Epson Stylus 1500 Reference Guide

INK JET PRINTER

Reference Guide

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Seiko Epson Corporation.
No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein.
Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information
contained herein.

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 against any damages or problems arising from
the use of any options or any consumable products other than those designated as
Origin al EPSON Products or EP SON App r oved Products by Seiko Epson Corporation.

EPSON, EPSON Stylus, and EPSON ESC/P are registered trademarks and
EPSON ESC/P 2 is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation.

Windows printer driver copyright Software 2000 Ltd Oxford, England. Portions copyright
Seiko Epson Corporation.

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

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

Copyright © 1995 by Epson America, Inc. 9/95

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

FCC Compliance Statement

For United States Users

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

❑ Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
❑ Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
❑ Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the

receiver is co nne cted.

❑ 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 digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from
digital apparatus as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian
Department of Communications.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appare ils numé riques de Classe B prescrites dans le règlement s ur le
brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des Communications du Canada.

ii

Contents

Introduction

Energy Star Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Energy-saving Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

How to Use This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Where to Get Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Electronic Support Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Chapter 1

Choosing Paper and Other Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Setting the Thickness Adjustment Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Loading Plain Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Loading Oversized Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Loading Single Sheets Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Using Special Papers and Other Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

Loading Coated or Glossy Special Papers and

Transparencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Loading Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

Loading Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18

Loading Banner Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Removing Banner Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Printing on Continuous Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21

Loading Continuous Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22

Removing Continuous Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27

Adjusting the Loading Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28

Adjusting the Tear-Off Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29

Switching Between Continuous Paper and Single Sheets . . . 1-31

Switching to Single Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-31

Switching to Continuous Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-32

Paper Handling

iii

Chapter 2

Using the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Using the Default Setting Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Controlling the Printer

Chapter 3

Cleaning the Print Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Replacing the Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Selecting the Correct Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Replacing the Black Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Replacing the Color Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Cleaning the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

Transporting the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10

Calibrating the Printer When Printing From DOS . . . . . . . . 3-11

Chapter 4

Error Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Printed output is faint, blurred, or of poor quality . . . . . 4-4

Printed image is smeared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Vertical or horizontal lines do not align . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

You see white banding in your printouts . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

The printout contains incorrect or garbled characters . . . 4-6

You see incorrect colors in your printout . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Printing Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Printing has stopped but the Pause light is off . . . . . . . 4-8

You see a system m emory error message on your PC

and the printer does not print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing prints . 4-9

The printer prints blank pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Text printing is slow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

You see error messages on your PC because of printing

conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

The printer does not seem to receive print jobs . . . . . . . 4-11

Maintenance

Troubleshooting

iv

Paper Handling Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Paper Jam Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Paper Feeding Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Continuous Paper Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13

Other Paper Handling Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15

Other Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17

Printing starts too high or too low o n the page, or the

page length or margins are not what you expect . . . 4-17

Ink cartridges do not last as long as expected . . . . . . . 4-17

Appendix A

Interface Boards for the PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Using the C823051 or C823061 Serial Interface Board . . . A-2

Installing an Optional Interface Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Connecting the Printer to the Network . . . . . . . . . . . A-5

Appendix B

Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

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

Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7

Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8

Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

Safety Approvals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

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

Pin assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11

Timing chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-13

Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-13

Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-14

Using Optional Interfaces

Technical Specifications

v

Appendix C

Command List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

EPSON ESC/P 2 Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

IBM XL24E Emulation Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Character Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

International Character Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7

Characters Available with ESC ( ^ Command . . . . . . . . C-8

Commands and Character Tables

Glossary

Index

vi

Printer Parts

monochr o me pr in t he a d

paper-release
lever

knob

tear-off
edge

edge guides
(manual feed slot)

center support

printer cover

thickness
adjustment
lever

color print head
compartment

control panel

black ink cartr i dge
compartm e n t

page eject guides

output tray

paper support

sprocket-lock lever

optional
interface
cover

sprocket cover

parallel
interface

edge guides

rear edge guide

center support

manual feed guide

tractor feeder

Introduction

This manual contains general operating and maintenance
instructions for your EPSON
troubleshooting guidelines and technical specifications. For
instructions on setting up your printer and using the

®

Microsoft
see the appropriate Setup and Software Guide.

Note:

After you install the driver, check the ReadMe icon in the EPSON
group in Windows or the README1st icon on the Macintosh hard
disk for the latest information about your printer and software.

Windows® or Apple® Macintosh® printe r driver,

Energy Star Compliance

®

Stylus® 1500, as well as

As an Energy Star Partner, EPSON has determined
that this product meets the Energy Star guidelines

for energy efficiency.

The EPA estimates that if all desktop computers, printers, and
other peripheral devices met Energy Star standards, energy
cost savings would exceed $1 billion annually and carbon
dioxide emissions would be reduced by 20 million tons.

All of EPSON’s ink jet printers conform to Energy Star
standards.

Introduction

1

Energy-saving Tips

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

❑ If your monitor isn’t Energy Star compliant, turn it off

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 to catch

errors before you print a document.

❑ If you have an electronic mail system available to you, send

E-mail rather than memos. Not only is this faster, but you’ll

save paper and storage space too.

How to Use This Manual

After you have set up the printer as described in the Setup and
Software Guide, refer to this manual for the following

information:
Chapter 1, “Paper Handling,” explains how to select the right

paper or other media for your print job and load it in your
printer.

Chapter 2, “Controlling the Printer,” provides instructions for
managing the printer’s operation through its control panel. It
also explains how to access the printer’s Default Setting mode.

Chapter 3, “ Maintenance,” explains how to clean the print
heads, replace the ink cartridges, and clean and transport the
printer.

Chapter 4, “Troubleshooting,” provides solutions to printing
problems you may encounter.

Introduction

2

Append ix A, “Usi ng Optional Interfaces,” describes optional
interfaces you can install in your printer to enhance its
capabilities and explains how to install an interface board.

Append ix B, “Technical Specifications,” gives the specifications
for the Stylus 1500 printer.

Append ix C, “Commands and Character Tables,” lists the



EPSON ESC/P 2

and IBM® XL24E emulation commands
supported by the printer and shows the printer’s built-in
character tables.

A Glossary and an Index are provided at the end of the
manual.

Where to Get Help

If you purchased your printer in the United States or Canada,
EPSON provides customer support and service through a
network of Authorized EPSON Customer Care Centers.
EPSON also provides the following services when you dial
[phone]:

❑ Technical information on the installation, configuration,

and operation of EPSON products

❑ Assistance in locating your nearest Authorized EPSON

Reseller or Customer Care Center

❑ Customer relations
❑ EPSON technical information library fax service
❑ Product literature on current and new products.

Introduction

3

You can purchase ink cartridges, paper, parts, printed manuals,
and accessories for EPSON products from EPSON Accessories
at [phone] (U.S. sales). In Canada, call (800) BUY-EPSON.

If you purchased your printer outside the United States or
Canada, contact your EPSON dealer or the marketing location
nearest you for customer support and service.

If you need help with any software program you are using,
see that program’s documentation for technical support
information.

Electronic Support Services

If you have a modem, the fastest way to access helpful tips,
specifications, drivers, application notes, DIP switch or jumper
settings, and bulletins for EPSON products is through the
following online services.

EPSON Bulletin Board Service

You can call the EPSON Bulletin Board Service (BBS) at
[phone]. No membership is required. Make sure your
communications software is set to 8 data bits with 1 stop bit,
no parity bit, and a modem speed up to 28.8 Kbps. See the
documentation that came with your communications software
for more information.

Introduction

4

CompuServe online support

CompuServe® members can call the Epson America Forum on
CompuServe. If you are already a member, simply type
GO EPSON at the menu prompt to reach the Forum.

If you are not currently a member, you are eligible for a free
introductory membership as an owner of an EPSON product.

This membership entitles you to:

❑ An introductory credit on CompuServe
❑ Your own user ID and password
❑ A complimentary subscription to CompuServe Magazine,

CompuServe’s monthly publication.

To take advantage of this offer, call [phone] in the United
States and Canada and ask for representative #529. In other
countries, call the following U.S. telephone number:
[phone], or your local CompuServe access number.

Introduction

5

Import ant Safety In s t ructi ons

Before using your p rinter, read these sa fety instruct ions to
make sure you use the printer safely and effectively:

❑ Turn off and unplug the printer before cleaning. Clean with

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

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

radiator or heat register.

❑ 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; do not use an adapter plug. Avoid using outlets on
the same circuit as photocopiers or air control systems that
regularly switch on and off.

❑ 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 Reference 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 instructio ns.

Introduction

6

Cha pter 1

Paper Handling

Read this chapter for information about choosing the best
paper or other media for your printing needs and for
instructions on loading them in your printer.

Choosing Paper and Other Media

You can use most plain paper with your printer and achieve
good results. Coated papers give you better results because
they reduce the amount of ink that is absorbed. However, if the
coated paper does not absorb enough ink, the ink can smear.

To ensure the best results, EPSON provides special papers and
transparencies that are formulated for the inks used in EPSON
ink jet printers. These papers include the following:

❑ EPSON special coated paper for 360 dpi. Use this paper

for best results when printing at 360 dpi.

❑ EPSON special coated paper for 720 dpi. Use this paper

for best results when printing at 720 dpi.

❑ EPSON high-quality glossy pa per. Use this paper with

720 dpi to produce camera-ready composites. When
printing on glossy paper, use only EPSON high-quality
glossy paper.

❑ EPSON transparency film. When printing transparencies,

use only EPSON transparencies. For best results, use
transparencies within six months of opening the package.
Do not use 720 dpi when printing transparencies.

Paper Handling

1-1

To order EPSON papers and transparencies, contact your
dealer or call EPSON Accessories at [phone] (U.S. only).
In Canada, call (800) BUY-EPSON for sal es loca tions. Use the
following part numbers when ordering:

Paper or other media Size Part number

Special coated paper
for 720 dpi

Special coated paper
for 360 dpi

High-quality glossy
paper

Transparency film Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) S041064

Letter (8.5 × 11 inches)
Legal (8.5 × 14 inches)
B (11 × 17 inches)
Super A3/B (13 × 19 inches)

Letter (8.5 × 11 inches)
Super A3/B (13 × 19 inches)

Letter (8.5 × 11 inches)
B (11 × 17 inches)
Super A3/B (13 × 19 inches)

The built-in tractor feeder allows you to print on continuous
paper up to 17 inches (432 mm) wide or banner paper up to
16 inches (406 mm) wide. You can also use the tractor feeder to
print on continuous labels.

Setting the Thickness Adjustment Lever

S041062
S041067
S041069
S041070

S041060
S041066

S041072
S041074
S041075

Before you start printing, you should check the thickness
adjustment lever to make sure it is set correctly for the type of
paper or other media you are loading. Use the table below to
set the thickness adjustment lever for your media type.

c

1-2

Caution:

Before you change the lever setting, make sure there is no
paper in the paper path and that printing is paused. To do this,
press the

Paper Handling

Pause

button or turn off the printer.

