INK JET PRINTER Setup and Software Guide for Macintosh® 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. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein.
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 Introduction Getting the Most Out of Your Printer . Three Resolutions to Choose From Special Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . Specially Formulated Ink . . . . . . Automatic Halftone Settings . . . . Where to Get Help . . . . . . . . . . . Electronic Support Services . . . . Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing a Location . . . . .
Chapter 2 Installing and Using the Printer Driver Installing the Macintosh Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . Assigning a Name to the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Chooser to Select the Printer . . . . . . . . . Using the Macintosh Printer Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . Accessing the Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Color/Halftone Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page Gap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Print Settings . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction The EPSON® Stylus® 1500 is an affordable, high-quality ink jet printer that produces realistic grayscale images, sharp text, and line art at a resolution of 720 × 720 dpi. The Stylus 1500 comes equipped for printing in black ink; however, you can easily upgrade it to print in color with the optional Color Upgrade Kit. With the Color Upgrade Kit, the Stylus 1500 can print up to 16 million colors to produce full-color, photo-quality images.
❑ Install and use the printer driver to print your documents. See Chapter 2 for step-by-step instructions. ❑ Manage your print jobs and calibrate the printer using the utilities that came with the printer driver; see Chapter 3. After you’ve installed the driver, select the README1st icon in the Driver Disk Window for the latest information. Refer to the Reference Guide for instructions on operating and maintaining your printer, as well as for troubleshooting tips and technical specifications.
Special Papers The type of paper you use is very important. Although you get good results with plain bond paper, you will get better results by using coated papers because they do not absorb as much ink. To ensure the best possible quality, EPSON offers special coated papers, glossy papers, and transparencies that are formulated specifically for the inks used by the printer. You can order these products directly from EPSON Accessories at (800) 873-7766 (U.S. sales only).
Where to Get Help If you purchased your printer in the United States or Canada, EPSON provides customer support and service through a network of Authorized EPSON Customer Care Centers.
Electronic Support Services If you have a modem, the fastest way to access helpful tips, specifications, drivers, application notes, and bulletins for EPSON products is through the online services below. EPSON Bulletin Board Service You can call the EPSON Bulletin Board Service (BBS) at (310) 782-4531. No membership is required. Make sure your communications software is set to 8 data bits with 1 stop bit, no parity bit, and a modem speed up to 28.8 Kbps.
Important Safety Instructions Before using your printer, read the following safety instructions to make sure you use it safely and effectively. ❑ Turn off and unplug the printer before cleaning. Clean with a damp cloth only. Do not spill liquid on the printer. ❑ Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a radiator or heat register. ❑ Do not block or cover the openings in the printer’s cabinet or insert objects through the slots.
Chapter 1 Setting Up the Printer As you follow the instructions in this chapter to set up your printer, refer to the illustrations on the inside front cover to identify the printer’s components. System Requirements To use your printer with a Macintosh, it is recommended that you have the following: ❑ Any Macintosh or Power Macintosh model except the Macintosh +, Macintosh 512, or Macintosh PowerBook 100 ❑ System 7.
For an Ethernet connection, you also need: ❑ An Ethernet interface board (model #C823312) ❑ A transceiver for your Macintosh (depending on your Macintosh) ❑ 10BASE2 thin coaxial cable with BNC connectors or 10BASE-T cable with RJ-45 connectors ❑ 50 ohm terminator (depending on your setup). To purchase the LocalTalk or Ethernet board, contact your dealer or call EPSON Accessories at (800) 873-7766 (U.S. only). In Canada, call (800) BUY-EPSON for sales locations.
Unpacking the Printer In addition to this guide, your printer box should include two EPSON printer driver diskettes, a Reference Guide, a Setup and Software Guide for Windows, a Notice Sheet, and these items: printer output tray paper support black ink cartridge You must remove all protective materials packed around and inside your printer before you set it up and turn on the power. Follow the directions on the Notice Sheet (packed with the printer) to remove these materials.
Attaching the Paper Support and Output Tray 1. Attach the paper support by placing the hole on the right side of the support over the right mounting post on the printer. Then push the notch on the left side onto the left mounting post. 1 2 2. Attach the output tray by fitting the notches on the tray over the mounting posts, as shown below. Make sure the output tray is locked firmly in place.
