Epson Stylus 1500 Manual

INK JET PRINTER
Setup and Software Guide for Macintosh
®
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Seiko Epson Corporation.
No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein.
Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information
contained herein.
Neither Seiko Epson Corporation nor its affiliates shall be liable to the purchaser of this
product or third parties for damages, losses, costs, or expenses incurred by purchaser or
third parties as a result of: accident, misuse, or abuse of this product or unauthorized
modifications, repairs, or alterations to this product, or (excluding the U.S.) failure to
strictly comply with Seiko Epson Corporation’s operating and maintenance instructions.
Seiko Epson Corporation shall not be liable against any damages or problems arising from
the use of any options or any consumable products other than those designated as
Original EPSON Products or EPSON Approved Products by Seiko Epson Corporation.
EPSON, EPSON Stylus, and EPSON ESC/P are registered trademarks and
EPSON ESC/P 2 is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation.
General Notice: Other product names used herein are for identification purposes only and
may be trademarks of their respective owners. EPSON disclaims any and all rights in
those marks.
The Energy Star emblem does not represent EPA endorsement of any product or service.
Copyright © 1995 by Epson America, Inc. 9/95
Printed on recycled paper with at least 10% post-consumer content

FCC Compliance Statement
For United States Users
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio and television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures.
❑Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
❑Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
❑Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is 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 digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from
digital apparatus as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian
Department of Communications.
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appareils numériques de Classe B prescrites dans le règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des Communications du Canada.
ii

Contents
Introduction
Getting the Most Out of Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Three Resolutions to Choose From . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Special Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Specially Formulated Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Automatic Halftone Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Where to Get Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Electronic Support Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 1 Setting Up the Printer
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Choosing a Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Attaching the Paper Support and Output Tray . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Plugging In and Turning On the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Installing the Black Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Installing the Optional Color Upgrade Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Installing the Color Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Installing the Color Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
If You Are New to Color Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Loading Paper in the Sheet Feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Testing the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Installing the LocalTalk or Ethernet Board . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Connecting the Printer to Your Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
LocalTalk Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Ethernet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Turning On the Printer’s Network Interface Mode . . . . . 1-26
iii

Chapter 2 Installing and Using the Printer Driver
Installing the Macintosh Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Assigning a Name to the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Using the Chooser to Select the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Using the Macintosh Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Accessing the Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Color/Halftone Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Page Gap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Print Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Visual Effects Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Selecting Paper Size and Orientation Using Page Setup . . . 2-14
Chapter 3 Using the Printer Driver Utilities
Managing Print Jobs on the Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Calibrating the Printer with Bi-D Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Index
iv

Introduction
The EPSON®Stylus® 1500 is an affordable, high-quality ink jet
printer that produces realistic grayscale images, sharp text, and
line art at a resolution of 720 ×720 dpi. The Stylus 1500 comes
equipped for printing in black ink; however, you can easily
upgrade it to print in color with the optional Color Upgrade
Kit. With the Color Upgrade Kit, the Stylus 1500 can print up to
16 million colors to produce full-color, photo-quality images.
Note that to connect the printer to an Apple®Macintosh®or to
an AppleTalk®or EtherTalk®network so multiple Macintosh
computers can share the printer, you need to obtain a
LocalTalk®(model # C823121) or Ethernet (model # C823312)
interface board. Contact your dealer or call EPSON Accessories
at [phone] (U.S. only). In Canada, call (800) BUY-EPSON
for sales locations. Then follow the instructions in Chapter 1 to
install the board in your computer.
The Stylus 1500 is easy to install and use. You simply set up the
printer, install the LocalTalk or Ethernet board, and install the
Macintosh printer driver as described in this book. The printer
also has a built-in parallel interface so you can connect it to an
IBM®PC compatible computer. For information on other
interface options, see “Using Optional Interfaces” in the
Reference Guide.
Note:
For instructions on using the printer with a PC, see the Setup and
Software Guide for Windows.
®
This manual explains how to do the following:
❑Set up your printer, load plain paper, install the LocalTalk
or Ethernet board, and connect your printer to your
computer. See Chapter 1 to begin.
Introduction 1