Thickness
adjustment
lever

Media type

Standard paper 0 Envelopes +

position Media type

Thickness
adjustment
lever
position

Transparency film 0 Previously smeared
Labels 0
Continuous pap e r 0

documents

+

If a document is smeared, set the thickness adjustment lever to
the + position (regardless of the paper type) and print it again.

To access the lever, open the printer cover; the lever is in the
right back corner, as shown in the following illustration.

Paper Handling

1-3

Loading Plain Pa per

The following procedure explains how to load plain bond,
letter-size paper in the sheet feeder. You can load up to
100 sheets of plain paper. Always load plain paper with the
printable surface facing down. The printable surface is marked
with an arrow on most plain paper packaging.

1. Make sure the paper-release lever is set to the single-sheet
position.

TITLE

LM-9.EPS

EPSON AMERICA, INC.

Documentation Department
20770 Madrona Avenue, Torrance, CA 90503
[phone]


DATE

DRAWN BY


9/7/95




B. Levert



2. Raise the output tray until it locks in the upright position.

1-4

Paper Handling

3. Slide the right edge guide to the left as far as it will go. Then
slide the left edge guide to match the width of your paper.

4. Move the center support to a point midway between the
edge guides. Then gently extend the rear edge guide until it
stops.

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

Paper Handling

1-5

6. Load the stack of paper, printable side down, all the way
into the sheet feeder. Make sure the right edge of the stack
is against the right edge guide. Next, slide the left edge
guide against the left edge of the paper.

Note:

The sheet feeder can hold up to 100 sheets of 17-lb (64 g/m2) plain
paper. Do not load paper above the arrow mark, which is located
on the inside surface of the edge guide.

7. Adjust the rear edge guide to match the length of your paper.

1-6

Paper Handling

When you load paper in the landscape direction (wider
than it is tall), the rear edge guide may not match the
length of your paper. In this case, remove the rear edge
guide and re-insert it as shown.

8. Lower the output tray to the printing position. Make sure
that the rear edge guide of the paper tray is positioned
under the output tray. The rear edge guide must be under
the output tray to allow room for the paper loaded in the
sheet feeder and to prevent a paper jam.

Paper Handling

1-7

Loading Oversized Paper

When you load paper more than 14.3 inches (364 mm) wide or

16.5 inches (420 mm) long, you need to adjust the edge guides
on the sheet feeder and the output tray as follows.

Note:

You can load paper up to 17 inches (432 mm) wide; however, the
maximum printable width is 13.6 inches (345 mm).

1. Make sure the paper-release lever is set to the single-sheet
position. (See page 1-4.)

2. Raise the output tray until it locks in the upright position.

3. Slide the edge guides on the sheet feeder to match the
paper’s width. If you plan to print on paper more than

14.3 inches (364 mm) wide, move the right edge guide to
the right as far as it will go. If you plan to print on paper
that is 14.3 inches wide or less, move the right edge guide
to the left until it stops.

1-8

Paper Handling

4. Move the center support to a point midway between the
edge guides.

output
extension
tray

rear edge
guide

5. Pull the output tray extension out as far as it will go.

6. Gently extend the rear edge guide of the paper support
until it stops.

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

Paper Handling

1-9

8. Load the stack of paper, printable side down, so that the
right edge of the stack is against the right side of the sheet
feeder. Next, slide the left edge guide against the left edge
of the paper.

Note:

Do not load more than 30 sheets of oversized paper into the sheet
feeder. Also, do not load paper more than half way to the arrow
mark, which is located on the inside surface of the edge guide.
Otherwise, a paper jam may occur.

9. Extend the legs under both sides of the output tray. Then
lower the tray to the pri nting positio n.

1-10

Paper Handling

Loading Single Sheets Manually

You can load single sheets of paper from the manual feed slot
without removing the paper supply from the sheet fe eder. This
allows you to print single sheets of labels or manually feed
envelopes, for example. The slot can accommodate single
sheets of paper from 6.3 inches (160 mm) to 17.0 inches
(432 mm) wide.

Note:

When you load paper manually, you can adjust the loading position
using micro adjust mode if printing appears too high or low on the
page. See “Adjusting the Loading Position” on page 1-28.

Follow these steps to load a single sheet in the manual feed
slot:

1. Turn on the printer. Make sure that the paper-release lever
is set to the single-sheet position.

TITLE

LM-9.EPS

EPSON AMERICA, INC.

Documentation Department
20770 Madrona Avenue, Torrance, CA 90503
[phone]


DATE

DRAWN BY


9/7/95




B. Levert



Note:

If a sheet of paper is in the manual feed slot before you turn on the
printer, the paper is ejected with nothing pr inted .

Paper Handling

1-11

2. Lower both page eject guides.

TITLE

3. Position the right edge guide to the right of the arrow mark
on top of the manual feed slot. Then slide the left edge
guide to match the paper’s width.

Note:

If loading paper more than 14.3 inches (364 mm) wide, move the
right edge guide to the right as far as it will go.

1-12

Paper Handling

4. While holding both edges of the paper, load it printable
side up into the slot until it meets resistance, aligning the
right edge of the paper with the right edge guide. Make
sure the left edge guide matches the paper’s width.

The printer loads the sheet automatically. If the sheet does
not load straight, press the

Load/Eject

button to eject it.

Then try loading it again.

5. Use the print command in your software to start printing a
document.

When the printer finishes printing, it ejects the sheet. If the
sheet does not eject completely, press the

Load/Eject

button.

6. To switch back to the sheet feeder, press the

Load/Eject

button or send data to the printer without inserting a sheet
into the manual feed slot. The page eject guides raise
automatically and the printer loads paper from the sheet
feeder.

Note:

If your output is smeared, try removing sheets one at a time as they
are printed.

Paper Handling

1-13

Using Special Papers and Other Med ia

When using special coated paper, glossy paper, transparencies,
envelopes, labels, or banner paper, keep the following in mind:

❑ Use special coated paper and glossy paper within one year

of purchase. Use transparencies within six months.

❑ Do not touch the printable surface of the paper; hold the

sheets by their edges. The moisture and oils on your hands
can reduce print quality.

❑ After printing on high-quality glossy paper or

transparencies, remove each sheet from the output tray
immediately. Make sure each sheet is dry before stacking.

❑ Return unused sheets and envelopes to their original

package as soon as possible after you finish printing. Keep
the paper wrapped and store flat in a dry, protected area.
Unfavorable storage conditions—especially high
temperature, humidity, and direct sunlight—can damage
the media.

❑ Follow any other special loading procedures included in

the rest of this section.

1-14

Paper Handling

Loading Coated or Glossy Special Papers and Transparencies

Use the same procedure described in “Loading Plain Paper” on
page 1-4 or “Loading Oversized Paper” on page 1-8 to load
special papers and transparencies in the sheet feeder. You can
load up to the following number of sheets:

❑ 70 sheets of special coated paper. However, if you load

legal-size or oversize special coated paper for 360 or
720 dpi, do not load more than 30 sheets and make sure the
paper does not reach more than halfway to the arrow mark
on the inside of the edge guide.

❑ 50 sheets of transparency film
❑ 30 sheets of high-quality glossy paper.

Note:

Use only EPSON transparency film and high-quality glossy paper.

Remember to change the printer driver settings so they are
appropriate for the media you loaded. See your

Software Guide

for instructions.

Loading Envelopes

For specifications on the thickness and weight of the envelopes
you can load, see Appendix B. Do not use envelopes that are
curled or folded, or ones that are too thin; they may curl during
printing. Also, do not choose 720 dpi resolution for envelope
printing.

Setup and

Paper Handling

1-15

Follow these steps to load envelopes:

1. Make sure you set the thickness adjustment lever to the
correct position for envelope printing, as described on
page 1-3.

2. You can load up to 10 envelopes in the sheet feeder with the
printable side facing down as shown.

3. Adjust the left edge guide so the envelopes feed straight
into the paper path.

4. If you are printing on oversize envelopes, remove the rear
edge guide and reinstall it to match the length of the
envelope, as shown above.

1-16

Paper Handling

5. If you are using the manual feed slot, position the right
edge guide t o the right of the arrow mark on top of the
manual feed slot. Then slide the left edge guide to match
the envelope’s width.

6. Load the envelope with the flap edge first and the printable
surface facing up.

The pr inter loads the envelope automa tically. If the
envelope does not load straight, press the

Load/Eject

button to eject it. Then try loading it again.

7. Change the printer driver settings so they are appropriate
for the envelopes you loaded. (See your

Guide

.)

Setup and Software

Note:

Before printing on envelopes from DOS using the sheet feeder, the
printer must be in the envelope printing mode. To enter this mode,
load a single envelope from the sheet feeder and then eject it by
pressing the

Load/Eject

button. The printer will now feed envelopes

correctly.

Paper Handling

1-17

Loading Labels

You can print on labels using single sheets or continuous
sheets. For loading instructions, follow the procedure under
“Loading Single Sheets Manually” on page 1-11 or “Loading
Continuous Paper” on page 1-22. When printing on labels, keep
the following in mind:

❑ Do not use labels that are curled or folded. Also avoid

using labels that are peeling off the backing.

❑ Use labels only under normal operating conditions:

Temperature 15 to 25°C (59 to 77°F)
Humidity 40 to 60% RH

❑ If your labels don’t feed properly or jam, see Chapter 4,

“Troubleshooting.”

❑ Make sure you load labels with the printable s urface facing

up.

For single sheets of labels:

❑ Load sheets of labels into the manual feed slot one at a

time. Otherwise, they may not feed properly. See “Loading
Single Sheets Manually” on page 1-11. Also, see
Appendix B for specifications.

❑ Use labels that completely cover the backing sheet;

otherwise, they may peel off and become jammed in the
printer.

For continuous labels:

❑ Choose labels mounted on a continuous backing sheet with

sprocket holes for use with the tractor feeder. Follow the
instructions on page 1-22 to load continuous labels like any
other type of continuous paper.

1-18

Paper Handling

❑ Make sure the printing stays entirely within the printable

area. See Appendix B for specifications.

❑ Make sure the auto tear-off feature is set to off i n the Default

Setting mode when using continuous labels. (See page 2-6.)

❑ Do not leave labels loaded in the printer between jobs; they

may curl around the platen and jam when you resume
printing.

Removing continuous labels

Follow these steps to remove labels printed on continuous
paper:

1. Tear off the fresh supply of labels at the rear of the printer.

2. Press the
of the printer.

Caution:

c

Never feed labels backward through the printer; they can easily
peel off the backing and jam the printer.

LF/FF

button to advance the remaining labels out

Paper Handling

1-19

Loading Banner Paper

To load banner paper, follow steps 1 through 4 under “Loading
Single Sheets Manually” on page 1-11.

Note:

If you are printing from Windows, choose Manual Feed Slot (Banner)
as the paper source.

If you are using the Macintosh printer driver, turn off the Page Gap
setting. See your
more information.

