Printer Basics CPD-6967
How To Order EPSON Ink and Paper To order EPSON ink cartridges, paper and other printing media, contact your dealer or call EPSON Accessories at (800) 873-7766 (U.S. sales only). In Canada, please call (800) 873-7766 for dealer referral.
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.
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.
Contents Introduction1 Welcome 1 About Your Documentation 2 2 Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips System Requirements Year 2000 Ready ENERGY STAR Compliance Important Safety Instructions 3 3 4 4 About Your Software Your Creative and Internet Software Applications 6 Installing the Creative Software 7 8 Viewing Your Electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual Opening Your Electronic Manual Navigating a Manual 8 9 How To Print Using the Guided Printing Exercise 10 Printing a Memo Printing a Photogra
Maintenance Cleaning the Print Head Using the Head Cleaning Utility Using the Printer Control Panel Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern Replacing an Ink Cartridge Removing an Empty Ink Cartridge Installing the New Cartridge Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge Aligning the Print Head Transporting the Printer 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 Problems? Need Help? Diagnosing Problems Checking the Control Panel Lights Running a Printer Check Problems and Solutions Problems Setting Up the Printer or Using the Softw
Printer Software Diskettes Ordering Printer Software Diskettes Installing the Printer Software from Diskettes Windows 95,Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0 Instructions Windows 3.1 Instructions 43 44 44 45 Additional Installation Instructions Installing from the CD-ROM for Windows 3.
Introduction Welcome Your EPSON Stylus® COLOR 640 printer is the ideal output device for small office or home printing. You can print anything from reports and resumes to photos and greeting cards with great results.
About Your Documentation To set up your printer and install its software, see the Start Here card. This book contains instructions on: ■ running the Guided Printing Exercise with Adobe ® PhotoDeluxe™ ■ printing on plain paper ■ printing on EPSON Photo Paper ■ accessing your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual ■ maintaining the printer ■ troubleshooting basic problems ■ obtaining printer software diskettes and installing software from them ■ installing the printer software on Windows® 3.
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 (Pentium® processor recommended) ■ 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.
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.
■ 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 this guide, do not attempt to service the printer yourself.
About Your Software The EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 CD-ROM includes all the software you need for photo-quality output: ■ Your printer driver runs your printer and lets you control how your documents look. You can’t use your printer without it. ■ The bonus software includes creative applications for creating unique projects and special Internet offers. ■ Your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual gives you complete information about your printer.
You also have a CD-ROM containing Broderbund® The Print Shop® Premiere Edition. You can view your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual from the CD-ROM or you can copy it to your hard drive. Adobe® Acrobat® Reader installs automatically if it is not already on your system. See page 8 for instructions.
Viewing Your Electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual Here are some quick guidelines for viewing your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Your creative and Internet software may also include electronic manuals. Check their program folders or Help manual options to locate these manuals. Opening Your Electronic Manual How you open your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual depends on your operating system and whether the manual is on your hard disk or CD-ROM.
To copy the electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual from your CD-ROM to your hard disk, use the Windows File Manager. Open the D:\MANUAL directory (where D is your CD-ROM drive letter) and locate the 640DOC.PDF file. Copy the file to a directory on your hard disk. When you’re ready to view the manual, either: ■ Open File Manager and double-click the 640DOC.PDF file ■ Start Acrobat Reader, open the File menu, click Open and select the 640DOC.PDF file.
How To Print This chapter includes a guided printing exercise and basic steps for printing. For instructions on printing on special media such as EPSON’s Photo Quality Glossy Film or envelopes, see your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual. You’ll also find instructions for using custom software settings to fine-tune your printouts. Using the Guided Printing Exercise For a quick lesson in printing, run EPSON’s Guided Printing Exercise in Adobe PhotoDeluxe.
