Epson Stylus Color 980 Basic User Guide

EPSON Stylus Color 980

EPSON Stylus Color 980

Printer Basics

Printer Basics

CPD-10632

EPSON Stylus®Color 980

EPSON Stylus

®

Color 980

EPSON Ink Jet Papers

Use EPSON paper and inks to get the same photo quality results that earn EPSON printers all of their
awards! EPSON papers are specially coated to work with EPSON’s quick drying inks. You’ll notice that
when prints come out of your printer, you can immediately handle them. There is no drying time, no
smearing or smudging, and your image is clean and smooth.

Here are your EPSON ink cartridges and just a few of EPSON’s papers:

EPSON Ink Cartridges

For best results, always use
genuine EPSON ink cartridges.

Black: T003011 • Color: T005011

Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper

Bright white, with a smooth matte finish to create your best impression.
Perfect for presentations, newsletters, and all your photo and craft projects.

Photo Paper and Panoramic Photo Paper

Photo quality, heavier weight glossy paper available in a variety of sizes.
Perfect for color photo keepsakes of snapshots, framed art, banners,
and panoramics.

For more information on other Epson products and
fun project ideas, look for the EPSON Print Lab Series at

www.epson.com

See the inside back cover for a list of EPSON papers and ordering information

Printed on recycled paper

Printer Basics

Copyright Notice

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

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

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

Trademarks

EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.

Fix-it Flix and Print Lab are service marks, and Epson Software, EPSON Store, and PhotoEnhance are trademarks
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.

vi

The E

NERGY STAR

Copyright © 2000 by Epson America, Inc. 7/00

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

CPD-10632

Contents

WELCOME! 1

About Your Software

About Your Documentation

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips

Viewing Your Electronic Printer Manual

Watching Your Printer Movies

PRINTING FROM START TO FINISH 7

Printing with Windows

Loading Paper

Opening the Printer Software

Selecting Printer Software Settings

Controlling Printing

Printing on a Macintosh

Loading Paper

Opening the Printer Software

Selecting Printer Software Settings

Controlling Printing

11
12
12
13
14
15

1
2
2
3
5

7
7
8
9

Printing on Envelopes

Printing on Both Sides of the Paper

Selecting the Correct Media Type

16
17
19

vii

MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER 21

Cleaning the Print Head 21

Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern 23

Replacing an Ink Cartridge 24

Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges 25

Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge 27
Aligning the Print Head 29
Cleaning the Printer 30
Transporting the Printer 31

PROBLEM SOLVING 33

Diagnosing Printer Problems 33

Checking the Control Panel Lights 33

Running a Printer Check 35
Identifying Printer Parts 36
Problems and Solutions 37

Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Software 37

viii

Problems with Printing 38

Problems Getting Good Print Quality 39

Problems with Paper Feeding 42

Solving Miscellaneous Printout Problems 43
Uninstalling Printer Software 44

Uninstalling Windows Software 44

Uninstalling Macintosh Software 44

Reinstalling Printer Software 45
Where To Get Help 45

EPSON Technical Support 46

Creative Software Technical Support 47

NOTICES 49

Windows System Requirements 49
Macintosh System Requirements 50
ENERGY STAR Compliance 51
Important Safety Instructions 51

Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions 52
FCC Compliance Statement 53
Declaration of Conformity 53
Limited Warranty 54

INDEX 55

ix

Welcome!

Your EPSON Stylus® COLOR 980 printer is the ideal output device for text,
business graphics, digital photographs, and more. You can print anything from
reports and resumes to photos and greeting cards with amazing results.

EPSON® offers a variety of networking and IEEE 1394 (FireWire®) options for your
printer. Visit EPSON’s web site at www.epson.com for complete information.

About Your Software

The printer software CD-ROM that came with your printer
includes all the software you need for printing. (You must
have a CD-ROM or DVD drive installed on your computer.)

■ Your printer driver runs your printer and lets you control

how your documents look. You can’t use your printer

without it.

Visit EPSON’s support web site (http://support.epson.com)
periodically and check the section for your printer to see if there is a
new driver available, free of charge, for downloading to your
computer. Download instructions are posted for your convenience.

■ Your creative software includes these titles:

■ ArcSoft

™

PhotoImpression™ 2000, an easy-to-use photo editing program for

enhancing and retouching your photos

■ ArcSoft PhotoMontage

™

2000, an imaging entertainment program that lets

you create composite “montages” from a large collection of micro-images

■ EPSON Software

™

Film Factory,™ photo management software for

organizing, enhancing, and printing your photos

■ Trellix Web,

™

for quickly building a multi-page web site for your family,

organization, or small business (Windows only)

1

About Your Documentation

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

■ viewing your electronic Reference Guide and Fix-it Flix printer movies

SM

■ printing with Windows

■ maintaining the printer

■ solving basic problems

®

or on a Macintosh®

For more details about printing with, maintaining, or troubleshooting your printer,
see your electronic Reference Guide, as described on page 3. To view movies showing
you how to change your ink cartridges, clean the print head, load paper, and print on
both sides of the paper, see the Fix-it Flix printer movies, as described on page 5.

Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips

Please follow these guidelines:

Warnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.

Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.

2

Notes contain important information about your printer.

Tips contain additional hints for better printing.

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 Microsoft®
Internet Explorer 3.0 or later or Netscape Navigator® 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.)

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. Windows: Double-click My Computer, double-click your CD-ROM or

DVD drive icon, then double-click the EPSON icon.

Macintosh: Double-click the EPSON icon in the CD-ROM window. (If the

window doesn’t open, double-click your EPSON CD-ROM icon.

The Main Menu appears:

3. Click

View EPSON

Documentation

screen:

. You see this

3

4. Click View Reference Guide. The

main screen for your printer

Reference Guide appears:

5. You can either view the manual

from the CD-ROM (View

Reference Guide

) or copy the

manual to your hard drive (Install

Reference Guide

) and view it from
there. For details on viewing the
manual, see the next section.

If you copied the manual to your hard
drive, you can access it at any time, as follows:

Windows: Select Start, Programs, EPSON, and click ESC980 Guide.

Macintosh: Open the EPSON Stylus COLOR 980 folder and double-click View

Reference Guide

.

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

Click here to
expand the
table of
contents

4

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

If you see an icon for a graphic when viewing your Reference Guide
in Netscape Navigator, click the Reload button to load the graphic.

Watching Your Printer Movies

Need help loading paper, replacing ink cartridges, cleaning the print head, or printing
on both sides of the paper? Your printer software CD-ROM includes helpful movies
that show you how to perform these common tasks.

Follow these steps to watch your printer movies:

1. Insert your printer software CD-ROM.

2. Windows: Double-click

drive icon, then double-click the

Macintosh: Double-click the
window doesn’t open automatically, double-click the

My Computer

EPSON

EPSON

icon in the CD-ROM window. (If the

, double-click your CD-ROM

icon.

EPSON

CD-ROM icon.)

5

The Main Menu appears:

3. Click View EPSON

Documentation

screen:

. You see this

4. Click Watch Printer Movies. The main screen for the printer movies appears:

5. Click the poster for the movie you want to see. If necessary, select an option on
the next screen. The movie starts playing.

6

Printing from Start to Finish

Here’s what to do to print a basic document—such as a memo, newsletter, or
photo—from loading the paper to selecting print settings to controlling the print job.
Follow the instructions in these sections:

■ “Printing with Windows” below

■ “Printing on a Macintosh” on page 12

If you’re already familiar with EPSON ink jet printing, you can skip ahead to these
sections:

■ “Printing on Envelopes” on page 16

■ “Printing on Both Sides of the Paper” on page 17

■ “Selecting the Correct Media Type” on page 19

Printing with Windows

This section describes the basic steps for printing with Windows. (To print on a
Macintosh, see page 12.)

