Epson B-308, B-508DN User Manual

Epson B-308/B-508DN 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 the 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.

Seiko Epson Corporation shall not be held liable for any damage resulting from electromagnetic interference that occurs from the use of any interface cables other than those designated as Epson Approved Products by Seiko Epson Corporation.

Epson is a registered trademark, Epson Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark, and EPSON Web-to-Page is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation.

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.

This information is subject to change without notice.

Safety Instructions

Important Safety Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Setting up the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Choosing a place for the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Using the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Handling ink cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Chapter 1 Using Your Software

Overview of Printer Driver and Status Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Accessing the printer driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Printing Web Pages to Fit to Your Paper Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Accessing EPSON Web-To-Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Uninstalling the Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Uninstalling the printer driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Uninstalling the User’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Chapter 2 Paper Handling

Using Special Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Paper loading capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Loading Paper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Front paper cassette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Rear sheet feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Using the Optional Legal-Size Paper Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Loading Envelopes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Setting Up the Output Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Selecting the Correct Paper Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chapter 3 Basic Printing

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Printing Documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Printing Photos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Printing Web Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Printing on Envelopes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Printing Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Loading paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Printer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Printing Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Preparing the print file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Loading paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Printer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Printing Web Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Loading paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Using EPSON Web-To-Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Printing on Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Loading envelopes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Printer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Canceling Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Using the Cancel button on the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Canceling from Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Chapter 4 Printing with Special Layout Options

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Fit to Page Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Pages Per Sheet Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Poster Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Watermark Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Standard double-sided printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Folded booklet double-sided printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Fit to Page Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Printer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Pages Per Sheet Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Printer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Poster Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Printer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

How to make a poster from your printouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Watermark Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Printing the watermark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Creating your own watermark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Chapter 5 Using the Control Panel

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

For B-508DN users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

For B-308 users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

For B-508DN users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Buttons and lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Icons on the LCD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

How to access the control panel menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Control panel menu list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Status and error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Printing the status sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

For B-308 users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Buttons and lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Status and error lights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Printing the status sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Chapter 6 Installing Options

Optional Legal-size Paper Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Installing the paper support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Optional Duplex Unit (B-308 only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Installing the duplex unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Uninstalling the duplex unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Chapter 7 Replacing Consumables

Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Checking the ink cartridge status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Purchasing Epson cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Handling precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Replacing an ink cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Maintenance Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Checking the maintenance box status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Purchasing a replacement maintenance box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Handling precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Replacing the maintenance box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Chapter 8 Maintaining Your Printer

Checking the Print Head Nozzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Using the Nozzle Check utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Using the control panel (B-508DN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Using the printer buttons (B-308) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Cleaning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Using the Head Cleaning utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Using the control panel (B-508DN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Using the printer buttons (B-308) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Aligning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Using the Print Head Alignment utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Using the control panel (B-508DN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Cleaning Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Cleaning the Inside of Your Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Using the control panel (B-508DN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Using the printer buttons (B-308) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Transporting Your Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Chapter 9 Using the Printer on a Network

Setting Up the Printer on a Network (for B-508DN Users only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Setting up your computers to use the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Setting Up the Printer as a Shared Printer for Windows (B-308/B-508DN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Setting up the print server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Setting up each client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Chapter 10 Troubleshooting

Diagnosing the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Error indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

EPSON Status Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Running a printer operation check (for B-508DN users) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Running a printer operation check (for B-308 users) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Checking Printer Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Using the progress meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Using EPSON Status Monitor 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

The Paper Jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Horizontal banding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Vertical misalignment or banding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Incorrect or missing colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Blurry or smeared printout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Ink bleeds through the page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Miscellaneous Printout Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Incorrect or garbled characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Incorrect margins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Printout has a slight slant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Inverted image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Blank pages print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Printed side is smeared or scuffed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Printing is too slow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Paper Does Not Feed Correctly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Paper does not feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Multiple pages feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Paper is improperly loaded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Paper is not ejected fully or is wrinkled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

The Printer Does Not Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

All lights are off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Lights came on and then went out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

The Power light is on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Increasing the Print Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Other Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Print head cleaning does not start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Color ink is consumed even when printing in black ink only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Appendix A Where To Get Help

Epson Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Speak to a Support Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Purchase Accessories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Appendix B Product Information

Printer Parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

B-508DN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

B-308. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Paper, Consumables, and Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Ink cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Maintenance box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Duplex unit (B-308 users only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Legal-size paper support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

System Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Technical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Ink cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Standards and approvals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

FCC Compliance Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

For United States Users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

WARNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

For Canadian Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Operating System Versions

Index

Safety Instructions

Important Safety Instructions

Read all of the instructions in this section before using the printer. Also, be sure to follow all

warnings and instructions marked on the printer.

Setting up the printer

Observe the following when setting up the printer:

❏ Do not block or cover the vents and openings in the printer.

❏ Use only the type of power source indicated on the printer’s label.

❏ Use only the power cord that comes with the printer. Use of another cord may result in fire or

electric shock.

❏ The printer’s power cord is for use with the printer only. Use with other equipment may result

in fire or electric shock.

❏ Be sure your AC power cord meets the relevant local safety standard.

❏ Avoid using outlets on the same circuit as photocopiers or air control systems that regularly

switch on and off.

❏ Avoid electrical outlets controlled by wall switches or automatic timers.

❏ Keep the entire computer system away from potential sources of electromagnetic interference,

such as loudspeakers or the base units of cordless telephones.

❏ Do not use a damaged or frayed power cord.

❏ If you use an extension cord with the printer, make sure that the total ampere rating of the

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

❏ Do not attempt to service the printer yourself.

Safety Instructions 9

❏ Unplug the printer and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following

conditions: The power cord or plug is damaged; liquid has entered the printer; the printer has been dropped or the casing damaged; the printer does not operate normally or exhibits a distinct change in performance.

❏ When connecting the printer to a computer or other device with a cable, ensure the correct

orientation of the connectors. Each connector has only one correct orientation. Inserting a connector in the wrong orientation may damage both devices connected by the cable.

❏ If damage occurs to the plug, replace the cord set or consult a qualified electrician. If there are

fuses in the plug, make sure you replace them with fuses of the correct size and rating.

❏ Do not hold the duplex unit when you lift the printer to prevent the duplex unit from becoming

detached. Also, make sure that the duplex unit is attached correctly after setting up the printer.

Choosing a place for the printer

Observe the following when choosing a place for the printer:

❏ Place the printer on a flat, stable surface that extends beyond the base of the printer in all

directions. If you place the printer by the wall, leave at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the back of the printer and the wall. The printer will not operate properly if it is tilted at an angle.

❏ When storing or transporting the printer, do not tilt it, stand it on its side, or turn it upside

down. Otherwise, ink may leak from the ink packs.

❏ Leave enough space in front of the printer for the paper to be fully ejected.

❏ Avoid places subject to rapid changes in temperature and humidity. Also, keep the printer

away from direct sunlight, strong light, or heat sources.

❏ Avoid places subject to dust, shocks, or vibrations.

❏ Leave enough room around the printer to allow for sufficient ventilation.

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

Using the printer

Observe the following when using the printer:

❏ Avoid touching the components inside the printer unless instructed to do so in this guide.

❏ Do not insert objects through the slots in the printer.

Safety Instructions 10

❏ Take care not to spill liquid on the printer.

❏ Do not touch the white flat cable inside the printer.

❏ Do not put your hand inside the printer during printing.

❏ Do not use aerosol products that contain flammable gases inside or around this product. Doing

so may cause fire.

❏ Do not move the print head by hand; otherwise, you may damage the printer.

❏ Always turn off the printer using the P Power button. When this button is pressed, the

P Power light flashes. Do not unplug the printer or turn off the power to the outlet until the P Power light stops flashing.

❏ Before transporting the printer, make sure that the print head is in the home (far right) position.

❏ Be careful not to trap your fingers when closing the printer cover.

Handling ink cartridges

Observe the following when handling ink cartridges:

❏ Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children and do not drink the ink.

❏ If ink gets on your skin, wash it off with soap and water. If it gets in your eyes, flush them

immediately with water.

❏ Shake the ink cartridge for 5 seconds before installing it for best results.