Printing a Memo Here are the basic steps for printing a document on letter size paper, for example if you want to print a memo or resume. For details on advanced print settings, see your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual. 1. Make sure your printer and computer are turned on. 2. Fan your stack of paper, then load it with the printable side up. Make sure it is against the right edge guide. Then slide the left edge guide against the paper’s left edge.
5. Make sure your EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 printer is selected. 6. If your application’s Print dialog box contains a Properties button, click it and go to step 7. If you see a Setup, Printer, or Options button, click it. You see another dialog box that contains the Properties button. Click it and go to step 7. (In Windows 3.1, you won’t see a Properties button; just click Setup, Printer, or Options until you see the window shown in step 7.) 7. You see your printer settings dialog box.
9. Click the Paper tab at the top of the dialog box if you need to change the paper size, number of copies, or page orientation. 10. Click OK until you see the Print dialog box again. 11. Click OK to start printing. After a moment, the Progress Meter (Despooler in Windows 3.1) will appear and show the progress of your print job. You can cancel , pause , or restart your print job as necessary. Progress Meter (Windows 95, 98, NT) Despooler (Windows 3.
Printing a Photograph Here are the basic steps to print a photograph. For more details on advanced settings, see your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual. 1. Make sure your printer and computer are turned on. 2. Make sure your paper is against the right edge guide and that the left edge guide is snug against the left paper edge. The printable (whiter) side of the paper should be face up. EPSON Photo Paper, Letter size EPSON Photo Paper, 4 x 6 inches 3.
5. Make sure your EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 printer is selected. 6. If your application’s Print dialog box contains a Properties button, click it and go to step 7. If you see a Setup, Printer, or Options button, click it. You see another dialog box that contains the Properties button. Click it and go to step 7. (In Windows 3.1, you won’t see a Properties button; just click Setup, Printer, or Options until you see the window shown in step 7.) 7. You see the dialog box for your printer software.
8. Change the Media Type to Photo Paper. (If you are using a different type of paper, see “Selecting the Correct Media Type” on page 19.) 9. Set the Mode option to Automatic. The printer software automatically analyzes your image data and selects the correct settings. If you’d rather select the settings yourself, click the Custom button (Advanced in Windows 3.
11. Click the Paper tab to change the paper size, number of copies to print, or page orientation. If you loaded EPSON 4 x 6 inch Photo Paper, change the paper size to Photo Paper 4 x 6 in. 12. Click the Layout tab (not available in Windows 3.1) if you want to change the size of your image (for example, if it is too large to fit on your paper), print multiple pages on one sheet, or add a watermark.
13. Click OK to close the printer software and return to your application’s Print dialog box. 14. Click OK to start printing. After a moment, the Progress Meter (Despooler in Windows 3.1) will appear and show the progress of your print job. You can cancel , pause , or restart your print job as necessary. Progress Meter (Windows 95, 98, NT) 18 Despooler (Windows 3.
Selecting the Correct Media Type Follow the guidelines in this table when selecting the Media Type setting for your paper. There are more detailed media loading guidelines in your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual. For this media name... Select this Media Type setting in your printer software...
Maintenance Cleaning the Print Head Caution: Don’t use the cleaning sheets that may be included with your special media; they may damage the printer. If your printed image is unexpectedly light or faint, or dots are missing from the image, you may need to clean the print head. This unclogs the print head nozzles so they can deliver ink properly. Cleaning the print head uses ink, so clean it only if print quality declines.
Using the Head Cleaning Utility Follow these steps to run the utility: 1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and that the black and color ink out lights are off. If either ink out light is on, you must replace the ink cartridge before cleaning the print head. 2. For Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0: Click Start, point to Settings, and then select Printers. Right-click the EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 icon in the Printers window. Select Properties (Document Defaults in Windows NT).
