Epson 480SX Printer Basics Manual Download Page 4

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MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER

Cleaning the Print Head

Printing a Nozzle Check

Using the Head Cleaning Utility

Aligning the Print Head

Replacing an Ink Cartridge

Ink Cartridge Precautions

Replacing a Low or Empty Ink Cartridge

Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge

Cleaning the Printer

Transporting the Printer

PROBLEM SOLVING

Identifying Printer Parts

Problems and Solutions

Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Software

Problems with Printing

Problems Getting Good Print Quality

Problems with Paper Feeding

Solving Miscellaneous Printout Problems

Uninstalling and Reinstalling Printer Software

Where To Get Help

EPSON Technical Support

EPSON Accessories

Bonus Software Technical Support

INDEX 43

Summary of Contents for 480SX

Page 1: ...Printer Basics Printed on recycled paper English ...

Page 2: ...horized 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 S...

Page 3: ... 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 P...

Page 4: ... 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...

Page 5: ...lity 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 Your printer driver runs your printer and lets you control how your documents look You can t use ...

Page 6: ... 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 messa...

Page 7: ...asic 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...

Page 8: ...or 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 ...

Page 9: ...nto 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 inte...

Page 10: ... 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 t...

Page 11: ...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 My Computer double click your CD ROM or DVD drive icon then double click the Epson icon You see the Main Menu 3 Double click View Electronic Documentation This submenu appears 4 You can either view the manual from the CD ROM View Reference Guide or copy...

Page 12: ...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 Click here to expand the table of contents Closed list click to expand Click to go to topic ...

Page 13: ... 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...

Page 14: ...ge guide 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 I If you re printing on envelopes or other special paper sizes or types see page 16 for loading instructions Click here to o...

Page 15: ... Properties dialog box The most important thing to remember is to set the correct Media Type for the paper you re using If necessary click the Main tab to display the settings shown below I 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 Select higher quality ...

Page 16: ...on 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 EPSON Stylus COLOR 480 icon 3 Select Properties Document Defaults in Windows...

Page 17: ...ng You can also see how much ink you have left and view printing tips For more advanced printer settings see the next section For more information on printing for example previewing your printout changing the paper size or adding a watermark see your electronic Reference Guide described on page 7 Click to start printing Click to cancel printing Does not appear if you are printing over a network Cl...

Page 18: ...d special effects such as Soft Focus To use PhotoEnhance you must select Color ink you cannot turn on PhotoEnhance with Black ink selected If your photograph was taken with a digital camera you can select Digital Camera Correction to give your printed images the appearance of photographs taken with a film camera For more fine tuning you can select from a list of specialized settings for photograph...

Page 19: ...Web See your Windows 98 or Windows 2000 online help for details To access these settings click Custom then click the Custom Settings list to open it Using Advanced Settings For maximum control over your project you can customize your print settings such as Print Quality and Gamma and use special effects To access these settings in your printer software click Custom and then click the Advanced butt...

Page 20: ...et from film processing Photo Paper is available in a variety of sizes Keep the following in mind when using EPSON Photo Paper Always load the paper with the whiter glossier side facing up Load Photo Paper or Panoramic Photo Paper one sheet at a time Use a support sheet if it is included in the paper package Select Photo Paper as the Media Type setting To keep your printouts looking their best sto...

Page 21: ...per If you don t have the support sheets use plain paper cut to size 2 When you create the image in your application software size it to 4 25 6 25 inches Or use your printer software s Reduce Enlarge settings as described in your electronic Reference Guide 3 Choose Photo Paper as the Media Type setting 4 Choose Photo Paper 4 6 in as the Paper Size setting and Maximum as the Printable Area setting ...

Page 22: ...le side up Place them against the right side of the sheet feeder 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 Select Plain paper as the Media Type setting and choose the correct envelope size as the Paper Size setting If the printing smears or you have banding light lines try turning off High S...

Page 23: ... Paper EPSON Iron On Cool Peel Transfer Paper 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper EPSON High Quality Ink Jet Paper EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Note Cards EPSON Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheets Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper EPSON Matte Paper Heavyweight Matte Paper Heavyweight EPSON Photo Paper EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper EPSON Glossy Photo...

Page 24: ...20 ...

