Canon S900 User Manual

S900

Photo Printer

Quick Start Guide

Canon U.S.A., Inc.

One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042, U.S.A.

Digital Home and Personal Systems Division

2995 Redhill Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, U.S.A.

Canon Inc.

30-2, Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 146-8501, Japan

Canon Australia Pty. Ltd.

1 Thomas Holt Drive, North Ryde, Sydney, N.S.W. 2113, Australia

Canon Canada, Inc.

6390 Dixie Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L5T 1P7, Canada

Canon Deutschland GmbH

Postfach 528, 47705 Krefeld, Germany

Canon Europa N.V.

P.O. Box 2262, 1180 EG Amstelveen, The Netherlands

Canon France S.A.

17 quai du Président Paul Doumer, 92414 Courbevoie Cedex, France

Canon Hong Kong Co., Ltd.

9/F, The Hong Kong Club Building, 3A Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong

Canon Latin America, Inc.

703 Waterford Way, Suite 400, Miami, FL 33126, U.S.A.

Canon Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V.

Periferico Sur No. 4124 Col. Ex-Rancho de Anzaldo, C.P. 01900, Mexico, D.F.

Canon Singapore Pte. Ltd.

79 Anson Road, #09-01/06, Singapore 079906

Canon (U.K.) Ltd.

Woodhatch, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8BF, United Kingdom

Printed in Japan

40-42109-1001

QA7-1860

Getting Help from Canon

Help Us Help You Better

Before you contact Canon, please record the following information.

Serial Number (located on the inside of the printer): ______________________________

Model Number (located on the front of the printer):________________________________

Printer Driver CD-ROM number (located on the CD-ROM): __________________________

Purchase Date:______________________________________________________________

Customer Technical Support

Internet

For electronic technical support, the latest driver downloads and answers to frequently asked questions (www.canontechsupport.com).

Automated Tech Support

24-hour, 7-day-a-week automated support for troubleshooting issues on most current products (1-800-423-2366).

Live Tech Support

To speak with a technician regarding your product, please see the “Troubleshooting” section in this Quick Start Guide for details.

Facsimile

24-hour, Fax-On-Demand System for product specifications and technical information

(1-800-526-4345).

Extended Warranty

For information about extending your Canon service and support up to an additional two years, call 1-800-385-2155, or visit our Web site at www.canonesp.com (within 90 days from the date you purchased your Canon peripheral).

* Support program specifics are subject to change without notice. Cover print sample photographed by Michel Tcherevkoff.

Ordering Information

For additional supplies, use the following descriptions and order numbers.

Description Order #

Ink Tanks

BCI-6Bk Black 4705A003 BCI-6PC Photo Cyan 4709A003 BCI-6PM Photo Magenta 4710A003 BCI-6C Cyan 4706A003 BCI-6M Magenta 4707A003 BCI-6Y Yellow 4708A003

Canon Specialty Papers

Banner Paper (continuous/50 sheets) 1049A003 Brilliant White Paper (8.5" x 11"/250 sheets) CST-6217-000 Brilliant White Paper (8.5" x 11"/500 sheets) CST-6160-000 Glossy Photo Cards (4"x 6"/20 sheets) 1032A002 Glossy Photo Paper (8.5" x 11"/20 sheets) 1026A009 High Gloss Photo Film (8.5" x 11"/10 sheets) 1041A005 High Resolution Paper (8.5" x 11"/100 sheets) 1033A011 Magnet Sheets (8.5" x 11"/3 sheets) CST-6322-000 Photo Paper Pro (4" x 6"/20 sheets) 5699A005 Photo Paper Pro for Borderless Printing (4" x 6"/20 sheets) 1029A014 Photo Paper Pro (8.5" x 11"/15 sheets) 1029A004 Transparencies (8.5" x 11"/50 sheets) 1043A004 T-shirt Transfers (8.5" x 11"/10 sheets) CST-6178-000 T-shirt Transfers (8.5" x 11"/250 sheets) CST-6044-000

To purchase genuine Canon Inks and Specialty Paper, call dealer near you, or visit the Canon eStore at http://estore.usa.canon.com.

