Epson Stylus Photo 1200 Installation guide

EPSON
®
Stylus Photo 1200
Printer Basics

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EPSON Ink Jet Papers
Use EPSON’s paper and inks to get the same photo quality results that have earned your printer all of
its awards! EPSON’s 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’s just a few of EPSON’s papers:
360 dpi Ink Jet Paper
Bright white coated paper for quick printing at lower resolutions with brilliant
results. Perfect for letters, charts, clip art, and color drafts.
Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper
Acid-free, bright white, with a smooth matte finish to create your best
impression. Perfect for presentations, newsletters, color reproductions, and all
your photo and craft projects.
Photo Paper and Panoramic Photo Paper
Photo lab quality, heavier weight glossy paper available in a variety of
sizes. Perfect for color photo keepsakes of snapshots, framed art,
banners, and panoramics.
Photo Quality Glossy Film
Durable, bright white film sheets with the highest-gloss finish. Perfect for
printing professional quality, high-resolution photographs of all your digital
images.
Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper
Transfer your designs and photographs onto T-shirts or other cloth items. Perfect
for ironing onto team T-shirts, canvas bags, crafts, and gifts.
See the inside back cover for a list of EPSON papers and ordering information.

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Contents
WELCOME! 1
About Your Software 1
Your Bonus Software Applications 2
About Your Documentation 3
Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips 3
Windows System Requirements 4
Macintosh System Requirements 5
ENERGY STAR Compliance 6
Year 2000 Ready 6
Printer Parts 6
Important Safety Instructions 7
Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions 8
EPSON DIGITAL PHOTOLAB PRO 9
Navigating Through EPSON Digital PhotoLab Pro 10
VIEWING YOUR ELECTRONIC PRINTER MANUAL 11
Opening Your Electronic Manual 11
Navigating an Electronic Manual 12
PRINTING FROM START TO FINISH 13
Printing with Windows 13
Printing with a Macintosh 16

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Using EPSON Special Papers 18
Photo Paper (4 × 6-inch) 18
Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper 19
Photo Quality Glossy Film 19
Envelopes 19
Photo Paper (13 in × 32.8 ft roll) 20
Choosing the Right Settings for EPSON Papers 21
Printing with Custom Settings 22
Using Custom Project Types 22
Customizing Print Settings 24
Preserving Photos on EPSON Photo Paper 26
MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER 27
Cleaning the Print Head 27
Using the Head Cleaning Utility 28
Using the Control Panel 29
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern 30
Replacing an Ink Cartridge 30
Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges 31
Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge 33
Aligning the Print Head 35
Cleaning the Printer 35
Transporting the Printer 36
PROBLEM SOLVING 37
Diagnosing Printer Problems 37
Checking the Control Panel Lights 37
Running a Printer Operation Check 39

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Problems and Solutions 40
Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Its Software 40
Problems Getting Good Print Quality 42
Uninstalling Printer Software 45
Where To Get Help 46
EPSON Technical Support 46
Bonus Software Technical Support 48
USING PRINTER SOFTWARE DISKETTES 49
Ordering Printer Software Diskettes 49
Installing Printer Software from Diskettes 50
Installing Windows Software 50
Installing Macintosh Software 51
CONFIGURING FOR A WINDOWS NETWORK 53
Setting Up the Host System 53
Setting Up Client Systems 54
INDEX 55