Page 25: ...lean the print head This unclogs the nozzles so they can deliver ink properly You can check to see if any nozzles are clogged by running the Nozzle Check utility Then if you need to clean the print heads you can do so from the utility See the next section for instructions If you don t want to check the nozzles first you can run the Head Cleaning utility to clean the print head as described on page...

Page 26: ...ay click Finish If any dots are missing as shown here click Clean and follow the instructions on the screen to clean the print head again The actual test prints the lower pattern in color If you don t see any improvement after cleaning three or four times check the solutions in Problems Getting Good Print Quality on page 36 You can also turn the printer off and wait overnight this allows any dried...

Page 27: ...ck to confirm the print head nozzles are clean Click Print Nozzle Check Pattern 5 Make sure letter size or larger paper is loaded in the printer Then follow the instructions on the screen to print a nozzle check 6 See page 22 for details on examining the nozzle check pattern If the nozzle check pattern isn t missing any dots click Finish To right click place your cursor on the Status Monitor 3 ico...

Page 28: ...twork to use the Print Head Alignment utility Follow these steps 1 Make sure the printer is plugged in but not printing and letter size or larger paper is loaded 2 Right click the Status Monitor 3 icon on your Windows taskbar then select Print Head Alignment in the menu that appears You see the window below For the best results load EPSON ink jet paper in the printer whenever you check the print h...

Page 29: ...eplacing an Ink Cartridge When your ink levels are low Status Monitor 3 displays a message on your screen When you see the message it s a good time to make sure you have a new cartridge or replace it right away When an ink cartridge is empty Status Monitor 3 displays another message and you must replace the cartridge to resume printing You may also need to replace an ink cartridge if it s more tha...

Page 30: ...lacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge on page 28 Ink Cartridge Precautions Before you replace an ink cartridge follow these precautions 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 Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children and do not drink the ink If ink gets on your hands wash them ...

Page 31: ...above Once you start the ink cartridge replacement procedure you must complete all the steps in one session 1 Click the How to button 2 Follow the instructions on the screen to replace the ink cartridge 3 After you ve installed the cartridge the printer begins charging ink for several minutes Wait until you see a message telling you that charging is complete before resuming printing Never unplug t...

Page 32: ... Properties from the menu that appears You see this window 4 Click the Utility tab then click the Ink Cartridge Replacement button 5 Follow the instructions on the screen to replace the ink cartridge 6 After you ve installed the cartridge the printer begins charging ink for several minutes Wait until you see a message telling you that charging is complete before resuming printing You can only acce...

Page 33: ...erior of the printer with a soft damp cloth 4 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 includ...

Page 34: ...printer with tape as shown then close the printer cover 5 Repack the printer and attachments in the original box using the protective materials that came with it Be sure to keep the printer level as you transport it After transporting the printer remove the tape securing the print head and then print a document If you notice a decline in print quality clean the print head see page 21 if output is ...

Page 35: ...your printer can t report to you such as installation or print quality problems look for a section describing the problem beginning on page 33 For help identifying the parts of your printer see page 32 If you need to contact EPSON or one of your bonus software manufacturers see page 41 or page 42 It s a good idea to check EPSON s web site periodically for possible updates to your printer driver Vi...

Page 36: ...nter Parts If you need help identifying the parts of the printer refer to these illustrations sheet feeder left edge guide printer cover paper support ink cartridge holders do not remove output tray ink cartridge clamps ...

Page 37: ...rinter while it s charging it may not charge properly and use more ink than necessary the next time you plug it in Make sure the ink cartridge clamps are locked down completely and that no packing material remains in the printer Unplug the printer wait a few seconds then plug it in again to resume printing You re having problems installing the printer software Carefully follow the instructions on ...

Page 38: ...er outlet Make sure you installed the printer software and both ink cartridges as described on the Start Here sheet Also check that your printer is selected in your application or as your default Windows printer If you re printing on a network you need to set up your printer for network printing as described in your electronic Reference Guide The printer sounds as though it is printing but nothing...

Page 39: ...the fastest printing try the following Choose Black ink if your document doesn t include color Set the Quality Speed slider to Speed In the printer software s Advanced dialog box turn MicroWeave off and turn High Speed on If the printer is connected to your computer s parallel port enable ECP DMA mode on the port for maximum print speeds See your computer documentation or contact the manufacturer ...

