AboutJeffrey J. Wrobel Expertise I can answer OS compatibility questions, from OS 7 to OS X 10.5.x Leopard. I have extensive experience in software installation, use, and troubleshooting as well as many aspects of high level hardware repair. Any questions about peripherals and their Mac-compatibility are also welcome. I am very current in all aspects of the Max OS, while having an excellent breadth of knowledge of older machines. My work keeps me in constant contact with Mac suppliers, products, and problems, enabling me to not only draw on my past experience, but also to add to that experience every day. Living in Rhode Island with family near Cape Cod, Mass has proven to be a bit lacking in Mac popularity (Yankees are slow to change), but momentum is building for Apple.
Experience
Past/Present clients My life experience has taken me from the US Army to working with the criminally insane. Pursued a philosophy degree while working in pyschology, then ended up doing graphic design, marketing modular construction products, and ultimately starting the computer business that I now own. At 41 years old, I plan to make my triumphant return to college and get a master's degree in philosophy.
Clients include a multi-million dollar international manufacturing firm, a nationwide jewelry/gemstone distributor, numerous town libraries, 2 school districts, a few celebrities, a famous author, a prominent film maker, Brown University & RISD faculty and students, and numerous small businesses and individuals in Rhode Island, Cape Cod, and Boston. I also have a nationwide Powerbook/iBook/Macbook repair program and I sell refurbished Mac parts. The growth of my company, which was a record-breaker in 2007, has been a direct result of my customer service and the experience gained through helping the folks that use All Experts.
Question Hi Jeffrey,
I just got a MacBook Pro OS X Version 10.5.2, 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB 667 MHz
DDR2 SDRAM and have a 3 (or more?) year old Epson Stylus C84 Printer that has
worked just fine with my (very) old G3. I used the original Epson CD to install the
printer on the MacBook Pro. It's doing OK with black printing but with color I'm
getting parallel horizontal lines approx. 0.5mm in thickness spaced approx. 8 mm
apart. I thought I saw somewhere that there are some compatibility problems with
Version 10.5. What can I do to get the high degree of quality I'm accustomed to in
printing original graphic designs? Thanks, Jeffrey!
Answer Dear Peter,
Just combined a hospitalization, a residential move, a company move, and a disaster in the house that I moved into. Suffice it to say, I'm a bit behind, so please be understanding.
Have you cleaned the print heads on the Epson? If not, go to the C84 and open the top. Press the button with the droplet o' ink on it and hold it down for 3 seconds. It will go through a cleaning thing. You may have to do it 3 or 4 times. If it does not improve, try using the GIMP (GUTENPRINT) printer driver. You can do this by clicking ADVANCED when you add a printer (there is a list of more printers than the ones that show up initially--just hold down the OPTION key and click the More Printers button, then select the Advanced section). Click on USB Printer and choose your printer model and click ADD.
Odds are, though, it is the print heads because the driver would not cause those lines, just clogged print heads. Unfortunately, Epson uses permanent print heads instead of the disposable ones found on the ink cartridges in other brands. This makes for better quality printing, but greater likelihood of clogging. You can keep this to a minimum by ALWAYS running Epson brand ink and not the wicked cheap internet-ordered cartridges or the store brand (Staples, Office Max, etc.).
Keep trying to clean the print heads, using the print utility (located on the top of the Printer List). To get the printer list, just click on the printer when it is active (on the dock) and a window will show up. Then use the pull-down menus to find and "Show Printer List"
Let me know if this works. If not, I will continue to help you with whatever knowledge I have, okay?
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Wrobel
