Epson 10000 User Manual

COLOR

COLOR INK JET PRINTER

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. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

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 against 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.

EPSON and EPSON ESC/P are registered trademarks and EPSON ESC/P 2 and EPSON Stylus are trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation.

Helvetica and Times are trademarks of Linotype AG and/or its subsidiaries.

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.

Printed on recycled paper

User’s Guide

FCC Compliance Statement

For United States Users

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio or television reception. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio and television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures.

❑ Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. ❑ Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. ❑ Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the

receiver is connected.

❑ Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

WARNING

The connection of a non-shielded equipment interface cable to this equipment will invalidate the FCC Certification of this device and may cause interference levels which exceed the limits established by the FCC for this equipment. It is the responsibility of the user to obtain and use a shielded equipment interface cable with this device. If this equipment has more than one interface connector, do not leave cables connected to unused interfaces. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

For Canadian Users

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de Classe B prescrites dans le règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des Communications du Canada.

Getting Started

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-2

Energy Star Compliant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-2

Energy-saving tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-3

Where to Get Help for U.S. and Canadian Users . . . . . . . . 0-3

CompuServe on-line support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-4

Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-5

Chapter 1

Using Your Ink Jet Printer Safely and Efficiently . . . . . . . . 1-2

Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Attaching the paper support and the paper separators . . 1-4

Your Work Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Plugging in and Turning on the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Installing the Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

More about ink cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Loading Plain Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

Testing the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Calibrating the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Recalibrating the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Installing the EPSON Windows Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . 1-17

Setting Up

iii

Chapter 2

Choosing Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Special papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Thick paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Loading plain paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Loading special coated and glossy paper . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Loading transparencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Loading envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Choosing and Loading Paper

Chapter 3

About the Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Using the Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Displaying the dialog boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Choosing settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Using the command buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Saving settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Restoring prior settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Getting help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Exiting the driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Before Printing for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

About printing with color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

Choosing required settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

Driver Settings and Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Choosing the Best Settings for your Document . . . . . . . . . . 3-25

Printing black text quickly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25

Printing with Windows

Printing Color with Selected Windows Software . . . . . . . . . 3-27

Making color selections in your software . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27

Printing your color Windows documents . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29

Printing Color with Selected DOS Software . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29

Making color selection in your software . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29

The EPSON Spool Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32

The EPSON Despooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33

Chapter 4

Using the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4

Using Special Power-On Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Selecting Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Scalable fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Selecting Condensed Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Using the Default-Setting Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

About the default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11

Changing the default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13

The Control Panel

Chapter 5

Replacing an Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Cleaning the Print Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

Cleaning the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7

Transporting the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Chapter 6

Problems With Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Problems with Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Paper Handling Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Clearing and preventing paper jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Paper feeding problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Maintenance

Troubleshooting

Chapter 7

Optional Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Installing optional interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Using Optional Interfaces

Appendix A

General Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

Ink cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7

Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-8

Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-8

Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9

Safety approvals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9

Interface Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9

Parallel interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9

Serial interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-12

Optional interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-13

Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-13

Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-14

Specifications

Appendix B

Command List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Character Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3

International character sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7

Characters available with ESC (^ command: . . . . . . . . . B-8

Commands and Character Tables

Glossary

Index

Printer Parts

sheet

feeder

cover

separators

rear edge

paper

guide

paper

support

printer

cover

knob

control

panel

interface

card

cover

parallel

interface

ink

cartridge

clamps

(AC inlet)

Control Panel

Operate button

paper

thickness

lever

Getting Started

The EPSON® Stylus COLOR printer gives you presentationquality color and monochrome printing with quiet operation.

To get started with your EPSON Stylus COLOR printer, please:

❑ Make sure you have the equipment you need to use this

printer as described below in “System Requirements.”

❑ Read about using energy wisely and the important safety

instructions in this introduction.

❑ Read Chapter 1, “Setting Up,” to test and install the



Windows

❑ Refer to the rest of this User’s Guide for help with selecting

printer driver software.

paper, choosing printer driver settings, maintenance, troubleshooting, optional interfaces, and printer specifications.

❑ See the Color Printing Tips booklet to learn to produce

high-quality color documents.

If you need additional assistance, see “Where to Get Help for U.S. and Canadian Users” on page 3.

Getting Started

System Requirements

To use your EPSON Stylus COLOR printer, you need Microsoft

3.1 or higher, a shielded, twisted-pair parallel cable, and:

Minimum system Recommended system

80386/16 MHz processor 80386/25 MHz or faster processor 4MB RAM 8MB RAM 10MB More than 10MB free hard disk space VGA monitor VGA or better monitor

Your computer dealer can help you update your system if it does not meet these requirements.

Windows 3.1 or higher or Windows for Workgroups

Energy Star Compliant

Your EPSON Stylus COLOR printer complies with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Program, which promotes the manufacture of energy-efficient printers, computers, and monitors.

The EPA estimates that if all desktop computers, printers, and other peripheral devices met Energy Star standards, energy cost savings would exceed $1 billion annually and carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 20 million tons.

All of EPSON’s ink jet printers conform to Energy Star standards.

The Energy Star emblem does not represent EPA endorsement of any

product or service.

Getting Started

Energy-saving tips

Here are a few additional tips you can use to be even more energy-wise:

❑ If your monitor isn’t Energy Star compliant, turn it off

when you’re not using it.

❑ Use the print preview option on your software before you

print something. You’ll be able to catch formatting errors before you commit them to paper.

❑ If you have an electronic mail system available to you, send

E-mail rather than memos. Not only is this faster, but you’ll save paper and storage space too.

Where to Get Help for U.S. and Canadian Users

Epson America provides local customer support and service through a nationwide network of authorized EPSON dealers and Service Centers.

EPSON also provides the support services listed below through EPSON Connection. Canadian users can call (800) GO-EPSON.

❑ Assistance in locating your nearest Authorized EPSON

Reseller or Service Center

❑ Technical assistance with the installation, configuration,

and operation of EPSON products

❑ EPSON technical information library fax service

U.S. users can call (800) 922-8911;

❑ Product literature with technical specifications on EPSON’s

current and new products

❑ Customer Relations

Getting Started

You can purchase supplies, parts, documentation, and accessories by calling EPSON Accessories at (800) 873-7766 (U.S. sales only). In Canada, call (800) GO-EPSON for sales locations.

When you call for technical assistance, be ready to identify your system and its configuration, and provide any error messages to the support staff.

If you need help with any software application program you are using, see the documentation that came with that program for technical support information.