Caution:

Do not shake cartridges (that have been installed previously) with too much force.

❏ Do not use an ink cartridge beyond the date printed on the cartridge carton.

Safety Instructions 11

❏ Use up the ink cartridge within six months of installation for best results.

❏ Do not dismantle the ink cartridges. This could damage the print head.

❏ Store ink cartridges in a cool, dark place.

❏ After bringing an ink cartridge inside from a cold storage site, allow it to warm up at room

temperature for at least three hours before using it.

❏ Do not touch the green IC chip on the side of the cartridge. This may affect normal operation

and printing. The IC chip on this ink cartridge retains a variety of cartridge related-information, such as the ink cartridge status, so that the cartridge may be removed and reinserted freely. However, each time the cartridge is inserted, some ink is consumed because the printer automatically performs a reliability check. If you remove an ink cartridge for later use, protect the ink supply area from dirt and dust, and store it in the same environment as this product. Note that there is a valve in the ink supply port, making covers or plugs unnecessary, but care is needed to prevent the ink from staining items that the cartridge touches. Do not touch the ink supply port or surrounding area.

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes in this User’s Guide are defined as follows.

Warnings

must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.

Cautions

must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.

Notes

contain important information and useful tips on the operation of the printer.

Safety Instructions 12

Chapter 1

Using Your Software

Overview of Printer Driver and Status Monitor

The printer driver lets you choose from a wide variety of settings to get the best printing results.

Status Monitor and the printer utilities help you check the printer and keep it in top operating

condition.

Accessing the printer driver

You can access the printer driver from most Windows applications, the Windows Start menu, or

the taskbar.

To make settings that apply only to the application you are using, access the printer driver from

that application.

To make settings that apply to all of your Windows applications, access the printer driver from the

Start menu or the taskbar.

Refer to the following sections to access the printer driver.

Note:

Screen shots of the printer driver

but apply to the B-508DN and B-308.

in this manual are from Windows XP and from the B-500DN,

From Windows applications

1. Click Print or Print Setup on the File menu.

2. In the window that appears, click Printer, Setup, Options, Preferences, or Properties.

(Depending on your application, you may need to click one or a combination of these buttons.)

Using Your Software 13

From the Start menu

1. Windows Vista:

Click the start button, select Control Panel, and then select Printer from the Hardware and Sound category. (If the Control Panel is in Classic View, click Printers.)

Windows XP and Server 2003:

Click Start, Control Panel, then click Printers and Faxes. (If the Control Panel is in Category View, click Printers and Other Hardware, then click Printers and Faxes.)

Windows 2000:

Click Start, point to Settings, then click Printers.

2. Windows Vista:

Select the printer and then click Select printing preferences.

Windows XP, Server 2003, and 2000:

Select the printer, then click Printing Preferences on the File menu.

From the shortcut icon on the taskbar

Right-click the printer icon on the taskbar, then select Printer Settings.

To add a short cut icon to the Windows taskbar, first access the printer driver from the Start menu

as described above. Next, click the Maintenance tab, the Speed & Progress button, and then the

Monitoring Preferences button. In the Monitoring Preferences window, select the Select

Shortcut Icon check box.

Getting information through online help

You can access online help for items in the printer driver from your application or the Windows

Start menu.

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

In the printer driver window, try one of the following procedures.

❏ Right-click the item, then click Help.

❏ Click the button at the top right of the window, then click the item (for Windows XP and

2000 only).

Using Your Software 14

Printing Web Pages to Fit to Your Paper Size

EPSON Web-To-Page™ lets you make Web pages fit to your paper size when printing. You can

also see a preview before printing.

Note:

This software is not available for Windows Vista and XP x64.

Note for Windows Internet Explorer 7 users:

Printing web pages to fit to your paper size is a standard feature in Windows Internet Explorer 7, so EPSON

Web-To-Page is not necessary.

Accessing EPSON Web-To-Page

After you install EPSON Web-To-Page, the menu bar is displayed on the Windows Internet

Explorer Toolbar. If it does not appear, select Toolbars from the View menu of Internet Explorer,

and then select EPSON Web-To-Page.

Using Your Software 15

Uninstalling the Printer Software

Uninstalling the printer driver

You may need to uninstall your printer driver if you:

❏ Upgrade your computer’s operating system.

❏ Update your printer driver with a newer version.

❏ Have a problem with the printer driver.

If you are upgrading your operating system or updating the printer driver version, be sure to

uninstall the current printer driver before upgrading or installing the new driver. Otherwise, the

driver update will not work.

Note:

❏ To uninstall programs in Windows Vista, you need an administrator account and the password if you

log on as a standard user.

❏ To uninstall programs in Windows XP, you must log on to a Computer Administrator account.

❏ To uninstall programs in Windows 2000, you must log on as a user with administrative privileges

(belonging to the Administrators group).

1. Turn off the printer and disconnect its interface cable.

2. Windows Vista:

Click the start button and select Control Panel.

Windows XP and Server 2003:

Click Start and select Control Panel.

Windows 2000:

Click Start, point to Settings, and select Control Panel.

3. Windows Vista:

Click Uninstall a program from the Programs category, and then select EPSON Printer Software from the list.

Windows XP and 2000:

Select Add/Remove Programs and then select EPSON Printer Software from the list.

4. Windows Vista:

Click Uninstall/Change.

Using Your Software 16

Windows XP, Server 2003, and 2000:

Click Change/Remove.

5. Select the icon for your printer and click OK.

6. Click OK to uninstall the printer driver.

Uninstalling the User’s Guide

Note:

❏ To uninstall programs in Windows Vista, you need an administrator account and the password if you

log on as a standard user.

❏ To uninstall programs in Windows XP, you must log on to a Computer Administrator account.

❏ To uninstall programs in Windows 2000, you must log on as a user with administrative privileges

(belonging to the Administrators group).

1. Turn off the printer and disconnect its interface cable.

2. Windows Vista:

Click the start button and select Control Panel.

Windows XP and Server 2003:

Click Start, then select Control Panel.

Windows 2000:

Click Start, point to Settings, and select Control Panel.

3. Windows Vista:

Click Uninstall a program from the Programs category.

Windows XP, Server 2003, and 2000:

Select Add or Remove Programs.

4. Select this printer’s Manual from the list.

5. Windows Vista:

Click Uninstall/Change.

Windows XP, Server 2003, and 2000:

Click Change/Remove.

6. Click OK.

Using Your Software 17

Chapter 2

Paper Handling

Using Special Paper

You can achieve good results with most types of plain bond paper. However, coated papers

provide superior printouts because they absorb less ink.

Epson provides special papers that are formulated for the ink used in Epson ink jet printers, and

recommends these papers to ensure high-quality results.

& See “Paper, Consumables, and Options” on page 154.

When loading special paper distributed by Epson, read the instruction sheets packed with the

paper first and keep the following points in mind.

Note:

❏ Load the paper into the rear sheet feeder printable side up. The printable side is usually whiter or glossier.

See the instruction sheets packed with the paper for more information.

❏ If the paper is curled, flatten it or curl it slightly in the opposite direction before loading. Printing on

curled paper may cause ink to smear on your printout.

Paper Handling 18

Paper loading capacities

Refer to the table below for the loading capacities of Epson special paper and other paper.

Front paper cassette:

Media Type Loading Capacity

Epson Bright White Paper Up to 400 sheets

Plain paper Up to 500 sheets

Rear sheet feeder:

Media Type Loading Capacity

Plain paper (letter-size) Up to 150 sheets

Plain paper (legal-size) 1 sheet at a time (up to 60 sheets with

the optional legal-size paper support)

Epson Bright White Paper Up to 100 (70 sheets for manual

double-sided printing)

Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte Up to 20 sheets

Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte Double-Sided

Epson Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheets 1 sheet at a time

Epson Presentation Paper Matte Up to 100 sheets

Envelopes Up to 15 envelopes

1 sheet at a time

Note:

❏ If the paper is curled, flatten it or curl it slightly in the opposite direction. Make sure the paper stack fits

under the c arrow mark inside the edge guide.

❏ Maximum capacity for plain paper depends on the weight and thickness of the paper.

