Epson 900N User Manual

Epson America, Inc.

Stylus COLOR 900N

User’s Guide

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

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

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

Trademarks

EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks and ESC/P 2 is a trademark of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION. SoundAdvice is a service mark and EPSON FaxAdvice and PhotoEnhance are trademarks of Epson America, Inc.

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

The E

NERGY STAR

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

CPD 8051

Printed on recycled paper with at least 10% post-consumer content.

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 Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le materiel brouilleur du Canada.

INTRODUCTION 1

How to Use Your Documentation 2

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips 3 Windows/PC System Requirements 4 Macintosh System Requirements 5 ENERGY STAR Compliance 6 Year 2000 Ready 6 Printer Parts 6 About Your Software 7 Important Safety Instructions 8

Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions 9

SETTING UP YOUR PRINTER 11

Unpack the Printer 11 Attach the Paper Support 12 Install the Ink Cartridges 13 Load Paper 16 Connect the Printer to Your Network 17

Printing a Status Sheet 17

CONFIGURING THE PRINTER FOR THE NETWORK 19

Install the Network Software 21

Installing EPSON Net!2 21

Installing Status Monitor 2 23 Configuring for NetWare 26

Using NwAdmin to Set Up Your Printer 26

Using EPSON Net!2 to Configure the Card in Print Server Mode 33 Configuring for TCP/IP 39

Configuring for AppleTalk 44 Configuring for NetBEUI 46

INSTALLING THE PRINTER DRIVER ON THE WORKSTATIONS 49

Installing the Printer Driver 49

Installing in Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows NT 4.0 50

Installing in Windows 3.1x 51

Installing on a Macintosh 52 Printing a Test Page 53

INSTALLING AND USING YOUR ELECTRONIC MANUAL 55

Installing the Manual 55 Installing Acrobat Reader 56 Opening Your Electronic Manual 56 Navigating an Electronic Manual 57

BASIC PRINTING 59

Printing with Windows 60 Printing with a Macintosh 64 Using Custom Project Types 67 Using the Advanced Dialog Box 70 Using Special Papers 73

EPSON Photo Paper 73

Envelopes 75 Selecting the Correct Media Type 76

MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER 77

Cleaning the Print Head 77

Using the Head Cleaning Utility 78

Using the Control Panel 79

Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern 80

Replacing an Ink Cartridge 80

Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges 81

Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge 83 Aligning the Print Head 85 Cleaning the Printer 86 Transporting the Printer 87

PROBLEM SOLVING 89

Diagnosing Printer Problems 89

Checking the Control Panel Lights 89

Running a Printer Check 91 Problems and Solutions 92

Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Its Software 92

Problems Getting Good Print Quality 93 Uninstalling Printer Software 97

Uninstalling Your Printer Driver 97

Uninstalling EPSON Status Monitor 2 99

Uninstalling EPSON Net!2 100 Where To Get Help 100

INSTALLING SOFTWARE FROM DISKETTES 103

Creating the Software Diskettes 103

Using the Disk Creation Utility 103 Copying Macintosh Files 106 Ordering Printer Software Diskettes 106 Installing EPSON Net!2 107

Installing EPSON Net!2 in Windows 107

Installing EPSON Net!2 on a Macintosh 108 Installing Status Monitor 2 108

iii

Installing the Printer Driver in Windows 110

Installing the Printer Driver in Macintosh 111

INDEX 113

Introduction

Your EPSON Stylus® COLOR 900N Professional Series printer/print server is the ideal output device for business graphics, digital photographs, and more. You can print anything from reports and resumes to photos and greeting cards with fabulous results.

The printer comes with these features:

■ Resolutions up to 1440 by 720 dpi, even on plain paper

■ Smallest ink droplets available (3 picoliters) for finest detail and smoothest

gradations

■

EPSON’s unique variable micro droplet technology for superior image quality

■

Integrated Ethernet card for complete network connectivity

■

Flexible resource sharing for multiple types of networks and operating systems

■

Four-color printing for photo quality color and sharp black text on plain paper or a variety of special media

■ Great results on any paper size, including letter, legal, envelope, card, and

panoramic paper

■

High durability

How to Use Your Documentation

This Start Here book explains how to set up your printer and covers basic printing and maintenance procedures. It contains the following information:

Setting Up Your Printer explains how to set up your printer and connect it to the network.

Configuring Your Printer for the Network gives instructions for installing the network software and using it to configure the printer.

Installing the Printer Driver on the Workstations tells you how to install the printer driver on the network workstations and configure the port settings so they can see the printer on the network.

Installing and Using Your Printer Manual explains how to install and use your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual.

Basic Printing covers the basics of printing with Windows

Maintaining Your Printer gives instructions for replacing ink cartridges, cleaning and

aligning the print heads, and cleaning and transporting the printer.

or Macintosh®.

Problem Solving provides solutions for problems you may have. (For solutions to network problems, see Chapter 12 in your Administrator’s Manual.)

Installing Software From Diskettes tells you how to create or order diskettes and install your printer software from them.

An Index

After you have set up your system(s) as described in this book, refer to the Administrator’s Manual for additional network, configuration, and Ethernet card information. See the electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual for detailed instructions on using your printer.

is included at the end of the book.

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips

Please follow these guidelines:

Warnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.

Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.

Notes contain important information about your printer.

Tips contain additional hints for better printing.

Windows/PC System Requirements

To use your printer and its software with a PC, your system should have:

■

An IBM® compatible PC with at least a 386/25 (for Windows 3.1x),

486/25 MHz (for Windows 95 or Windows NT Windows 98) processor

■

DOS, Microsoft® Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0

■

At least 16MB of RAM (32MB recommended for Windows 95 or 98, or 64MB for Windows NT 4.0)

■ At least 50MB of free hard disk space (100MB recommended)

■ VGA, Super VGA, or better display adapter and monitor

■

Double-speed (2x) CD-ROM drive (quad [4x] or faster recommended) for installing the printer software

■ Ethernet network connection

4.0), or 486/66 MHz (for

■ A twisted-pair (10BaseT or 100BaseTX) cable to connect the printer’s Ethernet

card to your network

For information on OS/2

Manual

and UNIX

, see your

Administrator’s

Macintosh System Requirements

To use your printer and its software with a Macintosh, your system should have:

■

One of the following Macintosh models:

LC475, LC575, LC630

Macintosh Quadra Macintosh Centris

PowerBook

series (190, 520, 540, 550, or later) PowerBook Duo Performa

475, 575, 588, 630, 5210 or later

Power Macintosh

™

iMac

■

System 7.5.1 or later (7.6 or later recommended), or iMac with System 8.1 or

series

later

■ At least 16MB of available RAM (32MB recommended)

series

280, 2300c/100

series

■ At least 50MB of free hard disk space (100MB recommended)

■

RGB display or better

■

Double-speed (2x) CD-ROM drive (quad [4x] or faster recommended) for installing the printer software

■ Network connection to Ethernet

■ A twisted-pair (10BaseT or 100BaseTX) cable to connect the printer’s Ethernet

card to your network

NERGY

TAR

Compliance

As an E this product meets the E efficiency. The EPA E

NERGY STAR

Partner, EPSON has determined that

NERGY STAR

guidelines for energy

office equipment program is a voluntary partnership with the computer and office equipment industry to promote the introduction of energy-efficient personal computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, and copiers in an effort to reduce air pollution caused by power generation.

Year 2000 Ready

Your EPSON printer is Year 2000 Ready. However, be sure the other parts of your network and computer systems are also ready for the year 2000.

Printer Parts

sheet feeder

left edge guide

status sheet button

paper support

right edge guide

printer cover

output tray

output tray extensions

ink cartridge clamps

Ethernet card

thickness lever

control panel

About Your Software

The printer software CD-ROM includes all the software you need for configuring your printer and printing:

■ The EPSON Net!2 utility (for Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, and

Macintosh) allows you to configure your printer for protocols including Novell

NetWare

■ EPSON Status Monitor 2 for Windows allows you to monitor your printer over

, TCP/IP, and AppleTalk®.

the network and use TCP/IP for printing in Windows 98/Windows 95 peer-to-peer networks.

■ Your printer driver (for Windows and Macintosh) runs your printer and lets you

control how your documents look.

■

The EPSON Driver Disk Creation utility lets you create diskettes for systems that don’t have CD-ROM drives.

Important Safety Instructions

Before using your printer, read the following safety instructions to make sure you use the printer safely and effectively:

■ Turn off and unplug the printer before cleaning. Clean with a damp cloth only.

Do not spill liquid on the printer.

Always turn the printer off using the switch off the power strip, or unplug the printer until the power light is off.

■

Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a radiator or heating vent

P power button. Don’t

or direct sunlight.

■

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

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

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

■ 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 ampere rating of all devices plugged into the wall outlet does not exceed the wall outlet’s ampere rating.

■ Except as specifically explained in this manual, 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 case 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.

Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions

■ Do not put your hand inside the printer or touch the cartridge during printing.

■ 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.

■ Do not dismantle the ink cartridges or try to refill them. This could result in

damage to the print head.

■

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

■

Do not use an ink cartridge beyond the date printed on the cartridge package. For best results, use up the ink cartridges within six months of installing them.

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

■ Always turn the printer off using the

button, the

Ppower light flashes briefly then goes out. Do not unplug the printer

or turn off the power to the printer until the

■ Before transporting the printer, make sure the print head is capped in the far right

Ppower button. When you press this

Ppower light is off.

position and the ink cartridges are in place.

