Epson Photo EX User Manual

User’s Guide

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

paper support extension

paper support

edge guides

ink cartridge
clamp

thickness lever

paper
out light

printer cover

output tray

load/eject
button

control panel

output tray
extensions

power
light

black ink
out light

color ink
out light

cleaning
button

power
button

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

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

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

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

MicroDot, PhotoEnhance, EPSON FaxAdvice and EPSON Digital PhotoLab are trademarks and SoundAdvice is
a service mark of Epson America, Inc.

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

The E

NERGY STAR

Copyright © 1998 by Epson America, Inc. CPD-6296

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

3/98

ii

FCC Compliance Statement

For United States Users

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

◗ Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
◗ Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
◗ Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
◗ Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

WARNING

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

For Canadian Users

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

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

iii

iv

Contents

Introduction

Windows System Requirements 1
Macintosh System Requirements 2
How To Use Your Manuals 3

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips 4
Where To Get Help 5
ENERGY STAR Compliance 6

Energy-saving Tips 7
Important Safety Instructions 7

1

2

Basic Printing

Printing from Windows 1-1

Setting Printer Options from Windows Applications 1-2

Setting Default Printer Options 1-4

Checking Printer Status 1-5
Printing from a Macintosh 1-7
Choosing Paper and Other Media 1-9
What To Do When the Printer Lights Flash 1-11

Custom Printing

Using Predefined Advanced Settings 2-2
Customizing Print Quality and Special Effects 2-4
Customizing Color Settings 2-8
Using ColorSync on the Macintosh 2-10
Selecting Paper Size and Orientation Options 2-12

Selecting Paper Options in Windows 2-12

Selecting Paper Options on a Macintosh 2-17

v

Contents

Selecting Print Layout Options 2-22

Choosing Print Layout Options in Windows 2-22
Choosing Print Layout Options on a Macintosh 2-29

Saving Custom Settings 2-35

Redefining Custom Settings 2-36
Deleting Custom Settings 2-36

3

4

Printing on Special Media

Using Special Media 3-2

Additional Media Loading Guidelines 3-3
Envelopes 3-5
EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards 3-6
EPSON Photo Paper (4 x 6) 3-6

Panoramic Photo Paper and Banners 3-7

Loading Panoramic or Banner Paper 3-8
Printing a Panoramic Image from Windows 3-9
Printing a Panoramic Image from a Macintosh 3-10

Managing Print Jobs

Managing Print Jobs in Windows 95 4-1

Selecting the Speed & Progress Options 4-2
Using the Spool Manager 4-4
Using Status Monitor 2 4-5

Managing Print Jobs in Windows 3.1 4-12

Using the Spool Manager 4-12
Managing Print Jobs in Windows NT 4.0 4-14
Managing Print Jobs on a Macintosh 4-15

Using Monitor3 4-15

Using the Macintosh Status Monitor 4-18

Selecting Configuration Options 4-19

vi

Contents

5

6

Maintenance and

Transportation

Cleaning the Print Head 5-1

Using the Head Cleaning Utility 5-2
Using the Control Panel 5-3
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern 5-4

Replacing an Ink Cartridge 5-4

Removing an Empty Ink Cartridge 5-5
Installing the New Cartridge 5-6

Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge 5-7
Aligning the Print Head 5-8
Cleaning the Printer 5-9
Transporting the Printer 5-9

Troubleshooting

Diagnosing Problems 6-1

Checking the Control Panel Lights 6-2

Running a Printer Check 6-3

Using the Printer and Option Information Utility 6-4

Uninstalling Printer Software 6-5
Improving Print Quality 6-7
Solving Common Printing Problems 6-9
Solving Printer Software Problems 6-12
Fixing Paper Problems 6-16
Solving Miscellaneous Printout Problems 6-17

vii

Contents

A

B

Network Printing

Network Printing in Windows 95 A-1
Network Printing in Windows 3.1 A-3

Setting Up the Print Server in Windows 3.1 A-4
Setting Up Client Systems in Windows 3.1 A-4

Network Printing in Windows NT 4.0 A-5

Technical

Specifications

Printing B-1
Paper B-2
Ink Cartridge B-5
Mechanical B-5
Electrical B-6
Environmental B-6
Safety Approvals B-6
Initialization B-7
Interface B-7

Glossary

Index

viii

/

Introduction

Your EPSON Stylus® Photo EX printer is the ideal output
device for full-color layout proofs, digital photography, photo
editing—or any imaging project you create on your computer.
The printer comes with these features:

◗ Exclusive Micro Piezo

cleaner dots

◗ Super MicroDot
◗ Six-color printing for photo reproduction quality on plain

paper or a variety of special media

◗ Fastest color print speeds in its class
◗ Compatibility with Microsoft
◗ PhotoEnhance2 (PhotoEnhance

optimizing the contrast, saturation, and brightness of your

pictures at the touch of a button

™

ink jet technology for smaller,

™

technology for superior image quality

®

Windows® and Macintosh

™

in Windows 3.1) for

®

◗ Resolutions up to 1440
◗ EPSON Digital PhotoLab

× 720 dpi

™

EX, which includes software

for editing and cataloging your digital photos

Windows System Requirements

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

®

◗ An IBM

or faster processor

◗ Windows
◗ At least 16MB of RAM (20MB recommended)

compatible PC with at least a 486 DX2/66 MHz

3.1x, Windows 95 or later, or Windows NT 4.0

1

Introduction

Note:
If you don’t have a
CD-ROM drive, you can
get the printer driver
software on diskettes or
download it through your
modem. See your

Getting Started

details.

guide for

◗ At least 50MB of free hard disk space for storing images

(100MB recommended)

◗ VGA, Super VGA, or better display adapter and monitor
◗ Double-speed CD-ROM drive (quad-speed or faster

recommended)

◗ A shielded, twisted-pair parallel printer cable (6 to 10 feet

long) to connect your computer to the printer; the cable
must have a D-SUB, 25-pin, male connector for your
computer and a 36-pin, Centronics

®

compatible connector

for the printer.

Macintosh System Requirements

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

◗ Any Macintosh or Power Macintosh model except early

models such as the Macintosh Classic, Macintosh +,
Macintosh 512, or PowerBook

™

100

◗ System 7.1 or later (7.5 or later recommended)
◗ At least 16MB of built-in RAM (20MB recommended)
◗ At least 50MB of free hard disk space for storing images

(100MB recommended)

◗ 13-inch RGB or better display
◗ Double-speed CD-ROM drive (quad-speed or faster

recommended)

◗ Standard Apple

®

System Peripheral-8 cable or equivalent
(RS-422, 8-pin mini DIN male/male, Belkin F2V024
recommended)

2

How To Use Your Manuals

Introduction

To set up your printer, see the Getting Started
Guide

contains the following information:

Chapter 1

Macintosh.

Chapter 2

settings for print quality, color management, and precise
layouts.

Chapter 3

paper or other media for your print job and instructions for
printing panoramic images.

Chapter 4

status.

Chapter 5

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

Chapter 6

Appendix A

for network printing.

covers the basics of printing with Windows or

tells you how to print special projects with custom

gives guidelines for selecting and using the right

explains how to manage print jobs and check printer

gives instructions for replacing ink cartridges,

provides solutions for any problems you may have.

explains how to set up your computer and printer

guide

. This User’s

Appendix B

cartridges, and EPSON media.

Glossary

A

provides the technical details of your printer, ink

are

3

Index

included at the end of the book.

and an

Introduction

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips

You’ll find this information throughout your manual:

War ni ng s

Cautions

equipment.

Notes

Tips

must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.

must be observed to avoid damage to your

contain important information about your printer.

contain additional hints for great printing.

4

Introduction

Where To Get Help

EPSON provides technical assistance through electronic
support services and automated telephone services 24 hours a
day. The following tables list the contact information:

Electronic support services

Service Access

World Wide Web From the Internet, you can reach EPSON’s Home Page at

http://www.epson.com.

EPSON Internet FTP Site If you have Internet FTP capability, use your Web browser (or

other software for FTP downloading) to log onto ftp.epson.com
with the user name anonymous and your e-mail address as the
password.

EPSON Download Service You can call the EPSON Download Service at [phone]. Set

your communications software to 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity.
Modem speed can be up to 28.8 Kbps.

EPSON Forum on
CompuServe

®

Members of CompuServe can type GO EPSON at the menu
prompt to reach the Epson America Forum. For a free
introductory CompuServe membership, call [phone] and
ask for representative #529.

Automated telephone services

Service Access

EPSON SoundAdvice

EPSON FaxAdvice

EPSON Referral Service For the location of your nearest Authorized EPSON Reseller or

SM

™

For pre-recorded answers to commonly asked questions about
EPSON products 24 hours a day, seven days a week, call
[phone].

Access EPSON’s technical information library by calling
[phone]. You must provide a return fax number to use
this service.

Customer Care Center, call [phone].

5

Introduction

To speak to a technical support representative, dial
[phone] (U.S.) or [phone] (Canada), 6

PM

8

, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday and 7 AM to 4PM,

AM

to

Saturday and Sunday. Toll or long distance charges may apply.

Note:
If you need help using
another manufacturers’
software with an EPSON
product, see the
documentation for that
program for technical
support information.

Before you call, please have the following information ready:

◗ Product name
◗ Product serial number
◗ Computer configuration
◗ Description of the problem

You can purchase ink cartridges, paper, manuals, accessories,
and parts from

EPSON

Accessories at [phone] (U.S.
sales only). In Canada, please call [phone] for dealer
referral.

E

NERGY STAR

As an E

NERGY STAR

this product meets the E

Compliance

Partner, EPSON has determined that

NERGY STAR

guidelines for energy

efficiency.

The EPA E

NERGY STAR

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

6

Introduction

Energy-saving Tips

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

◗ If your monitor isn’t E

when you’re not using it.

◗ Turn off your computer, printer, and monitor each day

when you are done using them.

◗ Use the print preview option in your software so you can

catch errors before you print something.

◗ Send e-mail rather than distributing memos. Not only is

this faster, but you’ll save paper and storage space too.

NERGY STAR

compliant, turn it off

Important Safety Instructions

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

◗ Always use the power switch to turn the printer on or off.

Never use an external switch—such as a power strip—to
turn off the printer.

◗ Turn off and unplug the printer before cleaning. Clean

with a damp cloth only. Do not spill liquid on the printer.

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

radiator or heating vent.

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

or insert objects through the slots.

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

label.

◗ Connect all equipment to properly grounded power

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

7

Introduction

◗ Place the printer near a wall outlet where the plug can be

easily unplugged.

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

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

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

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

attempt to service the printer yourself.

◗ Unplug the printer and refer servicing to qualified service

personnel under the following conditions:

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

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:

◗ Do not put your hand inside the printer or touch the

cartridge during printing.

◗ Under normal circumstances, ink will not come out of the

cartridge. If it does get on your skin, wash it off with soap
and water. If it gets in your eyes, flush them immediately
with water.

◗ Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children.
◗ Do not dismantle the ink cartridges or try to refill them.

This could result in damage to the print head.

