EPSON Stylus® C42 Series
Printer Basics
Copyright Notice
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION. The information contained herein is designed only for
use with this EPSON printer. EPSON is not responsible for any use of this information as applied to other
printers.
Neither SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION nor its affiliates shall be liable to the purchaser of this product or third
parties for damages, losses, costs, or expenses incurred by purchaser or third parties as a result of: accident, misuse,
or abuse of this product or unauthorized modifications, repairs, or alterations to this product, or (excluding the
U.S.) failure to strictly comply with SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION’s operating and maintenance instructions.
SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION shall not be liable for any damages or problems arising from the use of any
options or any consumable products other than those designated as Original EPSON Products or EPSON
Approved Products by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.
A Note Concerning Responsible Use of Copyrighted Materials
Digital cameras and scanners, like photocopiers, conventional cameras, and ink jet printers, can be misused by
improper copying and reprinting of copyrighted material. While some countries’ laws permit limited copying of
copyrighted material in certain circumstances, those circumstances may not be as broad as some people assume.
EPSON encourages each user to be responsible and respectful of the copyright laws when using digital cameras,
scanners, and ink jet printers.
Trademarks
EPSON, EPSON Stylus, EPSON Photo Stickers, and MicroWeave are registered trademarks of SEIKO EPSON
CORPORATION.
EPSON Print Lab, SoundAdvice, and EPSON Store are service marks, and PhotoEnhance is a trademark of Epson
America, Inc.
General Notice: Other product names used herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of
their respective owners. EPSON disclaims any and all rights in those marks.
The E
NERGY STAR
Copyright © 2002 by Epson America, Inc. 6/02
emblem does not represent EPA endorsement of any product or service.
2
Contents
WELCOME! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
About Your Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PRINTING FROM START TO FINISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Printing in Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting the Settings You Use Most Often . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Printing on a Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Macintosh OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Macintosh OS 8.5.1 to 9.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Printing on Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting the Correct Paper Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12
13
13
17
20
22
MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Cleaning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Running the Head Cleaning Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
24
25
5
6
8
9
Replacing an Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ink Cartridge Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Aligning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cleaning the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transporting the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
25
26
27
29
30
31
3
SOLVING PROBLEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Printer Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Diagnosing Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Running a Printer Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setup and Software Installation Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Paper Feeding Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Miscellaneous Printout Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reinstalling Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Macintosh OS 8.5.1 to 9.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Macintosh OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Where To Get Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
33
34
35
36
36
37
38
41
42
43
43
44
44
46
REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Windows System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
47
Macintosh System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
48
49
EPSON INK JET PAPERS AND INK CARTRIDGES . . . . . . . . . 54
HOW TO ORDER EPSON INK AND PAPER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4
Welcome!
Printing with your EPSON Stylus® C42 printer is easy, friendly, and fast. Simple
enough for even the most inexperienced user, the Stylus C42 prints everything from
school reports to family photos with great results.
For added value, it supports a wide range of EPSON® special media, including
Glossy Photo Greeting Cards, Photo Stickers,® and special photo papers in a variety
of sizes and finishes. Visit the EPSON Store at www.epsonstore.com for a complete
list.
It’s a good idea to check EPSON’s support web site periodically for free
updates to your printer software. Visit http://support.epson.com.
Download instructions are posted for your convenience.
About Your Documentation
SM
To set up your printer and install your Windows® XP or Macintosh® software, see the
Start Here sheet.
To install your Windows 98, Me, or 2000 printer software, see the Installing Software
for Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows 2000 booklet. This booklet also contains
safety instructions, your printer warranty, and other important information.
This online manual contains information about:
Printing with Windows or on a Macintosh
■
Maintaining the printer
■
Solving basic problems
■
System requirements and printer specifications
■
Welcome!
5
Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips
Please follow these guidelines:
Warnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.
Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.
Notes contain important information about your printer.
Tips contain additional hints for better printing.
Welcome!
6
Printing From Start to Finish
Before you start, make sure your printer software is installed as described on the Start
Here sheet or Installing Software for Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows 2000
booklet.
No matter what you print, you need to remember two things:
Use the right paper.
■
For the best-looking photos, most vivid colors, and sharpest text, always use
EPSON ink jet papers.
Choose the right Paper Type setting (Media Type setting on the Macintosh).
■
Your printer automatically adjusts itself for each type of paper. That’s why this
setting is important. It tells your printer what kind of paper you’re using. So
remember to check your Paper Type setting every time you print. If you’re not
sure which setting to use with your paper, see page 22.
Follow the instructions in these sections:
Loading Paper on page 8
■
Printing in Windows on page 9
■
Printing on a Macintosh on page 13
■
Printing on Envelopes on page 20
■
Selecting the Correct Paper Type on page 22
■
Printing From Start to Finish
7
Loading Paper
Make sure your printer and computer are turned on.
