EPSON Stylus® Pro 5500 PRINTER GUIDE
printer cover control panel edge guide ink cartridge clamps ink cartridge compartment door lower paper cassette (optional) paper size levers media type levers edge guide optional interface card slot power cable USB interface rear manual feed slot parallel interface paper path cover 1
EPSON Stylus Pro 5500 ® PRINTER GUIDE
ii | Printed on recycled paper. Copyright © 2001 by Epson America, Inc. 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 these EPSON printers.
| iii 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 Tel: (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.
iv | 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 Optional Equipment and Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using This Printer Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warnings and Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Macintosh System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Windows System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Where To Get Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
vi | Contents 2 Printing on Various Papers Selecting a Paper Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Standard and Optional Paper Trays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paper Tray Loading Capacities and Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the Paper Tray Levers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loading Paper in the Optional Lower Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Front Manual Feed Slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents | vii 6 Maintaining and Transporting the Printer Running a Cleaning Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Head Cleaning Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cleaning the Print Head Using the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . Running a Printer Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replacing an Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aligning the Print Head . . . . .
Introduction The EPSON Stylus® Pro 5500 color ink jet printer is the key component in a revolutionary new digital color printing system. The printer provides resolutions up to 2880 × 720 dpi using EPSON’s variable size droplet, MicroPiezo® DX3™ print head for unsurpassed image quality. Proprietary ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) ensure consistent printing and color accuracy from job to job.
2 | Introduction Optional Equipment and Software Your EPSON Stylus Pro 5500 offers these optional upgrades to enhance your print productivity: Optional equipment and software Option Part number 250-sheet lower paper cassette and tray C813611 Replacement 250-sheet paper tray C813621 10/100 BaseT Ethernet™ Type B interface card C823632A IEEE-1394 FireWire® Type B interface card C823722 EFI Fiery Spark Professional RIP software TBD You can purchase optional equipment and software, ink cartridges
Introduction | 3 Chapter 7 provides troubleshooting tips and solutions for any printing problems you may have. Appendix A provides the technical details on your printer, ink cartridges, and EPSON media. An Index is included at the end of the book. Warnings and Cautions You’ll find this information throughout this guide: Warning Warnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury. Caution Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.
4 | Introduction • For USB connection: a compliant USB port and a shielded USB “AB” cable from Series A (computer) to Series B (printer), up to 6.6 ft. (2 meters) long For FireWire or network connection: an optional FireWire or Ethernet interface card (described on page 2) and compatible cable Windows System Requirements Note To use your printer in either a standalone or peer-to-peer network environment, your system should include: Using an improperly shielded USB cable— especially a cable more than 6.
Introduction | 5 Where To Get Help EPSON provides telephone support and information on the installation, configuration, and operation of professional graphics products through the SM EPSON Preferred Protection Plan. Dial (888) 377-6611, 6 A.M. to 8 P.M., Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, and 7 A.M. to 4 P.M., Pacific Time, Saturday. Before you call, make sure you have your Unit ID number, which is included with the EPSON Preferred Protection Plan information that came with your printer.
6 | Introduction Important Safety Instructions Before using your printer, read the following safety instructions to make sure you use the equipment 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 heating vent. • Place the printer on a flat surface. It will not operate properly if it is tilted or at an angle.
Introduction | 7 Even if you are familiar with other types of printers, be sure to read through the following list of precautions before operating your ink jet printer: • Do not put your hand inside the printer or touch the print head during printing. Do not move the print head by hand. • Under normal circumstances, ink will not leak out of the cartridges. If it does get on your skin, wash it off with soap and water. If it gets in your eyes, flush them immediately with water.
8 | Introduction 8
Chapter 1 Setting Up the Printer To set up your EPSON Stylus Pro 5500, you need to unpack it , install the paper tray(s) and ink cartridges, load paper, and run a printer check. Once the printer is set up, you need to install the printer driver and utilities from the printer software CD-ROM and then align the print head.
1-2 | Setting Up the Printer Follow these steps to unpack your printer and place it in a safe location: 1. Follow the instructions on the illustrated sheet in the box to remove the tape and protective materials. Save all packaging so you can use it if you need to transport the printer later. 2. Place the printer on a flat, stable surface near a grounded outlet. Do not use an outlet controlled by a wall switch or timer, or on the same circuit as a large appliance.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-3 Warning 3. Place your printer on top of the cassette as shown: Hold the bottom of the printer at the depression on the sides so your fingers don’t get caught between the printer and the cassette. Warning 4. Attach the printer and cassette using the two screws that come with the cassette. Use the hexagonal wrench that comes with the cassette to tighten the screws.
1-4 | Setting Up the Printer Warning If you need to move the printer after you attach the cassette, have one person lift it on each side, holding the bottom of the cassette at the depression. Installing the Paper Tray Insert the paper tray into the slots at the front of the printer as shown below: don’t touch the black pad Caution Be careful not to touch the black pad at the right end of the paper tray. Smudges and dirt on the pad may cause a paper feeding problem.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-5 Installing the Ink Cartridges Always use new ink cartridges. Reinstalling partially empty ink cartridges prevents the ink counter from accurately indicating the amount of ink remaining. Note 1. Plug in the printer and turn it on by pressing the P Operate button. Press the button and hold it for a second until the P Operate light comes on. The Ink Out and main paper tray lights come on and all the H ink out lights flash.
