Epson Stylus PHOTO 870 Installation guide

®
®
EPSON Stylus Photo 870
EPSON Stylus Photo 1270
Printer Basics
Printed on recycled paper with at least 15% post-consumer content.

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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.
Trademarks
EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.
PRQ is a registered trademark and Micro Piezo, Epson Software, PhotoEnhance, and EPSON Store 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.
CPD-9806R2
Copyright © 2000 by Epson America, Inc. 7/00
Pbasicstoc.fm Page ii Monday, July 31, 2000 2:58 PM

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Contents
WELCOME! 1
About Your Software 3
About Your Documentation 5
Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips 5
Windows System Requirements 6
Macintosh System Requirements 7
ENERGY STAR Compliance 8
Important Safety Instructions 8
Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions 9
VIEWING YOUR ELECTRONIC PRINTER MANUAL 11
Accessing Your Electronic Printer Manual 11
Navigating Your Electronic Printer Manual 12
PRINTING FROM START TO FINISH 15
Printing with Windows 15
Loading Paper 15
Opening the Printer Software 16
Selecting Printer Software Settings 17
Controlling Printing 19
Printing on a Macintosh 20
Loading Paper 20
Opening the Printer Software 21
Selecting Printer Software Settings 22
Controlling Printing 23

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Using PhotoEnhance, Custom, and Advanced Settings 24
Using PhotoEnhance 24
Using Custom Settings 25
Using Advanced Settings 25
Using Advanced Color Management 26
Printing CMYK Format Files 26
Using Color Management Profiles 26
Using Special Papers 27
EPSON Premium Glossy Photo Paper 27
Matte Paper - Heavyweight 27
EPSON Photo Paper 28
Envelopes 30
Taking Care of Your Photographs 31
Selecting Your Paper Type 32
USING ROLL PAPER 33
Loading Roll Paper 33
Printing on Roll Paper 36
Roll Paper Basics 36
Printing Edge-to-Edge 4 x 6 Snapshots 37
Printing Panoramics or Banners on Roll Paper 50
Printing on Paper Cut From a Roll 54
Removing and Storing Roll Paper 56
MAINTAINING YOUR PRINTER 57
Cleaning the Print Head 57
Using the Head Cleaning Utility 58
Using the Control Panel to Clean the Print Head 59
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern 60

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Replacing an Ink Cartridge 61
Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges 62
Aligning the Print Head 64
Cleaning the Printer 65
Transporting the Printer 66
PROBLEM SOLVING 67
Diagnosing Printer Problems 67
Checking the Control Panel Lights 67
Running a Printer Check 69
Identifying Printer Parts 70
Problems and Solutions 71
Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Software 71
Problems with Printing 72
Problems Getting Good Print Quality 73
Problems with Paper Feeding 76
Solving Miscellaneous Printout Problems 77
Uninstalling Printer Software 78
Uninstalling Windows Software 78
Uninstalling Macintosh Software 78
Reinstalling Printer Software 78
Where To Get Help 79
EPSON Technical Support 79
EPSON Accessories 80
Bonus or Photo Software Technical Support 81
INDEX 83

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Welcome!
With your EPSON Stylus®Photo printer, you can print anything from reports and
resumes to photos and back light film with superior color results. Using EPSON’s
specially formulated inks and lightfast Premium Glossy Photo or Matte Heavyweight
paper, you can cherish your digital photographs for years to come, just like your
traditionally printed photos.
Both the EPSON Stylus Photo 870 and EPSON Stylus Photo 1270 give you:
■Resolutions up to 1440 by 720 dpi (dots per inch), even on plain paper
■Six-color printing for PRQ®(photo reproduction quality) color and incredibly
smooth gradations
■EPSON’s exclusive Micro Piezo™ink jet technology for cleaner “unvisible” dots
as small as 4 picoliters
■Wide variety of ink jet papers to choose from, including Photo Paper, Premium
Glossy Photo Paper, Matte Heavyweight Paper, Photo Stickers, transparencies,
and more
■Fast photo print speeds: approximately 48 seconds for a 4 ×6-inch photo or one
minute and 50 seconds for an 8 ×10 in Fine mode
■Specially designed print engine for whisper-quiet operation
For more details about your printer model, see the next sections.