◗ Once you install an ink cartridge, do not open the clamp or

remove the cartridge except to replace it with a new one.
The cartridge may become unusable otherwise.

8

Introduction

◗ Install the ink cartridge immediately after you remove it

from its foil package. Leaving the cartridge unpacked for a
long time before use may result in reduced print quality.

◗ Do not use an ink cartridge beyond the date printed on the

cartridge carton. For best results, use up ink cartridges
within six months of installing them.

◗ Do not shake an ink cartridge; this can cause leakage.
◗ Always turn the printer off using the

When this button is pressed, the
briefly then goes out. Do not unplug the printer or turn off
the power to the outlet until the

◗ Before transporting the printer, make sure the print head is

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

Ppower button.

Ppower light flashes

Ppower light is off.

9

Basic Printing

1

It’s easy to print with your new EPSON Stylus Photo EX. First
set up and install the printer software, following the instructions
in your Getting Started guide. Then read this chapter to learn
about:

◗ Printing from Windows
◗ Printing from a Macintosh
◗ Choosing paper and other media
◗ What to do when the printer lights flash

Printing from Windows

To print from your Windows application, click the print icon
or choose
pages to print, the number of copies, and other options. The
settings that describe your print job—whether you want to use
color or black ink, for example—are part of your printer driver
software.

The following sections tell you how to set printer options from
Windows applications, how to change the default printer
settings, and how to check your printer’s status.

Print from the File menu. You can then choose which

1-1

Basic Printing

Note:
The settings you select
through your application
usually apply only until
you exit that application.

Setting Printer Options from Windows Applications

This section describes the settings you’ll need to make for all
your everyday printouts. See Chapter 2 for information about
special settings like PhotoEnhance2 (PhotoEnhance in
Windows 3.1).

Follow these steps to check printer settings from your graphics
application or other Windows software:

For more information
about printer settings,
click the Help button. In
Windows 95 and
Windows NT 4.0, you can
right-click any item on the
screen and then click
What’s This?

1. Choose

Print, Print Setup, or Page Setup from the File

menu. You see a printing dialog box.

If you choose

Print, you first see a Print dialog box that

contains the settings you change most often, including the
number of copies and the pages you want printed.

2. Make sure your EPSON Stylus Photo EX printer is

selected, and then click the

Options

button. (You may have to click a sequence of these

Printer, Setup, Properties, or

buttons.) You see a dialog box like the following:

Main tab

Click for
more
information

If you don’t see the dialog box shown above, click the
tab.

1-2

Main

Basic Printing

Note:
If you select Ink Jet Back
Light Film, the Flip
Horizontal option is
automatically turned on.
See page 2-4 for details.

If you’re printing grayscale
images, choose Black for
faster output or choose
Color for higher quality.

3. Make sure the Mode option is set to

Automatic. This lets

the printer software determine the best settings for your
print job and is the easiest way to get good printing results
on all types of paper.

4. Choose the

Media Type

you want to print on from the
following list (click the arrow button to scroll through the
list). If you are not sure which setting to select, refer to the
table on page 3-2.

◗ Plain paper
◗ 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper
◗ Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper
◗ Photo Paper
◗ Photo Quality Glossy Film
◗ Ink Jet Transparencies
◗ Ink Jet Back Light Film

Your media choice may restrict the available range of
settings such as print quality and resolution.

5. For the Ink setting, choose

6. Set the slider in the Mode box to

Color

Black

or

Quality

.

or

Speed

lets you choose between the highest resolution or the fastest
printing for the media you’re using. (The slider is not
available when certain media types are selected.)

. This

7. If necessary, click the

Paper tab and choose your paper size,

number and order of copies, orientation, and printable
area. See page 2-12 for detailed instructions.

8. If you’re using Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0, click the

Layout tab and check the proportional printing, page

layout (Windows 95 only), and watermark options to make
sure they’re correct for your print job. See page 2-22 for
details.

9. Click

OK when you’re finished checking your settings.

1-3

Basic Printing

Note:
Some application settings
override default printer
settings (such as Paper
Size or Orientation), so it’s
a good idea to check
the settings in your
application before
you print.

10. Click

OK or Print in your application’s printing dialog box.

You may need to click a sequence of these buttons,
depending on the application you are using.

While your document is printing, the EPSON Progress
Meter (Windows 95) or the EPSON Despooler dialog box
(Windows 3.1) appears, showing the printing progress and
the status of your printer. (See “Checking Printer Status”
on page 1-5 for more information.)

Setting Default Printer Options

When you change printer settings through your software
application, the settings apply only to the application you’re
using. To adjust the default settings for all your Windows
applications, you must access the dialog box through the
Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 Printers utility or the
Windows 3.1 Control Panel.

Make sure all your software applications are closed before you
start. If not, you’ll have to close and then reopen them to have
the new default settings take effect.

Note:
You can access the
default Windows NT
printer software settings
only if you have the
appropriate network
access privileges, such as
Administrator or Power
User.

Setting Default Options in Windows 95
or Windows NT 4.0

Follow these steps:

1. Click

2. Right-click the

3. Select

Start, point to Settings, and then select Printers.

EPSON Stylus Photo EX icon in the

Printers window.

Properties (Document Defaults in Windows NT).

Then click the

Main tab.

You see the printer settings dialog box, as shown on
page 1-2. Any changes you make will become the default
settings for all your applications and documents. Click
when you are finished.

1-4

OK

Basic Printing

Setting Default Options in Windows 3.1

Follow these steps:

1. Double-click the

2. Double-click the

3. Select

EPSON Stylus Photo EX

printers and click

Control Panel

Printers

icon in the Main group.

icon.

from the list of installed

Setup

. You see the printer settings dialog

box, similar to the one shown on page 1-2.

4. Make any changes you want to become the default settings
for all your applications and documents, and click

OK

when you are finished.

Checking Printer Status

While your document is printing, your printer software reports
how the job is doing. See the section for your operating system
below.

Windows 95

After you send a print job in Windows 95, the Progress Meter
dialog box appears on your screen:

This information only
appears if you installed
Status Monitor 2

The name of the file you’re
printing appears here

1-5

Pages printed/
pages in job

Click to cancel
printing

Click to
restart printing

Click to pause and
resume printing

Click to view the
Status Monitor 2
Printer Status
window

Basic Printing

Note:
The ink levels appear only
if you’re running Status
Monitor 2, using
Windows 95 and not
printing over a network.

The Progress Meter shows the progress of your print job and
the status of your printer. You can use the buttons to cancel,
pause, or restart your print job. You can select whether to
display the Progress Meter dialog box or not; see page 4-2 for
instructions. If you installed Status Monitor 2, you also see
information about how much ink you have left. See page 4-5
for more information about Status Monitor 2.

Windows 3.1

After you send your print job, the EPSON Despooler dialog
box appears on your screen:

Click to pause
and resume
printing

Click to stop
printing

Click to restart
printing

This dialog box shows the progress of your print job and the
status of your printer. If you run out of paper while printing, for
example, the Despooler warns you. You can use the buttons to
cancel, pause, or restart your print job.

Windows NT 4.0

Windows NT 4.0 servers and workstations include a messenger
service to alert you to printer errors or let you know when a
print job is finished. If you have appropriate network access
privileges or you’re controlling printing from the server, you
can also cancel, pause, or restart print jobs and set other
options. See your Windows NT documentation for details.

1-6

Basic Printing

Printing from a Macintosh

When you print with a Macintosh, you need to check the page
setup for documents in each application you use. You can then
click the print icon or choose
a dialog box that lets you choose the settings that describe your
print job, such as media type.

This section describes the settings you’ll need to make for all
your everyday printouts. See Chapter 2 for information about
advanced settings.

Follow these steps to print from your word processor or other
Macintosh application:

Print

from the File menu. You see

1. Choose
Setup dialog box.

2. Choose your paper size and other page setup options and
click

Page Setup

OK. See page 2-17 for details.

from the File menu. You see the Page

1-7

Basic Printing

Note:
On the Macintosh, printer
settings are saved with
your document, but you
can’t save them from one
application to another.
You’ll have to check your
settings each time you
print from a new
application.

If you want to reuse
settings, you can create
custom setting groups in
your printer software that
you can select each time
you open an application.
See page 2-35 for details.

3. Choose

Print from the File menu or click the print icon in

your application. You see a dialog box like the following:

Click here for help

Click to select your
media type

4. Choose the number of copies and indicate which pages you
want to print.

5. Make sure the Mode option is set to

Automatic. The

printer software determines the best settings for your print
job. This is the easiest way to get good printing results on
all types of paper.

Note:
If you select Ink Jet Back
Light Film, the Flip
Horizontal option is
automatically turned on.
See page 2-4 for details.

6. Choose the

Media Type you want to print on from the

following list. If you are not sure which setting to select,
refer to the table on page 3-2.

◗ Plain Paper
◗ 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper
◗ Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper
◗ Photo Paper
◗ Photo Quality Glossy Film
◗ Ink Jet Transparencies
◗ Ink Jet Back Light Film

The type of media you choose determines the print quality
or resolution you can use.

1-8

Basic Printing

If you’re printing grayscale
images, choose Black for
faster output or choose
Color for higher quality.

7. Choose

8. Set the slider in the Mode box to

Color or Black ink.

Quality

or

Speed

. This
lets you choose between the highest resolution or fastest
printing for the media you’re using. (The slider is not
available for certain media types.)

9. Click the

Layout

button and check the print order (see
page 2-21 for details), proportional printing, page layout,
and watermark options (see page 2-29 for details) to make
sure they’re correct for your print job. Then click

OK to

return to the printer settings dialog box.

10. Click

Print

when you’re finished checking your settings.

If you chose background printing when you set up your
printer, you can continue working while your document is
printing. If you want to check the status of your print job,
you can use EPSON Monitor3. See page 4-15 for details.

Choosing Paper and Other Media

You can use most types of paper with your printer, but you’ll
get better results with specially designed EPSON ink jet paper
or other media. Following is a list of the media available for
EPSON ink jet printers. See Chapter 3 for more information
on using special paper and other media.

Media name Size Part number

EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet
Paper

EPSON High Quality Ink Jet
Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Ink
Jet Paper

EPSON Photo Quality
Glossy Paper

Letter
A4

Letter
A4

Letter
Legal
Ledger/B
A4

Letter
A4

S041060
S041059

S041111
S041117

S041062
S041067
S041070
S041061

S041124
S041126

1-9

Basic Printing

Media name Size Part number

EPSON Photo Quality
Glossy Film

Letter
Ledger/B
A4
A6

S041072
S041075
S041071
S041107

EPSON Photo Paper Letter

Ledger/B
4 × 6
A4
Panoramic (pre-cut, 8.3

EPSON Ink Jet
Transparencies

EPSON Photo Quality Ink
Jet Cards

EPSON Photo Sticker Kit
EPSON Photo Sticker Refill

EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel
Transfer Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Self
Adhesive Sheets

EPSON Ink Jet Back Light
Film

Letter
A4

A6
8 × 10

A6, 16 frames per sheet (includes software)
A6, 16 frames per sheet

Letter
Letter

A4 S041106

A3 S041131

To order EPSON papers and other media, contact your dealer
or call EPSON Accessories at [phone] (U.S. sales only).
In Canada, please call [phone] for dealer referral.