Setting Up Your Printer

This chapter describes how to set up your printer by doing the following:

■ Unpack the printer

■ Attach the paper support

■ Install the ink cartridges

■

Load paper

■

Connect the printer to your network

Unpack the Printer

Remove any packing material from the printer as described on the unpacking sheet in the printer box. Then make sure you have these items:

paper support

printer

Administrator’s Manual

black ink cartridge

EPSON Photo Paper Pack

this

Start Here

color ink cartridge

You’ll also need a network cable to connect your printer.

printer software CD-ROM

book

Attach the Paper Support

Insert the paper support into the slots at the back of the printer’s sheet feeder.

Put the printer near an available grounded outlet, but avoid areas:

■

With high temperature or humidity

■

In direct sunlight or dusty conditions

■

Near sources of heat or electromagnetic interference, such as loudspeakers or cordless telephone base units

Also be sure to check safety requirements and follow all the safety instructions in the Introduction.

Install the Ink Cartridges

1. Make sure the printer is turned off (the

P power button should be up). Then

plug the printer’s power cord into a grounded outlet.

Don’t use an outlet controlled by a wall switch or timer, or one that uses the same circuit as a large appliance. This may disrupt the power, which can erase memory or even damage the power supply.

2. Unwrap the ink cartridges. Then remove only the yellow part of the tape seal on

the top, as shown. Don’t pull off the blue portion or remove the clear seal

underneath the cartridge.

To ensure the print heads charge correctly, install the ink cartridges that came with your printer.

You must remove the yellow tape from the top of the cartridge or you will permanently damage it. It’s okay if a small corner of the yellow tape stays on the cartridge.

3. Lower the printer’s output tray and open the cover.

4. Press the

B and A ink out lights come on. The black ink cartridge holder moves

the

P power button to turn on the printer. The

slightly left to the loading position.

Always use the Never use the external switch on a power strip.

P power button to turn the printer on or off.

5. Lift up the black ink cartridge clamp.

P power light flashes and

6. Place the black ink cartridge in the holder with the label facing up and toward the

back of the printer, as shown. Then close the clamp, making sure it clicks into place.

If ink gets on your hands, wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets in your eyes, flush them immediately with water.

7. Now press the

X color cleaning button to move the color ink cartridge holder into

loading position.

8. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to install the color ink cartridge.

9. Press the

R cleaning button to begin charging the ink delivery system and then

close the printer cover.

Charging takes about 2 minutes. The

P power light flashes and the printer

makes various sounds until it’s finished. Don’t turn off the printer or interrupt this charging process or it will start over, using more ink than necessary. Charging is finished when the

Never turn off the printer when the unless the printer hasn’t moved or made any noise for more than 5 minutes.

P power light stops flashing and stays on.

P power light is flashing,

Load Paper

1. Open the output tray extensions. Slide the left edge guide right until it is a little

wider than your paper.

2. Load a stack of plain paper with the printable side up and place it against the right

edge guide. Then slide the left edge guide to the paper’s left edge. Don’t load paper higher than the arrow on the guide.

Connect the Printer to Your Network

Connect your printer to an Ethernet twisted-pair (10BaseT or 100BaseTX) network connection.

1. Attach the network cable to the connector on the card.

status sheet button

twisted-pair connector (10BaseT or 100BaseTX)

2. To initialize the card, turn on the printer while pressing down the status sheet

button. Continue pressing the status sheet button for five seconds.

Printing a Status Sheet

To print a status sheet, press the status sheet button and hold it for about three seconds. This sheet gives you important information, including the serial number and MAC address (hardware address) of the card. Keep the status sheet so you can use it when you configure the Ethernet card.

Configuring the Printer for the Network

See the table below to find your network configuration (operating system and protocol), and determine what to install and where to find instructions for configuring your network. For many operating systems, you can change configuration settings using the Ethernet card’s internal home page. See the Administrator’s Manual for more information.

Operating system

Windows 98, Windows 95

Network protocol

TCP/IP 1. EPSON Net!2 (page 21)

NetBEUI (TCP/IP must also be installed)

Novell NetWare

What you need to install and configure

2. EPSON Status Monitor 2 on each workstation (page 23)

3. IP address for the Ethernet card (page 39)

4. Printer driver on each workstation (page 49)

1. EPSON Net!2 (page 21)

2. EPSON Status Monitor 2 (page 23)

3. IP address for the Ethernet card (page 39)

4. NetBEUI settings on the Ethernet card home page* (page 46)

5. Printer driver on each workstation (page 49)

1. EPSON Net!2 (page 21 and page 33)

2. EPSON Status Monitor 2 (page 23)

3. Setup using NwAdmin (page 26) or PCONSOLE

Administrator’s Manual

(

, Chapter 4)

Windows 3.1x Novell

NetWare, Windows NT Server

4. Printer driver on each workstation (page 49)

Windows 3.1x acts as a client only; you can’t use a Windows 3.1x workstation to configure the Ethernet card or monitor the printer. Install the printer driver on each workstation and change the printer’s port setting. (page 49)

Operating system

Network protocol

What you need to install and configure

DOS 6.22 Novell

NetWare, Windows NT Server, Windows for Workgroups

Windows NT 4.0

TCP/IP 1. EPSON Net!2 (page 21) (Service Pack 3, or higher)

NetBEUI

(TCP/IP must

also be

installed)

Novell

NetWare

DOS acts as a client only, you can’t use a DOS workstation to monitor the printer.

2. EPSON Status Monitor 2 (page 23)

3. IP address for the Ethernet card (page 39)

4. Printer driver on each workstation** (page 49)

1. EPSON Net!2 (page 21)

2. EPSON Status Monitor 2 (page 23)

3. IP address for the Ethernet card (page 39)

4. NetBEUI settings on the Ethernet card home page* (page 46)

5. Printer driver on each workstation** (page 49)

1. EPSON Net!2 (page 21 and page 33)

2. EPSON Status Monitor 2 (page 23)

3. Setup using NwAdmin (page 26) or PCONSOLE

Administrator’s Manual

(

, Chapter 4)

4. Printer driver on each workstation** (page 49)

Macintosh AppleTalk 1. EPSON Net!2 (page 21 and page 44)

2. Printer driver on each system (page 49)

UNIX TCP/IP (lpr,

ftp)

1. Install a printer driver and filter. (See your UNIX documentation.)

2. Configure the printer for lpr or ftp.

Administrator’s Manual,

(

IBM OS/2 Warp NetBEUI

TCP/IP

* To use the Ethernet card home page, you must have TCP/IP setup on your network, as well as

either Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, or Netscape Navigator

** If you have a Windows NT 4.0 Server network, you may need to install the driver only on the

server. See your Windows NT documentation.

Administrator’s Manual

Chapter 9)

, Chapter 8

3.0 or later.

Install the Network Software

To configure the Ethernet card, you need to install the network software (EPSON Net!2) on only one workstation or on the server, depending on your network.

If you have a TCP/IP network, you need to install EPSON Status Monitor 2 on all your Windows 98 and Windows 95 workstations to use the EPSON TCP/IP printing protocol.

Log in as an Administrator (NT) or Supervisor (NetWare). Before you start, turn off all other active applications, including virus protection programs.

If you need to create diskettes to install the software, see page 103. Then follow the configuration instructions, starting on page 26.

For TCP/IP networks, if you want to use the arp command to set the card’s IP address instead of installing EPSON Net!2, see page 42.

Installing EPSON Net!2

If you have the following network configurations and operating systems, you should install EPSON Net!2 to configure the card:

■

Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows NT 4.0 with Novell NetWare or TCP/IP

■ Macintosh with AppleTalk

Installing EPSON Net!2 in Windows

1. Insert the printer software CD-ROM in your drive.

You see the EPSON Installation Program screen:

If the screen does not appear, go to

My Computer and double-click the Epson

CD-ROM icon to start the EPSON Installation program.

2. Highlight

Install EpsonNet!2 for Windows and click the right arrow button .

3. Follow the instructions on screen to install EPSON Net!2.

When you are finished, you can install Status Monitor 2 to monitor information about your printer including ink levels and printer errors. See page 23 for instructions.

Status Monitor 2 can create extra network traffic, so if you don’t want to install it, you can skip to configuring the Ethernet card with EPSON Net!2. See page 26 for NetWare and page 39 for TCP/IP and NetBEUI.

If you have any Windows 98 or Windows 95 systems on your TCP/IP network, you need to install Status Monitor 2 on each one to use EPSON TCP/IP printing. Windows 98 and Windows 95 do not have TCP/IP printing built-in like Windows NT.

Installing EPSON Net!2 on a Macintosh

1. Create a folder for EPSON Net!2 on your hard disk.

2. Insert the printer software CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive.

3. Copy EPSON Net!2 to the folder you created.

After you install EPSON Net!2, use it to configure your printer for AppleTalk, following the steps on page 44.

Installing Status Monitor 2

EPSON Status Monitor 2 is a single utility that you install in two parts. For each system that will monitor the printer, make sure you install the network part and the EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N part of EPSON Status Monitor 2. These two parts work together to allow you to see your printer’s status information over the network.

Status Monitor 2 lets you monitor information from the server or from any of the workstations where you install it. It gives you ink levels in the printer and notifies you if the printer has any problems. It does create network traffic, however, so you may want to limit the number of users who monitor the printer.