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EPSON Stylus Photo 870
Your EPSON Stylus Photo 870 is the ideal
printer for all your digital photography
projects. Whether you get your photos
with a scanner, digital camera, or digital
photo processing service, or download
them off the World Wide Web, you’ll get
real photo lab quality results.
You’ll also get:
■Great results on a variety of paper sizes from 3.5 ×3.5-inch up to 9.5 ×44-inch—
including letter, legal, envelope, card, and panoramic
■Roll paper holder kit for using EPSON Premium Glossy Photo Paper to print
4 ×6-inch photo reproductions from a convenient roll
EPSON Stylus Photo 1270
Your EPSON Stylus Photo 1270 is the
ideal printer for advanced photography
and all your large format printing projects.
Whether you’re creating over-sized
panoramics, photography portfolios, client
proofs, or enlargements, you’ll get
professional, photo lab quality results.
You’ll also get:
■Great results on a variety of paper sizes from 3.5 ×3.5-inch up to 13 ×44-inch—
including letter, legal, envelope, card, panoramic, A3, B, and Super B
■Optional roll paper holder (part number C811062) for printing on 13-inch-wide
EPSON Photo Paper (for large panoramics) or 4-inch-wide Premium Glossy
Photo Paper (for 4 ×6-inch photo reproductions) loaded from a convenient roll
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About Your Software
The printer software CD-ROM that came with your printer
includes all the software you need for printing. (You must
have a CD-ROM or DVD drive installed on your computer.)
■Your printer driver runs your printer and lets you control
how your documents look. You can’t use your printer
without it.
■Your electronic Reference Guide gives you complete
information about your printer. (You need an HTML
browser—such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer or
Netscape®Navigator,
®version 3.0 or later—to view
the guide.)
■Your bonus photo software:
EPSON Stylus Photo 870
It’s a good idea to check EPSON’s support web site periodically for
possible updates to your printer driver. Visit www.epson.com and
check the section for your product to see if there is a new driver
available for downloading to your computer. To check the version
number of your current driver, access the driver as described on
page 16 for Windows or page 21 for Macintosh; the version number
is shown below the EPSON logo.
EPSON Software™Film Factory™(Full version; Windows and
Macintosh)
Photo management software that lets you organize, beautify, and
print your photos in a flash.
Adobe®PhotoDeluxe®(version 3.1 for Windows®or version 2.0
for Macintosh®)
Easily bring photos into your computer, organize them in albums,
and make repairs and improvements—then share them with friends
via the World Wide Web.
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EPSON Stylus Photo 1270
Adobe Photoshop®5.0 LE (Windows and Macintosh)
World-standard photo editing software with the basic image editing
tools preferred by graphic design professionals. You need to enter a
serial number when you install Photoshop 5.0 LE. A sticker
containing your serial number is attached to your CD-ROM sleeve.
EPSON Stylus Photo 1270 owners have an exclusive upgrade price
of $299 for the full version of Adobe Photoshop. To upgrade or for
more information on this offer, call 1-800-492-3623 and mention
Source Code 56100. The offer expires 9/30/01.
Monaco Systems™MonacoEZcolor™1.5 (software offer)
Powerful color management tool lets you build ICC device profiles
for accurate color between scanned, displayed, and printed images.
The offer is available at a discounted price for EPSON Stylus Photo
1270 owners, for a limited time. Call [phone] to order from
Monaco Systems. The color management package includes
software, a target print, and a corresponding target file. You can
install the software and target file from your printer CD-ROM.
However, you won’t be able to use the software until you obtain the
target print, available by mail when you purchase the color
management package for $149 (U.S.)—that’s half off the retail price
of $299. The offer expires 3/31/01.
EPSON Software Film Factory (trial version)
Photo management software that lets you organize, beautify, and
print your photos in a flash. Try it for 30 days—if you like it,
purchase an unlock key at www.epsonsoftware.com.

