Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product Stylus Color 300 Epson
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Color Ink Jet Printer All rights rese rved. No part of this pu blication may be re produced , stored in a ret rieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, ele ctronic, mechanical, p hotocopying, recording, or othe rwise, without the prior writ ten permission of SEIKO EPSON CORP .
FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT For United States Users This equipment h as been tested and found to comply with the l imits for a Cl ass B digita l device, pu rsuant to Part 15 of the F CC Rules. These limits are d esigned to provid e reasonable prote ction against harmful interfer ence in a resid ential installation.
Contents Safety Information Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-1 A few precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-2 Chapter 1 Getting to Know Your Printer Printer Parts and Control Panel Functions .
Chapter 3 Starting to Print Loading Plain Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Accessing the Printer Driver a nd Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 From Windows applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 From Windows 95 or Windows 98 .
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Diagnosing the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 Error indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 Printer operation check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3 Problems and Solutions .
Safety Information Important Safety Instructions Read all of these instructions and save them for later reference. Follow all warnin gs and instructions marked on the printer. ❑ Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or n ear a radiator or heat source.
❑ Except as specifically explained in this guide do not attem pt to serv ice th e prin ter you rself. ❑ Unplug the printer and refe r servicing to qualified servic e personnel under the following .
❑ Under normal circumstances, ink will not come out of ink cartridges. If ink gets on your skin, wash it off with soap and water. If it gets in your eyes, flush them immediately with water. ❑ Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children. ❑ Do not dismantle ink cartridges or try to refill them.
Chapter 1 Getting to Know Your Printer Proof Sign-off: Ohtera _____ __ Nomoto ___ __ __ Grady _______ Printer Parts and Control Panel Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4 E NERGY STAR C ompliance .
Printer Parts and Control Panel Functions paper support edge guides printer cover sheet feeder control panel left e dge guide lock lever paper thickness leve r power switch 01 adjust lever power light ink cartridge clamp paper out light ink out light cleaning button load/eject button 02 L Hudson++ Ref.
Buttons Button Function E Load/Eject Loads or ejects paper i f pressed an d released within 2 seco nds. Resum es prin ting if pre ssed after a paper out error. T Cleaning Moves the print head to the ink cartridge replac ement positi on if p ressed for 3 seco nds while the V ink out light is flashing or on.
System Requirements To use your printer with a PC, you need Microsoft ® Windows ® 3.1, Windows for Workgroups, Window 95, or Windows 98; and a shielded, twisted-pair parallel cable. The following table shows the system re quirements for using just the printer software (printer driver and utilities) included on the CD-ROM packed with your printer.
Options and Consumable Products Interface cables EPSON supplies several types of interface cables. You can use any interface cable that meets the specifications listed below.
EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper (A4) S041126 EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper (Letter) S041124 EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies (A4) S041063 EPSON Ink Jet Transparencies (Letter) S041064 EPSON Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheet (A4) S041106 EPSON Photo Paper (4 x 6 in.
Where to G et Help EPSON provides technical assistance through elect ronic support services and automated telephone services 24 hours a day. The following tables list the contact information: Electronic support services Service Access World Wide Web From the Internet, you can reach EPSON’s Home Page at http://www.
To speak to a technical support representative, dial (310) 974-8550 (U.S.) or (905) 709-2567 (Canada), 6 am to 6 pm, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday.
Chapter 2 Setting Up the Printer Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2 Attaching the Paper Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 Choosing a Place for the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 Using a printer stand .
This chapter explains how to set up your printer. If you did not already do this as described in the Start Here guide, follow the procedures here. (If you did set up your printer, skip to Chapter 3.
Attaching the Paper Support Insert the paper support into the central slot at the rear of the printer a s shown below . Choosing a Place for the Printer Follow the guidelines listed below when se lecting a location for your printer. ❑ Place the printer on a flat , stable surface.
❑ Avoid using or storing the printe r in places subje ct to rapid changes in temperature and humidity. Also keep it away from direct sunlight, strong light, or heat sources. ❑ Avoid places subject to shocks and vibrations. ❑ Place the printer near a wall outlet where the plug can be easily unplugged.
