Epson Stylus Photo 1200 User Manual

							 


 
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#  To keep your printer working at its best, you should clean it several times 
a year. Follow these steps:
1Turn off the printer, unplug the power cord, and disconnect the printer 
cable.
2Remove all the paper from the sheet feeder.
3Clean the exterior of the printer with a soft, damp cloth. 
4Clean ink out of the printer’s interior with a soft, damp cloth.
Don’t touch the gears 
inside the printer.
Never use alcohol or 
thinner for cleaning; 
they can damage the 
printer components 
and case.
Don’t use a hard or 
abrasive brush.
Don’t get water on the 
printer components.
Don’t spray lubricants 
or oils inside the 
printer.
 
						

							 


 
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#  If you move your printer some distance, you need to prepare it for 
transportation in its original box. Follow these steps:
1Turn on the printer and wait until the print head locks in the far right 
position. Then turn off the printer.
2Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet. Then disconnect the 
interface cable from the printer.
3Remove any paper from the printer and remove the paper support.
4Push in the output tray extensions and close the tray.
5Repack the printer and attachments in the original box using the 
protective materials that came with it. See the 
unpacking sheet
 that 
was packed with your printer.
Be sure to keep the printer level as you transport it. If you notice a decline 
in print quality after transporting the printer, clean the print head (see 
Cleaning the Print Head
); if output is misaligned, align the print head (see 
Aligning the Print Head). 
To avoid damage, 
always leave the ink 
cartridges installed 
when transporting 
the printer.
 
						

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!
 	


As you use your printer, you may occasionally experience a paper jam or 
other 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. 
This chapter covers the following problems and solutions:
wDiagnosing ProblemswImproving Print QualitywSolving Printing ProblemswSolving Printer Software ProblemswFixing Paper ProblemswSolving Miscellaneous Printout ProblemswWhere To Get Help
 
						

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0## .
There are a number of ways to diagnose printer problems:
wTo identify the most common problems, check the printer’s lights; see 
Checking the Control Panel Lights
 for details.
wYou can also view the Printer Status window to identify common 
problems, if you installed Status Monitor 2 with Windows. For 
instructions, see Printer Status Window
. On a Macintosh, you can 
check your ink levels using the Status Monitor; see Using the 
Macintosh Status Monitor
 for details.
wTo determine whether the problem is caused by the printer or some 
other source, run a printer operation check. See Running a Printer 
Operation Check
 for instructions.
wIf you see an error message about your printer settings or have 
problems with color quality, you may need to confirm your Printer ID 
number. See Confirming the Printer ID Number
 for details.
wIf any of the suggested solutions in this chapter tell you to uninstall and 
then reinstall your printer software, see the 
Printer Basics
 book for 
instructions.
wFor more troubleshooting information, check the Help programs and 
the ReadMe files in the EPSON program group or folder. 
wIf none of the suggested solutions solve your problem, contact your 
EPSON dealer or see Where To Get Help
.
 
						

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  Follow these guidelines when the control panel lights come on or flash:
 
S
 
 
flashingWhen the 
 
S 
paper out light 
flashes
, paper is jammed in the 
printer. Turn off the printer, remove all the paper (including 
any pieces torn off inside), then reload the stack. Turn on 
the printer and press the 
 
E
load/eject button. For tips on 
avoiding paper jams, see Paper jams inside the printer
. 
 
SonWhen the 
 
S 
paper out light 
comes on
, your paper is out or 
incorrectly loaded. Load paper in the feeder and then press 
the 
 
E
 load/eject button. 
 
B or 
 
A
flashingWhen an ink out light 
flashes
, your ink supply is low. Make 
sure you have a replacement cartridge.
 
B or 
 
A
onWhen an ink out light 
comes on
, you need to replace the 
ink cartridge. See Replacing an Ink Cartridge
 for 
instructions.
power button load/eject button
cleaning button paper out light
color ink out light black ink out lightpower light
 
						

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& 
  
 
 You can run a printer operation check to determine whether the problem 
comes from the printer itself or some other source. If the check page 
prints, the problem lies in your software or application settings, the 
interface cable, or your computer. If the check page does not print 
correctly, you may have a problem with your printer. See the suggestions 
in this chapter for possible solutions.
1Make sure both the printer and computer are turned off.
2Disconnect the interface cable from the printer.
3Make sure paper is loaded in the printer.
4Hold down the
 
 
E load/eject button, then press and release the 
 
Ppower 
button. Continue holding down the
 
 
E load/eject button until the
 
 
Ppower light starts to flash, then release it.
The printer prints its ROM version number, an ink counter code, and a 
nozzle check pattern (shown in Examining the Nozzle Check Pattern
). 
5To end the check, turn off the printer. Then reconnect the interface 
cable and turn on your printer and computer.
 
