Epson P953A User Manual

Where to Find Information

This User’s Guide

Provides you with all the information you need to use your
EPSON STYLUS PHOTO EX, and their consumable products, from
setti n g u p to troubleshooti ng.

Online Help

Provides you with detailed information and ins truc tions on the
printer software that cont ro ls your printer (on line h elp w ill be
automatically installed whe n you install the prin ter softw ar e).

Color Guide

Explains how color printing works and shows you how to get
impressive r e su lts from yo u r p r i n ter.

Color Ink Jet Printer

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of SEIKO EPSON
CORPORATION. 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 s t r ictly comply with SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION ’s operatin g and
maintenanc e ins t r u c t io n s.

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.

EPSON and EPSON ESC/P are registered trademarks and EPSON ESC/P Raster and
EPSON Stylus are trademarks of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.

Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

General Notice: Oth er pr oduct names used herein are for identification purposes only and may be
trademarks of their respective owners. EPSON disclaims any and all ri ghts in those marks.

Copyright © 1998 by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, Nagano, Japan.

User’s Guide

Declaration of Conformity

According to ISO/IEC G u i de 22 and EN 45014

Manufactu re r: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Address: 3-5, Owa 3-chome, Suwa-sh i,

Nagano-ken 392 Japan

Represen ta tive: EPSON EUROP E B.V .
Address: Prof. J. H. Bavi n c k laan 5 1183

AT Amstelveen
The Netherlands

Declares that the Product:

Product Name: Ink Jet Printer
Model: P953A

Conforms to the following Direc tive(s) and Norm(s):

Directive 89/336 /EE C:

EN 55022 Class B
EN 61000-3-2
EN 61000-3-3
EN 50082-1
IEC 801-2
IEC 801-3
IEC 801-4

ii

Directive 73/23/E EC:

EN 60950

February 1998

Y. Ishii
President of EP SON EUROPE B.V.

Contents

Safety Instructions

Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-1

A few precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-2

ENERGY STAR Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-4

For United Kingdom Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-4

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-5

Chapter 1

Printer Parts and Control Panel Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

When using your printer with a PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

When using your printer with a Macintosh . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Options and Consumable Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Consumable products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Chapter 2

Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Choosing a Place for the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Using a printer stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Attaching the Paper Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Plugging in the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Installing the Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Connecting the Printer to Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11

Installing the Printer Software in Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Installing in Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . 2-13

Installing in Windows 95 (using plug-and-play) . . . . . . 2-15

Installing in Windows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18

Getting to Know Your Printer

Getting Started

iii

Using Your Printer on a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20

With Windows 95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20

With Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22

Connecting the Printer to Your Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25

Installing the Printer Software in Your Macintosh . . . . . . . . 2-26

Installing the printer software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-26

Using the Chooser to select your printer . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-29

Chapter 3

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

Printing With Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Printing With a Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Chapter 4

The Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Accessing the Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

From Windows applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

From Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

From Windows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4

Making Changes to Printer Driver Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Using the Automatic Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Using the Predefined Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Customizing the Print Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Making the Media Type Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Modifying the Printout Style (Windows 95 & NT 4.0) . . . . 4-12

Using EPSON Printer Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15

EPSON Status Monitor 2 (for Windows 95) . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Nozzle Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Head Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Print Head Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17

Printer and Option Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17

Speed & Progress (for Windows 95) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19

Starting to Print

Using the Printer Software for Windows

iv

Checking Printer Status (for Windows 95 and 3.1) . . . . . . . 4-21

Understanding the EPSON Spool Manager . . . . . . . . . 4-23

Using EPSON Status Monitor 2 (for Windows 95) . . . . . 4-24

Getting Information Through Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30

Accessing help from your application . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30

Accessing help from Windows 95 or NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . 4-30

Accessing help from Windows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30

Chapter 5

Using the Printer Software for Macintosh

The Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Making Changes to Printer Driver Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Using the Automatic Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Using the Predefined Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

Customizing the Print Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

Saving your settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16

Using your saved settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Changing the Paper Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Defining a Custom Paper Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19

Modifying the Printout Method and Style . . . . . . . . . . 5-20

Using EPSON Printer Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22

EPSON StatusMonitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23

Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24

Nozzle Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24

Head Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24

Print Head Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25

Controlling Background Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25

Chapter 6

Printing on Special Paper

Choosing Special Paper and Other Media . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

About special media cleaning sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Loading Special Paper and Other Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Loading Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Loading Transparencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

v

Chapter 7

Replacing an Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Cleaning the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8

Transporting the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9

Maintenance and Transportation

Chapter 8

Diagnosing the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

Error indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

Status Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4

Printer operation check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4

Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7

Power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7

Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8

Paper handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-14

Printing quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-17

Printer utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24

Increasing the Print Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25

Using DMA transfer (for Windows 95) . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26

Uninstalling Printer Software (Windows 95) . . . . . . . . . . . 8-29

Cleaning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30

Using the Head Cleaning utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30

Using the control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33

Aligning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34

Ink Cartridge Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34

Contacting Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-39

For United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland users . . . 8-39

For Australian users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-41

For Singapore users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-43

For Hong Kong users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-43

For Philippines users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-44

Troubleshooting

vi

Appendix A

Tips for Color Printing

Basics of Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Image Resolution and Image Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5

Basics of Color Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7

Appendix B

Specifications

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Ink cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6

Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7

Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8

Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8

Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

Safety approvals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

Interface Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11

Parallel interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11

Serial interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-12

Glossary

Index

vii

viii

Safety Instructions

Important Safety Instructions

Read all of these instructions and save them for later reference.
Follow all wa rnin g s and ins tru cti on s mark ed o n the prin te r.

q

Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a
radiator or heat source.

q

Place the printer on a flat surface. The printer will not
operate properly if it is tilted or at an angle.

q

Do not block or cover the openings in the printer’s cabinet.
Do not insert objects through the slots.

q

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

q

Connect all equipment to properly grounded power
outlets. Avoid using outlets on the same circuit as
photocopiers or air control systems that regularly switch
on and off.

q

Do not use a damaged or frayed power cord.

q

If you use an extension cord with the printer, make sure
the total ampere rating of the devices plugged into the
extension cord does not exceed the cord’s ampere rating.
Also, make sure the total ampere rating of all devices
plugged into the wall outlet does not exceed the wall
outlet’s ampere rating.

q

Unplug the printer before cleaning. Clean with a damp
cloth only. Do not spill liquid on the printer.

q

Except as specifically explained in this guide, do not
attempt to service the printer yourself.

Safety Instructions

1

q

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

If the power cord or plug is damaged; if liquid has entered
the printer; if the printer has been dropped or the cabinet
damaged; if the printer does not operate normally or
exhibits a distinct change in performance. Adjust only those
controls that are covered by the operating instructions.

q

If you plan to use the printer in Germany, observe the
following:

To provide adequate short-circuit protection and over-current
protection for this printer, the building installation must be
protected by a 16 Amp circuit breaker.

Bei Anschluß des Druckers an die Stromversorgung muß
sichergestellt werden, daß die Gebäudeinstallation mit
einem 16 A-Überstromschalter abgesichert ist.

A few precautions

Even if you are familiar with other types of printers, be sure to
read through the following list of precautions before operating
your ink jet printer.

q

Do not put your hand inside the printer or touch the ink
cartridges during printing.

q

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

q

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

q

Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children.

2

Safety Instructions

q

Do not dismantle the in k cartr idges or try to refill them .
This could damage the print head.

q

Once you install an ink cartridge, do not open the clamp or
remove the cartridge except to replace it with a new one.
The cartridge may be come unu sa ble other w ise.

q

Install the ink cartridge immediately after you remove it
from its package. Leaving the cartridge unpacked for a long
time before use may reduce print quality.

q

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

q

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

q

Always turn the printer off using the
When this button is pressed, the

P power button.

P power light flashes

briefly. Do not unplug the printer or turn off the power to
the outlet until the

q

Before transporting the printer, make sure the print head is

P power ligh t is off.

capped in the far right position and the ink cartridges are in
place.

Safety Instructions

3

NERGY STAR Compliance

E

As an ENERGY STAR Partner, EPSON has
determined that this product meets the

TAR guidelines for energy efficiency.

S

NERGY

E

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

NERGY STAR Office Equipment Program is

E

For United Kingdom Users

Use of options

EPSON (UK) Limited shall not be liable against any damages
or problems arising from the use of any options or consumable
products other than those designated as Original EPSON
Products or EPSON Approved Products by EPSON (UK)
Limited.

Safety information

Warning: This appliance must be earthed. Refer to rating plate
for voltage and check that the appliance voltage corresponds to

w

the supply voltage.

4

Safety Instructions

Important: The wires in the mains lead fitted to this appliance
are coloured in accordance with the following code:

Green and yellow — Earth
Blue — Neutral
Brown — Live

If you have to fit a plug:

As the colours of the mains lead of this appliance may not
match coloured markings used to identify the terminals in a
plug, please proceed as follows:

The green and yellow wire must be connected to the terminal
in the plug which is marked with the letter E or the Earth
symbol (

The blue wire must be connected to the terminal in the plug
marked with the letter N.

