColorSync Color Matching.
4 Select the Printer Profile you want.
5 Select the Rendering Intent you want.

•

For Built-I n color m atchin g, select N atura l Co lor as the Do cum ent
Color:

1 From the File menu, choose Print....

2 From the General pop-up menu, select Color.
3 Select Built-In Color Matching.
4 From Document Color, select Natural Color.

Index

54

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Troubleshooting

•

A print cartridge may be out of ink or low on ink. For h elp changing
the print cartridge, see

•

Try using a different brand of paper . Every paper brand accepts ink
differently and prints with slight color variations.

•

Disconnect your p rinter from any e xtra peripherals and connect the
printer directly to your computer.

Colors on the printout are faded

page 32

.

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Index

Try the suggestions listed in the s ection

from the colors on the screen

nozzle test. F or help, see

. If the colors still seem faded, run the

page 39

Colors on the printout differ

.

Characters are missing or unexpected

•

The printer is set as the default printer . To check the printer status:

1 Double-click the Lexmark Z42-Z43 printer icon on your

desktop.

2 From the menu bar, choose Printing.
3 Make sure Set Defau lt Pri n ter is checked.

•

Y our printer may have two-way communication problems. For help,
see

page 46

.

55

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Problems with envelopes, transparencies, or photos

Printer does not feed envelopes or specialty papers

For help, see

Transparencies or glossy photo papers stick together

•

Use a transparency or photo paper designed for an inkjet printer.

•

Remov e each p age as it e xits the printer and allo w it to dry before
stacking.

Transparencies or photos contain white lines

•

Select a higher Print Quality.

•

Your print nozzles may need cleaning. For help, see

page 50

.

page 39

.

Index

56

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Error messages and flashing lights

Paper Jam message

Power
light

Paper
Feed
light

For help, see

Ink Low message

A print cartridge is running out of ink. Purchase a new print cartridge.

The Power light is on and the Paper Feed light is blinking

•

If the printer is out of paper:

1 Load paper.
2 Press the Paper Feed button.

•

If the printer has a paper jam, see

The Power light blinks twice

The print cartridge carrier has stalled. Check your screen for any
error messages.

1 Turn the printer off.
2 After waiting a few seconds, turn the printer back on.

page 50

.

page 50

.

Index

57

Troubleshooting

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

Macintosh computer locks up while printing

If your Macintosh computer loc ks up or freezes while printing, you
may need to turn off the printer and the computer , and then turn them
back on. When yo u turn them back on, the print driver’s spooler may
attempt to start printing the job that was in the queue before the
computer lock ed up. This could cause your system to lock up again.
To recover from this problem:

1 Turn off the printer and the computer.
2 Hold down the Shift key and turn on the computer.
3 Continue to hold the Shift key until you see the Mac OS screen

with the words: Extensions Off.

4 Release the Shift key.
5 Locate the Lexmark Z42-Z43 printer icon on your desktop.

The inactive printer spooler will have an X over it.

6 Double-click the icon to open a folder titled Lexmark Z42-Z43.
7 Drag your print jobs to the trash can.
8 Restart the Macintosh computer to enable extensions again.

Index

58

Appendix

Steps to basic printing

Beyond the basics

Maintaining your printer

Troubleshooting

Appendix

In this se ction, you can find
information about:

•

Power supply

•

Safety information

Power supply

•

If your power supply fails, replace
it with the Lexmark replacement
part or other UL LISTED Direct
Plug-In Power Unit marked
“Class 2” and rated 30 V dc at
500 mA.

Safety inform ation

•

If your product is NOT marked
with this symbol , it MUST be
connected to an electrical outlet
that is properly grounded.

•

The power cord must be
connected to an electrical outlet
that is near the product and
easily accessib le.

•

Refer service or repairs, other
than those described in the
operating instructions, to a
professional service person.

•

This product is designed, tested
and approved to meet strict
global safety standards with the
use of specific Lexmark
components. The safety features
of some pa rts may not always be
obvious. Lexmark is not
responsible for the use of other
replacement parts.