©2001 Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon and BCI are trademarks of Canon Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners. As an Energy Star® partner, Canon U.S.A., Inc., has determined that this product meets the Energy Star® guidelines for energy efficiency.

1-800-OK-CANON to locate a

Canon S900 Photo Printer Quick Start Guide.

This manual is copyrighted by Canon U.S.A., Inc. with all rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this manual may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Disclaimer

Canon U.S.A., Inc. has reviewed this manual thoroughly in order that it will be an easy-to-use guide to your Canon S900 Photo Printer. All statements, technical information and recommendations in this manual and in any guides or related documents are believed reliable, but the accuracy and completeness thereof are not guaranteed or warranted, and they are not intended to be, nor should they be understood to be, representation or warranties concerning the products described.

Specifications are subject to change without notice.

ENERGY STAR partner, Canon U.S.A., Inc., has determined that this product meets

As an the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency.

All information regarding non-Canon products was compiled from publicly available information. No representation is made regarding the accuracy thereof.

Trad emarks

Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. PhotoRecord is a trademark of Canon Information System Research Australia. Macintosh, Mac and the Mac logo are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. Digital Home and Personal Systems Division 2995 Red Hill Avenue Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Printed in Japan

Contents

Chapter 1: Basic Printing

Turning Your Photo Printer On and Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

What Is a Printer Driver? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Selecting the S900 Photo Printer for Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Caring for Your Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Recommended Paper Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Loading Plain Paper and Other Canon Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Canceling a Print Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 2: Advanced Print Features

Improving Printed Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Adjusting Print Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Adjusting Color Balance, Intensity and Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Changing the Page Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Saving and Recalling Driver Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chapter 3: Printing Maintenance

Monitoring Ink Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Replacing Ink Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Aligning the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Printing a Nozzle Check Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Cleaning the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Chapter 4: Using Your Photo Applications

Installing the Photo Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Using the Photo Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Chapter 5: Troubleshooting

Tips for Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Customer Care Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Appendix

Installing the Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Uninstalling the Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Registering Your Canon S900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Product Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Limited Warranty—U.S. Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

iii

Contents

Chapter 1: Basic Printing

Congratulations on purchasing your new Canon® S900 Photo Printer!

With your S900 photo printer, you can print professional-looking photos and graphics in black and white or vivid color. Using Canon specialty media, such as Canon Glossy Photo Paper or Canon Photo Paper Pro for Borderless Printing 4" x 6", your photos and documents will make a lasting impression!

Canon offers a full range of specialty media that can be used with your S900 photo printer, as listed in “Specialty Media” on page 4.

With your S900 photo printer, you can print banners or borderless photographs. You can also use special features in the printer driver to enhance quality and appearance when printing photographs.

Your S900 Setup Software and User’s Guide CD-ROM also includes PhotoRecord™ and other fun and useful photo application utilities for organizing, viewing and manipulating digital photos and graphic images.

This quick start guide describes basic features of your S900 photo printer to get you up and running. For detailed information, you can view the S900 User’s Guide on the S900 Setup Software & User’s Guide CD-ROM. While in the printer driver interface, you can also access online help by pressing F1 in Windows Balloon help in Mac

OS.

or turning on

Windows driver features and screen shots described in this guide reflect Windows 98 and may be different for Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Basic Printing

Turning Your Photo Printer On and Off

To turn your photo printer on or off, press the POWER button.

The POWER lamp will flash green when warming up or when a print job is being sent to the printer. It will glow a steady (non-flashing) green when the printer is ready for use or when the print job is complete.

If the POWER lamp flashes orange, see “Handling Error Messages” on page 43.

What Is a Printer Driver?

Most computers require special software to link the software applications you use to create documents or images with your printer. This software, called a printer driver, converts information from the application into a format that the printer can understand. The Canon S900 photo printer driver also provides other features, such as monitoring the printer’s paper supply and ink levels.

Selecting the S900 Photo Printer for Use

If the S900 is the only printer connected to your computer, it will automatically be set as the default (main) printer. However, if your computer has access to multiple printers, you can set the S900 as the default printer.

To set the S900 as the default printer in Windows:

1. Click Start, then Settings, then Printers.

For Windows XP, click Start, then Control Panel, then Printers and Other Hardware, then Printers and Faxes.