The brown wire must be connected to the terminal in the plug
marked with the letter L.

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

Replace fuses only with a fuse of the correct size and rating.

G).

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes

Warnings

must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.

w

Cautions

must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.

c

Notes

contain important information and useful tips on the operation

of your printer.

Safety Instructions

5

6

Safety Instructions

Chapter 1

Getting to Know You r Printer

Printer Parts and Control Panel Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

When using your printer with a PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

When using your printer with a Macintosh . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Options and Consumable Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Consumable products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

1

Getting to Know Your Printer

1-1

Printer Parts and Control Panel Functions

paper support extension

sheet feeder

ink cartridge clamps

adjust lever

paper support

edge guides

paper out
light

printer cover

output tray

load/eject
button

output tray
extension

power
light

1-2

print head

Getting to Kno w Your Printer

black ink out
light

color ink out
light

power
button

cleanin g
button

Buttons

Button Function

P

power

E

load/eject

R

cleaning

Turns the pr i n te r on and off.

Loads or ejects paper i f p r essed and relea sed within
two seconds. Resumes pr inting if pr essed after a
paper out error.

Moves the pr int head to the rep la ce ment position if
pressed for about three seconds whi l e the
out light is flashing or on. Returns the print head to its
home position after ink cartridge replacement.
Performs prin t head cleaning if pressed for about three

B

seconds when both the

and A ink out lights are off.

Lights

The lights on the front of the printer indicate the printer status,
such as receiving data, paper jam, or low on ink. Th e followin g
table describes what th e ligh ts mean .

B

or A ink

1

P

N

F

-

-

--

--

---

---

N

= on, O = off, F = flashing, - = irrelevant

B

S

---

---

N

F

A

--

O

O

F

-

N

-

F

N

Printer Sta tus

Printer is on.
Receiving data, replacing an ink cartridge,

charging ink, or cle ani ng th e print head.
Paper out. Load paper in the sheet feeder; then

press the
Paper jam. Take al l th e paper out of the sheet

feeder, reload the paper , then press th e
load/eject butt on. If the li ght continues to flash, t u rn
off the printer and gently pull out any paper that
may be jammed in the printer.

Ink low. The black ink cartridge is nearly empty.
Obtain a blac k i nk ca r tr i dg e (S020093).

Ink out. The blac k in k cart r i dg e i s em pty . Re pl ac e
the black in k cart r i dg e (S 020093).

Ink low. The color ink cartridge is nearly empty.
Obtain a color ink cartrid g e (S 020110).

Ink out. The color ink cartridge is empty. Replace
the color i nk c ar tr i dg e (S020110).

E

load/ej ec t button to resume pr inting.

E

Getting to Know Your Printer

1-3

System Requ irements

When using your printer with a PC

To use your printer with a PC, you need Microsoft Windows

3.1, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95, or Windows NT

4.0; and a shielded, twisted-pair parallel cable.

To install and use the printer software (printer driver and
utilities) included on the CD-ROM or floppy disk packed with
your printer, your system should meet the following
requirements:

Minimum system Recommended system

80386/25 MHz processor
for Windows 3.1
80486/25MHz processor for
Windows 95 and
NT 4.0

16MB RAM 32MB RAM or more
20MB hard disk space 50MB or more free hard disk space
VGA monitor VGA or better monitor

Pentium or higher processor

* For Windows NT, Intel or Intel x86
compatible processors only

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

1-4

Getting to Kno w Your Printer

When using your printer with a Macintosh

The following are the hardware and system requirements that
must be met to use this printer with a Macintosh.

Applicable computer models (as of July 1, 1997)

Macintosh LC II, LC III, LC475, LC520, LC575, LC630
Macintosh IIcx, IIci, IIsi, IIvi, IIvx
Macintosh Quadra Series
Macintosh Centris Series
Macintosh PowerBook Series (excluding PowerBook 100)
Macintosh PowerBook Duo Series
Macintosh Performa Series
Power Macintosh Series

Interface cables

To use your printer with a Macintosh, you need a standard
Apple System Peripheral-8 cable (8-pin mini-DIN) or
equivalent.

Environment

1

Minimum system Recommended system

System 7.1 System 7.5 or later
5MB of available memory

10MB of available memory
when BG is on

8MB or more of available memory
16MB or more of available m emory when
BG is on

Getting to Know Your Printer

1-5

Note:

q

The amount of available memory varies according to the number
and kind of applications that are open. To see how much memory
is available, choose About This Macintosh from the Apple menu
and refer to the memory size (listed in kilobytes) under “Largest
Unused Block” (1,024K=1MB).

q

The memory requirements above are for printing on letter size
paper. These requirem ents may vary depend ing on the size of the
paper, the type of application you are using, and the complexity of
the document you want to print.

In addition to these system and memory requirements, you
also need 8MB of free hard disk space to install your printer
software. To print, you need extra hard disk space amounting
to about double the size of the file you want to print.

Options and Consumable Produc ts

Options

The following options are available for use with your printer.

Interface cables

EPSON supplies several types of interface cable. You can use
any interface cable that meets the specifications listed below.
See your computer manual for any additional requirements.

]

Parallel Interface Cable (shielded) C83602

(computer) to 36-pin Amphenol 57 series (printer)

Note:

]

The asterisk (
number, which varies by country.

1-6

Getting to Kno w Your Printer

) is a substitute for the last digit of the product

from D-SUB 25-pin

Consumable products

Ink cartridges

Black ink cartridge S020093
Color ink cartridge S020110

EPSON special media

Most plain paper works well in your printer. In addition, you
can use paper specifically designed for ink jet printers. The
quality of the printout depends on the type of paper used. See
the table below for the names and product numbers of the
different types of EPSON special media available.

EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper (A4) S041059

S041025

EPSON360 dpi Ink Jet Paper (Letter) S041060

S041028

EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper (A3) S041065

S041046

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper (A4) S041061

S041026

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper (Letter) S041062

S041029

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper (Legal) S041067

S041048

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper (A3) S041068

S041045
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper (A4) S041126
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper (Letter) S041124
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper (A3) S041125
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film (A4) S041071
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film (Letter) S041072
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film (A3) S041073
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film (A6) S041107

1

Getting to Know Your Printer

1-7

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Card (A6) S041054
EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Card (5 × 8 in.) S041121
EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Card (8 × 10 in.) S041122
EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies (A4) S041063
EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies (Letter) S041064
EPSON Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheet (A4) S041106
EPSON Photo Paper (4 × 6 in.) S041134
EPSON Photo Paper (A4) S041140
EPSON Photo Paper (Letter) S041141
EPSON Photo Paper (A3) S041142
EPSON Photo Stickers (A6) S041144
EPSON Panoramic Photo Paper (210 × 594 mm) S041145
EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper (A4) S041154
EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper(Letter)S041153

S041155

Note:

q

The availability of special media varies by country.

q

Ink jet printers are particularly sensitive to the condition of the
paper. Keep unused paper in its original packaging and store it
in a cool, dark place.

Before using these media, see page 4-10 or 5-4 for details of the
media type settings, and page 6-4 for the loading capacity of
different types of special media. Also read the instruction
sheets packed with your special media.

1-8

Getting to Kno w Your Printer

Chapter 2

Getting Started

Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Choosing a Place for the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Using a printer stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Attaching the Paper Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Plugging in the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Installing the Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Connecting the Printer to Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11

Installing the Printer Software in Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Installing in Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . 2-13

Installing in Windows 95 (using plug-and-play) . . . . . . 2-15

Installing in Windows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18

Using Your Printer on a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20

With Windows 95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20

With Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22

2

Connecting the Printer to Your Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25

Installing the Printer Software in Your Macintosh . . . . . . . 2-26

Installing the printer software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-26

Using the Chooser to select your printer . . . . . . . . . . . 2-29

Getting Star te d

2-1

Unpacking the Printer

Your printer box should contain a CD-ROM, which includes
the printer driver software that runs your printer, and the
following items:

paper support

printer

power cord

black ink cartridge

color ink cartridge

In some locations, the power cord comes attached to the
printer. The shape of the AC plug varies by country; be sure
the plug included is the right shape for your location.

Remove all protective materials packed with your printer
before you set it up and turn on the power. Follow the
instructions inserted with the printer to remove these materials.
Save all packaging and protective materials in case you need to
transport the printer later.