Loading Paper

Make sure your printer and

Don’t load paper
above this arrow

Slide paper against the
right edge guide

computer are turned on.

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

7

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.

See your electronic Reference Guide for instructions on loading
special media.

Opening the Printer Software

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

From the File menu, click

Print

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

dialog box may look slightly different):

Make the following selections on the Print dialog box:

■ Make sure your

■ Click the

Properties

it. Then click

EPSON Stylus COLOR 980

printer is selected.

button. (If you see a Setup, Printer, or Options button, click

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.

on the next screen.)

Select your printer here

Click here to open
your printer software

8

Selecting Printer Software Settings

Once you click Properties, you see your printer software Properties dialog box:

Select the type of paper you loaded

Select the Ink color

Select Automatic mode

Select higher-quality or faster
printing

Click OK

Make the following settings:

■ Choose the Media Type for your paper (click the

arrow to display the Media Type list). This is very
important because your printer automatically adjusts
ink coverage according to your Media Type setting.
If you’re not sure which setting to select, see page 19.

■ Set the Ink option to Color to print a color

document, or Black to print a black text document.

■ Set the Mode to

Automatic

to let the printer software determine the best settings

for your print job. This is the easiest way to get good results on all types of paper.

■ Set the slider in the Mode box to

Quality

or

Speed

to select higher resolution or

faster printing. (The slider may not be available for your media type.)

■ If you want to change paper size and orientation, click the Paper tab and make

your settings there.

■ Click

OK

to return to your application’s Print dialog box.

For more information about printer settings, see your electronic

Reference Guide

item on the screen and then click What’s This?.

, or click the Help button. Or you can right-click any

9

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 Printer utility:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then select Printers.

2. Right-click your EPSON Stylus COLOR 980 printer icon.

3. Select one of the following:

■ Properties (if you’re running Windows 95 or 98)

■ Printing Preferences (if you’re running Windows 2000)

■ Document Defaults (if you’re running Windows NT).

4. Click the Main tab.

5. Select the default settings you want to use for all your applications. Click OK
when you’re finished.

Remember, you can always change the default settings in your application when you
want to print different types of documents.

Another way to select your most frequently used settings quickly is to save them as a
group; see your electronic Reference Guide for details.

10

Controlling Printing

At the Print dialog box, click OK (or Print, depending on your application) to start
printing.

Click OK to start
printing

After a moment, the Progress Meter appears and shows the progress of your print job.
You can use the buttons to cancel, pause, or restart printing. You can also see how
much ink you have left.

Click to cancel printing

Click to pause or resume

Does not appear if
you are printing
over a network

printing

Shows ink levels. The
color of ink with the
least amount left
determines the level for
all the colors shown

For more information on printing—for example, using advanced printer settings,
previewing your printout, or adding a watermark—see your electronic Reference Guide
(described on page 3) or your printer software online help.

11

Printing on a Macintosh

This section describes the basic steps for printing on a Macintosh. (To print with
Windows, see page 7.)

Loading Paper

Make sure your printer and

Don’t load paper
above this arrow

Slide paper against the
right edge guide

computer are turned on.

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

Follow these guidelines 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.

See your electronic Reference Guide for instructions on loading
special media.

12

Opening the Printer Software

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

From the File menu, click Page Setup. You see your printer software’s page setup
dialog box (your dialog box may look slightly different):

Verify your printer model here

Select your Paper Size, Orientation,
and Printable Area settings

Click OK

Make the following selections on the page setup dialog box:

■ Make sure your EPSON Stylus COLOR 980 printer (SC 980) is selected. (If the

printer model is incorrect, you need to select your printer in the Chooser; see the
Start Here poster for instructions.)

■ Select the correct Paper Size, Orientation, and Printable Area settings for your

document. See your electronic Reference Guide for details.

■ Click

window.

OK

to close the page setup dialog box and return to your application

13

Selecting Printer Software Settings

Now open the File menu and click Print. You see the main printer settings dialog box
for your application (your dialog box may look slightly different):

Select the type
of paper you
loaded

Select the
Ink color

Select Automatic mode

Select higher-quality or faster printing

Make the following settings on the dialog box:

■ Choose the Media Type for the paper you’re printing

on (click the arrow to display the Media Type list).
This is very important because your printer
automatically adjusts the ink coverage according to
your Media Type setting. 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 a high resolution or

faster printing. (The slider may not be available for your media type.)

■ Click

Print

to print your document.

14

Controlling Printing

Once you’ve clicked Print, your document begins printing.

If you turned on background printing in the Chooser, you can select EPSON

Monitor3

progress of your print job. You see the EPSON Monitor3 dialog box:

from the Application menu at the right side of the menu bar to check the

Click to restart your print job

Click to cancel printingClick to pause printing

Click to check
ink levels

Click on the
current print job
or
a waiting print
job . . .

Then click here to
view details and
control print job
priorities

If you’re not using background printing, but you need to
cancel the current print job, hold down the J key and press the

.

(period) key.

For more information on printing—for example, using advanced settings, previewing
your printout, or adding a watermark—see your electronic Reference Guide (described
on page 3) or printer software online help.

15

Printing on Envelopes

You can load up to 10 envelopes at a time, flap
edge first and printable side up. Place them
against the right edge guide and slide the left
edge guide against them.

(You’ll get better results if you press each
envelope flat before loading it, or load one
envelope at a time.)

Set the thickness lever to the

+

position when you print on
envelopes or other thick media.
(Return the lever to the

0

position before you print on

Lever position for
envelopes and thick
paper

regular paper.)

Printable side up,
flap side down

Select Plain paper as the Media
Type setting and choose the
correct envelope size as the Paper Size setting.

To watch a movie explaining how to load envelopes and other media, see the printer
movies on your printer software CD-ROM.

If the printing smears or you have banding (light lines), try turning off
High Speed printing in the Advanced dialog box. See your electronic

Reference Guide

box.

for information about using the Advanced dialog

16

Printing on Both Sides of the Paper

You can print on both sides of the page with your printer’s Double-Sided Printing
option. This section includes instructions for standard double-sided printing. You
can also view a short explanation of double-sided printing in the printer movies on
your CD-ROM.

For information about how to create single-fold booklets, see your electronic
Reference Guide.

Use only media types that support double-sided printing. Depending
on the type of paper and the amount of ink used in your document,
ink may bleed through to the other side of the paper. Double-sided
printing is not available when the printer is shared over a network.

Follow these steps to print on both sides of the page:

1. Load plain paper or another double-sided media in your printer. You can print up

to 60 pages at a time on 30 sheets of paper.

If you’re printing a longer document, you’ll need to print it in
sections. For example, if you’re printing a 175-page document, print
it in three sections of 60 pages (30 sheets), 60 pages (30 sheets),
and 55 pages (28 sheets). Select the following page ranges in your
software application’s print dialog box:

1–60, 61–120, 121–175.

If your long document has an odd number of pages, make sure you
print even numbers of pages for the first sections and print an odd
number for the last section. That way, if you have a blank page it will
appear at the end of your document.

17

2. Windows: Select File > Print. Then choose Double-Sided Printing on the

EPSON Stylus COLOR Properties Layout tab.

