Epson Stylus Color 480SX Basic User Guide

Printer Basics

English

Printed on recycled paper.

Copyright Notice

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

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

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

Trademarks

EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks and Micro Piezo is a trademark of SEIKO
EPSON CORPORATION.

PhotoEnhance is a trademark of Epson America, Inc.

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

The E

NERGY STAR

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

CPD-10103

Copyright © 2000 by Epson America, Inc. 6/00

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Contents

WELCOME! 1

About Your Software 1

About Your Documentation 3

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips 3

Windows System Requirements 4

Important Safety Instructions 5

Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions 6

VIEWING YOUR ELECTRONIC PRINTER MANUAL 7

Accessing Your Electronic Printer Manual 7

Navigating Your Electronic Printer Manual 8

PRINTING FROM START TO FINISH 9

Basic Printing 9

Loading Paper 9

Opening the Printer Software 10

Selecting Printer Software Settings 11

Controlling Printing 13

Using PhotoEnhance, Custom, and Advanced Settings 14

Using PhotoEnhance 14

Using Custom Settings 15

Using Advanced Settings 15

Using Special Papers 16

EPSON Photo Paper 16

Envelopes 18

Selecting the Correct Media Type 19

iii

MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER 21

Cleaning the Print Head 21

Printing a Nozzle Check 22

Using the Head Cleaning Utility 23

Aligning the Print Head 24

Replacing an Ink Cartridge 25

Ink Cartridge Precautions 26

Replacing a Low or Empty Ink Cartridge 27

Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge 28

Cleaning the Printer 29

Transporting the Printer 30

PROBLEM SOLVING 31

Identifying Printer Parts 32

Problems and Solutions 33

Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Software 33

Problems with Printing 34

Problems Getting Good Print Quality 36

Problems with Paper Feeding 38

Solving Miscellaneous Printout Problems 40

Uninstalling and Reinstalling Printer Software 40

Where To Get Help 41

EPSON Technical Support 41

EPSON Accessories 42

Bonus Software Technical Support 42

INDEX 43

iv

Welcome!

Your EPSON Stylus® COLOR 480SX is a user-friendly, photo quality printer
that’s perfect for printing all your home projects—from homework assignments
and envelopes to full-color greeting cards and banners.

The printer comes with these features:

■ EPSON’s exclusive Micro Piezo

■

Resolutions up to 720 by 720 dpi (dots per inch), even on plain paper

■

Four-color printing for photo quality color and sharp black text from separate
black and color ink cartridges

■

No front panel control buttons or lights—just follow the on-screen
instructions to control all printing and maintenance functions

About Your Software

The printer software CD-ROM includes all the software you need for printing:

™

ink jet technology for cleaner printed dots

■

Your printer driver runs your printer and lets you control how your documents
look. You can’t use your printer without it.

■

Your electronic Reference Guide gives you complete information about your
printer. (You need an HTML browser—such as Microsoft

®

or Netscape

Navigator,® version 3.0 or later—to view the guide.)

®

Internet Explorer

1

■ Your bonus software:

ArcSoft

™

PhotoPrinter™ 2000

A photo layout program that lets you print your images in
creative formats, such as multiple photo montages, framed
or bordered pictures, and calendars. Using a variety of
templates, you can print your photos almost any way you
can think of.

ArcSoft PhotoFantasy

™

2000

Lets you create “photo fantasies” by combining your
personal photos with a wide selection of hilarious fantasy
backgrounds.

DogByte

®

Greeting Card Store® SE

An easy-to-use program for creating custom greeting cards
and matching envelopes for any occasion. Choose from
hundreds of pre-made designs and customize them however
you like, with imported digital photos, personal message
text, special effects, and drag-and-drop graphics from the
program’s library.

Alfy.com

A shortcut on your desktop lets you view a one minute Alfy
movie introducing you to this fun, creative children’s web
portal.

If you haven’t yet installed the printer software or Reference Guide from your
CD-ROM, see the Start Here sheet for instructions.