×

23.4 inches)

S041141
S041156
S041134
S041140
S041145

S041064
S041063

S041054
S041122

S041144-KIT
S041144

S041153 (10 sheets)
S041155 (50 sheets)

1-10

Basic Printing

What To Do When the Printer Lights Flash

S

S

paper out
light

black ink
out light

color ink
out light

The four lights on your printer’s control panel show the
printer’s status and alert you to problems like paper jams.

When the paper out light comes on, your paper ran out or is
incorrectly loaded. Load paper in the sheet feeder and then

E

press the
When the paper out light flashes, you have a paper jam. Take

all of the paper out of the sheet feeder, reload the paper, then
press the
turn off the printer and gently pull out any jammed paper.

load/eject button.

E

load/eject button. If the light continues to flash,

load/eject
button

cleaning
button

power light

power
button

or

B

A

or

B

A

When an ink out light comes on, you need to replace the ink
cartridge. See Chapter 5 for instructions.

When an ink out light flashes, your ink supply is low. Make
sure you have a replacement cartridge.

1-11

Basic Printing

P

P S B A

P S B A

The power light is on when the printer is on. The power light
flashes when the printer is receiving a print job or performing a
maintenance operation such as cleaning the print head.

When the power and paper lights flash and the ink out lights
are on, your printer has a carriage error. Turn the printer off

P

by pressing the
turn it on again. Contact EPSON as described in the
Introduction if the problem continues.

When all the lights flash, your printer may have an internal
error. Turn the printer off by pressing the
wait several seconds, then turn it on again. Contact EPSON as
described in the Introduction if the problem continues.

power button, wait several seconds, then

P

power button,

1-12

Custom Printing

2

When your photographs or other projects have special printing
requirements, you can use the custom settings in your EPSON
Stylus Photo EX software. You can choose predefined settings
or adjust individual options like brightness, contrast, saturation,
and halftoning. For professional-quality color accuracy, you can
use Image Color Matching (ICM) under Windows 95 or
ColorSync

If you’re using Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, or a Macintosh,
your printer software’s layout options let you print almost any
size image on your printer, proof multiple pages on one sheet of
paper (not available in Windows NT 4.0), and add watermarks.

This chapter includes the following information:

◗ Using predefined advanced settings

™

on the Macintosh.

◗ Customizing print quality and special effects
◗ Customizing color settings
◗ Using ColorSync on the Macintosh
◗ Selecting paper size and orientation options
◗ Selecting print layout options
◗ Saving custom settings

2-1

Custom Printing

Using Predefined Advanced Settings

Predefined settings provide an easy way to enhance your photos
and fine-tune your printer’s operation. Follow these steps to
print with predefined settings:

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

2. Access the printer settings dialog box as described on
page 1-2 (Windows) or page 1-7 (Macintosh).

Windows 95

3. Select

4. Click

Color

Advanced

Custom Settings

Black

or

, and then click the arrow button next to

display a list of project types.

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

Macintosh

ink.

(Windows) or

Custom

(Macintosh) to

2-2

The Photo setting and the
PhotoEnhance2
(PhotoEnhance on
Windows 3.1) setting have
similar effects. However,
PhotoEnhance2 and
PhotoEnhance intelligently
analyze your image data;
effects vary widely
depending on your image.
The Photo setting
consistently increases
contrast. You may have to
experiment to choose the
best setting for your
needs.

Custom Printing

5. Select the correct setting for your project by following these
guidelines. Not all media types are available when using
some of these settings.

◗ Advanced Photo

For printing high-quality scanned photographs.
Enables Super MicroWeave, which slows printing (see
page 2-7 for details).

◗

Photo

For printing scanned photographs in less time.
Increases the contrast of the image.

◗

Text/Graph

For printing graphics-intensive documents like
presentation pages with charts and graphs. Intensifies
colors and lightens the midtones and highlights.

◗

PhotoEnhance2

or PhotoEnhance (Windows 3.1)
For printing images captured using a video camera,
digital camera, or scanner. Produces sharper images
and more vivid colors by automatically adjusting the
contrast, saturation, and brightness. Corrects for
under- and over-exposure of the original image.

◗

Text

For faster printing of text-only documents on plain
paper.

Note:
Printing with Advanced
Photo, PhotoEnhance2, or
PhotoEnhance may take
longer, depending on your
image and computer
system.

◗

Economy

For rough drafts of text only, on plain paper. Saves ink.

◗

ICM (Windows 95 only)

Automatically adjusts printout colors to match the
colors on your screen.

◗

ColorSync (Macintosh only)

Automatically adjusts printout colors to match the
colors on your screen. For more information, see
page 2-10.

2-3

Custom Printing

6. Choose the

Media Type you want to print on. (If you’re

not sure which setting to select, see the table on page 3-2.)
The available media are limited by the predefined setting
you chose in step 5. For example, you can’t use plain paper
or transparencies with the

ICM

ColorSync

or

settings.

7. In Windows, check or change any necessary settings on the
Paper and Layout (not available in Windows 3.1) tabs as
described on page 2-12 and page 2-22.

On a Macintosh, check or change any necessary settings in
the Page Setup and Layout dialog boxes as described on
page 2-17 and page 2-29.

8. When you’re finished, click

Print

(Macintosh) or OK
(Windows). If you’re using Windows, click any other
buttons that your application uses for printing.

Customizing Print Quality and Special Effects

After you customize your
print settings for a special
project, you can save
them as a group. Then
you can reuse them
whenever you print a
similar project. See
page 2-35 for instructions.

If you need the maximum control over your photos, or you
want to experiment with special effects, you can adjust
individual settings in your printer software. Follow these steps:

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

2. Access the printer settings dialog box as described on
page 1-2 (Windows) or page 1-7 (Macintosh).

2-4

Custom Printing

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

3. Click

Advanced, and then click More Settings. You see

the More Settings dialog box:

Windows

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

Macintosh

2-5

Custom Printing

Note:
The Print Quality option
you choose limits your
choice of Media Types. Be
sure to check both of
these settings.

Note:
Automatic mode selects
the halftoning setting
based on the data in your
print job. Advanced mode
preselects the halftone
setting for each project
type. The No Halftoning
setting is available only
when you select Black as
the Ink setting.

4. Choose one of the following

◗

Economy

Print Quality options:

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

Normal - 360 dpi

◗

For printing on plain paper, transparencies, or 360 dpi
ink jet paper.

Fine - 720 dpi

◗

For high-resolution output. Works best on photo
quality media.

◗

SuperFine - 1440 dpi

For the highest-resolution output. Works only on
photo quality media, photo paper, and ink jet back
light film.

5. Choose the

Media Type

and

Ink

settings you want to use,

following the guidelines in Chapters 1 and 3.

6. Choose one of the following

◗

No Halftoning

Halftoning options:

For black text only.

◗

Error Diffusion

For photographic images. Blends each dot of color with
the surrounding dots.

◗

Fine Dithering

For charts, graphs, and other images that require
precise, solid areas of bright colors. Arranges dots in
orderly patterns.

2-6

Custom Printing

7. Choose which of the following options you want for your
project. Some of these settings are automatically selected or
disabled by the Media Type and Print Quality (resolution)
you choose.

◗

MicroWeave

For improved print quality. Prints graphic data in finer
increments to eliminate unwanted banding effects
(light horizontal lines). Always use for color printing.

Super MicroWeave

◗

This setting is available at 720 dpi when using plain
paper, and at 1440 dpi when using photo quality
media. Use with photo quality media if MicroWeave
doesn’t eliminate banding in your printout. Printing
may be slower.

If vertical lines in your
printout are misaligned
when you use the High
Speed setting, you may
need to align the print
head. See Chapter 5 for
instructions.

◗

High Speed

For fast, bidirectional printing at lower quality.

◗

Flip Horizontal

Prints a mirror image of your document. For example,
use this setting when printing with iron-on transfer
paper, so when you iron the printout onto a T-shirt or
other item, it will read correctly. This setting is selected
automatically when you select

Ink Jet Back Light Film

as your media type in the printer settings dialog box.

Finest Detail

◗

For printing text, graphics, and line art with very sharp
edges. Slows print speed and increases your system
memory requirements.

8. Click

OK if you’re ready to return to the printer settings

dialog box, or see the next section if you want to adjust
your printer’s color settings.

2-7

Custom Printing

Customizing Color Settings

You can choose from several color adjustment modes or
manually adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation. For
professional color correction, you can set individual CMY color
values. To improve brightness, contrast, and saturation when
printing digital images, you can use PhotoEnhance2 or
PhotoEnhance (Windows 3.1). To achieve the maximum color
accuracy, you can use Image Color Matching (ICM) under
Windows 95 or ColorSync on the Macintosh.

Follow these steps to customize your color settings:

1. Access the More Settings dialog box as described on
page 2-4.

The color settings appear on the right side of the dialog
box, as shown:

Click to set Color Adjustment Mode

Windows
(ICM is available only for Windows 95)

Drag sliders
to set values
between -25%
and +25%

Macintosh
(ColorSync is available only for
Macintosh)

2-8

Custom Printing

2. Choose one of the following

Color Adjustment Modes. If

you are using ICM or ColorSync, these settings are not
available.

Automatic

◗

Analyzes the color information in your image and
optimizes color correction accordingly.

Photo-realistic

◗

For increased contrast in color photographs.

Vivid

◗

For printing graphics-intensive documents such as
presentation pages with charts and graphs. Intensifies
colors and lightens the midtones and highlights.

No Color Adjustment

◗

Disables color adjustment. Use this setting if you wish
to use a stand-alone color management utility.

3. If you want to specify individual color correction values,
use the sliders to increase (drag right) or decrease (drag left)
the settings listed below. (If you want to use the options
described in step 4, you won’t be able to specify individual
color correction values.)

◗

Brightness

Makes your image lighter or darker.

Contrast

◗

Increases or decreases the difference between the bright
or dark parts of an image.

Saturation

◗

Makes colors more vivid or less vivid.

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow

◗

Increases or decreases individual color values. The

Cyan and Magenta settings also affect the light cyan

and light magenta inks. Use these sliders to fine-tune
the color balance in your printout.

2-9

Custom Printing

Note:
When you choose
PhotoEnhance2,
PhotoEnhance, ICM, or
ColorSync, all the other
color options are preset.

4. Other image enhancement options include:

◗

PhotoEnhance2 (Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0,

and Macintosh)

PhotoEnhance

or

(Windows 3.1
only)
Produces sharper images and more vivid colors by
automatically adjusting the contrast, saturation, and
brightness. Corrects for over- or under-exposure of the
original photograph. Does not affect text or vector
graphics.

◗

ICM (Windows 95 only)

Automatically adjusts printout colors to match colors
on the screen. Requires ICM monitor and printer
profiles. Printer profiles are installed with your printer
software. Check your monitor documentation to see
whether your monitor includes ICM profiles.

◗

ColorSync (Macintosh only)

Automatically adjusts printout colors to match colors
on the screen. See “Using ColorSync on the
Macintosh” for more information.