Plugging In and Turning On the Printer Follow these steps to plug in and turn on the printer: 1. Make sure you have removed all protective packing materials from inside the printer. (See page 1-3 for more information.) 2. Make sure the printer is turned off by checking the position of the Operate button. The printer is off when the surface of the button is even with the button protectors on each side. 3 Plug the power cord into a properly grounded electrical outlet. 4.
Installing the Black Ink Cartridge Follow the steps in this section to install your printer’s black ink cartridge. w Warning: The ink cartridge is a self-contained unit. Under ordinary use, ink will not leak from a cartridge. If ink gets on your hands, wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets into your eyes, flush them immediately with water. c Caution: Do not open the ink cartridge package until just before you install it or it may become too dry. 1. Make sure the printer is turned on. 2.
4. Insert the end of the cartridge with the foil plug into the ink compartment following the instructions on the cartridge. Push the cartridge all the way into the compartment. You will feel some resistance. When the cartridge is correctly installed, the Ink Out O light goes off. Note: If the Ink Out O light remains on, the ink cartridge may not be installed correctly. Remove it and then reinsert it as described above. 5. Reattach the ink compartment cover as shown.
The first time you install the ink cartridge, the printer automatically charges the ink delivery system. This takes about two minutes. c Caution: During the ink charging process, the Pause light flashes. Never turn off the printer while the Pause light is flashing. Also, never remove the ink cartridge while ink is being charged in the system. When you need to replace ink cartridges, see Chapter 3 of the Reference Guide for instructions.
Installing the Color Print Head Follow these steps to install the color print head: 1. Make sure the printer is turned on and the Data light is off. 2. Open the printer cover using the notch in the middle of the cover. 3. Press the Pause button to turn the Pause light on. 4. Hold down the Alt button for about five seconds until the print head unit moves slightly left, to the print head install position. The Pause light flashes. c Caution: Do not move the print head unit by hand.
5. Raise the blue print head unit release lever as far as it will go. 6. Remove the protective cover from the print head compartment. c 1-10 Caution: Do not touch the carriage inside the printer; this may damage the printer.
7. Remove the print head unit from the storage box by pressing on the notch as shown. 2 1 c Caution: Do not touch the print head or the electrical contacts on the back and bottom of the unit; otherwise, you may damage the print head. 8. Carefully insert the print head unit into the compartment, with the electrical contacts and print head facing the back of the printer.
9. Press down the blue print head unit release lever until it clicks into place. Note: Make sure that the Data and Paper Out lights are not flashing. If they are, remove the print head unit and reinsert it properly. c Caution: Do not remove the color print head unit once you’ve installed it. Otherwise, the print head may become unusable. Now follow the steps in the next section to install the color ink cartridge.
1. Lift up the ink cartridge clamp. Then remove the protective sheet from the cartridge holder. 2. Open the ink cartridge package. Next, remove the tape seal from the top of the cartridge as shown. c Caution: Do not remove the tape seal from the bottom of the cartridge; ink will leak out.
3. Lower the cartridge into the print head unit with the label face up and the arrow mark pointing to the rear. Do not push down on the ink cartridge. 4. Press the ink cartridge clamp down until it locks in place. You will feel some resistance. c 1-14 Caution: Once you install the ink cartridge, do not open the clamp or remove the ink cartridge except to replace it with a new one. Otherwise, the cartridge and print head may become unusable.
5. Press the Alt button again to return the print head unit to its home (far right) position. (Even if you do not press Alt, the printer moves the print head unit back to its home position about 30 seconds after you install the cartridge.) The first time you install the ink cartridge, the printer automatically charges the ink delivery system and returns the print head unit to its home position. This operation takes about two minutes to complete.
If You Are New to Color Printing Color printing with the EPSON Stylus 1500 produces amazing images, whether you print text, graphics, line drawings, photographs, or documents containing many different image types. However you use color, keep the following in mind: ❑ You need to leave a large amount of hard disk drive space free to make room for your color images. A full-page color photographic image, for example, may require from 10MB to 40MB of disk space, depending on the resolution, and sometimes more.
If you need extreme precision in matching colors, you can use a color calibration system available with many software applications. If you use a scanner, make sure your scanning software is set to the correct setting for ink jet printers to help you match colors. Also, your application may include image editing capabilities that let you adjust the colors. Loading Paper in the Sheet Feeder The following procedure explains how to load plain bond paper in the sheet feeder.
2. Raise the output tray until it locks in the upright position. 3. Slide the right edge guide to the left as far as it will go. Then slide the left edge guide to match the width of your paper.
