Epson 600Q User's Guide

User’s GuidePrinted on recycled paper with at least 10% post-consumer content.

ContentsixASpecificationsPrinting A-1Paper A-3Ink Cartridge A-5Mechanical A-5Electrical A-6Environmental A-6Safety Approvals A-6Interface A-6Default S

1/IntroductionYour EPSON 600Q for Compaq Presario printer is the ideal output device for business graphics, single-page layout proofs, digital photogr

Introduction2Windows System RequirementsTo use your printer and its software with a Compaq Presario computer, your system should have:◗ At least a 386

Introduction3Chapter 2, “Custom Printing,” tells you how to print special projects with custom settings for print quality and color management.Chapter

Introduction4Tips contain additional hints for great printing.Where To Get HelpEPSON provides customer support and service through a network of author

Introduction5World Wide WebFrom the Internet, you can reach EPSON’s Home Page at:http://www.epson.comEPSON Download ServiceYou can call the EPSON Down

Introduction6ENERGY STAR ComplianceAs an ENERGY STAR Partner, EPSON has determined that this product meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy effic

Introduction7◗ Do not block or cover the openings in the printer’s cabinet or insert objects through the slots.◗ Use only the type of power source ind

Introduction8Even if you are familiar with other types of printers, be sure to read through the following list of precautions before operating your in

1-11It’s easy to print all your color and black and white documents with your new EPSON 600Q. First you have to set up your printer and install the so

ink cartridge clampprinter coveredge guidespaper support extensionpaper supportcontrol paneloutput tray extensionscleaning buttonpaper lightpower butt

Basic Printing1-2Setting Printer Options from Windows ApplicationsThis section describes the preferences you’ll need to set for your everyday printing

Basic Printing1-33. If you do not see the dialog box shown in step 2, click the Main tab.4. Make sure the Mode option is set to Automatic. The printer

Basic Printing1-48. If necessary, click the Paper tab and choose your paper size, number of copies, orientation, and printable area. If your software

Basic Printing1-5Setting Default Options in Windows 95Follow these steps: 1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then point to Printers. 2. Right-clic

Basic Printing1-6Checking Printer StatusWhile your document is printing, the EPSON Despooler dialog box appears on your screen:This dialog box shows t

Basic Printing1-7The ink level is low or empty; check the or ink out light on the printer control panel and replace the cartridge if necessary.

Basic Printing1-8Printing from DOSMost DOS software programs include software for EPSON ESC/P 2™ printers. You need to select the correct printer soft

Basic Printing1-9Choosing Paper and Other MediaYou can use most plain paper with your printer and achieve good results. For better results, use EPSON

Basic Printing1-10What To Do When the Printer Lights FlashThe four lights on your printer’s control panel show the printer’s status and alert you to p

Basic Printing1-11Using the Control Panel ButtonsFollow these guidelines when using the control panel buttons:Using Online HelpFor complete informatio

iiAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electr

Basic Printing1-12Accessing Online Help from Windows ApplicationsTo access online help from your application, open the File menu and choose Print or P

Basic Printing1-13You can also access online help when you’re not using the driver, as described below.Accessing Online Help from Windows 95Click the

2-12When you want to print presentation graphics, photographs, or other special projects, you can use the custom settings in your EPSON 600Q software.

Custom Printing2-2You see the following dialog box:3. Select Color or Black Ink.4. Click Advanced, and then Custom Settings. You see the list of proje

Custom Printing2-3◗Video/Digital CameraFor images captured from a digital camera or video. Increases color brightness and makes the image sharper.◗Eco

Custom Printing2-4You see the More Settings dialog box:4. Choose one of the following Print Quality options:◗EconomyFor low-resolution rough drafts on

Custom Printing2-56. Choose one of the following Halftoning options:◗No HalftoningFor printing black text only.◗Error DiffusionFor printing photograph

Custom Printing2-6Customizing Color SettingsYou can choose from several color adjustment modes or manually adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation

Custom Printing2-7◗VividFor printing graphics-intensive documents like presentation pages with charts and graphs. Intensifies colors and lightens the

Custom Printing2-86. Click Save Settings if you want to save your custom settings as a group that you can reuse for special projects. See the followin

iiiFCC Compliance StatementFor United States UsersThis equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pur

Custom Printing2-9Deleting Custom SettingsIf you no longer need your customized settings, follow these steps to delete them:1. Select Advanced mode an

3-13Your EPSON 600Q lets you print on just about any kind of paper you want to use. You can get great results printing on various sizes of plain paper

Printing on Special Media3-2The type of paper or other media you use is one of the most important factors in determining the quality of your printed o

Printing on Special Media3-3Letterhead, Pre-printed Forms, and Legal-size PaperAlways load the top edge first. If you are loading long paper, pull out

Printing on Special Media3-4EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Paper, Film, and TransparenciesTo print on transparencies, remove the paper support and reinsta

Printing on Special Media3-5EnvelopesYou can load up to 10 envelopes as shown below:If ink smears when you print on envelopes or other thick media, se

Printing on Special Media3-6EPSON Photo Quality Ink Jet CardsYou can use these cards to print photographs that look almost as good as the ones you get

Printing on Special Media3-7Printing Banners and Other Custom Size ProjectsYou can use banner paper or ordinary (continuous-form) computer paper to pr

Printing on Special Media3-8Printing a Banner Follow these steps to print a banner or other custom-size document:1. Create the document in your word p

Printing on Special Media3-9If you choose User Defined, the following dialog box appears:6. To print a banner, type 8.5 inches for the Paper Width and

iv

4-14Your printer software includes several utilities for managing print jobs. You can use them to monitor your printer’s status, set up large jobs to

Managing Print Jobs and Network Printing4-2Using the Spool ManagerThe Spool Manager works like the Windows Print Manager. When you send a job to your

Managing Print Jobs and Network Printing4-3Deleting a Stalled Print JobIf you’re having trouble printing, it may be because of a stalled print job. Fo

Managing Print Jobs and Network Printing4-47. Close Spool Manager.Using the Status MonitorThe Status Monitor, available only if you’re using Windows 9

Managing Print Jobs and Network Printing4-53. Click the EPSON Status Monitor icon. You see the Despooler window with the Status Monitor at the bottom:

Managing Print Jobs and Network Printing4-6Setting Up Your Network Path in Windows 95If you want to use your printer on a network running Windows 95,

Managing Print Jobs and Network Printing4-77. In the Spool Manager window, double-click your printer’s queue. The Queue Setup dialog box appears.8. Ma

5-15It’s easy to keep your EPSON 600Q printer working at its best. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions in this chapter for replacing

Maintenance and Transportation5-2Using the Head Cleaning UtilityFollow these steps to run the utility:1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not pr

Maintenance and Transportation5-3Using the Control Panel1. Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing, and that the black and color ink ou

vContentsIntroductionWindows System Requirements 2How To Use Your Manuals 2Warnings, Cautions, Notes, and Tips 3Where To Get Help 4Electronic Supp

Maintenance and Transportation5-4Examining the Nozzle Check PatternExamine the nozzle check pattern you print. It should look something like this, wit

Maintenance and Transportation5-5Removing an Empty Ink CartridgeYou can replace a cartridge when the black or color ink out light is either flashi

Maintenance and Transportation5-67. Follow the steps in the next section to install the new ink cartridge.Installing the New CartridgeOnce you have re

Maintenance and Transportation5-74. Press down the ink cartridge clamp until it locks in place.5. If you need to replace the other ink cartridge, remo

Maintenance and Transportation5-8Follow these steps to replace an ink cartridge before the black or color ink out light is flashing or on:1. Make su

Maintenance and Transportation5-9Aligning the Print HeadsIf your printouts contain misaligned vertical lines, you may need to align the print heads. F

Maintenance and Transportation5-10Transporting the PrinterIf you want to move your printer some distance, you need to prepare it for transportation an

6-16As you use your printer, you may occasionally experience a paper jam or other problem. The first thing you should do is diagnose the problem, foll

Troubleshooting6-2◗ For the latest information, check the EPSON 600Q Help program and the ReadMe file in the EPSON program group or folder. ◗ If none

Troubleshooting6-3Improving Print QualityYou can often improve print quality by doing one of the following:◗ Clean the print heads (see Chapter 5 for

Contentsvi2Custom PrintingUsing Predefined Advanced Settings 2-1Customizing Print Quality and Special Effects 2-3Customizing Color Settings 2-6Savi