CompuServe ® on-line support

The fastest way to access helpful tips, specifications, drivers, application notes, and bulletins is through the Epson America Forum on CompuServe.

If you are not currently a member of CompuServe, you are eligible for a free introductory membership as an owner of an EPSON product. This membership entitles you to:

❑ An introductory $15 credit on CompuServe ❑ Your own user ID and password ❑ A complimentary subscription to CompuServe Magazine,

CompuServe’s monthly publication.

To take advantage of this offer, call 1-800-848-8199 in the United States and Canada and ask for representative #529. In other countries, call (614) 529-1611 or your local CompuServe

access number.

If you are already a CompuServe member, simply type GO EPSON at the menu prompt to reach the Epson America Forum.

Getting Started

Important Safety Instructions

Read all of these instructions and save them for later reference. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the printer.

❑ Unplug the printer before cleaning. Clean with a damp

cloth only. Do not spill liquid on the printer.

❑ Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a

radiator or heat register.

❑ Do not block or cover the openings in the printer’s cabinet.

Do not insert objects through the slots.

❑ Use only the type of power source indicated on the

printer’s label.

❑ Connect all equipment to properly grounded power

outlets. Avoid using outlets on the same circuit as photocopiers or air control systems that regularly switch on and off.

❑ Do not let the power cord become damaged or frayed. ❑ If you use an extension cord with the printer, make sure the

total ampere rating of the devices plugged into the extension cord does not exceed the cord’s ampere rating. Also, make sure the total of all devices plugged into the wall outlet does not exceed 15 amperes.

❑ Except as specifically explained in this User’s Guide, do not

attempt to service the printer yourself.

❑ Unplug the printer and refer servicing to qualified service

personnel under the following conditions: If the power cord or plug is damaged; if liquid has entered

the printer, if the printer has been dropped or the cabinet damaged; if the printer does not operate normally or exhibits a distinct change in performance. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions.

Getting Started

Chapter 1

Setting Up

Using Your Ink Jet Printer Safely and Efficiently . . . . . . . . 1-2

Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Attaching the paper support and the paper separators . . 1-4

Your Work Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Plugging in and Turning on the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Installing the Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

More about ink cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Loading Plain Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12

Testing the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Calibrating the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Recalibrating the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

Installing the EPSON Windows Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . 1-17

Setting Up

1-1

Using Your Ink Jet Printer Safely and Efficiently

The EPSON Stylus COLOR uses two ink cartridges, one black and one color. Inside the print head, tiny spray units shoot ink from the cartridges onto the page to form characters or graphics.

The printer will be damaged if you use ink or cartridges not manufactured by EPSON or which do not meet EPSON’s specifications. Do not attempt to refill ink cartridges manually. If you use substandard products with your EPSON printer, you will damage the print heads and void your warranty.

❑

Under normal circumstances, ink will not come out of the cartridge. If it does get on your skin, wash it off with soap and water. If it gets in your eyes, flush them immediately with water.

❑

Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children.

❑

Once you install an ink cartridge, do not open the clamp or remove the cartridge except to replace it with a new one. The cartridge may become unusable otherwise.

❑

Install an ink cartridge immediately after you remove it from its package. Leaving a cartridge unpacked for a long time before use may result in poor print quality.

❑

Do not use an ink cartridge beyond the date printed on the cartridge carton. Use up the ink cartridges within six months of installing them.

❑

Do not shake an ink cartridge; this can cause leakage.

❑

Do not put your hand inside the printer or touch the

❑

1-2

cartridge during printing.

Before you turn off the printer, make sure that the print head is capped (in the far right position). The print head is capped when no data is received for several seconds; you can also cap the print head by pressing the

Setting Up

Pause

button.

❑

Before you unplug the printer, be sure to turn it off by pressing the

Operate

light stops flashing before unplugging the power cord or turning off the power to the electrical outlet.

❑

Do not remove the ink cartridges before transporting the printer.

Unpacking the Printer

Your printer box should include an EPSON printer driver disk and these items:

button. Then wait until the

Operate

paper

separators

printer

black ink cartridge

paper

support

color ink

cartridge

Remove all protective materials packed with your printer before you set it up and turn on the power. Follow the directions on the Notice Sheet (inserted with the printer) to remove these materials. Save all of the packaging and the protective materials in case you need to transport the printer in the future.

Setting Up

1-3

Attaching the paper support and the paper separators

1. Place the paper support’s right side hole over the mounting post as shown in bubble 1 below. Then push the support’s left side notch onto the mounting post until it snaps in place as shown in bubble 2.

2. Hold the wire paper separator, marked with an R near its shortest tip, and insert the longer tip into the third notch from the left, as shown by arrow 1 below. Next, twist the other tip and fit it in the fourth printer notch as shown by arrow 2 below. Repeat this procedure for the paper separator marked with an L.

1-4

Setting Up

Your Work Area

When choosing a location for your printer, follow these guidelines:

❑

Place the printer on a flat, horizontal, stable surface. If the printer is tilted, it cannot operate properly.

❑

Always leave approximately 2 inches of clear area next to the knob on the printer’s right side. The printer will not print if anything is pressing against the knob.

❑

Avoid places subject to rapid changes in temperature and humidity. Also keep the printer away from direct sunlight, strong light, or heat sources.

❑

Place the printer near a wall outlet where the plug can be easily unplugged.

Note for French-speaking users:

Placez l’imprimante près d’une prise de contacte où la fiche peut être débranchée facilement.

❑

Use a grounded power outlet; do not use an adapter plug.

If you plan to use a printer stand, follow these guidelines:

❑

Use a stand that supports at least 32 lb (14.8 kg).

❑

Never use a stand that tilts the printer. It should always be kept level.

Setting Up

1-5

Plugging in and Turning on the Printer

1. Make sure you have removed all protective packing materials as described in the Notice Sheet.

2. Make sure that the

Operate

button is turned off. It is off when its surface is even with the button protectors on the left and right.

button protectors

3. Plug the power cord into a properly grounded electrical outlet.

4. Turn on the printer by pressing the shown below.

Operate

button as

1-6

Setting Up

Installing the Ink Cartridges

Caution:

Note:

❑

1. Make sure the printer is turned on, and then open the

The ink cartridges are self-contained units. Under ordinary use, ink will not leak from a cartridge. If ink does get on your hands, wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets into your eyes, flush them immediately with water.

Do not open an ink cartridge package until just before you install the cartridge or the ink may become unusable.

Install both ink cartridges. If either of the cartridges is not installed, the printer will not work.

printer cover. Press the

Pause

button.

Setting Up

1-7

2. Hold down the

Alt

button for about 5 seconds until the print head moves very slightly to the left, which is the ink cartridge install position.

