Epson Stylus C88 User manual

Epson Stylus C88+
Quick Guide
®

2
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Basic Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Printing in Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Printing with Macintosh OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Using Special Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Printing Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Printing Photos in Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Printing Photos with Macintosh OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Replacing Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Purchasing Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Ink Cartridge Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Solving Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Checking the Printer’s Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Where To Get Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Requirements and Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Windows System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Macintosh System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
FCC Compliance Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Epson America, Inc. Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Introduction 3
Introduction
The Epson Stylus®C88+ printer is the ideal desktop printer for business and
home use. With its exceptional speed and print resolutions, it is practical for
everyday tasks, yet capable of delivering superior photo printing.
Your printer features Epson’s exclusive DURABrite®Ultra pigment inks. These
quick-drying inks are resistant to water, fading, and smudging on plain and photo
paper—so your prints stand the test of time. Because the ink particles remain near
the surface and don’t bleed through, they’re ideal for double-sided prints.
Note:
The light resistance of prints is rated up to 100 years on specialty papers, and 70 years
on plain paper. The light resistance rating is based on accelerated testing of prints on
Epson®special media, displayed indoors, under glass. Actual print stability will vary
according to media, printed image, display conditions, light intensity, humidity, and
other atmospheric conditions. Epson does not guarantee the longevity of prints. For
maximum print life, display all prints under glass or lamination or properly store them.
After you have set up your Epson Stylus C88+ as described on the Start Here sheet,
use these instructions to:
■Load paper
■Print from Windows®or on a Macintosh®
■Replace ink cartridges
■Solve simple problems
For more information about your printer, see the on-screen User’s Guide. An icon
for the manual was automatically placed on your desktop when you installed the
software.
Please follow these guidelines as you read the instructions:
Warning:
Warnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.
Caution:
Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.
Note:
Notes contain important information about your printer.
Tip:
Tips contain hints for better copying, scanning, and printing.

4Loading Paper
Loading Paper
The type of paper you choose affects the way your printout looks, so be sure to
select the correct paper for your job. If you are just printing a rough draft, plain
paper is fine. For best results, however, you’ll want to use one of Epson’s special ink
jet papers designed for your printer. For example, your photos will look great
printed on Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper. See page 13 for more
information.
Follow these steps to load paper in your printer:
1. Open the output tray and pull out its extension.
2. Squeeze the left edge guide and slide it to the left.

Loading Paper 5
3. Insert the paper, printable side up, against the right edge guide. Then slide the
left edge guide against the paper (but not too tightly).
Note:
You can load up to 100 sheets of plain paper and up to 20 sheets of most types of
photo paper. (See the on-screen User’s Guide for specific paper capacity
guidelines.)
Follow these guidelines when loading paper:
■Don’t load paper above the arrow on the left edge guide.
■Load the printable side face-up. It’s often brighter or whiter than the
other side.
■Always load the short edge first, even when printing in landscape mode.
■Load letterhead or preprinted paper into the printer top edge first.
■If you experience paper feeding problems, try loading fewer sheets.
■If you’re using special paper, check the package for special loading
instructions.
Letter-size paper
4 x 6-inch or
5 x 7-inch paper

6Basic Printing
Basic Printing
Follow the instructions in this section for basic printing of your documents. For
Windows, see below. For Macintosh OS X, see page 9.
If you are printing photographs, also see page 15 for more information about
printing photos.
Printing in Windows
1. Open the File menu and select Print. You see a Print window like this one:
2. Make sure EPSON Stylus C88 Series is selected.
3. Click the Properties or Preferences button. (If you see a Setup, Printer, or
Options button, click it. Then click Properties or Preferences on the
next screen.)
Click here to
open your printer
software
Select EPSON Stylus C88 Series

Printing in Windows 7
You see the basic print settings window:
4. Select from these Quality Option settings:
■Draft: For rough drafts with reduced print quality
■Text: For text-only documents with higher text quality
■Text & Image: For documents with text and images with higher quality
■Photo: For photos and graphics with good quality and speed
■Best Photo: For photos or graphics with high print quality
5. Select the correct paper Type and Size settings for the paper you loaded in
the printer. See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 14.
6. Select Portrait or Landscape for the Orientation setting.
Select the type
of document
you’re printing
Select your
paper Type
Select your
paper Size Select your
document or
image orientation
Click here for
more options