Plugging in the Printer 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. 2. Plug the power cord into a properly grounded electrical outlet. Installing the Ink Ca rtridge w Warning: The ink cartridge is a self-contained unit. Un der ordinary use, ink will not leak from a cartridge.
1. Turn on the printer. The P power light and the V ink out light come on. 2. Hold down the T cleaning button for three seconds. The P power light begins flashing, and the print head moves slightly left to the ink cartridge replacement position. c Caution: Do not move the print head by hand.
3. Open the printer cover. 4. Lift up the ink cartridge clamp as far as it w ill go. Remov e the protective material from the cartridge holder. 5. Open the ink cartridge package. Next, remove only the yellow tape seal from the top of the cartridge as shown below.
c Caution: ❑ You must remove the yellow tape seal from the cartridge. Installing the cartridge with the yellow tape still attached will permanently damage it. ❑ Do not remove the whole t ape seal (especially the white portion) from the top of the cartridge.
7. Press the ink cartridge clamp down until it locks in place. c Caution: Once you install the ink cartridge, do not open the clamp again until you replace the ink cartridge. Otherwise, the cartridge may become unusable . 8. Press the T cleaning button.
9. Close the print er cover. The life of a cartridge depends on the amount of text and co lor graphics you print or the numbe r of colors you use in your document.
3. Plug the other end of the cable into the computer ’ s parallel interface. If there is a ground wire at the computer end of the cable, connect it to the ground conn ector at the back of the computer. See the next section for instructions on installing the printer software.
Installi ng the software for Windows 95 or Win dows 98 Follow these steps to install the printer software for Windows 95 or Windows 98: 1. Make sure Windows is running and the printer is off. 2. Insert the Printer Software CD in the CD-ROM drive. 3. Click Start , then Run .
Installing the software for Windows 3.1 Follow these steps to install the printer software using Windows 3.1: 1. Make sure Windows 3.1 is running and the Program Manager window is open. 2. Insert the Printer Software CD in the CD-ROM drive. 3. From the File menu, ch oose Run .
Making diskett es of the printer soft ware You can make a diskette version of the printer software (driver, utilities, and online help) on your CD-ROM if desired.
Chapter 3 Starting to Print Loading Plain Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Accessing the Printer Driver and Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 From Windows applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 From Windows 95 or Windows 98 .
Loading Plain Paper This section describes how to load plain paper in the printer. You can also prin t on ink jet paper, transparencies, index cards, photo-quality glossy paper/film, photo paper, envelopes, and adhesive sheets. For in structions on using special media, see Chapter 4, “Printing on Spe cial Paper.
2. Push down the left edge guide lock lever and slide the left edge guide to the left as far as it will go. 3. Load a stack of paper with the printable surface up and the right edge of the paper resting against the right side of the sheet feeder. Note: The sheet feeder can hold up to 100 sheets of 17-lb or 64 g/m 2 plain paper.
4. Slide the left edge guide against the left edge of the paper; then push up the lo ck lever to secure the left edge guide. 5. Remove the stack of paper and fan it. Then tap it on a flat surface to even the edges. While holding the printable s ide of the paper toward you, insert it gently straight up and down into the printer.
Accessing the Printer Dr iver and Utilities There are two ways to access the printer driver: from the Windows Start menu or Program Manager, or from your applications.
From Windows 95 or Windows 98 Follow these steps to acc ess the printer driver and utilities from the Windows 95 or Windows 98 Start menu: 1. Click Start , point to Settings , and click Printers . 2. Right-click the EPSON Stylus COLOR 300 icon, and click Pro perti es .
Getting Information Through Online Help Your printer software includes extensive online h elp with detailed information and instructions about printer driver settings and the printer utilities. Online help will answer most of your questions about the printer driver settings and the utilities.
From Windows 3.1 Program Manager To access online help directly from Program Manager, open the EPSON program group and click the EPSON Stylus COLOR 300 Help icon.
Chapter 4 Printing on Special Paper Proof Sign-off: Ohtera _____ __ Nomoto ___ __ __ Grady _______ Setting the Paper Thickness an d Adjust Levers . . . . . . . . . 4-2 Setting the paper thickness lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2 Setting the adjust lever .
