Epson Stylus Photo 1200 User Manual

							 


 
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It’s easy to keep your EPSON Stylus Photo 1200 printer working well. 
Just follow the simple instructions in this chapter for: 
wReplacing an Ink CartridgewCleaning the Print HeadwAligning the Print HeadwCleaning the PrinterwTransporting the Printer#  !+ #When the 
 
B black or 
 
A color ink out light flashes, the indicated cartridge 
is low on ink. This is a good time to make sure you have a new cartridge. 
When the light stays on, the cartridge is empty and you need to replace it.
Use these EPSON ink cartridges within six months of installing them and 
before the expiration date on the package:
Black ink cartridge S020187
Color ink cartridge T001011
To ensure good 
results, use genuine 
EPSON cartridges 
and do not refill 
them. Other products 
may cause damage 
to your printer not 
covered by EPSON’s 
warranty.
 
						

							 


 
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 When you need new ink cartridges, contact your dealer or call EPSON 
Accessories at (800) 873-7766 (U.S. sales only). Or visit our web site at 
www.epsonsupplies.com (U.S. sales only). In Canada, please call 
(800) 873-7766 for dealer referral.
If you need to replace an ink cartridge before the lights flash (because the 
ink is too old, for example), follow the instructions in Replacing an 
Outdated Ink Cartridge
.
& 
 /
 / 
You can replace a cartridge when the 
 
B black or 
 
A color ink out light is 
either flashing or on. (If you perform these steps when both ink out lights 
are off, the printer cleans the print heads, as described in Cleaning the 
Print Head
.) Follow these steps to replace ink cartridges:
1Remove the new ink cartridge from its packaging. 
2Remove only the yellow part of the tape seal on top as shown below. 
Don’t pull off the blue portion or try to remove the clear seal 
underneath the cartridge.
You must remove the 
yellow tape from the 
top of the cartridge or 
you will permanently 
damage it. Do not 
remove the clear seal 
from the bottom of 
the cartridge; ink will 
leak out.
To avoid damaging 
the printer, never 
move the print head 
by hand.
Black cartridgeColor cartridge Remove the yellow tape 
 
						

							 


 
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 3Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing, then open the 
printer cover.
4Press the 
 
R cleaning button and hold it for about three seconds until 
the print head moves left and the 
 
P power light begins flashing. 
5Pull up the ink cartridge clamp. The cartridge rises up from its holder.
6Lift the cartridge out of the printer and dispose of it carefully. 
7Lower the new ink cartridge into its holder with the label facing up and 
toward the back of the printer. Then press down the ink cartridge 
clamp until it locks in place.
8If you need to replace the other ink cartridge, repeat steps 5 through 7 
before going on to step 9.
Don’t open the clamp 
or remove a cartridge 
except to replace it 
with a new one. Once 
you remove a 
cartridge, you can’t 
reuse it, even if it 
contains ink.If ink gets on your 
hands, wash them 
thoroughly with soap 
and water. If ink gets 
into your eyes, flush 
them immediately 
with water.
 
						

							 


 
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 9Press the 
 
R cleaning button and close the printer cover. The printer 
moves the print head and begins charging the ink delivery system. The 
 
P power light flashes, and the printer makes various sounds. 
Charging takes about one minute. When it’s finished, the 
 
P power light 
stops flashing and stays on.
&
 
 
 / 
If an ink cartridge is more than six months old, you may need to replace it. 
How can you tell? You may notice that your printouts don’t look as good 
as they used to. If print quality doesn’t improve after cleaning and aligning 
the print head, you can replace one or both cartridges.
Follow these steps to replace an ink cartridge before the 
 
B black or 
 
Acolor ink out light is flashing or on:
1Remove the new ink cartridge from its packaging. 
2Remove only the yellow part of the tape seal on top as shown below. 
Don’t pull off the blue portion or try to remove the clear seal 
underneath the cartridge.
Never turn off the 
printer while the 
Ppower light is 
flashing, unless the 
printer hasn’t moved 
or made any noise for 
more than 5 minutes.You must remove the 
yellow tape from the 
top of the cartridge or 
you will permanently 
damage it. Do not 
remove the clear seal 
from the bottom of 
the cartridge; ink will 
leak out.
Black cartridge
Color cartridge Remove the yellow tape 
 
						

							 


 
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 	3Make sure the printer is turned on and not printing, then open the 
printer cover.
4Press the 
 
E load/eject button and hold it down for three seconds until 
the print head moves to the left and the 
 
P power light begins flashing.
5Pull up the ink cartridge clamp. The cartridge rises up from its holder.
6Lift the cartridge out of the printer and dispose of it carefully. 
7Lower the new ink cartridge into its holder with the label facing up and 
toward the back of the printer. Then press down the ink cartridge 
clamp until it locks in place.
8If you need to replace the other ink cartridge, repeat steps 5 through 7 
before going on to step 9.
To avoid damaging 
the printer, never 
move the print head 
by hand.
Don’t open the clamp 
or remove a cartridge 
except to replace it 
with a new one. Once 
you remove a 
cartridge, you can’t 
reuse it, even if it 
contains ink.If ink gets on your 
hands, wash them 
thoroughly with soap 
and water. If ink gets 
into your eyes, flush 
them immediately 
with water.
 