❑Install and use the printer driver to print your documents.
See Chapter 2 for step-by-step instructions.
❑Manage your print jobs and calibrate the printer using the
utilities that came with the printer driver; see Chapter 3.
After you’ve installed the driver, select the README1st icon in
the Driver Disk Window for the latest information.
Refer to the Reference Guide for instructions on operating and
maintaining your printer, as well as for troubleshooting tips
and technical specifications.
Getting the Most Out of Your Printer
The printer supports a wide variety of settings that let you
improve print quality or speed up printing. You can customize
these settings using the printer driver to produce a variety of
image types with EPSON’s specially formulated inks and
papers.
Three Resolutions to Choose From
Resolution is a measure of the amount of detail that can be
represented. The higher the resolution, the more detailed and
realistic the image, and the longer it takes to print. For printed
images, resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi).
The printer has three resolutions, or printing modes: 720 dpi,
360 dpi, and 180 dpi. Use 720 dpi for the best possible images.
For high-quality images in less time, use 360 dpi. When speed
is important and draft quality is good enough, use 180 dpi. For
guidelines on selecting the best resolution for your print job,
see Chapter 2.
2 Introduction

Special Papers
The type of paper you use is very important. Although you get
good results with plain bond paper, you will get better results
by using coated papers because they do not absorb as much ink.
To ensure the best possible quality, EPSON offers special
coated papers, glossy papers, and transparencies that are
formulated specifically for the inks used by the printer. You
can order these products directly from EPSON Accessories at
[phone] (U.S. sales only). For more information about
special papers and other media, see Chapter 1 of the Reference
Guide.
Specially Formulated Ink
EPSON’s black and color ink cartridges are specially
formulated to work with EPSON papers and the driver to
deliver the best looking images. Always use genuine EPSON
ink cartridges and do not refill them. Other products may cause
damage not covered by EPSON’s warranties.
Make sure you use ink cartridges within six months of
installing them and before the expiration date on the package.
Automatic Halftone Settings
The printer driver includes an automatic Method option that
determines the correct halftone settings for you, as described in
Chapter 2. When set, the driver analyzes the elements on a
page to be printed and automatically adjusts the halftone
settings so your printed results are appropriate for the image
type.
Introduction 3

Where to Get Help
If you purchased your printer in the United States or Canada,
EPSON provides customer support and service through a
network of Authorized EPSON Customer Care Centers. In the
United States and Canada, EPSON also provides the following
services when you dial [phone]:
❑Technical information on the installation, configuration,
and operation of EPSON products
❑Assistance in locating your nearest Authorized EPSON
Reseller or Customer Care Center
❑Customer relations
❑EPSON technical information library fax service
❑Product literature on current and new products.
You can purchase ink cartridges, paper, parts, printed manuals,
and accessories for EPSON products from EPSON Accessories
at [phone] (U.S. sales only). In Canada, call
(800) BUY-EPSON.
If you purchased your printer outside the United States or
Canada, contact your EPSON dealer or the marketing location
nearest you for customer support and service.
If you need help with any software program you are using,
see that program’s documentation for technical support
information.
4 Introduction

Electronic Support Services
If you have a modem, the fastest way to access helpful tips,
specifications, drivers, application notes, and bulletins for
EPSON products is through the online services below.
EPSON Bulletin Board Service
You can call the EPSON Bulletin Board Service (BBS) at
[phone]. No membership is required. Make sure your
communications software is set to 8 data bits with 1 stop bit,
no parity bit, and a modem speed up to 28.8 Kbps. See the
documentation that came with your communications software
for more information.
CompuServe Online Support
CompuServe®members can call the Epson America Forum on
CompuServe. If you are already a member, simply type
GO EPSON at the menu prompt to reach the Forum.
If you are not currently a member, you are eligible for a free
introductory membership as an owner of an EPSON product.
This membership entitles you to:
❑An introductory credit on CompuServe
❑Your own user ID and password
❑A complimentary subscription to CompuServe Magazine,
CompuServe’s monthly publication.
To take advantage of this offer, call [phone] in the
United States and Canada and ask for representative #529.
In other countries, call the following U.S. telephone number:
[phone], or your local CompuServe access number.
Introduction 5