5. Click

OK to return to the printer settings dialog box.

Using ColorSync on the Macintosh

Every device you use for viewing or producing colors—your
monitor, scanner, and printer—uses a different color
technology. That’s why it’s difficult to get printed colors to
match the colors displayed on your monitor.

Each device has its own gamut, or range of colors that it can
reproduce. The Macintosh ColorSync system translates colors
from one gamut to another so your monitor’s colors match your
printer’s as closely as possible.

ColorSync uses profile information from each device—
including your EPSON Stylus Photo EX—to achieve accurate
color matching. First you have to make sure your monitor’s

2-10

Custom Printing

profile is set. Then you can use your printer software to specify
the exact method of gamut mapping (color matching) you want
to use.

Follow these steps to set your monitor’s ColorSync profile and
use your printer software’s ColorSync features:

Note:
The EPSON Standard
profile is custom­designed for your printer.
If you use a scanner or
other color imaging
equipment, you may have
other profiles available.

1. Open

ColorSync System Profile

under

Control Panels

on the Apple menu.

2. Click the

3. Select your monitor from the list, and then click

Set Profile

button.

Select

4. Close ColorSync System Profile.

5. Access the More Settings dialog box as described on
page 2-4.

6. Click

7. For

ColorSync.

Profile

, choose

EPSON Standard

. Do not choose any

other profiles which may be listed.

8. Choose one of the following options for

◗

Perceptual

Rendering Intent:

Scales the displayed colors to fit within the printer’s
gamut. Maintains the relationship between colors.

◗

Saturation

For printing graphics-intensive documents like
presentation pages with charts and graphs. Maintains
the relative saturation of colors from one gamut to
another.

.

◗

Colorimetric

For matching colors as precisely as possible. Maintains
colors that fall within the gamut of both the monitor
and printer, but may lose some detail in areas where the
colors are outside the printer’s density range.

9. Click

OK to return to the printer settings dialog box.

2-11

Custom Printing

Selecting Paper Size and Orientation Options

Your printer can print on paper up to 11.7 inches wide and up
to 44 inches long. If you print multiple page documents or
multiple copies of documents, you can print the pages collated
and in reverse order (not available in Windows NT 4.0). You
can even rotate the printed image by 180 degrees to bring it
closer to the bottom of the paper (not available with
Windows 3.1).

Selecting Paper Options in Windows

Follow these steps to select paper options on the Paper tab:

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

2. Access the printer software dialog box as described on
page 1-2.

Printer graphic reflects
changes to Orientation
and Printable Area settings

3. Click the

Paper

tab. You see the Paper dialog box:

2-12

Click to select your
Paper Size

Page graphics
change to show
Collate and Reverse
Order settings
(not available in
Windows NT 4.0)

Rotate by 180° is
not available with
Windows 3.1

Custom Printing

Note:
If the Proportional
Printing setting is set to
Normal and you select
one of the paper sizes to
the right that is marked
with an asterisk (*), you
see a dialog box asking
you to select a paper size
that fits your printer. See
page 2-22 for more
information.

If you are printing on
B-size paper, select
Ledger 11 × 17 as your
paper size.

4. Click the

Paper Size drop-down list to select the size of

paper you loaded in the printer.

The sizes marked with an asterisk (*) are not available in
Windows 3.1. They are larger than you can load in your
printer and can be used only with the Proportional Printing
setting on the Layout tab; see page 2-22 for more
information.

A4 210 × 297 mm
B5 182
A3 297
B4 257
A5 148
Letter 8 1/2
Legal 8 1/2
Executive 7 1/4
Ledger 11
Half Letter 5 1/2
A6 Index Card 105
Index card 5
Index card 8
Envelope #10 4 1/8
Envelope DL 110
Envelope C6 114
Photo Paper 4
Panoramic 210
B3 364
Super A3/B 329
A2 420
US C 17
User Defined

× 257 mm
× 420 mm
× 364 mm
× 210 mm

× 11 in

× 14 in

× 10 1/2 in

× 17 in

× 8 1/2 in

× 148 mm
× 8 in
× 10 in

× 9 1/2 in
× 220 mm
× 162 mm

× 6 in

× 594 mm

× 514 mm*

× 483 mm*

× 594 mm*

× 22 in*

(See page 2-15 for instructions.)

5. If you did not or cannot select the number of copies you
want to print in your application program’s Print dialog
box, choose the number (from 1 to 99) in the

Copies box.

Don’t select the number of copies here and in your
application’s Print dialog box; you’ll get twice the number
of copies you want.

2-13

Custom Printing

6. If you’re printing multiple copies of a multi-page document
and you want the copies printed in sets, click the

Collate

checkbox (not available in Windows NT 4.0). The page
graphics change to show collated documents.

7. If you’re printing a multi-page document and want the last
page printed first so the pages come out without needing to
be reordered, click the

Reverse Order

checkbox (not
available in Windows NT 4.0). The page graphics change
to show later pages printing first.

Note:
The Rotate by 180°
setting lets you print the
lower portion of a
document first, with a
bottom margin as small
as 0.12 inch (3 mm) and a
top margin as small as

0.55 inch (14 mm). This
option is not available
with Windows 3.1.

8. Select the direction of printing on the page using the

Orientation

options. To print your document oriented as
shown in one of the following printer graphics, select the
options listed below it.

Portrait orientation Landscape orientation

Portrait orientation
Rotate by 180°

Landscape orientation
Rotate by 180°

2-14

Custom Printing

9. To use the maximum printable area of your selected paper
size, set the Printable Area option to
your image on the page, select

Maximum

Centered

. To center

(this makes all
margins equal and reduces the printable area). The page
graphic changes to show your selection.

10. Click a tab at the top of the screen to review the other
settings, or click

OK

if you are finished.

Creating User Defined Paper Sizes

You can create up to 10 custom paper sizes (one in
Windows 3.1) and add them to the

User Defined

option. This is useful if you’re printing a custom

size document, such as a banner. You can select any width from

3.94 to 11.7 inches, and any height (length) from 3.94 to

44 inches.

Paper Size list using the

Follow these steps to create a custom paper size with the

Defined

option:

User

1. Follow the steps on page 1-2 to access the printer software
and select the

2. Click the

Paper tab.

Paper Size list and scroll to the bottom of it

using the arrows or scroll bar.

2-15

Custom Printing

Note:
In Windows 95 and
Windows NT, the Paper
Width and Paper Height
units are in hundredth of
an inch (or centimeter)
increments. For example,
850 equals 8.50 inches.

3. Click the

User Defined option. You see one of the

following dialog boxes:

Windows 95
Windows NT

Windows 3.1

4. Windows 95 or Windows NT
Type a name (up to 24 characters) for your custom paper
size in the

Width

instead of inches, click the
you’re finished, click
the
want, and click

Paper Size Name field. Then select a Paper

Paper Height

and

Paper Size

list in the dialog box. Add more sizes if you

OK when you’re done.

for the paper. To use centimeters

0.01cm

Save. The paper size name appears in

Unit option. When

Windows 3.1

You can only create one User Defined paper size. Type
the width in the

Paper Height field. Then click OK.

Paper Width field and the length in the

5. You see the Paper tab again. The paper size name you
defined is added to the

Paper Size list and selected as the

current setting. (In Windows 3.1, the setting is named
User Defined.)

2-16

Custom Printing

Changing or Deleting User Defined Paper Sizes

Follow these steps to delete or change paper sizes:

Windows 95 or Windows NT

1. Click

2. On the User Defined Paper Size dialog box, select the

3. Click

User Defined

custom paper name in the Paper Size list and click
or change the Paper Width, Paper Height, and/or Unit
settings as necessary.

Save if you made changes; then click OK when

you’re done.

in the Paper Size list.

Delete

Windows 3.1

You can change the custom paper size, but cannot delete it.

1. Click

2. On the User Defined Paper Size dialog box, change the

3. Click

User Defined in the Paper Size list.

Paper Width

OK

when you’re done.

Paper Height

and

settings as necessary.

Selecting Paper Options on a Macintosh

The Paper Size and Orientation options for your printer
software are on the Page Setup dialog box. Options for collating
and reversing the page order are on the Layout dialog box.
Follow the steps in these sections for selecting the paper
options:

◗ Choosing paper size and orientation options
◗ Selecting print order options

2-17

Custom Printing

Choosing Paper Size and Orientation options

Follow these steps to select the
options:

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

2. Open the File menu and select

Printer graphic reflects
changes to Orientation and
Printable Area settings

3. Click the

Page Setup dialog box:

Paper Size pop-up list to select the size of paper

you loaded in the printer:

A4
B5
A3
B4
Letter
Legal
Executive
Ledger
Half Letter
Envelope #10
Envelope C6
Envelope DL
A5
A6 Index Card
Index card 5
Index card 8
EPSON Photo Paper 4
Panoramic 210

× 8in
× 10in

× 594mm

Paper Size

Page Setup

× 6in

Orientation

and

. You see the

If you don’t see the exact size you need in the list, you can
create a custom paper size; see page 2-20 for instructions.

2-18

Note:
The Rotate by 180° setting
lets you print the lower
portion of a document
first, with a bottom margin
as small as 0.12 inch
(3 mm) and a top margin
as small as 0.55 inch
(14 mm).

Custom Printing

4. Select the direction of printing on the page using the

Orientation

options. To print your document oriented as
shown in one of the following printer graphics, select the
options listed below it.

Portrait orientation Landscape orientation

Portrait orientation
Rotate by 180°

Landscape orientation
Rotate by 180°

5. To use the maximum printable area of your selected paper
size, set the Printable Area option to
your image on the page, select

Maximum

. To center

Centered (this makes all

margins equal and reduces the printable area).

6. If you want to collate multiple copies of a multi-page
document or you want to reverse the order in which pages
are printed, click

OK. Then see page 2-21 for instructions.

If you’ve finished selecting page size and orientation
options, click
select

Print from the File menu to select any other printer

OK to close the Page Setup dialog box. Then

settings you may need and print your document.

2-19

Custom Printing

Creating Custom Paper Sizes

You can create up to 8 custom paper sizes and add them to the

Paper Size

document, such as a banner. You can select any width from

3.94 to 11.7 inches, and any height (length) from 3.94 to
44 inches.

Follow these steps to create a custom paper size:

1. Follow the steps on page 2-18 to access the Page Setup
dialog box.

list. This is useful if you’re printing a custom size

2. Click the

Customize

button. You see the following dialog

box:

3. Click the

Inches and cm radio buttons appear on the screen.

New

button.

Width

and

Height

fields and

4. Type the width and length of your custom paper in the

Width and Height fields. If you need to change from

inches to centimeters, click the correct radio button.

5. Type a name for your custom paper size in the

field, then click OK. The name is added to the Paper

Size
Size

list and selected as the current setting in the Page

New Paper

Setup dialog box.

6. To delete a custom paper size, click the

Customize button.

Then click the name of the custom paper size, and click

Delete. Click OK to return to the Page Setup dialog box.

2-20

Selecting Print Order Options

Custom Printing

Note:
For information on the
other settings on the
Layout dialog box, see
page 2-29.