Status Monitor 2 also includes the EPSON TCP/IP printing protocol, which allows Windows 98 and Windows 95 users to print with TCP/IP. If you have Windows 98 or Windows 95 systems and use TCP/IP for printing, you need to install Status Monitor 2 on each workstation that uses the printer.

You may not see screens for all the steps in this section, depending on your computer’s configuration.

Write down your settings in the spaces provided as you install the first part of Status Monitor 2. You need to select the same settings for the second part.

Follow these steps to install Status Monitor 2:

1. Insert the printer software CD-ROM. You see the following screen:

If the screen does not appear, type your CD-ROM) and click

2. Highlight

Install Status Monitor 2 for Network and click the right arrow

OK to start the EPSON Installation program.

:\EPSETUP (where D: is the drive letter of

button .

3. Close any open programs and click

Next. A screen appears asking where you want

to install Status Monitor 2.

4. Click

Next.

Next to accept the default directory or choose a different directory and click

5. If you are using Windows 98 or Windows 95 and you have TCP/IP installed, you see a screen asking you if you want to enable EPSON TCP/IP printing. Select

Yes if you want to print with TCP/IP, and then click Next.

TCP/IP Printing: Yes_______ No_______

6. Select the type of printer(s) you want to monitor and click Next.

Monitor: EPSON TCP/IP printers______ Windows shared printers _____ NetWare printers______ local printers_______

7. Select Monitor to monitor EPSON network printers that do not have drivers on your computer. Select

Next.

Printers: Monitor_______ Do not monitor_______

If you have dial-up routers in a NetWare environment, they may automatically dial up the next hop and you may be charged for the line connection depending on the number of hops you set. To prevent this and to keep network traffic to a minimum, set hops carefully.

Do not monitor if network traffic is a problem. Then click

8. If you’re using NetWare, set the number of hops (0 to 15) and click Next.

Number of hops:_______

9. Check the current settings and click Next.

10. Select

No and click Finish.

Now you install the second part of Status Monitor 2:

11. From the EPSON Installation Program screen, highlight

for EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N

12. Click

Next, then follow steps 5 through 8, using the same settings you used in

and click the right arrow button .

Install Status Monitor 2

those steps.

13. Check the current settings and click

Next. Select Yes and click Finish to restart

your computer.

14. After you restart your computer, right-click the green background monitoring icon in your Startup group on the taskbar. Click

Stop monitoring now. This

step turns off background monitoring, which may interfere with EPSON Net!2 when you configure the card. (See page 95 in your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual or Chapter 11 in your Administrator’s Manual to turn on background monitoring later.)

After you install the network software, configure the printer’s Ethernet card for TCP/IP (page 39), or use EPSON Net!2 to configure your printer for NetWare (page 26).

If you are not using EPSON Net!2 on your computer, you do not have to turn off background monitoring. (You should limit the number of systems that monitor the printer, however, to prevent network traffic problems.)

Configuring for NetWare

You can configure the printer for NDS or bindery with NwAdmin and EPSON Net!2. (If you want to use PCONSOLE, see Chapter 4 in your Administrator’s Manual.) Before you follow the steps in the sections below, check whether you want to use the printer as a dedicated print server or as a remote printer. (See page 4-2 in your Administrator’s Manual for details.)

Using NwAdmin to Set Up Your Printer

You must first use NwAdmin to define your printer, define a print server, and set up a queue. If the client does not correspond to NDS, set up the printer, print server, and queue in the bindery context.

When printing using bindery correspondence clients, make the object related to the print server right under the bindery context in the directory tree.

Confirm the bindery context path from the server with the SET BINDERY CONTEXT command. See your NetWare documentation for more information.

When you print a text file using the NPRINT command or DOS redirection, misconversion or a gap in characters might occur depending on the client environment.

Follow these steps to set up your printer:

1. Log in to the NDS tree (or to the server with bindery context) with admin or supervisor privileges.

2. Run the administrator tool (NwAdmin).

3. Create a printer:

Click the directory context icon (or bindery context), and select and then

Printer. Type the printer name and click Create.

4. Create a print server:

Click the directory context icon (or bindery context), and select and then

Print Server. Type the print server name and click Create.

Object, Create,

5. Create a print queue:

Click the directory context icon (or bindery context), and select

Create, and then Print Queue. Type the print queue name and select the print

queue volume. Then click

Create.

Object, then

The objects you have just created are added to the NDS tree (or bindery).

6. Double-click the

Printer Object icon on the NetWare Administrator screen.

7. The Printer dialog box appears. Click Assignments and then click Add

8. From the print queue list, select the queue you want to assign and click

9. For Print Server mode, go to step 11.

For Remote Printer mode, click Printer type box and click

OK.

Configuration, select Other/Unknown for the

OK.

10. Double-click the print server object icon on the NetWare Administrator screen.

11. The Print Server dialog box appears. Click

Assignments and then click Add.

12. From the printer object list, select the printer object you want to assign and click

OK.

13. For Print Server mode, go to step 14.

For Remote Printer mode, go back to the screen in step 11 and click the

Number button to set up the printer number from 0 to 254.

Printer

14. Double-click the print queue object icon on the NetWare Administrator screen.

15. The Print Queue dialog box appears. Click Assignments. Check that the print server and the printer are assigned to the queue.

You now need to use EPSON Net!2 to configure the card:

■ For Print Server mode, see the section below.

■

For Remote Printer mode, go to page 36.

Using EPSON Net!2 to Configure the Card in Print Server Mode

Once you have set up the printer in NwAdmin or PCONSOLE, you can configure the printer with EPSON Net!2, as described below.

If the Status Monitor 2 utility is running, or if background monitoring is turned on, it may interfere with EPSON Net!2. Close Status Monitor 2 if it is running and turn off background monitoring, following step 14 on page 25.

If you have connected more than one printer with the same type of Ethernet card to the network, you can distinguish the cards by their MAC addresses. Press and hold the card’s status sheet button for three seconds to print a status sheet with the MAC address of the card.

If the IP address is set to the default IP address, the printer model might not appear.

Follow these steps:

1. Start EPSON Net!2. The following screen appears:

2. Highlight your

EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N printer and click Configuration.

3. Click the NetWare Basic tab and make the following settings:

Frame type

Select one of the following:

SNAP.

Auto, Ethernet 802.2, Ethernet 802.3, Ethernet II,

Mode

Select

Print Server.

NDS

Select

Enable or Disable.

NDS Tree name

If you are using NDS mode, type the same name as you used in NwAdmin (up to 31 characters).

NDS Context

NDS context is the Object rank in the Directory tree. Type the container object (up to 255 characters) from the Object to the Root. Do not type the “.” at the top.

See your NetWare manual for the available characters and number of characters you can use.

4. Click the Print Server tab and make the following settings:

Primary file server name

Select the server where you created the queue.

Password

Type any new password up to 19 characters. The characters you enter appear as

∗”.

“

Print server name

Type any new name up to 47 characters. The default name consists of the printer name and the last six digits of the Ethernet card’s serial number.

Polling interval

Set the polling time from 5 to 90 seconds.

5. Click

OK to save your changes. If the message “Configuration is successfully

done” appears on your screen, the update is complete.

6. In the file Server Console’s MONITOR.NLM, select the Connection Information. Check if the print server name assigned to the Ethernet card has been logged in to the Active Connections list. It takes up to five minutes to complete this.

Once you make changes to the Ethernet card, you must wait until it registers the settings (the “Configuration is successfully done” message appears) before you turn off the printer.

Using EPSON Net!2 to Configure the Card in Remote Printer Mode

If the IP address is set to the default IP address, the printer model might not appear.

Follow these steps:

1. From the System Console of the file server where you set the print queue, load the print server module with the following command (use the print server name which you assigned in step 4 on page 27):

>Load PSERVER print server name

2. Start EPSON Net!2. The following screen appears:

3. Highlight your printer and click

Configuration.

4. Click the NetWare Basic tab and make the following settings:

Frame type

Select one of the following:

Ethernet SNAP.

Mode

Select

Remote Printer.

Auto, Ethernet 802.2, Ethernet 802.3, Ethernet II,

NDS

Select

Enable or Disable.

NDS Tree name

If you are using NDS mode, type the same name (up to 31 characters) as you set in NwAdmin.

NDS Context

NDS context is the Object rank in the Directory tree. Type the container object (up to 255 characters) from the Object to the Root. Do not type the “.” at the top.

See your NetWare manual for the available characters and number of characters you can use.

5. Click the Remote Printer tab and make the following settings:

Primary print server

Select the print server name you have created.

Printer port number

Type the same port number you assigned to the print server.

6. Click OK to save changes. If the message “Configuration is successfully done” appears on your screen, the update is complete.

7. Select status.

8. Select on page 28 is in the Print Queues Serviced By Printer box.

Printer Status from the Console screen of the print server. Then check the

Queues serviced. Check that the print queue name which you set in step 5

Once you make changes to the Ethernet card, you must wait until it registers the settings (the “Configuration is successfully done” message appears) before you turn off the printer.

Configuring for TCP/IP

For a Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows NT 4.0 network with TCP/IP or NetBEUI, you need to set the card’s IP address. You can use EPSON Net!2 or the arp command to do this, as described in the sections below.

