Printhead alignment fixes dot placement. A misaligned printhead can make text look doubled, edges look fuzzy, and vertical lines look slightly crooked. It is different from a clog, which causes missing lines or colors.
Does this affect you?
Use this if prints look slightly blurry or offset after replacing ink, replacing a printhead, moving the printer, or running maintenance.
Align from printer maintenance software
Manufacturer software is usually the clearest alignment path.
- On Windows, open Printers & scanners, select the printer, open printer properties, and look under Maintenance or Services for printhead alignment.
- On Mac, open Printers & Scanners, select the printer, open Options & Supplies or Printer Utility, and look for alignment.
- Start the alignment tool. The printer prints a page with numbered patterns.
- If prompted, let the printer scan the page automatically or enter the best-looking pattern numbers manually.
- Confirm the selections and wait for the printer to save the new alignment.
Align from the printer control panel
Use this if the printer has its own screen.
- Open the Setup, Maintenance, or gear/wrench menu.
- Choose Print Head Alignment or Print Quality Adjustment.
- Confirm and let the printer print its pattern.
- If required, place the page on the scanner glass so the printer can read it.
- Wait for the confirmation message before printing again.
More control
Run a nozzle check for streaks
If output has gaps or missing colors, clean the nozzles before focusing on alignment. Alignment cannot fix clogged ink paths.
Align after replacement
Run alignment when the printer asks after a new cartridge or printhead. Freshly installed parts can shift dot placement slightly.
If alignment keeps failing
A printhead that will not hold alignment may indicate a worn carriage rail, damaged printhead, or another hardware problem.
Sources
- HP Support – Align the Printhead (2025)
- Epson Support – Aligning the Print Head (2025)
- Canon Support – Aligning the Print Head (2025)