6. Make sure paper is loaded in the printer and click Print nozzle check pattern. Then click Next. The nozzle check pattern prints on your printer; see page 23 for instructions on examining the nozzle check pattern. 7. If your print quality has improved, click Finish. If your print quality has not improved, click Clean to run another cleaning cycle. If you don’t notice any improvement after doing this three or four times, check the print quality solutions on page 36.
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern Examine the nozzle check pattern after printing it. It should look something like this: Each staggered horizontal and straight vertical line should be complete, with no gaps in the dot pattern. If your printout looks okay, you’re done. If any dots are missing, as shown below, clean the print head again.
Replacing an Ink Cartridge When a black or color ink out light flashes, the indicated cartridge is low on ink. This is a good time to make sure you have a new cartridge. When the light stays on, the cartridge is empty and you need to replace it. You cannot print if either ink cartridge is empty. You can also check your ink levels using Status Monitor 2 (not available for Windows 3.1). See your EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual for details.
Removing an Empty Ink Cartridge You can replace a cartridge when the flashing or on. black or color ink out light is either Note: cleaning button when neither ink out light is flashing If you press the or on, the printer cleans the print head as described on page 22. 1. Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing. 2. Lower the output tray and raise the printer cover. 3. Press the cleaning button and hold it for three seconds. The print head moves slightly to the left and the flashing.
Installing the New Cartridge Once you have removed the empty cartridge, you’re ready to install the new one. Follow these steps: 1. Remove the new ink cartridge from its package. 2. Remove only the yellow part of the tape seal on the top of the cartridge. Do not remove the blue part. (It’s okay if a bit of the yellow tape does not tear off.) black cartridge color cartridge Caution: You must remove the yellow tape seal from the top of the cartridge or you will permanently damage it.
4. Press down the ink cartridge clamp until it locks in place. Warning: If ink gets on your hands, wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets into your eyes, flush them immediately with water. 5. If you need to replace the other ink cartridge, remove it as described in “Removing an Empty Ink Cartridge” on page 25. Then follow steps 1 through 4 in this section. 6. Press the cleaning button and close the printer cover.
Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge If an ink cartridge is more than six months old, you may need to replace it. If your printouts don’t look as good as they used to and print quality doesn’t improve after cleaning and aligning the print head, try replacing one or both cartridges. Follow these steps to replace an ink cartridge before the light is flashing or on: black or color ink out 1. Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing. 2. Lower the output tray and raise the printer cover. 3.
Aligning the Print Head For best results, use EPSON ink jet paper whenever you check the print head alignment. If your printouts contain vertical banding or jagged vertical lines, you may need to align the print head. To use the print head alignment utility, your printer must be connected to a local port, not through a network. Follow these steps: 1. Make sure the printer is turned on and paper is loaded. 2. For Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.
Transporting the Printer If you want to move your printer, you need to prepare it for transportation and repack it in the original box. Follow these steps: 1. Turn on the printer and wait until the print head locks in the far right position. Then turn off the printer. Caution: To avoid damage, always leave the ink cartridges installed when transporting the printer. 2. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet. Then disconnect the printer cable from the printer. 3.
Problems? Need Help? This section gives you the basics for diagnosing and solving printer problems. First see “Diagnosing Problems” to help determine what the problem may be. Then see “Problems and Solutions” on page 34 for solutions to common setup and software problems. There are additional troubleshooting tips in the “Troubleshooting” section of your electronic EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual.
The four lights on your printer’s control panel show the printer’s status and alert you to problems like paper jams. The power light is on when the printer is on and ready to print. The power light flashes when the printer is receiving a print job or performing a maintenance operation such as cleaning a print head. When the paper out light comes on, your paper ran out or is incorrectly loaded. Make sure none of the sheets are curled, creased, old, stuck together, or too thin.
Running a Printer Check You can run a printer check to determine whether the problem comes from the printer itself or some other source. ■ If the results are satisfactory, the problem lies in software settings, the interface cable, or your computer. ■ If the printer check does not print correctly, there is a problem with your printer. See the suggestions in “Problems and Solutions” on page 34 for more information. Follow these steps to check the printer: 1.