2. Right-click the Canon S900 printer icon, then click Set as Default. The Canon

S900 printer icon will display a check mark indicating it as the default printer.

To select the S900 from within a Windows application:

Even if another printer is set as the default printer, you can still select the Canon S900 for a specific print job from within most Windows applications.

Menus vary between applications. Consult your application’s user documentation if the Print option is not listed.

1. From an application File menu, click Print.

2. Select Canon S900 from the Name drop-down list, then click OK.

To select the S900 in Mac® OS:

1. Click the Apple icon, then Chooser.

2. Click the S900 printer icon. The S900 will remain the default printer until

another is selected.

Caring for Your Photographs

The Canon S900 photo printer will generate spectacular results for printing photographs, especially when used with Canon specialty media. All images are susceptible to fading over time, but proper care of prints made from your S900 photo printer will ensure that print quality lasts long into the future.

Basic Printing

Many environmental factors can impact how long a printout will last before noticeable fading occurs. Exposure to sunlight or other light sources, humidity, temperature, exposure to cigarette smoke and ozone are just some of the factors that can impact image permanence. While many of these variables cannot be controlled, there are basic measures that you can take to prolong image quality:

• Use Canon Photo Paper Pro and genuine Canon inks. Canon Photo Paper Pro

is available in both letter size (8½" x 11") and photo size (4" x 6"). Canon Photo Paper Pro for Borderless Printing is available in photo size (4" x 6"). These papers are specifically designed to work with genuine Canon inks.

• Mount images under glass to reduce exposure to ozone, cigarette smoke and

other environmental factors that can degrade images.

• Keep printed images out of direct sunlight or other intense light sources.

Basic Printing

Recommended Paper Use

There are two steps recommended for getting the best printed output:

• Set the paper thickness lever for the media used. (See “Load Limit and Paper

Thickness Lever Position” on page 5.)

• Select the correct media setting in the printer driver. (See “Chapter 2:

Advanced Print Features” on page 9.)

General Printing

For everyday paper printing, use Canon Brilliant White Paper, Canon High Resolution Paper, or plain paper (17 to 28 lb.). Use standard #10 envelopes with your S900 photo printer.

Specialty Media

For optimum results, Canon recommends that you use genuine Canon media with your S900 photo printer. Follow the instructions that come with any specialty media on loading, storing, handling and printing.

The specialty media available for use with the S900 include:

• Canon Photo Paper Pro

• Canon Photo Paper Pro 4" x 6"

• Canon Photo Paper Pro for Borderless Printing 4" x 6"

• Canon Glossy Photo Paper

• Canon Glossy Photo Cards

• Canon High Gloss Photo Film

• Canon High Resolution Paper

• Canon Transparencies

• Canon Banner Paper

• Canon T-Shirt Transfers

Handle media carefully by its edges. Dirt or fingerprints on the print surface will adversely affect print quality. For instructions on loading and handling specialty media, see the S900 User’s Guide on the S900 Setup Software & User’s Guide CD-ROM, or see the instructions that come with that media.

Media to Avoid

Do not use the following types of media with your S900 photo printer, as they could produce poor quality print images, or jam or damage the printer:

• Paper that is folded, excessively curled, wrinkled or wrapped

• Damp paper

• Excessively thin or thick paper (less than 17 lb. or more than 28 lb.)

• Picture postcards or postcards with pasted photos or stickers

• Sealed envelopes, or envelopes with overlapping or self-sealing flaps

• Paper with holes, such as loose-leaf paper

Loading Plain Paper and Other Canon Media

Load Limit and Paper Thickness Lever Position

Basic Printing

Media Type

Plain paper up to 100 sheets (17 lb.)

High Resolution Paper up to 80 sheets

Photo Paper Pro 1 sheet

Photo Paper Pro for Borderless Printing (4

Photo Paper Pro (4

High Gloss Photo Film 1 sheet

Glossy Photo Paper 1 sheet

Glossy Photo Cards up to 20 sheets

Transparencies up to 30 sheets

#10 Envelopes up to 10 envelopes Right

Banner Paper 1 sheet (print up to 6 sheets) Right

T-Shirt Transfers 1 sheet Right

" X 6")

" X 6") up to 20 sheets

up to 20 sheets

Paper Rest Load Limit

Paper Thickness

Left

Lever Position

Basic Printing

Print sid

The S900 photo printer can print on paper ranging from standard copier paper (usually 17–28 lb.) to Canon specialty media paper and envelopes.