4. Move the center support to a point midway between the edge guides. Then gently extend the rear edge guide until it stops. 5. Fan a stack of paper; then tap it on a flat surface to even the edges. 6. Load the stack of paper, printable side down, all the way into the sheet feeder. Make sure the right edge of the stack is against the right edge guide. Next, slide the left edge guide against the left edge of the paper.
Note: The sheet feeder can hold up to 100 sheets of 17-lb (64 g/m2) plain paper. Do not load paper above the arrow mark, which is located on the inside surface of the edge guide. 7. Adjust the rear edge guide to match the length of your paper. When you load paper in the landscape direction (wider than it is tall), the rear edge guide may not match the length of your paper. In this case, remove the rear edge guide and re-insert it as shown.
8. Lower the output tray to the printing position. Make sure that the rear edge guide of the paper tray is positioned under the output tray. The rear edge guide must be under the output tray to allow room for the paper loaded in the sheet feeder and to prevent a paper jam. Testing the Printer Before continuing, test the printer to ensure it is functioning properly. For the self test, use paper that is at least 8.25 inches (210 mm) wide.
The 360 dpi self test begins by printing in black ink on the first and last lines of the first sheet of paper to measure the page length. Note: If the self test does not begin, turn off the printer and repeat step 2. You may need to hold down the buttons a few seconds longer. If you installed the optional Color Upgrade Kit, the self test prints in color. If you want to run the 180 dpi self test, turn on the printer while holding down the LF/FF button.
Installing the LocalTalk or Ethernet Board Follow the steps below to install a LocalTalk or Ethernet board: 1. Turn off the printer. 2. Unplug the printer’s power cord from the electrical outlet. c Caution: Do not install or remove an interface board when the printer is connected to the electrical outlet; this may damage your printer or computer. 3. Remove the two screws securing the shield plate to the optional interface slot; then lift off the plate as shown below.
5. Slide the interface board along the slots on both sides of the interface compartment. Push it in firmly to fully insert the connector at the rear of the interface board into the printer’s internal socket. 6. Secure the interface board in the slot with the two screws included with the interface board. 7. See the next section for instructions on connecting the printer to your Macintosh.
4. Attach one end of a LocalTalk cable to the connector box on the printer and the other end of the cable to the connector box on your Macintosh. Note: If you are connecting to a LocalTalk network, you may attach the other end of the cable to any available port on any connector box that is part of the network. 5. Make sure the printer’s network interface mode is on. See page 1-26 for instructions.
6. Attach the transceiver to your Macintosh. 7. Make sure the printer’s network interface mode is on. See the next section for instructions. For more information about creating an Ethernet network, see the guide that comes with the Ethernet board Kit. Turning On the Printer’s Network Interface Mode If you encounter problems when using the printer on a network, you may need to turn on the printer’s network interface mode using the buttons on the control panel. Follow these steps: 1.
Chapter 2 Installing and Using the Printer Driver This chapter describes how to install the Macintosh driver and use it to control printer settings such as resolution, media type, and halftoning. Installing the Macintosh Printer Driver A printer driver is software that allows your computer to control the printer. You must install the printer driver on the Macintosh driver diskette that came with your printer to use the printer.
3. If necessary, double-click the Driver Disk icon to open the Driver Disk window. 4. Double-click the README1st icon in the Driver Disk window to read the latest information on your printer and its driver. After you install the driver, you can click the README1st icon on your screen to read the file. 5. Double-click the Installer icon to install the driver. 6. When you see the initial screen, click OK to continue. You see the following screen: 7.
The driver and its utilities are described below. ❑ AT-StylusColor driver. This driver lets you use the optional AppleTalk interface to connect the printer to an AppleTalk network. ❑ Epson Monitor2. This utility manages print jobs that have been sent to the printer. Background printing must be on to use the Epson Monitor2 Utility; see Chapter 3 for more information. ❑ Bi-D Calibration Utility. This utility calibrates the printer so vertical lines are aligned; see Chapter 3 for more information.
Assigning a Name to the Printer After you install the AT-StylusColor driver, you need to assign a name to the printer using the EPSON Namer Utility. Use the following procedure to assign a name. Note: AppleTalk must be active. 1. Double-click the EPSON Namer icon. The EPSON Namer Utility will be located on your hard drive if you installed it. 2. Click the AT-StylusColor icon in the Device Types window. 3. If there are multiple AppleTalk zones at your site, select the zone in which the printer is located. 4.
