Epson C42 User Manual

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EPSON Stylus® C42 Series

Printer Basics

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION. The information contained herein is designed only for use with this EPSON printer. EPSON is not responsible for any use of this information as applied to other printers.

Neither SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION nor its affiliates shall be liable to the purchaser of this product or third parties for damages, losses, costs, or expenses incurred by purchaser or third parties as a result of: accident, misuse, or abuse of this product or unauthorized modifications, repairs, or alterations to this product, or (excluding the U.S.) failure to strictly comply with SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION’s operating and maintenance instructions.

SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION shall not be liable for any damages or problems arising from the use of any options or any consumable products other than those designated as Original EPSON Products or EPSON Approved Products by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.

A Note Concerning Responsible Use of Copyrighted Materials

Digital cameras and scanners, like photocopiers, conventional cameras, and ink jet printers, can be misused by improper copying and reprinting of copyrighted material. While some countries’ laws permit limited copying of copyrighted material in certain circumstances, those circumstances may not be as broad as some people assume. EPSON encourages each user to be responsible and respectful of the copyright laws when using digital cameras, scanners, and ink jet printers.

Trademarks

EPSON, EPSON Stylus, EPSON Photo Stickers, and MicroWeave are registered trademarks of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.

EPSON Print Lab, SoundAdvice, and EPSON Store are service marks, and PhotoEnhance is a trademark of Epson America, Inc.

General Notice: Other product names used herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. EPSON disclaims any and all rights in those marks.

The ENERGY STAR emblem does not represent EPA endorsement of any product or service.

6/02

WELCOME! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	5
About Your Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	5
Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	6
PRINTING FROM START TO FINISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	7
Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	8
Printing in Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	9
Selecting the Settings You Use Most Often . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	12
Printing on a Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	13
Macintosh OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	13
Macintosh OS 8.5.1 to 9.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	17
Printing on Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	20
Selecting the Correct Paper Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	22
MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	23
Cleaning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	23
Running the Head Cleaning Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	24
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	25
Replacing an Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	25
Ink Cartridge Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	26
Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	27
Aligning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	29
Cleaning the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	30
Transporting the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	31

SOLVING PROBLEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	32
Printer Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	33
Diagnosing Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	34
Running a Printer Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	35
Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	36
Setup and Software Installation Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	36
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	37
Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	38
Paper Feeding Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	41
Miscellaneous Printout Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	42
Reinstalling Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	43
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	43
Macintosh OS 8.5.1 to 9.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	44
Macintosh OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	44
Where To Get Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	46
REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	47
Windows System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	47
Macintosh System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	48
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	49
EPSON INK JET PAPERS AND INK CARTRIDGES . . . . . . . . .	54
HOW TO ORDER EPSON INK AND PAPER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	55
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	56

Welcome!

Printing with your EPSON Stylus® C42 printer is easy, friendly, and fast. Simple enough for even the most inexperienced user, the Stylus C42 prints everything from school reports to family photos with great results.

For added value, it supports a wide range of EPSON® special media, including Glossy Photo Greeting Cards, Photo Stickers,® and special photo papers in a variety of sizes and finishes. Visit the EPSON StoreSM at www.epsonstore.com for a complete list.

It’s a good idea to check EPSON’s support web site periodically for free updates to your printer software. Visit http://support.epson.com. Download instructions are posted for your convenience.

About Your Documentation

To set up your printer and install your Windows® XP or Macintosh® software, see the

Start Here sheet.

To install your Windows 98, Me, or 2000 printer software, see the Installing Software for Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows 2000 booklet. This booklet also contains safety instructions, your printer warranty, and other important information.

This online manual contains information about:

■Printing with Windows or on a Macintosh

■Maintaining the printer

■Solving basic problems

■System requirements and printer specifications

Welcome! 5

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips

Please follow these guidelines:

Warnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.

Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.

Notes contain important information about your printer.

Tips contain additional hints for better printing.

Welcome! 6

Printing From Start to Finish

Before you start, make sure your printer software is installed as described on the Start Here sheet or Installing Software for Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows 2000 booklet.

No matter what you print, you need to remember two things:

■Use the right paper.

For the best-looking photos, most vivid colors, and sharpest text, always use EPSON ink jet papers.

■Choose the right Paper Type setting (Media Type setting on the Macintosh). Your printer automatically adjusts itself for each type of paper. That’s why this setting is important. It tells your printer what kind of paper you’re using. So remember to check your Paper Type setting every time you print. If you’re not sure which setting to use with your paper, see page 22.