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Welcome!
Your EPSON Stylus®Photo 1200 printer is the ideal large format output device for
digital photographs, full-color graphics, layout proofs, and more. You can print
anything from reports and resumes to panoramic photos and banners with fabulous
results. The printer gives you optimum photo quality using these features:
■EPSON’s advanced Micro Piezo™print head and variable dot technology
produce small (6 picoliter), consistent dots and place ink precisely for superior
image quality
■Six-color printing for PRQ®(photo reproduction quality) color and subtle
gradations in photographs, as well as laser sharp black text
■Resolutions up to 1440 × 720 dpi, even on plain paper
■PhotoEnhance3 setting for clear, true photos by correcting for overall under- or
over-exposure and automatically adjusting contrast, saturation, and brightness
■Fast drying times for all your photos, courtesy of EPSON’s quick-drying inks
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 your printer without it.
■Quick Guide to Printing (Windows®only) gives an on-screen demonstration on
using your printer software and EPSON papers to get the best quality output.
■The EPSON Digital PhotoLab™Pro and bonus software applications help you
create a myriad of printing projects to get the most out of your printer.
■Your electronic EPSON Stylus Photo 1200 Manual gives you complete online
information about your printer, anytime you need it.

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If you haven’t yet installed the printer software from your CD-ROM, see the Start
Here card for instructions.
Your Bonus Software Applications
Your printer software CD-ROM contains these bonus
software applications that you can install from EPSON
Digital PhotoLab Pro:
*Adobe Photoshop 5.0 LE Registration
You’ll need to input your personal registration number for Adobe Photoshop 5.0 LE when you
install or run the program for the first time. The registration number is printed on a small sticker
on the CD-ROM jacket affixed to the front of your printer’s
Start Here card. You’ll also find the
number on the Photoshop registration card included with your documentation. Once you locate
the registration number, enter it when Photoshop prompts you for it.
Adobe®Photoshop®5.0 LE, a world-standard image editing
program that lets you create, retouch, and enhance digital
images for virtually any medium—from the printer to the
World Wide Web. Quickly create your own original artwork,
photo collages, and montages, and edit and retouch digital
images with the creative tool the designers use.*
Altamira Group Genuine Fractals™2.0 Trial Version, an
award-winning Photoshop plug-in for producing
high-resolution digital images for enlargement, no matter
what your original image resolution was. This 60-day trial
version lets you try out its powerful, professional-quality
results on your favorite scanned or digital camera photos.
Vivid Details Test Strip®2.0, an award-winning Photoshop
plug-in for color-correcting, proofing, and color-calibrating
your digital images. You can remove unwanted color casts,
alter brightness, contrast, and saturation levels, preview
before-and-after images, and then view accurate test proofs on
any device to get the results you want.

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About Your Documentation
To set up your printer and install its software, see the Start Here card. This book
contains instructions on:
■Using the EPSON Digital PhotoLab Pro
■Viewing your electronic manual
■Printing with Windows or Macintosh
■Maintaining the printer
■Solving basic problems
■Installing printer software from diskettes, if necessary
■Configuring your printer for use on a Windows network
For more details about your printer, see the electronic EPSON Stylus Photo 1200
Manual. For instructions on viewing it, see page 11.
Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips
You’ll find this information throughout your manuals:
Warnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.
Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your
equipment.
Notes contain important information about your printer.
Tips contain additional hints for great printing.

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Windows System Requirements
To use your printer and its software with a PC, 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) processor (Pentium®
100 MHz or faster recommended)
■Microsoft®Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0
■At least 16MB of RAM (32MB for Windows 95 or 98 or 64MB for
Windows NT 4.0 recommended)
■At least 50MB of free hard disk space (100MB recommended)
■VGA, Super VGA, or better display adapter and monitor
■Quad-speed (4x) or faster CD-ROM drive for installing the printer software
■For parallel connection, a high-speed, bidirectional, IEEE-1284 compliant
parallel cable (6 to 10 feet long); the cable must have a D-SUB, 25-pin, male
connector for your computer and a 36-pin, Centronics®compatible connector for
the printer.
For USB connection to a computer running Windows 98 with a Windows 98
compliant USB port, a shielded USB “AB” interface cable, from Series A
(computer) to Series B (printer), up to 6.5 ft. (2 meters) long.
Using an improperly shielded USB cable—especially a cable
more than 6.5 ft. (2 meters) long—may cause the printer to
malfunction.