❏ The output tray has a maximum capacity of 170 sheets.

You can purchase genuine Epson ink and paper from an Epson authorized reseller. To find the nearest one,

call your nearest Epson sales office as described in “Epson Technical Support” on page 147.

Paper Handling 19

Loading Paper

Follow these steps to load paper:

Front paper cassette

1. Pull out the front paper cassette.

2. Squeeze the edge guides and slide them out.

MODIFY TO SHOW LETTER SIZE

3. Fan a stack of paper, then tap it on a flat surface to even the edges.

Paper Handling 20

4. Load the paper with the printable side down.

Note:

Avoid adding paper before running out of paper. Doing so may prevent the paper from feeding smoothly.

5. Squeeze the edge guides and slide them against the paper.

Paper Handling 21

6. Reinsert the cassette into the printer.

Note:

To avoid paper jams, do not force the front paper cassette into the printer and do not move the edge guides after inserting the cassette.

7. Slide out and extend the extension tray.

Note:

❏ Leave enough space in front of the printer for the paper to be fully ejected.

❏ Make sure the paper stack fits under the c arrow mark inside the left edge guide.

Paper Handling 22

Rear sheet feeder

1. Open the paper support.

2. Slide out and extend the extension tray.

3. Slide the edge guide to the left.

4. Fan a stack of paper, then tap it on a flat surface to even the edges.

Paper Handling 23

5. Load the paper with the printable side up, against the right side of the rear sheet feeder. Then slide the edge guide against the left edge of the paper.

Note:

❏ Leave enough space in front of the printer for the paper to be fully ejected.

❏ Always load paper into the rear sheet feeder short edge first, even when you are printing

landscape-oriented pictures.

❏ Avoid adding paper before running out of paper. Doing so may prevent the paper from feeding smoothly.

❏ Make sure the paper stack fits under the c arrow mark inside the left edge guide.

Using the Optional Legal-Size Paper Support

Align the legal-size paper support with the right side of the paper support and attach it as shown. You can load up to 60 sheets of plain legal-size paper (up to 20 lb or 75 g/m²).

Do not leave legal-size paper in the rear sheet feeder when you are not printing, or the sheets may curl.

Paper Handling 24

Loading Envelopes

Follow these steps to load envelopes:

1. Open the paper support.

2. Slide out and extend the extension tray.

3. Slide the left edge guide to the left.

Paper Handling 25

4. Load envelopes short edge first with the flap facing down and to the left. Then slide the left edge guide against the left edge of the envelopes.

Note:

❏ The thickness of envelopes and their ability to fold vary widely. If the total thickness of the stack of

envelopes exceeds 0.6 inch (15 mm), press down on the envelopes to flatten them before loading. If print quality declines when a stack of envelopes is loaded, load one envelope at a time.

❏ You can load up to 15 envelopes at a time in the rear sheet feeder.

❏ Do not use envelopes that are curled or folded.

❏ Flatten the envelope flaps before loading.

❏ Flatten the leading edge of the envelope before loading.

❏ Avoid using envelopes that are too thin, as they may curl during printing.

For printing instructions, see the following instructions. & See “Printing on Envelopes” on page 37.

Paper Handling 26

Setting Up the Output Tray

The output tray is located on the front paper cassette. Slide out the extension tray and then open the flap on the extension tray to prevent your prints from slipping off the printer. The maximum capacity of the output tray is 170 sheets.

Selecting the Correct Paper Type

The printer automatically adjusts itself for the type of paper you select in your print settings. That is why the paper type setting is so important. It tells your printer what kind of paper you are using and adjusts the ink coverage accordingly. The table below lists the settings you should choose for your paper.

For this paper Select this paper type setting

Plain paper Plain Paper/Bright White Paper

Epson Bright White Paper

Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte Premium Presentation Paper Matte

Epson Premium Presentation Paper Matte Double-Sided

Epson Presentation Paper Matte Presentation Paper Matte

Envelopes Envelope

Paper Handling 27

Chapter 3

Basic Printing

Introduction

This section guides you through the procedures for different kinds of printing.

Printing Documents

Explains how to print documents on various types of paper. & See “Printing Documents” on page 30.

Printing Photos

Explains how to print photos on various types of paper. & See “Printing Photos” on page 32.

Basic Printing 28

Printing Web Pages

Explains how to print Web pages so that they fit on a sheet of paper without getting cut off on the right side. & See “Printing Web Pages” on page 34.

Printing on Envelopes

Explains how to print on envelopes. & See “Printing on Envelopes” on page 37.

Basic Printing 29

Printing Documents

Loading paper

Refer to the section below for details on loading paper.

& See “Loading Paper” on page 20.

When using special Epson paper, refer to the section below.

& See “Using Special Paper” on page 18.

Printer settings

1. Open the file you want to print.

2. Access the printer settings.

Basic Printing 30

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

3. Click the Main tab, then select one of the following Quality Option settings:

❏ Draft for rough drafts with reduced print quality

❏ Text for text-only documents with higher text quality

❏ Text & Image for higher quality documents with text and images

4. Select the paper source as the Source setting.

5. Select the appropriate Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

6. Select the appropriate Size setting. You can also define a custom paper size. For details, see the online help.

Basic Printing 31

7. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

8. Click OK to close the printer settings window.

9. Print your file.

Note:

You can also print on both sides of the paper.

& See “Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing” on page 40.

Printing Photos

Preparing the print file

You need to adjust the image file to the size of the paper. If your application has margin settings, make sure that the margins are within the printable area of the page. & See “Printable area” on page 157.

Loading paper

Refer to the section below for details on loading paper.

& See “Loading Paper” on page 20.

When using special Epson paper, refer to the section below.

& See “Using Special Paper” on page 18.

Basic Printing 32

Printer settings

Follow these steps to adjust your printer settings.

1. Access the printer settings.

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

2. Click the Main tab, then select Photo in the Quality Option settings:

3. Select the paper source as the Source setting.

4. Select the appropriate Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

5. Select the appropriate Size setting. You can also define a custom paper size. For details, see the online help.

Basic Printing 33

6. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

7. Click OK to close the printer settings window.

After completing the steps above, print one test copy and examine the results before printing an entire job.

Printing Web Pages

Loading paper

Refer to the section below for details on loading paper.

& See “Loading Paper” on page 20.

When using special Epson paper, refer to the section below.

& See “Using Special Paper” on page 18.

Using EPSON Web-To-Page

The EPSON Web-To-Page software lets you print Web pages so that they fit within the width of your selected paper.

Note:

This software is not available for Windows Vista and XP x64.

Note for Windows Internet Explorer 7 users:

Printing web pages to fit to your paper size is a standard feature in Windows Internet Explorer 7.

1. In Internet Explorer, go to the Web page you want to print.

Basic Printing 34

If you have installed EPSON Web-To-Page, the EPSON Web-To-Page toolbar appears on the Internet Explorer window.

2. Click the Print button on the toolbar. The Print window appears.

Note:

If you want to preview the layout of your printout, click the Preview button on the toolbar.

Basic Printing 35

3. Right-click the printer icon and choose Printing Preferences in Windows XP and 2000.

4. Click the Main tab, then select Web as the Quality Option settings:

5. Select the paper source as the Source setting.

6. Select the appropriate Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

7. Select the appropriate Size setting. You can also define a custom paper size. For details, see the online help.

8. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

9. Click OK to close the printer settings window.

10. Print your page.

Basic Printing 36

Printing on Envelopes

Loading envelopes

Refer to the section below for loading envelopes.

& See “Loading Envelopes” on page 25.

Refer to the section below for the printable area.

& See “Printable area” on page 157.

Printer settings

1. Access the printer settings.

Basic Printing 37

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

2. Click the Main tab, then select one of the following Quality Option settings:

❏ Text for most envelopes

❏ Text & Image to print images on the envelope

3. Select Rear Tray as the Source setting.

4. Select Envelope as the Type setting.

5. Select the appropriate envelope size from the available Size settings. You can also define a custom size. For details, see the online help.

6. Select Landscape as the Orientation setting.

7. Click OK to close the printer settings window.

8. Print your envelope.

Basic Printing 38

Canceling Printing

If you need to cancel printing, follow the instructions in the appropriate section below.