2

About Your Documentation

To set up your printer and install its software, see the Start Here sheet. This book
contains system requirements, important safety information, and instructions on:

■

Viewing your electronic printer manual

■

Printing with Windows®

■

Using special papers

■

Maintaining the printer

■

Solving basic problems

You’ll find your product warranty on page 48.

For more details about printing with, maintaining, or troubleshooting your
printer, see your electronic Reference Guide. For instructions on viewing it, see
page 7.

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips

Please follow these guidelines:

Warnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.

Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.

Notes contain important information about your printer.

Tips contain additional hints for better printing.

3

Windows System Requirements

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

■

An IBM® compatible PC with at least a 486/66 MHz (for Windows 98),
Pentium
or Windows NT

■

Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000

■

At least 16MB (for Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0) or 32MB (for
Windows 2000) of RAM (32MB for Windows 95 or 98, or 64MB for
Windows NT 4.0 or 2000 recommended)

■

At least 50MB of free hard disk space (100MB recommended)

■

VGA, Super VGA, or better display adapter and monitor

■

Double-speed (2x) CD-ROM or DVD drive (quad-speed [4x] or faster
recommended) for installing the printer software

■

For parallel connection: a high-speed, bidirectional, IEEE-1284 compliant
parallel cable (6 to 10 feet long); the cable must have a D-SUB, 25-pin, male
connector for your computer and a 36-pin, Centronics
for the printer.

For USB connection: an EPSON

®

133 MHz (for Windows 2000), or 486/25 MHz (for Windows 95

®

4.0) processor (Pentium or higher processor recommended)

®

compatible connector

®

USB/Parallel Adapter cable.

4

Important Safety Instructions

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

■

Be sure to follow all warnings and instructions marked on the printer.

■

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

■

Connect all equipment to properly grounded power outlets. Avoid using
outlets controlled by a wall switch or automatic timer, or those on the same
circuit as photocopiers or air control systems that regularly switch on and off.

■

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

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

■

Do not let the power cord become damaged or frayed.

■

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

■

Unplug the printer’s power cord from the electrical outlet when you don’t use
the printer for a long period of time.

■

Keep your printer and computer system away from potential sources of
electromagnetic interference, such as loudspeakers or cordless telephone base
units.

■

Avoid locations for the printer that are subject to rapid changes in heat or
humidity, shocks or vibrations, or dust.

■ Leave enough room around the printer for sufficient ventilation.

■ Do not place the printer near a radiator or heating vent or in direct sunlight.

■ Place the printer on a flat, stable surface that extends beyond the printer base

in all directions. The printer won’t operate properly if it is tilted.

■ Leave enough room at the front of the printer for paper to eject smoothly.

■ Do not block or cover the openings in the printer’s case or insert objects

through the slots.

5

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

liquid on the printer.

■

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

■

Unplug the printer and refer to your warranty on page 48 for service
instructions.

Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions

■

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

■

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

■ Do not put your hand inside the printer or touch the cartridge during

printing.

■

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

■ Install the ink cartridge immediately after you remove it from its foil package.

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

■ Do not use an ink cartridge beyond the date printed on the cartridge package.

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

■

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

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

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

■ Do not dismantle the ink cartridges or try to refill them. This could result in

damage to the print head.

■ Before transporting the printer, make sure the print head is capped in the far

right position and the ink cartridges are in place.

6

Viewing Your Electronic Printer Manual

Your printer software CD-ROM includes an electronic Reference Guide for your
printer. The manual is in HTML format, so you need a browser—such as Internet
Explorer or Netscape Navigator, version 3.0 or later—to view it. If you are using a
different browser, the pages may not display correctly. (A browser is not included
on the printer software CD-ROM.)

Accessing Your Electronic Printer Manual

You can view your electronic Reference Guide from the CD-ROM or copy it to
your hard drive and view it from there. Follow these steps:

1. Insert your printer software CD-ROM.

2. Double-click

drive icon, then double-click the

3. Double-click

4. You can either view the manual

from the CD-ROM (

Reference Guide

manual to your hard drive (

Reference Guide

from there. For details on viewing
the manual, see the next section.

Once you’ve copied the manual to
your hard drive, you can access it at
any time. Select

EPSON, and double-click ESC480

.