Follow the instructions in these sections:

■Loading Paper on page 8

■Printing in Windows on page 9

■Printing on a Macintosh on page 13

■Printing on Envelopes on page 20

■Selecting the Correct Paper Type on page 22

Printing From Start to Finish 7

Loading Paper

Make sure your printer and computer are turned on.

1.Place your paper against the right edge of the sheet feeder, behind the tab.

2.Press in the locking tab on the left edge guide and slide it against the paper.

Load paper behind the tab

Press the locking tab and slide the left edge guide against the paper

3. Pull out the output tray extension.

Follow these guidelines when loading paper:

■Always load the short edge first, even when you’re printing landscape oriented documents.

■Load the printable side face up. It’s usually whiter or brighter than the other side.

■Load letterhead or preprinted paper into the printer top edge first.

■Don’t load paper above the arrow on the left edge guide.

■Load the following media types one sheet at a time: Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheets, Photo Stickers,, and Panoramic Photo Paper.

■If you’re using special media, follow the instructions that came with the media.

Printing From Start to Finish 8

Printing in Windows

Here’s what to do to print a basic document—such as a newsletter or school project. Make sure you have paper in the printer, as described on page 8. After you create your document in a software program, follow these steps to print.

1.From the File menu, click Print. You see a Print window (your window may look different):

Select your printer here

Click here to open your printer software

2.Make sure EPSON Stylus C42 Series is selected.

3.Click the Properties or Preferences button. (If you see a Setup, Printer, or

Options button, click it. Then click Properties or Preferences on the next screen.)

Printing From Start to Finish 9

You see your printer Properties (or Preferences) window.

1 Choose your document type

2Choose your paper type . . .

3and paper size

4 Click here

4.Select the type of document you’re printing:

■Draft: For rough drafts on plain paper. Saves ink.

■Text: For text-only documents, like letters or reports. Delivers high-quality

text printing.

■Text & Image: For documents that have both text and images, like newsletters.

■Photo: For photos and graphics, when you want good quality with faster

printing.

■Photo RPM: For photos or graphics, when you need highest quality printing.

Because this setting increases resolution, it also increases print time.

5. Load the right paper for your document. See page 8 for loading instgructions.

Printing From Start to Finish 10

6.If you loaded special paper, choose the correct paper type (click the arrow to scroll through the

Type list). If you’re not sure which setting to select, see page 22.

7.Select your paper size (click on the arrow to scroll through the Size list).

8.If necessary, select your page orientation: Portrait for documents that are longer than they

are wide, or Landscape for documents that are wider than they are long.

9.You can also make these settings:

■Photo Enhance: Improves the appearance of low-resolution and improperly

exposed photos. Does not work when Black Ink Only is selected.

■ICM (Image Color Matching): Matches colors on your printout as closely as

possible to the colors you see using ICM-compatible monitors or scanners.

■Black Ink Only: Prints using only black ink.

■Reverse Order: Prints your document so that the pages are in the right order

when you retrieve them from the paper tray.

■Print Preview: Lets you see what your printout will look like before you print.

For more information about printer settings, click the Help button, or right-click any item on the screen and then click What’s This?.

10. Click OK to return to the Print window. Then click OK (or Print) to start printing.

Printing From Start to Finish 11

After a moment, this window appears and shows the progress of your print job. You can use the buttons to cancel, pause, or restart printing. You can also see how much ink you have left.

Click to cancel printing

Click to pause or resume printing

When you’re finished using your printer, make sure you press the

P power button to turn it off. Never use a power strip or external switch to turn off the printer.

Selecting the Settings You Use Most Often

Your printer settings apply only to the program you’re currently using. If you usually print one type of document in different programs—for example, color photos on letter-size paper—you can change the default printer settings for all your programs.

1.Right-click the printer icon on your taskbar (in the lower right corner of your screen).

2.Select Printer Settings. You see your printer Preferences (Properties) window, as shown on page 10.

3.Select the default settings you want to use for all your applications. Click OK when you’re finished.

Remember that you can always change the settings in your program when you want to print different types of documents.

Printing From Start to Finish 12

Printing on a Macintosh

This section explains how to use your EPSON Stylus C42 to print from a Macintosh running either OS X or OS 8.5.1 to 9.x.

Macintosh OS X

Here’s how to print a basic document, such as a newsletter or school project, if your Macintosh is running OS X. Make sure you have paper in the printer, as described on page 8. After you create your document, follow these steps to print.

If you’re using an application that’s compatible only with Macintosh Classic mode, follow the steps on page 17 to print your document.

1. From the File menu, select Page Setup. You see a screen like this:

Select your printer from the Format for pop-up menu

2.Select your printer from the Format for menu.

3.Select the Paper Size, Orientation, and any other settings you want to use and click OK.