Windows 98 and Windows 95 do not come with the TCP/IP printing protocol, so in addition to TCP/IP, you need to install the EPSON TCP/IP printing protocol included with Status Monitor 2. See page 23 for instructions. (See your Windows documentation or Help system to set up TCP/IP.

Using EPSON Net!2

Make sure the Ethernet card and printer are on the same segment of the network as the computer you are using to configure the card. Also, you need to know the IP address for the computer and the IP address you will assign to the printer’s Ethernet card.

Follow these steps to assign an IP address:

1. Make sure Windows is running, the Ethernet card is connected to the network, and the printer is turned on.

2. Click

Net!2

Start, point to Programs, point to EPSON Net!2, then click EPSON

3. Click the printer where you want to set the IP address, and then click the

Configuration button.

click here

4. Click the TCP/IP tab to display the TCP/IP menu.

5. For

The way of acquiring an IP address, select one of the following: Manual,

RARP, BOOTP, or DHCP.

To use RARP, BOOTP, or DHCP, a server for each protocol is necessary. If there is no corresponding server, do not use any of these settings. See your network operating system documentation for the settings.

6. Assign the IP address, the Subnet mask, and the Default gateway. If you use DHCP to acquire an IP address, you can’t assign these items; they are assigned by the server.

If you will use the card’s internal home page, assign an IP address manually.

The default IP address is 11.22.33.44. If you plan to use the card’s internal home page, change the default IP address.

If a server or router acts as a gateway, type the gateway address. If there is no gateway, type the IP address of your computer.

7. Click OK to save the new settings. The update is complete when the message “Configuration is successfully done” appears. (After you click

OK, wait a few

minutes before turning off the printer, so the settings have time to reach the card.)

Before you can print using TCP/IP, you still need to do the following on each computer that will use the printer:

■ Install the printer driver (see page 49)

■ Add a printer port (see page 51)

See page 46 if you need to enable NetBEUI on the Ethernet card.

Using the arp Command

Follow these steps to assign the IP address:

1. Click

Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel and double-click the Network

icon.

2. In Windows 98 or Windows 95, highlight

Gateway tab.

the

In Windows NT, click the

Properties. Click the IP Address tab.

3. Type

11.22.33.44 in the Gateway box to set up a default gateway. In

Windows 98 or Windows 95, click

4. Click

OK to close the TCP/IP dialog box and then click OK to close the network

Protocols tab. Highlight TCP/IP Protocol and click

Add.

settings dialog box and save your settings. Click

TCP/IP and click Properties, then click

Yes to restart your computer.

5. Find the MAC address for the Ethernet card on the status sheet (see page 17).

6. Click

Start, point to Programs, then click the MS-DOS Prompt icon to open a

DOS window.

7. Type in the following command to set up the routing table:

ping 11.22.33.44

8. Add an entry in the ARP table that assigns an IP address to the hardware address of the Ethernet card. Use the following command:

arp -s <IP address> <MAC address>

For example:

arp -s 192.1.1.6 00-00-48-92-BD-9A

For Windows NT, substitute colons (:) for the hyphens (-) shown in the MAC address.

9. Wait at least two minutes for the settings to reach the card, then start a continuous “ping” to the card, using the following command with the card IP address:

ping <IP address>

For example:

ping 192.1.1.6

You see a message similar to the following:

Reply from 192.1.1.6: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=30 Reply from 192.1.1.6: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=30 Reply from 192.1.1.6: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=30 Reply from 192.1.1.6: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=30

This shows that the Ethernet card is correctly set up for TCP/IP.

If you receive 4 lines that say “Request Timed Out,” the card is not set up correctly. Make sure the card is on the same segment of the network as the workstation you are using to configure it and that you typed in the correct IP and MAC addresses.

If you have trouble getting the network to recognize the card, check Chapter 12, Troubleshooting, in the

Manual

for solutions to possible problems.

Administrator’s

Before you can print using TCP/IP, you still need to do the following on each computer that will use the printer:

■ Install the printer driver (see page 49)

■ Add a printer port (see page 51)

See page 46 if you need to enable NetBEUI on the Ethernet card.

Configuring for AppleTalk

To use your printer on an AppleTalk network, you need to configure the Ethernet card for AppleTalk.

Follow these steps to configure your card using EPSON Net!2:

1. Open the EPSON Net!2 utility.

You see a window like the following:

2. Highlight Stylus COLOR 900 and click Configuration. The IP Address Configuration and AppleTalk Configuration dialog box appears.

3. Make the following settings in the AppleTalk Configuration box.

Printer Name

Type the printer name (up to 31 characters). The default name consists of the printer name and the last six digits of the Ethernet card’s serial number.

Entity Type

You do not have to set this option.

Zone Name

Select the network zone in which you want the printer to appear. If the zone has not been set, “

∗” appears.

Network Number Set

Select the network number setting. In most cases, you should select

Auto.

Network Number for Manual Mode

The default number is 65535. If you have selected

Auto for the Network Number

Set, you can’t type the network number manually.

4. Click the Send button to save the new settings to the Ethernet card. If the message “Configuration is successfully done” appears, the update is complete.

Configuring for NetBEUI

You can use NetBEUI in Windows networks to print to your EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N. Configure the card for NetBEUI using the card’s internal home page.

Before you can configure the card for NetBEUI, you must:

■

Set up TCP/IP on all the workstations that will use the printer.

■

Set the IP address for your Ethernet card (see page 39).

■ Make sure you have either Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, or Netscape

Navigator 3.0 or later.

EPSON Net!2 for Windows and the Ethernet card home page can’t be open at the same time.

If you have not assigned an IP address to the Ethernet card, or if you use the default setting (including when you select DHCP to acquire an IP address), you can’t configure the Ethernet card for NetBEUI using the Ethernet card home page.

Then, follow these steps to access the Ethernet card home page and configure the card:

1. Run EPSON Net!2. Click the printer you want to configure from the list, and click the

Launch Browser button. EPSON Net!2 closes automatically.

Or, run the browser and type the IP address for the Ethernet card. Do not run EPSON Net!2 while the browser is running.

Type the following URL:

http:// (IP address of the Ethernet card) /

The home page appears.

2. Click NetBEUI under Network on the Configuration menu. The NetBEUI setting screen appears.

3. Select

Enable in order to use NetBEUI.

If Disable is on, all NetBEUI related functions stop.

The NetBIOS name is the name of your computer on the network. Make sure to give the printer a unique name for the network.

For the workgroup name, type the domain name or the workgroup name used in the Windows network.

4. Type the NetBIOS name (up to 15 characters), the workgroup name (up to 15 characters), and the device name (up to 8 characters). There are some restrictions on the characters you can use. For details, see your browser or operating system documentation

5. Click SUBMIT to update the settings. If you have set a password, type the password to update the settings when prompted.

6. If the message “Configuration change is complete!” appears on your screen, the update is complete. Enable the changes by pressing printer off and on.

RESET or turning your

Installing the Printer Driver on the Workstations

This chapter describes how to install the printer driver. For Windows computers, you need to change the port settings and for Macintosh computers, you need to select the printer in the Chooser. Unless you are on a Windows NT Server network, you need to install the printer driver on each workstation to enable it to print.

If you like, you can also install Status Monitor 2 on Windows 98, Windows 95, and Windows NT 4.0 workstations to monitor the ink levels and keep track of other information about your printer. Status Monitor 2 does create traffic, so you might want to limit the number of users who monitor the printer. To install Status Monitor 2, see the instructions on page 23.

If you are using only Windows 98 and/or Windows 95 on a TCP/IP network, you must install EPSON Status Monitor 2 on each workstation.

If your workstation does not have a CD-ROM drive, you can create diskettes from the CD-ROM using another computer. See page 103 for instructions.

Installing the Printer Driver

The printer driver is on the printer software CD-ROM that came with your printer. If you have a Windows NT Server 4.0 network, you don’t need to install the driver on each workstation. See your Windows NT documentation to set up sharing.

Installing in Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows NT 4.0

1. Insert the printer software CD-ROM. You see the EPSON Installation Program screen:

If you do not see the screen, click Start, Run, and type the drive letter of your CD-ROM). Then click

2. Highlight

3. Click

Your printer is automatically set to your local port, LPT1. You need to change it to follow the network path to your printer by adding a port. See the section below.

Install Printer Driver and click the right arrow button .

OK to install the printer driver.

OK.

:\EPSETUP (where D: is

Changing Your Port Setting

Follow the steps below to change the port setting. In Windows NT 4.0, make sure the TCP/IP Print Server service is running before you start.

1. Click

2. Right-click the

3. Select

4. In Windows 98 or Windows 95, click the

In Windows NT 4.0, click the

5. Click

6. In Windows 98 or Windows 95, click EPSON_TCPIP_Printer that your printer is set up on. Then click

In Windows NT 4.0, click name you want to assign. Click

Start, point to Settings, and click Printers.

EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N printer icon.

Properties.

Details tab.

Ports tab.

Add Port.

Browse and choose the server or

OK.

LPR Port, then type the printer’s IP address and the

OK, Close, and OK again.

Installing in Windows 3.1x

1. Make sure Windows Program Manager is running and exit any open application programs.

2. Insert the printer software CD-ROM.

3. Open the File menu and select

4. Type

:\EPSETUP (where D: is the drive letter of your CD-ROM) and click OK.

Run.

You see the Software Installation screen (shown on page 50).