Setting the Paper Thickness and Adjust Levers Before you start printing on special paper, you may need to change the paper thickness lever and the adjust lever settings. Note: When changing these settin gs, make sure the printer is p aused and no paper is in the sheet feeder or the paper path.
Setting the adjust lever When you print on thick paper such as envelopes or if ink smears on your documents, set the adjust lever to the “+” position.
Loading Special Paper and Other Media You can achieve good results on most plain bond paper. For better results, EPSON provides special media such as coated papers and glossy paper/film. For a list of EPSON speci al media, see page 1-6 or “Printing Supplies” in onlin e help.
Photo Quality Ink Jet Cards Up to 30 index cards. Always place the support sheet* beneath the cards. Photo Quality Glossy Paper One sheet at a time. Always place the support sheet* under the glossy paper. Photo Quality Glossy Film One sheet at a time for best results.
Loading Envelopes ❑ You can load up to 10 envelopes into the sheet feeder. ❑ Set the paper thickness lever to “thick pape r”, and the adjust lever to “+” position. ❑ Do not use envelopes that are curled or folded. Also avoid using envelopes that are too thin; they may curl during printing.
Chapter 5 Maintenance and Transportation Proof Sign-off: Ohtera _____ __ Nomoto ___ __ __ Grady _______ Replacing the Ink Cartrid ge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2 Cleaning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6 Aligning the Print Head .
Replacing the Ink Cartridge Your pri nte r ’s V ink out light tells you when it’ s time to replace the ink cartridge. A flashing V ink out ligh t indicates that the cartridge is low on ink. When the ink ca rtridge is empty, the printer stops automatically and the V ink out light is lit continuously.
3. Hold down the T cleaning button for three seconds. The P power light begins flashing, and the print head moves left slightly to the cartridge replacement position. c Caution: Do not move the print head by hand. Always use the T cleaning button to move it.
5. Lift the cartridge out of the printer and dispose of it properly. Do not take the used cartridge apart or try to refill it. w 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.
7. Lower the ink cartridge into the holder with the label face up and the arrow mark poin ting to the rear. Do not push down on the ink cartridge. 8. Press the ink cartridge clamp down until it locks in place. 9. Press the T cleaning button again to return the print head to the far right position.
Cleaning the Print Head If you find that printed images are unexpectedly faint or dots are missing, you may be able to solve these problems by cleaning the print head.
Note: If the V ink out light is flashing or on, you cannot clean the head, and this operation wi ll start the ink cartridge replacement procedure. If you do not want to replace an ink cartr idge at this moment, press the T cleaning button to return the print head to its home position.
Aligning th e Print Head If you notice a misalignment of vertical lines, you may be able to solve this problem from your computer using the Print Head Alignment utility. 1. Make sure paper is loaded in the sheet feeder. c Caution: Use paper at least 210 mm (8.
Cleaning the Printer To keep your printer operating at its be st, you should clean it thoroughly several times a year. 1. Make sure the printer is turned off. Then unplug the power cord. 2. Remove any paper from the sheet feeder. 3. Use a soft brush to carefully brush away all dust and dirt.
Transporting the Printer To transport your printer, carefully repack it using the original box and packing materials as follows: 1. Open the printer cover and make sure the print head is positioned at the far right of the printer. If not, turn on the printer and wait until the print head returns to the far right position.
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Proof Sign-off: Ohtera _____ __ Nomoto ___ __ __ Grady _______ Diagnosing the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 Error indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 Printer operation check .
Diagnosing the Problem If you find something wrong with your printer, you may be able to solve the problem by: ❑ Checking the “Error indicators” (see below). ❑ Performing a “Printer operation ch eck” (see the next page). ❑ Trying the recommended solutions in “Problems and Solutions” (see page 6-5).
Printer operation check Performing a printer operation check (self test) can help you determine whether the problem comes from the printer or the computer. Follow these steps: 1. Make sure both the printer and computer are turned off. 2. Unlock the wire clips on both sides of the interface connector and remove the ground connector, if necessary.
4. Hold down the E load/eject button and turn on the printer; then release the button. The printer prints an operation c heck page incl uding the version of your printe r’s ROM, the ink coun ter code, and a nozzle check pattern. Here is a typical printout: The above sample is in black and white, but the actual test prints in color (CMYK).