						

							 


 
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9Press the 
 
E load/eject button and close the printer cover.
The printer moves the print head and begins charging the ink delivery 
system. The 
 
P power light flashes and the printer makes various 
sounds. 
Charging takes about one minute. When it’s finished, the 
 
P power light 
stops flashing and stays on.
#   If your printed image is unexpectedly light or faint, or dots are missing 
from the image, you may need to clean the print head. This unclogs the 
nozzles so they can deliver ink properly.
Cleaning the print head uses ink, so clean it only if print quality declines. 
You can clean the print head in either of the following ways:
wUsing the Head Cleaning Utility
 in your printer software (when 
connected to a local port, not over a network)
wUsing the Control Panel
 buttons on your printer
When you don’t use 
your printer for a long 
period, the print 
quality can decline. 
It’s a good idea to turn 
the printer on at least 
once a month to 
maintain good print 
quality.
 
						

							 


 
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   2
 

 
$Follow these steps to run the Head Cleaning utility:
1Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and both the 
 
Bblack and 
 
A color ink out lights are off.
2Start an application and open a document.
3Access the printer settings dialog box as described in Printing from 
Windows
 or Printing from a Macintosh
.
4Click the Utility tab (Windows) or the  Utility icon (Macintosh). 
You see the Utility menu.
5Click the Head Cleaning icon.
6Follow the instructions on the screen to clean the print head. Cleaning 
takes a little over a minute, during which the printer makes some noise 
and the 
 
P power light flashes. 
When the 
 
P power light stops flashing, run a nozzle check to test the 
results and reset the cleaning cycle.
7Make sure paper is loaded in the printer and click Print nozzle check 
pattern (Windows) or Confirmation (Macintosh). Then click Next. The 
nozzle check pattern prints on your printer; see Examining the Nozzle 
Check Pattern
 for details.
8If the nozzle check pattern is filled in completely, click Finish.
If the pattern is missing dots, click Clean to clean again. If you don’t 
see any improvement in the print quality after cleaning two or three 
times, check the solutions in Improving Print Quality
.
Never turn off the 
printer while the 
Ppower light is 
flashing, unless the 
printer hasn’t moved 
or made any noise for 
more than 5 minutes.
 
						

							 


 
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Follow these steps to clean the print head:
1Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and both the 
 
Bblack and 
 
Acolor ink out lights are off. 
2Press the 
 
R cleaning button and hold it down for three seconds. 
Cleaning takes a little over a minute, during which the printer makes 
some noise and the 
 
P power light flashes. 
3After the 
 
P power light stops flashing, print a page to test the print 
quality and reset the cleaning cycle.
If you’re connected directly to the printer, run a nozzle check. Then go 
to step 4.
If you’re printing over a network, open an application and print a 
document containing black and color data. Then go to step 8.
4Start an application, open a document, and access the printer settings 
dialog box as described in Printing from Windows
 or Printing from a 
Macintosh
. 
5Click the Utility tab (Windows) or the   Utility icon (Macintosh). You 
see the Utility menu.
6Make sure paper is loaded in the printer, click the Nozzle Check icon, 
and click Next. The nozzle check pattern prints on the printer; see 
Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern
 for details.
7If the nozzle check pattern is filled in completely, click Finish. If the 
pattern is missing dots, click Clean to clean again.
8If you don’t see any improvement in the print quality after cleaning two 
or three times, check the solutions in Improving Print Quality
.
Never turn off the 
printer while the 
Ppower light is 
flashing, unless the 
printer hasn’t moved 
or made any noise for 
more than 5 minutes.
 
						

							 


 
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   ++ 
  
Examine the nozzle check pattern you print. It should look something like 
this:
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 below, clean the print head again; see 
Cleaning the Print Head
 for instructions.
missing dots
 
						

							 


 
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/##   If your printouts contain misaligned vertical lines, you may need to align 
the print head. Your printer must be connected to a local port, not on a 
network, to use the Print Head Alignment utility. Follow these steps:
1Make sure the printer is turned on and paper is loaded.
2Start an application and open a document.
3Access the printer settings dialog box as described in Printing from 
Windows
 or Printing from a Macintosh
.
4Click the Utility tab (Windows) or the  Utility icon (Macintosh). You 
see the Utility menu.
5Click the Print Head Alignment icon.
6Follow the instructions on the screen to print a test page.
7Select the most precise alignment pattern from the printed choices on 
the test page. Enter the number of the best aligned pattern following 
the instructions on the screen.
Load paper that’s at 
least 8.27 inches 
(210 mm) wide. This 
prevents ink from 
spraying inside the 
printer and smudging 
your printouts.
For the best results, 
load EPSON ink jet 
paper in the printer 
whenever you check 
the print head 
alignment.