® EPSON Stylus Color 880/880i/83 Printer Basics Printed on recycled paper
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.
Contents WELCOME! 1 About Your Documentation Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips Viewing Your Electronic Printer Manual Watching Printer Movies 1 1 2 4 PRINTING FROM START TO FINISH 5 Printing with Windows Loading Paper Opening the Printer Software Selecting Printer Software Settings Controlling Printing Printing on a Macintosh Loading Paper Opening the Printer Software Selecting Printer Software Settings Controlling Printing Using Advanced Settings Enhancing Photos Using Custom Project Types Using Ad
iv Replacing an Ink Cartridge Ink Cartridge Precautions Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge Aligning the Print Head Cleaning the Printer Transporting the Printer 23 23 24 26 28 29 30 PROBLEM SOLVING 31 Identifying Printer Parts Diagnosing Printer Problems Checking the Control Panel Lights Running a Printer Check Problems and Solutions Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Software Problems with Printing Problems Getting Good Print Quality Problems with Pap
EPSON Ink Jet Papers and Ink Cartridges Use EPSON paper and inks to get the same photo quality results that have earned EPSON’s printers all of their awards! EPSON papers are specially coated to work with EPSON’s quick drying inks. You’ll notice that when prints come out of your printer, you can immediately handle them. There is no drying time, no smearing or smudging, and your image is crisp and smooth.
Welcome! Your EPSON Stylus® Color 880, 880i, or 83 printer is the ideal output device for small office or home printing. With resolutions of up to 2880 by 720 dpi, you can print anything from reports and resumes to photos and newsletters with great results. The EPSON Stylus Color 880i and EPSON Stylus Color 8 3 printers are functionally identical to the EPSON Stylus Color 880 printer. Therefore, this guide refers to the printer as the EPSON Stylus Color 880.
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 Microsoft® 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.
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 ESC880 Guide. Macintosh: Open the EPSON Stylus Color 880 folder and double-click View Reference Guide. When you first open the Reference Guide, you see this screen: Click here to expand the table of contents Click a topic on the left to expand the table of contents. After expanding the table of contents, you can click on the topic you want to view.
Watching Printer Movies Need help loading envelopes, replacing ink cartridges, or printing on both sides of the paper? Your printer software CD-ROM includes helpful Fix-it FlixSM movies that explain these and other common tasks. Follow these steps to watch your printer movies: 1. Insert your printer software CD-ROM. 2. Windows: Double-click My Computer, double-click your EPSON icon. drive icon, then double-click the CD-ROM Macintosh: Double-click the EPSON CD-ROM icon, then double-click the EPSON icon.
Printing from Start to Finish Here’s what to do to print a basic document—such as a newsletter or photograph— from loading the paper to selecting print settings to controlling the print job.
Follow these guidelines when loading paper: ■ Load the printable side face up. It’s usually whiter or brighter than the other side. ■ Load letterhead or preprinted paper into the printer top edge first. ■ Don’t load paper above the arrow on the left edge guide. If you’re printing on envelopes, see page 16 for loading instructions. Opening the Printer Software After you open your application program and create your document, you’re ready to select your printer software settings.
Selecting Printer Software Settings Once you click Properties, you see your printer software Properties dialog box. The most important thing to remember is to set the correct Media Type for the paper you’re using. The Media Type setting affects the other options you can choose.
For more information about printer settings, click the Help button. Or you can right-click any item on the screen and then click What’s This?. Selecting the Settings You Use Most Often The printer settings you make apply only to the application you’re currently using. If you usually print one type of document in different applications—for example, double-sided, letter-sized documents with black ink—you can change the default printer settings for all your programs.
After a moment, the Progress Meter appears and shows the progress of your print job. You can use the buttons to cancel, pause, or restart printing. You can also see how much ink you have left. Click to cancel printing Does not appear if you are printing over a network Click to pause or resume printing For advanced settings and more information on printing—for example, previewing your printout, changing the paper size, or adding a watermark—see your electronic Reference Guide (described on page 2).