2-2

Getting Started

Choosing a Place for the Printer

Follow the guidelines listed below when placing your printer.

q

Place the printer on a flat, stable surface. The printer will
not operate properly if it is tilted or at an angle.

q

Place the printer close enough to the computer for the
interface cable to reach it easily.

q

Leave adequate room for easy operation and maintenance.

q

Leave enough room on the table at the front of the printer
to lower the output tray.

q

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

q

Avoid places subject to shocks and vibrations.

q

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

Note for French-speaking users:

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

2

q

Avoid electrical outlets controlled by wall switches or
automatic timers. If you must use electrical outlets
controlled by wall switches, do not use the wall switches to
control them. Also, avoid outlets on the same circuit as
large motors or other appliances that can cause fluctuations
in line voltage.

q

Keep the entire computer system away from poten tial
sources of electromagnetic interference, such as
loudspeakers or the base units of cordless telephones.

q

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

Getting Star te d

2-3

Using a printer stand

When using a printer stand, note the following:

q

Use a stand that can support at least 31.0 kg (68.3 lb).

q

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

Attaching the Paper Support

Insert the paper support into the slot at the rear of the printer as
shown below.

2-4

Getting Started

Plugging in the Printer

1. Check the label on the back of the printer to make sure the
voltage required by the printer matches that of the
electrical outlet into which you will be plugging it. Also,
make sure that you have the correct power cable for your
power source.

2

Caution:

c

2. If the power cord is not attached to the printer, connect it to
the AC inlet on the back of the printer.

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

It is not possible to change the printer’s voltage. If the
rated voltage and your outlet voltage do not match,
contact your dealer for assistance. Do not plug in the
power cord.

Installing the Ink Cartridges

Warning:

The ink cartridges are self-contained units. Under ordinary

w

conditions of use, ink will not leak from a cartridge. If ink does
get on your hands, wash them thoroughly with soap and
water. If ink gets into your eyes, flush them immediately with
water.

Install the ink cartridges as follows:

Note:

q

Do not open the ink cartridge packages until just before you
install them, or the ink may dry up.

q

Always use new ink cartridges. Reinstalling partially empty ink
cartridges causes the printer to send inaccurate information to the
Status Monitor regarding the amount of ink remaining.

Getting Star te d

2-5

1. Lower the output tray at the front of the printer; then, holding
the center edge of the cover, open the printer cover.

2. Turn on the printer by pressing the

power button.

P

2-6

Getting Started

The print head moves to the ink cartridge installment position
on the left-hand side. The
and

ink cartridge
installment
position

c

3. Lift up the two ink cartridge clamps.

ink out lights come on.

A

Caution:

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

power light flashes and the

P

B

2

Getting Star te d

2-7

4. Open the ink cartridge packages. Next, remove the yellow
tape seals only from each cartridge as shown below.

Do not remove the white
portion of the tape

black ink cartridge
(S020093)

Caution:

c

q

q

q

color ink cartridge
(S020110)

You must remove the yellow tape seals from the
cartridges. If you attempt to print using a cartridge
with the yellow tape seal still attached, the cartridge
may become unusable. It’s OK if the yellow tape does
not completely tear off along the dotted line.

Do not remove the white portion of the tape seal from
the top of the cartridge; otherwise, the cartridge may
become clogged and you cannot print with it.

Do not remove the tape seal from the bottom of the
cartridge; otherwise, ink will leak.

2-8

Getting Started

5. Lower the cartridges into their holders with the labels face-up
and the arrow marks pointing to the rear. The (larger) color
cartridge goes on the right and the (smaller) black ink
cartridge goes on the left.

black

Note:

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

6. Press the ink cartridge clamps down until they lock in place.

color

2

c

Caution:

Once you install the ink cartridges, do not open their
clamps again until you replace the ink cartridges.
Otherwise, the cartridges may become unusable.

Getting Star te d

2-9

7. Press the R cleaning button; then close the printer cover.
The printer moves the print head and begins charging the
ink delivery system. During the ink charging process, the
power light flashes.

Note:

R

Even if you do not press the
moves the print head and begins the ink charging process about
60 seconds after you install the cartridges.

The i nk ch a r g ing process ta kes about tw o mi n u t e s to c om p lete,
during which time the printer produces a variety of
mechanical sounds. These sounds are normal. When the ink
delivery system has been charged, the
flashing.

cleaning button, the printer

power light stops

P

P

Caution:

c

The life of a cartridge depends on the amount of text and
graphics you print. The life of a color ink cartridge depends on
the amount and the number of colors used in your documents.

Note:

When the ink runs out, see “Replacing an Ink Cartridge” on page 7-2.

Now you are ready to connect the printer to your computer.
To connect the printer to your PC, see the following section.
To connect it to your Macintosh, see page 2-25.

Never turn off the printer while the
flashing. Doing so can result in incomplete charging of ink
and you will not be able to print with the printer.

P

power light is

2-10

Getting Started

Connecting the Printer to Your PC

To connect the printer to your computer using the built-in
parallel interface, you will need a shielded, twisted-pair
parallel cable. To connect the printer to a Macintosh, see page
2-25.

Follow the steps below to connect the printer to the computer:

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

2. Plug the cable connector securely into the printer’s interface
connector. Then squeeze the wire clips together until they
lock in place on both sides. If your cable has a ground wire,
connect it to the ground connector below the interface
connector.

2

3. Plug the other end of the cable into the computer’s parallel
interface. If there is a ground wire at the computer end of
the cable, connect it to the ground connector at the back of
the computer.

Now see the next section for instructions on installing the
printer software. You must install the printer software
before using your printer.

Getting Started

2-11

Installing the Printer Software in Your PC

After connecting the printer to your computer, install the
Windows printer software. It is included on the“Printer
Software for EPSON STYLUS PHOTO EX” CD-ROM shipped
with your printer.

Your printer software includes:

q

Printer dr ive r

The printer driver gives you complete control over your
printer. With it, you can make settings such as Print
Quality, Media Type, and Paper Size.

q

Utilities

The Nozzle Check, Head Cleaning, and Print Head
Alignment utilities help you to keep your printer in top
operating condition. The Status Monitor utility allows you
to check the current status of your printer.

q

Online help

Online help gives you instant on-screen access to detailed
information and instructions on how to use your printer.

q

q

2-12

EPSON Status Monitor 2 (for Windows 95)

The EPSON Status Monitor 2 allows you to view printer
status information such as the amount of ink remaining,
and check for any printer errors.

HIGH QUALITY IMAGES (for Windows 95 and NT 4.0)

HIGH QUALITY IMAGES allows you to see the kind of
high-quality printout available from the EPSON STYLUS
PHOTO EX quickly and easily. See the booklet packed with
the CD-ROM for more information.

Getting Started

If you are using the floppy disk version of the software, make a
backup copy of the EPSON printer software disk before you
begin installation. If you wish to make a floppy disk version of
the printer software on your CD-ROM, you can use the driver
disk creation utility included on the CD. See below for
Windows 95 and NT 4.0, or page 2-18 for Windows 3.1.

Installing in Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0

Follow the step s b elow to in stall the printe r sof tw ar e in
Windows 95 or NT 4.0.

Note for Windows NT 4.0 users:

Printer driver installation may require network administration
privileges. Ask your network administrator for more details.

1. Make sure Windows 95 or NT 4.0 is running and the printer
is off.

2. Insert the printer software CD in the CD-ROM drive (if you
use the floppy disk version, insert it in a disk drive). If the
dialog box below appears, double-click

Driver/Utility
Printer Driver/Utility

; or you can also install by selecting

and then clicking the arrow on the top

right.

Install Printer

2

Install

Double-click
here to
install.

Double-click here
to make a floppy
disk version of th e
printer software.

Click here
to quit.

Click here
to get help
information.

Getting Started

2-13

If this dialog box does not appear, double-click the

Computer

icon, then double-click the CD-ROM drive icon

My

(or floppy disk drive icon for floppy disk users). If this
dialog box appears, double-click

Driver/Utility

.

Install Printer

If this dialog box still does not appear, double-click the

Setup.exe

icon. You may need to use the arrows to scroll

through the folder to find it.

3. If the dialog box below appears, click OK to start the printer
software installation.

4. When the insta llatio n is co mple te, click OK again.

5. For Windows 95, the EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility
installation starts automatically.

Note:

q

You can stop the EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility
installation by clicking the

Cancel

butto n. If yo u wa n t to
install it later, see "Installing the EPSON Status Monitor 2
utility" on page 4-29.

q

Installation time varies, depending on your computer system.

Your printer software is now installed. The installation
program automatically selects this printer as the default printer
for Windows applications.

2-14

Getting Started

If you use your printer on a network, you need to set up your
printer as a remote printer. See page 2-20 (for Windows 95) or
page 2-22 (for Windows NT4.0).

Before using the printer software, read the README file
located in the EPSON (Printers) folder. For information on
opening and using the software, see “Printing With Windows”
in Chapter 3, and Chapter 4, “Using the Printer Software for
Windows” for using the utilities and further information on the
printer driver.

Installing in Windows 95 (using plug-and-play)

Follow these steps to install the printer software using
Windows 95 plug-and-play capabilities.

Note:

To install the printer software using Windows 95 plug-and-play
capabilities, your computer’s parallel port must be an IEEE 1284
compatible, bidirectional parallel port. See your computer
documentation for more information.