5. Turn off the printer after it finishes printing one page. ❑ If the operation check page results appear as shown in step 4, the printer is all right and the problem probably lies in the printer software settings, application settings, the interface cable, or the computer itself.
Power supply The lights come on briefly but then go off and stay off. Cause What to do The printer’s voltage rating does not match the voltage of your electrical outlet. Check the printer and outle t voltage ratings. If the voltages do not match, unplug the printer immediately and contact your dealer.
Operation The P power light is on but nothing prints. Cause What t o do The interface cable is not plugged in securely. Confirm that the cable is securely fastened to the prin ter and the computer. If the cable is connected correctly, perform a printer operation check as described on page 6-3.
The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing prints. Cause What to do The print head nozzles are clogged. Clean the print head. See page 5-6. If this does not work after a few trials, contact your dealer. The ink cartridge is older than six months or beyond the date on the packaging.
For Windows 95, choose a lower resolution setting as the Color Palette setting. To access the Co lor Palette, click Sta rt , point to Settings , and choose Control Panel . Then double-click the Display icon and click the Settings tab. For det ailed information on making this se tting, see your Windows 95 user’s guide .
Printing starts too high or too low on the page. Cause What to do Margins are set incorrectly in your application. Check that the margins ar e set correctly in your program. See “Printable area” in th e Appendix. The size of the paper loaded in the printer does not match the paper size setting within your application.
The New Hardware Found screen appears even though the printer software has al ready been i nstalled. Cause What t o do This error may occur in the Windows 95 operatin g system. In the New Hardware Found screen, click Do not install a driver [Windows will not prompt you again] , then click OK .
Paper handling Paper does not feed properly from the sheet feeder. Cause What to do The paper may have been loaded too deeply into the printer. Remove the paper and gently r einsert it straight up and down into the printer. Too many sheets are loaded in the sheet feeder.
The printer loads more than one sheet at a time. Cause What t o do The paper may have been loaded too deeply into the printer. Remove the paper and gently rein sert it straight up and d own into the printer. Too many sheets are loaded in the sheet feeder.
Paper does not fully eject. Cause What to do The paper is too long. Press the E load/eject button to eject the paper. Use paper that meets the paper requirements for this printer. See “Paper” in the Appendix. Paper feed or paper jam problems occur frequently.
Printing quality The printed ima ge has gaps or faint areas . Cause What t o do The paper thickness lever or the adjust lever position may not be set correctly. Make sure the paper thickness lever and adjust lever positions are set correctly. See page 4-2.
Printed image i s smeared. Cause What to do The paper thickness lever or the adjust lever position may not be set correctly. Make sure the paper thickness lever and adjust lever positions are set correctly. See page 4-2. Special paper was loaded without the support sheet or a regular sheet of paper under it.
White horizontal lines appear in the printed image. Cause What t o do The print head nozzles are clogged. Clean the print head. See page 5-6. The ink cartridge is lo w on ink. Check the contr ol panel to confirm that the V ink out light is flashing, then replace the ink cartridge.
Printing quality is not what you expe ct. Cause What to do The paper loaded is not the paper selected in your application or the printer driver. Make sure you load the correct paper in the printer and that you select the same media type in your application and/or the printer driver.
The Media Type setting does not match the paper loaded. Change the Media Type setting in your printer driver to match the type of media you have loaded, or load media that matches the Media Type setting. See online help . The print head nozzles for a particular color of ink are clogged.
Color dots are missing in printed characters or graphics. The printed color ima ge has gaps or faint area s. Cause What to do The color print head nozzles are clogged. Clean the print head. See page 5-6. Black dots are missing in printed characters or graphics.
Increasing the Print Speed Just as printing at a high resolution requires more processing time, printing i n color takes long er than printing in black because the volume of data in a color document is much greater. For this reason, it is important to be selective in your use of color if you also require a faster print speed.
Print speed Faster Slower Hardware resour ces System speed Fast Slow HDD free space Large Small Memory free space Large Small Software status Running applications One Many Virtual mem ory Not in use In use *Varies depending on the printer driver and applicati on software you are usi ng.
