Epson Stylus Color 640 Manual

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SafetyInstructions . . . . .1
ImportantSafetyInstructions . . . . . 1
AFew Precautions . . . . . 2
Warnings, Cautions,and Notes . . . . . 4
Setting Up Your Printer . . . . .5
SystemRequirements . . . . . 5
PrinterPartsandFunctions . . . . . 6
AttachingthePaperSupport . . . . . 8
Plugging in the Printer . . . . . 8
Installingthe Ink Cartridges . . . . . 9
Connecting the Printer to Your PC . . . . 14
Installing the PrinterSoftware . . . . 15
LoadingPaper . . . . 18
Printing Your First Page . . . . 20
ReplacingInkCartridges . . . .22
Maintenance . . . .27
Checking the Print Head Nozzles . . . . 27
Cleaningthe PrintHead . . . . 28
AligningthePrintHead . . . . 30
Troubleshooting . . . .31
ErrorIndicators . . . . 31
Where to Get Help . . . . 33
Options and Consumable Products . . . .39
SafetyInstructions . . . . .1
ImportantSafetyInstructions . . . . . 1
AFew Precautions . . . . . 2
Warnings, Cautions,and Notes . . . . . 4
Setting Up Your Printer . . . . .5
SystemRequirements . . . . . 5
PrinterPartsand Functions . . . . . 6
AttachingthePaperSupport . . . . . 8
Plugging in the Printer . . . . . 8
Installingthe Ink Cartridges . . . . . 9
Connecting the Printer to Your PC . . . . 14
Installing the PrinterSoftware . . . . 15
LoadingPaper . . . . 18
Printing Your First Page . . . . 20
ReplacingInkCartridges . . . .22
Maintenance . . . .27
Checking the Print Head Nozzles . . . . 27
Cleaningthe PrintHead . . . . 28
AligningthePrintHead . . . . 30
Troubleshooting . . . .31
ErrorIndicators . . . . 31
Where to Get Help . . . . 33
Options and Consumable Products . . . .39
4008995
xx-00

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Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
A Few Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
PWarnings, Cautions, and Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Setting Up Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Printer Parts and Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Attaching the Paper Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Plugging in the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Installing the Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Connecting the Printer to Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Installing the Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Printing Your First Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Replacing Ink Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Checking the Print Head Nozzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Cleaning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Aligning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Error Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Where to Get Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Options and Consumable Products . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

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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.TheinformationcontainedhereinisdesignedonlyforusewiththisEPSON
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
thisproductor thirdparties for damages,losses, costs,or expenses incurredby thepurchaser
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.
SEIKOEPSONCORPORATION shallnotbe liableforany damagesorproblemsarising 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.
SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION shall not be held liable for any damage resulting from
electromagnetic interference that occurs from the use of any interface cables other than
EPSON Approved Products by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.
EPSONandEPSONESC/PareregisteredtrademarksandEPSONESC/PRasterandEPSON
Stylus are trademarks of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft 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.
Copyright © 1998 by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, Nagano, Japan.

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Safety Instructions
Important Safety Instructions
Read all of these instructions before using your printer. Also be
sure to follow all warnings and instructions marked on the
printer.
❏Do not block or cover the openings in the printer’s cabinet.
❏Do not insert objects through the slots. Take care not to spill
liquid on the printer.
❏Use only the type of power source indicated on the printer’s
label.
❏Connect all equipment to properly grounded power outlets.
Avoidusing outlets on the same circuit as photocopiers orair
control systems that regularly switch on and off.
❏Avoid electrical outlets controlled by wall switches or
automatic timers.
❏Keeptheentirecomputersystemawayfrompotentialsources
of electromagnetic interference, such as loudspeakers or the
base units of cordless telephones.
❏Do not use a damaged or frayed power cord.
❏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.
❏Do not attempt to service the printer yourself.