5. Highlight

6. Click

Install Printer Driver and click the right arrow button .

OK to install the software.

Your printer is automatically set to your local port, LPT1. You need to change it to follow the network path to your printer. See the section below.

Changing Your Port Setting

Follow these steps to change the port setting under Windows 3.1x:

1. Open the Print Manager and select printers.

2. Select

3. In the New Connection area, type the network path and port, or click find the network path to your printer.

4. Click

Network Connections from the Options menu.

Connect and then click Close.

EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N from the list of

Browse to

Installing on a Macintosh

1. Turn on your printer and your Macintosh and turn off any virus protection programs you may have.

2. Insert the printer software CD-ROM.

3. Double-click the

4. Follow the instructions on the screen and restart your computer.

Installer icon.

To use the printer or configure the printer’s Ethernet card, you need to select the SC 900 (AT) printer in the Chooser and make sure AppleTalk is turned on. See your Macintosh documentation for more information.

Printing a Test Page

If you have a Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows NT 4.0 workstation, follow the steps below to test the printer and make sure that the network is working correctly. Make sure the printer is turned on and a sheet of letter-sized paper is loaded.

1. Point to

2. Right-click the

Start, Settings, and click Printers.

EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N icon and click Properties.

You see the printer driver screen.

3. Click the

General tab and click Print Test Page. The test page is printed and a

screen asks you to confirm that it printed correctly.

If the test page does not print, see page 93 or page 128 in your electronic Chapter 12, Troubleshooting, in your for solutions to possible problems.

EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual

and

Administrator’s Manual

Installing and Using Your Electronic Manual

This chapter describes how to install the EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual on your hard disk and how to view the manual using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Installing the Manual

Follow the instructions below for your operating system to copy the electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual from the CD-ROM to your hard disk:

Windows 95, 98, and NT: Insert the printer software CD-ROM into your

■

CD-ROM drive. Then use Windows Explorer or My Computer to copy the file

900Ndoc.pdf to a directory on your hard disk.

Windows 3.1: Insert the printer software CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.

■

Then use Windows File Manager to locate the file directory on your hard disk.

■ Macintosh: Insert the printer software CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive. Then

drag-and-drop the

You’ll need to have Acrobat Reader installed on your hard disk to view the manual. If you do not already have it, install it from the printer software CD-ROM as described below.

MANUAL folder icon to your hard disk.

900Ndoc.pdf and copy it to a

Installing Acrobat Reader

Follow the instructions below to install Acrobat Reader on your hard disk, if necessary:

Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT: Insert the printer software

■

CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive. When you see the Installation Program screen, select Install Adobe Acrobat Reader and click the right arrow button . Follow the instructions on the screen to install Acrobat Reader.

■ Windows 3.1: Insert the printer software CD-ROM into your CD-ROM

drive. Open the Program Manager File menu and select

:\ADOBE\16BIT\ACRO16.EXE (where D: is your CD-ROM drive letter) or use

Browse button to locate the file. Click OK and follow the instructions on the

the screen to install Acrobat Reader on your hard disk. The installation creates an Adobe Acrobat program group in Program Manager.

■ Macintosh: Insert the printer software CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive.

Double-click the

Reader 3.01 Installer icon and follow the instructions on the

screen to install Acrobat Reader.

Run. Type

Opening Your Electronic Manual

Follow the instructions below for your operating system to open your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual:

■ Windows 95, 98, and NT: Open Windows Explorer or My Computer and

double-click the open the File menu, click

■ Windows 3.1: Open File Manager and double-click the

file doesn’t open, start Acrobat Reader, open the File menu, click

900ndoc.pdf file.

the

Macintosh: Locate the

■

hard disk and double-click it. The manual opens in Acrobat Reader automatically.

900ndoc.pdf file. If the file doesn’t open, start Acrobat Reader,

Open and select the 900ndoc.pdf file.

900ndoc.pdf file. If the

Open and select

900N MANUAL.PDF icon in the MANUAL folder on your

Navigating an Electronic Manual

When you open an electronic manual, you’ll see this toolbar:

Bookmarks and Page First Page

Last Page

There are several ways to navigate through electronic manuals:

■

Click on hot topics, which are usually underlined or displayed in a different color. To find out if a topic is hot, move your cursor over it. If the cursor turns into a pointing hand, the topic is hot—you can jump to it by clicking once.

■ If the manual has bookmarks, use the bookmark section on the left side of the

screen to move quickly to the topic of your choice. Click the show bookmarks icon on the toolbar to see the bookmark section.

■

Use the arrow buttons in the toolbar or the vertical scroll bar on the right side of the document to move through a manual. (The box to the left of the scroll bar displays the current page number.)

■ If you need more information, open Acrobat Reader’s Help menu and select the

online guide.

Basic Printing

This chapter describes what you need to do to print a basic document—such as a memo, newsletter, or photograph—from loading the paper to selecting print settings to controlling print jobs. Follow the step-by-step instructions for your operating system in these sections:

■ “Printing with Windows” on page 60

■ “Printing with a Macintosh” on page 64

For instructions on using special papers such as EPSON Photo Paper or envelopes, see page 73.

For instructions on customizing your settings to fine-tune your printouts, see “Using Custom Project Types” on page 67 and “Using the Advanced Dialog Box” on page 70.

Printing with Windows

1. Make sure your printer and computer are turned on.

2. Load a stack of plain paper with the printable side up and place it against the right edge guide. Then slide the left edge guide against the paper’s left edge, making sure the stack is lower than the arrow on the guide. If you are using letterhead or preprinted paper, be sure the top of the paper feeds into the printer first.

load paper only up to this arrow

slide paper against the right edge guide

3. Open a Windows application program and select a document to print.

4. Open the File menu and click

Print. You see the Print dialog box for your

application (the Print dialog box for your application may look slightly different):

Make sure your printer is selected here

If you see a Properties button, click it

5. Make sure

If you see Setup, Printer, or Options, click that button instead; then click Properties in the next screen

EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N is selected.

6. If your application’s Print dialog box contains a Properties button, click

Properties and go to step 7.

If you see a

Setup, Printer, or Options button, click it. Then click Properties on

the next screen.

In Windows 3.1, you won’t see a Properties button; just click

Options until you see the window in step 7.

Setup, Printer, or

7. Now you see the printer settings dialog box. If necessary, click the display the settings shown below:

Media Type setting

Automatic mode setting

Ink setting

Quality/Speed slider

Main tab to

Automatic mode setting

Media Type setting

Windows 95, 98, or NT

Quality/Speed slider

Ink setting

Windows 3.1

8. Check the following settings:

■

Make sure the Media Type is set to Plain paper. (If you load a different type of paper, select the corresponding Media Type for it, as described on page 76. For instructions on loading special paper, see page 73.)

■

Make sure Ink is set to Color if you want to print in color.

■

Set the Mode option to Automatic. This is the easiest way to get good printing results for all kinds of documents, on all types of paper.

■ Move the Quality/Speed slider to the Quality setting. This selects high quality

printing for your media. (The slider is not available for some media types. You can use a higher resolution on some papers on the Advanced [More Settings in Windows 3.1] dialog box; see page 70 for instructions.)

9. Click the

Paper tab at the top of the dialog box if you need to change the paper

size, number of copies, or page orientation.

Paper Size setting

Copies, Orientation, and Printable Area settings. Rotate by 180° is not available with Windows 3.1

10. Click the Layout tab (not available with Windows 3.1) if you want to reduce or enlarge your printed image, print multiple pages on one sheet of paper, or add a watermark.

Reduce/Enlarge, Print Layout, and Watermark settings

11. Click

12. Click

OK until you see the Print dialog box again.

OK to start printing. After a moment, the Progress Meter (Despooler in

Windows 3.1) appears and shows the progress of your print job. You can cancel , pause , or restart your print job as necessary.

Windows 95, 98, NT Windows 3.1

For more information on printing, see the electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual. See page 55 for instructions on viewing the manual.

Printing with a Macintosh

1. Make sure your printer and Macintosh are turned on.

load paper only up to this arrow

slide paper against the right edge guide

3. Open a Macintosh application program and select a document to print.

4. Open the File menu and choose

Page Setup (Document Setup in some

applications). You see a Page Setup dialog box like this:

Paper Size setting

5. Choose your paper size, page orientation, and printable area settings. Then

OK.

click

6. Now open the File menu and choose Print. You see the main printer settings dialog box:

Media Type setting

Automatic mode setting

7. Check the following settings:

■

Make sure the Media Type is set to Plain Paper. (If you load a different type of paper, select a corresponding Media Type for it, as described on page 76. For instructions on loading special paper, see page 73.)

■

Make sure Ink is set to Color if you want to print in color.

■

Set the Mode option to Automatic. This is the easiest way to get good printing results for all kinds of documents, on all types of paper.

Ink setting

Quality/Speed slider

■ Move the Quality/Speed slider to the Quality setting. This selects high quality

printing for your media. (The slider is not available for some media types. You can use a higher resolution on some papers on the Advanced dialog box; see page 70 for instructions.)

8. Click the Layout icon if you want to reduce or enlarge your printed image, print multiple pages on one sheet of paper, or add a watermark.

9. Click the Background Printing icon if you want to prioritize or schedule your print job for printing.

10. Click the Preview icon, then click the

Preview button that appears, if you

want to preview how your layout and other settings will look.