3. Pull each of the ink cartridge clamps toward you to open them.

1-8

Setting Up

4. Open the foil ink cartridge packages and remove the cartridges from their protective cardboard. Remove the tape seal from each ink cartridge. (Your packaging may differ slightly from that shown below.)

Caution:

5. Lower the cartridges into their holders with the labels face up and the arrow on the top of the cartridge pointing toward the rear of the printer. The color cartridge, which is larger, goes on the left, the black ink cartridge on the right.

You must remove the tape seal from the cartridges. Leaving the tape on will permanently damage them.

Setting Up

1-9

6. Push the ink cartridge clamps toward the back of the printer until they lock in place.

Caution:

7. Press the home position. (Even if you do not press moves the print head back to its home position about 60 seconds after you install the cartridges.)

Once you install the ink cartridges, do not open the clamps or remove them except to replace them with new ones. Otherwise, cartridges may become unusable.

Alt

button again to return the print head to its

Alt

, the printer

1-10

Setting Up

8. Close the printer cover.

The first time you install ink cartridges, the printer automatically charges the ink delivery system. This takes about one minute. The printer mechanism moves while the system is charging.

Caution:

9. Press the

10. While holding down the The carriage moves to the left.

11. Look at the small blue lever in front of the ink cartridges. Make sure that the left side of this lever is pressed down.

12. Press the

13. Press the

During the ink charging process, the Never turn off the printer while the flashing.

Pause

Alt

Pause

button.

Alt

button, press the

Pause

light flashes.

light is

Font

button.

More about ink cartridges

In order to maintain optimum print quality, the printer periodically performs a cleaning operation. You might notice the cleaning cycle being performed when the printer has been on for a while without being used or when you turn the printer on after it has been off for a while.

The number of pages a black ink cartridge can print depends on the amount of text and graphics you use. The number of pages a color cartridge can print depends on the amount of color you print. You can replace black and color ink cartridges independently. See Appendix A for ink cartridge capacities.

Setting Up

1-11

Loading Plain Paper

The following procedure describes how to load plain paper (copier-quality or paper specifically designed for ink jet printers), which works well for most color printing. To load coated papers for higher-quality output or to load transparencies and other special papers, see Chapter 2.

1. Open the sheet feeder cover by lifting the lever on the left until it clicks into place. Then slide the left edge guide as far to the left as it will go.

2. Fan a stack of paper; then tap it on a flat surface to even the

1-12

edges.

Note:

The sheet feeder holds up to 100 sheets of 17-lb or 64-gm Do not load paper above the mark on the edge guide.

Setting Up

paper.

3. While aligning the paper’s edge with the right edge guide, insert it with the printable surface (the printable surface is marked with an arrow on most plain paper packaging) face down into the sheet feeder until it meets resistance. Then adjust the left edge guide as shown.

4. Adjust the rear edge guide to match the length of your paper as shown below. Then close the sheet feeder cover.

Setting Up

1-13

Testing the Printer

Use paper at least 8.27 inches (210 mm) wide; otherwise the print head sprays ink directly on the platen, which could smudge your next document.

1. Make sure the printer is turned off.

2. While holding down the

Operate

The self test begins by printing on the first and last lines of the first sheet of paper to measure the page length. Then the printer prints character samples on the next sheet of paper in the available fonts and colors.

3. To pause the test, press the continue to print for a few seconds.) Otherwise, the test continues until the paper in the sheet feeder runs out. To resume the test, press the

4. To end the self test, press the printer by pressing the

Note:

( ) button.

Load/Eject

Pause

Operate

button again.

Pause

button, press the

button. (The test may

button and turn off the

button.

Do not turn off the printer before pressing the Otherwise, a cleaning cycle occurs when you turn it on again and ink is wasted.

If the quality of the test output is not good, clean the print heads as described in Chapter 5. Note that it might take as many as three cleaning cycles to solve the problem. If cleaning the print heads does not improve the print quality, see Chapter 6, “Troubleshooting.”

1-14

Setting Up

Pause

button.

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer

You need a shielded, twisted-pair parallel cable to connect your computer to the printer’s built-in parallel interface.

Note:

The printer also has an RS-422 serial port, which is standard for the Apple

1. Make sure both the printer and computer are turned off.

2. Plug the cable connector securely into the printer’s interface

Macintosh® but is not often used for PCs.

connector. Then squeeze the wire clips together until they lock in place on both sides.

3. Plug the other end of the cable into the computer’s parallel interface.

Setting Up

1-15

Calibrating the Printer

Before calibrating the printer, make a backup copy of the EPSON printer driver disk. Then put away the original and use the backup for calibration and printer driver installation.

Use the print calibration utility to adjust your printer so that the vertical lines in text and graphics are correctly aligned. This ensures the highest possible quality printing.

You can calibrate your printer in either DOS or Windows. Just follow the appropriate steps below:

DOS

1. Insert the EPSON printer driver disk into drive A (or B).

2. At the DOS prompt, type A:CALIBRAT (or B:CALIBRAT).

3. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Windows

1. Open Program Manager in Windows.

2. Insert the EPSON printer driver disk into drive A (or B).

3. Pull down the File menu and choose

4. When the Run dialog box appears, type A:CALIBRAT (or B:CALIBRAT) and press Enter.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Recalibrating the printer

In most cases, you will only need to calibrate your printer once.

Run

If, however, your text or graphics print quality declines, repeat the calibration procedure.

1-16

Setting Up

Installing the EPSON Windows Printer Driver

Now that you have calibrated your printer, you can install the EPSON Windows printer driver. It allows your computer to communicate with the printer.

Always use this printer driver when you print from Windows; it is specifically designed to provide fast, sharp printing while optimizing all of the printer’s features.

Note:

If you are not using Windows, choose the LQ-2550 printer driver in your software. This lets you print in color but does not give you some EPSON Stylus COLOR features, such as 720-dpi printing and MicroWeave.

1. Make sure Windows is running and that the Main window is open.

2. In the Main window, double-click the

3. Double-click the appears.

4. Click the of the box. Click to highlight it and then click Install. The Install Driver box appears.

5. Insert the EPSON printer driver disk into your computer. Make sure the correct drive letter (A or B) is displayed in the Install Driver box and then choose

6. The

Add Unlisted or Updated Printer

Add

Printers

button. A list of printers appears at the bottom

Install Unlisted

icon. The Printers dialog box

Control Panel

Updated Printer

box appears. Select

icon.

once

EPSON Stylus COLOR

Setting Up

1-17

7. Click driver to your hard disk and adds it to the list of installed printers.

. Windows automatically copies the new printer

8. Choose the printer is selected whenever you begin using your Windows software. Click

If you want to use the driver’s original factory settings, simply choose

To customize the printer settings and learn more about printing in color with your Windows software, see Chapter 3, “Printing with Windows.”