Follow these guidelines when loading paper: ■ Load the printable side face up. It’s usually whiter or brighter than the other side. ■ Load letterhead or preprinted paper into the printer top edge first. ■ Don’t load paper above the arrow on the left edge guide. If you’re printing on envelopes, see page 16 for loading instructions. Opening the Printer Software After you open your application program and create your document, you’re ready to select your page setup and other printer software settings.
Selecting Printer Software Settings Now open the File menu and click Print. You see the main printer settings dialog box for your application (your dialog box may look slightly different): Select the type of paper you loaded Select the Ink color Select Automatic mode Select faster or higher-quality printing, or in-between The most important thing to remember is to set the correct Media Type for the paper you’re using. The Media Type setting affects the other options you can choose.
Controlling Printing Once you’ve clicked Print, your printer begins printing. If you turned on background printing, you can select EPSON Monitor3 from the Application menu at the right side of the menu bar to check the progress of your print job. You see the EPSON Monitor3 dialog box: Click to restart your print job Click to cancel printing Click to pause printing Click on your print job. . .
Using Advanced Settings Your printer software includes advanced settings that let you have more control over your printouts. See the following sections: ■ “Enhancing Photos” below ■ “Using Custom Project Types” on page 14 ■ “Using Advanced Custom Settings” on page 15 Enhancing Photos Your printer software includes PhotoEnhance™ options that adjust brightness and contrast to improve the appearance of low-resolution and improperly exposed photos. PhotoEnhance also lets you add special effects.
Using Custom Project Types Your EPSON Stylus Color 880 printer software includes custom project types with preset options for printing specific types of documents—such as reports, graphs, or drafts. These options let you quickly select the best settings for your particular type of document and paper, or select a color-matching method for your project. See the list of options on the next page.
You can select from these project types: ■ Text/Graph: For printing graphics-intensive documents like presentations with charts and graphs. ■ Economy: For printing rough drafts of text on plain paper. Saves ink. ■ ICM (Image Color Matching; Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000 only): For printing documents created in an ICM compatible application.
After you customize your print settings, you can save them as a group so you can reuse them whenever you print a similar project. The default Gamma setting of 1.8 provides the optimum contrast quality for your photos. However, you can change it to either 1.5 (for decreased contrast) or 2.2 (for increased contrast; recommended for matching colors with sRGB devices). For more details on the printer settings, see your electronic Reference Guide, as described on page 2.
Double-Sided Printing You can print on both sides of each page with the double-sided printing option in your EPSON® printer software. This section includes instructions for standard double-sided printing. You can also create single-fold booklets with Folded Booklet double-sided printing. See your electronic Reference Guide for instructions. Use only media types that support double-sided printing.
When the first side of all the pages has printed, you see a window on your screen telling you to reload the paper. 5. Reload the entire stack of paper, without changing the order of the pages, and insert it in the printer with the printed side down, with the top edge first, as shown. 6. Click Resume. The printer prints the even-numbered pages. For an animated demonstration of double-sided printing, watch the printer movies on this topic, as described on page 4.
EPSON Matte Paper - Heavyweight EPSON Matte Paper - Heavyweight has a professional-looking, flat matte finish for printing photos and graphics on a non-glossy surface. Load up to 20 sheets as described on page 5, including a support sheet beneath the stack. Before printing, select Matte Paper - Heavyweight as the Media Type. EPSON Photo Paper You can use EPSON Photo Paper to print photographs that look almost as good as the ones you get from film processing. Photo Paper is available in a variety of sizes.
Choosing the Correct Media Type Setting Before printing, always check the Media Type setting in your printer software. See the table below for the setting you should use. The printer uses the Media Type setting to adjust the ink coverage for the type of paper you are using. The Media Type setting for your paper may not be the same as the name of your paper. To be sure you are using the correct setting, see the table below or the instructions that came with your paper. For this paper . . .
Maintaining Your Printer This section describes maintenance procedures to keep your printer working at its best and preparation steps for moving your printer.