8Basic Printing
7. For more printing options, click the Advanced button. Then select the
following settings as necessary.
Note:
For more information about advanced settings, or instructions on saving them as a
group so you can reuse them later, click ?or Help.
8. If you want to change the layout settings, click the Page Layout tab and
select settings as necessary.
9. Click OK to save your settings, then click OK or Print to start printing.
Select a color management method
(To choose No Color Adjustment, click ICM first)
Click here to select
Photo RPM for the
best print quality on
certain paper types
Select Print Options
as necessary
Select Paper & Quality
Options as necessary
Click here if you want to see this Advanced
screen each time you access your print settings

Printing with Macintosh OS X 9
During printing, this window appears to show the progress of your print job. You
can use the buttons to cancel, pause, or resume printing. You can also see the ink
cartridge status.
Tip:
You can also cancel printing by pressing the paper button on your printer.
Printing with Macintosh OS X
Follow the steps below for basic printing of your Macintosh OS X documents.
Before you begin, make sure you added your printer to the Print Center as
described on the Start Here sheet.
1. Open the File menu and select Page Setup. You see the Page Setup window:
Cancel printing
Pause or resume
printing
Check ink cartridge
status
Select Stylus C88
Select your Paper Size
Select your document
or image orientation

10 Basic Printing
2. Select Stylus C88 in the Format for pop-up menu.
3. Select your Paper Size. For borderless printing, choose a paper size with the
Sheet Feeder-Borderless option.
4. Select portrait or landscape for the orientation.
5. Click OK.
6. Open the File menu and select Print. You see a window like this one:
7. Select Stylus C88 in the Printer pop-up menu.
8. Select Print Settings from the pop-up menu.
9. Select the following Print Settings as necessary:
Select Print Settings
Select Stylus C88
Select your Media Type
(see page 14)
Select Color or
Black ink
Select higher
quality or faster
printing (if available)
Select
Automatic mode

Printing with Macintosh OS X 11
Depending on your settings, you can choose these other options from the
pop-up menu:
■Copies & Pages: Select the number of copies you want, or a page range.
■Layout: Select page layout options.
■Output Options: Save your print job as a PDF file.
■Scheduler: Schedule your print job to print at a later time.
■Paper Handling: Select page printing options, such as Reverse print
order.
■ColorSync or Color Management: Select ColorSync®or adjust the
color controls, change the gamma setting, or turn off color adjustments in
the printer software.
■Expansion: Reduce or enlarge the image size for borderless printing.
■Summary: View a list of all your selections.
10. Click the Advanced button to change these settings:
Note:
For more information on advanced settings, or instructions on saving them as a
group so you can reuse them later, click ?.
11. Click Print.
Select Photo RPM
for the best print
quality on certain
paper types

12 Basic Printing
12. To monitor the progress of your print job, click the printer icon when it
appears in the dock on the bottom of your desktop.
If you’re using OS X, click the Print Center icon instead, then double-click
Stylus C88 in the Printer List window.
You see a screen like this:
Tip:
You can also cancel printing by pressing the paper button on your printer.
13. When you’re finished, close the printer window or Print Center.
Cancel printing
Resume printingPause printing
Select the
print job

Using Special Papers 13
Using Special Papers
You can use the following special Epson papers in your Epson Stylus C88+.
You can purchase genuine Epson ink and paper from an Epson authorized reseller.
To find the nearest reseller, call 800-GO-EPSON (800-463-7766). Or you can
purchase online at www.epsonstore.com (U.S. sales) or www.epson.ca (Canadian
sales).
Paper name Size Part number
Epson Ultra Premium Glossy Photo
Paper
Borderless 4 × 6 inches S041934
Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) S041935
Epson Premium Bright White Paper Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) S041586
Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper Borderless 4 × 6 inches S041808
S041727
Borderless 5 × 7 inches S041464
Borderless 8 × 10
inches
S041465
Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) S041286
S041667
Epson Premium Semigloss Photo
Paper
Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) S041331
Epson Glossy Photo Paper Borderless 4 × 6 inches S041809
Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) S041141
S041649
S041272
S041271
Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight Borderless 8 × 10
inches
S041467
Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) S041257
Epson Double-Sided Matte Paper Letter (8.5 × 11 inches) S041568
Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper Letter (8.5 x 11 inches) S041062
Legal (8.5 x 14 inches) S041067
A4 (8.3 x 11.7 inches) S041061

14 Basic Printing
Selecting the Correct Paper Type
Be sure to select the correct Type or Media Type setting in your printer software:
For this paper Select this setting
Plain paper
Epson Premium Bright White Paper
Plain Paper/Bright White Paper
Epson Ultra Premium Glossy Photo Paper Ultra Premium Glossy Photo Paper
Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper Premium Glossy Photo Paper
Epson Premium Semigloss Photo Paper Premium Semigloss Photo Paper
Epson Glossy Photo Paper Glossy Photo Paper
Epson Matte Paper Heavyweight
Epson Double-Sided Matte Paper
Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper
Matte Paper - Heavyweight
Envelopes Envelope