Index

59

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Index

A

aligning print cartri dges 36

B

back to front printing 25

loading paper 25
background printing op­tions 13
banding 52
banner paper

loading 9
bidirectional communica­tions

problems

indicators 46

blinking lights

Paper Feed 57

Power 57
booklets

building 22

customizing print set-

tings 20

loading paper 19

printing 19

both sides of the paper

customizing print set-

tings 27
loading paper 26
printing 26

building a booklet 22
Built-In color matching 54

C

cards

loading 6

cartridges, print

aligning 36
installing 32
preserving 43
removing 33
replacing 32

characters

misformed 54

characters missing 55
coated paper

loading 7

color options 13
colors missing 55
ColorSync color matching
54
contacts, p rin t

wiping 42

Control Panel

opening 30
tabs 31

using 30
customizing page setup 13
customizing print settings

booklets 20

both sides of the paper

27
duplex printing 27
handouts 23
last page first 26
pages per sheet 23
two-sided printing 27

custom-sized paper

loading 8

60

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Index

D

dark or smudged print 51
default settings 15
duplex printing

loading paper 26

duplexing 26

E

envelopes

loading 6

error messages

Ink Low 57
Paper Jam 57

F

faded colors 55
flashing lights

Paper Feed 57
Power 57

foils

loading 10

G

general option 13
general printing problems
45
glossy paper 17

loading 7

greeting cards

loading 6

H

handouts

customizing print set-

tings 23
loading paper 23
printing 23

I

improving print quality 36
index cards

loading 6

Ink Low message 57
installing print cartridges 32

intermittent printing 52
iron-on transfers

loading 7

L

last page first

loading paper 25

printing 25
layout 13
lights

flashing 57

locating 57

patterns 57
loading

banner paper 9

cards 6

coated paper 7

custom-sized paper 8

envelopes 6

foils 10

glossy paper 7

greeting cards 6

index cards 6

61

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Index

iron-on transfers 7
paper 4
photo paper 7
postcards 6
specialty papers 6
transparencies 10

M

Macintosh computer locks
up 58
margins

minimum settings 53

media

printing 15

messages, error

Ink Low 57
Paper Jam 57

missing characters 55

N

notices

safety information 59

nozzle test 39
nozzles, print

cleaning 39
wiping 42

P

page settings, changing 13
Page Setup 11
pages per sheet

customizing print set-

tings 23
loading paper 23
printing 23

paper

loading 4
misfeeds 49
specialty papers 15

Paper Feed 57
Paper Feed light, locating
32
paper guide

locating 5
using 5

paper type/quality 13
photo paper

loading 7

popup menus

background printing op-

tions 13
color options 13
general option 13
layout option 13
paper type/quality option

13

postcards

loading 6

Power light 57
power supply 59
preserving print cartridges
43
print cartridge contacts

wiping 42

print cartridges

aligning 36
installing 32
preserving 43
removing 33

62

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Index

replacing 32

print nozzles

cleaning 39
wiping 42

print quality

improving 36
troubleshooting 51

print settings

introduction 12

printer software

introduction 11

printing

booklets 19
documents 18
envelopes 15
from an application 18
handouts 23
last page first 25
Macintosh computer

locks up 58

on both sides of the pa-

per 26
pages per sheet 23
specialty papers 15

printing on both sides of the
paper

loading paper 26

printing options

customizing 11

printing problems

error messages 57
poor quality 51
specialty papers 56

Q

Quick Print 51

R

release tab

locating 5

using 5
replacing print cartri dges
32
returning to defaults 18
reverse order printing 25

loading paper 25

S

safety infor mation 59
saving settings 17
settings

recommended 15
two-sided printing 27

sheet feeder

locating 4
using 4

software

applications

Control Panel 30

specialty papers

loading 6
settings 15

T

test page

alignment 37
cleaning nozzles 40
does not print 46, 48
printing 35

transparencies

63

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

loading 10

troubleshooting

error messages 57
flashing lights 57
poor print quality 51
specialty print jobs 56

two-sided printing 26

loading paper 26

two-way communications

problems

indicators 46

U

unexpected characters 55

Index

64