1. Place your paper against the right edge of the sheet feeder, behind the tab.
2. Press in the locking tab on the left edge guide and slide it against the paper.
Load paper
behind the tab
Press the locking
tab and slide the
left edge guide
against the paper
3. Pull out the output tray extension.
Follow these guidelines when loading paper:
Always load the short edge first, even when you’re printing landscape oriented
■
documents.
Load the printable side face up. It’s usually whiter or brighter than the other side.
■
Load letterhead or preprinted paper into the printer top edge first.
■
Don’t load paper above the arrow on the left edge guide.
■
Load the following media types one sheet at a time: Photo Quality Self Adhesive
■
Sheets, Photo Stickers,, and Panoramic Photo Paper.
If you’re using special media, follow the instructions that came with the media.
■
Printing From Start to Finish
8
Printing in Windows
Here’s what to do to print a basic document—such as a newsletter or school project.
Make sure you have paper in the printer, as described on page 8. After you create your
document in a software program, follow these steps to print.
1. From the File menu, click
different):
2. Make sure
3. Click the
Options
EPSON Stylus C42 Series
Properties
Preferences
or
button, click it. Then click
Print
. You see a Print window (your window may look
Select your printer here
Click here to
open your printer
software
is selected.
button. (If you see a
Properties
Preferences
or
Setup, Printer
on the next screen.)
, or
Printing From Start to Finish
9
You see your printer Properties (or Preferences) window.
2 Choose your
paper type . . .
3 and paper size
4. Select the type of document you’re printing:
1 Choose your
document type
4 Click here
■ Draft
■ Text
: For rough drafts on plain paper. Saves ink.
: For text-only documents, like letters or reports. Delivers high-quality
text printing.
■ Text & Image
■ Photo
: For photos and graphics, when you want good quality with faster
: For documents that have both text and images, like newsletters.
printing.
■ Photo RPM
: For photos or graphics, when you need highest quality printing.
Because this setting increases resolution, it also increases print time.
5. Load the right paper for your document. See page 8 for loading instgructions.
Printing From Start to Finish
10
6. If you loaded special paper, choose the correct
paper type (click the arrow to scroll through the
Type
list). If you’re not sure which setting to
select, see page 22.
7. Select your paper size (click on the arrow to
scroll through the
Size
list).
8. If necessary, select your page orientation:
Portrait
are wide, or
for documents that are longer than they
Landscape
for documents that are wider than they are long.
9. You can also make these settings:
■ Photo Enhance
exposed photos. Does not work when
■ ICM
(Image Color Matching): Matches colors on your printout as closely as
: Improves the appearance of low-resolution and improperly
Black Ink Only
is selected.
possible to the colors you see using ICM-compatible monitors or scanners.
■ Black Ink Only
■ Reverse Order
: Prints using only black ink.
: Prints your document so that the pages are in the right order
when you retrieve them from the paper tray.
■ Print Preview
For more information about printer settings, click the Help button, or
right-click any item on the screen and then click What’s This?.
: Lets you see what your printout will look like before you print.
10. Click OK to return to the Print window. Then click OK (or
Print
) to start printing.
Printing From Start to Finish
11
After a moment, this window appears and shows the progress of your print job. You
can use the buttons to cancel, pause, or restart printing. You can also see how much
ink you have left.
Click to cancel printing
Click to pause or resume printing
When you’re finished using your printer, make sure you press the
P power button to turn it off. Never use a power strip or external switch
to turn off the printer.
Selecting the Settings You Use Most Often
Your printer settings apply only to the program you’re currently using. If you usually
print one type of document in different programs—for example, color photos on
letter-size paper—you can change the default printer settings for all your programs.
1. Right-click the printer icon on your taskbar (in the lower right corner of your
screen).
2. Select
3. Select the default settings you want to use for all your applications. Click OK
Remember that you can always change the settings in your program when you want to
print different types of documents.
Printer Settings
shown on page 10.
when you’re finished.
. You see your printer Preferences (Properties) window, as
Printing From Start to Finish
12
Printing on a Macintosh
This section explains how to use your EPSON Stylus C42 to print from a Macintosh
running either OS X or OS 8.5.1 to 9.x.
Macintosh OS X
Here’s how to print a basic document, such as a newsletter or school project, if your
Macintosh is running OS X. Make sure you have paper in the printer, as described on
page 8. After you create your document, follow these steps to print.
If you’re using an application that’s compatible only with Macintosh
Classic mode, follow the steps on page 17 to print your document.
1. From the File menu, select
2. Select your printer from the
Page Setup
Format for
. You see a screen like this:
Select your printer
from the Format for
pop-up menu
menu.
3. Select the Paper Size, Orientation, and any other settings you want to use and
click OK.