Important Safety Instructions
Before using your printer, read the following safety
instructions to make sure you use it safely and effectively.
❑Turn off and unplug the printer before cleaning. Clean with
a damp cloth only. Do not spill liquid on the printer.
❑Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a
radiator or heat register.
❑Do not block or cover the openings in the printer’s cabinet
or insert objects through the slots.
❑Use only the type of power source indicated on the
printer’s label.
❑Connect all equipment to properly grounded power
outlets; do not use an adapter plug. Avoid using outlets on
the same circuit as photocopiers or air control systems that
regularly switch on and off.
❑Do not let the power cord become damaged or frayed.
❑If you use an extension cord with the printer, make sure the
total ampere rating of the devices plugged into the
extension cord does not exceed the cord’s ampere rating.
Also, make sure the total of all devices plugged into the
wall outlet does not exceed 15 amperes.
❑Except as specifically explained in the Reference Guide, do
not attempt to service the printer yourself.
❑Unplug the printer and refer servicing to qualified service
personnel under the following conditions:
If the power cord or plug is damaged; if liquid has entered
the printer; if the printer has been dropped or the cabinet
damaged; if the printer does not operate normally or
exhibits a distinct change in performance. Adjust only those
controls that are covered by the operating instructions.
6 Introduction

Chapter 1
Setting Up the Printer
As you follow the instructions in this chapter to set up your
printer, refer to the illustrations on the inside front cover to
identify the printer’s components.
System Requirements
To use your printer with a Macintosh, it is recommended that
you have the following:
❑Any Macintosh or Power Macintosh model except the
Macintosh +, Macintosh 512, or Macintosh PowerBook100
❑System 7.1 or later
❑At least 8MB of available system RAM
❑A hard disk with at least 40MB of unused space to store
and print color images. The amount of space you need
depends on the number and size of your color images.
For a LocalTalk connection, you also need:
❑LocalTalk interface board (model #C823121)
❑Two LocalTalk Locking Connector Kits (DIN 8 version),
one for your printer and one for your computer. If your
Macintosh is already part of a network, you need only one
connector kit.
Setting Up the Printer 1-1

For an Ethernet connection, you also need:
❑An Ethernet interface board (model #C823312)
❑A transceiver for your Macintosh (depending on your
Macintosh)
❑10BASE2 thin coaxial cable with BNC connectors or
10BASE-T cable with RJ-45 connectors
❑50 ohm terminator (depending on your setup).
To purchase the LocalTalk or Ethernet board, contact your
dealer or call EPSON Accessories at [phone] (U.S. only).
In Canada, call (800) BUY-EPSON for sales locations.
Choosing a Location
When choosing a location for the printer, use a surface that is
flat, horizontal, and stable. If you are using a printer stand, it
must support at least 50.7 pounds (23 kg).
Avoid locations subject to rapid changes in temperature and
humidity. Also keep the printer away from direct sunlight,
heat sources, and sources of electromagnetic interference, such
as the base units of cordless telephones.
Always leave adequate space around the printer to
accommodate its cables. Make sure nothing is pressing against
the knob on the left side of the printer.
1-2 Setting Up the Printer

Unpacking the Printer
In addition to this guide, your printer box should include two
EPSON printer driver diskettes, a Reference Guide, a Setup and
Software Guide for Windows, a Notice Sheet, and these items:
You must remove all protective materials packed around and
inside your printer before you set it up and turn on the power.
Follow the directions on the Notice Sheet (packed with the
printer) to remove these materials.
Save all packaging and protective materials in case you need
to transport the printer in the future. It should always be
transported in its original packaging or equivalent materials.
printer paper
support
black ink
cartridge
output
tray
Setting Up the Printer 1-3