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About Your Documentation
To set up your printer and install its software, see the Start Here poster. This book
contains system requirements, important safety information, and instructions on:
■viewing your electronic printer manual
■printing with Windows or on a Macintosh
■using special papers
■printing on roll paper
■maintaining the printer
■solving basic problems
For more details about printing with, maintaining, or troubleshooting your printer,
see your electronic Reference Guide. For instructions on viewing it, see page 11.
Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips
Please follow these guidelines:
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 better printing.

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Windows System Requirements
To use your printer and its software, your system should have:
■A Microsoft®Windows®compatible PC with a Pentium®processor, 200 MHz or
faster, recommended
■Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0
■64MB of RAM (128MB or more recommended)
■100MB of free hard disk space (200MB or more recommended)
■CD-ROM or DVD drive for installing the printer software
■Parallel connection: an IEEE-1284 compliant parallel cable, up to 10 feet long
(3 meters).
USB connection: a computer running Windows 98 with a Windows 98
compliant USB port and a shielded USB “AB” cable up to 9.8 ft. (3 meters) long.
Using an improperly shielded USB cable—especially a cable more
than 9.8 ft. (3 meters) long—may cause the printer to malfunction.

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Macintosh System Requirements
To use your printer and its software, your system should have:
■An Apple®iMac™series, Power Macintosh,
®G3, or G4 with USB port
■For iMac: Mac®OS 8.1 or later (Mac OS 8.5.1 or later recommended)
For Power Macintosh G3 or later: Mac OS 8.5.1 or later
If you have an iMac, you may need to update your operating system
before installing your printer software:
■If you’re running OS 8.1, you must install iMac Update 1.0
■If you’re running OS 8.5 or 8.5.1, Apple recommends
that you install iMac Update 1.1
Download the update for your system from the Apple web site. Contact
Apple if you have problems installing an update.
To find out which operating system your iMac is running, select About
This Computer from the Apple menu.
■64MB of available RAM (more recommended)
■150MB of free hard disk space (200MB recommended)
■CD-ROM or DVD drive for installing the printer software
■A shielded USB “AB” cable up to 9.8 ft. (3 meters) long.
Using an improperly shielded USB cable—especially a cable more
than 9.8 ft. (3 meters) long—may cause the printer to malfunction.
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ENERGY STAR Compliance
As an ENERGY STAR Partner, EPSON has determined that
this product meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy
efficiency. The EPA ENERGY STAR office equipment
program is a voluntary partnership with the computer and
office equipment industry to promote the introduction of
energy-efficient personal computers, monitors, printers, fax
machines, and copiers in an effort to reduce air pollution
caused by power generation.
Important Safety Instructions
Before using your printer, read the following safety instructions to make sure you use
the printer safely and effectively:
■Be sure to follow all warnings and instructions marked on the printer.
■Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a radiator or heating vent
or in direct sunlight.
■Use only the type of power source indicated on the printer’s label.
■Connect all equipment to properly grounded power outlets. Avoid using outlets
on the same circuit as photocopiers or air control systems that regularly switch on
and off.
■Place the printer near a wall outlet where the plug can be easily unplugged.
Placez l’imprimante près d’une prise de contacte où la fiche peut être débranchée
facilement.
■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 ampere rating of all devices plugged into the wall
outlet does not exceed the wall outlet’s ampere rating.

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■Turn off and unplug the printer before cleaning. Clean with a damp cloth only.
Do not spill liquid on the printer.
Always turn the printer off using the Ppower button. Don’t switch
off the power strip or unplug the printer until the Ppower light is off.
■Do not block or cover the openings in the printer’s case or insert objects through
the slots.
■Except as specifically explained in this manual, 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 case 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.
Ink Cartridge Safety Instructions
■Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children and do not drink the ink.
■Do not shake an ink cartridge; this can cause leakage.
■If ink gets on your skin, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets
in your eyes, flush them immediately with water.
■Install the ink cartridge immediately after you remove it from its foil package. If
you leave a cartridge unpacked for a long time before using it, normal printing
may not be possible.
■Do not dismantle the ink cartridges. This could damage the print head.
■Do not touch the green chip on the back of the cartridge. This may inhibit
normal operation and printing.
■In these ink cartridges, the IC chip retains a variety of cartridge-related
information (such as the amount of ink remaining) so that a cartridge may be
removed and reinserted freely. However, each time the cartridge is inserted, some
ink is consumed because the printer automatically performs a reliability check.