Printing From Start to Finish 13

4. Select Print from the File menu. You see a screen like this:

Click here and select

Print Settings

5.Select Print Settings from the pull-down menu. You see a group of settings like this:

Select the type of paper you loaded

Select the ink color

Select Automatic mode

Select higher quality or faster printing, or an in-between setting (if available)

Click Print

Printing From Start to Finish 14

6.Select the following settings:

■Load the right paper for your document in the printer. If you loaded special paper, choose the correct paper type in the Media Type list. If you’re not sure which setting to choose, see page 22.

■Set the Ink option to Color to print a color document. To print a black text document, click Black.

■Set the Mode option to Automatic. It’s the easiest way to get good printing results for most projects.

■Set the slider to Quality or Speed to select high-quality printing, faster printing, or an in-between setting (if available). (The slider may not be available for some paper types.)

7.To select a specific print quality setting, click Advanced Settings and choose a setting from the Print Quality menu:

■Economy or Economy Plus, for printing drafts. Saves ink. (Economy Plus is only available if you select Black as the ink color.)

■Normal, for everyday printing needs

■Fine, when you want a higher resolution for printing text or text and graphics

■Photo, when you’re printing photographs

■Photo RPM, when you want the highest resolution for your photographs and you don’t mind the longer print time.

8.You can also choose other print settings by selecting these options in the pull-down menu:

■Copies & Pages, to select the number of copies or a page range

■Layout, to select page layout options

■Output Options, to save your print job as a PDF file

■Color Management, to select ColorSync® or adjust the color controls or gamma setting

■Summary, to view a list of all your selections

■Save Custom Setting, to save your selections for future use.

Printing From Start to Finish 15

9.When you’re ready to print, click Print. The Print Center icon appears in the dock on the bottom of your desktop.

If you click the Print Center icon and then double-click the C42 Series (USB) icon in the Printer List, you see a screen like this:

Click to reorder print jobs

Select a print job, then . . .

click a button to Delete, Hold (pause), or Resume printing

From here you can monitor the progress of your print job or do one of the following:

■Click the print job, then click Delete to delete it

■Click the print job, then click Hold to pause printing

■Click a print job marked “Hold” and click Resume to resume printing

■If multiple print jobs are listed, click a print job, then click the Priority arrow to reorder the jobs.

When you’re finished using your printer, make sure you press the

P power button to turn it off. Never use a power strip or external switch to turn off the printer.

Printing From Start to Finish 16

Macintosh OS 8.5.1 to 9.x

Here’s what to do to print a basic document—such as a newsletter or school project— if your Macintosh is running OS 8.5.1 to 9.x. Make sure you have paper in the printer, as described on page 8. After you create your document, follow these steps to print.

1. From the File menu, select Page Setup. You see the following:

Make sure you see

C42 Series

Select your paper size

Select the orientation of your document

2.Make sure C42 Series is selected.

If not, you need to select your printer in the Chooser.

3.Select the correct Paper Size, Orientation, and other settings. Then click OK.

For more information about printer settings, click the ? button.

4. From the File menu, select Print. You see a window like the following:

Select the type of paper you loaded

Select the ink color

Select Automatic mode

Select higher quality or faster printing

Printing From Start to Finish 17

Photo RPM

don’t mind

5.Make the following settings:

■Choose the paper you’re printing on (click the arrow to scroll through the Media Type list). If you’re not sure which setting to select, see page 22.

■Set the Ink option to Color to print a color document. To print a black text document, click Black.

■Set the Mode option to Automatic. It’s the easiest way to get good printing results on all types of paper.

■Set the slider in the Mode box to Quality or Speed to select high-quality printing, faster printing, or an in-between setting.

6.You can also do the following:

■Click to reduce or enlarge your image, print multiple layouts, or add a watermark.

■Click to turn on background printing.

■Click to change the Print button to Preview. You can then click it to preview your printout.

■Click to check your ink levels. If the red b error light is on or flashing, check to see if one of your ink cartridges is low or empty.

■Click PhotoEnhance to improve the appearance of low-resolution and improperly exposed photos. Only works when Color ink is selected.

■Click Custom, and then select ColorSync to match the colors in your printout as closely as possible to those you see using ColorSync-compatible devices and applications.

■Click Custom, and then click the Advanced button that appears to select a specific setting for print quality or to change color management settings.

Print Quality settings include Economy and Economy Plus for draft printing,

Normal for everyday printing needs, Fine when you want a higher resolution for text or text and graphics, Photo when you’re printing photographs, and

when you want the highest resolution for your photographs and the longer print time.

Printing From Start to Finish 18

+ 41 hidden pages