Using the Cancel button on the printer

For B-508DN users

Press the + Cancel button to cancel a print job in progress.

For B-308 users

Press the ) Paper/Cancel button to cancel a print job in progress.

Canceling from Windows

When you start printing, the progress meter appears on your computer screen.

Click the Stop button to cancel printing.

Basic Printing 39

Chapter 4

Printing with Special Layout Options

Introduction

You can print with a variety of layouts for special projects, such as booklets and posters.

Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing

Lets you print on both sides of the paper. & See “Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing” on page 42.

Fit to Page Printing

Lets you automatically enlarge or reduce the size of your document to fit the paper size selected in the printer driver. & See “Fit to Page Printing” on page 55.

Printing with Special Layout Options 40

Pages Per Sheet Printing

Lets you print two or four pages on a single sheet of paper. & See “Pages Per Sheet Printing” on page 58.

Poster Printing

Lets you enlarge material on a single document page to cover 4, 9, or 16 printed sheets of paper, and then make a poster. & See “Poster Printing” on page 61.

Printing with Special Layout Options 41

Watermark Printing

Lets you print text or an image as a watermark on each page of your printout. & See “Watermark Printing” on page 67.

For example, you can put “Confidential” on an important document.

Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing

Two types of double-sided printing are available: standard and folded booklet.

Standard double-sided printing lets you automatically print on both sides of the page (on plain paper only), using the duplex unit.

Without the duplex unit, you can print the odd-numbered pages first. Once these pages are printed, you can reload them to print the even-numbered pages onto the opposite side of the paper.

Printing with Special Layout Options 42

Folded booklet double-sided printing allows you to make single-fold booklets. The pages that will appear on the outside (after the page is folded) are printed first. The pages that will appear inside the booklet can then be printed after you reload the paper into the printer.

✽: Binding edge

You can create a booklet by printing pages 1 and 4 on the first sheet of paper, pages 5 and 8 on the second sheet, and pages 9 and 12 on the third sheet.

After you reload these sheets into the rear sheet feeder, you can then print pages 2 and 3 on the back of the first sheet of paper, pages 6 and 7 on the back of the second sheet, and pages 10 and 11 on the back of the third sheet.

The resulting pages can then be folded and bound together into a booklet.

Note:

❏ Depending on the paper, stacks of up to 30 sheets can be loaded into the rear sheet feeder during

double-sided printing.

❏ Only use papers that are suitable for double-sided printing. Otherwise, the printout quality may

deteriorate.

❏ Depending on the paper and the amount of ink used to print text and images, ink may bleed through to

the other side of the paper.

❏ The surface of the paper may be smeared during double-sided printing.

Printing with Special Layout Options 43

Standard double-sided printing

Automatic double-sided printing (using the duplex unit)

Follow the steps below to print odd- and even-numbered pages onto opposite sides of the sheet using the duplex unit.

Note:

The duplex unit is standard on the B-508DN and available as an option for the B-308. Automatic double-sided printing supports plain paper and Epson Bright White Paper only.

1. Access the printer settings.

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

Printing with Special Layout Options 44

2. Click the Main tab, then select one of the following Quality Option settings:

❏ Draft for rough drafts with reduced print quality

❏ Text for text-only pages

❏ Text & Image for higher quality pages with text and images

❏ Web for web pages

❏ Photo for good quality and speed

3. Select the paper source as the Source setting.

4. Select Plain Paper/Bright White Paper as the Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

5. Select the appropriate Size setting.

6. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

7. Select Duplex Printing.

8. Click OK to save your settings.

9. Click OK or Print to start printing.

Note:

Do not try to pull out your prints before both sides of the page are printed.

Special settings for automatic double-sided printing (using the duplex unit)

When you print photos or heavy text on both sides of the page, you can adjust the print density and drying time to prevent ink from bleeding through to the other side. You can also adjust the margins to allow for binding your pages.

Note:

Automatic double-sided printing supports plain paper and Epson Bright White Paper only.

1. Access the printer settings.

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

2. Select the appropriate Quality Option, Paper Options, and Orientation.

& See “Automatic double-sided printing (using the duplex unit)” on page 44.

Printing with Special Layout Options 45

3. Click the Page Layout tab, then select the Duplex Printing check box.

4. Select Auto to use the automatic double-sided printing function.

5. Click Adjust Print Density to open the Print Density Adjustment window.

Printing with Special Layout Options 46

6. Select the appropriate document type as the Select Document Type setting.

7. Specify the Print Density and Increased Ink Drying Time as the Adjustments setting.

Note:

When you print dense photos on both sides of the paper, reduce the print density and increase the drying time to improve quality.

8. Click OK to return to the Page Layout window.

9. Click Margins to open the Margins window.

10. Specify the edge of the paper where the binding will be placed. You can choose Left, Top, or Right.

11. Choose cm or inch as the Unit setting. Then specify the width of the binding margin. You can enter any width from 0.12 to 1.18 inches or 0.3 to 3.0 cm.

Note:

The actual binding margin may be different from the specified settings depending on your application. Experiment with a few sheets to examine actual results before printing the entire job.

12. Click OK to return to the Page Layout window. Then click OK to save your settings.

13. Load paper into the printer, then send the print job from your application.

& See “Loading Paper” on page 20.

Note:

Do not try to pull out your prints before both sides of the page are printed.

Printing with Special Layout Options 47

Manual double-sided printing

Follow the steps below to print odd- and even-numbered pages onto opposite sides of the sheet.

1. Access the printer settings.

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

2. Click the Main tab, then select one of the following Quality Option settings:

❏ Draft for rough drafts with reduced print quality

❏ Text for text-only pages

❏ Text & Image for higher quality pages with text and images

❏ Web for web pages

❏ Photo for good quality and speed

Printing with Special Layout Options 48

3. Select Rear Tray as the Source setting.

4. Select the appropriate Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

5. Select the appropriate Size setting.

6. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

7. Click the Page Layout tab, then select the Duplex Printing check box.

8. Select Manual to use manual double-sided printing function.

Printing with Special Layout Options 49

9. Click Margins to open the Margins window.

10. Specify the edge of the paper where the binding will be placed. You can choose Left, Top, or Right.

11. Choose cm or inch as the Unit setting. Then specify the width of the binding margin. You can enter any width from 0.12 to 1.18 inches, or from 0.3 to 3.0 cm.

Note:

The actual binding margin may be different from the specified settings depending on your application. Experiment with a few sheets to examine actual results before printing the entire job.

12. Click OK to return to the Page Layout window. Then click OK to save your settings.

13. Load paper into the rear sheet feeder, then send the print job from your application. Instructions for generating the even-numbered pages will be displayed while the odd-numbered pages are printed.

& See “Loading Paper” on page 20.

14. Follow the on-screen instructions to reload the paper.

Note:

❏ The paper may curl during printing due to the amount of ink used. Should this occur, slightly curl

the sheets in the opposite direction before reloading them.

❏ Align the sheet stack by tapping its edges against a hard, flat surface before reloading the stack.

❏ Follow the on-screen instructions when reloading the printouts. Otherwise, paper may jam or the

binding margins may be incorrect.

❏ If a paper jam occurs, refer to the following.

& See “The Paper Jams” on page 131.

Printing with Special Layout Options 50

15. Once the paper is reloaded, click Resume to print the even-numbered pages.

Folded booklet double-sided printing

Manual double-sided printing

Use the following steps to create a folded booklet.

Note:

Folded booklet double-sided printing function is available only when manual double-sided printing is set.

1. Access the printer settings.

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

Printing with Special Layout Options 51

2. Click the Main tab, then select one of the following Quality Option settings:

❏ Draft for rough drafts with reduced print quality

❏ Text for text-only pages

❏ Text & Image for higher quality pages with text and images

❏ Web for web pages

❏ Photo for good quality and speed

3. Select Rear Tray as the Source setting.

4. Select the appropriate Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

5. Select the appropriate Size setting.

6. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

Printing with Special Layout Options 52

7. Click the Page Layout tab and select the Duplex Printing check box. Then select Manual and select the Folded Booklet check box.

