Hi C- What you are seeing is probably where some ink has 'over sprayed' and left some splotches on the (a) rollers (b) underside of head carriage ... there is a proceedure for cleaning this off, but many have reported good results with the Epson cleaning mats ... the other proceedure is not for the 'faint at heart' (and since I just re-joined, I do not now which you might be ;-) but essentially, using Isopropyl Alcohol (highest % you can get is probably at the pharmacy) and a paper towell (the kind that DOESN'T leave fibers behind, of course) you can carefully and gently wipe down the inside of the head compartment ... try alan's excellent site ... http://home.att.net/~arwomack01/ Ann Ketron Boomer Digital Graphics - Turn off HTML mail features. Keep quoted material short. Use accurate subject lines. http://www.leben.com/lists for list instructions.