Follow these steps to use the

Collate

Reverse Order

and

options:

1. Open your application program’s File menu and select

Print.

2. Click the

Layout

button. You see the Layout dialog box:

3. If you’re printing multiple copies of a multi-page document
and you want the copies printed in sets, click the

Collate

checkbox. The page graphics change to show collated
documents.

4. If you’re printing a multi-page document and want the last
page printed first so the pages come out without needing to
be reordered, click the

Reverse Order

checkbox. The page

graphics change to show later pages printing first.

5. Click

OK to close the Layout dialog box.

2-21

Custom Printing

Note:
Layout options are
available only when you’re
using Windows 95,
Windows NT, or a
Macintosh.

Selecting Print Layout Options

Your printer software’s print layout options let you reduce or
enlarge almost any size image to print on your printer. You can
also select options to proof multiple pages on one sheet of
paper, add page frames, and add a predefined or custom
watermark.

For Windows 95 and Windows NT instructions, see the next
section. For Macintosh instructions, see page 2-29.

Choosing Print Layout Options in Windows

Follow the steps in these sections to use options in the Layout
dialog box:

◗ Using proportional printing
◗ Using multiple print layouts and page frames
◗ Adding a watermark

Using Proportional Printing

When you want to make the printed size of a document
different from its actual size, you can use your printer software’s
proportional printing features to reduce or enlarge it, without
having to reformat the document. You can proportion the
document to fit on a selected paper size, or reduce or enlarge it
by a selected percentage.

Follow these steps to use proportional printing:

1. Follow the steps on page 2-12 to access the printer software
and select the

2. Click the
document you want to print.

Paper tab.

Paper Size list and select the actual size of the

2-22

Custom Printing

For example, if your document size is 11 × 17 inches and
you want to reduce it to fit on Letter-size paper, select

Ledger 11 × 17 in

. If your document size is 5 × 8 inches,

but you want to enlarge it to fit on Letter-size paper, select

Index card 5 × 8 in

.

3. If the

Paper Size

setting you selected for your document is
within the maximum paper size that can fit on your printer,
you need to select proportional printing manually. Go to
step 5.

4. If the

Paper Size

setting you selected is larger than the
maximum size that can be printed on your printer, you see
the following dialog box:

Output Paper

In the
loaded in the printer and click

list, select the actual size of the paper

OK

. This automatically
turns on proportional printing and sets the correct
reduction percentage so the document fits into the
printable area on the output paper you select.

2-23

Custom Printing

The selected

Output Paper

Paper Size, reduction percentage, and

settings now appear on the printer graphic.
If you want to adjust the proportions or sizes, go to step 5.
If you’re ready to print, go to step 7.

Paper Size setting

reduction percentage

Output Paper setting

5. Click the

Layout

tab. You see the Layout dialog box:

Proportional
Printing options

2-24

These options are
not available in
Windows NT 4.0

Custom Printing

6. Select one of the following proportional printing options:

Note:
If you select a Paper Size
setting on the Paper tab
that is larger than the
maximum paper size for
your printer and then
choose Normal on the
Layout tab, the printer
software changes the
Paper Size to Letter
81/2× 11 in.

◗ Select
◗ Select

Normal to set the print proportion to 100%.

Fit to Page

to automatically reduce or enlarge
the document to fit on the paper size loaded in the
printer. The

Page

option becomes active; select the size of paper

Paper Size

option beneath the

Fit to

loaded in the printer.

Select Fit to Page,
then select the size
of paper loaded in
the printer here

◗ Select

Custom

to reduce or enlarge the document by a

specific percentage (10% to 400%).

7. If you’re finished selecting Layout options, click

OK.

If you want to select more options, see the next sections.

Using Multiple Print Layouts and Page Frames
(Windows 95 only)

Note:
You can’t select a
multiple print layout
option if you’re using the
Fit to Page or Custom
proportional printing
option.

If you’re printing a multiple page document, but you want a
quick proof of the images on each page printed on one piece of
paper, you can select

Print Layout options in the printer

software. You can choose the way the pages are placed on the
paper and add a lined frame to each page, if you want.

2-25

Custom Printing

Note:
You can select a page
order only if it works with
the proportion of your
selected Paper Size
and/or your current
orientation setting, either
Portrait or Landscape.

Follow these steps to use the Print Layout options:

1. To print multiple pages of your document on one sheet of
paper, select either the

2 Pages

4 Pages

or

Click a radio button
to select a multiple
page print layout

radio button.

2. If the page order of the layout shown in the printer graphic
is how you want your document printed, go to step 3.

To change the page order, click the

Page Order

button.
Then select the page order you want to use from the Print
Layout dialog box that appears.

3. If you want to frame each page’s contents with a black line,
click the

Print page frames

checkbox.

Note:
To add a custom
watermark, you must first
create the watermark as a
bitmap in an application
program that can create
bitmap files. See your
application’s
documentation for
instructions.

4. If you’re finished selecting Print Layout options, click

OK

If you want to select more options, see the next section.

Adding a Watermark

You can add a watermark to each page in your document to
emphasize its purpose or indicate how the document should be
handled. For example, you may want to add a watermark of the
word “Confidential” to documents you don’t want distributed
to other parties. Or you can add a custom bitmap of your
company logo so your document looks like printed letterhead.

2-26

.

Custom Printing

Follow the steps below to add a predefined or custom
watermark.

See how your
selections will look
in the Layout
graphic shown
here

1. To turn on the watermark feature, click the

Watermark

checkbox.

2. The default watermark is
watermark or specify how it appears, click the

Settings

button. You see the following dialog box:

Confidential

Specify how you want
your watermark to
appear using these
options

. To change the

Watermark

Click here to select a
predefined watermark

Click here to load a
custom watermark
you’ve created

3. To select a different predefined watermark, click the arrow
in the Watermark drop-down list and choose one of the
following options:

Note:
If you selected a multiple
page print layout option
(as described on
page 2-25), your
watermark will appear on
each page in the layout.

Confidential
Draft
Urgent
Priority
Hot
Do Not Copy
For Your Eyes Only
Review Copy
Top Secret
Duplicate

Then go to step 5.

2-27

Custom Printing

Note:
You can create up to 10
custom watermarks. In
Windows 95, you can use
any bitmap file up to
15MB in size. With
Windows NT, the file can
be any size.

To delete a custom
watermark you’ve added
to the list, click the User
Defined button. Then
select the watermark and
click Delete. Click OK to
close the dialog box.

4. To load a custom watermark you’ve created as a bitmap in
an application program, click the

User Defined

button.

You see the following dialog box:

Click Browse to select
your bitmap file

Then type a name for your
custom watermark here
and click Save

Click the

Browse

button. You see the Select a bitmap File
dialog box. Navigate to the folder containing the bitmap
file you want to use, select the file, and click

OK.

Type a name for the custom watermark (up to 24
characters long) in the
button to add it to the list, then click

Watermark field. Click the Save

OK

.

The custom watermark now appears as the selected
watermark in the Watermark Settings dialog box and is
shown in the Layout graphic.

5. Now select the way you want the watermark to appear by
choosing the following options. The Layout graphic
changes to reflect all the settings you choose.

Position selects where you want the watermark to

◗

appear on your page:

Center, Top-Left, Top-Right,

Bottom-Left, or Bottom-Right.

◗

Size adjusts the size of the watermark, either larger or

smaller, as you move the slide bar.

2-28

Note:
If you choose Black for
your Ink setting, the
watermark will be printed
in gray, even if you
selected a color for the
watermark.

If your monitor displays
only 16 colors, the
Intensity adjustments are
not shown in the Layout
graphic. If you choose the
No Halftoning setting, the
Intensity setting does not
determine how your
watermark is printed.

Custom Printing

Color lets you choose a color for your predefined

◗

watermark:

Yellow

or

Red, Black, Blue, Aqua, Lime, Fuchsia

. You cannot select a color for custom
watermarks; they are the same color as the original
bitmap.

◗ Intensity

sets the lightness or darkness of the
watermark (from 5% to 100%) based on where you
move the slide bar.

6. Click

7. If you’re finished changing Layout options, click

OK to accept your watermark settings.

OK

to

close the Layout dialog box.

Choosing Print Layout Options on a Macintosh

Follow the steps in these sections to use options in the Layout
dialog box:

,

◗ Using the Fit to Page option
◗ Using multiple print layouts and page frames
◗ Adding a watermark

Using the Fit to Page Option

When you want to make the printed size of an document
different from its actual size, you can use your printer software’s
Fit to Page option to proportion it to fit on a selected paper size.

Follow these steps to use the Fit to Page option:

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

2. Open the File menu and select
Page Setup dialog box.

2-29

Page Setup. You see the

Custom Printing

3. Click the

Paper Size list and select the actual size of the

document you want to print. For example, if your
document size is 8 1/2 × 11 inches, select

Letter

for the

Paper Size option.

If you want to print this document at the maximum size on
4 × 6-inch EPSON Photo Paper, you’ll use the Fit to Page
option to reduce the document to that size. If you want to
print this document at the maximum size on Legal-size
paper (8 1/2 × 14 inches), you’ll use the Fit to Page option
to enlarge the document to that size.

4. Click

5. Now open the File menu and select

6. Click the

OK

to close the Page Setup dialog box.

Layout

button. You see the Layout dialog box:

Print

.

Fit to Page
options

2-30

Custom Printing

7. Select one of the following

◗ Select
◗ Select

Off to set the print proportion to 100%.

On

to automatically reduce or enlarge the

document to fit on the paper size loaded in the printer.

Paper Size

The

option beneath the

becomes active.

Printer graphic displays the selected
paper size and
document size

Now select the size of the paper you’ve loaded in the
printer. This automatically sets the correct reduction or
enlargement percentage so the document fits into the
printable area on the paper size you select. The selected
document size and paper size settings now appear
beneath the printer graphic.

Fit to Page options:

Fit to Page

Select the paper size you’ve
loaded in the printer here

option

Note:
You can’t select a
multiple print layout
option if you’re using the
Fit to Page option.

8. If you’re finished selecting Layout options, click

OK.

If you want to select more options, see the next sections.

Using Multiple Print Layouts and Page Frames

If you’re printing a multiple page document, but you want a
quick proof of the images on each page printed on one piece of
paper, you can select
software. You can choose the way the pages are placed on the
paper and add a lined frame to each page, if you want.

Print Layout options in the printer

2-31

Custom Printing

Note:
You can select a page
order only if it works with
the proportion of your
selected Paper Size
and/or your current
orientation setting, either
Portrait or Landscape.

Follow these steps to use the Print Layout options:

1. To print multiple pages of your document on one sheet of
paper, select either

2 Pages

4 Pages

or

in the pages

pop-up list.

Click the arrow and
select a multiple
page print layout

2. If the page order of the layout shown in the printer graphic
is how you want your document printed, go to step 3.

To change the page order, click the arrow in the

Order

pop-up list. Then select the page order you want

Page

to use.

3. If you want to frame each page’s contents with a black line,
one dot wide, click the

Print page frames checkbox.