1. Make sure the printer is connected to the computer’s parallel
port.

2. Turn off your printer and computer, if necessary.

2

3. Turn on the printer first; then turn on the computer. Your
computer begins loading Windows 95.

Getting Started

2-15

4. If you defined a password, enter it at the prompt. You see the
New Hardware Found screen.

If this screen does not appear, click

Cancel

and follow the

installation procedure on page 2-13 instead.

5. Make sure yo ur print er model name is dis pl ayed on the
screen. Then click the

hardware manufacturer

Driver from disk provided by

button. Do not select any of the

other buttons.

6. Click OK. You see the Install From Disk screen.

7. Insert the printer software CD shipped with your printer in
the CD-ROM drive. Depending on the country, the
CD-ROM may contain a multiple-language version of the
prin ter softwa re.

First try typing

D:\Win95

and clicking OK. If an error
message does not appear, proceed to step 8. If an error
message appears, click OK to return to the Install From
Disk screen. Type
by typing

Spanish

English, Francais, German, Italian, Portugal

, followed by

then specify your preferred language

D:\

\Win95

. Click

OK

.

, or

(If your CD-ROM drive uses a drive letter other than “D”,
substitute the appropriate letter.)

2-16

Getting Started

If you use the floppy disk version, insert it in a disk drive.
Type

A:\Win95

disk in a drive other than drive “A”, substitute the
appropriate letter.

and click OK. If you inserted the floppy

8. At the next screen you can type a unique name for the printer
in the Printer name box. We recommend that you keep the
model name as show n . The prog r am will co py the file s to
your hard disk and add an icon to the Printers folder using
the printer name you assign. To use this printer as the
default printer for Windows 95 applications, select
(No is the default setting.)

9. Click

Note:

q

q

If you use the floppy disk version, click OK when the
installation is completed.

Your printer software is now installed. Before using the printer
software, be sure to read the README file located in the
EPSON folder. For information on opening and using the
software, see “Printing With Windows” in Chapter 3, and
Chapter 4, “Using the Printer Software for Windows” for using
the utilities and further information on the printer driver.

Finish.

The EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility installation starts
automatically. You can stop the installation by clicking the

Cancel

Status Monitor 2 utility" on page 4-29.

Installation time varies depending on your computer system.

button. If you want to install it later, see "Installing the

Yes

.

2

If you use your printer on a network with Windows 95, see
page 2-20.

Getting Started

2-17

Installing in Windows 3.1

Follow these steps to install the software in Windows 3.1:

1. Make sure Windows 3.1 is running and the Program Manager
window is open.

2. Insert the EPSON printer software CD shipped with your
printer in the CD-ROM drive (if you use the floppy disk
version, insert it in a disk drive).

3. Choose
In the Command Line box, type
(if the CD-ROM drive has a drive letter other than “D”,
substitute the appropriate letter).
If you are using the floppy disk version, type
and click
other than “A”, substitute the appropriate letter).

4. If the dialog box below appears, double-click

Driver/Utility
Printer Driver/Utility

right.

from the File menu. You see the Run dialog box.

Run

D:\EPSETUP

(if the floppy disk drive has a drive letter

OK

; or you can also install by selecting

and then clicking the arrow on the top

; and click

A:\SETUP

Install Printer

OK

;

Install

2-18

Getting Started

Double-c lick here
to install.

Double-click here
to make a floppy
disk version of the
printer software.

5. Select your printer icon in the EPSON Printer Utility Setup
dialog box. Click OK. The installation program begins
copying the printer software files.

6. When the installation is complete, click OK to exit the
installation program.

2

Click here
to quit.

Click here
to get help
information.

The installation program automatically selects this printer as
the default printer for Windows applications.

Before using the printer software, be sure to read the README
file located in the EPSON group. For information on opening
and using the printer driver, see “Printing With Windows” in
Chapter 3, and Chapter 4, “Using the Printer Software for
Windows” for using the utilities and further information on the
printer driver.

Getting Started

2-19

Using Your Printer on a Network

With Windows 95

To use your printer over a network with Windows 95, you
must set up the computer to which the printer is connected (the
print server) and also set up the other computers on the
network which will use the computer (the client computers).
To set up the print server so that the printer is shared across the
network, see your Windows 95 documentation.
The instructions below explain how to set up your Windows 95
as a client computer to use your printer, after you have set up
the print server.

1. Make sure your printer software is installed (see page 2-13 if
it is not installed).

2. Double-click the

3. Double-click the

My Computer
Printers

folder .

icon.

4. Right-click the icon of your printer, and click

5. Click the

2-20

Details

Getting Started

tab. Then click the

Add Port

Properties

.

button.

Click this tab.

Then click here.

6. In the following dialog box, click

Browse.

Click here to specify
the network path.

7. Double-click the icon of the computer that is directly
connected to the printer. Then click the icon of the printer
you plan to use on the network.

Select the computer
that is connected to
the printer.

Select th e printer.

2

8. Click OK and follow the messages on the screen.

Now you can use the printer connected to the print server over
the network from the client computer.

Getting Started

2-21

With Windows NT 4.0

To use your printer over a network with Windows NT 4.0, you
must set up the computer to which the printer is connected (the
print server) and also set up the other computers on the
network which will use the computer (the client computers).
To set up the print server so that the printer is shared across the
network, see your Windows NT 4.0 documentation.
The instructions below explain how to set up your Windows
NT 4.0 as a client computer to use your printer, after you have
set up the print server.

1. Make sure your printer software is installed (see page 2-13 if
it is not installed).

2. Click

3. Double-click the

4. Click the

5. Select the print queue where print jobs destined for this
printer will be sent, or select the network path to the printer.

Note:

Be sure to confirm all network settings with the network
administrator.

, point to

Start

Network printer

Settings

Add Printer

radio button. Click

, and click

icon.

Printers

.

Next

.

2-22

Getting Started

6. If the following dialog box appears, click OK and go to the
next step.
If this dialog box does not appear, your printer is set up
and ready to accept print jobs over the network, see
Chapter 3 for information on how to start printing.

2

7. Click

8. Insert the printer software CD or floppy disk in the

9. For the English version of the CD-ROM, type

Have Disk

appropriate drive.

and click OK. For the multiple-language version CD-ROM,
type

Francais, German, Italian, Portugal, or Spanish

type
drive other than drive “D”, substitute the appropriate
letter.)

followed by your preferred language:

D:\
\WINNT40

.

D:\WINNT40

English,

, and click OK. (If you inserted the CD in a

Click here.

. Then

If you use the floppy disk version of the printer software, type

A:\WINNT40

other than “A”, substitute the appropriate letter.)

and click OK. (If you inserted the floppy disk

Getting Started

2-23

10. Select your printer in the dialog box below and follow the
on-screen instructions.

Select the model of
your printer.

Note for Windows NT 4.0 users:

If your printer does not print correctly as a remote printer, the
following procedure may help you solve the problem.

1. Install the Windows NT 4.0 printer software in your
computer as described on page 2-13.

2. Click

3. Right-click the icon of your printer, and click

4. Select a printer port other than

Start

, and select

Settings

and

Printers

in the Port menu.

LPT1

.

Properties

5. From the DOS prompt, type the network path to your printer,
for example;

C:\n et use lpt2: \\epserver\printer

then press the
lpt2: in step 4, substitute this port for “

key. If you selected a port other than

Enter

” in the

lpt2

command above. You should also substitute the name of
your print server for “

epserver

printer, as defined on the print server, for “

”, and the name of the

printer

6. Restart your computer.

Note:

If you need to cancel this setting, type /d instead of the network path
to your printer in step 5, for example,

2-24

Getting Started

C:\n et use lpt2: /d

.

”.

.

Connecting the Printer to Your Macintosh

To use the printer’s built-in serial interface, you will need
an Apple System Peripheral-8 cable. Read the following steps
to connect the printer to your Macintosh:

1. Make sure both your printer and Macintosh are turned off.

2. Connect one end of the interface cable to the serial connector
on the back of the printer.

3. Connect the other end of the interface cable to either the
modem port or printer port on the Macintosh. The ports are
marked with the following icons.

2

modem port

4. Turn on the printer by pressing the

5. Turn on your Macintosh.

See below for instructions on installing the printer software.
You must install the printer software before using your printer.

printer port

power button.

P

Getting Started

2-25

Installing the Printer Software in Your Macintosh

Always use the EPSON STYLUS PHOTO EX Macintosh printer
software when printing with your printer. This software is
specially designed to allow easy access to all the features of the
printer.

Caution:

Turn off all virus protection programs before you install your

c

printer software.

Installing the printer software

Follow the steps below to install your printer software. If you
are using the floppy disk version, make a backup copy of the
EPSON Macintosh printer software disk before you begin
installation.

1. Turn on your Macintosh and insert the EPSON printer
software CD shipped with your printer into its CD-ROM
drive (if you use the floppy disk version, insert it in a disk
drive).

2-26

The EPSON printer software disk opens automatically and,
depending on the country, displays either a single installer
icon or separate folders containing installer icons for
several languages. Double-click the
displayed, or open the folder for your preferred language,
then open the
icon inside it.