1-6 | Setting Up the Printer 3. Open one of the ink cartridge packages and shake the cartridge gently, as shown. 4. Lift up the ink cartridge clamp for the corresponding ink slot. Note You can install the ink cartridges in any order; however, each slot can only hold the specified ink color. Warning 5. Hold the ink cartridge with the arrow mark face-up and pointing to the rear of the printer, and fully insert the cartridge into the slot.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-7 6. Close the clamp until it clicks into place. The corresponding H ink out light goes out. Repeat steps 3 through 6 for the other ink cartridges. Caution Never turn off the printer or open the paper path cover on the back when the P Operate light is flashing. However, if the light is still flashing after 15 minutes and the printer is not moving or making noise, you may turn off the printer. 7. Make sure all the H ink out lights are off, then close the ink compartment doors.
1-8 | Setting Up the Printer 2. Lift off the paper tray cover and raise the paper guide roller. 3. Slide the switch to the roller position that matches the paper size you’re loading. roller switch 4. If you’re using legal-size or larger paper, release the extension locks and pull out the paper tray extension completely.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-9 5. Slide both edge guides out as far as they will go. 6. Fan a stack of paper and then even the edges. Note 7. Load the stack of paper with the printable surface down and the right edge of the paper resting against the right side of the paper tray. Don’t load paper above the arrow mark inside the left edge guide. Make sure the paper is loaded printable side down and the stack lies flat on the bottom of the tray.
1-10 | Setting Up the Printer 8. Slide the edge guides against the paper stack. 9. Close the paper guide roller. 10. Replace the paper tray cover. (If you pulled out the paper tray extension, slide out the cover extension before you replace the cover.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-11 11. Push in the paper tray until it meets resistance. The Paper Out light goes out. 12. Set the paper size and media type levers for the paper you’re using. For letter-size Archival Matte Paper, set the levers as follows: Note • Paper size: LTR • Media type: Archival Matte Paper The levers don’t directly affect print quality, but they allow your software to verify that the print settings for a job are correct for the paper you’re using.
1-12 | Setting Up the Printer Running a Printer Check You can use the printer check to make sure that your printer is operating correctly before you connect it to your computer. 1. Turn off the printer. 2. Make sure letter-size (or larger) paper is loaded in the main paper tray. 3. Hold down the Reset button and press the P Operate button to turn on the printer. Release the buttons when the P Operate light begins flashing.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-13 • If the pattern has missing segments, as in the following example, your printer may have a clogged ink nozzle. Run a cleaning cycle as described on page 6-1. • If nothing prints at all, make sure your ink cartridges are correctly installed. Then run a cleaning cycle, as described on page 6-1.
1-14 | Setting Up the Printer Note Connecting to the USB Port To connect the printer to a USB port, you need a standard shielded USB cable. Follow the steps below to connect the printer to your computer. The EPSON Printer Port and DMA transfer features (Windows 95, 98, or Me only) of the EPSON printer driver are available only with a parallel interface connection. If you’re using a USB hub, connect the printer’s cable to the first tier of the hub or you may experience communication errors.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-15 Connecting to a Parallel Port (Windows Only) To use the printer’s built-in parallel interface, you need a shielded, bidirectional, parallel cable. Follow the steps below to connect the printer to your computer. 1. Make sure both the printer and your computer are turned off. 2. Connect the larger end of the parallel cable to your printer’s parallel port. Then secure it with the wire clips.
1-16 | Setting Up the Printer Connecting to an Optional Interface Card Note Before you install an optional interface card, see the documentation that comes with the card for setup information. The optional interface cards listed below let you use your printer on a FireWire interface or a network. The Ethernet card automatically detects the protocols on your network, so you can print from Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, or NT 4.0, or a Macintosh on an AppleTalk network.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-17 5. Slide the interface card along the slots inside the interface compartment. Push it in firmly to fully insert the connector at the rear of the interface card into the printer’s internal socket. 6. Secure the interface card with the two screws included with the card. Note 7. Connect a compatible interface cable to the interface card and to your computer. If the cable has a ground wire, secure it as shown. To remove an interface card, follow the steps in the reverse order.
1-18 | Setting Up the Printer Installing Printer Software for Windows Note If you’ll be using the optional RIP software drivers to control your printer instead, see the documentation on the RIP software CD-ROM for instructions on installing and using the software. After connecting the printer to your computer, you need to install the printer driver and utilities included on your printer software CD-ROM. Follow these steps: 1. Make sure your printer is turned off. 2.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-19 7. When you see a message informing you that installation is complete, click OK. 8. Click the icon to exit the installer. 9. If you’re using Windows 95 or NT, or if the final installation completion screen asked you to do so, restart your computer now. If you’ll be using your printer on a network, see “Setting Up Your Printer on a Network” on page 1-21 for configuration instructions. For instructions on using your printer software, see Chapter 4.