Page 40: ... be more than six months old to replace it see page 28 Try using Automatic mode See page 11 for instructions Run the Print Head Alignment utility using EPSON ink jet paper See page 24 for instructions Turn off High Speed printing in the Advanced dialog box Your printout is blurry or smeared Make sure your paper isn t damp curled or loaded face down the printable side should be loaded face up If it...

Page 41: ... You see wrong or missing colors Make sure you selected the Color ink setting 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 If you re low on ink you ll see a low ink error window Click How To and follow the on screen instructions to install a new cartridge If you don t see an error window a cartridge may be more ...

Page 42: ...lution or print it in a smaller size see your software documentation Problems with Paper Feeding Too many copies are printing Make sure the Copies settings in the printer software and your application aren t both set for multiple copies Paper doesn t eject fully or is wrinkled If the paper doesn t eject fully you may see a paper jam error window on your screen Click the Eject button to eject the p...

Page 43: ...t If necessary unplug the printer open the cover and remove all the paper that s inside including any small pieces that may have torn off If your paper jams frequently Use smooth high quality paper loaded printable side up the whiter or shinier side on special ink jet paper Fan the stack and then even the edges before loading it Don t load paper above the arrow mark on the left edge guide Always l...

Page 44: ...r 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 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...

Page 45: ...rs a day through the electronic support services and automated telephone services listed in the following table Service Access World Wide Web 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 and user manuals and access troubleshooting information EPSON Internet FTP Site If y...

Page 46: ...66 for dealer referral Bonus Software Technical Support Before contacting technical support know the type of computer and operating system you have and make a note of the problem you re having including any on screen messages Software Telephone Fax E mail ArcSoft PhotoPrinter and PhotoFantasy 510 440 9901 M F 8 30 AM to 5 30 PM PST 510 440 1270 support arcsoft com Or write to ArcSoft Inc 46601 Fre...

Page 47: ...1 to 24 printer 29 sheets 19 21 29 Colors incorrect 37 Controlling printing 13 Copies setting 38 Custom project types 15 D Default settings 12 Digital Camera Correction setting 14 Documentation 3 7 to 8 E Electronic manual 1 7 to 8 Empty ink cartridge 27 Envelopes 18 EPSON accessories 26 42 help 41 to 42 papers 16 to 19 F Faint images 37 Filters 14 Flip Horizontal setting 40 G Gamma setting 15 Glo...

Page 48: ...7 Moving printer 30 N Network printing 33 Noise 33 35 Nozzle check pattern 21 to 24 O Outdated ink cartridges 28 P Panoramic Photo Paper 16 18 Paper EPSON 16 to 19 feeding problems 38 to 39 loading 9 to 10 16 to 18 size 13 Photo Paper 16 to 19 Photo Quality Glossy Paper or Film 19 Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper 19 Photo Stickers 19 PhotoEnhance 14 Preprinted paper 10 Previewing 13 Print dialog box 10...

Page 49: ...s 2 installation problems 33 reinstalling 40 to 41 uninstalling 40 Special effects 15 Special papers 16 to 19 sRGB Standard Red Green Blue setting 15 Status Monitor 3 22 to 25 27 to 28 31 Support 41 to 42 System requirements 4 T Technical support 41 to 42 Transfer Paper Iron On Cool Peel 19 40 Transparencies 19 Transporting printer 30 Troubleshooting 31 to 42 U Uninstalling software 40 USB 4 41 Ut...

Page 50: ...46 ...

Page 51: ...ent 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 apparatus complies with...

Page 52: ...nty 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 printer after its shipment from ...

Page 53: ...ity Ink Jet Cards A6 4 1 x 5 8 inches S041054 EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Note Cards A6 4 1 x 5 8 inches S041147 EPSON Glossy Photo Greeting Cards Letter 8 5 x 11 inches S041267 EPSON Photo Paper 4 x 6 inches Letter 8 5 x 11 inches A4 8 3 x 11 7 inches Panoramic 8 3 x 23 inches S041134 S041141 S041140 S041145 EPSON Photo Stickers Kit CD ROM paper EPSON Photo Stickers refill A6 4 1 x 5 8 inches A6 ...

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