Macintosh: Select File > Page Setup. Then choose Double-Sided Printing in the
Page Setup dialog box.

Macintosh

Click here

Windows

3. Click OK to save your settings.

4. Start printing.

Windows: Click OK (or Print) in your application’s Print dialog box.

Macintosh: Select File > Print, then click Print on the printer settings dialog box.

The printer prints all the odd-numbered pages, starting with page 1.

When all of the odd-numbered pages
have printed, you see an alert on your
screen telling you to reload paper.

5. Take the entire stack that you have

printed and, without changing the
order of the pages, reload the paper
printed side down, with the top edge
first, as shown in the illustrations on
the message.

6. Click

Resume

to print on the other

side of the page.

18

Selecting the Correct Media Type

Your printer automatically adjusts itself for the type of
paper you select in your printer software. That’s why
the Media Type setting is so important. It tells your
printer what kind of paper you’re using and adjusts the
ink coverage accordingly.

Before you print, always check your Media Type
setting.

Here are the settings you should choose for your paper:

For this paper . . . Select this Media Type setting . . .

Plain paper sheets or envelopes Plain paper

EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper

EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper

EPSON High Quality Ink Jet Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards

EPSON Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheets

EPSON Matte Paper - Heavyweight

EPSON Photo Paper (including panoramic
size)

EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper

EPSON Premium Glossy Photo Paper

EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film

EPSON Photo Stickers

EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies

The availability of paper types varies by location.

360 dpi Ink Jet Paper

Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper

Matte Paper - Heavyweight

Photo Paper

Premium Glossy Photo Paper

Photo Quality Glossy Film

Ink Jet Transparencies

19

20

Maintaining Your Printer

This section describes maintenance procedures to keep your printer working at its best
and preparation steps for moving your printer. Follow the instructions here for:

■ cleaning the print head (below)

■ replacing an ink cartridge (on page 24)

■ aligning the print head (on page 29)

■ cleaning the printer (on page 30)

■ transporting the printer (on page 31)

For more details, see your electronic Reference Guide, as described on page 3. To view
movies showing you how to replace your ink cartridges or clean the print head, see the
Fix-it Flix on your printer software CD-ROM, as described on page 5.

Cleaning the Print Head

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

This section explains how to clean the print head using the printer’s Head Cleaning
utility, which is the recommended method. You can also clean the print head by
holding down the

R cleaning button on the control panel for three seconds, and then

printing a page to test print quality. See your electronic Reference Guide for details.

When you don’t turn on your printer for a long time, the print quality
can decline. It’s a good idea to turn on your printer at least once a
month to maintain good print quality.

If your paper comes with a cleaning sheet, don’t use it with your
printer; it may jam inside the printer.

21

Follow these steps to run the Head Cleaning utility:

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

B black and

A color ink out lights are off. (If an ink out light is flashing, replace the ink

cartridge instead.)

2. If you have an application running, access the printer settings dialog box as

described on page 8 (Windows) or page 13 (Macintosh).

Or, with Windows, click Start, point to Settings, then select Printers. Right-click
your EPSON Stylus COLOR 980 printer icon in the Printers window. Then
select Properties (Document Defaults in Windows NT, Printing Preferences in
Windows 2000).

3. Windows: Click the Utility tab.

Macintosh: Click the Utility
button.

4. On the Utility menu, click the Head

Cleaning

button.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen

to clean the print head. Cleaning takes
about 30 seconds, during which the
printer makes some noise and the
Ppower light flashes.

Head Cleaning
button

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

6. When the

Ppower light stops flashing, run a nozzle check to confirm that the

print head nozzles are clean.

Make sure paper is loaded in the printer and click
(Windows) or

Confirmation

(Macintosh). Then click

pattern prints (see page 23 for details).

22

Print nozzle check pattern

Next

. The nozzle check

7. If the nozzle check pattern has no gaps in its lines, click Finish.

If the pattern has any gaps, click Clean to clean the print head again. If you don’t
see any improvement after cleaning three or four times, check the solutions in
“Problems Getting Good Print Quality” on page 39. You can also turn the printer
off and wait overnight—this allows any dried ink to soften—and then try cleaning
the print head again.

Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern

Examine the nozzle check pattern you print. It should look something like this:

Each staggered horizontal and straight vertical line should be complete, with no gaps
in the dot pattern. If your printout looks okay, you’re done.

If there are gaps in the lines, clean the print head again; see page 21 for instructions.

gaps in nozzle check pattern

gaps in nozzle check pattern

23

Replacing an Ink Cartridge

When the

B black or

A color ink out light flashes, the indicated cartridge is low on

ink. This is a good time to make sure you have a new cartridge. When the light stays
on, the cartridge is empty and you need to replace it.

You cannot print if either ink cartridge is empty. Leave the empty
cartridge installed in the printer until you have obtained a
replacement; otherwise the ink remaining in the print head nozzles
may dry out.

When an installed ink cartridge is more than six months old, you may also need to
replace it if you notice that your printouts don’t look as good as they used to. If print
quality doesn’t improve after cleaning and aligning the print head, you can replace
one or both cartridges. To check the level of ink you have left, see the graphic in the
printer driver (Windows) or click the ink level icon in the printer driver or
EPSON Monitor 3 utility (Macintosh).

Use these EPSON ink cartridges within six months of installing them and before the
expiration date on the package:

■ Black ink cartridge T003011 (U.S.) T003311 (Canada)

■ Color ink cartridge T005011 (U.S.) T005311 (Canada)

To ensure good results, use genuine EPSON ink cartridges and do
not refill them. Other products may cause damage to your printer not
covered by EPSON’s warranty.

When you need new ink cartridges, contact your dealer or call the EPSON Store™ at
[phone]. You can also visit the EPSON Store at www.epson.com (U.S. sales
only). In Canada, please call [phone] for dealer referral.

24

Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges

This section describes how to replace an ink cartridge when the

B black or

A color

ink out light is either flashing or on. If both lights are off and you want to replace an
outdated ink cartridge, follow the procedure on page 27.

If you perform the steps below when both ink out lights are off, the
printer cleans the print head, as described in your electronic
Reference Guide.

Be sure you have a new ink cartridge before you begin. Once you start the ink
cartridge replacement procedure, you must complete all the steps in one session.

Follow these steps to replace ink cartridges:

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

Ppower light should be

on, but not flashing).

2. Check the

B black and

A color ink out lights to see which ink cartridge you need

to replace.

3. Open the printer cover.

4. Press the

head moves left and the

X cleaning button and hold it for about three seconds until the print

Ppower light begins flashing. The print head moves to

the black or color cartridge replacement position, depending on which ink
cartridge is empty.

To avoid damaging the printer, never move the print head by
hand. Don’t open the clamp or remove a cartridge except to
replace it with a new one. Once you remove a cartridge, you
can’t reuse it, even if it contains ink.

5. The color cartridge is on the right and the

black cartridge is on the left. Pull the ink
cartridge clamp up all the way. The
cartridge rises up from its holder.

25

6. Lift the cartridge out of the printer and dispose of it carefully.

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

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

7. Unwrap the new ink cartridge. Then remove

the yellow tape seal on top.

You must remove the yellow
tape from the top of the cartridge
or you will permanently damage
the cartridge. Don’t pull off the
blue portion or try to remove the
clear seal underneath the
cartridge; ink will leak.

black cartridge color cartridge

8. Lower the new ink cartridge into its holder

with the label facing up and toward the back
of the printer.

.

9. Press the ink cartridge clamp down until it

locks in place.