Caution:

Color printing of large photographs may require a large amount of free hard disk space.

To let you get back to work more quickly, the Stylus COLOR sends print data to your hard disk for temporary storage before

Set As Default Printer

in your Windows software and then choose

button so that your

it is printed. The amount of hard disk space required depends on the size and complexity of the image and on the application you are using. Ordinary text and graphics use very little hard disk space, but photographic images in color can use more.

Although your Windows driver compresses data, a full-page color photographic image at 360 dpi may require 10MB to 20MB of hard disk space (or in some cases as much as 30MB). A full-page color photographic image at 720 dpi may require 40MB to 60MB, or in some cases up to 125MB.

If you plan to print large photographic images, be sure to have enough hard disk space available or do one of the following:



Reduce the size of your image.



Reduce the resolution of your image.

1-18

Setting Up

Chapter 2

Choosing and Loading Paper

Choosing Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Special papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Thick paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Loading plain paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Loading special coated and glossy paper . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Loading transparencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Loading envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Choosing and Loading Paper

2-1

Choosing Paper

While most correspondence-quality plain paper works well in your printer, you should be sure the paper is suitable for ink jet printers. For detailed paper specifications, see Appendix A.

Special papers

For the highest quality print output and overhead presentations, EPSON offers the following special papers:

❑

EPSON Special coated paper for 360 dpi (dots per inch) (S041028 for letter, S041025 for A4)

Use this paper for high-quality 360 dpi output.

❑

EPSON Special coated paper for 720 dpi (S041029 for letter, S041026 for A4)

This paper can be used only when printing at 720 dpi.

❑

EPSON High Quality Glossy paper (S041033)

When you use this paper, choose Special coated paper 360 or Special coated paper 720 in the Media/Options section of the printer driver.

Note:

When printing at 720 dpi, use only EPSON Special coated paper for 720 dpi or High Quality Glossy paper.

❑

EPSON Transparency film (S041030 for letter, S041027 for A4)

2-2

Use this film with 360 dpi printing to produce high-quality overhead transparency presentations. Do not use 720 dpi printing on transparencies.

Choosing and Loading Paper

Make sure to select the appropriate media type from the printer setup dialog box of your driver. See Chapter 3, “Printing with Windows,” for information about changing printer driver settings.

Thick paper

You can also print on some kinds of thick paper and envelopes.

Note:

If your printing becomes faint when you print on thick paper, you need to adjust the paper-thickness lever as shown in steps 1 through 5 in “Loading envelopes,” later in this chapter.

Make sure to select the appropriate paper type in your printer driver setup. See Chapter 3, “Printing with Windows,” for information about changing printer driver settings.

Loading Paper

You can select from several paper types for your printer’s built-in sheet feeder: plain paper, special ink jet paper, coated ink jet paper, transparency film, and envelopes.

Loading plain paper

To load plain paper, see “Loading Plain Paper” in Chapter 1.

Make sure to select “Plain Paper” as the paper type in your printer driver setup. See Chapter 3, “Printing with Windows,” for information about changing printer driver settings.

Choosing and Loading Paper

2-3

Loading special coated and glossy paper

To load EPSON Special coated paper for 360 and 720 dpi and the EPSON High Quality Glossy paper:

1. Make sure the printable surface of the paper is face down. For coated paper, the printable side is whiter than the other side. For glossy paper, the printable side is face down when the cut corner is toward you on the right as you insert paper in the sheet feeder.

Caution:

2. Insert the paper into the sheet feeder until it meets resistance. You can insert up to 70 sheets of coated paper and up to 50 sheets of glossy paper.

3. Select Special coated paper in the printer driver setup and either 360 or 720 dpi resolution.

Do not touch the printable surface; hold the sheets by their edges.

Caution:



Do not print on 720 dpi paper with 360 dpi resolution; likewise, do not print on 360 dpi paper with 720 dpi resolution.



Return unused sheets to the original packaging. Unfavorable storage conditions, especially high temperature, humidity,

4. Adjust the left and rear edge guides so the paper feeds

If you have paper feed or paper jam problems, see Chapter 6, “Troubleshooting.”

When you need more special paper, see your dealer or call EPSON Accessories at (800) 873-7766.

2-4

and direct sunlight, can damage the paper.

straight into the paper path.

Choosing and Loading Paper

Loading transparencies

When printing on transparencies, use only EPSON Transparency film S041030 (Letter). For best results, use

transparencies within six months of opening the package.

1. Make sure the printable surface of the transparencies is face down. The printable side is face down when the cut corner is on the bottom right as you hold the transparencies in front of you.

Caution:

2. Insert up to 50 transparencies into the sheet feeder until they meet resistance.

Do not touch the printable surface; hold the sheets by their edges.

3. Adjust the left and rear edge guides so that the transparencies feed straight into the paper path.

4. Select Transparency and 360 dpi resolution in the printer driver setup as shown in Chapter 3.

Choosing and Loading Paper

2-5

Caution:



If you have paper feed or paper jam problems, see Chapter 6, “Troubleshooting.”

When you need more transparencies, see your dealer or call EPSON Accessories at (800) 873-7766.

Do not print on transparencies using 720 dpi resolution.



Return unused sheets to the original packaging. Unfavorable storage conditions, especially high temperature, humidity, and direct sunlight, can damage transparencies.

Loading envelopes

You can print up to 10 envelopes at a time. First you need to adjust the paper-thickness lever.

1. Make sure the printer is turned on. Then press the Pause

button and open the cover.

Note:

When adjusting the paper-thickness lever, make sure no paper is in the paper path. Paper loaded in the printer is ejected when you adjust this lever.

2-6

Choosing and Loading Paper

2. While holding down the Alt button, press the Font button. The carriage moves to the lever-adjusting position.

3. Turn the lever clockwise as far as it will go.

4. Press the Alt button.

5. Press the Pause button.

Choosing and Loading Paper

2-7

6. Remove the rear edge guide from the printer and re-install it as shown.

7. Insert up to 10 envelopes into the printer as shown.

8. Adjust the rear and left edge guides carefully so that the

9. Choose the envelope size (called paper type in your printer

2-8

envelopes feed straight into the paper path.

driver) from the printer driver setup as shown in Chapter 3.