8. Click Margins to open the Margins window.

Printing with Special Layout Options 53

9. Specify the edge of the paper where the binding will be placed. You can choose Left, Top, or Right.

Note:

When you select Portrait as the Orientation setting, the Left or Right binding positions are available. The Top binding position is available when you select Landscape as the Orientation setting.

10. Choose cm or inch as the Unit setting. Specify the width of the binding margin.

Portrait Landscape

*: Folding edge

** : Margin

You can enter any width from 0.12 to 1.18 inches, or from 0.3 to 3.0 cm. The specified margin width will be used on both sides of the fold. For example, if you specify a 1 inch margin, you will get a 2 inch margin (a margin of 1 inch will be placed on each side of the fold).

11. Click OK to return to the Page Layout window. Then click OK to save your settings.

12. Load paper into the rear sheet feeder, then send the print job from your application. Instructions for printing the inside pages will be displayed while the outside pages are printed.

& See “Loading Paper” on page 20.

13. Follow the on-screen instructions to reload the paper.

Note:

❏ The paper may curl during printing due to the amount of ink used. Should this occur, slightly curl

the sheets in the opposite direction before reloading them.

❏ Align the sheet stack by tapping its edges against a hard, flat surface before reloading it in the printer.

Printing with Special Layout Options 54

❏ Follow the instructions provided when reloading the printouts. Otherwise, paper may jam or the

binding margins may be incorrect.

❏ If a paper jam occurs, refer to the following.

& See “The Paper Jams” on page 131.

14. Once the paper is reloaded, click Resume to print the inside pages.

15. Once printing is complete, fold the sheets and bind them together using a stapler or other binding method.

Fit to Page Printing

You can use the Fit to Page printing function when you want to print, for example, a letter size document on another size paper.

Fit to Page printing automatically resizes your page to the paper size you select. You can also resize your page manually.

Printer settings

1. Access the printer settings.

Printing with Special Layout Options 55

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

2. Click the Main tab, then select one of the following Quality Option settings:

❏ Draft for rough drafts with reduced print quality

❏ Text for text-only pages

❏ Text & Image for higher quality pages with text and images

❏ Web for web pages

❏ Photo for good quality and speed

3. Select the paper source as the Source setting.

4. Select the appropriate Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

Printing with Special Layout Options 56

5. Select the appropriate Size setting.

6. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

7. Click the Page Layout tab, then select the Reduce/Enlarge Document check box.

8. Do one of the following:

❏ If you selected By Output Paper Size, select the size of the paper you are using from the

drop-down list.

❏ If you selected By Percentage, use the arrows to choose a percentage.

9. Click OK to close the printer settings window.

After completing the steps above, print one test copy and examine the results before printing an entire job.

Printing with Special Layout Options 57

Pages Per Sheet Printing

Pages Per Sheet printing allows you to print two or four pages on single sheets of paper.

Printer settings

1. Access the printer settings.

Printing with Special Layout Options 58

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

2. Click the Main tab, then select one of the following Quality Option settings:

❏ Draft for rough drafts with reduced print quality

❏ Text for text-only pages

❏ Text & Image for higher quality pages with text and images

❏ Web for web pages

❏ Photo for good quality and speed

3. Select the paper source as the Source setting.

4. Select the appropriate Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

Printing with Special Layout Options 59

5. Select the appropriate Size setting.

6. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

7. Click the Page Layout tab, select Multi-Page, then select Pages Per Sheet.

8. Select from the following settings for Pages Per Sheet printing:

2, 4 Prints two or four pages of your document on a single piece of paper.

Print Page Borders

Page Order Allows you to specify the order in which the pages will be printed on the sheet

Prints frames around the pages printed on each sheet.

of paper. Some settings may be unavailable, depending on the Orientation setting on the Main window.

9. Click OK to close the printer settings window.

After completing the steps above, print one test copy and examine the results before printing an entire job.

Printing with Special Layout Options 60

Poster Printing

Poster printing allows you to print poster-size images by enlarging one page to cover several sheets of paper.

Printer settings

1. Access the printer settings.

Printing with Special Layout Options 61

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

2. Click the Main tab, then select one of the following Quality Option settings:

❏ Draft for rough drafts with reduced print quality

❏ Text for text-only documents

❏ Text & Image for higher quality pages with text and images

❏ Web for web pages

❏ Photo for good quality and speed

3. Select the paper source as the Source setting.

4. Select the appropriate Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

Printing with Special Layout Options 62

5. Select the appropriate Size setting.

6. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

7. Click the Page Layout tab and select Multi-Page, then select Poster Printing. Click the up or down arrow to select 2x1, 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4.

Printing with Special Layout Options 63

8. Click Settings to adjust the way your poster will be printed. The Poster Settings window opens.

9. Make the following settings:

Print Cutting Guides

Overlapping Alignment Marks

Trim Lines Prints border lines on the panels to guide you when trimming the pages.

Prints guide lines for cutting.

Slightly overlaps the panels and prints alignment markers so that the panels can be aligned more precisely.

Note:

If you want to print only a few of the panels without printing the entire poster, click the panels that you do not want to print.

10. Click OK to close the Poster Settings window.

After completing the steps above, print one test copy and examine the results before printing an entire job. Then follow the instructions. & See “How to make a poster from your printouts” on page 65.

Printing with Special Layout Options 64

How to make a poster from your printouts

Here is an example of how to make a poster with 2x2 selected under Poster Printing and Overlapping Alignment Marks selected as the Print Cutting Guides.

1. Cut off the margin of Sheet 1 along a vertical line through the center of the top and bottom cross marks:

2. Place the edge of Sheet 1 on top of Sheet 2 and align the cross marks, then temporarily tape the two sheets together from the back:

Printing with Special Layout Options 65

3. Cut the taped sheets in two along a vertical line through the alignment markers (this time, a line to the left of the cross marks):

4. Align the edges of the paper using the alignment markers and tape them together from the back:

5. Repeat the instructions from step 1 to step 4 to tape Sheets 3 and 4 together.

6. Repeat the instructions from step 1 to step 4 to tape the top and bottom edges of the paper:

7. Cut off the remaining margins.

Printing with Special Layout Options 66

Watermark Printing

Watermark printing allows you to print a text-based or image-based watermark on your document.

Printing the watermark

1. Access the printer settings.

Printing with Special Layout Options 67

& See “Accessing the printer driver” on page 13.

2. Click the Main tab, then select one of the following Quality Option settings:

❏ Draft for rough drafts with reduced print quality

❏ Text for text-only documents with higher text quality

❏ Text & Image for higher quality documents with text and images

3. Select the paper source as the Source setting.

4. Select the appropriate Type setting.

& See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 27.

5. Select the appropriate Size setting.

6. Select Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to change the orientation of your printout.

Printing with Special Layout Options 68

7. Click the Page Layout tab, choose the desired watermark from the Watermark list, then click Settings.

If you want to create your own watermark, see the following instructions. & See “Creating your own watermark” on page 70.

Printing with Special Layout Options 69

8. Specify the settings you want for the watermark. You can change the position and size of the watermark by dragging the image within the preview window.

9. Click OK to return to the Page Layout window.

10. Click OK to close the printer settings window.

After completing the steps above, print one test copy and examine the results before printing an entire job.

Creating your own watermark

You can add your own text-based or image-based watermarks to the Watermark list.

Printing with Special Layout Options 70

1. Click Add/Del under Watermark on the Page Layout window. The following window appears.

2. Do one of the following:

❏ To use an image file as a watermark, select BMP. Click Browse to locate the bitmap file you

want to use, then click Open. Type a name for your watermark in the Name text box, then click Save.

❏ To create a text-based watermark, select Text. Type your text in the Text box. This text will

also be used as the watermark name. If you want to change the watermark name, type a new name in the Name text box, then click Save.

3. Click OK to return to the Page Layout window.

Printing with Special Layout Options 71

4. Click Settings. The following window appears:

5. Make sure that the appropriate watermark is selected in the Watermark list, then select Color, Position, Density, Size, Font, Style, and Angle settings. (For details, see the online help.) Your settings are reflected in the preview window.