Getting Started

folder and double-click the installer

Disk 1

Installer

icon if it is

2. After the initial screen appears, click
the following dialog box, where you can install all or some
of the software components included on your printer
software CD. For information on the included software, see
page 2-28.

3. If you want to install all of the printer software included on
your printer software CD-ROM, make sure the Destination
Disk box shows the correct disk drive and click

Continue

to advance to

.

Install

2

If you are low on disk space, select
pop-up menu and click
the destination for installation, then click

Note:

Click the button to get information on each component.

4. When a message appears informing you that installation is
finished, click
restart your computer.

Restart

Serial Driver Pac kage

to complete the installation and

Custom Instal l

Install

Printer software components

Your printer software CD-ROM includes the following
software components:

Getting Started

from the

. Confirm

.

2-27

Serial Driver Package

q

SP EX

This is the printer driver software that gives you control
over your printer. With it, you can make settings such as
Print Quality, Media Type, and Paper Size.

q

EPSON Monit o r3

Monitors and manages background printing jobs. You must
turn on background printing in the Chooser to use this
utility. For more information, see “Controlling Background
Printing” on page 5-25.

q

StatusMonitor

Keeps track of the current status o f your pri nter, a nd alerts yo u
when printer errors occur. You can open it from the Utility
dialog box in the pri nter s oftware. For more i nform ation, see
“Using EPSON Printer Utilities” on page 5-22

q

Nozzle Check

Checks the print head for clogging. You can open this
utility from the Utility dialog box in the printer software.
For more information, see “Using EPSON Printer Utilities”
on page 5-22.

q

q

2-28

Head Cleaning
Cleans the print head to maintain the best print quality.
You can open this utility from the Utility dialog box in the
printer software. For more information, see “Using EPSON
Printer Utilitie s” on page 5-22 , and “Cle an ing the Prin t
Head” on page 8-30.

Print Head Alignment

Adjusts the print head so that vertical lines are aligned. You
can open this utility from the Utility dialog box in the
printer software. For more information, see “Using EPSON
Printer Utilities” on page 5-22, and “Aligning the Print
Head” on page 8-34.

Getting Started

ColorSync 2.0 and Profiles

Matches the colors in your printout with the colors displayed
on your screen. Use this when printing scanned photographs or
computer graphics.

To use this feature, you may need to set the system profile for
your monitor. Access the ColorSync System Profile utility
through the Control Panel and click the
Select your monitor from the list of monitors that appears, and
then click

Select

. Close the dialog box.

Set Profile

button.

Using the Chooser to select your printer

After you install the printer software, you need to open the
Chooser to select your printer. You have to choose the printer
only the first time you use it or whenever you want to switch to
another print er. You r Maci nt osh will alw ays prin t using the
last printer selected.

Note:

If you are using a Macintosh Quadra 950 or 900, you need to choose

Compatible

printer from the Chooser. To open the Serial Switch dialog box, choose

Control Panel

in the Serial Switch dialog box before selecting your

from the Apple menu, then choose

Serial Switch

2

.

Getting Started

2-29

1. Make sure the printer is connected to your Macintosh and is
turned on.

2. Choose
corresponding to your printer and the port your printer is
connected to. If you don’t see the appropriate icon, use the
arrows on the right to scroll through the available icons.

Note:

q

q

q

Chooser

If you are using AppleTalk on the printer port, select the
modem port or leave AppleTalk inactive.

If you are using AppleTalk on the modem port, select the
printer port or leave AppleTalk inactive.

If you are using your Macintosh in an Ethernet environment,
you can connect your printer to either the printer port or
modem port and leave AppleTalk active.

from the Apple menu. Then click the icon

2-30

Caution:

c

Getting Started

Do not make AppleTalk inactive if the Macintosh is
connected to an AppleTalk network. However, if your
Macintosh has a 68030 microprocessor CPU, make
AppleTalk inactive whenever you print with the EPSON
STYLUS PHOTO EX.

3. Click the
background printing on or off.

When background printing is on, you can use your
Macintosh while it is preparing a document for printing.
You must turn on background printing to use the EPSON
Monitor 3 utility to manage print jobs. For more
information, see “Using EPSON Printer Utilities” on page
5-22.

Background Printing

radio buttons to turn

2

4. Close the

Chooser

.

Getting Started

2-31

2-32

Getting Started

Chapter 3

Starting to Print

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

Printing With Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Printing With a Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

3

Starting to Pri n t

3-1

Loading P aper

The following procedure describes how to load plain paper
into the printer.

You can also print on spec ial media in cl udin g in k jet paper ,
transparencies, photo-quality glossy film or paper, envelopes,
index cards, and adhesive sheets. For details on using such
kinds of media, see Chapter 6, “Printing on Special Paper.”

1. Lower the output tray at the front of the printer and slide out
the extension.

3-2

Starting to Print

2. Slide the left edge guide so that the distance between the edge
guides is slightly wider than the width of your paper.

If you load long paper (for example, legal size paper), pull up
the paper support extension.

3

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

Starting to Pri n t

3-3

4. Load the stack of paper with the printable surface up, the
paper top edge first and the right edge of the paper stack
resting against the right side of the sheet feeder.

Note:

q

Always load paper into the sheet feeder short edge first. Load
envelopes flap edge first with the flap side down.

q

Load pre-printed forms or letterhead top edge first.

5. Slide the left edge guide against the left edge of the paper
stack. Make sure the paper stack fits under both the edge
guide tab and arrow mark as shown below.

3-4

Starting to Print

Printing With Windows

To get started with printing right away, follow the printing
method explained below, which is typical of many Windows
applications. The actual way you print may vary depending
on the application you use. See your application manual for
details. See page 3-8 for information on printing with a
Macintosh.

Note:

While many Windows applications override the settings made with
the printer driver, some do not, so you must verify the settings to get
the results you expect.

1. From your application, open the document you want to print.

3

2. Click
similar dialog box) appears.

3. Make sure your printer is selected and then click

Setup, Properties

than one of these buttons in different dialog boxes. The
printer software window appears.

on the File menu. The Print dialog box (or a

Print

, or

Options

. You may need to click more

Printer

,

Starting to Pri n t

3-5

4. Click the
option is set to

tab if necessary, and make sure the Mode

Main

Automatic

.

Note:

Automatic

When

is selected, the printer software optimizes
other settings according to the Media Type and Ink settings you
make.

5. Click anywhere in the Media Type box, and select the media
you loaded in the printer. If you don’t see your media in
the list, use the arrow on the right to scroll through the list.
See “Making the Media Type Setting” on page 4-10 for
more information.

Note:

Depending on the Media Type you choose, a slide bar appears in
the Mode box that lets you choose

Quality

when print quality is more important than speed.

Quality

or

Speed

. Select

6. Select

7. Click the

3-6

as the Ink setting if your document includes

Color

color. Select

if you are printing black text, a draft, or

Black

if you want colors to print as varying shades of gray.

Paper

Starting to Print

tab. The Paper menu appears.

8. Select the size of the paper you loaded in the printer from the
Paper Size list. If you don’t see your paper size in the list,
use th e a r ro w on the rig h t to s c r ol l through th e l is t.

Note:

If your paper size is not included in the list, select
and enter the paper size in the dialog box that appears. For
information on the User Defined option, see online help.

9. Make the Orientation setting. The effect of your setting is
shown in the display to the left.

10. Click OK at the bottom of the window. You return to the
Print dialog box (or a similar dialog box).

User Defined

3

11. Click

For Windows 95 and 3.1 users:

While your document is printing, the EPSON Despooler dialog
box (Windows 3.1) or the EPSON Progress Meter (Windows

95) appears, showing the printing progress and the status of

your printer. For details, see “Checking Printer Status” on page
4-21 and online help.

Close, OK

more than one of these buttons in different dialog boxes.

, or

to print. You may need to click

Print

Starting to Pri n t

3-7

Printing With a Macintosh

To get started printing right away, follow the printing method
explained below, which is typical of many Macintosh
applications. The actual way you print may vary depending on
the application you use. See your appli cation manual for
details. If you are printing from Windows applications, see the
previous section.

Note:

While many Macintosh applications override the settings made with
the printer driver, some do not, so you must verify the settings to get
the results you expect.

1. From your application, open the document you want to print.

2. Choose
dialog box shown below.

3. Select the paper size you loaded in the printer from the
Paper Size list.

4. Select Portrait or Landscape as the orientation option.

5. After making your settings, click the OK button to close the
Page Setup dialog box.

Note:

You cannot print from the Page Setup dialog box. You can only
print from the Print dialog box.

Page Setup

from the File menu. This brings up the

3-8

Starting to Print

6. Choose
box shown below.

Print

from the File menu. This brings up the dialog

3

7. Make sure the Mode option is set to

Note:

Automatic

When
other settings according to the Media Type and Ink settings you
make.