Printing From Start to Finish
13
4. Select
Print
from the File menu. You see a screen like this:
Click here and select
Print Settings
5. Select
this:
Print Settings
from the pull-down menu. You see a group of settings like
Select the type of
paper you loaded
Select the ink color
Select Automatic mode
Select higher quality
or faster printing, or
an in-between setting
(if available)
Click Print
Printing From Start to Finish
14
6. Select the following settings:
Load the right paper for your document in the printer. If you loaded special
■
paper, choose the correct paper type in the Media Type list. If you’re not sure
which setting to choose, see page 22.
Black
Color
to print a color document. To print a black text
.
Automatic
. It’s the easiest way to get good printing
Set the Ink option to
■
document, click
Set the Mode option to
■
results for most projects.
Set the slider to
■
Quality
or
Speed
to select high-quality printing, faster
printing, or an in-between setting (if available). (The slider may not be
available for some paper types.)
7. To select a specific print quality setting, click
Advanced Settings
and choose a
setting from the Print Quality menu:
Economy Plus
■ Economy
or
only available if you select
■ Normal
■ Fine
■ Photo
■ Photo RPM
, for everyday printing needs
, when you want a higher resolution for printing text or text and graphics
, when you’re printing photographs
, when you want the highest resolution for your photographs and
, for printing drafts. Saves ink. (
Black
as the ink color.)
Economy Plus
you don’t mind the longer print time.
8. You can also choose other print settings by selecting these options in the
pull-down menu:
is
■ Copies & Pages
■ Layout
■ Output Options
■ Color Management
, to select page layout options
, to select the number of copies or a page range
, to save your print job as a PDF file
gamma setting
■ Summary
■ Save Custom Setting
, to view a list of all your selections
, to select ColorSync® or adjust the color controls or
, to save your selections for future use.
Printing From Start to Finish
15
9. When you’re ready to print, click
on the bottom of your desktop.
Print
. The Print Center icon appears in the dock
If you click the Print Center icon and then double-click the
C42 Series (USB)
icon in
the Printer List, you see a screen like this:
Click to
reorder
print jobs
Select a print
job, then . . .
click a button to
Delete, Hold
(pause), or
Resume printing
From here you can monitor the progress of your print job or do one of the following:
Click the print job, then click
■
Click the print job, then click
■
Click a print job marked “Hold” and click
■
Delete
Hold
to delete it
to pause printing
Resume
to resume printing
If multiple print jobs are listed, click a print job, then click the
■
reorder the jobs.
When you’re finished using your printer, make sure you press the
P power button to turn it off. Never use a power strip or external switch
to turn off the printer.
Printing From Start to Finish
Priority
arrow to
16
Macintosh OS 8.5.1 to 9.x
Here’s what to do to print a basic document—such as a newsletter or school project—
if your Macintosh is running OS 8.5.1 to 9.x. Make sure you have paper in the
printer, as described on page 8. After you create your document, follow these steps to
print.
1. From the File menu, select
2. Make sure
C42 Series
Page Setup
is selected.
. You see the following:
Make sure you see
C42 Series
Select your paper size
Select the orientation
of your document
If not, you need to select your printer in the Chooser.
3. Select the correct Paper Size, Orientation, and other settings. Then click OK.
For more information about printer settings, click the ? button.
4. From the File menu, select
Print
. You see a window like the following:
Select Automatic mode
Select higher quality or faster printing
Printing From Start to Finish
Select the type of
paper you loaded
Select the
ink color
17
5. Make the following settings:
Choose the paper you’re printing on (click the arrow to scroll through the
■
Media Type list). If you’re not sure which setting to select, see page 22.
Black
Color
.
Automatic
Set the Ink option to
■
document, click
Set the Mode option to
■
results on all types of paper.
Set the slider in the Mode box to
■
printing, faster printing, or an in-between setting.
6. You can also do the following:
Click to reduce or enlarge your image, print multiple layouts, or add a
■
watermark.
Click to turn on background printing.
■
Click to change the
■
Print
preview your printout.
Click to check your ink levels. If the red
■
check to see if one of your ink cartridges is low or empty.
■
Click
to improve the appearance of low-resolution and
PhotoEnhance
improperly exposed photos. Only works when
■
Click
, and then select
Custom
as closely as possible to those you see using ColorSync-compatible devices and
applications.
to print a color document. To print a black text
. It’s the easiest way to get good printing
Quality
button to
Speed
or
Preview
to select high-quality
. You can then click it to
b error light is on or flashing,
Color
ink is selected.
ColorSync
to match the colors in your printout
■
Click
Custom
, and then click the
Advanced
button that appears to select a
specific setting for print quality or to change color management settings.
Print Quality settings include
Normal
for everyday printing needs,
for text or text and graphics,
Photo RPM
when you want the highest resolution for your photographs and
Economy
Fine
Photo
when you’re printing photographs, and
Economy Plus
and
for draft printing,
when you want a higher resolution
don’t mind the longer print time.
Printing From Start to Finish
18