1-20 | Setting Up the Printer 6. Select the default paper size you want the printer software to use and click OK. 7. When you see a message informing you that installation is complete, click Restart to restart your computer. 8. After your Macintosh restarts, select Chooser from the Apple menu. If you’re going to be sharing the printer on an AppleTalk network, skip the rest of these steps. Instead see “Setting Up on a Macintosh Network” on page 1-24 to finish configuring the printer. 9.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-21 Setting Up Your Printer on a Network Follow the steps in the appropriate section to configure your computers to use the printer on a network: • “Setting Up on a Windows 95, 98, or Me Network” below • “Setting Up on a Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Network” on page 1-23 • “Setting Up on a Macintosh Network” on page 1-24 Setting Up on a Windows 95, 98, or Me Network Note This section tells you how to configure your printer as a shared printer on a network.
1-22 | Setting Up the Printer 6. In the Control Panel, double-click Printers. 7. Select your printer, then choose Sharing on the File menu. 8. Select Shared As, enter the printer information as needed, then click OK. Configuring the Client Computers Perform these steps on every computer that will need to access the printer: 1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Printers. 2. Double-click the Add Printer icon. 3. The Add Printer Wizard screen appears. Click Next. 4.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-23 Setting Up on a Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Network Note This section tells you how to configure your printer as a shared printer on a small network. To connect your printer directly to a network without setting it up as a shared printer, or to set it up for sharing on a large network, consult your network administrator. This section tells you how to set up your printer so that computers on the network can share it.
1-24 | Setting Up the Printer 5. In the text box, type the appropriate information for your system using the syntax below, then click OK: \\name of computer connected to the printer\name of the shared printer 6. In the Printer Ports dialog box, click Close. 7. On the Ports screen, make sure the new port is added and its checkbox is selected. Then click OK. For instructions on using your printer software, see Chapter 4.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-25 3. Click the Setup button. The following dialog box appears: 4. Click the Share this Printer checkbox, then type a name for the printer and password information as needed. 5. Click OK. The name of the shared printer appears in the port list in the Chooser. 6. Close the Chooser. Configuring the Client Macintosh Computers Perform these steps on every Macintosh that will need to access the printer: 1. Select Chooser from the Apple menu.
1-26 | Setting Up the Printer 2. If you’re prompted for a password, enter the password for the printer and click OK. 3. Select the appropriate Background Printing radio button to turn background printing on or off. 4. Close the Chooser. For instructions on using your printer software, see Chapter 3. Aligning the Print Head Before you use the printer, you should align the print head to ensure accurate, clean printouts.
Setting Up the Printer | 1-27 3. Macintosh: Click the utility button. Windows: Click the Utility tab. 4. Click the Print Head Alignment button. 5. Follow the instructions on the screen to print a test page. Printing takes several minutes. You see this window: Note You may want to check the alignment patterns using a standard 8X loupe so they’re easier to see. You’ll probably need to align the print head at least twice when you first set up the printer. 6.
1-28 | Setting Up the Printer 1-28
Chapter 2: Printing on Various Papers Your EPSON Stylus Pro 5500 prints on a variety of substrates, from plain paper to high-quality matte and glossy media. With four paths to choose from (if you have the optional lower cassette), you can use paper sizes from 4 × 6 inches to 13 × 19 inches. The straight-through rear manual feed slot lets you print on stock up to 200 lb and sheets up to 44 inches long.
2-2 | Printing on Various Papers The following table indicates the paper sizes you can print from the four paper paths: Paper sizes and paper paths Paper size Standard paper tray Optional lower paper tray Front manual slot Rear manual slot Half letter/A5 or less — — — OK Executive (7.5 × 10 in.) — — OK OK Letter/A4 OK OK OK OK Letter/A4 landscape OK OK OK OK Legal OK OK OK OK Ledger/tabloid/A3/B (11 × 17 in.) OK OK OK OK Super A3/B (13 × 19 in.
Printing on Various Papers | 2-3 Note Paper Tray Loading Capacities and Guidelines The loading capacity of the paper trays depends on the type of paper you’re loading. Use this table to determine the number of sheets you can load: You can’t load Watercolor Paper - Radiant White or card stock in the paper trays. Use the rear manual feed slot only. For more information about EPSON media, see page 2-9.
2-4 | Printing on Various Papers • Load paper before you send your print job. If the paper runs out during a print job, you can have the printer automatically switch to the other tray. (The paper size and media type levers must be set the same for both trays, or the levers must be set to Other on the lower tray. See the next section for instructions.) • Always choose the correct Media Type setting in your printer software before you send your print job.
Printing on Various Papers | 2-5 The following table identifies the paper size lever settings: Paper size lever settings Media size Paper size lever setting 13 × 19 in. Super A3/B 297 × 420 mm A3 Ledger/tabloid/11 × 17 in. LGR Legal/11 × 14 in. LGL 210 × 297 mm A4 Letter/8.5 × 11 in. LTR No. 10/DL/C5/C6 envelopes Other Any other size Other 1. Load the paper following the instructions on page 1-7. The trays can hold 250 sheets of plain paper (24 lb bond, for example).
2-6 | Printing on Various Papers Loading Paper in the Optional Lower Tray Note Always pull the paper tray completely out of the lower paper cassette before you insert paper. If you use paper longer than letter size in the lower tray, pull out the tray and cover extensions of the upper paper tray, so your printouts will be supported when they come out of the printer. To print on paper in the lower tray, select Paper Tray (Lower) or Auto Select in your printer software before you send the print job.