8. Select the type of paper you loaded in the printer from the
Media Type list. See page 5-4 for information.

Note:

Depending on the Media Type you choose, a slide bar appears in
the Mode box that lets you choose

Quality

9. Select
color. Select
if you want colors to print as varying shades of gray.

10. Click

when print quality is more important than speed.

Color

to start printing.

Print

is selected, the printer software optimizes

as the Ink option if your document includes

if you are printing black text, a draft, or

Black

Automatic

Quality

or

Speed

.

. Select

Starting to Pri n t

3-9

3-10

Starting to Print

Chapter 4

Using the Printer Software for Windows

The Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Accessing the Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

From Windows applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

From Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

From Windows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4

Making Changes to Printer Driver Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Using the Automatic Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Using the Predefined Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Customizing the Print Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Making the Media Type Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Modifying the Printout Style (Windows 95 & NT 4.0) . . . 4-12

Using EPSON Printer Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15

EPSON Status Monitor 2 (for Windows 95) . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Nozzle Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Head Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Print Head Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17

Printer and Option Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17

Speed & Progress (for Windows 95) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19

4

Checking Printer Status (for Windows 95 and 3.1) . . . . . . . 4-21

Understanding the EPSON Spool Manager . . . . . . . . . 4-23

Using EPSON Status Monitor 2 (for Windows 95) . . . . . 4-24

Getting Information Through Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30

Accessing help from your application . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30

Accessing help from Windows 95 or NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . 4-30

Accessing help from Windows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-1

The Printer Software

The printer software includes a printer driver and printer
utilitie s. The pr inte r drive r lets yo u choo se fr om a wide varie ty
of settings to get the best results from your printer. The printer
utilities help you check the printer and keep it in top condition.
There are four levels of settings:

Automatic setting The quickest and easiest way to

start printing. See page 4-5.

Predefined settings More control over printer

settings according to the kind of
printout. See page 4-6.

Custom settings Fit your individual needs. See

page 4-8.

Printout style settings

(Windo ws 95 and NT 4.0)

To check the condition of the printer or perform a maintenance
procedure, go to page 4-15.

Convenient fu nc tion s for sett ing
the printout method and style. See
page 4-12.

Accessing the Printer Software

You can access the printer driver settings and printer utilities
directly from any Windows application, or from My Computer
(Windows 95 and NT 4.0) or Program Manager (Windows 3.1).

The print settings made in many Windows applications
override similar settings made in the printer driver, so in most
cases you should access the printer software from your
application to make sure that the settings are appropriate for
the document you want to print.

Note:

Online help is available for details about the printer driver settings.

4-2

Using the Printer Software for Windows

From Windows applications

How you should access the printer software varies depending
on the application, application version, and version of
Windows you are using. Read the following for a general idea
of how to access the software.

1. Choose Print or Print Setup from the File menu.

2. Click Pri nter, Setup, Properties, or Options in the dialog box
that appears. (You may need to click a combination of these
buttons.)

The Main, Paper, and Layout (for Windows 95 and NT 4.0)
menus contain the printer driver settings. The Utility menu
contains the printer utilities.

3. Click the corresponding tab at the top of the window to view
a menu.

For information on the printer driver settings, see online help
and pages 4-5 to 4-14. See page 4-15 for information on the
printer utilities.

4

From Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0

Follow these steps to access the printer software from My
Computer.

1. Double-click the My Computer icon.

2. Double-click the Printers folder.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-3

3. For Windows 95, right-click your printer icon, and click

Properties.
For Windows NT 4.0, right-click your printer icon, then
click Document Defaults.

The Main, Paper, and Layout menus contain the printer
driver settings. The Utility menu contains the printer
utilities.

4. Click the corresponding tab at the top of the window to view
a menu.

For information on the printer driver settings, see online help
and pages 4-5 to 4-14. See page 4-15 for information on the
printer util it ies .

From Windows 3.1

Follow these steps to access the printer software from Program
Manager:

1. Double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main group.

2. Double-click the Printers icon.

3. Choose your printer from the Installed Printers list.

4. Choose Setup. You see the Main menu of the printer software
window. The Main and Paper menus contain the printer
driver settings. The Utility menu contains the printer
utilities.

5. Click the corresponding tab at the top of the window to view
a menu.

For information on the printer driver settings, see online help
and pages 4-5 to 4-14. See page 4-15 for information on the
printer util it ies .

4-4

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Making Changes to Printer Driver Settings

Acce ss in g the pr in te r soft w ar e wil l show you the follo w in g
printer driver setting menus (tabs) as well as the Utility menu.

Main Mode, Media Type, Ink
Paper Paper size, Copies, Orientation, Printable Area
Layout Proportional Printing, Print Layout, Watermark

The layout menu is available only for Windows 95 and NT 4.0
users.

Using the Automatic Setting

When Automatic is selected on the Main menu, the printer
driver takes care of all detailed settings according to the Media
Type and Ink settings you make (see page 4-10 for details on
the Media Type settings). So, Media Type and Ink are the only
settings you need to make b y yourself . Mos t Windows
applications feature paper size and page layout settings which
override similar settings on the Paper menu, but if your
application does not, you should verify the settings on the
Paper menu.

4

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-5

Note:

Depending on the media you choose in the Media Type list (while

Automatic

lets you choose
quality is more important than speed.

Online help provides more information about the printer driver
settings. See page 4-30 for instructions on using online help.

is selected), a slide bar may appear in the Mode box that

Quality

or

Speed

. Select

Quality

when print

Using the Predefined Settings

The predefined settings are provided to help you optimize the
print settings for a particular kind of printout, such as
presentation documents or images taken by a video or digital
camera.

1. Click

2. Select the most appropriate setting from the list according to

3. Before printing, be sure to verify the Media Type and Ink

Advanced

You will find the predefined settings in the list below the
Advanced button.

the type of document or image you will print.

When you choose a predefined setting, other settings such as
Print Quality, Halftoning, and Color are set automatically.
Changes are shown in the Current Settings display at the
bottom of the Main menu.

settings, as they may be affected by the predefined setting
you select. See page 4-10 for more information on the
Media Type setting.

on the Main menu.

4-6

Using the Printer Software for Windows

The printer driver provides the following predefined settings:

Advanced Photo

Photo
Text/Graph

PhotoEnhance

(for Windows 3.1)

PhotoEnhance2

(for Windows 95 and
NT 4.0

)

or

Good for printing scanned photos and
digitally-captured images in high
quality. Also helps prevent the
misprinting of ink dots that may occur
due to the movement of the printer
head and paper.

Good for printing scanned photos.
Good for printing presentation

documents such as graphs and charts
Good for printing images captured

using a video, digital camera, or
scanner. EPSON PhotoEnhance and
PhotoEnhance2 automatically adjust
the contrast, saturation, and brightness
of the original image data to produce
sharper, more vivid color printouts.
The PhotoEnhance and PhotoEnhance2
settings do not affect your original
image data.

Note:

Printing with PhotoEnhance or
PhotoEnhance2 selected may increase the
print time, depending on your computer
system and the amount of data contained in
your image.

4

Text
Economy
ICM

(for Windows 95

Good for printing text-only documents
Good for printing drafts of text
ICM means Image Color Matching.

)

This feature automatically adjusts
printout colors to match colors on your
screen.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-7

Customizing the Print Settings

Many users will never need to make their own print settings
manually. However, if you need more control over the driver,
want to make the most detailed settings available, or just want
to experiment, see below.

1. Click

2. Select the Print Quality setting.

3. Select the Media Type that you loaded in the printer. See the

4. Choose

5. Make other settings. For details, see online help.

Advanced

Settings

next section for details.

. The More Settings dialog box appears:

Color

on the Main menu and then click

or

in the Ink option.

Black

More

Note:

Some settings are enabled or disabled depending on the Print
Quality, Media Type, and Ink settings you make.

6. Click OK to apply your settings and return to the Main menu.

4-8

Click

Cancel

your settings.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

to return to the Main menu without applying

Saving your settings

To save your custom settings, click
menu. The Custom Settings dialog box appears:

Type a unique name for your custom settings in the Name box,
and click the
under the Advanced button on the Main menu.

Note:

q

You cannot use a predefined setting name for your custom
settings.

button. Your settings will appear in the list

Save

Save Settings

on the Main

4

q

To delete a custom setting, click
menu, select the setting in the Custom Settings dialog box and
then click

q

You cannot delete the predefined settings.

If you change the Media Type or Ink setting when one of your
custom settings is selected in the Advanced settings list on the
Main menu, the setting selected in the list changes to

Settings

affected by this change. To return to your custom setting,
simply reselect it from the settings list.

Delete

. The custom setting that was previously selected is not

.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Save Settings

on the Main

Custom

4-9

Making the Media Type Setting

On the Main menu, select the Media Type setting that matches the
paper you loaded in the printer. See the following to determine
the Media Type setting (shown in bold) for your paper. First find
your paper, then click the corresponding Media Type setting.

Note:

If the corresponding Media Type option for your paper is not shown
in the Media Type list, change the Print Quality setting in the More
Settings dialog box, select
the predefined setting in the Advanced settings list on the Main menu.