If your document is longer than 44 inches, its length must be
evenly divisible by the paper size you choose. For example, if
you are printing a document that is 66 inches long, choose

Long Paper 17 × 33 in from the Paper Size list. The printer
automatically multiplies the setting (33 inches) by 2 to match
your document length.

Setup and Software Guide for Macintosh

for

Removing Banner Paper

After you finish printing on banner paper, you must remove it
from the manual fee d slot before turning off the printer. Follow
these steps to remove banner paper:

1. Cut off the paper at the back of the printer where it enters
the manual feed slot.

2. Press the
printer.

Load/Eject

button to feed the paper out of the

1-20

Paper Handling

Printing on Continuous Paper

The built-in tractor feeder lets you print on continuous paper
from 4 inches (102 mm) to 16 inches (406 mm) wide. You can
use the tractor feeder without removing paper from the sheet
feeder.

When printing on continuous paper, keep the following in
mind:

❑ When you turn on the printer with paper loaded on the

tractor feeder, it reverses the paper to the paper-park
position and then advances it to the next page. To keep the
loading position accurate, remove any printed sheets
before you turn off the printer.

❑ If the printer runs out of paper during a print job, load

paper onto the push tractor and press the
continue printing.

❑ If printing appears too high or low on the page, you can

use micro adjust mode to adjust the loading position or
tear-off position. See “Adjusting the Loading Position” or
“Adjusting the Tear-Off Pos ition ” later in this chapter. The
settings you make remain in effect until you change them
again, even if you turn off the printer.

Caution:

c

❑ If the paper is released from the sprocket pins, never feed

paper backward; this may cause a paper jam. Reload the
paper by following the instructions in the next section.

Do not use the knob on the left side of th e printer to adjust
the loading position; this may damage the printer or cause
it to lose the top-of-form position.

Pause

button to

Paper Handling

1-21

Loading Continuous Paper

Follow these steps to load continuous paper in the printer:

1. Place the supply of continuous paper directly behind the
printer so that paper can feed smoothly. Make sure the
paper path is not obstructed, and allow enough room for
printed pages to be stacked in front of the printer.

2. Move the paper-release lever to the continuous paper
position.

Note:

If a single sheet is in the paper path, press the
button to eject it before moving the paper-release lever.

Load/Eject

3. Hold the manual feed guide with both hands and gently lift

1-22

it up and off the printer.

Paper Handling

4. Release the sprocket units on the tractor by raising the
sprocket- l ock levers .

5. Move the sprocket units to match the paper’s width; then
position the center support midway between the two
sprocket units.

Paper Handling

1-23

6. Open both sprocket covers.

7. Make sure the printable side of the paper is up. Then fit the
first four holes of the paper over the sprocket pins and close
the sprocket covers.

1-24

Paper Handling

8. Position the left sprocket unit so its right edge is aligned
with the arrow mark on the printer. The arrow mark
indicates the left edge of the printable area. Then lower the
sprocket-lock lever to lock the left sprocket unit.

9. Slide the right sprocket unit to remove any slack in the
paper. Then lower the sprocket-lock lever into place.

Paper Handling

1-25

10. Reattach the manual feed guide to the pr inter. Match the
holes of the guide to the pins on both sides of the printer
and push until they click int o plac e.

11. Lower both page eject guides.

1-26

TITLE

Paper Handling

12. Make sure the rear edge guide of the paper support is
pushed under the output tray, as shown below, to prevent
a paper jam.

13. When the printer receives data, it advances the continuous
paper to the loading position and starts printing.

Removing Continuous Paper

Follow these steps to remove continuous paper from the
printer:

1. After you have finished printing a page of continuous paper,
press the
paper to the tear-off position.

Note:

If the auto tear-off feature is on, you can skip step 1 because the
printer advances the paper perforation to the tear-off position
automatically.

2. Tear off the printed pages.

Load/Eject

button. The printer advances the

Paper Handling

1-27

3. Press the
continuous paper backward to the paper-park position.

Note:

If you are using continuous labels, see “Removing continuous
labels” on page 1-19.

Load/Eject

button. The printer feeds the

Adjusting the Loading Position

The loading position determines where the printer positions
the top edge of the paper when loading it. If printing is too
high or low on the page, change the loading position in micro
adjust mode.

You can set a separate loading position for continuous paper or
for paper loaded in the sheet feeder or the manual feed slot.

Caution:

c

Do not use the knob on the left side of the printer to adjust the
loading position; this may damage the p rinter or cause it to
lose the top-of-form position.

1-28

Paper Handling

1. Make sure the printer is turned on.

2. Press the

LF/FF

button to load a sheet of paper to the

top-of-form position.

3. Hold do wn the

Pause

button for about three seconds. Both

of the font lights begin to flash.

D

4. Press the
or press

Micro Adjust

Micro Adjust

button to feed paper forward,

U

to feed paper backward. (Press
either button as many times as necessary until you reach
the desired position.)

5. To complete the adjustment, press the

Pause

button. The

new loading position is stored in the printer’s memory.

6. Send data from the computer to start printing.

Note:

Your setting remains in effect until you change it again, even if you
turn off the printer.

The printer has a minimum and maximum loading position, beyond
which the paper stops moving.

Adjusting the Tear-Off Position

When you press the

Load/Eject

printing a page of continuous paper, you may find that the
perforation is not aligned with the tear-off edge. You can use
micro adjust mode to adjust paper to the tear-off edge. When
you resume printing, the printer feeds paper back to the
loading position.

button after you have finished

Paper Handling

1-29

Caution:

c

Note:

To use the tear-off feature, turn on auto tear-off using the Default
Setting mode as described in Chapter 2.

Never use the tear-off feature with labels. When fed backward,
labels may come off the backing and jam the printer. When you
use labels, always turn the auto tear-off setting off using the
Default Setting mode .

Do not use the knob on the left side of the printer to adjust the
tear-off position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose
the top-of-form position.

The setting you make remains in effect until you change it again, even
if you turn off the printer.

To adjust the tear-off position, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the printer is on and the paper is in the current
tear-off position.

2. Hold do wn the
font lights begin flashing.

3. Press the
press
button as many times as necessary until you reach the
desired position.)

4. To save the adjustment, press the

5. Tear off any printed pages.

Micro Adjust

Micro Adjust

Pause

button for about three seconds. Both

D

button to feed paper forward, or

U

to feed paper backward. (Press either

Pause

button.

Note:

The printer has a minimum and maximum tear-off position, beyond
which the paper stops moving.

1-30

Paper Handling

Switching Between Continuous Paper and Sin gle Sheets

When using the tractor feeder, you can easily switch between
single-sheet and continuous printing without removing either
type of paper.

Switching to Single Sheets

To switch from continuous paper to single sheets, follow these
steps:

1. If any printed sheets remain in the printer, tear off the printed
pages.

2. Press the
continuous paper backward to the paper-park position.

c

3. Move the paper-release lever to the single-sheet position.

Note:

If the
the paper-release lever before feeding the paper backward to the
paper-park position. Lower the paper-release lever to the
continuous-paper position and press the
then raise the paper-release lever to the single-sheet position.

Load/Eject

Caution:

Always tear off paper before back-feeding; back-feeding too
many sheets can cause a paper jam.

Never back-feed labels. Labels can easily come off their
backing and jam the printer.

Data

Paper Out

and

button. The printer feeds the

lights flash, you may have moved

Load/Eject

button;

4. Change the driver settings to match your paper source,
size, and type.

Paper Handling

1-31

5. The printer is ready to print. When it receives data, it loads
a single sheet from the sheet feeder or manual feed slot.

Note:

The paper eject guides raise automatically when a single sheet is
loaded from the sheet feeder.

Switching to Continuous Paper

To switch from single sheets back to continuous paper, follow
the steps below:

1. If a single sheet is in the paper path, press the
button to eject it.

2. Raise the paper-release lever to the continuous-paper
position.

Note:

If the
the paper-release lever before ejecting a sheet of paper. Raise the
paper-release lever to the single-sheet position and press the

Load/Eject

continuous-paper position.

3. Lower the page eject guides.

4. Change the driver settings to match your paper source,
size, and type.

Data

Paper Out

and

button; then lower the paper-release lever to the

lights flash, you may have moved

Load/Eject

5. The printer is ready to print. When it receives data, it loads

1-32

continuous paper from the tractor feeder and begins to
print.

Paper Handling

Cha pter 2

Controlling the Printer

This chapter explains how to control the printer using the
control panel. It also describes the additional printer functions
you can perform using the Default Setting mode.

Using the Control Panel

The printer’s control panel contains lights for displaying the
printer status and buttons for controlling certain functions, as
described in this section.

Since most printer settings can be controlled from your
software, you do not often need to use the control panel.
Normally you need to use it only to do the following:

❑ Turn on economy or condensed mode
❑ Clean the black or color print heads
❑ Replace the ink cartridges

Controlling the Printer

2-1

❑ Pause the printer temporarily
❑ Reset the printer.

Lights

See page 4-1 for information on using the lights to aid in
troubleshooting.

Operate

Data

Ink Out

Ink Out

On when the printer is on.

On when data remains in printer memory or when
printing a self test or demonstration page. Flashes
when data is being received by the printer.

O On when the black ink cartridge is empty or not

installed. The printer will not work if the black ink
cartridge is empty or not installed. Flashes when the
black ink cartridge is low on ink.

NNN On when the color ink cartridge is empty. Flashes

when the color ink cartridge is low on ink. If the color
print head is not installed, this light is always off.

If color ink runs out while you’re printing, the
printer stops. You can continue to print with the
black ink cartridge by switching to monochrome
printing. To do thi s, turn off the printer, turn it on
again, and resend your print job.

Paper Out

Pause

2-2

Controlling the Printer

On when the printer runs out of paper. Flashes
rapidly if there is a paper jam.

On when printing is paused and flashes while the
ink cartridge is being replaced or during print head
cleaning.

Economy

On when economy printing mode is selected. In
economy mode the printer uses less ink by printing
fewer dots per character. Note that black may print
as gray. Use this mode for rough drafts of text only.

Condensed

Font

Buttons

In addition to the button functions explain ed below, yo u
can perform additional functions using certain button
combinations and power-on sequences, as described on
page 2-4.

Alt

On when condensed mode is selected. In this mode,
the pri nter prints selected fonts at 60% of their width
so that more characters can fit on a page.

Indicates which font is selected. Use the Default
Setting mode to select fonts other than those
displayed on the control panel. Both lights flash
when the printer is in micro adjust mode.

Hold down this button for about five seconds to
move the carriage to the color ink cartridge
replacement position. The
flashing. Press the
carriage to its home position. See “Replacing the
Color Ink Cartridge” in Chapter 3.

Alt

Pause

button again to return the

light begins

Pause

(or

This button is also used in combination with other
buttons to reset the printer or clean the print heads;
see the next section for more information.

Reset

)
Stops printing temporarily. Press it again to resume.
Hold down this button for about three seconds to
enter micro adjust mode.