Printing on Various Papers | 2-7 3. Pull out the cover extension and place the cover back on the paper tray. 4. Align the right edge of the paper with the right edge guide and insert the paper in the slot until it meets resistance. The printer automatically feeds the paper, and it starts printing when it receives a print job. If the sheet doesn’t eject completely, press the Eject/Continue button. Using the Rear Manual Feed Slot Use this slot when you need a straight-through paper path.
2-8 | Printing on Various Papers 3. Pull out the cover extension and place the cover back on the paper tray. 4. Open the rear manual slot cover. 5. Slide the edge guide to match your paper size. edge guide Note 6. Align the right edge of the paper with the edge guide and insert the paper in the slot, printable side up, until it meets resistance. If you’re using long or heavy paper, you may need to hold the sheet until the printer starts to feed it.
Printing on Various Papers | 2-9 Selecting EPSON Paper You can use many types of coated, glossy, and other papers with your EPSON Stylus Pro 5500. EPSON media, which is specially formulated for the inks used in your printer, ensure high-quality results. The following table lists the product codes for the available sizes of EPSON paper. The name on the paper package may be different from the name shown in this table; use the product code to identify the paper.
2-10 | Printing on Various Papers Clearing Paper Jams If the Paper Out light and all three paper lights on the printer’s control panel are flashing, you have a paper jam. Follow as many of the steps below as necessary to clear the paper path. Warning 1. Turn off the printer. 2. Remove the upper paper tray and check for jammed paper. Never reach into the printer when it is turned on. Remove paper carefully to avoid damaging any of the cables. 3. Gently pull out the jammed paper.
Printing on Various Papers | 2-11 5. Open the rear manual feed cover. 6. Pull on the manual feed cover to open the paper path cover, and if necessary, open the paper guide inside. paper guide paper path cover 7. Gently pull out the jammed paper. If the jammed paper comes out, close the paper path cover, replace the paper tray, turn the printer back on, and press the Eject/Continue button to make sure paper is feeding properly.
2-12 | Printing on Various Papers 8. Open the printer cover. Gently pull out the jammed paper. 9. Replace the paper trays, close the covers, and turn the printer back on. Then press the Eject/Continue button to make sure paper is feeding properly.
Chapter 3: Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh The EPSON Stylus Pro 5500 comes with drivers that let you use the printer in non-PostScript mode and utilities that allow you to manage background printing jobs. ICC profiles for ColorSync® 3.0 are included, so you can use the advanced color management features of your applications or the driver itself.
3-2 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh 3. Select the way you want the printer to load paper from the Paper Source list. • Auto Select Lets the printer select which paper tray to load from. • Paper Tray Loads paper only from the main paper tray. • Paper Tray (Lower) (only appears if installed) Loads paper only from the lower paper tray. • Manual Feed (only appears if paper is loaded in a manual feed slot) Loads paper only from the manual feed slot containing paper. 4.
Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh | 3-3 2. Choose the number of Copies and indicate which Pages you want to print. 3. Select a Media Type setting appropriate for the media you’re printing on, as listed in “Selecting the Correct Media Type” on page 3-4. 4. Select Color or Black ink. 5. Set the Mode option as follows: Note You can also create your own settings and add them to this list. See page 3-7 for more information.
3-4 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh Note For a description of the available settings, click the help button. 7. Choose from the following buttons to access additional features: • Click to access the printer monitoring and maintenance utilities. See page 3-8 or Chapter 6 for more information. • Click if you want to reduce or enlarge your image, print a watermark, select a multiple page option, or use the Collate or Reverse Page Order settings. • Click to turn on background printing.
Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh | 3-5 Choosing Advanced Print Options The advanced print options give you complete control over printing. Use these settings to experiment or to fine-tune a range of options to meet your individual needs. Follow these steps to print with advanced settings: 1. Follow steps 1 through 4 beginning on page 3-2. 2. Click Custom, then click the Advanced button that appears on the screen.
3-6 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh 5. Choose any of the following: • MicroWeave This setting eliminates unwanted banding effects and is automatically selected for all media types. • High Speed For fast, bidirectional printing. If vertical lines in your printout are misaligned when you use the High Speed setting, you may need to turn it off or align the print head (as described on page 6-7). • Flip Horizontal For printing a mirror image of your file.
Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh | 3-7 7. Click Save Settings if you want to have your advanced settings available for reuse. Then type a name for the group of settings and click Save. The name is added to your list of custom settings. 8. When you’re finished setting advanced printer options, click OK. Color Management Settings Notice: Output Viewing Conditions The following tables list the color management settings available when you choose either Color Controls, PhotoEnhance4, or ColorSync.
3-8 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh ColorSync Rendering Intent settings Perceptual For photographic images. Maintains the relationship between colors as it scales them to fit within your printer’s color gamut. Saturation For charts and business graphics. Maintains the relative saturation of colors from one gamut to another. Colorimetric For projects with known colors, such as labels and packaging. Maintains colors that fall within the gamut of both your monitor and printer.
Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh | 3-9 4. To select a priority for your print job in the queue of jobs waiting to print, click one of the following: • Urgent to print before any Normal priority job • Normal to print in the order the job is received • Print at: to print at the specific time you enter in the day and time in the fields to the right • Hold to hold the print job in the print queue until you’re ready to release it using Monitor3; see the following section for details. 5.
3-10 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Macintosh You can also double-click a file in the list to preview it, or double-click Copies to change the number of copies to be printed. If you want to view details on a print job, click the job, then click the Show details arrow. The Priority list becomes active in case you want to change the print job priority, as described in the previous section.
Chapter 4: Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows The EPSON Stylus Pro 5500 comes with drivers and utilities that let you print and manage print jobs in non-PostScript mode without a RIP. ICC profiles are included, so you can use advanced color management features of your applications or the driver itself.
4-2 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows Note A dialog box like the following appears: If you need more information about print options, you can click the Help button on any dialog box. this box shows you the current settings, but you can’t change them from here 3. Select a Media Type setting appropriate for the media you’re printing on, as listed in “Selecting the Correct Media Type” on page 4-3. 4. Select Color or Black ink. 5.
Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows | 4-3 Note You can also create your own settings and add them to this list. See page 4-8 for more information. • Click Custom and then choose one of the print job types from the custom settings list, as described below: Setting Usage Advanced Photo Prevents the misprinting of ink dots that may occur because of the movement of the print head and paper. Available only with certain media types.
4-4 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows Note Choosing Paper and Layout Options Follow these steps to choose paper and layout options for your print job: Many application settings override the printer’s Paper options. Always verify settings to get the results you expect. 1. On the Properties dialog box, click the Paper tab. You see this window: 2. Select the way you want the printer to load paper from the Paper Source list. • Auto Select Lets the printer select which paper tray to load from.
Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows | 4-5 If your size is not listed, select User Defined. Then enter the size in hundredths of an inch (or centimeters). 4. Make the settings you want for Copies, Orientation, and Printable Area. Note 5. If you want to reduce or enlarge your image, select a multiple paper option, or print a watermark, click the Layout tab. You see this window: For descriptions of the available settings, click the Help button. 6. Choose the appropriate settings, then click OK.
4-6 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows You see a dialog box like the following: when you choose PhotoEnhance4, you see a different set of options on the lower part of the screen 3. If necessary, you can change your Media Type and Ink settings. 4.
Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows | 4-7 5. Choose any of the following: • MicroWeave This setting eliminates unwanted banding effects and is automatically selected for all media types. • High Speed For fast, bidirectional printing. If vertical lines in your printout are misaligned when you use the High Speed setting, you may need to turn it off or align the print head (as described on page 6-7). • Flip Horizontal For printing a mirror image of your file. Note 6.
4-8 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows 7. Click Save Settings if you want to have your advanced settings available for reuse. Then type a name for the group of settings and click Save. The name is added to your list of custom settings. 8. When you’re finished setting advanced printer options, click OK. Color Management Settings Notice: Output Viewing Conditions The following tables list the color management settings available when you choose either Color Controls or PhotoEnhance4.
Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows | 4-9 Managing Print Jobs Your printer comes with several utilities that let you check on your print jobs and schedule, cancel, pause, or restart them. The Progress Meter opens each time you send a print job. The Spool Manager (not available with Windows NT) appears on the taskbar when you print. Status Monitor 3, which also appears on the taskbar, also lets you check the printer’s status and monitor print jobs. See page 5-5 for information about Status Monitor 3.
4-10 | Printing with EPSON Drivers for Windows Using the Spool Manager The Spool Manager (not available with Windows NT) displays the status of your print job files and lets you control them. To open spool manager while you’re printing, click the EPSON Stylus Pro 5500 icon that appears on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
Chapter 5: Monitoring the Printer The EPSON Stylus Pro 5500 includes a number of utilities for monitoring the printer’s status. The printer’s control panel lights alert you when a problem occurs or your consumables run out. Status monitoring software utilities for both Macintosh and Windows systems are included with the EPSON drivers. These report printer status on your computer screen.
5-2 | Monitoring the Printer Control panel lights Problem Response Ink Out light flashing and one or more Corresponding ink cartridge nearly empty Obtain a replacement ink cartridge. See page 6-5. Ink Out light on and one or more Corresponding ink cartridge empty or not installed Replace the ink cartridge (or make sure it’s installed correctly). See page 6-5.
Monitoring the Printer | 5-3 Control panel lights Problem Response Maintenance required now Paper Out and POperate lights flashing, Ink Out and Paper Size/Type light on, all paper tray lights flash, and H ink out lights are on Turn off the printer and contact EPSON as described in the Introduction. All control panel lights flashing Turn off the printer and remove any foreign objects or paper that may be obstructing print head movement. Then turn on the printer again.
5-4 | Monitoring the Printer 2. Click the EPSON StatusMonitor button. This window opens, showing remaining ink levels and the sizes, types, and quantity of paper in the trays (as indicated by the lever positions and printer sensor): click to recheck ink levels and paper information 3. To close the Status Monitor, click OK. Configuring Printer Monitoring You can configure the way you want the printer to handle error and warning messages, ink level checks, and print file spooling. 1.
Monitoring the Printer | 5-5 3. Select from the following configuration options: • Note Error notification lets you choose whether error messages beep and display text or just display text. • Warning lets you choose whether warning messages beep and display text or display text only. Warning messages allow printing to continue. Error messages are more serious and cause printing to stop.
5-6 | Monitoring the Printer 2. Click the Utility tab. You see the Utility menu: click to run Status Monitor 3 3. Click the EPSON Status Monitor 3 button. The following window appears. (It also opens automatically when an error occurs.) Note printer status messages appear here If there’s a printing problem, such as low ink or jammed paper, Status Monitor 3 displays a How To button that you can click for instructions on solving the problem.
Monitoring the Printer | 5-7 Setting Monitoring Preferences You can have Status Monitor 3 alert you to any error conditions while you’re working. This lets you know if one of your cartridges is low on ink or if any other problems occur. Follow these steps to set monitoring preferences: 1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Printers. Make sure your printer icon appears in the Printers window. 2.
5-8 | Monitoring the Printer 5. Click the Monitoring Preferences button. You see the Monitoring Preferences window: 6. Select the Notification options you want to use. 7. If you want to have the Status Monitor 3 icon appear in your Windows taskbar, click the Shortcut Icon checkbox. Then select the icon you want to use.
Chapter 6: Maintaining and Transporting the Printer Your EPSON Stylus Pro 5500 requires very little maintenance to keep working at its best.
6-2 | Maintaining and Transporting the Printer Using the Head Cleaning Utility Follow these steps to run the Head Cleaning utility: 1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and the Ink Out light is off. If the Ink Out light is flashing or on, you need to replace the ink cartridge(s)—indicated by the H ink out lights—instead. See page 6-5 for instructions. 2. If you have an application running, access the printer settings dialog box as described on page 3-2 (Macintosh) or page 4-1 (Windows).
Maintaining and Transporting the Printer | 6-3 Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern Examine the nozzle check pattern you print. Each staggered horizontal and straight vertical line should be complete, with no gaps in the dot pattern. If your printout looks okay, you’re done. If any dots are missing (as shown here), clean the print head again; see page 6-2 for instructions.
6-4 | Maintaining and Transporting the Printer Running a Printer Check You can use the printer check to make sure that your printer is operating correctly and the print head nozzles are clean. 1. Turn off the printer. 2. Make sure letter-size (or larger) paper is loaded in the main paper tray. 3. Hold down the Reset button and press the P Operate button to turn on the printer. Release the buttons when the P Operate light comes on.
Maintaining and Transporting the Printer | 6-5 • If the pattern has missing segments, as in the following example, your printer may have a clogged ink nozzle. Run a cleaning cycle as described on page 6-1. • If nothing prints at all, make sure your ink cartridges are correctly installed. Then run a cleaning cycle, as described on page 6-1.
6-6 | Maintaining and Transporting the Printer 1. Make sure the printer is turned on, and determine which cartridge needs to be replaced by checking the control panel lights. Warning If ink gets on your hands, wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets in your eyes, flush them immediately with water. To avoid injury, do not reach into the ink cartridge compartments. Warning Don’t shake the cartridge you remove; ink may leak out. 2. Open the appropriate ink cartridge compartment door.
Maintaining and Transporting the Printer | 6-7 Aligning the Print Head If banding appears on your prints, or vertical lines are not straight, you need to align the print head.
6-8 | Maintaining and Transporting the Printer 5. Follow the instructions on the screen to print a test page. Printing takes several minutes. You see this window: Note You may want to check the alignment patterns using a standard 8X loupe so they’re easier to see. You may need to align more than once for optimum results. 6. On the printed page, select the pattern that shows the two vertical lines most precisely printed on top of each other. Select one pattern each for rows 1, 2, and 3.
Maintaining and Transporting the Printer | 6-9 Aligning the Print Head from the Control Panel 1. Turn off the printer, if necessary. Note It may take up to seven minutes for the printer to print the patterns. 2. Hold down both the Reset and Eject/Continue buttons while you press and hold the P Operate button to turn on the printer. Release all three buttons when the P Operate light starts flashing.
6-10 | Maintaining and Transporting the Printer 7. Press the Eject/Continue button (to move forward) or the Reset button (to move backward) until the H ink out light(s) representing the correctly aligned pattern come(s) on. See the table below.
Maintaining and Transporting the Printer | 6-11 Running the Speed & Progress Utility for Improved Windows Printing With the Speed & Progress utility, you can speed up the way your printer driver processes multiple-copy print jobs, optimize your printer’s parallel port for the fastest data transfer rate, and control display of the Progress Meter and Paper Check windows. To access the utility, you must open your printer software from the Windows Printers utility as described below. 1.
6-12 | Maintaining and Transporting the Printer • Check Paper lets you control whether or not the Paper Check dialog box is displayed when the paper settings in your printer software don’t match the paper tray lever settings. • EPSON Printer Port (Windows 95, 98, or Me with parallel connection only) lets you optimize the transfer rate of your printer port for EPSON printers instead of using the Windows default printer port.
Maintaining and Transporting the Printer | 6-13 Keep the printer cover and ink cartridge compartments closed to prevent water from getting inside. 5. If the inside of the printer accidentally gets soiled with ink, wipe it off with a damp cloth. Transporting the Printer If you need to ship your printer, you must prepare it for transportation and repack it in the original box. You must also remove the ink cartridges, to avoid the possibility of ink leakage.
6-14 | Maintaining and Transporting the Printer If it’s not, turn the printer back on, wait until the print head stops moving and is in the home position, then turn off the printer. After you turn it off, the P Operate light may flash for a while. Do not unplug the power cord until the light goes off. 5. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet, then disconnect the interface cable from the printer. Caution 6. Remove the standard paper tray.
Maintaining and Transporting the Printer | 6-15 9. Repack the printer, paper tray, and any other parts in the original boxes. Remember to keep the printer level during transport. To set up the printer after transporting it, follow the instructions in Chapter 1, except: • Turn off the printer before reinstalling the cartridges, if you removed them before transporting the printer.
6-16 | Maintaining and Transporting the Printer 6-16
Chapter 7: Troubleshooting As you use your printer, you may occasionally experience a problem. The first thing you should do is diagnose the problem following the guidelines in this chapter. Then try the most likely solutions until the problem is fixed.
7-2 | Troubleshooting If this happens: Try this: Your printout has horizontal or vertical banding. • Make sure your paper is loaded with the printable side in the correct orientation. The printable side should be face-down in the tray or front manual feed slot; face up in the rear manual feed slot. • Make sure the Media Type setting for your print job matches the paper you’re using and the paper tray levers are set correctly. See Chapter 2 for more information. • Run a cleaning cycle.
Troubleshooting | 7-3 If this happens: Try this: Your printout is smeared. • If you’re printing on thick paper in the paper tray, make sure you set the media type lever to Thick Paper. If you’re feeding thick paper manually, follow the instructions on page 2-6. • If you’re printing on a paper with a support sheet in the package, print with the support sheet or sheet of plain paper under the paper stack. Load the correct number of sheets for your paper type; see page 2-3 for more information.
7-4 | Troubleshooting If this happens: Try this: Ink Out light flashing and one or more H ink out lights flashing • The corresponding ink cartridge nearly empty. Obtain a replacement ink cartridge, then replace it following the instructions on page 6-5. Ink Out light on and one or more H ink out lights on • The corresponding ink cartridge empty or not installed. Replace the ink cartridge (or make sure it’s installed correctly) following the instructions on page 6-5.
Troubleshooting | 7-5 If this happens: Try this: Paper Out and P Operate lights flashing, Ink Out and Paper Size/Type lights on, all paper tray • Printer maintenance is required now. Turn off the printer and contact EPSON as described on page 5. lights flash, and H ink out lights are on All control panel lights flashing • An unknown error has occurred. Turn off the printer and remove any foreign objects or paper that may be obstructing print head movement. Then turn on the printer again.
7-6 | Troubleshooting Solving Paper Problems You can avoid most paper handling problems by doing the following: • Use smooth, high-quality papers designed for ink jet printers, and make sure they meet the specifications in Appendix A. • Make sure the paper is dry and flat before loading it. • Follow all loading and handling instructions included with the paper and in Chapter 2. If you have problems with paper feeding, paper jams, or ejected paper, check here for solutions.
Troubleshooting | 7-7 If this happens: Try this: Ejected paper is wrinkled. • Make sure the paper isn’t damp. Don’t store paper in a damp or humid environment, and keep it in its original packaging. • Make sure the paper isn’t too thin. • Make sure the paper is feeding straight. Paper doesn’t eject fully. • Press the Eject/Continue button. • Make sure the Paper Size setting in your printer software and the paper size lever match the paper you’re using.
7-8 | Troubleshooting 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 or Me, click EPSON USB Printer Devices in the program list; then click the Add/Remove button. 5. Restart your computer. Then follow the instructions beginning on page 1-18 to reinstall your printer software.
Appendix A: Specifications Printing Printing method On-demand ink jet Nozzle configuration 96 nozzles × 6 (black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, light magenta) Resolution Maximum 2880 dpi × 720 dpi Ink type EPSON Archival Ink (pigment based) Print direction Bidirectional with logic seeking Control code ESC/P Raster™ Line spacing 1/6 inch (default), programmable in 1/720-inch increments Paper feed speed 79 milliseconds per 1/6-inch line 152 mm per second in continuous feeding Input buffe
A-2 | Specifications Printable Areas Caution Single sheets A: Minimum top margin: 0.12 inch (3.0 mm) B: Minimum left and right margins: 0.12 inch (3.0 mm) C: Minimum bottom margin: 0.55 inch (14.0 mm) A To ensure good results, use genuine EPSON ink cartridges. Other products may cause damage to your printer not covered by EPSON’s warranty. Don’t use an ink cartridge if the date on the package has expired. BL BR The maximum printable width is 12.7 inches (416 mm).
Specifications | A-3 Mechanical Paper feed method Friction Paper path Paper tray, front and rear manual feed slots, optional lower paper cassette Paper tray capacity 250 sheets of 17 lb (64 g/m2) plain paper; for EPSON media capacity, see page 2-3 Output tray capacity 75 sheets of 24 lb (90 g/m2) plain paper Dimensions Storage Width: 25.2 inches (640 mm) Depth: 17.3 inches (439 mm) maximum Height: 8.8 inches (224 mm) Printing (A3 size paper) Width: 25.2 inches (640 mm) Depth: 27.
A-4 | Specifications Note Electrical Specification Input voltage range Check the label on the back of the printer for your printer’s voltage. 120V model 220−240V model 99 to 132V 198 to 264V Rated frequency range 50 to 60 Hz Input frequency range 49.5 to 60.5 Hz Rated current 1.0A Power consumption Approx.
Specifications | A-5 Interfaces Parallel Interface Compatibility Forward channel mode Data format: 8-bit parallel, IEEE-1284 compatibility mode Synchronization: STROBE pulse Handshake timing: BUSY and ACKNLG signals Signal level: TTL compatible Connector: 57-30360 Amphenol connector or equivalent Reverse channel Transmission mode: IEEE-1284 Nibble mode Synchronization: Refer to IEEE-1284 specification Handshaking: Refer to IEEE-1284 specification Signal level: IEEE-1284 Level 1 device Data transmission tim
Index A Accessories, 2, 5, 2-9 Advanced printing Macintosh, 3-5 to 3-8 Windows, 4-5 to 4-8 Aligning the print head, 1-26 to 1-27, 6-7 to 6-10 Archival Matte Paper, 2-3 to 2-4, 2-9 B Background printing, Macintosh, 3-4, 3-8 to 3-10 Banding, 7-2 Basic printing Macintosh, 3-2 to 3-4 Windows, 4-1 to 4-5 Blurry printouts, 7-2 C Canceling print jobs Macintosh, 3-9, 3-10 Windows, 4-9 to 4-10 Cards paper size and media type, 1-11, 2-2 to 2-5 Cleaning print head, 6-1 to 6-3 printer, 6-12 Color management Macintos
2 | Index F J Faint printouts, 7-2 FCC statement, iv Finest Detail setting, 3-6 FireWire card, installing, 1-16 to 1-17 connection requirements, 4 options, 2 Flip Horizontal setting, 3-6, 4-7 Front manual feed slot, 2-6 to 2-7 Jammed paper, 2-10 to 2-12, 5-1, 7-3 G Gamma setting, 3-7, 4-8 Glossy paper, 2-3 to 2-4, 2-9 Grainy printouts, 7-2 Graph setting, 3-3, 4-3 H Head Cleaning utility, 6-1 to 6-3 Help, EPSON, 5 High Speed copies, 5-5, 6-11 setting, 3-6, 4-7 High-resolution images, 7-2 I ICM setting
Index | 3 Manual feed slots feeding paper into, 2-3 to 2-4 front, 2-6 to 2-7 rear, 2-7 to 2-8 selecting, 2-2 Manuals, how to use, 2 to 3 Mechanical specifications, A-3 Media type lever and cards, 1-11, 2-2 to 2-5 Media Type setting, 3-3 to 3-4, 4-2 to 4-3, 7-1 MicroWeave setting, 3-6, 4-7 Monitor3, 3-9 to 3-10 Monitoring printer Macintosh, 5-3 to 5-5 Windows, 5-5 to 5-8 N Network card, installing, 1-16 to 1-17 connection requirements, 4 interface card options, 2 setting up printer on, 1-21 to 1-26 Noise,
4 | Index PhotoEnhance setting, 3-3, 3-6 to 3-7, 4-2, 4-7 to 4-8 Photoshop color management settings, 3-3 Power problems, 7-3 specifications, A-4 Premium Glossy Photo Paper, 2-3 to 2-4, 2-9 Premium Luster Photo Paper, 2-3 to 2-4, 2-9 Print head aligning, 1-26 to 1-27, 6-7 to 6-10 cleaning, 6-1 to 6-3 Print jobs canceling, 3-9, 3-10, 4-9 to 4-10 managing, 3-8 to 3-10, 4-9 to 4-10 pausing, 3-9, 4-9 to 4-10 Print quality setting, 3-5, 4-6 Print quality, improving, 7-1 to 7-3 Print time, setting, 3-8 to 3-10 P
Index | 5 Status Monitor Macintosh, 5-3 to 5-5 Windows, 5-5 to 5-8 Support, EPSON, 5 System requirements, 3 to 4 T Technical specifications, A-1 to A-5 Technical support, 5 Testing printer, 1-12 to 1-13, 6-4 to 6-5 Text/Graph setting, 3-3, 4-3 Thick paper, 2-3 to 2-4, 2-8 Transporting the printer, 6-13 to 6-15 Troubleshooting, 7-1 to 7-8 U Unit ID number, 5 USB connection requirements, 4 driver, uninstalling, 7-8 interface specifications, A-5 port, connecting using, 1-14 problems, 7-5 Utilities Head Clea
print head (beneath cover) front edge guide left edge guide paper tray extension release levers black and cyan ink out lights paper tray extension magenta and yellow ink out lights Ink Out, Paper Out, and Paper Size/Type lights manual feed, standard, and lower paper tray lights Operate light Operate button Reset button 1 Cleaning button Eject/Continue button