6. When you finish making settings, click OK.

Printing with Special Layout Options 72

Chapter 5

Using the Control Panel

Introduction

You can use the printer’s control panel to access a variety of menus that allow you to check the status of consumable products, print status sheets, and make printer settings. This section describes how to use the control panel.

For B-508DN users

Explains how to use the control panel for B-508DN.

❏ “Buttons and lights” on page 74

❏ “Icons on the LCD” on page 76

❏ “How to access the control panel menus” on page 77

❏ “Control panel menu list” on page 78

❏ “Status and error messages” on page 80

❏ “Printing the status sheet” on page 82

For B-308 users

Explains how to use the control panel for B-308.

❏ “Buttons and lights” on page 83

❏ “Status and error lights” on page 85

❏ “Printing the status sheet” on page 87

Using the Control Panel 73

For B-508DN users

The control panel of the printer consists of 7 buttons, 3 lights, and a liquid crystal display (LCD).

Buttons and lights

The table below describes the functions of the buttons on the control panel.

Button Description

Turns the printer on or off.

Power button

Cancels the print job if pressed during printing.

Returns to the Ready status when pressed in Menu mode.

Cancel button

Using the Control Panel 74

Left button

Up button

Down button

Right button

OK button

Returns to the previous level when pressed in Menu mode.

Changes the parameter in the reverse order when selecting a desired parameter in Menu mode.

Changes the parameters in forward order when selecting a desired parameter in Menu mode.

Enters Menu mode when pressed in the Ready status.

Selects a desired menu when pressed in Menu mode.

Sets the selected parameter in the selected item in Menu mode.

Executes the item if the selected item is for execution only.

Feeds the paper when paper feed failed.

The table below describes the meanings of the lights on the control panel. The lights let you know the status of the printer and the type of an error when it occurs.

Light Description

On: The installed ink cartridge is expended. The ink cartridge is not installed.

Ink status light (orange)

Paper status light

(orange)

The installed ink cartridges cannot be used with the printer. The cartridge lock lever is in the unlocked position. The installed maintenance box is at the end of its service life. The maintenance box is not installed. The installed maintenance box cannot be used with the printer. The maintenance box cover is open.

Flashing: The installed ink cartridge is nearly expended. The maintenance box is nearing the end of its service life.

On: No paper is loaded in the paper source. The printer loads more than one sheet of paper at a time.

Flashing: Paper is jammed.

Using the Control Panel 75

On:

Power light (green)

The printer is in the Ready status.

Flashing: The printer is starting. The printer is printing. The printer is cleaning the print head. The printer is charging the ink. The printer is canceling printing.

Off: The printer is off.

Icons on the LCD

This section describes the meaning of icons displayed on the LCD screen.

The table below describes the meaning of ink cartridge status icon.

Icon Description

The icon gives a rough estimate of the useable ink remaining in the ink cartridge.

The installed ink cartridge is nearly expended.

The installed ink cartridge is expended.

The ink cartridge is not installed.

The installed ink cartridges cannot be used with the printer.

The table below describes the meaning of maintenance box status icon.

Icon Description

The icon gives a rough estimate of the remaining capacity of the maintenance box.

The installed maintenance box is nearing the end of its service life.

Using the Control Panel 76

The installed maintenance box is at the end of its service life.

The maintenance box is not installed.

The installed maintenance box cannot be used with the printer.

How to access the control panel menus

This section describes how to enter Menu mode and make settings with the buttons on the control panel.

Note:

❏ Press the + Cancel button whenever you want to exit Menu mode and return to the Ready status.

❏ Press the l Left button to return to the previous step.

1. Make sure that READY appears on the LCD screen, and then press the r Right button. The first menu appears on the LCD screen.

2. Press the d Down or u Up button to scroll through the menus.

3. Press the OK or r Right button to select the desired menu. The first item appears on the LCD screen.

4. Press the d Down or u Up button to scroll through the items.

5. Press the OK or r Right button to select the desired item. The first parameter appears on the LCD screen.

6. Press the d Down or u Up button to scroll through the parameters.

7. Press the OK button to store the selected parameter. If the parameter is for execution only, press the OK button to execute the function for the item.

After execution, the printer returns to the previous menu.

8. Press the + Cancel button. The printer returns to the Ready status.

Using the Control Panel 77

Control panel menu list

This section describes the parameter for each item in the menu.

Printer setting menu

This menu allows you to configure the basic printer setting.

Language

You can select the language displayed on the LCD screen from the following list: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese.

Test print menu

This menu allows you to make settings related to test print.

Nozzle check

You can print a print head nozzle check pattern for each ink cartridge. From the printing results, you can check whether the nozzles are delivering ink properly.

& See “Checking the Print Head Nozzles” on page 105.

Status sheet

You can print the current printer status.

& See “Printing the status sheet” on page 82.

Network sheet

You can print the current settings of the network interface.

Printer status menu

This menu allows you to check the current printer status.

Version

You can check the firmware version.

Maintenance box

You can get a rough estimate of the remaining capacity of the maintenance box.

Using the Control Panel 78

Maintenance menu

This menu allows you to make settings related to maintenance.

Head alignment

You can print a head alignment test pattern. From the printing results, you can adjust the head alignment.

Cleaning

You can clean the print head. You can also print a nozzle check pattern before cleaning.

Cleaning sheet

You can clean up the rollers inside the printer.

Contrast adj.

You can adjust the contrast of the LCD screen. Press the u Up or d Down button to adjust contrast.

Network setting menu

This menu allows you to make network settings.

Item Parameter

Network setup Auto -

Panel IP address 000.000.000.000–255.255.255.255

Subnet mask 000.000.000.000–255.255.255.255

Default gateway 000.000.000.000–255.255.255.255

Init N/W set -

Network setup

You can select the method to configure the network settings.

When Auto is selected, the printer obtains the IP address, Subnet mask and Default gateway automatically. When Panel is selected, you can specify the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway settings using the control panel. When Init N/W set is selected, you can revert the network settings of the printer to the factory default value.

Using the Control Panel 79

IP address, Subnet mask, Default gateway

You can set the IP address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway to the printer. To change the parameter, press the l Left or r Right button to move cursor and the u Up or d Down button to change number.

Status and error messages

This section describes the meaning of messages displayed on the LCD screen.

The table below describes the status messages.

Message Description

Cancel The print job is canceled.

Charging ink The printer is charging the ink.

Cleaning The printer is cleaning the print head.

Please wait The printer is starting.

The printer is initializing the settings.

Printing The printer is processing data.

Ready The printer is ready to print.

Power save The printer is in the power save mode.

Power off The printer is shutting down.

Using the Control Panel 80

The table below contains error messages, a brief description of each message and suggestions for correcting the problem.

Message Problem Solutions

Service call see guide Service call error occurs. Turn off the printer and then back on. If

the error does not clear, contact Epson.

& See “Where To Get Help” on page

147.

Printer near end of service life

Nozzle maint error see guide

Printer error restart printer Printer error occurs. Turn off the printer and make sure paper

Close maint box cover The maintenance box cover is open. Close the maintenance box cover.

Set maint box The maintenance box is not installed. Install the maintenance box.

Parts inside the printer are at the end of their service life.

Print head nozzles are clogged or misaligned.

Contact Epson to replace the parts.

& See “Where To Get Help” on page

147.

Perform a nozzle check and print head cleaning.

& See “Checking the Print Head Nozzles” on page 105.

& See “Cleaning the Print Head” on page 107.

Press the OK button to recover from error status.

is not jammed.

& See “The Paper Jams” on page 131.

If the error still does not clear, contact Epson.

& See “Where To Get Help” on page

147.

The maintenance box cannot be used with the printer.

Replace maint box The maintenance box is full. Replace the maintenance box.

Move ink lever down The cartridge lever is in the unlocked

position.

Set ink cartridge The ink cartridge is not installed. Install the ink cartridge.

Replace ink cartridge The ink cartridge cannot be used with

the printer.

The ink cartridge is expended. Replace the ink cartridge.

Install a genuine maintenance box.

& See “Replacing the maintenance box” on page 103.

Move the cartridge lever to the locked position.

Install a genuine ink cartridge.