Plain Paper

Plai n paper Enve l op e s

360 dpi Ink Jet Paper

EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper (A4) S041059

EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper (Letter) S041060

EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper (A3) S041065

EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper (A4) S041154
EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper(Letter)S041153

Automatic

as the Mode setting, or change

S041025

S041028

S041046

S041155

Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper (A4) S041061

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper (Letter) S041062

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper (Legal) S041067

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper (A3) S041068

4-10

Using the Printer Software for Windows

S041026

S041029

S041048

S041045

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Card (A6) S041054
EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Card (5 × 8 in.) S041121
EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Card (8 × 10 in.) S041122
EPSON Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheet (A4) S041106

Ink Jet Transparencies

EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies (A4) S041063
EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies (Letter) S041064

Photo Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper (A4) S041126
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper (Letter) S041124
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper (A3) S041125
EPSON Photo Paper (4 × 6 in.) S041134
EPSON Photo Paper (A4) S041140
EPSON Photo Paper (Letter) S041141
EPSON Photo Paper (A3) S041142
EPSON Panoramic Photo Paper (210 × 594 mm) S041145

Photo Quality Glossy Film

EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film (A4) S041071
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film (Letter) S041072
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film (A3) S041073
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film (A6) S041107
EPSON Photo Stickers (A6) S041144

4

Note:

The availability of special media varies by country.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-11

Modifying the Printout Style (Windows 95 & NT 4.0)

The Orientation fea ture in the Paper menu and the Layout
menu allow you to make various print settings that affect the
way your document is printed and the look of your printout.

This section describes the features provided for Windows 95
and NT 4.0. For more details, see online help.

Using the Orientation feature (Paper menu)

The orientation box contains the Rotate by 180° setting.

Check here to
minimize the blank
area at the bottom
of your printout.

The Rotate by 180° setting rotates your document 180 degrees
vertically, which allows you to print closer to the bottom edge.
This is possible because the printer’s minimum top margin is
smaller than the minimum bottom margin.

4-12

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Ulsing the Layout menu

For Windows 95
only

Proportional Printing

Normal Prints your document at its normal size.
Fit to Page Proportionally enlarges or reduces the

size of your document to make it fit the
paper size you select in the Paper Size
list.

4

Custom Allows you to manually define the

percentage you want to enlarge or
reduce an image. Click the arrows next
to the Proportion box to select a scaling
ratio from 10% to 400%.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-13

Print Layout (for Windows 95)

2 Pages/4 Pages Prints 2 or 4 pages of your document

on a single piece of paper.

Page Order Allows you to select the order of the

print e d pages.

Print page frames Allows you to print a frame around

each page on the sheet of paper. The

Print page frames

check appears in the check box.

feature is active if a

Watermark

Check the
selected watermark and to enable the
button, which opens the Watermark Settings dialog box.

In the Watermark Settings dialog box you can select from a list
of predefined watermarks, or you can select a bitmap (.BMP)
file as your own custom watermark. The Watermark Settings
dialog box also allows you to make a variety of detailed
watermark settings, for example you can select the size, color,
and position of your watermar k.

Watermark

check box to activate the currently

Watermark Settings

4-14

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Using EPSON Printer Utilities

EPSON printer utilities allow you to perform some printer
maintena nce from your screen . For Window s 95, util ities to
check the current printer status are also available. To access the
utilities, click the
then click the button for the utility you want to use. The
utilities are explained briefly below. For more details, see
online he lp.

tab in the printer software window,

Utility

For Windows 95

For Windows 95
and NT 4.0.

For Windows 95

4

Note:

q

The letter in parentheses after the utility name indicates the
shortcut key for that utility. Press
on the keyboard to open that utility.

q

While printing is in progress, pressing any of the utility buttons,
except the EPSON Status Monitor 2 button, may mar your
printouts.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Alt

and the appropriate letter

4-15

EPSON Status Monitor 2 (for Windows 95)

Provides you with printer status information, such as the
amount of ink remaining, and checks for printer errors.

This utility is available only if:

You have installed the Status Monitor 2 (if not, see page

q

4-29),

The printer is connected directly to the host computer via

q

the parallel port (LPT1), and

Your system is configured to support bi-directional

q

communication.

The online help included with the EPSON Status Monitor 2
utility provides you with detailed information about using
EPSON Status Monitor 2. Click
window.

in the Printer Status

Help

Nozzle Check

Checks the print head nozzles for clogging. Check the nozzles if
you notice a decline in print quality, and also after cleaning to
confirm that the print head nozzles have been cleared. In case
the nozzle check indicates the print head needs cleaning, you
can access the Head Cleaning utility directly from the Nozzle
Check utility.

Head Cleaning

Cleans the print head. You may need to clean the head if you
notice a decline in print quality. Before and after print head
cleaning, use the Nozzle Check utility to check whether the
print head needs to be cleaned (again). You can access the
Nozzle Check utility directly from the Head Cleaning utility.

4-16

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Print Head Alignment

Aligns the prin t head. Use this util ity if yo u noti ce your
printouts contain misaligned vertical lines while the High
Speed setting is turned on in the More Setting dialog box.

Note:

q

Do not use the Nozzle Check, Head Cleaning, and Print Head
Alignment utilities with printers connected to your computer
through a network.

q

Do not use the Nozzle Check, Head Cleaning, and Print Head
Alignment utilities while printing is in progress; otherwise your
printout may be marred.

Printer and Option Information

This utility allows the printer driver t o confirm printe r
configuration information. It also p rovides spec ific infor mation
regarding certain characteristics of the printer such as Printer ID
(Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 only).

4

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-17

The information displayed in the Printer and Option
Information dialog box and the ability to update that
information automatically varies, depending on your system
setup. Under certain circumstances, you may need to input
some information manually. If a message appears in the
Current Settings window prompting you to enter settings, or if
you change the printer’s configuration, follow the steps below
to make the necessary settings manually:

1. Click the
Information dialog box to print out information about your
printer and options. This requires A4 or letter size paper.
You will see a printout similar to the one below.

2. Make sure the settings in the utility match the information on
the printed Settings Sheet. If they do not match, correct the
settings on the screen to match the information on the
settings sheet.

3. Click OK to exit this menu and save your settings.

Settings Sheet

button in the Printer and Option

4-18

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Speed & Progress (for Windows 95)

You can make certain print speed settings to your system with
this button. Click the
following dialog box and the settings that are described below.

High Speed Copies

Turns on high-speed printing for multiple copies. This speeds
up printing by using your hard disk space as a cache when
printing multiple copies of your document.

Speed & Progress

button to view the

4

Show Progress Meter

Displays the Progress Meter every time you print. See also
page 4-21.

EPSON Printer Port

Turns on the EPSON printer port, which is optimized for
EPSON printers, instead of the Windows default printer port.
This speeds up the data transfer rate to EPSON printers.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-19

DMA Transfer

A message may appear below the EPSON printer port setting
stating the DMA transfer capability of your system. If you do
not see a message, DMA transfer is not available on your
system.

One of the following messages may appear:

q

High Speed (DMA) Transfer enabled.

DMA transfer is already enabled on your system.

q

For h i gher data transf er rates, use DMA transfer.

You may be able to make printing faster by enabling DMA
transfer on your system. See page 8-26 for instructions
about how to enable DMA transfer.

4-20

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Checking Printer Status (for Windows 95 and 3.1)

When you send a print job to the printer, the Progress Meter
(Windows 95), or the Despooler (Windows 3.1) appears on
your computer screen.

From Windows 95 (Progress Meter )

Appears only when
the Status Monitor
utillity is in stalled

This meter shows the progress of the current print job and
provides printer status information when bidirectional
communication between the printer and computer is
established.

4

If you click the

Detail

button, you can open the Printer Status

window to obtain more detailed information.

Note:

The Progress Meter does not appear when

Show Progress

is turned

off in the Speed & Progress dialog box. See page 4-19 for information.

Stop Cancels printing

Pause Pauses printing un til you press it aga in

Reprint Restarts printing from the current page,

reprint s the whole document, or holds
the document for printing later

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-21

From Windows 3.1 (Despooler)

This dialog box shows the progress of the current print job.

You can also cancel, pause and resume, and restart selected
print jobs from the Progress Me ter or the Despoole r.

Stop Cancels printing

Pause Pauses printing until you press it again

4-22

Reprint Restarts printing from the current page,

reprints the whole document, or holds
the document for printing later

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Understanding the EPSON Spool Manager

The EPSON Spool Manager is similar to the Windows Print
Manager. If a print job or jobs are received by the EPSON Spool
Manager while a print job is being processed, the new jobs are
placed in a print queue, ready to be processd in the order in
which they were received. When a print job reaches the top of
the line, the EPSON Spool Manager sends the job to the printer.

From Windows 95

Click the
taskbar. You can see the status and information for the print
jobs and also you can cancel, pause and resume, or restart
selected print jobs from the Spool Manager.