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❏Unplug the printer and refer servicing to qualified service
personnel under the following conditions:
The power cord or plug is damaged; liquid has entered the
printer; the printer has been dropped or the cabinet damaged;
the printer does not operate normally or exhibits a distinct
change in performance.
❏If you plan to use the printer in Germany, observe the
following:
To provide adequate short-circuit protection and over-
current protection for this printer, the building installation
must be protected by a 16 Amp circuit breaker.
Bei Anschluß des Druckers an die Stromversorgung muß
sichergestelltwerden,daßdieGebäudeinstallationmiteinem
16 A-Überstromschalter abgesichert ist.
A Few Precautions
When using the printer
❏Do not put your hand inside the printer or touch the ink
cartridges during printing.
❏Do not move the print head by hand; otherwise you may
damage the printer.
❏Always turn the printer off using the
Ppower button. When
this button is pressed, the
Ppower light flashes briefly then
goes off. Do not unplug the printer or turn off the power to
the outlet until the
Ppower light stops flashing.
❏Before transporting the printer, make sure the print head is in
the home (far right) position and the ink cartridges are in
place.

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When handling the ink cartridges
❏Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children.
❏If ink gets on your skin, wash it off with soap and water. If it
gets in your eyes, flush them immediately with water.
❏Do not shake an ink cartridge; this can cause leakage.
❏Install the ink cartridge immediately after you remove it from
its package. Leaving the cartridge unpacked for a long time
before use may result in reduced print quality.
❏Once you install an ink cartridge, do not open the clamp or
remove the cartridge except to replace it with a new one. The
cartridge may become unusable otherwise.
❏Do not use an ink cartridge beyond the date printed on the
cartridge carton. For best results, use up the ink cartridges
within six months of installing them.
❏Do not dismantle the ink cartridges or try to refill them. This
could damage the print head.
When choosing a place for the printer
❏Place the printer on a flat,stable surface that is larger than the
printer. The printer will not operate properly if it is tilted or
at an angle.
❏Avoid places subject to rapid changes in temperature and
humidity.Alsokeepitawayfromdirectsunlight,stronglight,
or heat sources.
❏Avoid places subject to shocks and vibrations.

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❏Place the printer near a wall outlet where the plug can be
easily unplugged.
Note for French-speaking users:
Placez l’imprimante prèsd’une prisede contacte où lafiche peut être
débranchée facilement.
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
wWarnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury.
cCautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.
Notes contain important information and useful tips on the operation
of your printer.

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Setting Up Your Printer
System Requirements
To use your printer, you need Microsoft®Windows®3.1,
Windows®95, Windows®98, or Windows®NT 4.0; a shielded,
twisted-pair parallel cable.
Your computer should also meet the following system
requirements:
Your computer dealer can help you update your system if it does
not meet these requirements.
Minimum system Recommended system
i386/25 MHz processor for Windows 3.1
i486/25 MHz for Windows 95 and NT 4.0
i486/66 MHz for Windows 98
Pentium or higher
processor
16MB RAM 32MB RAM or more for
Windows 3.1, 95 and 98
64MB or more for
Windows NT 4.0
10MB hard disk space for Windows 95
and 98
20MB for Windows 3.1 and NT 4.0
50MB or more free disk
space for Windows 3.1,
95, and 98
100MB or more for
Windows NT 4.0
VGA monitor VGA or better monitor

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Printer Parts and Functions
sheet feeder
edge guides
output tray extension
output tray
printer cover
paper support
ink cartridge clamps
adjust lever
Buttons and lights