Problems and Solutions Here are some basic troubleshooting tips if you have any problems setting up your printer or printing. You can also turn to “Troubleshooting,” in your electronic manual or look in your printer software online help. Problems Setting Up the Printer or Using the Software If you installed the ink cartridges and the printer started making noise . . . ■ ■ The first time you install ink cartridges, the printer must charge its state-of-the-art ink delivery system.
If you need help with the creative software on your CD-ROM . . . ■ For installation instructions, see the Start Here card or page 7. ■ For assistance using the creative or Internet software, contact the company that produced it. For contact information, see page 42. If you can’t see EPSON Status Monitor 2 . . . ■ Status Monitor 2 is not available for Windows 3.1. If you’re using Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0, make sure you installed Status Monitor 2.
Problems Getting Good Print Quality If your printout has horizontal banding . . . 36 If your printout has vertical banding . . . ■ Clean the print head (see page 20). ■ Clean the print head (see page 20). ■ Make sure the Media Type setting matches the paper you loaded (see page 19). ■ Run the Print Head Alignment utility (see page 29). ■ Set the thickness lever to the 0 position. ■ Make sure the printable side of the paper is face up. The printable side of ink jet paper is usually whiter.
If your printout is blurry or smeared . . . ■ Check the thickness lever position. If it’s in the + position, your printer is set for thicker paper or envelopes and your image may smear. For most papers, set the thickness lever to the 0 position. ■ Make sure your paper isn’t damp or loaded face down (the printable side should be loaded face up). If it’s damp, reload a new stack of paper. ■ Use a support sheet with special media or try loading your media one sheet at a time.
If your printout is faint or has gaps in the image . . . ■ ■ 38 Clean the print head (see page 20). Make sure your paper isn’t damaged, old, dirty, or loaded face down (the printable surface should be loaded face up). If it is, reload a new stack of paper with the printable (whiter) side up. If your printout contains incorrect colors or some of the colors are missing . . . ■ Make sure the Ink setting is set to Color for color images. ■ Clean the print head (see page 20).
If your printout is grainy . . . ■ Try using a higher quality paper. ■ Run the Print Head Alignment utility (see page 29). ■ If you are printing a photograph, you may need to increase the photograph’s resolution or print it in a smaller size. ■ Change the Quality/Speed slider setting to Quality in your printer software. If your printout contains incorrect characters . . . ■ Make sure you’re using an IEEE-1284 compliant printer cable. ■ Your printer cable may not be securely connected.
Uninstalling Printer Software If you need to uninstall and then reinstall your printer software, follow the steps in this section. Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0 Instructions Caution: If you uninstall and then reinstall the printer software in Windows 95, 98, or NT, you must also uninstall and then reinstall Status Monitor 2 so it can recognize your printer. 1. Double-click the My Computer icon, then double-click the Control Panel icon. 2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs. 3.
Where To Get Help If you need help with your printer or its software, see the contact information below. For help with any of the creative or Internet applications on the EPSON CD-ROM, see page 42 for contact information. EPSON Technical Support EPSON provides technical assistance through electronic support services and automated telephone services 24 hours a day, as listed below: Electronic support services Service Access World Wide Web From the Internet, you can reach EPSON’s Home Page at http:/ /www.
Note: If you need help using other manufacturers’ software with an EPSON product, see the documentation for that software for technical support information. To speak to a technical support representative, dial (310) 974-4303 (U.S.) or (905) 709-2567 (Canada), 6 AM to 8 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday and 7 AM to 4 PM, Saturday. Toll or long distance charges may apply.
Printer Software Diskettes Ordering Printer Software Diskettes Note: Only the printer driver software is available on diskette. The creative software is available only on the EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 CD-ROM. You can order printer driver software diskettes from EPSON by phone or fax for $9.95 shipping and handling (plus tax where applicable), or you can download the printer driver files. When you’re ready to install your printer software, see page 44.