The Print button changes to the Preview button

11. Click Print to start printing.

If you turned on background printing, you see the EPSON Monitor3 dialog box to show you the print job’s progress. You can cancel , pause , or restart your print jobs as necessary.

Job currently printing

Jobs waiting to print

Click to set priorities or print times for waiting print jobs

For more information on printing, see the electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual. See page 55 for instructions on viewing the manual.

Using Custom Project Types

Your EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N printer software includes custom project types with preset options for printing specific types of documents or images—such as photographs, graphics, text, and drafts. These custom project types let you quickly select the best settings for your particular type of document and paper. Some project types may not be available, depending on your operating system and the Media Type and Ink settings you choose.

You can also make detailed settings on the Advanced dialog box to fit your individual needs, as described on page 70.

Follow these steps to print with custom project types:

1. Create your image or document in your application software.

2. Access the printer settings dialog box as described in “Printing with Windows” on page 60 or “Printing with a Macintosh” on page 64.

3. Choose the

Media Type you want to print on. (If you’re not sure which setting to

choose, see “Selecting the Correct Media Type” on page 76.)

4. Choose

5. Click

Settings

Color or Black ink.

Custom (in Windows 3.1, click Advanced), and then click Custom

. You see the list of project types.

Click Custom, then click here to see a list of project types

Click Advanced, then click here to see a list of project types

Windows 95, 98, NT

Windows 3.1

Click Custom, then click here to see a list of project types

Macintosh

Always choose your Media Type and Ink setting before you select a custom project type. Some project types may not be available with the Media Type or Ink settings you choose.

Printing with PhotoEnhance3 or PhotoEnhance

™

may take

longer on some systems and images.

6. Choose the right setting for your project and Media Type following these guidelines:

■

PhotoEnhance3 (Windows 95, 98, NT, or Macintosh) or PhotoEnhance

(Windows 3.1): For printing images captured using a video camera, scanner, or digital camera. Produces sharper images and more vivid colors by automatically adjusting the contrast, saturation, and brightness.

■ Digital Camera (not available with Windows 3.1): For printing images

captured using a scanner or digital camera.

■

Text/Graph: For printing graphics-intensive documents like presentations

with charts and graphs.

■ Economy: For printing rough drafts of text on plain paper. Saves ink.

■ ICM (Image Color Matching; Windows 95 and Windows 98 only):

For printing documents created in an ICM compatible application.

■

sRGB (Standard Red Green Blue; not available with Windows 3.1;

recommended only with Windows 98): For printing documents created in an sRGB compatible application using sRGB colors, such as those designed for the World Wide Web. See your Windows 98 online help for details.

■

ColorSync (Macintosh only): Automatically adjusts printout colors to closely

match the colors on your screen.

7. In Windows, click the

Paper and Layout tabs (not available on Windows 3.1) to

check or change any necessary settings.

On a Macintosh, check or change any necessary settings on the Page Setup and the Layout dialog boxes.

8. When you’re finished, click application uses for printing or click

OK (Windows), then click any other buttons your

Print (Macintosh).

Using the Advanced Dialog Box

For maximum control over your project, you can customize your print settings and special effects. You can even save your custom settings as a group so you can use them whenever you print a similar project. For more information, see your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual.

1. Create your image or document in your application software. Then access the printer settings dialog box as described in “Printing with Windows” on page 60 or “Printing with a Macintosh” on page 64.

2. Click

Custom, and then click the Advanced button. (In Windows 3.1, click

Advanced, then click the More Settings button.) You see the Advanced dialog

box (called More Settings in Windows 3.1):

Click here to change your Print Quality (resolution)

Windows 95, 98, NT

Some of these options are automatically set or disabled by other settings you choose

Windows 3.1

Click here to change your Print Quality (resolution)

Some of these options are automatically set or disabled by other settings you choose

Macintosh

3. Choose the

Media Type

and

Ink

settings you want to use. These settings are the same as the ones you selected on the main printer settings dialog box. You can change them here as you customize your settings, if needed.

The available Print Quality settings may be limited by the Media Type you choose.

4. Choose one of the following Print Quality options

■

Economy: For low-resolution rough drafts on plain paper. Saves ink.

■

Normal - 360 dpi: For most documents on plain paper, transparencies, or

360 dpi Ink Jet Paper.

■ Fine - 360 dpi: For high-speed, high-quality output.

■ Photo - 720 dpi: For excellent high-resolution output.

■

Photo - 1440 dpi: For the highest-resolution output.

5. Choose one of the following Halftoning options:

■

No Halftoning: Select when printing black text only.

■

Error Diffusion: For printing photographic images. Blends each color dot with

the dots around it.

■ Fine Dithering: For printing graphs or other images that require precise, solid

areas of bright colors.

6. Choose any of the following print options:

■

MicroWeave: This option is automatically selected or disabled by the Print

Quality you choose and is not user selectable. MicroWeave prints in finer increments to eliminate unwanted banding (light horizontal lines).

■

High Speed: For fast, bidirectional printing.

■

Flip Horizontal: For printing a mirror image of your document. Use with

iron-on transfer paper so your ironed-on printout will read correctly.

■ Finest Detail: For printing text, graphics, and line art with very sharp edges.

Slows print speed and requires additional memory.

7. Select a color management system (the availability depends on your operating system):

■ Color Adjustment mode lets you choose just the level of adjustment you need,

from Automatic mode to No Color Adjustment (for using other color management software). You can then individually adjust the levels of Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation in your image, and increase or decrease the amount of Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow inks used to print your image.

■

PhotoEnhance3 (Windows 95, 98, NT, or Macintosh) or PhotoEnhance

(Windows 3.1): For printing images captured using a video camera, scanner, or digital camera. Use the example photograph on the screen to help you adjust the Tone of your photo or correct common digital image flaws using Digital Camera Correction mode and the Sharpness button.

■

ICM (Image Color Matching; Windows 95 and Windows 98 only)

For printing documents created in an ICM compatible application.

■ sRGB (Standard Red Green Blue; not available with Windows 3.1;

■ ColorSync (Macintosh only): Automatically adjusts printout colors to closely

match the colors on your screen.

After you customize your print settings for a special project, you can save them as a group. Then you can reuse them whenever you print a similar project. Click Save Settings in the Advanced dialog box. Type a name for your setting group and click OK. (In Windows 3.1, Save Settings is on the main printer settings dialog box.)

8. Select any other settings you need to change in the printer software.

9. Click printing or click

OK (Windows), then click any other buttons that your application uses for

Print (Macintosh).

For complete instructions on using all your printer software’s settings, see your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual.

Using Special Papers

How can you get the best-looking photos, most vivid colors, and sharpest text? Always use EPSON’s special ink jet papers. To show you how much difference EPSON paper can make, we’ve included some free samples.

Check out the EPSON Photo Paper Pack that came with your printer. Then follow the instructions below to print your favorite photos and documents on EPSON paper.

For a list of EPSON special ink jet papers and ordering information, see the inside back cover. For complete instructions on using all EPSON special ink jet papers, see your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual.

EPSON Photo Paper

Your EPSON Photo Paper Pack includes letter-size and 4 ×6-inch Photo Paper. You

can use EPSON Photo Paper to print photographs that look almost as good as the

ones you get from film processing. EPSON 4 ×6-inch Photo Paper is

micro-perforated around the edges so you can trim your printouts and “bleed” the photo—extend it to the edge of the paper—on all sides. Photo Paper is also available

in A4 (8.3 × 11.7 inches) and Panoramic (8.27 × 23.4 inches) sizes.

Keep the following in mind when using EPSON Photo Paper:

■

Always load the paper with the whiter (glossier) side facing up.

■ Load up to 20 sheets of 4 × 6-inch, letter-size, or A4-size Photo Paper or 1 sheet

of Panoramic paper. Use a support sheet if it is included in the paper package.

■ To keep your printouts looking their best, store them in a resealable plastic bag or

other airtight covering and protect them from heat, humidity, and direct sunlight. Return unused paper to the original package as soon as you finish printing.

If you’re using letter-size Photo Paper, follow the instructions in “Printing with Windows” on page 60 or “Printing with a Macintosh” on page 64 to load and print on the paper. Be sure to select

Photo Paper as the Media Type setting.

If you’re using 4 ×6-inch Photo Paper, follow these steps:

1. Load the paper against the right edge guide with the glossy side facing up and the perforated margins positioned as shown:

You can load up to 20 sheets of 4 ×6-inch

Photo Paper at a time. Make sure you place the included support sheets A and B beneath the stack, but don’t print on them.

2. Slide the left edge guide against the left edge of the paper.

3. When you create the image in your application software, size it to 4.25 × 6.25

inches. You can also use your printer software’s Reduce/Enlarge settings, as described in your EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual.

0.67 in

trim size

4. Choose

5. Choose

0.24 in

0.12 in

0.24 in0.12 in

Photo Paper as the Media Type

Photo Paper 4 × 6 in as the Paper Size setting and Maximum

setting.

printed image size

as the Printable Area setting.

6. After you print your picture, fold the paper back and forth along the perforations and carefully tear the margins off.

Envelopes

You can load up to 10 envelopes at a time. Load the envelope flap edge first and printable side up. Place it against the right edge guide and adjust the left edge guide as shown here.

You may get better results if you press each envelope flat before loading it, or try loading one envelope at a time.

Select the correct envelope size as the Paper Size setting in the printer software.