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Buttons
Lights
o= on, f= flashing
Button Function
P
Power
Turns the printer on and off.Clears the printer's memory if pressed twice while thepower is on.
E
Load/Eject
Loads or ejects paper if pressed and released within 2
seconds.
Resumes printing if pressed and released after a paper
out error.
R
Cleaning
Moves the print head to the ink cartridge replacement
position if pressed for 3 seconds while the
Bor
Aink out
light is flashing or on.
Returns the print head to its home position after ink
cartridge replacement.
Performs print head cleaning if pressed for 3 seconds
when the
Bor Aink out light is off.
Light Status Printer Status
o
PPrinter is on.
f
PReceiving data, replacing an ink cartridge, charging
ink, or cleaning the print head.
o
SPaper out. Load paper in the sheet feeder; then press
the
Eload/eject button to resume printing.
f
SPaper jam. Take all the paper out of the feeder, and
reload the paper. If the light continues to flash, turn off
theprinterandgentlypullallthepaperoutoftheprinter.
f
BInk low. The black ink cartridge is nearly empty. Obtain
a black ink cartridge (S020187).
o
BInk out. The black ink cartridge is empty. Replace the
black ink cartridge (S020187).
f
AInk low. The color ink cartridge is nearly empty. Obtain
a color ink cartridge (S020191).
o
AInk out. The color ink cartridge is empty. Replace the
color ink cartridge (S020191).

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Attaching the Paper Support
Insert the paper support into the slots at the rear of the printer.
Plugging in the Printer
1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. It is off when the
P
power button protrudes slightly from the surface of the control
panel.
2. Check the label on the back of the printer to make sure the
voltage required by the printer matches that of the electrical
outlet you will be plugging it into. Also, make sure that you
have the correct power cable for your power source.
cCaution:
It is not possible to change the printer's voltage. If the rated
voltage and your outlet voltage do not match, contact your
dealer for assistance. Do not plug in the power cord.
3. If the power cord is not attached to the printer, connect it to
the AC inlet on the back of the printer.
4. Plug the power cord into a properly grounded electrical
outlet.

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Installing the Ink Cartridges
Before installing the ink cartridges, note the following.
wWarning:
The ink cartridges are self-contained units. Under ordinary use,
ink will not leak from a cartridge. If ink does get on your hands,
wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets into your
eyes, flush them immediately with water.
Note:
❏Do not open the ink cartridge packages until just before you install
them, or the ink may dry up.
❏Always use new ink cartridges. Reinstalling partially empty ink
cartridges causes the printer to send inaccurate information to the
Status Monitor regarding the amount of ink remaining.
Install the ink cartridges as follows:
1. Lower the output tray; then open the printer cover.

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2. Turn on the printer.
The print head moves slightly to the left, which is the ink
cartridge install position. The
P power light flashes and the
B
and
A ink out lights come on.
cCaution:
Do not move the print head by hand. Otherwise you may
damage the printer.
3. Lift up the ink cartridge clamps.

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4. Open the ink cartridge packages. Next, remove only the
yellow tape seals from each cartridge.
cCaution:
❏Remove the yellow tape seals from the cartridges before
installing them; otherwise the cartridges may become
unusable.
❏Do not remove the blue portion of the tape seals from the
cartridges;otherwise thecartridges may become clogged
and cannot print.
❏Do not remove the tape seals from the bottom of the
cartridges; otherwise, ink will leak.
5. Place the cartridges gently into their holders with the labels
face-up. The color ink cartridge, which is larger, goes on the
right and the blackgoes onthe left. Donot press down on the
cartridges.
Note:
Install both ink cartridges. If either of the cartridges is not installed,
the printer will not work.

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6. Press the ink cartridge clamps down until they lock in place.
cCaution:
Once you install the ink cartridges, do not open their clamps
again until you replace the ink cartridges. Otherwise, the
cartridges may become unusable.
7. Press the
R cleaning button.The printer moves the print head
and begins charging the ink delivery system.
The ink charging process may take about one minute to
complete, during which time the
Ppowerlightflashesandthe
printer produces a variety of mechanical sounds. These sounds
are normal. When the ink delivery system has been charged, the
print head returns to its home (far right) position.
cCaution:
Neverturnofftheprinterwhilethe
P power lightisflashing.