The paper thickness lever is located inside the front cover, on the printhead holder. It controls the paper feed for the type and weight of the media on which you are printing.

Use the chart on the previous page to ensure that the paper thickness lever is set correctly for the type of Canon media you are using.

To load plain paper or other Canon media:

1. Make sure the paper thickness lever is set

correctly for the media used.

2. Pinch and slide the paper guide completely to

the left.

3. Fan the edges of the sheets to remove static

cling and avoid paper jams, then tap the edges of the stack against a flat surface so the stack is aligned.

4. Insert the media into the paper rest, with the

print side facing up.

Some specialty media have specific sides for printing. The print side is usually the brighter white or glossier side of the page. When using specialty media, ensure that the brighter/glossier side faces up and avoid touching the print side.

Always follow the specific media instructions packaged with your media for complete details and ink drying times.

5. Slide the paper guide right to the edge of the media until firmly in place.

To load envelopes:

Load limit mark

Lift the cover and set the paper thickness lever to the envelope mark. Close the cover.

2. Pinch and slide the paper guide to the left.

3. Press down on the corners and sides

of the envelopes to make them as flat as possible by expelling all of the air.

To avoid paper jams, make sure envelopes are flat before you load them into the paper tray.

Make sure that none of the flaps overlap. If the envelope edges are not flat, crease them with the side of a pen.

Do not allow more than 10 envelopes to stack on the paper rest or output tray.

Basic Printing

4. With the address side facing up and

pointed in the direction shown in the illustration, align the stack with the right side of the sheet feeder, then insert the stack into the printer.

5. Slide the paper guide right to the

edge of the envelopes until firmly in place.

Canceling a Print Job

There are several ways to cancel a print job in progress.

To cancel a print job from the printer:

You can cancel a print job from the printer while a document is printing. Press the RESUME/CANCEL button on the printer. The print job will be canceled and the paper ejected.

Address side of envelope faces up

RESUME/CANCEL

button

To cancel a print job from the BJ Status Monitor:

The BJ Status Monitor launches automatically when data is sent to the printer and will appear as an icon on the taskbar.

Basic Printing

1. To cancel a print job from the Status

Monitor, click the BJ Status Monitor icon on the taskbar and the dialog box will open.

2. Click Cancel Printing. The print job will be

canceled and the paper ejected.

To cancel a print job from Windows:

1. Click Start, then Settings, then Printers.

2. Double-click Canon S900, click the print job, then press the Delete key. The

print job will be canceled and the paper ejected.

To cancel a print job in Mac OS:

For Windows XP, click Start, then Control Panel, then Printers and Other Hardware, then Printers and Faxes.

On your keyboard, press the Apple® Command key ( ) and the period key ( . ) at the same time. The print job will be canceled and the paper ejected.

To cancel a print job in Mac OS using the BJ Print Monitor:

1. While a job is printing, go to the BJ

Print Monitor window (click the Application menu in the upper right corner of the screen, then BJ PrintMonitor).

2. Highlight the job to be canceled.

3. Click the Stop Printing icon in the

Print Queue dialog box. The print job will be canceled and the paper ejected.

Chapter 2: Advanced Print Features

Improving Printed Images

Two important factors control the quality and output of your printed images:

Paper and Ink Using recommended Canon paper, specialty media and inks for

printing photographs or graphic images can significantly improve the quality of your printouts. See the inside back cover for a list of Canon media and inks for this printer.

Printer Driver Settings

For more detailed information, see the S900 User’s Guide on the S900 Setup Software & User’s Guide CD-ROM.

You can also access the online help in one of the following ways while in the printer driver interface:

• Press the F1 key.

• Click in the upper right corner, then click the feature you want to

• Click the button when displayed.

• Turn on Balloon help by clicking Help, then Show Balloons.