10. If you need to replace the other ink cartridge,

repeat steps 4 through 9 before continuing
with step 11.

11. Press the

R cleaning button and close the printer cover. The printer moves the

print head and begins charging the ink delivery system.

The

Ppower light flashes, and the printer makes noise. Charging takes about one

minute. When it’s finished, the

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

Ppower light stops flashing and stays on.

26

Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge

If an ink cartridge is more than six months old, you may need to replace it. How can
you tell? You may notice that your printouts don’t look as good as they used to. If
print quality doesn’t improve after cleaning and aligning the print head, you can
replace one or both cartridges.

Follow these steps to replace an ink cartridge before the

B black or

A color ink out

light is flashing or on:

1. Remove the new ink cartridge from its packaging.

2. Remove only the yellow part of the tape seal on top, as shown below. Don’t pull

off the blue portion or try to remove the clear seal underneath the cartridge.

Remove the yellow tape

black cartridge

You must remove the yellow tape from the top of the cartridge or
you will permanently damage the cartridge. Don’t remove the clear
seal from the bottom of the cartridge; ink will leak.

3. Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing (the

color cartridge

P power light should be

on, but not flashing), then open the printer cover.

4. Press the

E load/eject button and hold it down for three seconds until the print

head moves to the left to the black ink cartridge replacement position and the
Ppower light begins flashing. (If you need to replace only the color ink cartridge,
press the

E load/eject button again until the print head moves to the color ink

cartridge replacement position.)

To avoid damaging the printer, never move the print head by hand.
Don’t open the clamp or remove a cartridge except to replace it with
a new one. Once you remove a cartridge, you can’t reuse it, even if
it contains ink.

27

5. Pull up the ink cartridge clamp. The cartridge

rises up from its holder.

6. Lift the cartridge out of the printer and dispose

of it carefully.

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

7. Lower the new ink cartridge into its holder

with the label facing up and toward the back of
the printer.

8. Press the ink cartridge clamp down until it

locks in place.

9. Press the

E load/eject button. The print head

moves to the color ink cartridge replacement
position. If you need to replace the color ink
cartridge, repeat steps 4 through 8. Then
continue with step 10.

10. Press the

E load/eject button again and close the printer cover.

The printer moves the print head and begins charging the ink delivery system.
The

P power light flashes and the printer makes various sounds.

Charging takes about one minute. When it’s finished, the

P power light stops

flashing and stays on.

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

28

Aligning the Print Head

If your printouts contain misaligned vertical lines, you may need to align the print
head. Your printer must be connected to a local port, not on a network, to use the
Print Head Alignment utility. Follow these steps:

1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and letter-size paper is

loaded.

Load paper that’s at least 8.27 inches (210 mm) wide to prevent ink
from spraying inside the printer and smudging your printouts.

For the best results, load EPSON ink jet paper in the printer
whenever you check the print head alignment.

2. If you have an application running, access the printer settings dialog box as

described on page 8 (Windows) or page 13 (Macintosh).

Or, with Windows, click

EPSON Stylus COLOR 980

your

Properties (Document Defaults

Start

, point to

printer icon in the Printers window. Select

in Windows NT,

Windows 2000).

3. Windows: Click the

Utility

tab.

Macintosh: Click the Utility button.

4. You see the Utility menu. Click the

Print Head Alignment

button.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen to

print a test page.

6. Select the most precise alignment

pattern from the choices on the test
page. Enter the number of the best
aligned pattern following the
instructions on the screen.

You may need to repeat steps 4 through
6 more than once to align your print
head completely.

Settings

, then select

Printing Preferences

Print Head Alignment button

Printers

. Right-click

in

29

Cleaning the Printer

To keep your printer working at its best, you should clean it several times a year.
Follow these steps:

1. Turn off the printer and wait for the

Ppower light to go out.

2. Unplug the power cord and disconnect the printer cable.

3. Remove all the paper from the sheet feeder.

4. Clean the exterior of the printer with a soft, damp cloth.

5. Clean ink out of the printer’s interior with a soft, damp cloth.

Don’t touch the gears inside the printer.

Never use a hard or abrasive brush, or alcohol or thinner for cleaning;
they can damage the printer components and case.

Don’t get water on the printer components, and don’t spray
lubricants or oils inside the printer.

Don’t use any cleaning sheets included with special media; they may
jam inside the printer.

30

Transporting the Printer

If you move your printer some distance, you need to prepare it for transportation in
its original box or one of a similar size. Follow these steps:

To avoid damage, always leave the ink cartridges installed when
transporting the printer.

Be sure to remove the tape used in step 4 after installing the printer
in its new location.

1. Turn on the printer, wait until the print head locks in the far right position, then

turn off the printer.

2. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet. Then disconnect the printer

cable from the printer.

3. Remove any paper from the printer and remove the paper support.

4. Open the printer cover. Secure the ink cartridge

holder to the printer with tape as shown, then
close the printer cover.

5. Push in the output tray extensions and close the

tray.

6. Repack the printer and attachments in the

original box using the protective materials
that came with it. See the Start Here poster for
details.

Be sure to keep the printer level as you transport it.

After transporting the printer, remove the tape securing the print head and test your
printer. If you notice a decline in print quality, clean the print head (see page 21); if
output is misaligned, align the print head (see page 29).

31

32

Problem Solving

This section gives you the basics for diagnosing and solving printer problems.

■ First see “Diagnosing Printer Problems” to help determine what the cause of the

problem may be.

■ Then see “Problems and Solutions” on page 37 for solutions to common setup

and printing problems.

It’s a good idea to check EPSON’s support web site periodically for
possible updates to your printer driver. Visit http://support.epson.com
and check the section for your product to see if there is a new driver
available, free of charge, for downloading to your computer. Download
instructions are posted for your convenience.

Diagnosing Printer Problems

You can diagnose some problems by checking the printer’s control panel lights, as
described in this section, or running a printer check, as described on page 35.

Checking the Control Panel Lights

Paper out light

Black ink out light

Color ink out light

Power buttonLoad/eject buttonCleaning button

Power
light

33

Follow the guidelines below when you check the control panel lights:

P is on The

flashes When the

S

is on When the

S

B

or A flashes When an ink out light flashes, your ink supply is low. Make sure you

B

or A is on When an ink out light comes on, you need to replace the ink cartridge.

P and S flash

and

B

and A are on

P S B A flash When all the lights flash, your printer may have an internal error. Make

P S B A are off When all the lights are off, the printer is not receiving power. Try these

Ppower light is on when the printer is ready to print. It flashes

when the printer is receiving a print job, charging ink, or cleaning the
print head.

S paper out light flashes, you have a paper jam. Press the

E load/eject button to try to clear the jam. If that doesn’t work, turn off

the printer and gently pull the paper forward (toward the output tray) to
pull it out. Don’t pull the paper backward (toward the paper support). If
you can’t pull it out through the output tray, contact your dealer or
EPSON. Make sure none of the sheets are curled, creased, old, stuck
together, or too thin. Then reload the paper against the right edge
guide and slide the left edge guide against it. Turn on the printer and
press the

loaded. Make sure none of the sheets are curled, creased, old, stuck
together, or too thin. Then reload the paper against the right edge
guide and slide the left edge guide against it. Press the
button to resume printing.

have a replacement cartridge.

Make sure you have a replacement cartridge. See page 24 for
replacement instructions. If an ink out light comes on after you’ve
replaced a cartridge, you installed a cartridge your printer can’t use.
Remove it and replace it with the correct type.