Choosing and Loading Paper

Note:

❑

Do not use envelopes that are too thin; they may curl during printing.

❑

Return unused envelopes to the original packaging. Unfavorable storage conditions, especially high temperature, humidity, and direct sunlight, can damage envelopes.

❑

Do not choose 720 dpi resolution for envelope printing.

10. Re-adjust the paper-thickness lever to its original position after you finish printing on envelopes or thick paper. Otherwise, the print on plain paper may be faint.

Choosing and Loading Paper

2-9

Chapter 3

Printing with Windo

About the Printer Driver Using the Printer Driver

Displaying the dialog boxes

Choosing settings Saving settings

Restoring prior settings

Getting help Exiting the driver

Before Printing for the First Time

About printing with color Choosing required settings.

Setting Descriptions

Driver setup tabs and command buttons. Choosing the Best Settings for your Document Printing Color with Selected Windows Software

Making color selection in your software

Printing your color Windows documents

........................

..........................

...........................

........................

.........................

......................

..................

.....................

.................

...................

..................

..........

...........

..........

.........

........

3-2 3-3

3-5 3-5

3-6 3-6 3-6 3-7

3-7

3-7 3-8

3-10 3-10

3-25 3-27

3-27

3-29

Printing Color with Selected DOS Software

Making color selection in your software The EPSON Spool Manager The EPSON Despooler

....................

.......................

Printing with Windows

...........

3-29 3-29

3-32 3-33

3-1

About the Printer Driver

This chapter describes how to use the EPSON Windows higher) printer driver. You’ll also find on-line help throughout the driver.

(3.1

Note: If

you are not using Windows, choose the LQ-2550 printer driver in

your software. This lets you print in color but does not give you some EPSON Stylus COLOR features, such as 720-dpi printing and MicroWeave.

A printer driver is a custom-designed program that works with

the software on your computer to send codes that run (or “drive”) your printer. These software codes select the page size, orientation, resolution, and other features of the document you are printing.

because color printing is more complex than black-and-white

(monochrome) printing, results and print speed vary depending on printer driver and software settings. Therefore, it’s important that you use the EPSON driver that comes with your EPSON Stylus COLOR and that you install it correctly

by using the Printers icon in the Windows Control Panel.

Installing the driver is described in Chapter

“Setting Up.”

Note:

sure you see

the section in this chapter

called “Before

Printing

the First Time.” If you do not choose the right settings, your printed output may be unsatisfactory.

3-2

Printing with Windows

for

Using the Printer Driver

Your printer driver settings are divided into six categories which display as tabs. This table shows you the printer driver settings, dialog boxes, and options. It also lists factory settings.

Driver settings

Setting Dialog box

Paper

Media/ Options

Paper size

Orientation

Paper source Copies

Paper type

Print options

Options Letter (8

Legal (8 1/2x 14 in) A4

A5(148x210mm)

B5 (182 x 257

Statement (5

Executive (7 Envelope # 10 (4 Envelope DL Envelope C5 6

Portrait

Landscape

Auto Sheet Feeder

Number (l-99) Collate Reverse order print (@ = on, 0 = off)

Plain paper

Special coated paper 360 Special Transparency film

High Speed (I3 = on, 0 = off MicroWeave (II =

l/2 x 11

(210 x 297

3/4”

Envelope (3

(a =

coated paper

in)

mm)

l/2 x

l/2

l/2 x 10

in)

l/8 x

(110 x 220

(162 x

229 mm)

5/8 x

on, 0 = off)

on, 0 =

in)

l/2

in)

mm)

l/2

720 dpi

in)

dpi

off)

Options in bold type indicate the driver’s factory default settings. An asterisk indicates settings not available when Monochrome is selected

Printing with Windows

3-3

Driver

settings

Setting

Image

Settings

(continued)

Dialog box

Red Strength*

Green strength*

Blue strength*

About [Printer driver

informotion]

Options

-5G% -

0% -

50%

-5046 - 0% - 50% H =

0 =

Off

-5c% - 0% - 50%

-50% -

0% -

50%

-50% - 0% - 50%

-50% 0% - 50% El =

cl =

off

Monochrome

Color

(CMYK)

Super -

720 x 720 dpi

Best - 360 x

Draft No halftoning

Line art pattern Fine dither pattern Coarse dither pattern Diffused (Pencil art) Diffused (High speed)

Diffused (Images)

Diffused (Complex Diagrams)

N/A

360 dpi

180 x 180 dpi

Options in bold type indicate the driver’s factory default settings.

3-4

asterisk indicates

Printing with Windows

settings not

available

when Monochrome is selected

Displaying

You can display the driver setup screen in two ways:

When you display the driver setup screen, the Paper dialog box appears. The top of the screen looks like this:

the

dialog boxes

Double-click the Printers icon in the Control Panel dialog box. Then click Epson Stylus COLOR in the Installed

Printers list box to highlight it and click the Setup button. Choose Print Setup or a similar name from the File menu

of your software. Highlight Epson Stylus Color in the Installed Printers list box and then click the Setup button.

Choosing settings

You can select settings in any of the following ways:

Click the option button or name

Click the check box

Click the scroll box on the scroll bar and drag it

Click the drop-down list box, then click the item

Click the text box, then enter the number

Hold down the

type the underlined character representing the setting.

Alt

key on your computer keyboard and

Printing

with

Windows

3-5

Saving settings

When you have selected the settings you want and you’re ready to print, choose the OK button. This exits you from the

driver setup and saves your selections. Your settings stay in effect until you make additional changes and choose the OK

button again.

Restoring prior settings

If you decide you want to use the driver’s original factory settings, click the Defaults button,

Getting

help

Whenever you want more information about the driver settings, choose the Help button. Once you are in Help, you also use the Search menu to look up specific topics.

When you are in a Help dialog box, click once on underlined

words and phrases to view related information. If you want more information about using Help, see your

Microsoft Windows User’s Guide.

can

3-6

Printing with Windows

Exiting the driver

There are two ways to exit the setup screen:

Click the OK button to save all settings you made and exit the printer driver.

Click the Cancel button to ignore all changes you made during your current printer driver setup session and exit the printer driver.

Before Printing for the First Time

Before you start printing, there are a few things you should

know about printing with color in order to get the results you expect.

About printing with color

We recommend you read the color guide that came with your printer before you begin printing. Keep in mind these guidelines for improving printed output:

You can often improve quality by using the right paper.

For highest quality printing, always turn on and turn off High Speed in the Media/Options section of the printer driver.

You can make adjustments in the software you use to create your documents.