2. If you have an application running, access the printer settings dialog box as described on page 6 (Windows) or page 10 (Macintosh). Or, with Windows, click Start, point to Settings, then select Printers. Right-click your EPSON Stylus COLOR 880 printer icon in the Printers window. Then select Properties in Windows 98 or Windows 95, Document Defaults in Windows NT, or Printing Preferences in Windows 2000. 3. Windows: Click the Utility tab. Macintosh: Click the Utility button. 4.
Replacing an Ink Cartridge When the B black or A 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. Leave the empty cartridge installed in the printer until you have obtained a replacement. Otherwise the ink remaining in the print head nozzles may dry out.
Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges You can replace a cartridge when the B black or A color ink out light is either flashing or on. (If you perform these steps when both ink out lights are off, the printer cleans the print heads as described on page 21.) Be sure you have a new ink cartridge before you begin. Once you start the ink cartridge replacement procedure, you must complete all the steps in one session. Follow these steps to replace ink cartridges: 1.
6. Tilt the new cartridge forward slightly as you place it in the holder, with the label facing up and toward the back of the printer. Hang the tabs at the back of the cartridge on the hooks. Don’t place the cartridge under the hooks; you may damage the clamp when you close it. 7. Press down the ink cartridge clamp until it locks in place, but don’t press down on the cartridge itself. 8. If you need to replace the other ink cartridge, repeat steps 3 through 7 before continuing with step 9. 9.
Replacing an Outdated Ink Cartridge When an ink cartridge is more than six months old, you may need to replace it if you notice that your printouts don’t look as good as they used to. If print quality doesn’t improve after cleaning and aligning the print head, you can replace one or both cartridges. Follow these steps to replace an ink cartridge before the B black or A color ink out light is flashing or on: 1.
6. Tilt the new cartridge forward slightly as you place it in the holder, with the label facing up and toward the back of the printer. Hang the tabs at the back of the cartridge on the hooks. Don’t place the cartridge under the hooks; you may damage the clamp when you close it. 7. Press down the ink cartridge clamp until it locks in place, but don’t press down on the cartridge itself. 8. If you need to replace the other ink cartridge, repeat steps 3 through 7 before continuing with step 9. 9.
Aligning the Print Head If your printouts contain misaligned vertical lines, you may need to align the print head. Your printer must be connected to a local port, not on a network, to use the Print Head Alignment utility. Follow these steps: 1. Make sure the printer is turned on, but not printing, and letter-size paper is loaded. Load paper that’s at least 8.27 inches (210 mm) wide to prevent ink from spraying inside the printer and smudging your printouts.
Cleaning the Printer To keep your printer working at its best, you should clean it several times a year. Follow these steps: 1. Turn off the printer, unplug the power cord, and disconnect the printer cable. 2. Remove all the paper from the sheet feeder. 3. Clean the exterior of the printer with a soft, damp cloth. Use a soft brush to clean dust or dirt on the sheet feeder. 4. Clean ink out of the printer’s interior with a soft, damp cloth. Don’t touch the gears inside the printer.
Transporting the Printer If you move your printer some distance, you need to prepare it for transportation in its original box. Follow these steps: To avoid damage, always leave the ink cartridges installed when transporting the printer. Be sure to remove the tape used in step 4 after installing the printer in its new location. 1. Turn on the printer, wait until the print head locks in the far right position, then turn off the printer. 2. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet.
Problem Solving This section gives you the basics for diagnosing and solving printer problems. ■ First see “Diagnosing Printer Problems” on page 32 to help determine what the cause of the problem may be. ■ Then see “Problems and Solutions” on page 34 for solutions to common setup, software, print quality, paper feeding, or other problems. It’s a good idea to check EPSON’s web site periodically for possible updates to your printer driver. Visit www.epson.
Diagnosing Printer Problems You can diagnose some problems by checking the printer’s control panel lights, as described below, or running a printer check, as described on page 33. Checking the Control Panel Lights paper out light color ink out light power light black ink out light cleaning button power button P is on The Ppower light is on when the printer is on and ready to print. It flashes when the printer is receiving a print job, charging ink, or cleaning the print head.