When the
ink out lights come on, jammed paper may be blocking movement of
the print head. Turn off the printer, open the cover, and check inside
for any jammed paper. Then turn the printer back on. If the lights still
flash and/or come on, contact your dealer or EPSON; see page 46 for
information.

sure you removed all the packing material as described on the Start
Here poster. Then turn off the printer, wait a few seconds, and turn it
on again. If the lights still flash, contact your dealer or EPSON; see
page 46 for contact information.

solutions:

■ Make sure the printer is turned on.

■ Turn off the printer, plug in the power cord securely, and turn on

■ Make sure the outlet is working and is not controlled by a switch

E load/eject button to resume printing.

S paper out light comes on, your paper is out or incorrectly

E load/eject

Ppower and

the printer again.

or timer. If in doubt, try using another outlet.

S paper out lights flash, and one or both of the

34

Running a Printer Check

You can run a printer check to determine whether a problem comes from the printer
itself or some other source. Follow these steps:

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

2. Disconnect the interface cable from the printer.

3. Make sure letter-size or larger paper is loaded in the printer.

4. Hold down the

Continue holding down the
flash, then release it.

The printer prints one page showing its ROM version number, ink counter, and a
nozzle check pattern. Only the nozzle check pattern is shown below. (If the
pattern has gaps in its dots, you need to clean the print head; see page 21.)

5. To end the check, turn off the printer after it prints the check page. Then

reconnect the interface cable and turn on your printer and computer.

If the check page prints, the problem probably lies in your software settings, the
interface cable, or your computer. Or your printer or application software may not be
installed correctly.

If the check page doesn’t print, you may have a problem with your printer.

E load/eject button, then press and release the

E load/eject button until the

Ppower light starts to

Ppower button.

Try the suggestions in “Problems and Solutions” beginning on page 37. If nothing
seems to work, contact your dealer or EPSON as described on page 46.

35

Identifying Printer Parts

If you need help identifying the parts of the printer, refer to these illustrations:

paper support

right edge guide

sheet
feeder

left edge
guide

printer cover

output tray

output tray extensions

paper thickness lever

36

ink cartridge clamps

control panel

Problems and Solutions

Here are some troubleshooting tips if you have any problems setting up your printer,
installing software, or printing.

Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Software

The printer started making noise
after ink cartridge installation.

■ The first time you install ink

cartridges, the printer must charge
its ink delivery system for about
two minutes. Wait until charging
finishes (the
flashing) before you turn off the
printer. If you turn off the printer
while it’s charging, it begins
charging again the next time you
turn it on and uses more ink than
necessary.

■ Make sure the ink cartridge clamps

are locked down and that no
packing material remains in the
printer.

Ppower light stops

You’re having problems installing
the printer software.

■ Carefully follow the instructions

on the Start Here poster.

■ Make sure your printer cable is

securely connected to the printer
and computer.

■ Make sure you’ve closed all other

applications, including any screen
savers and virus protection
software. Then try installing the
printer software again.

■ For Windows NT or 2000, if you

see an error message or your
software doesn’t install correctly,
you may not have software
installation privileges. Contact
your System Administrator.

■ If the printer stops moving or

making noise, but the

Ppower

light is still flashing after five
minutes, turn off the printer. If the
light is still flashing when you turn
it back on, contact your EPSON
dealer or see “Where To Get
Help” on page 45.

37

Your printer icon doesn’t appear in
the Chooser (Macintosh).

■ Your Macintosh has extension

conflicts. Disable QuickDraw® GX
in the Extensions Manager. Make
sure EPSON Monitor3 and
SC 980 are enabled, and then
restart your Macintosh.

■ You may have too many items in

the Chooser. Delete any unused
items and check the Chooser again.

You can’t install the USB Printer
Device Driver for Windows 98 or

2000.

■ Make sure Windows 98 or 2000

was preinstalled on your system.
The USB Printer Device Driver
may not install correctly if you’ve
upgraded your system from an
earlier version of Windows.

■ Make sure the Universal Serial Bus

Controller is working properly. See
your Windows online help system
for details. If it’s not working,
contact your computer
manufacturer.

■ In Windows 2000, don’t select

Block

under

System > Hardware > Driver
Signing

Control Panel >

, or your driver installation

will not be completed. Select

Ignore

■ For Windows 2000, if you see a

or

Warn

instead.

Digital Signature Not Found screen,
click Yes to continue with the
installation. Otherwise your driver
installation won’t be completed.

You’re printing over a network.

See your electronic Reference Guide for
instructions on configuring your
printer for use on a network.

Problems with Printing

Only the
nothing prints.

■ Make sure the interface cable

■ Run a printer check as described

■ If you’re printing on a network, you

The printer sounds as though it is
printing, but nothing prints.

Make sure the print head nozzles are
not clogged. To clean the print head,
see page 21.

Your printer makes noise when you
turn it on or after it has been sitting
for awhile.

Your printer is performing routine
maintenance.

Ppower light is on, but

is connected securely and that
the cable meets the system
requirements on page 49 or
page 50.

on page 35. If the check page
prints, make sure your printer and
application software are installed
correctly.

need to set up your printer for
network printing, as described in
your electronic Reference Guide.

38

Printing is too slow.

To achieve your printer’s fastest speed,
a USB connection is recommended,
where possible. Your printer prints
faster than your parallel port can
transfer data, so printing may appear to
pause while data transfer catches up.

Make sure your system meets the
requirements listed in “Notices.” If
you’re printing a high-resolution image,
you need more than the minimum
requirements listed.

Problems Getting Good Print Quality

You see banding (light lines)

You may also need to:

■ Clear space on your hard disk or

run a defragmentation utility.

■ Close open applications that you’re

not using.

■ Increase your system’s memory

(RAM).

For the fastest printing, try these tips:

■ Choose Black ink if your document

doesn’t include color.

■ Set the Quality/Speed slider to

Speed.

■ In the printer software’s Advanced

on.

®

off

dialog box, turn
and/or turn

■ If you’re using a USB port, too

MicroWeave

High Speed

many active USB devices may slow
the printer. Disconnect USB
devices that you’re not using.

■ Clean the print head, if necessary.

■ Make sure the Media Type setting

matches the paper you loaded (see
page 19).

■ Load the printable side of the paper

face up. It’s usually whiter or
shinier.

■ Make sure an ink cartridge isn’t low

on ink. If either ink out light is
flashing, replace the ink cartridge
(see page 25). If your ink cartridge
is more than six months old, see
page 27 for replacement steps.

■ Try using Automatic mode. See

page 9 (Windows) or page 14
(Macintosh) for instructions.

■ If you’re using the parallel port,

enable ECP/DMA mode. See your
computer documentation or
contact the manufacturer for help.

39

■ Set the paper thickness lever to the

0 position. Set the lever to the +

position when you print on thicker
paper or envelopes. You may also
need to turn off High Speed in the
printer software.

■ Use EPSON papers to ensure

proper saturation and absorption
of genuine EPSON inks.
Non-EPSON media may not be
compatible and may produce ink
bleeding or pooling.

■ Run the Print Head Alignment

utility. See page 29 for instructions.

■ Check the paper thickness lever

position. If it’s in the + position,
your printer is set for thicker paper
or envelopes and your image may
smear. For most papers, set the
paper thickness lever to the 0
position, as shown to the left.

Your printout is blurry or smeared.

■ Make sure your paper isn’t damp or

curled, or loaded face down.

■ Use a support sheet or load your

paper one sheet at a time.

■ Make sure your paper meets the

specifications in the electronic
Reference Guide.