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8. Close the printer cover.
Now you are ready to connect the printer to your computer. See
the next section.

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Connecting the Printer to Your PC
To connect the printer to your computer, you need a shielded,
twisted-pair parallel cable.
1. Make sure both the printer and computer are turned off.
2. Plug the cable connector securely into the printer's interface
connector.Thensqueezethewireclipstogetheruntiltheylock
inplaceonbothsides.Ifyourcablehasagroundwire,connect
it to the ground connector below the interface connector.
3. Plug the other end of the cable into the computer's parallel
interface. If there is a ground wire at the computer end of the
cable, connect it to the ground connector at the back of the
computer.
See the next section for instructions on installing the printer
software. You must install the printer software before using your
printer.

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Installing the Printer Software
After connecting the printer to your computer, you need to install
the software included on the “Printer Software for EPSON Stylus
COLOR 640” CD-ROM shipped with your printer.
Your printer software includes:
❏Printer driver
The printer driver is the software that runs, or “drives,” your
printer. With it, you can make settings such as print quality,
speed, media type, and paper size.
❏Utilities
The Nozzle Check, Head Cleaning, and Print Head
Alignment utilities help you keep your printer in top
operating condition.
❏EPSON Status Monitor 2 (not for Windows 3.1)
The EPSONStatusMonitor2notifiesyouofprintererrorsand
displays printer status information such as the amount of ink
remaining. The Status Monitor also guides you when
replacing ink cartridges.
❏HIGH QUALITY IMAGES (for Windows 95and NT 4.0 only)
HIGH QUALITY IMAGES allows you to quickly and easily
see the kind of high-quality printout available from the
EPSON Stylus COLOR 640.
If you are using the floppy disk version of the software, make a
backupcopy oftheEPSONprinter software diskbeforeyoubegin
installation. If you wish to make a floppy disk version of the
printer software on your CD-ROM, you can use the Driver disk
creation utility included on the CD. See “Installing in Windows
95, 98, andNT 4.0” on page 16, or “Installing in Windows 3.1” on
page 16.

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Installing in Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0
1. Insert the printer software CD shipped with your printer in
the CD-ROM drive. The Installer dialog box appears. (For
floppy disk users, insert the disk in a disk drive, then double-
click the FD drive icon and double-click the Setup.exeicon.)
2. Click Install to start the printer software installation.
3. When the installation is complete, click OK.
Note:
❏If the New Hardware Found screen or any other Wizard appears
whenyouturnonyourcomputer,clickCancelandfollowthesteps
above.
❏Installation time varies depending on your computer.
For information on opening and using the software, see “Printing
YourFirstPage”onpage20.Seealso“UsingthePrinterSoftware”
in the online Reference Guide.
If you use your printeron a network with Windows 95, 98,or NT
4.0, see “Network Printing” in the online Reference Guide.
Installing in Windows 3.1
Follow these steps to install the software in Windows 3.1:
1. MakesureWindows3.1is runningandtheProgram Manager
window is open.
2. Insert the printer software CD shipped with your printer in
the CD-ROM drive. (If you use the floppy disk version, insert
it in a disk drive.)

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3. Choose Runfrom the File menu. You see the Run dialog box.
In the Command Line box, type D:SETUPand click OK. If the
CD-ROM drive has a drive letter other than “D”, or ifyou are
using the floppy disk version, substitute the appropriate
letter.
Note:
If you wish to make a floppy disk version of the printer software
included on your CD-ROM, type EPSETUP instead of SETUP. In
the dialog box that appears, click the Driver disk creation utility
button and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. The installation program begins copying the printer software
files.
5. When the installation is complete, click OK to exit the
installation program.
The installation program automatically selects this printer as the
default printer for Windows applications.
For information on opening andusing the software, see “Printing
YourFirstPage”onpage20.Seealso“UsingthePrinterSoftware”
in the online Reference Guide.