P S B A flash When all the lights flash, your printer may have an internal error. Make sure you removed all the packing material as described on the Start Here poster. Then turn off the printer, wait a few seconds, and turn it on again. If the lights still flash, contact your dealer or EPSON; see page 41 for contact information. P S B A are off When all the lights are off, the printer is not receiving power. Try these solutions: ■ Make sure the printer is turned on.
Problems and Solutions Below are some basic troubleshooting tips if you have any problems setting up your printer, installing software, getting good print quality, feeding paper, or other miscellaneous problems. Problems Setting Up the Printer or Installing Software You’re having problems installing the printer software. The printer started making noise after ink cartridge installation.
■ ■ ■ Make sure that the Universal Serial Bus Controller is working properly in the Device Manager. For details, see your computer documentation. If it is not working properly, contact your computer dealer. In Windows 2000, do not select Block under Control Panel > System > Hardware > Driver Signing, or your driver installation will not be completed. Select Ignore or Warn instead.
For the fastest printing, try the following: ■ Choose Black ink if your document doesn’t include color. ■ Set the Quality/Speed slider to Speed. ■ In the printer software’s Advanced dialog box, turn MicroWeave off and turn High Speed on. ■ If you’re using the parallel port, enable ECP/DMA mode on your computer’s parallel port for maximum print speeds. See your computer documentation or the manufacturer for instructions.
Your printout is blurry or smeared. ■ ■ ■ ■ Make sure the print head nozzles are not clogged. To clean the print head, see page 21. ■ Use a support sheet with special media, or try loading your media one sheet at a time. Make sure the ink cartridges aren’t low on ink. To replace an ink cartridge, see page 23. ■ Make sure your paper or media meets the specifications listed in your electronic Reference Guide. Make sure the Media Type setting matches the paper you loaded. See page 20 for guidelines.
■ If you’re printing a high-resolution image, turn off PhotoEnhance. ■ Run the Print Head Alignment utility. See page 28 for instructions. ■ Try using Automatic mode. See page 7 (Windows) or page 11 (Macintosh) for instructions. ■ You may need to increase the image resolution or print it in a smaller size; see your software documentation. ■ Make sure your printer and port are selected in your software. ■ Your printed colors can never exactly match your on-screen colors.
Paper jams inside the printer. Turn off your printer, open the cover, and remove all the paper that’s inside, including any small pieces that may have torn off. If paper jams frequently: ■ ■ ■ ■ Use smooth, high-quality paper, loaded printable side up. Fan the stack and then even the edges before loading it. Don’t load paper above the arrow mark on the left edge guide. Place the paper against the right edge guide and slide the left edge guide against your paper. Multiple pages feed at once.
Uninstalling Printer Software Windows 1. Double-click My Computer, then double-click the Control Panel icon. 2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs. Click EPSON Printer Software in the program list, then select your EPSON Stylus COLOR 880 printer icon. 3. Click the Add/Remove button (Change/Remove button in Windows 2000) and follow the instructions. 4. If you’re using the USB port in Windows 98, click EPSON USB Printer Devices in the program list; then click the Add/Remove button. 5. Restart your computer.
Where To Get Help If you need help with your printer or its software, including EPSON Software™ Film Factory,™ see the contact information below. For help with the creative applications on the printer software CD-ROM, see page 42 for contact information. If you need help using other software with an EPSON product, see the documentation for that software for technical support information.
To speak to a technical support representative, dial: ■ U.S.: (562) 276-7564, 6 AM to 8 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday and 7 AM to 4 PM, Saturday ■ Canada: (905) 709-2567, 6 AM to 6 PM, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday and 7 AM to 4 PM, Saturday Toll or long distance charges may apply.