With scanned documents, you can adjust scanner settings.

You can make adjustments through your printer driver.

MicroWeave

Printing with Windows

3-7

Choosing required settings

Choose the following driver settings to match your document

requirements:

Paper size Orientation Resolution Ink

Note:

The following procedure assumes you are using

The size of the paper loaded in the printer. The direction of printing on the document. The number of dots per inch printed. Monochrome (black) or color

360 dpi

(CMYK)

resolution

and plain paper for your document.

Click the Setup button in the Print Setup dialog box. You the following:

ink.

see

3-8

Printing with

Windows

Select the paper size you have loaded in the printer from the Paper Size drop-down list box. The diagram on the screen changes the printable area according to the paper size you select.

Select Portrait or Landscape orientation. Portrait is up and

down orientation, landscape is lengthwise. If you would like to print your document lengthwise, select Landscape. The diagram on the screen changes according to the orientation you select.

Click the Ink/Resolution tab at the top of the dialog box. You see the following:

Select the Ink option. Select Color

document includes color.

Select the Resolution.

(CMYK)

only when your

Printing with Windows

3-9

Click the OK button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Note:

To print with

transparencies,

720 dpi resolution

you need to change

use special

coated

other settings.

paper or

See “Setting

Descriptions “ below.

The

360 x 360 dpi - Best option

documents.

7’he 180 x 280 dpi - Draft option

suitable

for most types of

useful

forfaster

prin fing.

Now print your document. A window with information about the print job appears on the screen. This is the

screen, which is explained at the end of this chapter.

Despooler

Setting Descriptions

This section describes your printer driver settings. Settings in

bold print are the original factory settings.

Driver setup tubs and command buttons

This printer driver has six categories which display as tabs.

3-10

Printing with

Windows

Click a tab to make your selection. The dialog box appears.

These four command buttons appear at the bottom of the

screen:

Saves your settings and exits the driver setup. Any changes you made go into effect when you exit using this button.

Cancel

Cancels all setting changes you made during your current printer driver setup session and exits the driver setup.

Defaults

Cancels all settings you made in your current printer driver setup session and returns to the driver’s factory default settings.

Help

Displays help dialog boxes for the printer driver. To exit Help, click Exit in the File menu within Help or click anywhere

outside a help dialog box.

Printing

with

Windows

3-11

Paper

Select the paper size, orientation, paper source, and number of copies.

Paper size

This drop-down list box displays the available paper sizes.

Select the paper size you loaded in the printer. The diagram changes according to the paper size you select and displays the printable area dimensions. Your choices are:

3-12

Letter Legal A4 A5

Statement Executive Envelope Envelope DL Envelope 6

3/4

Envelope

Printing

#lO

with

l/Z x 11 81/2xl4in 210 x 297

148 x 210

182 x 257 51/2x81/2in

l/2 x 10

41/8x91/2

110 x 220

162 x 229

3 518 x 6

Windows

mm mm mm

mm mm

l/2

Orientation

You can select the direction of the print on a document. To change the orientation, click the appropriate option button.

Portrait prints up and down, Landscape prints lengthwise.

Portrait

Landscape

Paper Source

Your printer has a built-in sheet feeder, so you do not need to

change this setting.

Auto sheet feeder

Copies

Note:

In most cases you should choose multiple copies with your application software, not with copies in

You can print multiple copies using these settings. To select multiple copies of your document, click the copies text box and then enter the number from your keyboard.

both the application and the driver.

the

driver. Be sure

that

you do not choose

multiple

Printing

with Windows

3-13

Collate Reverse Page Order

The Collate and Reverse Page Order options are factory-set to

Off.

Note:

Because these settings often require

hard disk space and may

them turned

To print multiple-page documents in sets, set Collate to on by clicking the check box so that an El appears.

To print more than one document set the correct order after printing, click both the Collate and Reverse Page Order check boxes so that an each one.

To print one multiple-page document so that its pages are in the correct order after printing, click Reverse Page Order so that an

off.

Use

El appears.

conflict with

them

only

additional

your software

for

special

system memory and

settings,

circumstances.

so that each set is in

El appears in

keep

3-14

Printing with

Windows

Media/Options

Use the Media /Options tab to select paper type and printing options.

For highest quality printing, always turn off High Speed in the Media/Options section of the printer driver.

Media type

Your Stylus COLOR can print on most types of paper.

However, to get the best printing results, it is important to match the driver settings to your paper type. The available paper types are:

Plain Paper Special coated paper Special coated paper Transparency film

360 dpi 720 dpi

Printing with Windows

3-15

Plain paper

Select this option for most types of documents. You can use either standard office copier paper or paper suitable for ink jet printers. Select this option if your paper is not a special coated paper or transparency film.

Note:

For highest quality printing with the media types below, always turn off

High Speed in the Media/Options section of the printer driver.

Special coated paper 360

To obtain good print quality, use special coated paper for ink

jet printers. To print at 360 dpi, use EPSON SO41028 (Letter)

Special coated paper for

paper is designed to work best with the ink used in your printer. Also choose this option if you use other special coated paper for ink jet printers.

Special coated paper

To get the highest print quality, use EPSON SO41029 (Letter)

Special coated paper for

You must use this EPSON paper for

use this paper if you are not printing in

Transparent y film

To print transparencies, use EPSON SO41030 (Letter)

Transparencyfilm

resolution when printing transparencies, and use only EPSON transparency film.

360 dpi

720 dpi

and select this option. Use only

dpi

printing with this option. EPSON

720 dpi

printing and select this option.

720

dpi printing. Do not 720 dpi

resolution.

360 dpi

3-16

Printing with Windows

Print Options

These options allow you to select high speed printing or MicroWeave,

which gives you higher quality output.

High speed MicroWeave (IXl =

High Speed

When you select this option, the printer prints in both directions. Bi-directional printing is fast, but for highest quality printing, always turn

Note:

the vertical lines in printing

(IXI =

on, Cl = off)

on, 0 = off)

off

High Speed.

appear

misaligned when you print

with High Speed, you may need to calibrate the printer as described in

Chapter

Micro Weave

When

output because sections are printed in finer increments. This reduces the possibility of banding-light horizontal lines in graphics. EPSON recommends you use special coated paper or transparency film when you use

Note:

MicroWeave

“Setting Up.

MicroWeave

is selected, your printer generates superior

MicroWeave.

is recommended for printing in color. You can select for Monochrome printing to reduce banding, but the

printing time is significantly longer.

Printing with

Windows

3-17

Image

Settings

You can modify a document’s color (or gray scale) settings

using this setting.