& See “Replacing an ink cartridge” on page 95.

Using the Control Panel 81

Set paper in cassette Paper is not loaded in the front paper

cassette.

Load the paper in the front paper cassette.

Set paper in auto feeder Paper is not loaded in the rear sheet

feeder.

Remove jammed paper Paper is jammed in front paper cassette

or rear sheet feeder.

Double feed jam remove paper

Close printer cover The printer cover is open during printing. Close the printer cover.

Set duplex unit The duplex unit is removed. Attach the duplex unit.

Duplex unit jam remove paper

The printer feeds more than one sheet of paper at a time.

Paper is jammed in duplex unit. Remove the jammed paper.

Load the paper in the rear sheet feeder.

Remove the jammed paper.

& See “The Paper Jams” on page 131.

Remove the jammed paper, and then press the OK button.

& See “The Paper Jams” on page 131.

Printing the status sheet

While in Menu mode, you can print a status sheet to see the current default values. To print a status sheet, follow the steps below.

1. Make sure that letter/A4 size paper is loaded in the front paper cassette.

2. Press the r Right button to enter Menu mode.

3. Press the d Down or u Up button to display TEST PRINT, and then press the OK or r Right button.

4. Press the d Down or u Up button to display STATUS SHEET, and then press the OK or r Right button.

5. Press the OK button to start printing a status sheet.

After printing is finished, the printer returns to the Test print menu.

Using the Control Panel 82

For B-308 users

The control panel of the printer consists of 3 buttons and 7 lights.

Buttons and lights

The table below describes the functions of the buttons on the control panel.

Button Description

Turns the printer on or off.

Power button

Cleans the print head if pressed and held for 3 seconds.

Prints a status sheet if the P Power button is pressed while holding down the H Ink button.

Ink button

Feeds and ejects the paper.

Restart printing when a double feed error is detected.

Paper/Cancel button

Feeds the paper when paper feed failed.

Ejects the paper when the paper is jammed.

Cancels the print job if pressed during printing.

Prints the firmware version and the nozzle check pattern for each ink cartridge if the P Power button is pressed while holding down the ) Paper/Cancel button.

Using the Control Panel 83

The table below describes the functions of the lights on the control panel. The lights let you know the status of the printer and the type of an error when it occurs.

Light Description

Ink status light (orange)

Maintenance box status

light (orange)

Paper status light

(orange)

Power light (green)

On: The installed ink cartridge is expended. The ink cartridge is not installed. The installed ink cartridges cannot be used with the printer.

Flashing: The installed ink cartridge is nearly expended.

On: The installed maintenance box is at the end of its service life. The maintenance box is not installed. The installed maintenance box cannot be used with the printer. The maintenance box cover is open. The cartridge lever is in the unlocked position.

Flashing: The maintenance box is nearing the end of its service life.

On: No paper is loaded in the paper source. The printer loads more than one sheet of paper at a time.

Flashing: Paper is jammed. The duplex unit is not installed.

On: The printer is in the Ready status.

Flashing: The printer is starting. The printer is printing. The printer is cleaning the print head. The printer is charging the ink. The printer is canceling printing.

Off: The printer is off.

Maintenance box status light is also on for these errors.

Maintenance box status light also flashes for this error.

Using the Control Panel 84

Status and error lights

This section describes the meaning of lights on the control panel.

The table below describes the lights showing the printer status.

= on, = flashing

Light Description

The printer is ready to print.

The printer is starting.

The printer is printing.

The printer is cleaning the print head.

The printer is charging the ink.

The print job is canceled.

The table below contains the lights showing the errors, a brief description and suggestions for correcting the problem.

= on, = flashing

Lights Problem and solution

Ink end

The installed ink cartridge is expended. Replace the ink cartridge.

Ink cartridge error

The ink cartridge is not installed. Install an ink cartridge.

The ink cartridge is not detected. Install the ink cartridge again.

The installed ink cartridge cannot be used with the printer.

Ink low

The ink cartridge is nearly expended. Obtain a new ink cartridge.

Install a genuine ink cartridge.

Using the Control Panel 85

Maintenance box at the end of its service life

The maintenance box is at the end of its service life.

Maintenance box error

The maintenance box is not installed. Install the maintenance box.

The maintenance box is not detected. Install the maintenance box again.

The maintenance box cannot be used with the printer.

The maintenance box cover is open. Close the maintenance box cover.

Cartridge lever unlocked

The cartridge lever is in the unlocked position.

Maintenance box nearing the end of its service life

The maintenance box is nearing the end of its service life.

Paper out

Paper is not loaded. Load the paper, and then press the

Replace the maintenance box.

Install a genuine maintenance box.

Move the cartridge lever to the locked position.

Obtain a new maintenance box.

) Paper/Cancel button.

Double feed error

The printer feeds more than one sheet of paper at a time.

Paper jam

The paper is jammed. Remove the jammed paper.

Paper size error

The paper size set in the printer driver and the size of loaded paper differ.

Duplex unit error

The duplex unit is not installed. Install the duplex unit.

Remove the jammed paper, and then press the ) Paper/Cancel button.

& See “The Paper Jams” on page 131.

Match the paper size setting.

Using the Control Panel 86

Printer cover open

The printer cover is open during printing. Close the printer cover.

Printer error, restart printer

A printer error has occurred Turn off the printer and make sure paper is

not jammed.

& See “The Paper Jams” on page 131.

If the error still does not clear, contact Epson.

& See “Where To Get Help” on page 147.

Service required

(Lights flash alternately)

Parts inside the printer are at the end of their service life.

Nozzle maintenance required

Print head nozzles are clogged or misaligned.

Unknown printer error

An unknown printer error has occurred. Turn the printer off and then back on. If the

All lights

Contact Epson to replace them.

& See “Where To Get Help” on page 147.

Perform the nozzle check and print head cleaning.

& See “Checking the Print Head Nozzles” on page 105.

& See “Cleaning the Print Head” on page

107.

Press the H Ink button to recover from error status.

error does not clear, contact Epson.

& See “Where To Get Help” on page 147.

Printing the status sheet

You can print a status sheet to see the current default values. To print a status sheet, follow the steps below.

1. Make sure that letter/A4 size paper is loaded in the front paper cassette.

2. Turn off the printer.

3. Turn on the printer while holding down the H Ink button.

The printer prints the status sheet.

Using the Control Panel 87

Chapter 6

Installing Options

Optional Legal-size Paper Support

Installing the paper support

Align the legal-size paper support with the right side of the paper support and attach it as shown. You can load up to 60 sheets of plain legal-size paper (up to 20 lb or 75 g/m²).

Do not leave legal-size paper in the rear sheet feeder when you are not printing, or the sheets may curl.

Optional Duplex Unit (B-308 only)

Installing the duplex unit

Follow the steps below to install the duplex unit.

1. Turn off the printer.

2. Press the hooks on both sides of the upper rear printer cover, and then remove the upper rear printer cover.

Installing Options 88

Note:

The removed upper rear printer cover should be retained since it will be necessary if you remove the duplex unit.

3. Insert the bottom side of the duplex unit first, and then attach the duplex unit.

Installing Options 89

Uninstalling the duplex unit

Follow the steps below to uninstall the duplex unit.

1. Turn off the printer.

2. Remove the duplex unit by pulling it while holding down the buttons on both sides of the duplex unit.

3. Attach the upper rear printer cover.

Installing Options 90

Chapter 7

Replacing Consumables

Ink Cartridges

Checking the ink cartridge status

Using the control panel (B-508DN)

To check the ink cartridge status, see “Icons on the LCD” on page 76.

Using the printer lights (B-308)

To check the ink cartridge status, see the B Ink status light for each color. The B Ink status lights let you know the status of the ink cartridge.

Ink status light Status

Off The ink cartridge has enough ink for printing.

Flashing The ink cartridge is nearly expended.

On The ink cartridge is expended.

Using the printer utility

Note:

Epson cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of non-genuine ink. If non-genuine ink cartridges are installed, the ink cartridge status will not be displayed.

To check the ink cartridge status, do one of the following:

❏ Double-click the printer shortcut icon on your Windows taskbar. To add a shortcut icon to the

taskbar, refer to the following section. & See “From the shortcut icon on the taskbar” on page 14.