Fax: Send the following information by fax to EPSON at (310) 782-5266: ■ Name and Company name Street address (no P.O. boxes please) City, State and ZIP code ■ Daytime telephone number ■ Payment method (VISA, MasterCard, or American Express) Card number and expiration date Be sure to sign your fax; it is required for the credit card purchase ■ Printer name (EPSON Stylus COLOR 640) ■ Operating system (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 3.1, or Windows NT 4.
6. After the software installation is complete, turn on your printer. IMPORTANT: After you turn on your printer, you may see a screen telling you that Windows has detected your printer and asking you to install a driver diskette. If you see this screen, ALWAYS select Cancel. Your software is already installed. Your printer software icons appear in the EPSON folder and an icon for your printer appears in the Printers folder. The EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 printer is set as your default Windows printer. 7.
Additional Installation Instructions If the Start Here card referred you to Printer Basics for installation instructions, see the section below that applies. Installing from the CD-ROM for Windows 3.1 If you need to install the printer software from the CD-ROM and you are using Windows 3.1, follow the steps below. Note: The creative and Internet software is not available for Windows 3.1. 1. Make sure your printer is connected to the computer and both are turned on. 2.
Configuring for a Windows Network If your computer is on a Windows 95 or Window 98 network and you want other users to share the printer connected to it, you need to: 1. Set up the system connected to the printer (host system) so the printer can be shared. 2. Define a path to the printer on each client computer. Before following the steps here, make sure you’ve installed the printer software on all the computers that will use the printer. See the Start Here card for instructions.
Setting Up Client Systems to Share the Printer 1. Click Start, point to Settings, and select Printers. 2. Right-click the EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 icon and choose Properties. 3. Click the Details tab. You see the following dialog box: Click Add Port, then specify the network path in the dialog box that appears 4. Click the Add Port button, then click Browse to specify the network path to the printer. 5. Click OK to return to the Details dialog box, then click OK to save your settings and exit.
Index A E Accessories, 24, 42 Adobe Acrobat Reader, 8 to 9 Advanced settings, 16 Aligning print head, 29 Automatic mode, 12 Electronic manual, 8 to 9 ENERGY STAR, 4 Envelopes, 19 EPSON Accessories, 24, 42 Customer Care Centers, 41 help, 41 to 42 media, 19 EPSON Stylus COLOR 640 Manual, 8 B Banding, 36 Blurry printouts, 37 C Cable, printer, 3, 33, 39 Cards, EPSON Ink Jet, 19 Cleaning print head, 20 to 23 Cleaning sheets, 19, 20 Color, missing or incorrect, 38 CompuServe, 41 Control panel cleaning print
I P Incorrect color in printout, 38 Ink cartridge outdated, 28 replacing, 24 to 28 Ink jet paper, 19 Installation instructions, diskettes, 44 to 45 Iron-On Transfer Papers, 19 Paper jams, 32 loading, 11, 14 Photo Quality paper, EPSON, 19 Photograph, printing, 14 to 18 Plain paper, 12, 19 Preprinted paper, loading, 11 Print head aligning, 29 cleaning, 20 to 23 Print quality problems, 36 to 39 Printer cable, 3, 33, 39 check, 33 control panel, see Control panel noise, 34 problems, 31 to 39 transporting, 30
R W Reader, see Adobe Acrobat Reader Replacing ink cartridges, 24 to 28 Windows network, configuring for, 47 system requirements, 3 uninstalling printer software, 40 Windows 3.1 installation instructions CD-ROM, 46 diskette, 44 to 45 S Safety instructions, 4 to 5 Self adhesive sheets, EPSON, 19 Service, 41 to 42 Smeared printouts, 37 Software installation from CD-ROM, 7, 46 from diskettes, 44 to 45 problems, 34 to 35 Windows 3.