Note:
To add a custom
watermark, you must first
create the watermark as a
PICT file in an application
program that can create
PICT files. See your
application’s
documentation for
instructions.

4. If you’re finished selecting Layout options, click

OK.

If you want to select more options, see the next section.

Adding a Watermark

You can add a watermark to each page in your document to
emphasize its purpose or indicate how the document should be
handled. For example, you may want to add a watermark of the
word “Confidential” to documents you don’t want distributed
to other parties. Or you can add a custom PICT file of your
company logo so your document looks like printed letterhead.

2-32

Note:
If you selected a multiple
page print layout option
(as described on
page 2-31), your
watermark will appear on
each page in the layout.

Custom Printing

1. To use one of the predefined watermarks, click the arrow in

Name

the

pop-up list in the Watermark box. Then choose

one of the following options:

Confidential
Draft
Urgent
Priority
Hot
Do Not Copy
For Your Eyes Only
Review Copy
Top Secret
Duplicate

Then go to step 3.

2. To load a custom watermark you’ve created as a PICT file
in an application program, click the

Add/Delete button.

You see the following dialog box:

Note:
You can create up to
10 custom watermarks
from PICT files up to 1MB
in size.

To delete a custom
watermark you’ve added
to the list, click the
Add/Delete button. Then
select the watermark and
click Delete. Click Save to
close the dialog box.

Click the Add button
to select a PICT file

Click the

Add button. You see a dialog box for selecting

files. Navigate to the folder containing the PICT file you
want to use, select the file, and click

The name of your PICT file appears in the
is added to the Watermark List. Click the

Open.

Name field and

Save button to

close the dialog box.

The custom watermark now appears as the selected
watermark in the Layout dialog box and is shown in the
Layout graphic.

2-33

Custom Printing

Note:
If you choose Black for
your Ink setting, the
watermark will be printed
in gray, even if you
selected a color for the
watermark.

If your monitor displays
only 16 colors, the
Intensity adjustments are
not shown in the Layout
graphic. If you choose the
No Halftoning setting, the
Intensity setting does not
determine how your
watermark is printed.

3. Now select the way you want the watermark to appear by
choosing the following options. The Layout graphic
changes to reflect all the settings you choose.

Color

◗

lets you choose a color for your predefined

watermark:

Yellow

or

Red, Black, Blue, Aqua, Lime, Fuchsia

. You cannot select a color for custom
watermarks; they are the same color as the original
PICT file.

◗

Intensity

sets the lightness or darkness of the
watermark (from 5% to 100%) based on where you
move the slidebar.

◗ To adjust the size and position of the watermark, move

the cursor over the Layout graphic. Four boxes appear
in the corners of the graphic and the cursor changes to
a hand.

Click and drag
anywhere in here to
move the watermark

,

Click and drag one of
the corner boxes to
resize the watermark

To move the watermark, click anywhere inside the
graphic and drag it into one of five positions: center,
upper-right, upper-left, lower-right, or lower-left.

To resize the watermark, move the cursor over one of
the corner boxes; the cursor changes to a pointing
hand. Click and drag the box corner to reduce or
enlarge the watermark.

4. If you’re finished changing Layout options, click
close the Layout dialog box.

2-34

OK to

Custom Printing

Saving Custom Settings

After you’ve fine-tuned your printer settings for a special
project, you can save the settings as a group. Then you can
quickly reuse them the next time you print a similar project.
You can save up to 10 groups of settings. Follow these steps:

1. Customize your printer settings as described in this chapter.

Windows

Note:
If you change the Media
Type or Ink setting when
your customized setting
is selected, the setting
selected in the list
changes to Custom
Settings. This does not
affect your customized
setting. To return to your
customized setting,
simply reselect it.

2. Click the

Save Settings button on the main printer

software dialog box. You see one of the following:

Macintosh

3. Type a unique name for your settings (up to 16 characters)
and click the

Save

button.

The name you choose will now be available on the printer
settings dialog box. To use the settings, click

Advanced. Then

open the Custom Settings list and double-click the name you
selected for your custom settings group.

To redefine or delete your custom settings, see the next sections.

2-35

Custom Printing

Redefining Custom Settings

To change the options in a customized settings group but keep
the same name for it, follow these steps:

1. Select

Advanced

mode. Then select the name of the
custom settings group you want to redefine in the Custom
Settings list.

2. Change the printer settings as necessary. (If you change the

Media Type and Ink settings, the custom settings group

name reverts to Custom Settings; this doesn’t affect your
customized setting.)

3. Click

Save Settings. Then select the name of the custom

settings group you’re redefining in the Custom Settings
box.

4. If you’re using Windows, click
dialog box. Click

Cancel to cancel your changes.)

OK

to save your redefined settings. (Click

On a Macintosh, click the

Replace at the confirmation dialog box to save your

redefined settings. (Click

Save

Redefine

Cancel

. You see the Save As

button. Then click

to cancel your changes.)

Deleting Custom Settings

1. Select Advanced mode. Then click Save Settings.

2. Select the custom settings group in the Custom Settings
box, and click

Delete. (You cannot delete any of the

predefined settings.)

2-36

Printing on

3

Special Media

Your EPSON Stylus Photo EX lets you print on just about any
kind of paper you want to use. You can get great results printing
on various sizes of plain paper, letterhead, and envelopes. You’ll
get even better results with specially coated ink jet paper. For
the best output, use EPSON’s Photo Paper or other photo
quality media.

For special projects, you can use a variety of EPSON media
designed for ink jet printers, ranging from transparencies to
iron-on transfer paper. You can even set up your printer to use
custom paper sizes to print panoramic images. This chapter
covers the following:

◗ Using special media
◗ Printing panoramic images and other custom size projects

3-1

Printing on Special Media

For this media name...

Using Special Media

Whether you print on plain paper or special media, you need to
load it according to the guidelines in the table below.

Then select this Media
Load a maximum of this many
sheets...

Type setting in your

printer software...

Plain paper, letter size 100 (load preprinted forms top edge

first)

Plain paper, legal size 100 (pull up the paper support

extension)

Envelopes 10 (set the thickness lever to the

+ position)

Labels (single sheets) 1
EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper 70 letter size
EPSON Special Coated Paper

for 360 dpi Printing
EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel

Transfer Paper
EPSON High Quality Ink Jet

Paper
EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet

Paper
EPSON Special Coated Paper

for 720 dpi Printing
EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet

Cards
EPSON Special Coated Index

Cards for 720 dpi Printing
EPSON Photo Quality Self

Adhesive Sheets

1

30 legal size

1

70 letter size
30 legal size

30 cards (use a support sheet)

1

Plain paper

360 dpi Ink Jet Paper

Photo Quality Ink Jet

Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Glossy
Paper

EPSON Photo Paper 20 (use a support sheet)
EPSON Panoramic Photo

Paper

20 (use a support sheet) Photo Paper

1

3-2

Load a maximum of this many

For this media name...

EPSON Photo Quality Glossy

2

Film
EPSON Photo Stickers 1 (use a support sheet)

sheets...

30 (use a 1.2 inch top margin and a
support sheet)

Printing on Special Media

Then select this Media
Type setting in your
printer software...

Photo Quality Glossy
Film

EPSON High Quality Glossy
Paper

EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies 10 (use a support sheet) Ink Jet Transparencies
EPSON Ink Jet Back Light

Film

1

Use the Flip Horizontal option to reverse your image before you print it—especially if it includes

text—so the image will appear correctly when it’s transferred. See Chapter 2 for instructions.

2

For better results, load EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film one sheet at a time. This also allows

you to use a smaller top margin.

30 (use a support sheet)

1 Ink Jet Back Light Film

The type of paper or other media you use is one of the most
important factors in determining the quality of your printed
output. The following tips will help you get the best results on
any type of paper or other media.

Additional Media Loading Guidelines

◗ If the corresponding Media Type option for your paper is

Caution:
Don’t use the cleaning
sheets that may be
included with your special
media; they may damage
the printer.

not shown in the Media Type list, change the

Quality setting in the More Settings dialog box, select
Automatic as the Mode setting, or change the predefined

setting in the Custom Settings list in the printer settings
dialog box. Then select the correct media type. See
Chapter 2 for more information.

Print

◗ In addition to the

the correct

Paper Size for your media on the Paper menu.

Media Type option, remember to select

◗ Some special media have a cut corner that you need to

position correctly; follow any instructions in the package.
Always handle sheets by the edges, and don’t touch the
printable surface.

3-3

Printing on Special Media

cut corner

◗ If the special media has protective sheets between the sheets

of media, be sure to remove the protective sheets before
printing.

◗ Be sure to load the printable side of the media face up in

the sheet feeder.

◗ Use ink jet papers within one year of purchase. Use glossy

media and transparencies within six months. Return
unused sheets and envelopes to their original packages as
soon as possible. See Appendix B for more media storage
information.

◗ Some media require additional loading instructions. See the

following sections for more information about printing on
the following media:

◗ “Envelopes” on page 3-5
◗ “EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards” on page 3-6
◗ “EPSON Photo Paper (4 x 6)” on page 3-6
◗ “Panoramic Photo Paper and Banners” on page 3-7

3-4

Note:
Before you print, make
sure you set the Paper
Size option for the type of
envelope you’re using.
Set the Media Type to
Plain paper.

Printing on Special Media

Envelopes

You can load up to 10 envelopes at a time. Adjust the left edge
guide and load the envelopes as shown, flap edge first and
printable side up:

Set the thickness lever to the + position when you print on
envelopes or if ink smears when you print on other thick media.
Open the printer cover and position the lever as shown below.
Then close the cover and print. (Make sure you return the lever
to the 0 position before you print on regular media.)

3-5

Printing on Special Media

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards

Use these cards to print photos, postcards, or greeting cards.

You can load up to 30 cards at a time with the included support
sheet or a sheet of plain paper beneath the stack. When you’re
ready to print, use your software to set the
for the size card you’re using and set the

Quality Ink Jet Paper

If ink smears on the cards, set the thickness lever to the +
position as shown on page 3-5 before printing.

.

Paper Size

Media Type

option

Photo

to

EPSON

Photo Paper (4 × 6) is perforated around the edges, so you can
trim your printouts and “bleed” the photo—extend it to the
edge of the paper—on all sides. Follow these steps to print on
EPSON Photo Paper:

1. Load the paper with the glossy side facing up and the

2. Slide the left edge guide so it fits snugly against the paper.

Photo Paper (4 x 6)

perforated margins positioned as shown:

You can load up to 20 sheets of Photo Paper at a time.
Make sure you place the included support sheet beneath the
stack, but don’t print on it.

3-6

Printing on Special Media

i

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

×

6.25 inches (or use proportional printing, as
described on page 2-22 (Windows) or page 2-29
(Macintosh).

n

0.67

trim size
printed image size

.

setting

setting.

4. Choose
setting and

5. Choose

0.24 in

0.12 in

0.24 in0.12 in

EPSON Photo Paper 4 × 6 in as the Paper Size

Maximum

Photo Paper

Printable Area

as the

Media Type

as the

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

To keep your printouts looking their best, protect them
from heat, humidity, and direct sunlight.