■ Remove each sheet from the output

tray after printing, especially when
you’re printing on transparencies.

Your printout is faint or has gaps in
the image.

■ Make sure the print head nozzles

are not clogged. To clean the print
head, see page 21.

■ Check the control panel lights to

see if the ink cartridges are low on
ink. To replace an ink cartridge, see
page 24.

40

■ Make sure the Media Type setting

matches the paper you loaded. See
page 19 for guidelines.

■ Make sure your paper isn’t

damaged, old, dirty, or loaded face
down. If it is, reload a new stack of
paper with the printable side up; it
is usually whiter or shinier than the
other side.

You see wrong or missing colors.

■ Turn off PhotoEnhance

™

if you’re

printing a high-resolution image.

■ Try using Automatic mode. See

page 9 (Windows) or page 14
(Macintosh) for instructions.

■ Your printed colors can never

exactly match your on-screen
colors. However, you can use a
color management system to get as
close as possible.

■ Make sure the Ink setting is set to

Color for color images and your

application is set for color printing.

■ Make sure the print head nozzles

are not clogged. To clean the print
head, see page 21.

■ Make sure an ink cartridge isn’t low

on ink. If either ink out light is
flashing, replace it; see page 25. If
an ink cartridge is more than six
months old, see page 27 for
replacement steps.

Your printout is grainy.

■ Try using a higher quality paper.

■ Set the Quality/Speed slider to the

Quality setting in your printer

software; see page 9 (Windows) or
page 14 (Macintosh).

■ Run the Print Head Alignment

utility. See page 29 for instructions.

■ You may need to increase the image

resolution or print it in a smaller
size; see your software
documentation.

41

Problems with Paper Feeding

Too many copies are printing.

Make sure the Copies settings is correct
in both your application and the printer
software.

Paper doesn’t eject fully or is
wrinkled.

■ If the paper doesn’t eject fully, you

may have set the wrong paper size.
Press the
eject the paper. Then select the
correct paper size in your
application or printer software.

■ If it’s wrinkled when it ejects, the

paper may be damp or too thin.

E load/eject button to

Paper jams inside the printer.

Turn off your printer, open the cover,
and remove all the paper that’s inside,
including any small pieces that may
have torn off. Always pull jammed
paper forward (toward the output tray)
to pull it out.

If your paper jams frequently:

■ Use smooth, high-quality paper,

loaded printable side up.

■ Fan the stack and then even the

edges before loading it.

■ Don’t load paper above the arrow

mark on the left edge guide.

■ Place the paper against the right

edge guide and slide the left edge
guide against your paper.

42

Paper doesn’t feed.

Remove the paper and check that it:

■ Isn’t curled or creased

■ Isn’t too old

■ Isn’t loaded above the arrow on the

left edge guide

■ Isn’t jammed inside the printer.

(If the

S paper out light is flashing,

paper is jammed.)

Reload the paper and don’t set the left
edge guide too tightly.

Multiple pages feed at once.

Remove the paper, then:

■ Make sure the paper isn’t too thin.

■ Fan the edges of the stack of paper

to separate the sheets.

■ Reload the paper as described on

page 7.

■ Make sure the edge guides fit

against the paper, but not too
tightly.

Solving Miscellaneous Printout Problems

The margins are incorrect.

■ Make sure the paper settings in

your printer software are correct for
your paper size. See the electronic
Reference Guide for instructions.

■ Check your software

documentation for instructions on
selecting the correct margins for
your paper size. The margins must
be within the printable area of the
page. See “Specifications” in your
electronic Reference Guide for more
information.

You see incorrect characters.

■ Make sure the interface cable is

securely connected and that
the cable meets the system
requirements on page 49 or
page 50. Then try printing again.

■ Make sure your printer is selected

in your application, or as the
Windows default printer or the
current printer in the Macintosh
Chooser.

The image size or position is
incorrect.

Make sure the paper and/or layout
options are set correctly.

The image is inverted, as if viewed in
a mirror.

Turn off Flip Horizontal in the printer
software or the mirror setting in your
application software. (If you’re printing
on EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel
Transfer Paper, the image should be
inverted so it looks correct when it’s
ironed on.)

The printer prints blank pages.

■ Make sure your printer is selected

in your application, or as the
Windows default printer or the
current printer in the Macintosh
Chooser.

■ Make sure the paper settings in the

printer software are correct for your
paper size. See your electronic
Reference Guide for instructions.

■ Make sure the print head nozzles

are not clogged. To clean the print
head, see page 21.

■ If you’re using a switch box with

your printer; connect the printer
directly to your computer and try
printing again.

43

Uninstalling Printer Software

If you need to uninstall and then reinstall your printer software, such as when you
upgrade your computer operating system, follow these steps:

Uninstalling Windows Software

1. Double-click My Computer, then double-click the Control Panel icon.

2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs. Click EPSON Printer Software in the

program list, and click the Add/Remove button (Change/Remove button on
Windows 2000).

3. In the next window, make sure your EPSON Stylus COLOR 980 printer icon is

selected and click OK. Then follow the on-screen instructions.

4. If you’re using the USB port, click EPSON USB Printer Devices in the program

list; then click the Add/Remove (or Change/Remove) button.

5. Restart your computer when you’re done.

Uninstalling Macintosh Software

1. Insert your printer software CD-ROM. When the CD-ROM window opens,

double-click the EPSON icon.

2. Click Install Printer Driver.

3. On the installer screen, click the arrow in the Easy Install list at the top and select

Uninstall. Then click the Uninstall button at the bottom and follow the

instructions. When you’re finished, click

4. Restart your Macintosh.

Quit

.

44

Reinstalling Printer Software

Before reinstalling your printer software, first uninstall it as described above. Then
follow the instructions below.

For detailed installation instructions, see your Start Here poster.
Remember that you don’t need to reinstall your creative software or
electronic manual, and you won’t see the license agreement.

Windows

1. Insert your printer software CD-ROM. Double-click

My Computer

, and

then double-click your CD-ROM or DVD drive icon.

2. Double-click the

3. Click

Install Printer Driver

EPSON

icon. The Main Menu appears.

and follow the instructions on your screen. Restart

your computer when you’re done installing software.

Macintosh

1. Insert your printer software CD-ROM. Your CD-ROM window opens. (If it

doesn’t open, double-click the

2. Double-click the

3. Click

Install Printer Driver

EPSON

EPSON

CD-ROM icon.)

icon. You see the Main Menu.

and follow the instructions on your screen. Restart

your Macintosh when you’re done.

Where To Get Help

If you need help with your printer or its software (or EPSON Software Film Factory),
see the contact information in the next section. If you need help using the creative
software that came with your printer, see page 47.

For help using any other software on your system, see the
documentation for that software for technical support information.

45

EPSON Technical Support

EPSON provides technical assistance 24 hours a day through the electronic support
services and automated telephone services listed in the following table:

Service Access

World Wide Web

EPSON Internet
FTP Site

EPSON E-Mail
Technical Support

Automated
Telephone Services

From the Internet, you can reach EPSON Support at
http://support.epson.com. At this site, you can download
drivers and other files, look at documentation such as product
brochures, user manuals, and how-to movies, and access
troubleshooting information.

If you have Internet FTP capability, use your Web browser (or
other software for FTP downloading) to log onto ftp.epson.com
with the user name anonymous and your e-mail address as the
password.

To receive technical advice through e-mail, go to
http://support.epson.com and complete the form under the
troubleshooting tab, as requested.

A variety of automated help services are available 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. To use these services, you must have a
touch tone telephone and call [phone].