❏ Open the printer driver, click the Maintenance tab, then click the EPSON Status Monitor 3

button.

Replacing Consumables 91

A graphic displays the ink cartridge status.

Note:

If any of the ink cartridges installed in the printer is broken, incompatible with the printer model, or improperly installed, EPSON Status Monitor 3 will not display an accurate calculation of the ink cartridge status. Be sure to replace or reinstall any ink cartridges indicated by EPSON Status Monitor 3.

❏ The progress meter appears automatically when you start a print job. Click the Check Ink

Levels button, and then you can check the ink cartridge status from this window.

Replacing Consumables 92

Note:

To display the progress meter automatically, click the Maintenance tab in the printer driver window, click Speed & Progress, and then select the Show Progress Meter check box.

Replacing Consumables 93

Purchasing Epson cartridges

You can purchase genuine Epson ink and paper afrom an Epson authorized reseller. To find the nearest one, call your nearest Epson sales office as describe in “Epson Technical Support” on page 147.

Purchase genuine Epson Cartridges and use them within six months of installing them and before the expiration date on the cartridge box. When you purchase new ink, use the following Epson ink cartridge numbers:

Ink color Standard capacity High Capacity (B-508DN only) Extra High Capacity (B-508DN only)

Black T616100 T617100 T618100

Cyan T616200 T617200 —

Magenta T616300 T617300 —

Yellow T616400 T617400 —

Note:

❏ We recommend that you use genuine Epson cartridges and do not refill them. The use of other products

may affect your print quality and could result in printer damage.

❏ The printer ships with full cartridges and part of the ink from this first set of cartridges is used for

charging the printer.

❏ Yields vary considerably based on images printed, print settings, paper type, frequency of use and

temperature. For print quality, a small amount of ink remains in the cartridge after the "replace cartridge" indicator comes on.

❏ Store ink cartridges in a cool, dark place. If cartridges have been exposed to cold temperatures, allow them

to warm up to room temperature for at least 3 hours before using them.

Handling precautions

Read all of the instructions in this section before replacing the ink cartridges.

❏ This printer uses ink cartridges equipped with an IC chip that monitors the amount of ink used

by each cartridge. Cartridges are usable even if they are removed and reinserted.

❏ If you need to remove an ink cartridge temporarily, be sure to protect the ink supply area from

dirt and dust. Store the ink cartridge in the same environment as the printer. When storing the cartridge, be sure that its label identifying the color of the ink cartridge is facing upward. Do not store ink cartridges upside down.

❏ The valve in the ink supply port is designed to contain any excess ink that may be released.

However, careful handling is recommended. Do not touch the supply port of the ink cartridge or its surrounding area.

Replacing Consumables 94

❏ Ink is consumed during the following operations: print head cleaning, initial ink charging, and

nozzle maintaining.

❏ Never turn off the printer during initial ink charging. The ink may fail to be filled up and the

printer may become unavailable to print.

❏ If you change the ink cartridge to Extra High Capacity Ink Cartridge, retain the default ink

cartridge or Standard Capacity Ink Cartridge, or High Capacity Ink Cartridge. One of these cartridges is needed when you transport the printer.

❏ Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children. Do not allow children to drink the ink or

handle the cartridges.

❏ Be careful when you handle used ink cartridges, as there may be some ink around the ink

supply port or surrounding area. If ink gets on your skin, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets into your eyes, flush them immediately with water. If discomfort or vision problems continue after a thorough flushing, see a doctor immediately.

❏ Leave the old cartridge installed in the printer until you have obtained a replacement;

otherwise, ink remaining in the print head nozzles may dry out.

❏ You cannot continue printing with one ink cartridge expended, even if the other cartridges still

contain ink. Before printing, replace the expended cartridge.

❏ Never turn off the printer while replacing the ink cartridge. Doing so may damage the IC chip

on the ink cartridge and the printer may not print properly.

Replacing an ink cartridge

To replace the ink cartridge, follow the steps below.

1. Open the cartridge cover.

Replacing Consumables 95

2. Move the cartridge lever to the unlocked position.

3. Remove the expended ink cartridge.

Note:

Hold the printer with your hand when you remove the ink cartridge.

Replacing Consumables 96

4. Remove the new ink cartridge from the package.

Caution:

❏ Do not touch the green IC chip on the side of the cartridge. This can damage the ink cartridge.

❏ Always install an ink cartridge immediately after removing the old cartridge. If the cartridge

is not installed promptly, the print head may dry out and be unable to print.

Replacing Consumables 97

5. For best results, shake the ink cartridge for about five seconds.

6. Hold the ink cartridge with the arrow mark facing up and pointing to the rear of the printer, and then insert it into the slot.

Note:

Hold the printer with your hand when you install the ink cartridge.

Caution:

Do not remove and reinsert cartridges more often than necessary. Doing so can compromise the needle valve seal and allow air to enter the ink tubes, causing nozzle loss.

Replacing Consumables 98

7. Move the cartridge lever to the locked position.

8. Close the cartridge cover.

Note:

When you install the Extra High Capacity Ink Cartridge, use the printer with the cartridge cover opened.

Replacing Consumables 99

Maintenance Box

Checking the maintenance box status

Using the control panel (B-508DN)

To check the maintenance box status using the control panel, follow the steps below.

1. Make sure that READY appears on the LCD screen, and then press the r Right button. MENU appears on the LCD screen.

2. Press the d Down or u Up button to select PRINTER STATUS, and then press the OK or r Right button.

3. Press the d Down or u Up button to select MAINTENANCE BOX, and then press the OK or r Right button.

4. A rough estimate of the maintenance box capacity appears on the LCD screen.

Note:

You can check the maintenance box status by the icon displayed on the lower right of the LCD screen as well. & See “Icons on the LCD” on page 76.

Using the printer lights (B-308)

To check the maintenance box status, see the Maintenance box status light. The Maintenance box status lights let you know the remaining free capacity of the maintenance box.

Maintenance box status light Status

Off The maintenance box has enough free capacity.

Flashing The maintenance box is nearing the end of its service life.

On The maintenance box is at the end of its service life.

Using the printer utility

Note:

Epson cannot guarantee the quality or reliability of non-genuine maintenance boxes. If a non-genuine maintenance box is installed, the maintenance box status will not be displayed.

To check the maintenance box status, do one of the following:

Replacing Consumables 100

Epson B-308, B-508DN User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Important Safety Instructions

Setting up the printer

Choosing a place for the printer

Using the printer

Handling ink cartridges

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes

Overview of Printer Driver and Status Monitor

Accessing the printer driver

Printing Web Pages to Fit to Your Paper Size

Uninstalling the Printer Software

Uninstalling the printer driver

Uninstalling the User’s Guide

Using Special Paper

Paper loading capacities

Loading Paper

Front paper cassette

Rear sheet feeder

Using the Optional Legal-Size Paper Support

Loading Envelopes

Setting Up the Output Tray

Selecting the Correct Paper Type

Introduction

Printing Documents

Printing Photos

Printing Web Pages

Printing on Envelopes

Printing Documents

Loading paper

Printer settings

Printing Photos

Preparing the print file

Loading paper

Printer settings

Printing Web Pages

Loading paper

Using EPSON Web-To-Page

Printing on Envelopes

Loading envelopes

Printer settings

Canceling Printing

Using the Cancel button on the printer

Canceling from Windows

Introduction

Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing

Fit to Page Printing

Pages Per Sheet Printing

Poster Printing

Watermark Printing

Double-Sided (Duplex) Printing

Standard double-sided printing

Folded booklet double-sided printing

Fit to Page Printing

Printer settings

Pages Per Sheet Printing

Printer settings

Poster Printing

Printer settings

How to make a poster from your printouts

Watermark Printing

Printing the watermark

Creating your own watermark

Introduction

For B-508DN users

For B-308 users

For B-508DN users

Buttons and lights

Icons on the LCD

How to access the control panel menus

Control panel menu list

Status and error messages

Printing the status sheet

For B-308 users

Buttons and lights

Status and error lights

Printing the status sheet