Panoramic Photo Paper and Banners

You can use pre-cut EPSON Panoramic Photo Paper to print
photo-quality images up to 22.5 inches long, or you can use
banner paper or ordinary (continuous-form) computer paper to
print an image up to 44 inches long. You can also print on any
size paper that fits into the printer (at least 3.94
by using the custom page size feature of your printer software.

3-7

× 3.94 inches),

Printing on Special Media

Loading Panoramic or Banner Paper

1. Pull up the paper support extension and pull out the output
tray extensions.

2. To make a 44-inch print with continuous-form computer
paper, first tear off four continuous sheets and remove the
perforations at the edges. If you are using non-perforated
banner paper, cut the paper to the length you want for
easier handling.

3. Slide the left edge guide to the far left.

If the paper is not loading
correctly, hold the paper
straight while pressing the
E load/eject button to load
the sheet in the printer.
Then you are ready to
print.

4. Insert the paper in the printer as shown. The right edge of
the paper should be against the right edge guide. You can
load EPSON Panoramic Photo Paper the same way.

5. Slide the left edge guide next to the left edge of the paper.

6. Follow the instructions below to print your image on either
a Windows computer or a Macintosh.

3-8

Printing on Special Media

Printing a Panoramic Image from Windows

Follow these steps to print a panoramic image or other
custom-size project on a Windows computer:

1. Create the project in your graphics application or other
software. You can create it in either portrait or landscape
orientation.

2. Click the print icon or choose

Print

Print Setup

or

the File menu. You see a printing dialog box.

3. Make sure your printer is selected, and then click the

Printer, Setup, Properties

, or

Options

button. (You may
have to click a sequence of these buttons.) You see the
printer settings dialog box, as shown on page 1-2.

4. Click the

Paper tab. You see a dialog box like the

following:

Click to display
list of paper sizes

from

5. If you are using pre-cut EPSON Panoramic Photo Paper,
choose
list. Otherwise, choose

Panoramic 210 × 594 mm from the Paper Size

User Defined and enter the size of

your paper (see page 2-15 for instructions).

3-9

Printing on Special Media

If you’re using computer
paper, choose Plain paper
for the Media Type
setting. If you’re using
coated banner paper, try
the Photo Quality Ink Jet
Paper setting.

6. Choose

Portrait or Landscape if you haven’t already

specified the orientation in your application software.
Rotate the image 180° or set the printable area if necessary.

7. Click the

Main

tab to return to the Main printer settings
dialog box. Make sure you choose the appropriate media
type and the other settings you want to use, and then

OK

click

8. Click

.

Close, OK

, or

Print

to print your image. You may

need to click a sequence of these buttons.

Printing a Panoramic Image from a Macintosh

Follow these steps to print a panoramic image or other
custom-size project on a Macintosh:

1. Create the document in your graphics application or other
software. You can create it in either portrait or landscape
orientation.

2. Choose

Page Setup

from the File menu.

You see a dialog box like the following:

3-10

Click to display list of paper sizes

Click to define your
own paper size

Printing on Special Media

3. Choose

Portrait or Landscape, depending on the

orientation you want. Rotate the image 180° or set the
printable area if necessary.

4. If you are using pre-cut EPSON Panoramic Photo Paper,
select

Panoramic 210 × 594 mm
OK

Click

. Then continue with step 9.

in the Paper Size box.

5. If you are using banner or continuous form paper, click the

Customize

Click to
create a new
paper size

6. Click the

button. The following dialog box appears:

New

button. The dialog box changes:

Type a name
for your size
here

If you’re using computer
paper, choose Plain paper
for the Media Type
setting. If you’re using
coated banner paper, try
the Photo Quality Ink Jet
Paper setting.

7. Type a name for your custom size in the

New Paper Size

box.

8. To print a panoramic image, type
and up to

44 inches for the Height. (This works for both

“landscape” and “portrait” style images.) Click

OK again.

9. Choose

Print from the File menu or click the print icon in

8.5 inches for the Width

OK, then

your application. You see a printer settings dialog box like
the one shown on page 1-7.

10. Make sure you choose the appropriate media type and the
other settings you want to use, and then click

Print to print

your banner.

3-11

Printing on Special Media

3-12

Managing

4

Print Jobs

Your printer software includes several utilities for managing
print jobs. You can use them to monitor your printer’s status,
set up large jobs to print later, and handle network printing.

This chapter provides instructions for the following:

◗ Managing print jobs in Windows 95
◗ Managing print jobs in Windows 3.1
◗ Managing print jobs in Windows NT 4.0
◗ Managing print jobs on a Macintosh

Managing Print Jobs in Windows 95

Note:
You can use Status
Monitor 2 only if it is
installed and your printer is
connected directly to the
computer or connected to
a remote server in a
Windows 95 network.

Your printer software offers three ways to manage and monitor
your print jobs in Windows 95:

◗ The Progress Meter, which appears each time you send a

print job, as described on page 1-5. You can turn the
Progress Meter on or off and select other printing options
using the
details.

◗ The Spool Manager, which appears in the taskbar at the

bottom of the screen each time you print, as described on
page 4-4.

◗ Status Monitor 2, which provides a variety of print

monitoring options, as described on page 4-5.

Speed & Progress button; see page 4-2 for

4-1

Managing Print Jobs

Selecting the Speed & Progress Options

You can set up the way your printer software sends print jobs
and select whether to display the Progress Meter using the
Speed & Progress dialog box. To access the dialog box, you
must open your printer software from the Windows 95 Printers
utility as described below.

select

Start

, point to

EPSON Stylus Photo EX printer icon and

Properties

1. Click

2. Right-click the

printer settings dialog box.

3. Click the

Utility

Settings

, then click

Printers

.

from the drop-down menu. You see the

tab. You see the Utility menu:

Speed & Progress
button

4-2

Managing Print Jobs

Note:
The folder you select in
the High Speed Copy
Folder box is also the
default spool directory.
Try changing this folder if
you get an error message
when trying to print.

4. Click the

Speed & Progress button. You see this dialog

box:

This section
appears only if
you have more
than one hard
drive

Select from the following options:

◗

High Speed Copies speeds up printing of multiple copies

of the same document by using your hard disk space as a
cache.

◗

Show Progress Meter

lets you control whether or not the
Progress Meter is displayed when you send a print job. See
page 1-5 for information on the Progress Meter.

Note:
If you see no message,
you cannot enable DMA
transfers on your system.
However, you may be
able to speed up printing
by setting your parallel
port to ECP mode. See
your computer
documentation for
instructions on selecting
ECP mode, if your
computer supports it.

EPSON Printer Port

◗

lets you optimize the transfer rate of
your printer port for EPSON printers instead of using the
Windows default printer port. You may see one of these
messages beneath the

High speed (DMA) transfer enabled tells you that

◗

EPSON Printer Port

option:

you’re already using fast DMA transfer mode.

◗

For higher data transfer rates, use DMA transfer

lets you know that you can speed up printing by
enabling DMA transfers on your system. See your
computer documentation for instructions.

5. Click

OK to close the dialog box and return to the Utility

menu. Then click

OK again to close the printer software

dialog box.

4-3

Managing Print Jobs

Using the Spool Manager

The Spool Manager creates a temporary print job file, stores it
in the C:\TEMP or C:\WINDOWS\TEMP folder or directory,
and assigns it to a print queue. The software then sends the file
to your printer at the right time.

To open Spool Manager while you’re printing, click the

EPSON Stylus Photo EX

the bottom of the screen.

You see the Spool Manager window:

The Spool Manager window displays the status of your print
job files and lets you control them. To cancel, pause, resume, or
restart a print job, click the job to highlight it; then click one of
the command buttons on the bottom of the window.

button that appears on the taskbar at

Deleting a Stalled Print Job

If you’re having trouble printing, it may be because of a stalled
print job. Follow these steps to delete the stalled job and
continue printing:

1. Click the

2. Click on any print jobs marked

3. Click the

4. Exit the Spool Manager and try printing again.

EPSON Stylus Photo EX button on the taskbar.

Held.

Cancel button.

4-4

Note:
ScanDisk will not run if
Status Monitor 2 is
performing background
monitoring. To disable
background monitoring,
right-click on the
on the Windows 95
taskbar in the bottom right
corner of your screen and
select Stop monitoring
now.

icon

Managing Print Jobs

Using Status Monitor 2

Status Monitor 2 lets you view detailed information about your
print jobs and control how you want printing monitored. You
can check printer status when your printer is connected directly
to your computer or if it is connected to a remote server in a
Windows 95 network. Before using Status Monitor 2, you must
enable background monitoring, as described in the next section.

Enabling Background Monitoring

You can enable background monitoring for your printer if you
want Status Monitor 2 to alert you to any error conditions
while you’re working on other tasks. This lets you know if
paper has run out, or if any other printing problem has
occurred, without having to open Status Monitor 2.

To turn on background monitoring, follow these steps:

1. Click

Start

, point to

folder, and click

2. Click the name of the printer you want to monitor in the
Installed Printers list. The printer name is highlighted.

Programs

EPSON Status Monitor 2.

, point to the

Epson

3. Open the Settings menu and select

Monitoring

4. Select either

.

Monitor from restart (to begin background

monitoring after your next system restart) or

Background

Monitor now

(to begin background monitoring right away).

Now set your monitoring preferences for the printer as
described in the next section.

4-5

Managing Print Jobs

Note:
Background monitoring
must be turned on to
change the Background
Monitoring and Status
Alert preferences for
individual printers in the
Monitoring Preferences
window. See page 4-5 for
instructions.

Setting Up Monitoring Preferences

You can select the way you want Status Monitor 2 to monitor
each printer you use in the Monitoring Preferences window.
There are several ways to open the window:

◗ Click the printer name in the Installed Printers list to

highlight it and click the icon or select

Preferences

from the Settings menu.

◗ Right-click the printer name in the Installed Printers list

and select

Monitoring Preferences

menu.

You see the Monitoring Preferences window:

Monitoring

from the drop-down

Note:
Short monitoring intervals
may cause some
applications to run slower.

If you turn on one or more of the Status Alert options, you’ll see
the Status Alert dialog box when the selected condition occurs.
For example, if you turn on

Show when errors occur, the

dialog box will appear only if a printing error occurs. If you
select all the options, the dialog box will appear whenever you
print, encounter an error, or have low ink levels.

4-6

Managing Print Jobs

The color of the printer icon in the Status Alert dialog box
indicates the type of error, as described on page 4-8.

Click the printer name
to highlight it, then
click Details to open
the Printer Status
window; see page 4-9
for more information

Using the Status Monitor 2 Main Window

Once you’ve enabled background monitoring for your printer
and set preferences, there are three ways to access Status
Monitor 2:

◗ Double-click the icon on the Windows 95 taskbar in

the bottom right corner of your screen.

◗ Click

and click

Start

, point to

EPSON Status Monitor 2.

Programs

, click the

Epson

folder,

◗ Access the printer software from within your application or

the Printers utility (see page 1-2 and page 1-4), click the

Utility

tab, and click the

EPSON Status Monitor 2

button. (This method accesses the Printer Status window
only; see page 4-9 for details.)