Set the thickness lever to the media, as shown here. (Make sure you return the lever to the print on regular media.)

Plain paper as the Media Type and choose

+ position when you print on envelopes or other thick

0 position before you

Selecting the Correct Media Type

When you print on special media, you need to be careful about choosing the correct Media Type setting in your printer software. Check the table below if you’re not sure which setting to choose. For details on loading special media, see your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual.

For this media name . . . Select this Media Type setting . . .

Plain paper sheets or envelopes

EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper

EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper

EPSON High Quality Ink Jet Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards

EPSON Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheets

EPSON Photo Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film

EPSON Photo Stickers

EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies

If you use special paper that comes with a cleaning sheet, don’t use the cleaning sheet with your printer; it may jam inside the printer.

Plain paper

360 dpi Ink Jet Paper

Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper

Photo Paper

Photo Quality Glossy Film

Ink Jet Transparencies

Maintaining Your Printer

This section describes the most common maintenance procedures you’ll need to perform to keep your printer working at its best and to prepare it for moving. Just follow the instructions in this chapter for:

■

Cleaning the print head

■

Replacing an ink cartridge

■

Aligning the print head

■

Transporting the printer

For more details, see your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual as described on page 55.

Cleaning the Print Head

If your printed image is unexpectedly light or faint, or dots are missing from the image, you may need to clean the print head. This unclogs the nozzles so they can deliver ink properly.

Cleaning the print head uses ink, so clean it only if print quality declines. You can clean the print head in either of the following ways:

■

Using the Head Cleaning utility in your printer software (when the printer is connected to a local port, not over a network), as described on page 78

■ Using the printer’s control panel buttons, as described on page 79

Always wait until your document has finished printing before cleaning the print head.

If you use special paper that comes with a cleaning sheet, don’t use the cleaning sheet with your printer; it may jam inside the printer.

Using the Head Cleaning Utility

Follow these steps to run the Head Cleaning utility:

1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and both the

B black and

A color ink out lights are off.

2. Access the printer settings dialog box as described in “Printing with Windows” on page 60 or “Printing with a Macintosh” on page 64.

3. Click the

4. On the Utility menu, click the

Utility tab (Windows) or the Utility icon (Macintosh).

Head Cleaning icon.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen to clean the print head. Cleaning takes a little over a minute, during which the printer makes some noise and the

P power

light flashes.

6. When the

Never turn off the printer while the unless the printer hasn’t moved or made noise for more than 5 minutes.

P power light stops flashing, run a nozzle check to test the results and

P power light is flashing,

reset the cleaning cycle.

Make sure paper is loaded in the printer and click

Print nozzle check pattern

(Windows) or Confirmation (Macintosh). Then click Next. The nozzle check pattern prints; see “Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern” on page 80 for details.

7. If the nozzle check pattern is filled in completely, click

If the pattern is missing dots, click

Clean to clean the print head again. If you

Finish.

don’t see any improvement after cleaning two or three times, check the solutions in “Problems Getting Good Print Quality” on page 93.

Using the Control Panel

Follow these steps to clean the print head using the control panel:

1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and both the

B black and

A color ink out lights are off.

2. Press the little over a minute, during which the printer makes some noise and the

R cleaning button and hold it down for three seconds. Cleaning takes a

P power

light flashes.

3. After the

Never turn off the printer while the unless the printer hasn’t moved or made noise for more than 5 minutes.

P power light stops flashing, print a page to test the print quality and

P power light is flashing,

reset the cleaning cycle.

If you’re using Windows or Macintosh, run a nozzle check. Go to step 4.

If you’re using DOS, open an application and print a document containing black and color data. Then go to step 8.

4. Start an application, open a document, and access the printer settings dialog box as described in “Printing with Windows” on page 60 or “Printing with a Macintosh” on page 64.

5. Click the

Utility tab (Windows) or the Utility icon (Macintosh). You see the

Utility menu.

6. Make sure paper is loaded in the printer, click the

Next. The nozzle check pattern prints on the printer; see “Examining the Nozzle

Nozzle Check icon, and click

Check Pattern” on page 80 for details.

7. If the nozzle check pattern is filled in completely, click

If the pattern is missing dots, click

Clean to clean the print head again.

Finish.

8. If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning two or three times, check the solutions in “Problems Getting Good Print Quality” on page 93.

Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern

Examine the nozzle check pattern you print. It should look something like this:

Each staggered horizontal and straight vertical line should be complete, with no gaps in the dot pattern. If your printout looks okay, you’re done. If any dots are missing, as shown to the right, clean the print head again; see page 77 for instructions.

missing dots

Replacing an Ink Cartridge

When the ink. This is a good time to make sure you have a new cartridge. When the light stays on, the cartridge is empty and you need to replace it. You cannot print if either ink cartridge is empty.

You can also check your ink levels using the EPSON status monitor (not available for Windows 3.1). See your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual for details.

Use these EPSON ink cartridges within six months of installing them and before the expiration date on the package:

■ Black ink cartridge T003011

■

Color ink cartridge T005011

B black or

To ensure good results, use genuine EPSON ink cartridges and do not refill them. Other products may cause damage to your printer not covered by EPSON’s warranty.

A color ink out light flashes, the indicated cartridge is low on

When you need new ink cartridges, contact your dealer or call EPSON Accessories at (800) 873-7766 or visit our web site at www.epsonsupplies.com (U.S. sales only). In Canada, please call (800) 873-7766 for dealer referral.

If you need to replace an ink cartridge before the lights flash (because the ink is too old, for example) follow the instructions in “Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge” on page 83.

Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges

You can replace a cartridge when the

B black or

A color ink out light is either

flashing or on. (If you perform these steps when both ink out lights are off, the printer cleans the print heads as described on page 77.)

Follow these steps to replace ink cartridges:

1. Remove the new ink cartridge from its packaging.

2. Remove only the yellow part of the tape

Remove the yellow tape

seal on top as shown to the right. Don’t pull off the blue portion or try to remove the clear seal underneath the cartridge.

black cartridge color cartridge

You must remove the yellow tape from the top of the cartridge or you will permanently damage it. Do not remove the clear seal from the bottom of the cartridge; ink will leak.

3. Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing, then open the printer cover.

4. Press the head moves left and the

R cleaning button and hold it for about three seconds until the print

P power light begins flashing. The print head moves to

the black or color cartridge replacement position, depending on which ink cartridge is empty.

To avoid damaging the printer, never move the print head by hand. Don’t open the clamp or remove a cartridge except to replace it with a new one. Once you remove a cartridge, you can’t reuse it, even if it contains ink.

5. Pull up the ink cartridge clamp. The cartridge rises up from its holder.

6. Lift the cartridge out of the printer and dispose of it carefully.

If ink gets on your hands, wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets into your eyes, flush them immediately with water.

7. Lower the new ink cartridge into its holder with the label facing up and toward the back of the printer.

8. Press down the ink cartridge clamp until it locks in place.

9. If you need to replace the other ink cartridge, repeat steps 4 through 8 before continuing with step 10.

10. Press the

R cleaning button and close the printer cover. The printer moves the

print head and begins charging the ink delivery system.

P power light flashes, and the printer makes various sounds. Charging takes

The about one minute. When it’s finished, the

Ppower light stops flashing and stays

on.

Never turn off the printer while the unless the printer hasn’t moved or made noise for more than 5 minutes.

P power light is flashing,

Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge

If an ink cartridge is more than six months old, you may need to replace it. How can you tell? You may notice that your printouts don’t look as good as they used to. If print quality doesn’t improve after cleaning and aligning the print head, you can replace one or both cartridges.

Follow these steps to replace an ink cartridge before the

B black or

A color ink out

light is flashing or on:

1. Remove the new ink cartridge from its packaging.

2. Remove only the yellow part of the tape seal on top as shown below. Don’t pull off the blue portion or try to remove the clear seal underneath the cartridge.

Remove the yellow tape

black cartridge

You must remove the yellow tape from the top of the cartridge or you will permanently damage it. Do not remove the clear seal from the bottom of the cartridge; ink will leak.

color cartridge

3. Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing, then open the printer cover.

4. Press the

E load/eject button and hold it down for three seconds until the print

head moves to the left to the black ink cartridge replacement position and the Ppower light begins flashing.

5. If you need to replace only the color ink cartridge, press the

E load/eject button

again until the print head moves to the color ink cartridge replacement position.

6. Pull up the ink cartridge clamp. The cartridge rises up from its holder.

7. Lift the cartridge out of the printer and dispose of it carefully.

If ink gets on your hands, wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets into your eyes, flush them immediately with water.

8. Lower the new ink cartridge into its holder with the label facing up and toward the back of the printer.

9. Press down the ink cartridge clamp until it locks in place.

10. Press the

E load/eject button. The print head

moves to the color ink cartridge replacement position. If you need to replace the color ink cartridge, repeat steps 6 through 9. Then continue with step 11.

11. Press the

E load/eject button again and close the printer cover.

The printer moves the print head and begins charging the ink delivery system.

P power light flashes and the printer makes various sounds.

The

Charging takes about one minute. When it’s finished, the

P power light stops

flashing and stays on.

Never turn off the printer while the unless the printer hasn’t moved or made noise for more than 5 minutes.

P power light is flashing,

Aligning the Print Head

If your printouts contain misaligned vertical lines, you may need to align the print head.