Attaching the Paper Support and Output Tray
1. Attach the paper support by placing the hole on the right
side of the support over the right mounting post on the
printer. Then push the notch on the left side onto the left
mounting post.
2. Attach the output tray by fitting the notches on the tray
over the mounting posts, as shown below. Make sure the
output tray is locked firmly in place.
1
2
1-4 Setting Up the Printer

Plugging In and Turning On the Printer
Follow these steps to plug in and turn on the printer:
1. Make sure you have removed all protective packing materials
from inside the printer. (See page 1-3 for more information.)
2. Make sure the printer is turned off by checking the position
of the Operate button. The printer is off when the surface
of the button is even with the button protectors on each side.
3 Plug the power cord into a properly grounded electrical outlet.
4. Turn on the printer by pressing the Operate button. The
Pause light flashes whiles the printer completes its
power-on routine. During the power-on routine, the print
head moves back and forth and the paper feed wheels turn.
Setting Up the Printer 1-5

Installing the Black Ink Cartridge
Follow the steps in this section to install your printer’s black
ink cartridge.
wWarning:
The ink cartridge is a self-contained unit. Under ordinary use,
ink will not leak from a cartridge. If ink gets on your hands,
wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets into
your eyes, flush them immediately with water.
cCaution:
Do not open the ink cartridge package until just before you
install it or it may become too dry.
1. Make sure the printer is turned on.
2. Remove the ink compartment cover as shown.
3. Remove the ink cartridge from its package.
1-6 Setting Up the Printer

4. Insert the end of the cartridge with the foil plug into the ink
compartment following the instructions on the cartridge.
Push the cartridge all the way into the compartment. You
will feel some resistance.
When the cartridge is correctly installed, the Ink Out Olight
goes off.
Note:
If the Ink Out Olight remains on, the ink cartridge may not be
installed correctly. Remove it and then reinsert it as described
above.
5. Reattach the ink compartment cover as shown.
12
Setting Up the Printer 1-7

The first time you install the ink cartridge, the printer
automatically charges the ink delivery system. This takes
about two minutes.
cCaution:
During the ink charging process, the Pause light flashes.
Never turn off the printer while the Pause light is
flashing. Also, never remove the ink cartridge while ink is
being charged in the system.
When you need to replace ink cartridges, see Chapter 3 of
the Reference Guide for instructions. Be sure to use only
genuine EPSON ink cartridges and do not refill them.
Other products may cause damage not covered by
EPSON’s warranty.
Installing the Optional Color Upgrade Kit
You can upgrade your printer to print in color by installing
the optional Color Upgrade Kit (C832161). Contact your
dealer or call EPSON Accessories at [phone] (U.S. only).
In Canada, call (800) BUY-EPSON for sales locations.
Install the color print head as described in this section and the
color ink cartridge as described in the next section, then select
color printing through the printer driver as described in
Chapter 2.
cCaution:
Once you install the color print head, you must leave it
installed. Otherwise, it may become unusable.
1-8 Setting Up the Printer

Installing the Color Print Head
Follow these steps to install the color print head:
1. Make sure the printer is turned on and the Data light is off.
2. Open the printer cover using the notch in the middle of the
cover.
3. Press the Pause button to turn the Pause light on.
4. Hold down the Alt button for about five seconds until the
print head unit moves slightly left, to the print head install
position. The Pause light flashes.
cCaution:
Do not move the print head unit by hand. Always use the
Alt button to move it.
Setting Up the Printer 1-9

5. Raise the blue print head unit release lever as far as it will go.
6. Remove the protective cover from the print head
compartment.
cCaution:
Do not touch the carriage inside the printer; this may
damage the printer.
1-10 Setting Up the Printer