Requirements and Notices This chapter includes system requirements, safety instructions, legal notices, and other important information. Windows System Requirements To use your printer and its software, your system should have: ■ An IBM® compatible PC with at least a 486/66 MHz (for Windows 98, Windows Me, or Windows 2000) or 486/25 MHz (for Windows 95 or Windows NT® 4.0) processor (Pentium® processor recommended) ■ Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows NT 4.
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 ■ Mac® OS 8.5.1 or later If your iMac is running OS 8.1, you’ll need to upgrade your operating system before installing your printer software. If your iMac is running OS 8.5.1, Apple recommends that you install iMac Update 1.1. To find out which operating system your iMac is running, select About This Computer from the Apple menu.
■ Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a radiator or heating vent or in direct sunlight. ■ Do not block or cover the openings in the printer’s case or insert objects through the slots. ■ 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.
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.
Declaration of Conformity DECLARATION of CONFORMITY According to 47CFR, Part 2 and 15 for Class B Personal Computers and Peripherals; and/or CPU Boards and Power Supplies used with Class B Personal Computers: We: EPSON AMERICA, INC. Located at: MS 6-43 3840 Kilroy Airport Way Long Beach, CA 90806-2469 Telephone: (562) 290-5254 Declare under sole responsibility that the product identified herein, complies with 47CFR Part 2 and 15 of the FCC rules as a Class B digital device.
Warranty Epson America, Inc. Limited Warranty What is Covered: Epson America, Inc. (“Epson”) warrants to the first end-user customer that the Epson printer covered by this limited warranty statement, if purchased and used in the United States or Canada, conforms to the manufacturer’s specifications and will be free from defects in workmanship and materials for a period of one year from the date of original purchase.
Index Numerics E 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper, 20 4 x 6-inch Photo Paper, 19 Economy setting, 15 Electronic manual, 2 to 3 E-mail technical support, 41 ENERGY STAR, 44 Envelopes, 16 EPSON Accessories, 23, 42 automated telephone services, 41 Electronic support services, 41 help, 41 to 42 Monitor3, 12 papers, 18 to 20 Store, 42 World Wide Web site, 41 A Accessories, 23, 42 Advanced settings, 13 to 16 Aligning print head, 28 Automatic mode, 7, 11 B Background printing, 12 Banding, 16, 36 Blurry images, 37 Browse
I O ICM (Image Color Matching) setting, 15 Incorrect characters, 38 Incorrect colors, 37 Ink cartridge replacing, 23 to 25 replacing outdated, 23, 26 to 27 safety instructions, 45 Ink Jet Transparencies, 20 Ink level, 9, 23 Ink setting, 7, 11 Internet, 41 Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper, 20, 39 Orientation, 10 Outdated ink cartridges, 23, 26 to 27 L Layout problems, 39 Lever, thickness, 16, 36, 37 Lights, 32 to 33 M Macintosh printer status, 12 printing with, 9 to 12 system requirements, 44 USB, 44 Ma
Printing advanced, 13 to 16 controlling, 8 to 9, 12 Macintosh, 9 to 12 Windows, 5 to 9 with custom project types, 14 to 15 Problems installing software, 34 miscellaneous, 39 paper feeding, 38 print quality, 36 to 38 printing, 35 to 36 setting up printer, 34 Progress Meter, 9 Project types, custom, 14 to 15 Q Quality/Speed setting, 7, 11 R Reference Guide, 2 to 3 Reinstalling software, 40 S Safety instructions, 44 to 45 Saving settings, 15 Smears, 16, 37 Software creative, 42 reinstalling, 40 solving prob
How To Order EPSON Ink and Paper To order EPSON ink cartridges, paper, and other printing media, contact your dealer or call EPSON at (800) 873-7766 or visit the EPSON Store at www.epson.com (U.S. sales only). In Canada, please call (800) 873-7766 for dealer referral. EPSON Ink Cartridges Black Color T019201 (U.S.), or T019311 (Canada) T020201 (U.S.), or T020311 (Canada) EPSON Papers Paper name Size Part number EPSON 360 dpi Ink Jet Paper Letter (8.