If you are using DOS, follow the instructions in your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual instead.

Follow these steps:

1. Make sure the printer is turned on and letter-size paper is loaded.

Load paper that’s at least 8.27 inches (210 mm) wide. This prevents ink from spraying inside the printer and smudging your printouts.

For the best results, load EPSON ink jet paper in the printer whenever you check the print head alignment.

2. Access the printer settings dialog box as described on page 61 (Windows) or page 65 (Macintosh).

3. Click the Utility menu.

4. Click the

5. Follow the instructions on the screen to print a test page and select the correct alignment.

Utility tab (Windows) or the Utility icon (Macintosh). You see the

Print Head Alignment icon.

Cleaning the Printer

To keep your printer working at its best, you should clean it several times a year. Follow these steps:

1. Turn off the printer, unplug the power cord, and disconnect the network cable.

2. Remove all the paper from the sheet feeder.

3. Clean the exterior of the printer with a soft, damp cloth.

4. Clean ink out of the printer’s interior with a soft, damp cloth.

Don’t touch the gears inside the printer.

Never use alcohol or thinner for cleaning; they can damage the printer components and case.

Don’t use a hard or abrasive brush.

Don’t get water on the printer components and don’t spray lubricants or oils inside the printer.

Don’t use any cleaning sheets included with special media; they may jam inside the printer.

Transporting the Printer

If you move your printer some distance, you need to prepare it for transportation in its original box. Follow these steps:

To avoid damage, always leave the ink cartridges installed when transporting the printer.

Be sure to remove the tape used in step 4 after installing the printer in its new location.

1. Turn on the printer and wait until the print head locks in the far right position. Then turn off the printer.

2. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet. Then disconnect the network cable from the printer.

3. Remove any paper from the printer and remove the paper support.

4. Open the printer cover. Secure the ink cartridge holder to the printer with tape as shown, then close the printer cover.

5. Push in the output tray extensions and close the tray.

6. Repack the printer and attachments in the original box using the protective materials that came with it. See the unpacking sheet that was packed with your printer.

Be sure to keep the printer level as you transport it. If you notice a decline in print quality after transporting the printer, clean the print head (see page 77); if output is misaligned, align the print head (see page 85).

Problem Solving

This section gives you the basics for diagnosing and solving printer problems. First see “Diagnosing Printer Problems” below to help determine what the cause of the problem may be. Then see “Problems and Solutions” on page 92 for solutions to common setup and software problems.

There are additional problem solving tips in the “Troubleshooting” section of your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual. If none of the suggested solutions solve your problem, contact your EPSON dealer or see “Where To Get Help” on page 100.

Diagnosing Printer Problems

You can diagnose some problems by checking the printer’s control panel lights, as described below. It may also be helpful to try running a printer check; see page 91 for instructions.

Checking the Control Panel Lights

paper out light

black ink out light

color ink out light

cleaning button

load/eject button

power button

power light

Follow these guidelines when the control panel lights come on or flash:

P is on The

flashes When the

is on When the

or A flash When an ink out light flashes, your ink supply is low. Make sure you

P and S flash, and

and A are on

are on When an ink out light comes on, you need to replace the ink

P power light is on when the printer is on and ready to print. It

flashes when the printer is receiving a print job or performing a maintenance operation, such as cleaning the print head.

S paper out light flashes, you have a paper jam. Turn off

the printer and gently pull out all paper. Make sure none of the sheets are curled, creased, old, stuck together, or too thin. Then reload the stack against the right edge guide and slide the left edge guide over to the paper’s left edge. Then turn the printer on.

S paper out light comes on, your paper is out or incorrectly

loaded. Make sure none of the sheets are curled, creased, old, stuck together, or too thin. Then reload the stack against the right edge guide and slide the left edge guide over to the paper’s left edge. Press the

have a replacement cartridge.

cartridge. See page 80 for instructions.

When the A color ink out lights come on, jammed paper may be blocking movement of the print head. Turn off the printer, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on. If no paper ejects, turn off the printer, remove the jammed paper, and turn it on again. If the lights still flash or stay on, contact your dealer or EPSON; see page 100 for contact information.

load/eject button to resume printing.

P power and

S paper out lights flash and the

B black and

P S B A flash When all the lights flash, your printer may have an internal error.

Make sure you removed all the packing material as described on the unpacking sheet in your printer box. Then turn off the printer, wait a few seconds, and turn it on again. If the lights still flash or stay on, contact your dealer or EPSON; see page 100 for contact information.

P S B A are off When all the lights are off, the printer is not receiving power. Try

these solutions:

■

Make sure the printer is turned on.

■

Turn off the printer, plug in the power cord securely, and turn on the printer again.

■

Make sure the outlet is not controlled by a switch or timer and is operable.

Running a Printer Check

You can run a printer check to determine whether the problem comes from the printer itself or some other source. Follow these steps to run the printer check:

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

2. Disconnect the interface cable from the printer.

3. Make sure paper is loaded in the printer.

Load paper that’s at least 8.27 inches (210 mm) wide. This prevents ink from spraying inside the printer and smudging your printouts.

4. Hold down the Continue holding down the

E load/eject button, then press and release the

E load/eject button until the

Ppower light starts to

Ppower button.

flash, then release it.

The printer prints one page showing its ROM version number, ink counter, and a nozzle check pattern. Only the nozzle check pattern is shown below.

5. To end the check, turn off the printer after it prints the check page. Then reconnect the interface cable and turn on your printer and computer.

■

If the results are satisfactory, the problem lies in your software settings, the interface cable, or your computer.

■ If the check page does not print correctly, you may have a problem with

your printer. First try cleaning the print head (see page 77). Then try the suggestions in “Problems and Solutions” on page 92 for more information.

Problems and Solutions

Here are some basic troubleshooting tips if you have any problems setting up your printer, installing software, or getting good print quality.

Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Its Software

If you installed the ink cartridges and the printer started making noise . . .

■

The first time you install ink cartridges, the printer must charge its ink delivery system for a couple minutes. Please wait until charging is finished (the light stops flashing) before you turn off the printer. If you turn off the printer while it is charging, it will begin charging again the next time you turn on the printer and use more ink than necessary.

■ Make sure the ink cartridge clamps are locked down completely and that no

packing material remains in the printer.

Ppower

If your printer makes noise when you turn it on or after it has been sitting for a while . . .

Your printer is performing routine maintenance.

If you’re having problems installing the printer software . . .

■ Carefully follow the instructions for installing the printer software on page 49 or

page 110.

■

Make sure your printer is turned on and the network cable is securely connected to the printer and hub.

■ Make sure you’ve closed all other applications, including any screen savers. Then

try installing the software again.

If your printer icon doesn’t appear in the Chooser (Macintosh) . . .

■

Your Macintosh has extension conflicts. Disable Quick Draw GX in the Extensions Manager. Make sure AppleTalk and SC 900 (AT) are enabled, and then restart your Macintosh. Also, make sure your AppleTalk connection is set to Ethernet.

■ You may have too many items in the Chooser. Delete any unused items and check

the Chooser again.

If you can’t see the ink level gauge when you print in Windows . . .

Make sure you installed both parts of Status Monitor 2. If you didn’t, uninstall your printer driver and Status Monitor 2, as described on page 97. Then, see page 23 to install Status Monitor 2. After that, re-install your printer driver, following the instructions on page 49. Once you’ve installed Status Monitor 2, make sure background monitoring is turned on. See your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 900N Manual for details on Status Monitor 2. (Status Monitor 2 is not available for Windows 3.1.)

Problems Getting Good Print Quality

If you see horizontal banding . . .

■ Make sure the print head nozzles are not clogged. To clean the print head, see

page 77.

Epson 900N User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Introduction

How to Use Your Documentation

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips

Windows/PC System Requirements

Macintosh System Requirements

Year 2000 Ready

Printer Parts

About Your Software

Important Safety Instructions

Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions

Setting Up Your Printer

Unpack the Printer

Attach the Paper Support

Install the Ink Cartridges

Load Paper

Connect the Printer to Your Network

Printing a Status Sheet

Configuring the Printer for the Network

Install the Network Software

Installing EPSON Net!2

Installing Status Monitor 2

Configuring for NetWare

Using NwAdmin to Set Up Your Printer

Using EPSON Net!2 to Configure the Card in Print Server Mode

Configuring for TCP/IP

Configuring for AppleTalk

Configuring for NetBEUI

Installing the Printer Driver on the Workstations

Installing the Printer Driver

Installing in Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows NT 4.0

Installing in Windows 3.1x

Installing on a Macintosh

Printing a Test Page

Installing and Using Your Electronic Manual

Installing the Manual

Installing Acrobat Reader

Opening Your Electronic Manual

Navigating an Electronic Manual

Basic Printing

Printing with Windows

Printing with a Macintosh

Using Custom Project Types

Using the Advanced Dialog Box

Using Special Papers

EPSON Photo Paper

Envelopes

Selecting the Correct Media Type

Maintaining Your Printer

Cleaning the print head

Using the Head Cleaning Utility

Using the Control Panel

Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern

Replacing an Ink Cartridge

Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges

Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge

Aligning the Print Head

Cleaning the Printer

Transporting the Printer

Problem Solving

Diagnosing Printer Problems

Checking the Control Panel Lights

Running a Printer Check

Problems and Solutions

Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Its Software

Problems Getting Good Print Quality