Printing Photos 15
Printing Photos
You can print beautiful snapshots and enlargements with or without white
borders. With proper care, photographs from your Epson Stylus C88+ will last for
many years. For best results, always use Epson papers. (See “Using Special Papers”
on page 13 for more information.)
As with traditional photos, Epson recommends proper care that will minimize
color changes and lengthen display life:
■Frame prints under glass or in a protective plastic sleeve to protect them from
atmospheric contaminants like humidity, smoke, and high levels of ozone.
■As with all photographs, keep your prints away from direct sunlight.
■For proper storage, keep your prints in a photo album or plastic photo storage
box in acid-free, archival sleeves commonly available from most camera stores.
■Always keep unused paper in the original package.
For instructions on loading photo paper, see page 4. Then see below for printing
in Windows, or page 19 for printing in Mac OS X.
Printing Photos in Windows
1. Open the File menu and click Print.
2. Make sure your printer is selected, then click Properties or Preferences. (If
you see a Setup, Printer, or Options button, click it. Then click Properties
or Preferences on the next screen.)

16 Printing Photos
You see a window like this one:
3. Select Photo or Best Photo as the Quality Option setting.
4. Select the paper Type for the paper you’re using. (See page 14.)
5. For pictures without white borders, click the Borderless checkbox. Read the
message and click OK.
6. Select your paper Size setting.
7. Select Portrait or Landscape as the orientation setting.
8. Do one of the following:
■Click OK, then click OK or Print.
■If you want to print at the highest resolution possible, or use special
settings, continue with the steps in the next section.
Select Photo or
Best Photo
Click here
for photos
without
white
borders
Click here for
more settings;
then see page 17

Printing Photos in Windows 17
Customizing Your Photo Settings
1. On the Main tab, click the Advanced button in the bottom right corner of
the window. If you see a warning note, click Continue.
2. Select the following advanced settings as necessary:
Note:
For the highest print quality, select Photo RPM. Please note that printing will take
longer in this mode and it is not available if you choose the Borderless checkbox.
For more information about the print settings, click ?or Help.
3. Once you’ve finished selecting advanced settings, you can:
■Click OK to save your settings, return to the Print window, and print.
■Click the Basic button to return to the basic settings.
■Click the Page Layout tab and continue with step 4 to select layout
options.
Select a color management method
(To choose No Color Adjustment, click ICM first)
Click here to select
Photo RPM (5760 × 1440)
for the best print quality
on certain paper types
Adjust
colors here

18 Printing Photos
4. Select the following page layout settings as necessary:
Note:
Some layout settings may not be available, depending on other settings you chose.
5. Select image position or resizing options as necessary. These affect only your
printed image, and are not available for borderless printing.
6. If you’re printing borderless photos, you can
adjust the Expansion slider to choose Min,
Max, or the in-between setting.
Min is the least amount of image expansion;
there may be a small white edge on the borders
of the print. Max expands the image to ensure
that there are no unprinted edges, but the edges
of the image may not appear in the print.
7. Click OK to save your settings, then click OK or Print.
Select image
resizing
options here
Select image
position
options here
Adjust
borderless
setting here (see
step 6, below)

Printing Photos with Macintosh OS X 19
Printing Photos with Macintosh OS X
1. Start your photo program and open your photo file.
2. Open the File menu and select Page Setup. You see a window like this one:
3. Select Stylus C88 in the Format for pop-up menu.
4. Select your Paper Size. For borderless photos, choose one of the following:
■4 x 6 (Sheet Feeder-Borderless)
■5 x 7 (Sheet Feeder-Borderless)
■8 x 10 (Sheet Feeder-Borderless)
■Letter (Sheet Feeder-Borderless)
5. Select portrait or landscape as the orientation setting.
6. Click OK.
7. Open the File menu and click Print.
Select Stylus C88
Select your Paper Size

20 Printing Photos
8. Select Stylus C88 in the Printer menu and select Print Settings from the
pop-up menu. You see a window like this one:
9. Select the correct Media Type option to match the paper you’re using.
(See “Selecting the Correct Paper Type” on page 14 for more information.)
10. Select Quality (for higher quality) or Speed (for faster printing) using the
slider.
11. Do one of the following:
■Click Print.
■If you want to print at a higher resolution or use special settings, continue
with the steps in the next section.
Select Print Settings
from the list
Select Stylus C88
Click Advanced
for more options