Follow these steps to choose the printer: 1. Open the Chooser under the Apple menu. You see the Chooser window: 2. Click the AT-StylusColor icon. The Stylus 1500 printer name you used in the previous section should appear. 3. Select the Stylus 1500 printer. 4. If you wish to confirm your printer selection, double-click the printer name. Otherwise, skip to step 6. 5. You see a dialog box confirming your Stylus 1500. Click Confirm to exit the dialog box. 6.
Note: Background printing slows the print speed and may also slow down any software program you use while printing in the background. 7. Click the AppleTalk Active button. 8. Close the Chooser. You see a reminder message to change the printer in your applications. 9. Click OK. Now you can access the driver as described in the next section. Using the Macintosh Printer Driver The Macintosh printer driver contains settings that allow you to control your print job.
The driver settings are saved when you save your image or document. However, each time you close an application and open a new one, the default settings are in effect. To bring up the Print dialog box, choose Print from the file menu of your application program. You see a dialog box similar to the one shown below. To access the printer driver settings, choose the Options button. You see the following dialog box: If you do not see this dialog box, the driver has not been installed correctly.
The table below summarizes the printer driver settings. (Factory defaults are in bold type.) Detailed descriptions of each setting follow the table.
Color/Halftone Setting The following settings control the ink the printer uses and the halftone method. Inks Specifies color (CMYK or CMY) or monochrome printing. Select Color (CMYK) or Color (CMY) only if you have installed the optional Color Upgrade Kit and your document includes color. CMYK and CMY refers to the printer’s colored inks: cyan (blue-green), magenta, yellow, and black (K). These colors are combined to create any of 16 million colors.
Method Select Automatic halftone setting, No Halftoning, or one of three halftone methods. For the best results, select Automatic so your printer driver can analyze the data on each page of your document and adjust the halftone settings automatically. If you prefer to set the halftone method manually, follow these guidelines: ❑ Use No Halftoning to speed printing for text or monochrome line art. Do not use it when printing in color. ❑ Dithering A and Dithering B arrange dots in orderly patterns.
Page Gap Controls whether pages are ejected as they print. To eject a page as it is printed, turn Page Gap on by clicking on banner paper, click . To print to turn Page Gap off. Note: To change the Page Gap setting, enter the Option dialog box from the Page Setup dialog box. You cannot change the Page Gap setting if you opened the Option dialog box from the Print dialog box. Print Settings The following settings control the resolution, media type, and print options.
Media Type Sets up the printer for the type of paper you loaded. Depending on your Printing Mode setting, Media Type can be one of the following: Plain Paper Transparency Coated Paper - 360 dpi Coated Paper - 720 dpi HQ Glossy Paper Note: You may not see all paper types listed because some are not available for all resolutions. Be sure to select the Printing Mode before selecting the Media Type. You can use most plain paper with your printer and achieve good results.
To order EPSON papers and transparencies, contact your dealer or call EPSON Accessories at (800) 873-7766 (U.S. only). In Canada, call (800) BUY-EPSON for sales locations. MicroWeave Mode MicroWeave reduces the possibility of banding, the light horizontal lines that can mar an image. When you turn on MicroWeave, the printer produces superior output because graphics data is reordered and printed in fine increments. It slows the print speed but is recommended for printing color and grayscale images.
Visual Effects Settings The following settings allow you to manipulate the printed image to achieve special effects. Flip Horizontal and Flip Vertical rotate the image 180° along the horizontal or vertical axis. Text then appears backwards or upside down. Invert Image changes black areas to white and white areas to black. This option is available only when you select Monochrome ink and No Halftoning. Screen pattern determines how shaded patterns are printed.
You can select one of the following predefined paper sizes or define a custom size as described in the next section.
Note: Print speed varies depending on the orientation setting in the driver. It is best to select the image orientation using your application, not the driver. To reduce or enlarge the image, click the Reduce or Enlarge box and enter a percentage. Defining custom paper sizes To define a custom paper size, click the Paper button on the Page Setup dialog box. You see the following dialog box: Click New. This creates a new paper size based on the currently selected one.
Chapter 3 Using the Printer Driver Utilities This chapter explains managing print jobs that you send to the printer with the Epson Monitor2 Utility. It also tells you how to calibrate the printer using the Bi-D Calibration Utility if vertical lines in your printed output become misaligned. If you selected the Network Driver Package option when you installed the driver, both of these utilities were copied to your hard disk.