To speak directly to a technical support representative, dial:

■ U.S.: [phone], 6 AM to 8 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday and

7 AM to 4 PM, Saturday. Toll or long distance charges may apply.

■ Canada: [phone], 6 AM to 6 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.

Toll or long distance charges may apply.

Before you call, please have the following information ready:

■ Product name (EPSON Stylus COLOR 980)

■ Product serial number (located on the back of the printer)

■ Proof of purchase (such as a store receipt) and date of purchase

■ Computer configuration

■ Description of the problem

You can purchase ink cartridges, paper, manuals, and accessories from the EPSON
Store at [phone], or visit the EPSON Store at www.epson.com (U.S. sales
only). In Canada, please call [phone] for dealer referral.

46

Creative Software Technical Support

If you need technical support for your creative software, please contact the software
manufacturer as described below.

Software Web site E-mail Telephone

ArcSoft
PhotoImpression
2000

ArcSoft
PhotoMontage 2000

Tre l l ix W e b http://support.trellix.com — [phone]

http://www.arcsoft.com [e-mail] [phone]

8:30
PST

8:00
PST

to 5:30 PM,

AM

to 12:00 PM,

AM

47

48

Notices

This chapter includes system requirements, safety instructions, legal notices, and
other important information about your EPSON Stylus COLOR 980.

Windows System Requirements

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

■ An IBM

®

compatible PC with at least a 486/25 MHz (for Windows 95 or
Windows NT® 4.0) or 486/66 MHz (for Windows 98 or Windows 2000)
Pentium® or better processor

■ Microsoft

■ 16MB of RAM (32MB for Windows 95 or Windows 98 recommended; 64MB

®

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

recommended for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000)

■ 50MB of free hard disk space (100MB or more recommended)

■ VGA or better display adapter and monitor

■ CD-ROM or DVD drive for installing the printer software

■ Parallel connection: a high-speed, bidirectional IEEE 1284 compliant parallel

cable, up to 10 feet long (3 meters); the cable must have a D-SUB, 25-pin, male
connector for your computer, and a 36-pin, Centronics® compatible connector
for the printer.

USB connection: a computer running Windows 98 or Windows 2000, with a
Windows-compliant USB port and a shielded USB “AB” cable up to 6.5 feet
(2 meters) long.

Using an improperly shielded USB cable—especially a cable more
than 6.5 feet (2 meters) long—may cause the printer to malfunction.

49

Macintosh System Requirements

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

■ An Apple

■ For iMac: Mac

For Power Macintosh G3 or later: Mac OS 8.5.1 or later

■ 16MB of available RAM (more recommended)

■ 50MB of free hard disk space (100MB recommended)

■ VGA display or better

■ CD-ROM or DVD drive for installing the printer software

®

iMac™ series or Power Macintosh® G3 or G4 with USB port

®

OS 8.5 or later (Mac OS 8.5.1 or later recommended)

If your iMac is running OS 8.1, you need to upgrade your operating
system before installing your printer software. To find out which
operating system your iMac is running, select About This Computer
from the Apple menu.

If you’re running OS 8.5 or 8.5.1 on your iMac, Apple recommends that
you install iMac Update 1.1.

Download the update for your system from Apple at
http://asu.info.apple.com. Contact Apple if you have problems installing
an update.

■ A shielded USB “AB” cable up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) long.

Using an improperly shielded USB cable—especially a cable more
than 6.5 feet (2 meters) long—may cause the printer to malfunction.

50

ENERGY STAR Compliance

As an ENERGY STAR Partner, EPSON has
determined that this product meets the ENERGY
STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. The EPA
ENERGY STAR office equipment program is a
voluntary partnership with the computer and office
equipment industry to promote the introduction of
energy-efficient personal computers, monitors, printers,
fax machines, and copiers in an effort to reduce air
pollution caused by power generation.

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.

■ Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a radiator or heating vent

or in direct sunlight. Use only the type of power source indicated on the printer’s
label.

■ Connect all equipment to properly grounded power outlets. Avoid using outlets

on the same circuit as photocopiers or air control systems that regularly switch on
and off. Place the printer near a wall outlet where the plug can be easily
unplugged.

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

■ Do not let the power cord become damaged or frayed. If you use an extension

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

■ Turn off and unplug the printer before cleaning. Clean with a damp cloth only.

Do not spill liquid on the printer.

51

FCC Compliance Statement

For United States Users

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

■ Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

■ Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

■ Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

■ Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

WARNING

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

For Canadian Users

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

DECLARATION of CONFORMITY

According to 47CFR, Part 2 and 15 for Class B Personal Computers and Peripherals; and/or

CPU Boards and Power Supplies used with Class B Personal Computers:

We: EPSON AMERICA, INC.

Located at: MS: 6-43

Declare under sole responsibility that the product identified herein, complies with 47CFR Part 2 and 15 of the FCC rules as a
Class B digital device. Each product marketed is identical to the representative unit tested and found to be compliant with the
standards. Records maintained continue to reflect the equipment being produced can be expected to be within the variation
accepted, due to quantity production and testing on a statistical basis as required by 47CFR §2.909. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Trade Name: EPSON

Type of Product: Ink Jet Printer

Model: EPSON Stylus COLOR 980: P120A

3840 Kilroy Airport Way
Long Beach, CA 90806-2469
Telephone: [phone]

53

EPSON AMERICA, INC.

LIMITED WARRANTY

What Is Covered: Epson America, Inc. (“Epson”) warrants to the first end-user customer that the EPSON printer covered by this
limited warranty statement, if purchased and used in the United States or Canada, conforms to the manufacturer’s specifications
and will be free from defects in workmanship and materials for a period of one year from the date of original purchase. Epson
also warrants that the consumable ink cartridges enclosed with the printer will perform to the manufacturer’s specified usage,
which usage may expire before the expiration of the limited warranty for the EPSON printer. For warranty service, you must
provide proof of the date of original purchase.

What Epson Will Do To Correct Problems: Should your EPSON printer prove defective during the warranty period, please call the
EPSON Connection at [phone] (U.S.) or [phone] (Canada) for warranty repair instructions and return
authorization. An Epson service technician will provide telephone diagnostic service to determine whether the unit requires
repair. If service is needed during the warranty period, Epson will, at its option, exchange or repair the unit without charge for
parts or labor. If Epson authorizes an exchange for the defective unit, Epson will ship a replacement printer to you, freight
prepaid. You are responsible for securely packaging the defective printer and returning it to Epson within five (5) working days of
receipt of the replacement unit. You must provide a credit card number to secure the cost of the replacement printer in the event
that you fail to return the defective one. If your printer is being repaired, Epson will direct you to send your printer to Epson or
its authorized service center. The printer will be fixed and sent back to you. You are responsible for packing the printer and for
shipping costs to and from the Epson authorized service center. When warranty service involves the exchange of the product or of
a part, the item replaced becomes Epson property. The exchanged product or part may be new or refurbished to the Epson
standard of quality. Epson’s liability for replacement of the covered product will not exceed the original retail selling price of the
covered product. Exchange products or parts assume the remaining warranty period of your original product covered by this
limited warranty.