Controlling the Printer

2-3

Economy/Condensed

Selects economy or condensed mode as indicated by

Economy

the
button only if you print from a DOS application.

LF/FF

Press th is button briefly to feed paper line b y line.
Hold it down to load a single sheet or to advance
continuous paper to the next top-of-form position.

Font

Press this button until the combination of lights
indicates the font of your choice. Use this button only
if you print from a DOS application.

/Micro Adjust

Micro Adjust

D

Adjusts the loading position or tear-off position for
continuous paper while in micro adjust mode. Press

Micro Adjust

the
or press
enter micro adjust mode, hold down the
button for about three seconds. Both
begin to flash. To exit micro adjust mode, press

Pause

again. The settings made in this mode are

saved in the printer’s memory.

Cleaning

(or

Condensed

and

U

D button to advance paper forward

Micro Adjust

O)

lights. Use this

U to feed paper backward. To

Pause

Font

lights

Load/Eject

Loads or ejects a sheet of paper. The printer normally
loads and ejects paper automatically. When using
continuous paper, press this button to feed paper
backward to the paper-park position.

Button combinations and power-on functions

The button combinations below perform additional functions
to control your printer.

Alt

2-4

Pause (Reset

+

Clears the printer’s buffer and resets the printer
settings to their factory defaults.

Controlling the Printer

)

Alt

LF/FF (Cleaning

+

O)

Cleans the black print head; see “Cleaning the Print
Heads” in Chapter 3 for more informa tion.

Alt + Load/Eject (Cleaning

Cleans the color print head; see “Cleaning the Print
Heads” in Chapter 3 for more informa tion.

Pause

Operate

+

button (Printer adjustment mode)
Enters printer adjustment mode and prints a
multilingual instruction sheet on calibrating the
printer. (Paper must be loaded in the printer.) Hold
both buttons until the font lights flash. Use this
mode only if you are printing from DOS
applications. To exit printer adjustment mode, press

Pause

the

butt on and turn off the printer.

NNN)

Note:

When using the following
until the
buttons.

Load/Eject

LF/FF

Operate

+

Data

Operate

+

Operate

light flashes or paper is loaded before releasing the

button (LQ self test)

button combinations, wait

Checks the paper length and performs a printer self
test at 360 dpi; see “Testing the Printer” in Chapter 1
of your

Setup and Software Guide

for more

information.

button (Draft self test)
Checks the paper length and performs a printer self
test at 180 dpi; see “Testing the Printer” in Chapter 1
of your

Setup and Software Guide

for more

information.

Controlling the Printer

2-5

LF/FF

Load/Eject

+

Operate

+
When connected to a PC, prints a page containing a
hexadecimal representation of the data sent to the
printer (hex dump) for troubleshooting use; see
page 4-11. To exit hex dump mode, press the
button and turn off the printer.

button (Hex dump)

Pause

Alt

Economy/Condensed

Alt

Operate

+

Pause

+

button (Demonstration page)

Prints a demonstration page of the printer’s fonts
and colors. (Paper must be loaded in the printer.) To
exit demonstration mode, make sure the
is on an d then turn off the printe r.

Note:

If the printer is in economy mode when a demonstration page is
printed, black will pr int as gray.

Enters the printer’s Default Setting mode; see the
next section for more information. To exit Default
Setting mode, press the
the printer.

Operate

+

Decreases the printing speed to allow more time for
the ink to dry. Use this function when your out put is
smeared. This mode is not saved as a default setting.

Pause

Operate

+

button (Ink smear prevention mode)

button (Default Setting mode)

Pause

button and turn off

light

Using the Default Setting Mode

Additional printer fun ctions are available through the Default
Setting mode. Because the printer’s factory defaults are
designed to meet the needs of almost all users, you rarely need
to change the printer functions. If necessary, however, you can
turn o n the Default Setting mode an d change the settings using
the control panel buttons.

2-6

Controlling the Printer

To turn on Default Setting mode and print instructions, turn off
the printer. Make sure there is p aper loaded in the printer.
Then hold down the

Economy/Condensed

button while you
turn the printer back on. Follow the instructions the printer
prints to change the default settings by pressing the buttons on
the control panel. When you are finished, press

Pause

and

turn o ff the printer to exit Default Setting mod e.

The printer functions are shown in the table below and
described in the following paragraphs. The default settings are
in bold.

Setting Options

Print direction Auto, Bi-D, Uni-D
Font Roman, Sans Serif, Courier, Prestige,

Script, Roman T, Sans Serif H

Pitch 10 cpi, 12 cpi, 15 cpi, 17.1 cpi, 20 cpi,

Proportional
I/F mode Auto, Parallel, Option
Auto interface wait time 10 seconds, 30 seconds
Software ESC/P 2, IBM XL24E
Auto CR* Off, On
AGM* Off, On
Character table PC437, PC850, PC860, PC861, PC863,

PC865, Abicomp, BRASCII, Roman 8,

ISO Latin 1, Italic
International character set

for Italic table

Auto line feed Off, On
Network I/F mode Off, On
0 slash 0, 0/
Page length for

continuous paper
Skip over perforation Off, On

Italic U.S.A., Italic France, Italic Germany,

Italic U.K., Italic Denmark 1, Italic Sweden,

Italic Italy, Italic Spain I

11 inch, 12 inch, 8.5 inch, 70/6 inch, Others

Auto tear off Off, On

Controlling the Printer

2-7

Setting Options

Print mode Plain paper (true black), Plain paper

(compo s i te bl ac k) , Ex c lu s i ve pap e r ,
Transparency

Banner paper Off, On

* IBM mode only

Print direction. Specifies how the print head moves across the
page. The options are Uni-D, Bi-D, and Auto (default). When
Uni-D is on, the print head prints in only one direction to
provide the most precise alignment for graphics and text. In
Bi-D printing, the print head prints in both directions. Bi-D is
faster but the vertical alignment may not be as precise as
Uni-D. When Auto is selected, the printer switches
automatically between Uni-D and Bi-D as necessary when it
receives data.

Font and Pitch. Select the built-in printer font and character
pitch used as the default. Normally you use your software to
select the font and pitch. The default Font and Pitch are Courier
10 cpi (characters per inch).

Interface mode. Determines from which interface the printer
receives print data. The default setting, Auto, allows the printer
to automatically switch as needed between the parallel and
serial interfaces. However, if you experience communication
probl ems, you might want to set the interface mode to either
Parallel or Option. If you select Option, you must have an
optional interface card installed. The printer will ignore data
from the parallel interface.

Auto interface wait time. Sets the time period for the printer to
wait for data from the current interface (and accept no data
from the other interface) when you’re using the Auto interface
mode. You can select a 10-second (default) or 30-second
timeout.

2-8

Controlling the Printer

Software. Specifies the printer control language to use when
printing from DOS: EPSON ESC/P 2 (default) or IBM XL24E.
If your software allows you to select EPSON ESC/P 2, choose it
for the most advanced fonts and graphics.

Auto CR. Specifies that the printer perform a carriage return
and line feed operation if the print positions exceed the right
margin of the paper. (Used in IBM XL24E mode only.)

AGM (Alternate Graphics Mode). Specifies that the printer
use high-resolution, 24-pin graphics commands. (Used in IBM
XL24E mode only.)

Character table. Selects the set of characters and symbols that
can be printed. The default is the Italic U.S.A. character table.
If you commonly use a language containing accents, symbols,
or other characters not available in the Italic U.S.A. character
table, change to a different character table. For a list of the
character tables, see Appendix C.

Auto line feed. Specifies that a carriage return character
encountered in the print file be accompanied by a line feed
command. By default, auto line feed is off. If text lines print on
top of one another, turn on auto line feed.

Network interface mode. If you’re having trouble printing
when the printer is connected to multiple computers, turn on
network interface m ode. By default, ne twork interfa ce mode is
off.

0 Slash. Specifies whether the printer prints a slashed zero (0/)
or unslashed zero (0). This feature is useful for clearly
distinguishi ng between an upp ercase letter O and a zero when
printing documents such as programming lists.

Page length for continuous paper. Available only when you
use continuous paper with the tractor feeder. You can set the
paper length to 11 (default), 12, 8.5, or 70/6 (the length of A4
paper) inches.

Controlling the Printer

2-9

Skip over perforation. Selects whether or not the printer skips
over the perforations of continuous paper, providing a 1-inch
margin betw een the last line printed on one page and the first
line printed on the next. Because most software programs set
their own top and bottom margins, use this feature only if your
program does not provide them. This feature does not affect
single-sheet paper.

Auto tear off. When using continuous paper, advances the
paper perforation to the tear-off position where you can easily
tear off the printed pages. When the printer receives data, it
automatically reverses the paper to the top-of-form position
and starts printing, so you can use all of the next sheet.

Caution:

c

When you use the tractor to print on labels, set this feature to
off. Otherwise labels may come off the backing and jam the
printer.

Print mode. Selects the paper type you plan to use. Use this
feature to select paper types only when printing from a DOS
application. Select Plain paper (true black) when printing text
on plain paper. Select Plain paper (composite black) for color
images on plain paper or when the black ink in a printed image
is blurred. Select Exclusive paper for special coated paper and
high-quality glossy paper. Select Transparency when printing
on transparencies. When Transparency is selected, printing is
unidirectional.

Note:

Composite black is produced by mixing cyan, magenta, and
yellow inks.

Banner paper. Specifies that banner paper is not recognized as
single-sheet paper even if the paper-release lever is set to the
single-sheet position. Paper is not ejected and advanced
forward to the next page with the

LF/FF

button.

2-10

Controlling the Printer

Cha pter 3

Main t enan ce

Instructions in this chapter tell you how to do the following to
maintain and care for your printer:

❑ Clean the print heads
❑ Replace the ink cartridges
❑ Clean the printer
❑ Transport the printer
❑ Calibrate the printer when printing from DOS.

Cleaning the Prin t Heads

The printer periodically cleans its print heads automatically, so
normally you should not need to manually activate a cleaning
cycle. However, the ink nozzles in the print head may become
clogged occasionally reducing the print quality. If this happens,
you can run a cleaning cycle to clear the nozzles.

You can clean one or both print heads (if the optional color
print head is installed). Each cleaning cycle takes about one
minute. During the cleaning cycle, the carriage moves back and
forth and you can hear the printer recharging the print heads.

Pause

The
stays on when the cycle is finished.

To clean the black print head:

1. Make sure the printer is on and press the

2. Hold do wn the
cycle begins.

light flashes throughout the cleaning cycle and then

Alt

button and press

LF/FF

Pause

. The cleaning

button.

3. Press the

Pause

button to resume printing.

Maintenance

3-1

To clean the color print head:

1. Make sure the printer is turned on and press the
button.

2. Hold do wn the
cleaning cyc le begins.

3. Press the

It can sometimes take up to three cleaning cycles to improve
print quality. To check the print quality, print a demonstration
page after running a cleaning cycle. If the print quality does not
improve after you clean the print heads three times, and you
are sure the cartridges are not low or out of ink (as described in
the next section), contact your dealer or authorized EPSON
servicer.