The printer driver has a variety of settings that can be used to creatively enhance the colors and output of your photographs, documents and graphic presentations. Many of these features are covered in this chapter.

know more about.

Advanced Print Features

Adjusting Print Quality

Features that affect the appearance and quality of your printed photos and documents can be controlled with the printer driver.

The S900 photo printer automatically adjusts printer settings to improve print quality based on the media type (plain paper, Glossy Photo Paper, and so on). You can also customize the print quality settings if desired.

To manually adjust print quality settings in Windows:

From an application File menu, click

Print.

2. With Canon S900 as the selected printer,

click Properties. The Canon S900 Properties dialog box will open to the Main tab.

3. Select the appropriate option from

Media Type.

4. Each media type has its own default print

quality, but you can change this under Print Quality:

High For high quality when printing a color photo or document.

Standard For high quality when printing text.

Draft For printing text drafts at a faster speed.

Custom For more control when printing. If you select Custom, the Set button becomes active. Click Set to open the Set Print Quality dialog box. There are two features you can control:

Print Quality The printer driver provides several settings for custom print quality, ranging from Fast to Fine.

Halftoning This controls the pattern in which the ink is laid down when printing graphic images.

5. When done, click OK.

Advanced Print Features

To select best print quality with the Print Advisor wizard:

Print Advisor is a wizard that helps you select the most optimum media type and print quality for your print job.

1. From an application File menu, click

Print.

2. With Canon S900 as the selected

printer, click Properties. The S900 Properties window will open to the Main tab.

3. Click the Print Advisor button, and the wizard dialog box will appear.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to select the optimum output type, media

and settings for your print job.

5. Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog box.

To manually adjust print quality settings in Mac OS:

1. Make sure the S900 is the selected

printer (click the Apple icon, then Chooser, then S900).

2. From an application File menu, click

Print.

3. Select the appropriate option from

the Media Type.

4. Click the manual print mode

icon, then click the Details button. The Detailed Setting dialog box will open. Make sure Quality is selected.

5. Click and drag the Print Quality

slider to customize your output quality.

6. When done, click OK, then click

Print.

Advanced Print Features

To automatically make images smoother in Windows:

Image Optimizer smooths jagged edges formed when enlarging a photo or graphic from its original size. It is most effective when used with low-resolution images.

1. From an application File menu, click

Print.

2. With Canon S900 as the selected

printer, click Properties.

3. Click the Effects tab, then select the

Image Optimizer check box.

4. Click OK to save this setting and close

the dialog box.

To use the Vivid Photo Option in Windows:

Vivid photo intensifies background colors for fields, trees, oceans and skies, while maintaining natural skin tones in the images.

1. From an application File menu, click

Print.

2. With Canon S900 as the selected

printer, click Properties.

3. Click the Effects tab, then select the Vivid

Photo check box.

4. Click OK to save this setting and close

the dialog box.

To use the Vivid Photo Option in Mac OS:

Vivid photo intensifies background colors for fields, trees, oceans and skies, while maintaining natural skin tones in the images.

1. Make sure the S900 is the selected printer (click the Apple icon, click

Chooser, then S900).

Advanced Print Features

2. From an application File menu, click

Print.

3. Click the manual print mode icon,

then click the Details button. The Detailed Setting dialog box will open.

4. Click the Special Effects icon, then

select the Vivid Photo check box.

5. Click OK, then click Print.

To automatically optimize the image in Windows:

Photo Optimizer PRO automatically adjusts a photographic image created with a digital camera. Use this feature to compensate for unsatisfactory color balance and over- or under-exposure before printing.

1. From an application File menu, click Print.

2. With Canon S900 as the selected printer, click Properties.

3. Click the Effects tab.

4. Select the Photo Optimizer PRO

check box.

When Photo Optimizer PRO is selected, the Apply Throughout Page option becomes active. If this box is not selected, the S900 will optimize each image individually. If selected, all images will be automatically corrected with the same settings.

5. When done, click OK.

To automatically optimize the image in Mac OS:

1. Make sure the S900 is the selected printer (click the Apple icon, then

Chooser, then S900).

+ 45 hidden pages

Canon S900 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual