Epson R1800 Manual

							Maintaining Your Printer81
Manually Aligning the Print Head
1. Turn on the printer.
2. Load letter-size Epson Presentation Paper Matte.
3. Do one of the following:
Windows: Right-click the   icon on your taskbar (in the lower right corner of 
your screen). Select 
Print Head Alignment.
Note: If the icon does not appear, click Start > Printer (and Faxes), right-click on 
EPSON Stylus Photo R1800, and select Printing Preferences. Select the 
Maintenance tab and click Print Head Alignment.
Mac OS X: Open the Applications folder and select EPSON Printer Utility. 
Select 
SP R1800, click OK, and select Print Head Alignment.
4. Click the 
Manual button, then click OK. 
You see a screen like this as the printer 
prints an alignment check pattern:
5. On the check page, select the box in each 
pattern that has the least noticeable lines in 
it. You may need to use a magnifying glass 
or loupe.
Select one box for each pattern numbered 
1 through 3. Then enter the box number 
for each pattern in the boxes on the screen. 
If box #5 is not the best-aligned box in each pattern, click 
Realignment to print 
another test page and repeat this step.
6. When box #5 is the best-aligned in all the patterns, click 
Finish. 
						

							82Maintaining Your Printer
Cleaning the Printer
To keep your printer working at its best, you should clean it several times a year.
1. Turn off the printer, unplug the power cord, and disconnect the interface cable.
2. Remove all the paper, then use a soft brush to clean the paper feeders.
3. Clean the exterior of the printer with a soft, damp cloth. Keep the paper support 
and printer cover closed as you clean the printer.
4. If you need to clean ink out of the inside of the printer, use a soft cloth to clean 
only the black plastic area shown below:
Warning: Don’t touch the gears or rollers inside the printer.
Caution: Never use a hard or abrasive brush, or benzine, alcohol, or thinner for 
cleaning; they can damage the printer components and case. 
Don’t get water on the printer components and don’t spray or apply lubricants or 
oils inside the printer.
Don’t use any cleaning sheets included with special paper; they may jam inside 
the printer.
Clean here 
only 
						

							Maintaining Your Printer83
Transporting the Printer
If you move your printer some distance, you need to prepare it for transportation in 
its original box or a similar one. Follow these steps:
1. Turn on the printer.
2. Turn off the printer and unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet. Then 
disconnect the printer cable from the printer.
3. Open the printer cover and tape the ink cartridge holder to the printer case using 
packing tape. Then close the printer cover.
Caution: Be sure to remove the tape after installing the printer in its new 
location.
4. Remove any paper from the printer, then remove the roll paper holder, if it is 
installed.
5. Close the output tray and the paper support.
6. Repack the printer and its attachments in the original box using the protective 
materials that came with them.
7. Keep the printer level as you transport it. 
8. After transporting the printer, remove all the tape. 
9. Test your printer. If you notice a decline in print quality, clean the print head 
(see page 73); if output is misaligned, align the print head (see page 80). 
Tape the ink 
cartridge holder to 
the printer case 
						

							84Maintaining Your Printer 
						

							85
Solving Problems
See “Diagnosing Printer Problems” on page 88 to help determine what the cause of 
your printer problem may be. Then see these sections for solutions:
■“Setup and Software Installation Problems” on page 90
■“Printer Problems” on page 91
■“Quality Problems” on page 93
■“Paper Problems” on page 95
■“CD/DVD Problems” on page 98
■“Miscellaneous Problems” on page 98
■“Uninstalling and Reinstalling Printer Software” on page 100
■“Where To Get Help” on page 101
Tip: It’s a good idea to check Epson’s support website periodically for free 
updates to your printer driver. Visit epson.com/support. Download instructions 
are posted for your convenience. 
						

							86Solving Problems
Printer Parts
Paper support and 
extensionsSheet feeder
Left edge guidePrinter cover
Output tray 
extension Output tray
Ink cartridge holder 
(in home position)
Buttons and lights 
(control panel)
Roll paper edge guide
Roll paper holderIEEE 1394 (FireWire) 
portUSB port
Paper support closedCD/DVD tray guide Roll paper guides 
						

							Solving Problems87
Printer Buttons
The table below summarizes the functions of the printer buttons. 
Printer Lights
The table below summarizes the functions of the printer lights. To diagnose problems 
indicated by the printer lights, see below. 
ButtonUses
) paper Loads or ejects paper.
Resumes printing after a paper-out or multiple-sheet-feed error.
Cancels a print job while printing.
H ink Moves the print head to the ink cartridge replacement position and 
returns it to its home position.
Cleans the print head. Hold down the button for 3 seconds when the 
red H ink light is off.
z roll paper Prints a cutting guideline and feeds roll paper to the removal position 
after roll paper printing.
Returns roll paper to the printing position after cutting.
Reverses roll paper out of the printer when held down for 3 seconds.
P power Turns the printer on and off. Hold down the button until the P power 
light comes on or goes off.
LightMeaning
) paper out On: printer is out of paper, multiple sheets fed, the wrong size sheet 
fed, or the CD/DVD tray is not in position.
Flashing: paper isn’t loaded for the currently selected paper path, 
paper is jammed, or the output tray is in the wrong position.
H ink (eight) On: an ink cartridge is expended.
Flashing: an ink cartridge is low on ink.
P power On: printer is turned on.
Flashing: printer is receiving a print job, printing, replacing or charging 
ink, cleaning the print head, or moving the output tray position. 
						

							88Solving Problems
Diagnosing Printer Problems
First, check the printer’s lights (see below) or run a printer check (see page 90).
LightsExplanation
Green Ppower light 
flashesThe printer is receiving a print job, printing, replacing an ink 
cartridge, charging ink, or cleaning the print head.
Red 
Hink light flashes An ink cartridge is low on ink. Make sure you have a 
replacement cartridge, then follow the steps on page 78 to 
install it.
Red 
Hink light on An ink cartridge is expended, not installed, not installed 
correctly, or is not compatible with the printer.
Follow the steps on page 78 to install or reinstall the 
cartridge correctly.
Red 
)paper light on Your paper ran out, multiple sheets fed, or the wrong size 
sheet fed, or the CD/DVD tray is not inserted completely.
Sheet Feeder: If paper is out, load more paper and press 
the 
)paper button. If multiple sheets or the wrong size 
sheet fed, press the 
)paper button to eject the paper, 
then turn your printer off and then on. For loading 
instructions, see page 12.
Single Sheet Guide: See page 16 for instructions on 
loading single sheets of special papers. 
Roll Paper: See page 20 for instructions on loading or 
reloading roll paper.
CD/DVD: See page 66 for instructions on inserting the 
CD/DVD tray correctly. 
						

							Solving Problems89
Red )paper light flashes Jammed paper or the CD/DVD tray is blocking print head 
movement, or you’re trying to print on paper or a CD/DVD 
with the wrong media loaded.
If you suspect a paper jam, turn off the printer and pull out 
the jammed paper. Open the cover and remove any 
jammed or torn paper. Then do one of the following:
Sheet Feeder or Single Sheet Guide: Turn on the printer, 
reload paper, and press the 
)paper button. 
Roll Paper: Cut off the printed portion, then remove the 
paper (see page 39) and reload it (see page 20).
CD/DVD: Gently pull out the CD/DVD tray and press the 
)paper button. See page 66 for instructions on inserting 
the CD/DVD tray correctly.
If a print job was sent to one paper path, but media is 
loaded for another paper path, load the correct paper or a 
CD/DVD.
Green Ppower light is on
Red 
)paper light flashes
Red 
Hink light flashesJammed paper or a foreign object is preventing the print 
head from returning to the home position, or paper is 
loaded in the sheet feeder and the CD/DVD tray guide is 
open. 
Turn off the printer, open the printer cover, and remove 
any jammed or torn paper, or foreign object. Close the 
CD/DVD tray guide if it is open. Then turn the printer back 
on. If the error persists, contact your dealer or Epson; see 
page 101.
Green Ppower light 
flashes
Red 
)paper light flashes
Red 
Hink light flashesAn unknown printer error has occurred.
Turn off the printer, wait a few seconds, and turn it on 
again. If the lights are still flashing, contact your dealer or 
Epson; see page 101.
LightsExplanation 
						

							90Solving Problems
Running a Printer Check
You can run a printer check to determine whether a problem comes from the printer 
or some other source. 
1. Turn off your printer and computer, then disconnect the printer’s interface cable.
2. Load letter-size paper in the sheet feeder.
3. Hold down the 
)paper button, then press and release the Ppower button. 
Continue to hold down the 
)paper button until the Ppower light flashes.
4. A test page prints the printer’s ROM version number and a nozzle check pattern.
■If the check page prints, the problem probably lies in your software settings, 
interface cable, or computer, or your software may not be installed correctly.
■If the check page doesn’t print, you may have a problem with your printer.
Try the suggestions in “Problems and Solutions” below.
5. Turn off the printer, connect the interface cable, and turn on your printer and 
computer.
Problems and Solutions
Setup and Software Installation Problems
The printer makes noise after ink cartridge installation.
■When you install ink cartridges, the printer must charge its print head for about 
two and a half minutes. Wait until it’s finished (the green Ppower light stops 
flashing) before you turn off the printer, or it may use excess ink the next time you 
turn it on. 
■Make sure the ink cartridges are inserted completely, the ink cover is closed, and 
no packing material remains in the printer. Turn off the printer, wait a moment, 
then turn it back on to clear the error.