Pause

Alt

button and press

button to resume printing.

Replacing the Ink Cartridges

Load/Eject

Pause

. The

The printer’s
tell you when your ink cartridges are low on ink and when you
need to replace them. If one of these lights flashes, the
indicated cartridge is low on ink; if it remains on, you need to
replace the cartridge.

Caution:

c

Do not replace an ink cartridge unless its
you to. If you replace a cartridge before its light flashes, the
sensor that tells you when ink is out will not work with the
new cartridge.

Leave the old cartridge installed in the printer until you are
ready to replace it with a new one. Attempting to print
without a cartridge installed can damage the printer.

Ink Out

O (black) and

Ink Out

NNN (color) lights

Ink Out

light tells

3-2

Maintenance

Caution:

c

When the color ink cartridge is empty, you can continue
printing wi th the black ink cartridge by sw itching to
monochrome mode. To do this, turn off the printer, then turn it
back on and resend your print job.

If you replace a cartridge when the
turn off your printer and then turn it back on. This erases the
data received by the printer and you must resend your print
job.

Once you install the ink cartridges, do not open the clamp or
remove the cartridges except to replace them with new ones.
Once you remove a cartridge, you cannot reuse it.

Data

light is on, you must

If the black ink cartridge is empty, you cannot continue
printing, even if the color cartridge still contains ink.

Selecting the Correct Ink Cartridges

Use only these EPSON ink cartridges in your Stylus 1500
printer:

Black ink cartridge S020062
Color ink cartridge S020049

When you need new ink cartridges, contact your dealer or call
EPSON Accessories at [phone] (U.S. only). In Canada,
call (800) BUY-EPSON for sales locations.

Caution:

c

Use only genuine EPSON ink cartridges and do not refill
them. Other products may cause damage not covered by
EPSON’s warranties.

Maintenance

3-3

Replacing the Black Ink Cartridge

Follow these steps to remove the empty black ink cartridge and
install a new one:

1. Make sure the printer is on.

2. Press the
on).

3. Remove the ink compartment co ver as shown below.

Pause

button (check that the

Pause

light comes

4. Carefully pull the used ink cartridge straight out of the

5. Remove the ink cartridge from its package.

3-4

printer and dispose of it so any excess ink does not spill
out. Do not take the used cartridge apart or try to refill it.

Warning

w

Maintenance

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

:

6. Insert the end of the cartridge with the foil plug into the ink
compartment following the directions on the cartridge label.

7. Push the c artridge all the way into the compartment until
the cartridge meets the back of the ink compartment. Make
sure the

Note:

If the
installed correctly. Remove the ink cartridge and then reinsert it
as described above.

8. Replace the ink compartment cover.

Ink Out

Ink Out

O light goes off.

O

light remains on, the ink cartridge may not be

1

2

Maintenance

3-5

9. Press the

10. If you want to check the print quality, print a demonstration
page. If you need to initiate a cleaning cycle, see page 3-1.

Pause

button to resume printing.

Replacing the Color Ink Cartridge

Follow these steps to remove the empty color cartridge and
install a new one:

1. Make sure the printer is on.

2. Press the
comes on).

3. Open the printer cover using the notch on the cover.

4. Hold do wn the
print head moves slightly left to the ink cartridge install
position. The
returns to the home position after 30 seconds if the ink
cartridge is not removed.)

5. Pull up the cartridge clamp to open it. The cartridge rises
partially out of the printer.

Pause

Pause

button (check that the

Alt

button for about five seconds until the

light begins blinking. (The carriage

Pause

light

3-6

Maintenance

6. Lift the cartridge out of the printer and dispose of it carefully
so any excess ink does not spill out. Do not take the used
cartridge apart or try to refill it.

Warning:

w

7. Remove the ink cartridge from its protective bag. Remove
the tape seal from the top of the cartridge.

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

c

Caution:

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

Maintenance

3-7

8. Lower the ink cartridge into its holder with the label facing
up and the arrow pointing to the back of the printer. Do not
push down on the ink cartridge.

9. Press the ink cartridge clamp down until it locks in place.
You will feel some resistance.

Caution:

c

10. Press the
printer charges the ink delivery system and moves the
carriage to its home (far right) position.

Even if you don’t press
back to its home position about 30 seconds after you install
the cartridge.

Once you install the ink cartridge, do not op en th e clamp
or remove the ink cartridge except to replace it with a new
one. Otherwise, the print head and cartridge may become
unusable.

Once you remove a cartridge, do not reuse it. Reusing a
cartridge that has been removed may damage the print
head.

Alt

button again. The

Alt

Pause

, the printer moves the carriage

light flashes as the

3-8

Maintenance

Caution:

Pause

c

11. Close the printer cover. When the charging cycle finishes,
the

Pause

12. If you want to check the print quality, print a demonstration
page. If you need to initiate a cleaning cycle, see page 3-2.

The
being charged in the system. Never turn off the printer
while the
incomplete charging of printer ink.

Pause

light stops flashing and stays on. Press the

button to turn off the light and resume printing.

light flashes for about 60 seconds while ink is

Pause

light is flashin g; this can result in

Cleaning the Printer

If you want to clean the printer, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the printer and disconnect any cables connected to
it. Be sure to keep the printer cover closed as you clean it.

2. Remove any paper or other media from the sheet feeder and
rear tractor.

3. Carefully clean away loose dust and dirt with a soft brush.

4. Clean the exterior with a soft, dampened cloth.

5. To clean ink out of the printer’s interior, wipe it gently with
a damp cloth.

Maintenance

3-9

Caution:

c

Never use alcohol or thinner to clean the printer; these
chemicals can damage the components and the printer case.

Do not use a hard or abrasive brush; these can scratch the
printer surfaces.

Do not allow water to get on the printer mechanism or
any electronic components.

Do not touch the gears inside the printer.

Do not spray inside the printer with lubricants or oi ls;
they can damage the printer mechanisms.

Transportin g the Pr inter

If you need t o transport your printer, follow these steps:

1. Open the printer cover and make sure tha t the print heads
are locked in the far right position. If they aren’t, turn on
the pri nter, wait about 10 seconds, and turn it off. Close the
printer cover.

2. Remove the black ink cartridge and store it separately in a
plastic bag. See “Replacing the Black Ink Cartridge” earlier
in this chapter.

Caution:

c

If you installed the optional color print head and ink
cartridge, do not remove the color ink cartridge when
transporting the printer. Transporting the printer without
the color ink cartridge installed can damage the printer.

3. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet.

4. Disconnect the interface cable from the printer.

3-10

Maintenance

5. Remove any paper from the sheet feeder and rear tractor.
Then remove the output tray and paper support.

6. Attach the protective material to the printer. See the Notice
Sheet that was packed with the printer.

7. Repack the printer and attachments in the original box.

Be sure to keep the printer flat as you transport it. If you notice
problems with your printed output after transporting the
printer, clean the print heads as described earlier in this
chapter. If the image is misaligned, calibrate the printer as
described in your
the following section if you are printing from DOS.

Setup and Software Guide

, or as described in

Calibrating the Printer When Printing From DO S

If vertical lines are misaligned when you print from DOS
applications, follow these steps to calibrate the printer using its
adjustment mode:

1. Make sure Plain paper (true black) is the default print
mode. See “Using the Default Setting Mode” in Chapter 2
for instructions.

2. Make sure paper is loaded in the printer and turn it off.

3. Hold do wn the
enter printer adjustment mode. It prints a multilingual
instruction sheet.

4. Follow the instructions on the sheet to calibrate your printer.

5. When you are finished, press
to exit printe r adjustment mode.

Pause

button and turn on the printer to

Pause

and tu rn off the printer

When you turn on the printer and send your next print job, the
lines should be aligned.

Maintenance

3-11

Cha pter 4

Troubleshooting

This chapter offers solutions to problems you may encounter
with printing . It is divided into three sections:

❑ Print quality problems. See this section if the print quality

is not good or not what you expect.

❑ Problems with printing. See this section if your printer is

not printing.

❑ Paper handling problems. See this section if you have

paper jams or other problems with paper handling.

If you have a printing problem, check the appropriate section
and follow all suggestions that apply to your problem. Also
check the ReadMe icon in the Windows EPSON group or the
README1st icon on your Macintosh hard disk for the latest
information. If none of the suggested solutions solve your
problem, call [phone] in the U.S. and Canada.

Error Lights

Certain problems are identified by the control panel lights. The
following table describes the meaning of each light pattern and
provides a solution to the problem.

Light(s) Problem Solution

Paper Out is on Printer is out of

paper

Paper-release
lever is in the
wrong position

Load paper in the sheet feeder,
rear tractor, or manual feed slot;
then press the Pause button to
resume printing.

Move the paper-release lever to
the positi on th at ma tches the
paper loaded in the printer.

Troubleshooting

4-1

Light(s) Problem Solution

Paper Out is
flashing

Ink Out
Ink Out
is on or flashing

Data and
Paper Out are
flashing

Data and
Pause are
flashing

or

O
NNN

Paper jam Clear the paper jam.

Ink cartridge is
low on ink or
empty

Paper-release
lever was
moved before
paper was
ejected

Carriage error Turn the printer off, check for and

Replace the indicated cartridge.

For continuous paper: lower the
paper-release lever and press the
Load/Eject button; then raise the
paper release lever to the
single-sheet position.

For single sheets: raise the
paper-release lever; press the
Load/Eject button; then lower the
paper-release lever to the
continuous paper position.

clear any carriage obstructions
(paper, etc.), and turn the printer
back on. If the error persists,
contact your dealer or an
authorized service provider.

All lights are
flashing

Fatal error Turn the printer off and then on

again. If this does not correct the
problem, you can reset the
prin ter’s factory defaults by
pressing the Alt and Pause
buttons. (Note that this will
remove any changes you made
to the printer’s default settings.) If
resetting the printer does not fix
the problem, contact your dealer
or an authorized service provider.

4-2

Troubleshooting

Print Quality Problems

Most print quality problems can often be solved by cleaning
the print heads as described in Chapter 3. After clea ning the
print heads, print a demonstration page to check the print
quality. Note that it may take as many as three cleaning cycles
to solve a print quality problem.

If cleaning the print heads does not improve the print quality,
try the following:

❑ Check the status of the

Ink Out

O

and

Ink Out

NNN

lights to
see whether the ink cartridges are low on ink. If so, replace
the cartridges as described in Chapter 3.

❑ For color or complex grayscale images, turn on

MicroWeave and turn off High Speed mode.

❑ Use a higher quality paper. For best print quality, use

EPSON special coated papers for 360 and 720 dpi or
EPSON high-quality glossy paper (720 dpi only).

Note:

Do not use high-quality glossy paper when you print at 360 dpi.

❑ Make sure the M edia Type setting matches th e type of

paper or other media loaded in the printer.