Note:

you simply want to print high-quality color or black-and-white, do not change the original factory settings. To make adjustments in brightness, color, and other settings affecting printed output, use your computer software. However,

your software does not allow you to

make adjustments and you want to modify your images, experiment

with the Image Settings dialog box until you achieve satisfactory

results.

When you select Image Settings, the following appears:

3-18

Printing with Windows

Note:

An image will appear in the dialog box

how your setting changes will

You can replace the image by double-clicking the current image

giving

affect

printed images.

you an impression

and using the dialog box to insert your own bitmap image.

There are two

and Color.

Image

The Image settings include Brightness, Contrast, and Enable Ink Density Correction.

Brigh

tness

The Brightness option changes the lightness or darkness of your image.

-50% - 0% - 50%

Contrast

The Contrast option changes the ratio between the brightest and the darkest parts of your image.

-50% - 0% - 50%

Enable Ink Density Correction

setting

categories within Image Settings: Image

This setting takes into account the characteristics of the Stylus COLOR printer when it determines the amount of ink used to print the text or image. Printing with this option turned off usually produces dark images.

=on

Cl =

off

Printing with

Windows

3-19

Color

The color settings allow you to modify the five color options:

Saturation, Red Strength, Green Strength, Blue Strength, and Enable Ink Color Correction. (These settings cannot be changed

when Monochrome is selected in the Ink/Resolution setting.)

Saturation

You can adjust the saturation (vividness of a color) using the scroll bar. Negative saturation produces colors that are duller than those produced with positive saturation.

-50% - 0% - 50%

Red/Green/Blue Strength

You can adjust the strength of each primary color (Red, Green, and Blue) using the scroll bar. Experiment with these settings if your printed colors do not appear as you expect and you cannot change the colors with your software.

-50% - 0% - 50%

Note:

Try using your

make

color adjustments.

software

settings before you change printer settings to

Enable Ink

This setting takes into account the characteristics of the Stylus COLOR printer when it determines the colors of ink used to print the text or image. Printing with this option turned off usually produces dull colors.

El = cl =

3-20

Printing with Windows

off

Color

Correction

Ink/Resolution

When you select Ink/Resolution, the following appears:

Use this tab to select the ink and resolution.

Ink

This setting lets you select either monochrome or color.

Monochrome

Color

(CMYK)

Printing with

Windows

3-21

Resolution

Three resolutions are available, but suitable for the majority of your documents. Keep in mind that the higher the resolution,the longer the printing time.

Super Best Draft -

Note:

You’ll want to use

720 x 720 dpi

360 x 360 dpi

180 x 180 dpi

720 dpi

resolution and

360 x 360 dpi -

MicroWeave

Best is

for your

highest-quality color photographic images. When you choose this resolution, you must use only EPSON

Special coated For highest quality printing, always turn

Media/Options section A half-page color photographic image at 360

10MB of

paper

for

720 dpi

printing.

off

the printer driver.

hard disk space (or over 20MB at

High Speed in the

dpi

requires over

720 dpi). If

you plan to print large photographic images, be sure to have enough hard disk space available

reduce the size or resolution

your image.

3-22 Printing with

Windows

Halftoning

When you select Halftoning, the following appears:

Halftone

The printer driver has seven halftoning settings-which you select according to the type of image you are printing-and a No halftoning selection. The halftoning image you select displays on the screen. You may need to experiment with different settings until your printed output is satisfactory.

Printing with Windows

3-23

Use this chart to select the appropriate halftoning method for your image:

Halftone method

No halftoning

Diffused (Pencil art)

Diffused (High speed)

Diffused (Images)

Diffused (Complex diagrams)

Note:

All

four

diffused methods give an air-brushed look to images and

shaded areas.

When printing at

720 dpi,

selectable.

Use for...

Black text and no graphics. This is the fastest

setting.

Do not use with color. Simple line art and computer graphics. Graphic images with significant detail but

Graphic images with limited detail and

Art with fine gradations, such as pencil drawings.

This is a faster holftoning setting.

Photographic images or equivalent drawings.

Detailed diagrams or drawings, such as

those produced with

only the four

CorelDRAW!?

diffused

methods are

Caution:

Use the halftoning methods in the driver before you use the

dithering options in your software.

About

This tab gives you general information about your printer driver.

3-24

Printing with Windows

Choosing

the

Best

Settings

for your

Document

Use the Settings guide table below to help you get the best

results with your Stylus COLOR.

Note:

When printing speed is important, remember that the following settings take more time than standard black-and-white text printing:

c;1

MicroWeave

Color

Diffused halftone methods

Higher resolution

Settings guide table

Printing

type

Text and simple

graphics

set to on with Monochrome

(CMYK)

for

complex printing

Minimum

Desired results media setting Suggested settings

Sharp black text

Sharp black or Plain paper 360 color text and basic, non- gradated graphics

Low-detail pencil drawings

Plain paper

360

dpi

resolution Monochrome No halftoning

dpi

resolution Color (CMY tine art pattern

360

dpi

resolution Monochrome Halftone Diffused (Pencil art)

Printing with Windows

3-25

Settinas

auide table (continued)

Y ”

Printing

Grayscale

Desired results media setting

Clear, low-detail Plain poper Monochrome

Minimum

graphics images

High-quality,

Plain

paper detailed diagrams or drawings

High-quality photographic Images or equivalent

’ drawings

Special coated

paper

360

dpi

Complex Sharp. color Special Color graphics or coated 360 Images

scanned images

poper Holftone 360 dpi

Highest-quolity,

color

graphics

or scanned photographic

Special coated paper -

dpi

720

images

Suggested settings

Halftone Diffused (High speed) 360

dpi

resolution

Monochrome Halftone Diffused (Complex 360

dpi

resolution

Diagroms)

Monochrome Halftone Diffused (Images) 360

dpi

resolution

Color

(CMYK)

dpi resolution

Diffused (Images)

MicroWeave

Color

720 dpi

set to on

(CMYK)

resolution Halftone Diffused (Images)

MicroWeove

set to on

3-26

Printing with Windows

Printing Color with

Selected Windows

Software

You’re ready to use your Windows software to make color

selections for your documents.

Note:

you have not installed the EPSON Windows Printer

Chapter

“Setting Up.”

Driver,

Making color selection in your software

The following table shows you how to locate color settings in some popular Windows applications.

The table may not include all the steps for using color in the

application. For complete details, see your software documentation.

