Epson Stylus Color 900 User manual

EPSON Stylus COLOR 900
Manual
color900.book Page 1 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM

Copyright Notice
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. The information contained herein is designed only for
use with this EPSON 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 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 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 SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.
EPSON, EPSON Stylus, and ESC/P are registered trademarks and ESC/P 2 is a trademark of SEIKO EPSON
CORPORATION. SoundAdvice is a service mark and PhotoEnhance and EPSON FaxAdvice are trademarks
of Epson America, Inc.
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 © 1998 by Epson America, Inc. ESC9001298
12/98
color900.book Page 2 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM

Page 3
Contents
Introduction 9
Windows System Requirements 10
Macintosh System Requirements 11
How To Use Your Manuals 12
Using Links 13
Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips 13
ENERGY STAR Compliance 14
Year 2000 Ready 14
Important Safety Instructions 14
Basic Printing 17
Printing from Windows 17
Printing from Windows Applications 18
Setting Default Printer Options 21
Checking Printer Status 23
Printing from a Macintosh 26
Checking Printer Status 29
color900.book Page 3 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM

Page 4
Advanced Printing 30
Using Custom Project Types 31
Customizing Print Quality and Special Effects 34
Customizing Color Settings 37
Using PhotoEnhance3 or Digital Camera Correction Mode 38
Using Custom Color Management Modes 39
Using a Color Management System 42
Using ColorSync on the Macintosh 43
Selecting Paper Size and Orientation Options 44
Selecting Paper Options in Windows 45
Selecting Paper Options on a Macintosh 50
Selecting Print Layout Options 55
Choosing Print Layout Options in Windows 55
Choosing Print Layout Options on a Macintosh 63
Using Print Preview on the Macintosh 71
Saving Custom Settings 73
Revising Custom Settings 74
Deleting Custom Settings 75
color900.book Page 4 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM

Page 5
Printing on Special Media 76
Selecting Special Media 77
Media Loading and Handling Guidelines 79
Letterhead, Preprinted Forms, and Legal-size Paper 81
Envelopes 81
EPSON Photo Paper 82
EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards 85
EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies 85
EPSON Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheets 85
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film 86
EPSON Photo Stickers 87
EPSON Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper 87
Managing Print Jobs 88
Managing Print Jobs in Windows 95, Windows 98, and
Windows NT 4.0 89
Using the Progress Meter 90
Displaying the Progress Meter 91
Using the Spool Manager 93
Using Status Monitor 2 94
Managing Print Jobs in Windows 3.1 109
Using the Spool Manager 109
color900.book Page 5 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM

Page 6
Managing Print Jobs on a Macintosh 112
Using Monitor3 113
Using the Macintosh Status Monitor 116
Selecting Configuration Options 118
Setting Up Background Printing Options 120
Network Printing 122
For Windows 95 and 98 Users 122
Setting Up the Host System 122
Setting Up Client Systems 124
For Windows NT 4.0 Users 125
Setting Up Your Printer as a Shared Printer 125
Accessing the Printer Through a Network 126
For Macintosh Users 128
Selecting the Printer in the Chooser 128
Optional Interfaces 129
Using PC Interface Boards 130
Using Macintosh Interface Boards 130
Installing Optional Interfaces 131
color900.book Page 6 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM

Page 7
Maintenance and Transportation 133
Cleaning the Print Head 134
Using the Head Cleaning Utility 134
Using the Control Panel 135
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern 137
Replacing an Ink Cartridge 138
Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges 139
Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge 142
Aligning the Print Head 145
Using the Print Head Alignment Utility 145
Using the DOS Print Head Alignment Utility 146
Using the Control Panel Buttons 147
Cleaning the Printer 148
Transporting the Printer 149
Troubleshooting 150
Identifying Printer Parts 151
Diagnosing Problems 152
Checking the Control Panel Lights 153
Running a Printer Check 155
Confirming the Printer ID Number 156
Improving Print Quality 157
Solving Printing Problems 164
Solving Printer Software Problems 169
color900.book Page 7 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM

Page 8
Fixing Paper Problems 175
Solving Miscellaneous Printout Problems 178
Uninstalling Printer Software 182
Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0 Instructions 182
Windows 3.1 Instructions 183
Macintosh Instructions 184
Where To Get Help 185
Specifications 187
Printing 187
Paper 188
Ink Cartridges 192
Mechanical 193
Electrical 193
Environmental 194
Safety Approvals 194
Interfaces 195
Index 197
color900.book Page 8 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM

Introduction Page 9
Introduction
Your EPSON Stylus®COLOR 900 printer is the ideal output device for
business graphics, digital photographs, newsletters, and more. With
resolutions up to 1440 by 720 dpi and EPSON’s unique variable micro
droplet technology, you get amazingly realistic photographic images, vivid
color graphics, and sharp black text—all at unprecedented speeds.
The printer software for Microsoft®Windows®and Apple®Macintosh®
provides advanced color management with adjustable levels of
brightness, contrast, sharpness, and other settings. You get even more
precise color matching with ColorSync™2.01 and two Windows color
management systems.
EPSON’s specially formulated ink cartridges and wide variety of ink jet
papers offer the most flexibility for getting the results you want. With
standard parallel, serial, and high-speed USB (Universal Serial Bus)
ports, setting up your printer is fast and easy.
This chapter gives general printer information in these sections:
◗Windows System Requirements
◗Macintosh System Requirements
◗How To Use Your Manuals
◗ENERGY STAR Compliance
◗Year 2000 Ready
◗Important Safety Instructions
color900.book Page 9 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM

Introduction Page 10
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 386/25 MHz (for
Windows 3.1x), 486/25 MHz (for Windows 95 or Windows NT®4.0),
or 486/66 MHz (for Windows 98) processor
◗DOS, Windows 3.1x, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0
◗At least 16MB of RAM (32MB for Windows 3.1, 95, or 98 or 64MB for
Windows NT 4.0 recommended)
◗At least 50MB of free hard disk space for storing images (100MB
recommended)
◗VGA, Super VGA, or better display adapter and monitor
◗Double-speed (2X) CD-ROM 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 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 feet
(2.0 meters) long.
Using an improperly
shielded USB cable—
especially a cable
more than 6.5 feet
(2.0 meters) long—
may cause the printer
to malfunction.
color900.book Page 10 Wednesday, January 6, 1999 12:39 PM