❑ If you’re printing a scanned image and the colors are not

right, first try to fix the problem using your scanning
software program.

If print quality does not improve, see the following specific
problems.

Troubleshooting

4-3

Printed out put is faint, blu rred, or of poor quality.

You may not be printing on the correct side of the paper. Test
both sides to determine which side gives you the best print
quality. On coated paper, print only on the white coated side;
on glossy paper or transparencies, print only with the cut
corner facing the right side of the sheet feeder; remove each
sheet as it is printed to prevent smearing by the next sheet.

Check that the thickn ess ad justment lever is set correctly for the
media type. (See “Setting the Thickness Adjustment Lever” in
Chapter 1 for more information.) Faint or blurred pr intouts can
result if you print on plain paper with this lever in the incorrect
position.

Use a higher quality paper. If you are using 720-dpi resolution,
you get better results when you use EPSON special coated
paper for 720 dpi or EPSON high-quality glossy paper.

Check whether economy printing mode is on. To turn off this
mode, press the

Economy

Check whether your paper is mo ist or damp. I nk jet printers
are sensitive to moisture absorbed by paper. Do not store paper
in damp or humid places.

Check the printer settings within your software program.

If you are printing color graphics at 360 or 720 dpi, make sure
MicroWeave is on and High Speed mode is off. Also, be sure
that the Brightness and Contrast settings (Windows driver) or
Light/Dark setting (Macintosh driver) are appropriate for the
image.

Try using the printer driver’s
driver determine the appropriate image settings.

light goes off.

Economy/Condensed

Automatic

button until the

feature to let the

4-4

Troubleshooting

If you are using a DOS application and the black ink in the
image is blurred, select Plain paper (composite black) using the
Default Setting mode, as described in Chapter 2, and start the
print job again.

Your Windows video driver may not be compatible with the
printer. Use the standard Windows VGA driver or contact the
manufacturer of your video card for an updated driver. For
information on changing the video driver, see your Windows
documentation.

Clean one or both print heads as described in Chapter 3.

Replace one or both ink cartridges.

Printed image is smeared.

Change the thickness adjustment lever setting to the + position
regardless of the paper type.

Decrease the printing speed to allow time for the ink to dry.
See “Button combinations and power-on functions” in
Chapter 2 for more information.

The print head nozzles may need cleaning. Clean one or both
print heads; then check the print quality by printing a
demonstration page. Repeat the cleaning up to three times. If
images continue to smear, contact your dealer or an authorized
EPSON servicer.

Vertical or horizontal lines do not align.

Calibrate your printer as described in your

Guide

Chapter 3.

. If you are printing from DOS, see the instructions in

Setup and Software

Troubleshooting

4-5

You see white banding in your printouts.

Turn on MicroWeave in the printer driver.

If you still see white banding, clean the print heads as
described in Chapter 3.

The printout contains incorrect or garbled characters.

Make sure EPSON Stylus 1500 is selected as the default
Windows printer driver (Windows driver) or is the last printer
selected in the Chooser (Macintosh driver).

If you are running Windows, make sure the Print Manager is
turned off in the Control Panel Printers utility; see your
Windows documentation or online help for instructions.

Print jobs may be held in the EPSON Spool Manager (Windows
version) or the EPSON Monitor2 (Macintosh version) utility.
Select any print jobs marked pending, waiting, or held; then
select

Delete

or

Cancel Printi ng

.

If you still see incorrect or garbled characters, try printing a
demonstration page to see if the problem is with your printer;
see Chapter 2 for instructions. If the demonstration page prints,
you may have a problem with your application software or
your printer cable. Make sure your cable is connected securely
and see your program’s documentation for troubleshooting
information. If no demonstration page prints, you may have a
problem with your printer; contact your EPSON dealer or an
authorized EPSON servicer.

4-6

Troubleshooting

You see incorrect colors in your printout.

Make sure EPSON Stylus 1500 is selected as the default
Windows printer driver (Windows d river) or is the last printer
selected in the Chooser (Macintosh driver).

Check that the printer driver’s Brightness and Contrast settings
(Windows driver) or Light/Dark setting (Macintosh driver) are
appropriate for the image.

If you scanned the image, the different color interpretation
technologies used by your scanner, monitor, and printer can
never produce an exact color match with the original image.
However, check your scanner documentation for utilities you
can use to calibrate your scanner to your monitor and printer to
more closely match colors.

If you are printing from a DOS application using Economy
mode, black text or graphics will appear gray on your printout;
turn off Economy mode to achieve deeper blacks.

Printing Problems

If you cannot get the printer to print, first check that paper is
loaded in the printer. Then check that the printer is plugged
into a working electrical outlet that is not controlled by a
switch or timer. Verify that the interface cable is securely
connected to the printer and computer. If all this is correct, see
the following specific problems.

Troubleshooting

4-7

Printing has stopped but the

One or both ink cartridges may be empty or too old. A
cartridge is too old if it has been used longer than six months or
beyond the date on its packaging. First clean the print heads as
described i n Chapter 3. If this does not solve the problem,
replace the ink cartridge(s).

Caution:

c

Make sure both ends of the interface cable are plugged in
securely.

The cable between the printer and computer might not meet
the specifications for the printer or computer.

If you replace an ink cartridge before its
the sensor that tells you when the ink is out will not work with
the new cartridge.

Pause

light is off.

Ink Out

light flashes,

Turn off the printer and perform a self test as described in
Chapter 1 of your
not print, the problem is with the printer. If the self test prints
correctly, the problem is probably caused by your software.

Setup and Software Guide

. If the self test does

You see a system memory error message on your PC
and the printer does not print.

The

Copies

additional system memory. If you see an error message or are
unable to print using these options, try closing any unnecessary
applications, reducing the size of your print job, turning off the

Copies

options in the Windows pri nter driver req uire

options, or increasing system memory.

4-8

Troubleshooting

The printer sou nds like it is printing, but nothing prints.

The print heads may need cleaning. See “Cleaning the Print
Heads” in Chapter 3 for instructions.

One or both ink cartridges are empty or too old. A cartridge is
too old if it has been used longer than six months or beyond
the date on its packaging. First clean the print heads as
described in Chapter 3. If t his does not solve the pr oblem,
replace the ink cartridge(s).

The printer prints blank pages.

Make sure EPSON Stylus 1500 is selected as the default
Windows printer driver (Windows d river) or is the last printer
selected in the Chooser (Macintosh driver).

Make sure you selected the correct Paper Size option in the
printer driver; see your
instructions. Also make sure the margins you selected in your
application software fit the paper size you’re using.

Setup and Software Guide

for

Text printing is slow.

You may be using printer driver settings that are more suitable
for graphics printing and unnecessarily slowing down
printing. To speed up text printing only, turn off MicroWeave
mode and turn on High Speed mode. Some combinations of
Printing Mode (resolution) and Media Type do not allow you
to select these settings; if this is the case for your settings, select
a lower resolution, possibly using 180 dpi for drafts and
360 dpi for your final output. However, do not turn off
MicroWeave when printing final copies of high-quality
graphics or photographs.

Troubleshooting

4-9

If you’re printing text from DOS applications and you selected
composite black mode using the Control Panel Print Mode
buttons, text printing will be much slower than true black
printing. Select true black mode instead; see Chapter 2 for
Control Panel instructions.

You see error messages on your PC because of
printin g conflicts.

Before sending print jobs to the printer, the EPSON Spool
Manager stores them in a temporary directory. If you have
trouble printing because of other temporary files or directories,
change the EPSON Spool Manager default directory. Follow
these steps:

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

2. Open the EPSON program group and double-click the
Spool Manager icon.

3. Make sur e
Queue menu.

4. Select
spool directory to the one you created in step 1. Then select

.

OK

5. Open the Options menu.

6. Select
Directory window, select the spool directory you created in
step 1. Then select OK.

7. Close the Spool Manager.

EPSON Stylus 1500

Setup

Default Spool Directory

. In the Queue Setup dialog box, change the

is selected, and then open the

. In the Default Spool

4-10

Troubleshooting

The printer does not seem to receive print jobs.

On a PC, release any print jobs that may be held in the EPSON
Spool Manager. Open the Spool Manager and clic k any job
marked pen ding or held. Then open the Document menu and
select
queue is not held, open the Queue menu. If there is a
checkmark next to
hold.

On a Macintosh, release any print jobs that may be held in the
EPSON Monitor2 utility. Click the upper right corner of the
screen and select
shown under Waiting and click

Make sure EPSON Stylus 1500 is selected as the default
Windows printer driver (Windows d river) or is the last printer
selected in the Chooser (Macintosh driver).

Delete

. To verify that the EPSON Stylus 1500 print

Hold

Monitor2

, click on

Hold

from the menu. Click any print job

Cancel Printing

to take the printer off

.

If you still get no output, try printing a demonstration page to
see if the problem is with your printer; see Chapter 2 for
instructions. If no demonstration page prints, you may have a
problem with your printer; contact your EPSON dealer or an
authorized EPSON servicer.

If the demonstration page prints, you may have a problem with
your application software or your printer cable. Make sure
your cable is connected securely and see your program’s
documentation for troubleshooting information. If you are an
experienced PC user, you can use the printer’s hex dump mode
to pinpoint communication problems between the printer and
a software program. To tu rn on hex dump mode, first turn off
the printer. Then hold down the
buttons, turn on the printer, and send a print job. The printer
prints the exact codes it receives from the computer in
hexadecimal format. Report the codes to your support
technician.

LF/FF

and

Load/Eje c t

Troubleshooting

4-11

Paper Handling Problems

This section describes how to prevent paper jams and ensure
that paper feeds properly.

Paper Jam Problems

If paper jams inside the printer frequently, try the following:

❑ Use a higher quality paper that is suitable for ink jet

printers and is not too thin, too thick, or rough. For best
quality, use EPSON special coated and high-quality glossy
papers. See Appendix B for paper specifications.

❑ Fan the stack of paper before you load it.
❑ If you loaded plain paper, try turning the stack over. The

printable side may have been facing down.

❑ Do not load too many sheets in the sheet feeder. You can

load up to 100 sheets of plain paper, 70 sheets of special
coated paper, 10 envelopes, 50 sheets of transparency film,
or 30 sheets of high-quality glossy paper.

Paper Feeding Problems

If paper does not feed properly, the most likely causes are:

❑ Paper is curled or folded. Use flat, undamaged paper.
❑ The paper is of poor quality; use a better quality paper.
❑ The paper is too thin or thick; see Appendix B for paper

size and type specifications.

4-12

Troubleshooting

❑ The paper was exposed to excess humidity, over 60%. See

Appendix B for specifications on required environmental
conditions.

❑ The le ft edge guide is too tight or too loose; adjust it for the

size of the paper.

❑ The thickness adjustment lever is set incorrectly for the

media; see “Setting the Thickness Adjustment Lever” in
Chapter 1.

❑ Continuous paper may be in the paper path when you

print from the sheet feeder. Remove the continuous paper.