From Windows 3.1

Double-click the
at the bottom of your desktop, or double-click the

Manager

online he lp.

EPSON Stylus Photo EX

EPSON Spool Manager

icon in the EPSON group. For more information, see

button after it appears on the

icon after it appears

4

Spool

Using the Printer Software for Windows

4-23

Using EPSON Status Monitor 2 (for Windows 95)

If you installed the Status Monitor utility (see page 2-14), you
can get detailed information on the printer status.

Note:

q

If you have not installed the Status Monitor yet, see “Installing
the Status Monitor 2 utility” later in this chapter.

q

Before using the Status Monitor, be sure to read the README
file located in the EPSON Status Monitor 2 folder in the Epson
folder on your hard drive.

There are two ways to access EPSON Status Monitor 2:

Double-click the printer-shaped background monitoring

q

icon on the taskbar at the bottom of your computer screen.

Note:

You must restart your computer after installing EPSON Status
Monitor 2 to view the background monitoring icon.

Click

q

EPSON Status Monitor 2

Start

, point to

Programs

.

, click

You see the Status Monitor 2 window:

The EPSON Status Monitor 2 window displays:

4-24

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Epson

, and then click

Printer icon

The color of the print er icon ind icat es the curr en t print er sta tus .

Green Ready
Yellow Some kind of maintenance is necessary
Red An error has occurred
Dimmed Communication problem between Status

Monitor 2 and printer

Printer Name

The name of the EPSON printer connected directly to your
computer appears in this column.

Note:

q

You can add or delete printers from the list. To save
computer memory, delete printers you do not need to monitor
(this does not remove the printer driver from your computer).
Choose
menu.

q

You can rearrange the order of the printers in the list. Click
the
change the order of the printers.

Add Printer

Printer Name, Status

Delete Printer

or

Job Count

, or

on the Settings

title bar to

Status

Brief messages appear here regarding the current status of the
printer.

Job Count

Shows the number of jobs waiting to print.

4

Note:

To get more information, choose
menu or click the Job Status button on the tool bar.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Job Status

on the Printer

4-25

To get more detailed information, double-click the printer
name, select the printer and then choose
Printer men u, o r selec t the prin te r and clic k the Prin t er Statu s

button on the tool bar. See “Printer Status window” below

for details.

Note:

You can control the contents of the Status Monitor 2 window using

View

the

menu. See online help for Status Monitor 2.

Printer Status

Printer Status window

If you access the Printer Status window as described above, the
following appears:

on the

Note:

You can also access the Printer Status window from the Status Alert
dialog box. See the next section for the Status Alert dialog box.

4-26

Using the Printer Software for Windows

You can open the three menus described below by clicking the
tabs at the top of the Printer Status window:

Current Status

q

Provides you with detailed printer status information, a
graphic display, and status messages. If a printer error
occurs, troubleshooting tips appear in the bottom message
box.

Consumables

q

Shows the graphic display for the amount of ink remaining.

Printer information

q

Provides you with information about network connections
and other printer resources (for printers connected over a
network).

For details, see online help for the EPSON Status Monitor 2
utility.

Making monitoring settings

You can make monitoring settings, such as selecting the
monitoring interval and turning on or off background
monitoring.

4

1. Make sure the Status Monitor is active (it is active if a
printer-shaped icon appears on the taskbar at the bottom of
your computer screen). If the Status Monitor is inactive,
open the EPSON Status Monitor 2 window from
described on page 4-24. Then point to

Monitoring
restart

Note:

The Background Monitoring and Status Alert settings are not
available while the Status Monitor is inactive.

on the Settings menu and click

or

Monitor now

to enable Status Monitor.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Background

Start

Monitor from

, as

4-27

2. Select the printer you want to monitor from the Installed
Printers list, and then click

Monitoring Preferences

on the

Settings menu. The dialog box below appears.

Monitoring Interval

q

You can adjust the monitoring interval by dragging the
slider.

4-28

Note:

Setting a short monitoring interval may slow down some
applications.

Background Monitoring

q

If this is turned on, the Status Alert dialog box
automatically appears to inform you of the printer
status while you are using application programs. You
can select when the Alert dialog box appears by using
the Status Alert options on the right.

Status Alert

q

You can specify when you want the Status Alert dialog
box to appear.

Using the Printer Software for Windows

3. Click OK to save your settings.

Note:

If you want the Status Alert dialog box to appear in front of other
windows on the desktop, right-click the background monitoring icon
and choose

Show on Top

.

Installing the Status Monitor 2 utility

Note:

If you installed the Status Monitor 2 utilit y when you installed the
printer software, you do not need to install it again.

To use the Status Monitor 2, you need to install the software as
described below:

1. Make sure Windows 95 is running. Insert the printer software
CD-ROM in the CD-ROM driver (if you are using floppy
disks, insert the floppy disk in the floppy disk drive).

4

2. If a dialog box appears, click

3. Click

4. Type
followed by
If you inserted the CD in a drive other than drive “D”,
substitute the appropriate letter.
If you use the floppy disk version, substitute the letter of
the floppy disk drive.

5. Click OK. The installation starts. Follow the instructions on
the screen.

, and select

Start

and specify your preferred language (see page 2-16)

D:\

\status2

Using the Printer Software for Windows

.

Run

in the box.

Quit

.

4-29

Getting Information Through Online Help

Your printer software has an extensive online help feature,
which will answer most of your questions about your printer
software. It provides you with instructions on printing, making
printer dr ive r sett ing s, us ing printe r ut iliti es, and
troubleshooting printer errors.

Accessing help from your application

Open the File menu and choose

Printer, Setup, Options

combination of these buttons) depending on the software you
are using. Click the
Paper, Layout, or Utility menu for help related to the items on
that menu.

For Windows 95 and NT 4.0 users :

You can get specific help related to any item on a menu by
right-c lic k ing the ite m, the n clic ki ng th e

, or

Properties

button at the bottom of the Main,

Help

or

Print

Print Setu p

(you may need to click a

What’s This?

Accessing help from Windows 95 or NT 4.0

Click the

95) or

EPSON Printers

EPSON Stylus Photo EX

window.

button, point to

Start

Programs

(Windows NT 4.0), and then click

Help. You see the help contents

and

Epson

Accessing help from Windows 3.1

Open the EPSON group and double-click the

Photo EX Help

icon. You see the help contents window.

EPSON Stylus

. Then click

prompt.

(Windo w s

4-30

Using the Printer Software for Windows

Chapter 5

Using the Printer Software for Macintosh

The Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Making Changes to Printer Driver Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Using the Automatic Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Using the Predefined Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

Customizing the Print Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

Saving your settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16

Using your saved settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Changing the Paper Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Defining a Custom Paper Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19

Modifying the Printout Method and Style . . . . . . . . . . 5-20

Using EPSON Printer Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22

EPSON StatusMonitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23

Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24

Nozzle Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24

Head Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24

Print Head Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25

5

Controlling Background Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25

Using the Printer Software for Macintosh

5-1

The Printer Software

The printer software includes a printer driver and printer
utilitie s. The pr inte r drive r lets yo u choo se fr om a wide varie ty
of settings to get the best results from your printer. The printer
utilities help you check the printer and keep it in top condition.

The quickest and easiest way to start printing is to leave the
Mode option set to Automatic in the Print dialog box. This way
you only need to check the Media Type and Ink settings, as
described on page 5-4.

Basically, there are three levels of settings: the Automatic
setting; the predefined settings, wh ich give you more contr ol
over printer settings; and the custom settings, which you make
to suit your individual needs. These settings are described in
detail below.

To check the condition of the printer or perform a maintenance
procedure, see “Using EPSON Printer Utilities” on page 5-22.

Making Changes to Printer Driver Settings

You will find the printer driver settings in the following dialog
boxes:

q

Print dialog box (click Print on the File menu of your
application or click Options in the Page Setup dialog box)

q

Page Setup dialog box (click Page Setup on the File men u
of your application)

q

Layout dialo g box (clic k Layout in the Print dialog box)

5-2

Using the Printer Software for Macintosh

Using the Automatic Setting

When Automatic is selected as the Mode setting in the Print
dialog box, the printer driver takes care of all detailed settings
according to the Media Type and Ink settings you make (see
page 5-4 for details on the Media Type setting). Usually, you
will never have to change this setting. However, if your
application program does not give you enough control over the
printout, you may want to experiment with the predefined
settings or make your own custom settings. See page 5-6 for
information on the predefined settings, and page 5-9 for
information on making custom settings.

Note:

Depending on the media you choose in the Media Type list while
Automatic is selected, a slide bar may appear in the Mode box that
lets you choose Quality or Speed. Select Quality when print
quality is more important than speed.

5

Before printing, verify the Media Type and Ink settings as
described below because they also have an effect on the other
settings. You may also need to check the Page Setup dialog box
for other basic settings such as paper size. See page 5-17 for
information on the Page Setup dialog box.

Using the Printer Software for Macintosh

5-3