4-7

Managing Print Jobs

When you start Status Monitor 2, you see the main window:

If you have more than one printer you want to monitor, you
can add them using the

Add Printer

option in the Settings
menu. To save system resources, you may want to delete any
printers from the Status Monitor 2 list that you don’t need to
monitor. To do this, click the printer in the Installed Printers
list and select

Delete Printer from the Settings menu.

The color of the Installed Printer icon indicates the printer
status as follows:

You can customize the
appearance of items on
the Status Monitor 2 main
window using the View
menu options or options
on the button bar.

If you’re monitoring
multiple printers, you can
reorder them in the
Installed Printers list by
clicking in the Printer
Name, Status, or Job
Count title bar.

Installed Printer
icon color Status message

Green The printer is ready to print.
Yellow Paper and/or ink level is low.
Red Paper and/or ink is out, paper is jammed, or a

print or communication error has occurred.

Gray Printer not detected.

Other options in Status Monitor 2 let you view more details of
the printer or job status, as described in the next sections.

4-8

Managing Print Jobs

Using the Printer Status Window

For more details on the status of your printer, you can use the
Printer Status window. There are several ways to open the
window:

◗ Double-click the printer name in the Installed Printers list.
◗ Click the printer name in the Installed Printers list to

highlight it and click the icon or select
from the Printer menu.

◗ Right-click the printer name in the Installed Printers list

and select

Printer Status from the drop-down menu.

◗ If you’re currently using the printer software, click the

Utility tab, then click the EPSON Status Monitor 2 icon.

(For instructions on accessing your printer software, see
page 1-2 and page 1-4.)

◗ You can also access the Printer Status window by clicking

Detail

the

button on the Progress Meter (see page 1-5) or

the Status Alert dialog box (see page 4-6).

Printer Status

Illustrations of what to do if
an error occurs appear here

If your printer runs out of ink,
click this button to display
cartridge replacement steps
on the right and illustrations in
the printer graphic area

You see the Printer Status window. The Current Status tab
gives printing status and error correction information.

Printer status
messages appear here

If an error occurs,
troubleshooting tips
appear here

4-9

Managing Print Jobs

Note:
The Job Status window is
very similar to the Spool
Manager window. Both
allow you to pause,
cancel, and restart print
jobs. See page 4-4 for
information on the Spool
Manager.

To check the amount of ink you have, click the

Consumables

tab.

The Printer Information tab is not active with this printer.

Using the Job Status Window

To view detailed information on the print jobs waiting to print
on your printer, you can use the Job Status window. There are
several ways to open the window:

◗ Click the printer name in the Installed Printers list to

highlight it and click the icon or select
the Printer menu.

◗ Right-click the printer name in the Installed Printers list

and select Job Status

from the drop-down menu.

You see the Job Status window:

Job Status

from

Printing information
appears here

4-10

Managing Print Jobs

Options in the Printer menu let you pause printing or purge all
print jobs for the printer, select or deselect the printer as your
Windows default, and access the printer software to change
default settings.

The Document menu options let you pause or cancel printing
of individual printing jobs. First click the print job you want to
pause or cancel in the Document Name list to highlight it.

4-11

Managing Print Jobs

Managing Print Jobs in Windows 3.1

Your Windows printer software includes two management
utilities: the Spool Manager and the Despooler.

◗ The Spool Manager starts automatically when you send a

job to the printer. It allows you to print in the background
while you continue to work on your computer, and it lets
you hold jobs to print at a later time. If you’re using your
printer on a network, it also handles multiple print jobs
that come in at the same time. See the next section for
details.

◗ The Despooler also starts automatically when you send a

job to the printer. It displays on your screen to show printer
status, as described on page 1-6.

Using the Spool Manager

Note:
You may not see the
Spool Manager icon if
the Program Manager
or current window is
maximized. Make the
window smaller to see
the Spool Manager icon.

The Spool Manager works like the Windows Print Manager.
When you send a job to your printer, your printer software
creates a temporary journal file, stores it in the C:\TEMP or
C:\WINDOWS\TEMP folder or directory, and assigns it to a
print queue. The software then sends the file to your printer at
the right time.

◗ To open it while you’re printing, click the

icon that appears at the bottom of your desktop.

◗ You can open the Spool Manager at any time by

double-clicking the Spool Manager4 icon in the EPSON
program group.

4-12

Spool Manager

Managing Print Jobs

You see the Spool Manager window:

The Spool Manager window displays the status of your print
queues and journal files and lets you control them. You can also
control print queues, the display of the Despooler, and the
default spool directory. Click
bar for detailed information.

Help

in the Spool Manager menu

Deleting a Stalled Print Job

If you’re having trouble printing, it may be because of a stalled
print job. Follow these steps to delete it and continue printing:

1. Open the Spool Manager as described above.

2. Click on any print jobs marked
Document menu and click

3. Click

4. Exit the Spool Manager and try printing again.

Yes

.

Held, then open the

Delete

.

Changing the Default Spool Directory

If you get an error message when you try to print, or printing is
very slow, you can try changing your default spool directory.

1. Make a directory on your hard disk where you want the
Spool Manager to store print job files, for example,
C:\SPLTEMP.

2. Open the Spool Manager as described on page 4-12.

4-13

Managing Print Jobs

3. Choose

4. In the dialog box, change the spool directory to the one you
created in step 1. Then click

5. Make sure
choose
dialog box appears.

6. Make sure the spool directory is the one you created in
step 1. Also make sure
checked. Then click

7. Close the Spool Manager.

Default Spool Directory from the Options menu.

OK

.

EPSON Stylus Photo EX

Setup

from the Queue menu. The Queue Setup

Use Print Manager for this port

OK

.

is selected, and then

is

Managing Print Jobs in Windows NT 4.0

Windows NT 4.0 servers and workstations include a messenger
service to alert you to printer errors or let you know when a
print job is finished. If you have appropriate network access
privileges or you’re controlling printing from the server, you
can also cancel, pause, or restart print jobs and set the sharing,
security, scheduling, and port options. See your Windows NT
documentation for details.

4-14

Managing Print Jobs

Managing Print Jobs on a Macintosh

Your Macintosh printer software includes two management
utilities: Monitor3 and Status Monitor. It also includes a
Configuration utility for setting up print monitoring options.

◗ If you’re using background printing, Monitor3 starts

automatically when you send a job to the printer. It handles
printing while you continue to work on your Macintosh
and lets you track documents that are waiting to be printed.

◗ The Status Monitor lets you see how much ink you have

left.

◗ The Configuration utility lets you select how you’ll be

notified of printer errors and where you want print job files
stored.

Using Monitor3

The Monitor3 utility lets you continue to work on your
Macintosh while your document is printing. You can use
Monitor3 to check or cancel any pending print jobs. It also
shows the status of the job currently being printed.

If you want to use this utility, you need to turn on background
printing in the Chooser and increase the memory allocation for
Monitor3, as described in the next section.

4-15

Managing Print Jobs

Setting Up Monitor3

1. Open the Chooser from the Apple menu and select the

SP EX

icon. Then select the port you are using.

2. Under Background Printing, click

On

and close the

Chooser.

3. To increase the memory allocated to Monitor3, select

EPSON Monitor3

in the Extensions folder in your System

folder.

4. Choose

Get Info

from the File menu.

5. Under Memory Requirements, set the Preferred Size

3000.

to

Monitoring Print Jobs with Monitor3

While you’re printing, click the EPSON Monitor3 icon on the
Application menu at the right end of the menu bar. You see a
dialog box like the following:

Jobs currently
printing

Jobs queued for
printing

Click to set
priorities for
waiting print jobs

From this dialog box, you can pause, restart,
and cancel print jobs.

4-16

Managing Print Jobs

You can also prioritize print jobs by following these steps:

If you see this
icon, you need to
restart the print
queue. Select
Start print queue
from the Printer
menu.

Details
section

1. Click the

Show details

arrow at the bottom of the dialog
box. You see an extended dialog box similar to the one
below.

2. Select the document you wish to prioritize.

3. Select

Urgent, Normal, or Hold from the Priority list. The

document moves up or down in the list of waiting print
jobs.

Select
document
priority here

4-17

Managing Print Jobs

Using the Macintosh Status Monitor

You can use the Status Monitor to check the level of ink in your
printer. Follow these steps:

1. Choose

Page Setup

or

Print

from the File menu or click

the print icon in your application.

2. Click the

For information
about these
three utilities,
see Chapter 5

3. Click the

Utility

button. You see the Utility menu:

EPSON StatusMonitor

button. The software
checks the amount of ink remaining in the printer and
displays the Status Monitor window:

Click to recheck
ink level

4-18

Managing Print Jobs

Selecting Configuration Options

You can configure the way you want the printer to handle error
messages, warnings, and ink level checks and set up temporary
spool folders on the Configuration Settings dialog box. Follow
these steps:

Printing stops
when these
messages appear

Printing continues
when these
messages appear

Click here to check
for errors and/or
check the ink level
before printing

1. Choose

Page Setup

or

Print

from the File menu in your

application. You see a printer settings dialog box.

2. Click the

3. Click the

Utility button. You see the Utility menu.

Configuration

button. You see the

Configuration Settings dialog box:

Click to select the default
configuration settings

Click to control
messages and
warnings

Click to change
folder containing
spooled print job
files

4. Choose the options you want and click

4-19

OK.

Managing Print Jobs

4-20

Maintenance and

5

Transportation

It’s easy to keep your EPSON Stylus Photo EX printer working
at its best. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions in
this chapter for replacing ink cartridges, moving the printer,
and performing routine maintenance.

This chapter covers the following procedures:

◗ Cleaning the print head
◗ Replacing an ink cartridge
◗ Aligning the print head
◗ Cleaning the printer
◗ Transporting the printer

Caution:
Don’t use the cleaning
sheets that may be
included with your special
media; they may damage
the printer.

Cleaning the Print Head

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

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

◗ The Head Cleaning utility (recommended) in your printer

software (if the printer is on a local port, not on a network)

◗ The printer’s control panel buttons

5-1

Maintenance and Transportation

Using the Head Cleaning Utility

Follow these steps to run the utility:

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

2. Access the printer settings dialog box as described in

that the

B black and

Chapter 1.

A color ink out lights are off.

Caution:
Never turn off the printer
while the P power light is
flashing, unless the
printer hasn’t moved or
made any noise for more
than 5 minutes.

3. Click the

Utility

tab (Windows) or the

Utility

button

(Macintosh). You see the Utility menu.

4. Click the

Head Cleaning

button.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen to clean the print
head. Cleaning takes about two minutes, during which the
printer makes some noise and the

When the

Ppower light stops flashing, you need to run a

Ppower light flashes.

nozzle check to confirm that the print head nozzles are
clean and to reset the printer’s cleaning cycle.

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

nozzle check pattern

(Macintosh). Then click

(Windows) or Confirmation

Next

. See page 5-4 for

Print

instructions on examining the nozzle check pattern.

If your print quality has not improved, repeat the steps above. If
you don’t notice any improvement after doing this two or three
times, check the print quality solutions on page 6-7.

5-2