❑ The paper-release lever is set to the wrong position; see

“Switching Between Continuous Paper and Single Sheets”
in Chapter 1.

❑ Too m any sheets are loaded in the sh eet feeder. You can

load up to 100 sheets of plain paper, 70 sheets of special
coated paper, 10 envelopes, 50 sheets of transparency film,
or 30 sheets of high-quality glossy paper.

❑ When printing on oversized paper, make sure the paper is

not obstructed by the output tray.

Continuous Paper Problems

See this section for solutions to problems with continuous
paper.

Regular gaps occur in continuous paper printout.

Skip-over- perforation may be on . Set skip-over-perforati on to
off. See “Using the Default Setting Mode” in Chapter 2.

Troubleshooting

4-13

The perforation of continuous paper is not aligned with the
tear-off position.

Adjust the tear-off position using the
micro adjust mode. See “Adjusting the Tear-off Position” in
Chapter 1.

The auto tear-off setting may be on. Turn this setting off. See
“Using the Default Setting Mode” in Chapter 2.

Make sure that the page length setting for continuous paper is
correct in the Defaul t Setting mode. If not, c hange the setting.
See “Using the Defa ult Setting Mo de” in Chapter 2.

Micro Adjust

The tractor does not feed contin uo us paper.

The paper-release lever may be set to the wrong position. Move
the paper-release lever to the continuous-paper position.

The paper has come off the tractor feeder. Reattach the paper to
the tractor.

button in

Continuous paper feeding is crooked or the paper jams.

Make sure the paper supply is not obstructed by a cable or
some other object.

Make sure that your paper supply is positioned within 3 feet
(1 meter) of the pr inter.

Check that the holes on the sides of the pap er are aligned with
each other. Also, make sure the sprocket units are locked and
their covers are closed.

Check that the paper size and thickness is within the specified
range. See Appendix B.

There may be some slack in the paper. Adjust the position of
the sprocket units.

4-14

Troubleshooting

The continuous paper does not ejec t properly.

The page is too long. Tear off the last printed page and press
the

Load/Eject

if you are printing on labels, tear off the paper entering the
printer, then press the

Use paper that is within the specified length. See Appendix B.

Change the page length setting for continuous paper. See
“Using the Default Setting Mode” in Chapter 2.

The paper is jammed inside the printer. Be sure you remove all
of the paper.

button to feed the paper backward. However,

LF/FF

button to feed paper forward.

Caution:

c

Use the knob on the left side of the printer only to clear paper
jams and only when the printer is off. Otherwise, you may
damage the printer or change the top-of-form position.

Other Paper Handling Problems

If you still have paper handling problems, see the following
suggestions.

The printer loads more than one sheet at a time.

Remove the stack of paper and fan it. Tap it on a flat surface to
even the edges. Then reload the paper.

The paper is too thin or thick, or was exposed to excess
humidity; see Appendix B for exact specifications.

Make sure the thickness adjustment lever is set correctly for
your media type; see Chapter 1 for instructions.

Troubleshooting

4-15

Make sure the printer driver’s Copies setting and the copies
settin g in your application sof tware are set to print one copy at
a time. Also verify that you have selected the correct paper size
in the driver and in your application software.

Ejected paper is wrinkled.

The paper is too thin or damp. Do not store paper in damp or
humid places.

Single-sheet paper does not fully eject.

Use the

Make sure the banner paper setting is off. See “Using the
Default Setting Mode” in Chapter 2.

If you are loading paper from the manual feed slot, make sure
that the paper eject guides are lowered. See “Loading Single
Sheets Manually” in Chapter 1.

The paper is too long. Use paper that is within the specified
size. See Appendix B for exact specifications.

Load/Eject

button to eject the page.

Paper is feeding crooked.

The paper is old or creased. Use only new, smooth sheets of
paper.

Too much paper is loaded in the sheet feeder. Remove a few
sheets.

The paper is not the proper size and quality; see Appendix B
for exact specifications.

4-16

Troubleshooting

Other Problems

Printing starts too high or too low on the page, or the
page length or margins are not what you expect.

Make sure you selected the correct Paper Size option in the
printer driver; see your

Use your software program to adjust the margins, or change
the number of lines per page, or change the page length setting
to match the paper you are using.

Adjust the loading position using micro adjust mode.

Setup and Software Guide

Ink cartridges do not last as long as expected.

The ink cartridge life depends on the amount of ink used in
printing. If you often print pages with large graphics and dense
text with little white space, you will use up cartridges faster
than if you print pages with lots of white space. The printer
also uses ink during a print head cleaning cycle, so do not
perform cleaning cycles unless necessary.

for instructions.

If you replace an ink cartridge before its
the sensor that tells you when ink is out will not work correctly
with the new cartridge.

Ink Out

Troubleshooting

light flashes,

4-17

Appendix A

Using Optional Interfaces

You can use various interface boards to supplement the
capabilities of your printer’s built-in hardware interfaces for
use with your PC or Macintosh.

This appendix provides info rmation about using optional
interfaces with your PC and describes how to install a board in
your printer. For information on using optional interfaces with
your Macintosh, see the Setup and Software Guide for Macintosh.

Interface Boards for the PC

The following EPSON interface boards are compatible with
your printer:

Interface board Model number

Serial Interface board C823051/C823061
32KB Serial Interface board C823071/C823081
32KB Parallel Interface board C823101
Twinax Interface board C823151
Coax Interface board C823141
Ethernet Interface board C823312

If you are not sure whether you need an optional interface, or if
you want to know more about interfaces, contact your dealer.

Using Optional Interfaces

A-1

Using the C823051 or C823061 Serial Interface Board

To use the C823051 or C823061 interface board, see the sections
below for information on selecting the baud rate, handshake
timing, and error handling. For all other data transfer
conventions, such as word structure and communications
protocol, see your interface board manual.

Selecting the baud rate

You can select from the following baud rates: 600, 1200, 2400,
4800, 9600, and 19200 bps (bits per second). To set the baud rate,
see the bit-rate selection table in your interface board manual.

Handshake timing

When the vacant area for data in the input buffer drops to
256 bytes, the printer outputs an X-OFF code or sets the DTR
flag to 1 (MARK) to indicate that it cannot receive data. When
the vacant area for data in the buffer increases to 512 bytes, the
printer outputs an X-ON code or sets the DTR flag to 0
(SPACE) to indicate that it is ready to receive data.

Error handling

When the printer detects a parity error, it prints an asterisk (*).
The printer ignores all other errors, including framing and
overrun errors.

A-2

Using Optional Interfaces

Installing an Optional Interface Board

1. Turn off the printer.

2. Unplug the printer’s power cord from the electrical outlet
and disconnect any interface cables.

Caution:

c

3. Remove the two screws securing the shield plate to the
optional interface slot; then lift off the plate as shown in the
following illustration. Store the plate in case you later
remov e the in terface board.

Do not install or remove an interface board when the
printer is connected to the electrical outlet; this may
damage your printer or computer.

4. Be sure to set any switches and jumper s on the interface
board. See the board’s manual for details. If your interface
board has a jumper labelled JG, make sure that you set it to
on, or the board will not work properly.

Using Optional Interfaces

A-3

5. Slide the interface board along the slots on both sides of the
interface compartment. Push it in firmly to fully insert the
connector at the rear of the interface board into the printer’s
internal socket.

6. Secure the interface board with the two screws included
with the board.

7. Connect the proper interface cable to the interface board and
to your computer. Connect other interface cables if you are
using more than on e computer .

8. Reconnect any interface cables you disconnected in step 2.

9. Make sure the printer is off. Then plug in the power cord.

You may need to change the se ttings for the inter face op tions
using the prin ter’s Default Setting mode. See “Using the
Default Setting Mode” in Chapter 2 for more information.

A-4

Using Optional Interfaces

Connecting the Printer to the Network

How you connect the printer to the network depends on your
network type:

❑ If you are connecting to an Ethernet network using a t hin

coaxial (10BASE2) cable, first attach the T-connector
supplied with the board to the 10BASE2 connector on the
Ethernet interface board. Connect the network cable to one
node of the T-connector.

If the printer is not the last device in a daisy-chain, connect
another network cable to the other node of the T-connector.
If the printer is the last device, attach a 50-ohm terminator
to the other node of the T-connector.

❑ If you are connecting to an Ethernet network using a

twisted-pair (10BASE-T) cable, connect the network cable’s
RJ-45 connector to the 10BASE-T connector on the Ethernet
interface board.

Using Optional Interfaces

A-5

Appendix B

Technical Specifications

Printing

Printing method: On-demand ink jet

Nozzle configuration: 64 monochrome (black) nozzles

60 color* (cyan, magenta, yellow) nozzles

(20 × 3; 20 for each color)

* Available only with the optional color print head and ink cartridge installed

Printable columns and printing speed:

LQ printing
Character pitch
(chara cte r s per
inch)

10 136 200 400
12 169 240 480
15 200 300 600
17 (10 condensed) 233 343 686
20 (12 condensed) 272 400 800

Resolution:

Paper feed speed:

Printable
column s

Maximum 720 × 720 dpi

72 milliseconds per

speed

(characters per

second)

1

Draft printing
speed
(characters per
second)

-inch line

⁄

6

Input buffer: 256KB

Print direction: Bidirectional with logic seeking for text and

graphics; unidirectional and autodirectional
modes available in Default Setting mode

Control code: ESC/P 2 and expanded raster graphics code

IBM XL24E emulation code

Technical Specifications

B-1

Line spacing:

Character tables: 1 Italic and 10 graphics character tables

Character sets: 1 legal and 14 International character sets

Paper

Note:

Since the quality of any particular brand or type of paper may be changed by the
manufacturer at any time, EPSON cannot guarantee the use of any particular
brand or type of paper. Always test samples of pap er stock before purchasing large
quantities or printing large j obs.

Paper sheets:

1

-inch (default),

⁄

6

1

in

-inch increments

⁄

360

1

-inch, or programmable

⁄

8

Size

Letter (8.5 × 11 inches)
A4 (210 × 297 mm)
A2 (420 × 594 mm)
Super A3/B (13 × 19 inches)
A3 (297 × 420 mm)
US B (11 × 17 inches)
US C (17 × 22 inches)
B4 (250 × 353 mm)
B5 (176 × 250 mm)
Legal (8.5 × 14 inches)
Statement (8.5 × 5.5 inches)
Executive (7.5 × 10 inches)

Paper types Plain paper and EPSON’s special coated

paper and high-quality glossy paper

Thickness 0.0025 to 0.004 inch (0.065 to 0.11 mm)

2

Paper weight Sheet feeder, 17 to 24 lb (64 to 90 g/m

)

Manual feed slot, 14 to 24 lb (52 to 90 g/m

2

)

B-2

Technical Specifications

Envelopes:

Size

No. 10 9.5 × 4.1 inches (241 × 104 mm)
DL 8.7 × 4.3 inches (220 × 110 mm)
C5 9.0 × 6.4 inches (229 × 162 mm)

Paper types Plain bond or air mail paper
Thickness 0.006 to 0.02 inch (0.16 to 0.52 mm)

2

Paper weight 12 to 24 lb (45 to 90 g/m

)

Index cards:

Size

A6 (105 × 148 mm)

Paper types Plain paper
Thickness 0.21 mm
Weight 188 g/m

2

Single sheet labels:

Size

Letter (8.5 × 11 inches)
A4 (210 × 297 mm)

Paper types Plain paper (Use labels that completely

cover the backing sheet.)