2. Hold down the E load/eject button for three seconds, the print head moves to the replace position. The P power light begins flashing. 3 . Lift the ink cartridge clamp. Dispose of the ink cartridge properly. 4. Remove the yellow tape seal from the new cartridge and lower the cartridge into the cartridge holder.
Appendix Printer Specifications Proof Sign-off: Ohtera _____ __ Nomoto ___ __ __ Grady _______ Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2 Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2 Printable area .
Printin g Printing method : On-demand ink jet Nozzle configuration: Monochrome (black) 31 nozzles Color (cyan, magenta, yellow) 33 nozzles (11 (each color) × 3 ) Resolutio n: EPSON 720 dpi mode* 360 .
Envelopes: Size No. 10 9.5 × 4.1 inch es (104 mm × 240 mm) DL 8.7 × 4.3 inc hes (110 mm × 220 mm) Paper types Plain bond paper, air mail Thickness 0.
Printable area Single sheets/index cards/adhesive sheets/transparencies Envelopes A: The mi nimum top ma rgin is 0.12 inch ( 3.0 mm). When loading multiple sheets of EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film, th e minimum top margin is 1.2 inches (30 mm). B: The m inimum left margin is 0 .
Ink Cartridge (S020138) Colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black Print capacity* 220 pages (A4, 360 dpi, 5% duty each color) 450 pages (A4, Text, monochrome printing only) Cartridge life 2 years from p.
Mechanical Paper feed met hod: Friction Paper path: Sheet feeder, rear entry Sheet feeder capacit y: About 100 sheets at 17 lb (64 g/m 2 ) paper Dimensions: Storage Width: 15.6 inches (396.7 mm) Depth: 8. 1 inch es (205. 6 mm) Height: 6.4 inches (162.
Environmental Temperature: Operation: 50 to 95°F (10 to 35°C) Storage: * –4 to 140°F (–20 to 60°C) 1 month at 104°F (40°C) 120 hours at 140°F (60°C) Humidity : Operation: 20 to 80% RH Storage: *,** 5 to 85% RH * Stored in shipping container **Without condensation Safety Approvals Safety standards: U.
Glossary The following de finitions apply specifically t o printers. application A software program that helps you perform a partic ular task, such as word processin g or financial planning. banding The horizontal lines that sometimes appear whe n printing graphics.
dpi Dots per inc h. The dpi measures t he resoluti on. See also resolution . driver A software program that sends instructions to a computer perip heral to tell it what to do. For example, your print er driver accept s print data from your word p rocessor or graphics applic ation and send s instructions to t he printer on how to print this data.
monochrome This means printing with only one color of ink, which is gene rally black ink. parallel interface See interf ace. printable area The area of a page on which the printer can print. It is smaller than the physical size of the page due to m argins.
spool The first step in p rinting. The printer d river converts the p rint data into code s that your printer unde rstands. This data is then se nt to the printer d irectly or to the prin t server. spool manager The software pro gram that conver ts print data into co des that your p rinter understand s.
Index A Adjust lever, 1-2, 4 -3 Alignment, print head, 5-8. See also online h elp B Buttons cleaning, 1-3, 5-2 –5 load/eject, 1-3, 6-3–4, 6-22–23 C Cables. See Interface cables Calibration. See Print head alignment Cartridge. See Ink cartridge Cleaning button, 1-3, 5-2–5 print head, 5-6–7 Collate op tion, 6-21.
I Index cards, 4-2–3, 4-5, A-3 Ink cartridge, 1-5 clam ps, 1-2 installing, 2-6–10 problems, 6-22–23 replacing, 5-2–5, 6-22–23 specifications, A-5 Interface cables, 1-5, 2-10–11 L Labels.
R Replacing an ink cartridge . See Ink cartrid ge Resolution, 6-21, A-2. See also online h elp Required system, 1- 4 Reverse Order, 6-21 . See also online h elp S Safety approvals, A-7 instructions, 1 − 3 Self adhesive sheets, 4-2–5, A-3 Self test.
An important point after buying a device Epson Stylus Color 300 (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Epson Stylus Color 300 yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Epson Stylus Color 300 - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Epson Stylus Color 300 you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Epson Stylus Color 300 will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Epson Stylus Color 300, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Epson Stylus Color 300.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Epson Stylus Color 300. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Epson Stylus Color 300 along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