Guide

My Computer

View Electronic Documentation

View

) or copy the

Install

) and view it

Start, Programs,

, double-click your CD-ROM or DVD

Epson

icon. You see the Main Menu.

. This submenu appears:

7

Navigating Your Electronic Printer Manual

When you first open the Reference Guide, you see this screen:

Click here to
expand the
table of
contents

Click a topic on the left to expand the table of contents. After expanding the table
of contents, you can click on the topic you want to view.

If there’s a right arrow , click it to view subtopics, then click on a topic to go
to it. Click the down arrow to close a subtopic list.

Closed list,
click to
expand

Click to go
to topic

8

Printing from Start to Finish

Here’s what to do to print a basic document—such as a memo, newsletter, or
photograph—from loading the paper to selecting print settings to controlling the
print job. Follow the instructions in “Basic Printing” below.

If you’re already familiar with EPSON ink jet printing, you can skip ahead to
“Using PhotoEnhance, Custom, and Advanced Settings” on page 14.

For instructions on using special papers—such as EPSON Photo Paper or
envelopes—see page 16.

Basic Printing

This section describes these basic steps for printing with Windows:

■

Loading paper

■

Opening the printer software

■

Selecting printer software settings

■

Controlling printing

Loading Paper

Make sure your printer and
computer are turned on.

Place your paper against the
right edge of the sheet feeder
and slide the left edge guide
against the paper.

Load paper only up
to this arrow

9

Slide paper against
the right edge

Keep the following in mind when loading paper:

■

Load the printable side face up. It’s usually whiter or brighter than the other
side.

■

Load letterhead or preprinted paper into the printer top edge first.

■

Don’t load paper above the arrow on the left edge guide.

If you’re printing on envelopes or other special paper sizes or types, see
page 16 for loading instructions.

I

Opening the Printer Software

After you open your application program and create your document, you’re ready
to select your printer software settings.

Print

From the File menu, click
dialog box may look slightly different):

. You see your application’s Print dialog box (your

Select your printer here

Click here to open
your printer software

10

Make the following selections on the Print dialog box:

■

Make sure

■

Click the
click it. Then click

I

EPSON Stylus COLOR 480

Properties

If you click the print icon on your application’s tool bar instead of selecting
Print from the File menu, you may not get the option to change the printer
software settings before printing.

button. (If you see a

Properties

on the next screen.)

is selected.

Setup, Printer

, or

Options

button,

Selecting Printer Software Settings

Once you click

The most important thing to remember is to set the correct Media Type for the
paper you’re using. If necessary, click the
below:

Properties

, you see your printer software Properties dialog box.

Main

tab to display the settings shown

Select the type of paper you loaded

Select the Ink color

Select Automatic mode

11

Select higher-quality, faster
printing, or in between

Click OK

Make the following settings on the Properties dialog box:

■

Choose the paper you’re printing on (click the
arrow to scroll through the

Media Type

list). If

you’re not sure which setting to select, see page 19.

■

Set the Ink option to

Color

to print a color

document. To print a black text document, click

Black

.

■

Set the Mode option to

Automatic

. It’s the easiest way to get good printing

results on all types of paper.

■

Set the slider in the Mode box to

Quality

or

Speed

to select high resolution,
faster printing, or an in between setting. (The slider may not be available for
your paper type.)

■

Click OK to return to your application’s Print dialog box.

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

Selecting Windows Default Settings

The printer settings you make apply only to the application you’re currently using.
If you usually print one type of document in different applications—for example,
black ink on legal size paper—you can change the default printer settings for all
your programs. You do this using the Windows Printers utility:

1. Click

Start

, point to

Settings

, and then select

Printers

.

2. Right-click the

3. Select

Properties (Document Defaults in Windows NT; Printing

Preferences

4. Click the

5. Select the default settings you want to use for all your applications. Click

EPSON Stylus COLOR 480 icon.

in Windows 2000).

Main tab.

OK

when you’re finished.

You can always change the default settings in your application when you want to
print different types of documents. You can also save a group of common settings;
see the electronic Reference Guide (described on page 7) for details.

12