What This Warranty Does Not Cover: This warranty covers only normal use in the United States and Canada. This warranty does
not cover damage to the EPSON printer caused by parts or supplies not manufactured, distributed or certified by Epson. This
warranty does not cover ribbons, ink cartridges or third party parts, components, or peripheral devices added to the EPSON
product after its shipment from Epson, e.g., dealer or user-added boards or components. Epson is not responsible for warranty
service should the Epson label or logo or the rating label or serial number be removed or should the product fail to be properly
maintained or fail to function properly as a result of misuse, abuse, improper installation, neglect, improper shipping, damage
caused by disasters such as fire, flood, and lightning, improper electrical current, software problems, interaction with non-Epson
products, or service other than by an Epson Authorized Servicer. If a claimed defect cannot be identified or reproduced, you will
be held responsible for the costs incurred.

THE WARRANTY AND REMEDY PROVIDED ABOVE ARE EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. SOME LAWS DO NOT ALLOW THE
EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY, THEN ALL EXPRESS AND IMPLIED
WARRANTIES ARE LIMITED TO THE WARRANTY PERIOD IDENTIFIED ABOVE. UNLESS STATED HEREIN,
ANY STATEMENT OR REPRESENTATIONS MADE BY ANY OTHER PERSON OR FIRM ARE VOID. EXCEPT AS
PROVIDED IN THIS WRITTEN WARRANTY, NEITHER EPSON AMERICA, INC. NOR ITS AFFILIATES SHALL BE
LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS, INCONVENIENCE, OR DAMAGE, INCLUDING DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, RESULTING FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE EPSON PRODUCT,
WHETHER RESULTING FROM BREACH OF WARRANTY OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.

In Canada, warranties include both warranties and conditions.

Some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, and some jurisdictions do not allow the
exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations and exclusions may not apply to you.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

54

Epson America, Inc.

O

P.O. Box 93012

O

Long Beach, CA 90809-3012

Index

Numerics

360 dpi Ink Jet Paper, 19

A

Accessories, 24, 46
Aligning print head, 29
Automatic mode, 14

B

Background printing, 15
Blank pages, 43
Blurry images, 40
Browser, 3

C

Cable, printer, 49 to 50
Characters, incorrect, 43
Checking printer, 35
Cleaning

print head, 21 to 23
printer, 30

sheets, 19, 21, 30
Color problems, 41
Control panel, 33 to 34
Controlling printing, 11, 15
Copies setting, 42
Creative software, 1, 47

D

Default settings, Windows, 10
Documentation, 2 to 5
Duplex printing, 17 to 18

E

Electronic manual, 2, 3 to 5
Envelopes, 16
EPSON

Accessories, 24, 46
help, 45 to 46
Monitor3, 15
papers, 19

F

Faint images, 40
FireWire, 1
Flip Horizontal setting, 43

G

Glossy media, 19

H

Head Cleaning utility, 21 to 23
Help, EPSON, 45 to 46
High Quality Ink Jet Paper, 19
High Speed setting, 39
High-resolution images, 41

I

Incorrect characters, 43
Incorrect colors, 41
Ink cartridge

replacing, 24 to 26
replacing outdated, 27 to 28
safety instructions, 52

Ink Jet Transparencies, 19

55

Ink level, 11, 24
Ink setting, 9, 14
Installation problems, 37 to 38
Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper, 19, 43

J

Jams, paper, 42

L

Layout problems, 43
Lever, thickness, 16, 40
Lights, 33 to 34

M

Macintosh

printer status, 15

printing with, 12 to 15

system requirements, 50

USB, 50
Maintaining printer, 21 to 30
Margins, incorrect, 43
Matte Paper - Heavyweight, 19
Media Type setting, 9, 14, 19
MicroWeave setting, 39
Mirror images, 43
Monitor3, EPSON, 15
Monitoring ink level, 11, 24
Movies, printer, 5 to 6
Moving printer, 31

N

Network printing, 1, 38
Noise, printer, 38
Nozzle check pattern, 22 to 23, 35

O

Orientation, 13

P

Page Setup dialog box, 13
Paper

EPSON, 19
feeding problems, 42
loading, 7 to 8, 12, 16
size, 11, 13, 15
thickness lever, 16, 36, 40
type, setting, see Media Type setting

Photo Paper, 19
Photo Quality Glossy media, 19
Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper, 19
Photo Stickers, 19
Previewing, 11, 15
Print dialog box, 8, 11
Print head

aligning, 29

cleaning, 21 to 23
Print Head Alignment utility, 29
Print quality problems, 39 to 41
Printable Area setting, 13
Printer

cable, 49 to 50

check, 35

cleaning, 30

control panel, 33 to 34

maintaining, 21 to 30

movies, 5 to 6

noise, 38

parts, 36

problems, 33 to 35, 38

status, 11, 15

transporting, 31
Printing

controlling, 11, 15

duplex, 17 to 18

Macintosh, 12 to 15

slow, 39

Windows, 7 to 11
Problems

installing software, 37

miscellaneous, 43

paper feeding, 42

print quality, 39 to 41

printing, 38
Progress Meter, 11

56

Q

U

Quality/Speed setting, 9, 14

R

Reference Guide, 2, 3 to 5
Reinstalling software, 45

S

Safety instructions, 51 to 52
Service, 45 to 47
Smears, 16, 40
Software

creative, 1, 47
problems, solving, 37
reinstalling, 45

uninstalling, 44
Support, 45 to 47
System requirements, 49 to 50

T

Technical support, 45 to 47
Thickness lever, 16, 36, 40
Transfer Paper, Iron-On Cool Peel, 19, 43
Transparencies, 19
Transporting printer, 31
Troubleshooting, 33 to 43

Uninstalling software, 44
USB, 44, 49, 50
Utilities

Head Cleaning, 21 to 23
Print Head Alignment, 29

W

Watermark, 11, 15
Windows

default settings, 10
printer status, 11
printing with, 7 to 11
system requirements, 49
USB, 44, 49

World Wide Web, 46

57

How to Order EPSON Ink and Paper

To order EPSON ink cartridges and paper, contact your dealer or call the
EPSON Store at [phone] or visit our web site at www.epson.com
(U.S. sales only). In Canada, please call [phone] for dealer referral.

EPSON ink cartridges:

Order these EPSON ink cartridges and use them within six months of
installing them and before the expiration date on the package:

Black ink cartridge T003011 (U.S.) T003311 (Canada)
Color ink cartridge T005011 (U.S.) T005311 (Canada)

EPSON media

Paper name Size Part number

EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper Letter

A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches)

EPSON High Quality Ink Jet Paper Letter

A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches)

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper Letter

Legal (8.5 x 14 inches)

A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches)

EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards A6 (4.1 x 5.8 inches) S041054

EPSON Photo Paper 4 x 6 inches

Letter

A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches)

Panoramic (8.3 x 23 inches)

EPSON Photo Stickers Kit (CD-ROM/paper)

EPSON Photo Stickers (refill)

EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film Letter

EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies Letter

EPSON Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheets A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches) S041106

EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper (10 sheets)

EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper (50 sheets)

EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper Letter

EPSON Matte Paper - Heavyweight Letter S041257

EPSON Premium Glossy Photo Paper Letter

A6 (4.1 x 5.8 inches)

A6 (4.1 x 5.8 inches)

A6 (4.1 x 5.8 inches)

A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches)

A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches)

Letter

Letter

A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches)

A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches)

S041060

S041059

S041111

S041117

S041062

S041067

S041061

S041134

S041141

S041140

S041145

S041144-KIT

S041144

S041072

S041107

S041071

S041064

S041063

S041153

S041155

S041124

S041126

S041286

S041285

The availability of paper types varies by location. Not all paper types match the
Media Type setting names in your printer software. See the table on page 19
or the instructions that came with your media to select the correct Media Type
setting.

59