Quick co/or selection locator for Windows

Software Name Desired

Microsoft Color Word for Windows 2.0

WordPerfectB

for Windows color Choose Color from Font menu

5.1

Microsoft

Excel’4.0

Action

text

Draw color

graphics

Select text Select text thot you wont to color

Draw color graphics

Select text Select cells that you wont to color color

Select cell

bockground

color

Action(s) or Selections(s) Required

Select text thot you wont to color

Choose Character from Choose color from Color drop-down

Click

drow

icon in formatting ribbon Draw graphic Choose colors beside Line

Choose colors from Select Text Color Color

graphics

color

connot

Choose Font from Format menu Choose Color from color drop-down

Select cells that you wont to color Choose Patterns from Format menu Try the 3 cell shading options

with

con be imported, but

be changed or

Formot

Tools

and

see

Fill

odded

Printing with Windows

3-27

Quick color

Software Action Name Desired Action(s) or Selections(s) Required

Aldus PageMaker@

4.0

CorelDRAW

2.01

CorelDRAW! 2.01

your

selection

software documentation for details.

locator for Windows (con

Customize color palette menu

Select text and graphics color

Select fill color for objects

Select color for text or object

outlines

offers additional dialog boxes for choosing colors, See

Choose Define Colors from Element

Use New command buttons

Choose Color Palette from Window menu Choose text tool in Tools menu Select what you want to color Choose the color in Colors window

Select pointer tool from toolbox Select object you want to color Click color from Color Palette with Fill tool icon Choose Uniform fill icon from menu Select color from UNIFORM

Select pointer tool from toolbox Select text or object outline to color Use Outline tool icon from toolbox Use Custom Outline Color tool icon Select color from one of six dialog boxes

.,,,

tinued)

Edit

,,,,

Copy . . . . or Remove

flyout

FILL*

3-28

Printing with Windows

Printing your

After you locate and make your color selections, you can:

Remember that printing in color takes longer than printing in

monochrome.

color

Choose Print from your software to print the document using the current EPSON printer driver settings, or

Choose Print and then Setup to access the EPSON printer driver settings. Once you make your setting selections, choose OK three times to print.

Windows documents

Printing Color with Selected DOS Software

Because the EPSON printer driver requires Windows, you cannot use it when working with non-Windows software. Instead, choose the LQ-2550 printer driver in your software. This lets you print in color but does not give you some EPSON Stylus COLOR features, such as

MicroWeave.

720dpi

printing and

Making color selection in your software

The following table shows you how to locate color settings in some popular DOS applications.

The table may not include all the steps for using color in the application. For complete details, see your documentation.

Printing with Windows

software

3-29

Quick color selection locator for DOS

Software Action Name Desired

Microsoft

Word

5.5

WordPerfect

5.1

Select text color

Select paragraph shading

Select new text color

Select text color

Action(s) or Selections(s) Required

Select text that you want to color

Choose Format Character

Select font name in Font box

Select point size in Point Size box

Select color in Color box Place cursor in paragraph

Choose Format Borders Select shading percentage

Ctrl F8

Press Select Print Color Select a color Press

Type text you want in color.

Move cursor right before text to color

Press

Ctrl F8

Select Print Color Select a color

Press

To end color text, move cursor just after color text

Press

Ctrl F8

Select Print Color Select a color

Press

(5)

3-30

Printing with Windows

Quick co/or selection locator for DOS (continued)

Sofhvare

Name

otus@ l-2-3@

L R

‘el. 2.3

reelonce

(

sraphics

tel. 4.0

iarvard

Graphics 3.0

Action Desired

Add color to

text

Add color to

graph

Add color to objects

Add color to Choose Chart charts

Add color to Select Edit Chart text on spreadsheets

Add color to

objects

Action(s) or Selections(s) Required

: >

Press Shift Select Format Select Color Select Text Select color Highlight range to color Press Enter

Press Shift Select Graph Select Edit Select cell in graph Press Enter Select object to color Select color Select Inside, Lines, Text, or Background Select color from palette

Select quit Choose Edit

Choose Color Choose Edge or Choose color

Choose Edit-data for Style menu Choose chart component to color Press space bar Choose color Press

Press Select Text Attributes or other option Select color from color column Select Select color Select

Select Edit Chart Press Select object Select color icon Select fill, line/text, or shadow color Select color Select

for

: >

for

FlO to draw chart

WYSIWYG

Inside

Printing

with

Windows

3-31

Remember that printing in color takes longer than printing in monochrome.

The EPSON Spool Manager

When you print your document, the driver uses a print spool manager to send the data to your hard disk and then to the printer. Then it uses a

The EPSON Spool Manager icon appears when you send data to the printer. If you double-click the spool manager icon, a window appears that includes:

A queue menu that allows you to place queues (lists of print jobs) on hold, release them to be printed, and identify if a queue is local or remote (network printing).

A document menu that allows you to hold files from

printing,

re-order

the queue, or save them for reprinting.

A view menu that allows you to limit the amount of

information that the spool manager displays and keep the

despooler

from appearing.

despooler

to print the data.

them for later printing, delete them from

An options menu that allows you to send files to a default

directory, adjust timers, and adjust the default font for the

spool manager window.

To view the EPSON Spool Manager Window:

Select Print from the File menu of your application software and choose to print a document.

Once the EPSON Spool Manager icon appears on your

screen, double-click it. The EPSON Spool Manager Window

appears.

3-32

Printing

with

Windows

The spool manager window shows you the list of printers

supported by the EPSON Stylus series printing system and

a list of files currently printing or waiting to print. If you

wish to make changes affecting print timing or location (if

you are sending a file over a network for remote printing),

choose the Help menu in the EPSON Spool Manager window to learn about using the spool manager.

Note:

Files are called journals or journal files throughout Help.

QIf you print a large complex color document file, the spool

manager may break it down into smaller files to save hard disk space. This will

not affect printing.

The EPSON Despooler

After you send a file to the printer, a status box for the EPSON

Despooler appears on the screen. The

file in sections thereby producing documents more quickly. Once a section is finished, the message and begins processing another section.

despooler

updates the status

processes your

The status box includes the following information:

The time it takes the document to be sent and printed.

A series of bands representing the number of units into

which the document is divided.

A message telling you which page is printing.

A message telling you which copy out of a total number of copies is printing.

An About button that gives general information about the EPSON

Despooler.

Printing with Windows

3-33

A Help button to help you understand the EPSON Spool Manager.

Three icons: Cancel - to cancel print, Pause - to pause print,

and Restart - to restart from the current page, reprint the whole document, or delay printing.

If you want to keep the EPSON Despooler status box from appearing, use the View menu of the EPSON Spool Manager window.

3-34

Printing with Windows