Troubleshooting6-4Vertical lines are misaligned or vertical banding appearsThe printed image has incorrect or missing colorsPossible cause SolutionThe

Troubleshooting6-5The printed image is faint or has gapsThe printed image is blurry or smearedPossible cause SolutionThe print head nozzles are clogge

Troubleshooting6-6Photographic images look grainy or roughColor documents print in black and whiteSolving Printing ProblemsIf the printer won’t print,

6-7Only the power light is on, but nothing printsThe paper out light is flashing or onA black or color ink out light is flashing or onPossible cau

6-8The paper and power lights are flashingAll the lights are flashingThe printer has finished charging the ink cartridge, but the power light is s

6-9You see a spooling error message (Windows)In Windows 95, the Status Monitor box does not appear with the DespoolerPrinting is too slowPossible caus

6-10Fixing Paper ProblemsYou can avoid most paper handling problems by doing the following:◗ Use smooth, high-quality media designed for ink jet print

6-11Paper jams inside the printerPaper doesn’t eject fully or is wrinkledSolving Miscellaneous Printout ProblemsIf your printout results are not what

6-12The margins are incorrectThe image is inverted as if viewed in a mirrorThe printer prints blank pagesPossible cause SolutionMargins are set incorr

A-1APrintingPrinting methodOn-demand ink jetNozzle configurationMonochrome (black) 64 nozzles (32 × 2 staggered)Color (cyan, magenta, yellow) 32 nozzl

Contentsvii5Maintenance and TransportationCleaning the Print Heads 5-1Using the Head Cleaning Utility 5-2Using the Control Panel 5-3Examining the N

SpecificationsA-2FontsSelect other font/pitch combinations using ESC/P 2 commands.See the Command List on page A-9.Each font has four variations: norm

SpecificationsA-3Paper Note: Since the quality of any particular brand or type of paper may be changed by the manufacturer at any time, EPSON cannot a

SpecificationsA-4A: The minimum top margin is 0.12 inch (3.0 mm).When loading multiple sheets of EPSON Photo Quality Glossy Film, the minimum top marg

SpecificationsA-5Ink Cartridge* The print capacity may vary, depending on how often you use the print head cleaning function.** It thaws and is usable

SpecificationsA-6ElectricalNote: Check the label on the back of the printer for the voltage of your printer.EnvironmentalTemperatureOperation: 50 to 9

SpecificationsA-7Handshaking: Refer to the IEEE-1284 specificationSignal level: IEEE-1284 Level 1 deviceData transmission timing: Refer to the IEEE-12

SpecificationsA-8Default SettingsThe table below shows the default settings that take effect when the printer is initialized. To change these settings

SpecificationsA-94. Press the load/eject button to print the default font and character table and the next page of instructions.The instruction shee

G-1Glossarybanding The horizontal lines that sometimes appear when printing graphics. See also MicroWeave.buffer The portion of the printer’s memory u

GlossaryG-2ESC/P Abbreviation for Epson Standard Code for Printers. This system of commands gives you control of your printer from your computer. It i

ContentsviiiThe paper and power lights are flashing 6-8All the lights are flashing 6-8The printer has finished charging the ink cartridge, but the

GlossaryG-3media Materials upon which data is printed, such as envelopes, plain paper, special paper, and transparencies.MicroWeave Printing technolog

GlossaryG-4screen pattern This feature prints shaded areas as they appear on screen, instead of printing them as halftones.serial interface See interf

I-1IndexAAdjust lever, 3-5Advanced mode and halftoning, 2-5Advanced mode, selecting, 2-1to2-2Advanced settingscustom, 2-3to2-9predefined, 2-1to2-3Alig

IndexI-2FFaint printouts, 6-5, 6-6FaxAdvice, 5Film, see Photo Quality Glossy mediaFlip horizontal setting, 6-12Fonts, A-2Forms, printing, 3-3GGlossy m

IndexI-3PPaperadjust lever, 3-5coated, 3-1glossy, see Photo Quality Glossy mediahandling problems, 6-10 to 6-11legal, 3-3letterhead, 3-3menu, 1-4plain

IndexI-4Status Monitorproblems, 6-1Windows, 1-6, 4-4Support, EPSON, 4to5System requirementsWindows, 2TTechnical specifications, A-1toA-7Testing printe