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■If you remove an ink cartridge for later use, be sure to protect the ink supply area
from dirt and dust, and store it in the same environment as the printer. Note that
there is a valve in the ink supply port, making covers or plugs unnecessary, but
care is needed to prevent the ink from staining items that the cartridge touches.
Do not touch the ink cartridge ink supply port or the surrounding area.
■Do not use an ink cartridge beyond the date printed on the cartridge carton;
otherwise it may result in reduced print quality. For best results, use up the ink
cartridges within six months of first installing them.
■Store ink cartridges in a cool, dark place.
■After bringing an ink cartridge inside from a cold storage site, allow it to warm up
at room temperature for at least three hours before using it.
■Do not put your hand inside the printer or touch the cartridge during printing.
■Do not move the print head by hand; otherwise you may damage the printer.
■Before transporting the printer, make sure the print head is capped in the far right
position and the ink cartridges are in place.

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Viewing Your Electronic Printer
Manual
Your printer software CD-ROM includes an electronic Reference Guide for your printer.
The manual is in HTML format, so you need a browser—such as Internet Explorer 3.0
or later or Netscape Navigator 3.0 or later—to view it. If you are using a different
browser, the pages may not display correctly. (A browser is not included on the printer
software CD-ROM.)
Accessing Your Electronic Printer Manual
You can view your electronic Reference Guide from the CD-ROM or copy it to your hard
drive and view it from there. Follow these steps:
1. Insert your printer software CD-ROM.
2. Windows: Double-click My Computer, double-click your EPSON
CD-ROM or DVD drive icon, then double-click the EPSON icon.
Macintosh: Double-click the EPSON CD-ROM icon, then double-click the
EPSON icon.
The Main Menu appears:

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3. Click View Electronic
Documentation. The main screen
for your printer appears:
4. You can either view the manual
from the CD-ROM (View
Reference Guide) or copy the
manual to your hard drive (Install
Reference Guide) and view it from
there. For details on viewing the
manual, see the next section.
If you copied the manual to your hard
drive, you can access it at any time, as follows:
Windows: Select Start, Programs, EPSON, and double-click ESP870 Guide or
ESP1270 Guide.
Macintosh: Open the EPSON Stylus Photo 870 or EPSON Stylus Photo 1270
folder and double-click View Reference Guide.
Navigating Your Electronic Printer Manual
When you first open the Reference Guide, you see this screen:
Click a topic on the left to expand the table of contents.
Click here to
expand the
table of
contents

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After expanding the table of contents, you can click on the topic you want to view.
If there’s a right arrow , click it to view subtopics, then click on a topic to go to it.
Click the down arrow to close a subtopic list.
If you see an icon for a graphic when viewing your Reference Guide
in Netscape Navigator, click the Reload button to load the graphic.
Closed list,
click to
expand
Click to go
to topic

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Printing from Start to Finish
Here’s what to do to print a basic document—such as a photograph, newsletter, or
memo—from loading the paper to selecting print settings to controlling the print job.
Follow the instructions in these sections:
■“Printing with Windows” below
■“Printing on a Macintosh” on page 20
If you’re already familiar with EPSON ink jet printing, you can skip
ahead to these sections:
■“Using PhotoEnhance, Custom, and Advanced Settings”
on page 24
■“Using Advanced Color Management” on page 26
■“Using Special Papers” on page 27
■“Taking Care of Your Photographs” on page 31
Printing with Windows
This section describes the basic steps for printing with Windows. (To print on a
Macintosh, see page 20.)
Loading Paper
Make sure your printer and
computer are turned on.
Place your paper against the right
edge guide and slide the left edge
guide against the paper.
Slide paper against the
right edge guide
Load paper only up
to this arrow