thanks for the replies, the problem mainly is I've only been able to make one or two actual negatives successfully so far, and to get to that stage its frustration with trying to tape a sheet of paper behind and it jamming or warping - I'm using standard inkjet transparency sheets (which are just clear) and in my research trying to find a solution before posting, I've read the main fix for this particular printer (and others that use the same internals) is to use transparency sheets that have an edge of white paper on them, but I haven't been able to find what brands people are using successfully, or a tutorial video about taping paper behind the transparency, each attempt I've tried so far with either green painters tape or clear packing tape failed.
The issue I'm running into seems to be specific to a few of the Epson wide-carriage models and how they detect the edge of , unlike other printer brands.