Total thickness Maximum 0.2 mm

Transparencies:

Size

Letter (8.5 × 11 inches)
A4 (210 × 297 mm)

Thickness 0.075 to 0.085 mm

Banner paper:

Size

8.3 to 17 inches × 16.4 feet
(210 to 432 mm × up to 5 m)

Paper types Plain paper
Thickness 0.08 mm to 0.1 mm

2

Weight 17 to 22 lb (64 g/m

to 82 g/m2)

Technical Specifications

B-3

Continuous paper:

Size

4 to 16 inches × 4 inches
(102 to 406 × 102 mm)

(minimum folding length)
Paper types Plain paper
Thickness 0.065 mm to 0.1 mm
Weight 52 g/m

2

to 82 g/m

2

Continuous labels:

Size Backing sheet:

4 to 16 inches × 4 inches
(101.6 to 406.4 × 101.6 mm)
(minimum folding length)

Label sheet:

Minimum 2.5 × 0.9 inches (63.5 × 23.9 mm)

Paper types Plain paper
Thickness Total thickness: Maximum 0.2 mm

Label thickness: Maximum 0.12 mm

Note:

Poor quality paper may reduce prin t quality and cause paper jams and othe r
problems. If you encounter problems, switch to a higher grade of paper.

Print on special coated paper, high-quality glossy paper, envelopes, and
transparencies only under these normal conditions:

Temperature 59 to 77°F (15 to 25°C)
Humidity 40 to 60% RH

(High-quality glossy paper can be stored at 20 to 60% relativ e humidity
and 59 to 86°F (15 to 30°C).

Do not load folded o r curled paper, envelopes, and transparencies.

B-4

Technical Specifications

The following EPSON genuine papers are available:

S041062 Special coated paper for 720 dpi printing (Letter)
S041067 Special coated paper for 720 dpi printing (Legal)
S041069 Special coated paper for 720 dpi printing (Super A3/B)
S041070 Special coated paper for 720 dpi printing (B)
S041060 Special coated paper for 360 dpi printing (Letter)
S041066 Special coated paper for 360 dpi printing (Super A3/B)
S041072 High-quality glossy paper (Letter)
S041074 High-quality glossy paper (Super A3/B)
S041075 High-quality glossy paper (B)
S041064 Transparency film (Letter)

Printable area:

Single sheets

A

BL

A

The minimum top margin is 0.12 inch (3.0 mm).

B

The minimum left margin is 0.12 inch (3.0 mm).

BR

C

For oversized paper, this margin is 0.98 inch (25 mm) for
A3 landscape, A2 portrait, US B landscape, and US C portrait,
and 0.2 inch (5 mm) for B4 landscape.

The minimum right margin is 0.12 inch (3 mm).
For oversized paper, this margin is 1.97 inches (50 mm) for
A3 landscape and A2 portrait, and 2.44 inches (62 mm) for
US B landscape and US C portrait.

C

The minimum bottom margin is 0.55 inch (14.0 mm).

Note:

The maximum printable width is 13.6 inches (345 mm).

Technical Specifications

B-5

Envelopes

A

A

BL

A

The minimum top margin is 0.33 inch (8.5 mm).

B

The minimum left margin is 0.12 inch (3.0 mm).
The minimum right margin is 0.12 inch (3.0 mm).

C

The minimum bottom margin is 0.55 inch (14.0 mm).

Note:

Load envelopes long edge first, face down.

Continuous paper

A

BR

C

A

B-6

B

A

The minimum top and bottom margins above and below the

B

perforation are 9.0 mm (0.35 inch).

B

The minimum left and right margins are 13 mm (0.51 inch).

Note:

The maximum printable width is 3 4 5 m m ( 1 3 . 6 i n c h e s ) .

Technical Specifications

Ink Cartridges

Black ink cartridge (S020062):

Color Black
Print capacity* 1900 pages (A4 paper; text)
Cartridge life* 2 years from production date and up to

Temperature Storage: –22 to 104°F (–30 to 40°C)

6 months after opening the package at
77°F (25°C)

1 month at 104°F (40°C)

Transit: –22 to 140°F (–30 to 60°C)

1 month at 104°F (40°C)
120 hours at 140°F (60°C)

Freezing:** 27°F (–3°C)

Dimensions

Color ink cartridge (S020049):

Colors Cyan, magenta, and yellow
Print capacity* 320 pages (A4; 360 dpi; 5% of each color)
Cartridge life* 2 years from production date and up to

Temperature

Dimensions

1.0 i n ch (W) × 5.5 inches (D) × 4.2 i nc h es (H)

25.1 mm (W) × 139.6 mm (D) × 105.3 mm (H)

6 months after opening the package at
77°F (25°C)

Storage: −4 to 104°F (−20 to 40°C)

1 month at 104°F (40°C)

Transit: −22 to 140°F (−30 to 60°C)

1 month at 104°F (40°C)
120 hours at 140°F (60°C)

Freezing:** 29°F (−6°C)

1.7 i n ch es (W ) × 2.2 inches (D) × 1.5 i nc h es (H)

42.9 mm (W) × 56.5 mm (D) × 38.5 mm (H)

* Ink cartridge life may vary. If you often print large graphics and dense text

with little white space, you use ink faster than if you print pages with lots
of white space.

** The ink thaws i n ap pro xi m at e ly 3 hou r s at 7 7° F (2 5° C).

Technical Specifications

B-7

Caution:

c

Use only genuine EPSON ink cartridges and do not refill them. Other
products may cause damage to your printer that is not covered by
EPSON’s warranties.

Do not use an ink cartridge after the expirati on date on the package.

Mechanical

Paper feed method: Friction, tractor feeder

Paper path: Sheet feeder, front entry

Manual feed slot, rear entry

Tractor feeder, rear entry

Sheet feeder capacity: 100 sheets at 17 lb (64 g/m

70 sheets* of EPSON special coated paper

30 sheets of EPSON high-quality glossy

paper
50 sheets of transparency film
30 index cards
10 envelopes

* For oversized coated paper, such as

Super A3/B and A2, the sheet feeder

capacity is 30 sheets.

Total print volume: 75,000 pages (A4, text)

Dimensions: Storage

Width: 26.1 inches (664 mm)
Depth: 19.8 inches (504 mm)
Height: 8.0 inches (202 mm)

Printing
Width: 26.1 inches (664 mm)
Depth: 24.4 inches (619 mm) (maximum)
Height: 8.0 inches (202 mm)

2

) paper

Weight: 24.9 lb (11.5 kg) without the ink cartridges

B-8

Technical Specifications

Electrical

Input voltage range: 103.5 to 132 V

Rated frequency range: 50 to 60 Hz

Input frequency range: 49.5 to 60.5 Hz

Rated current: 0.7 A

Power consumption: Approx. 23 W (during self test, LQ at 10 cpi)

Environmental

Temperature: Operation 50 to 95°F (10 to 35°C)

Storage* −4 to 140°F (−20 to 60°C)

1 month at 104°F (40°C)
120 hours at 140°F (60°C)

Humidity: Operation 20 to 80% RH

* Stored in shipping container

Safety Approvals

Safety standards: UL 1950 with D3, CSA 22.2 950 with D3

EMC: FCC part 15 subpart B class B

Storage* 5 to 85% RH

(without condensation)

Technical Specifications

B-9

Fonts

The printer comes with an installed set of fonts, which are selectable using
the Default Setting mode. Ho wever, the printer always uses the fonts you
select with your software program. The only time you need to select the
printer’s installed fonts is when your software program does not allow
you to select fonts. You can select other font and pitch combinations using
ESC/P 2 commands, as described in Appendix C.

Bitmap fonts

Scalable fonts

Fonts 10 cpi 12 cpi 15 cpi Proportional

EPSON Roman √√√ √
EPSON Sans Serif √√√ √
EPSON Courier √√√ —
EPSON Prestige √√√ —
EPSON Scr ipt √√√ —

Minimum point

Fonts

EPSON Roman 8 32 2
EPSON Sans Serif 8 32 2
EPSON Roman T 8 32 2
EPSON Sans Serif H 8 32 2

size

Maximum point

size Increments

Font samples

B-10

Technical Specifications

Interface Specifications

Data format: 8-bit parallel, IEEE P1284 compatible mode

Synchronization:

Handshake timing: BUSY and

Signal level: TTL compatible

Connector: 36-pin, Centronics connector or equivalent

Pin assignments

Signal
Pin

119
2

3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Return
Pin Signal Direction Description

20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27

STROBE pulse

ACKNLG signals

STROBE IN STROBE pulse to read data.
DATA 0

DATA 1
DATA 2
DATA 3
DATA 4
DATA 5
DATA 6
DATA 7

IN
IN
IN
IN
IN
IN
IN
IN

These signals represent
information in bits 0 to 7 of
parallel data respectively.
Each signal is at HIGH level
when data is logical 1 and
LOW when it is logical 0.

10 28

11 29 BUSY OUT A HIGH signal indicates the

ACKNLG OUT A bout a 5-µs pulse . LOW

indicates data has been
received and the printer is
ready to accept more data.

printer cannot receive data.
The signal goes HIGH in the
following cases:

1) During data entry
(for each character)

2) During initialization

3) During self test,
demonstration, and
default-setting printing

4) During a printer-error state

Technical Specifications

B-11

Signal
Pin

12 28 PE OUT A HIGH signal indicates the

13 28 SLCT OUT Pulled up to +5 V through

Return
Pin Signal Direction Description

printer is in a paper-out state
or in an error state.

1 kΩ resistance

14 30

15 — NC — Not used
16 — GND — Logic ground level
17 — CHASSIS

18 — Logic H OUT Pulled up to +5 V through

19-30 — GND — Twisted-pair return signal

31 30

AUTO

FEED

XT

GND

INIT IN When this signal goes LOW,

IN Not used

— Printer’s chassis ground,

which is connected to the
logic ground

3.9 KΩ resistance

ground level

the printer controller is reset
to its state when the power is
first turned on and the print
buffer is cleared. This level is
normally HIGH; its pulse width
must be more than 50 µs at
the receiving terminal.

B-12

32 29

33 — GND — Same as for Pins 19-30
34 — NC — Not used
35 — +5 V OUT Pulled up to +5 V through

36 30

ERROR OUT This signal level goes LOW

when the printer:

1) Is out of paper

2) Is in an error state

3) Has no ink cartridges
installed

1.0 KΩ resistance

SLIN IN Not used

Technical Specifications