5. Click Yes; then click OK. 6. Start a print job. You see a dialog box similar to the following: The print job listed under Printing is currently being printed. Jobs listed under Waiting are queued to begin when the current job is completed. To cancel a print job, click the name of the job and then click Cancel Printing. Calibrating the Printer with Bi-D Calibration Your printer has been calibrated at the factory so that vertical lines in your text and graphics are properly aligned.
Follow these steps: 1. Open the Stylus 1500 folder and double-click Bi-D Calibration Utility. 2. You see a prompt asking you to choose how your printer is connected. Click Network. 3. You see the Bi-D Calibration Utility screen. Select your printer and print head [Printer Type, either Stylus 1500 (monochrome) or Stylus 1500 (color)] to be calibrated. 4. Make sure paper is loaded in the printer; then click the Preview button to print a preview of all available calibration patterns.
7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each of the patterns that need to be aligned. 8. When you finish, click Quit. 9. A dialog box opens reminding you to save the new settings by turning the printer off using the Operate button. Settings will not be saved if you turn off the power to the printer with a wall switch or from a power strip. If you notice later that the vertical alignment of your printed pages is off, repeat the calibration procedure.
Index A Accessories, purchasing, Intro-4, 2-13 Aligning vertical lines, 2-13, 3-2 to 3-4 Apple Macintosh driver, see Printer driver model, 1-1 AppleTalk, making active, 2-6 AT-StylusColor driver, 2-2 to 2-3 Attaching output tray, 1-4 paper support, 1-4 Auto sheet feeder, 1-17 to 1-21 Automatic halftone option, Intro-3, 2-7 to 2-8, 2-10 B Background printing, 2-5, 3-1 Banding, 2-13 Banner paper, 2-11 Bi-D Calibration Utility, 2-1, 2-3, 3-2, 3-4 Bidirectional printing, 2-13 Black ink cartridge, installing, 1
Error diffusion, 2-8, 2-10 Ethernet, 1-2, 1-23 to 1-26 L Fast printing, 2-13 Feeder, see Auto sheet feeder Film, see Transparencies Finest Detail mode, 2-8, 2-13 Flip Horizontal setting, 2-8, 2-14 Flip Vertical setting, 2-8, 2-14 Landscape setting, 2-15 Light/Dark slider, 2-8, 2-10 Lines, aligning vertical, 2-13, 3-1 to 3-2, 3-4 Loading paper, 1-17 to 1-21 LocalTalk connecting, 1-24 to 1-25 interface board, Intro-1, 1-23 to 1-24 Location, choosing for printer, 1-2 G M Glossy paper, Intro-3, 2-8, 2-11
P Page Gap setting, 2-11 Paper centered, 2-15 coated, Intro-3, 2-8, 2-11 to 2-12 custom sizes, 2-14, 2-16 envelopes, 2-15 glossy, Intro-3, 2-8, 2-11 to 2-12 loading plain paper, 1-17 to 1-21 ordering EPSON, Intro-3, 2-12 to 2-13 orientation, 2-15 plain, 2-12 printable area, 2-15 printable surface, 1-17 selecting size, 2-14, 2-16 selecting type, 2-8, 2-13 size, 2-15 to 2-16 special, Intro-3 transparencies, Intro-3, 2-8, 2-12 types, 2-8 Paper support, 1-3 to 1-4 Paper-release lever, 1-17 Parallel interface, I
R T RAM requirements, 1-1, 2-13 README1st icon, Intro-2, 2-2 Reduce option, 2-16 Reference Guide, Intro-2 to Intro-3 Requirements, system, 1-1 to 1-2 Resolution definition, Intro-2 selecting, 2-8, 2-11 to 2-12 RGB method, 1-16 Technical assistance, Intro-4 Temperature, 1-2 Terminator, 1-2, 1-25 Testing the printer, 1-21 Tractor feeder, 1-17 Transparencies, Intro-3, 2-8, 2-12 to 2-13 Transporting the printer, 1-3 Turning the printer on and off, 1-5, 1-21 S Safety instructions, Intro-6 Scanners, 1-16 to 1
Printer Parts monochrome print head thickness adjustment lever printer cover paper-release lever color print head compartment control panel knob black ink cartridge compartment tear-off edge page eject guides edge guides (manual feed slot) output tray center support edge guides paper support rear edge guide sprocket-lock lever sprocket cover center support manual feed guide optional interface cover parallel interface tractor feeder