P S flashing 
 
BAonWhen the 
 
P power and 
 
S paper out lights 
flash
 and the 
 
B 
black and 
 
A color ink out lights 
come on
, jammed paper 
may be blocking movement of the print head. See The 
Ppower and 
S paper out lights are flashing and the 
B black 
and 
A color ink out lights are on
 for more information.
 
P S B AflashingWhen all the lights 
flash
, your printer may have an internal 
error. See All the lights are flashing
 for more information.
Load paper that’s at 
least 8.27 inches 
(210 mm) wide. This 
prevents ink from 
spraying inside the 
printer and smudging 
your printouts.
 
						

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    / 4If you’re using Windows, you can use the Printer and Option Information 
utility to confirm the Printer ID. Color quality may improve after you 
confirm the ID number.
If you’re using Status Monitor 2, this information is updated automatically. 
However, if a message appears prompting you to enter settings or if you 
change the printer’s configuration, you’ll need to update the Printer ID 
manually. Follow these steps:
1Make sure paper is loaded in the printer.
2Access the main printer settings dialog box as described in Printing 
from Windows
.
3Click the Utility tab. Then click the Printer and Option Information 
icon.
4Click the Settings Sheet button. The printer prints the Printer ID on a 
sheet of paper.
5Make sure the Printer ID shown in the Printer and Option Information 
dialog box matches the ID on the Settings Sheet. If they don’t match, 
change the ID numbers in the dialog box to match those on the 
Settings Sheet.
6Click OK to exit and save your settings.
Load paper that’s at 
least 8.27 inches 
(210 mm) wide. This 
prevents ink from 
spraying inside the 
printer and smudging 
your printouts.
 
						

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!
)#  &
If you find that your print quality has declined, you can often improve it by 
doing one of the following:
wClean the print head following the instructions in Cleaning the Print 
Head
.
wUse higher quality paper appropriate for your print job. See Selecting 
the Right Settings for Your Paper
 for a list of EPSON papers.
wMatch the Media Type in the printer software to the type of paper you 
loaded in the printer. Then the printer software can automatically select 
other settings for the best quality. (See Printing from Windows
 or 
Printing from a Macintosh
 for details.)
wTurn off High Speed mode in the printer software, as described in 
Customizing Print Quality and Special Effects
.
wMake sure Economy mode is turned off in the printer software, as 
described in Customizing Print Quality and Special Effects
.
wCheck the status of the 
 
B black and 
 
A color ink out lights, then replace 
the ink cartridges, if necessary, as described in Replacing an Ink 
Cartridge
.
See the following tables for some detailed solutions to print quality 
problems.
 
						

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 The printed image has horizontal bandingPossible cause
Solution
The Media Type setting 
doesn’t match the 
loaded paper.Make sure the Media Type setting matches the paper you’re using. See 
Printing from Windows
 or Printing from a Macintosh
 for instructions.
The printable side of 
the paper is face down.Remove the paper and reload it with the printable side face up. See 
Paper Loading and Handling Guidelines
 for instructions.
The print head nozzles 
are clogged.Clean the print head. See Cleaning the Print Head
 for instructions.
The ink cartridges are 
low on ink.Check the 
 
B black and 
 
A
 color ink out lights to see which cartridge you 
may need to replace. See Replacing an Ink Cartridge
 for instructions.
The MicroWeave option 
is not turned on.Turn on MicroWeave (if available) in the Advanced dialog box. See 
Customizing Print Quality and Special Effects
 for more information.
The Maximum Printable 
Area setting is turned 
on.Select Standard as the Printable Area setting to avoid banding in the 
expanded margin area. See Selecting Paper Size and Orientation 
Options
 for more information.
The paper thickness 
lever is in the + 
position.Set the paper thickness lever to the 0 position and try printing again. 
See Envelopes
 for instructions.
 
						

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 Vertical lines are misaligned or vertical banding appears
The printed image has incorrect or missing colorsPossible cause
Solution
The print head nozzles 
are clogged.Clean the print head. See Cleaning the Print Head
 for instructions.
The paper thickness 
lever is in the + 
position.Set the paper thickness lever to the 0 position and try printing again. See 
Envelopes
 for instructions.
The High Speed 
setting is turned on.Turn off the High Speed setting if vertical lines are misaligned. See 
Customizing Print Quality and Special Effects
 for information.
The print head is 
misaligned.Run the Print Head Alignment utility. See Aligning the Print Head
 for 
instructions.
The printable side of 
the paper is face 
down.Remove the paper and reload it with the printable side face up. See 
Paper Loading and Handling Guidelines
 for instructions.
Possible cause
Solution
The Ink option is set to 
Black.Change the Ink setting to Color. See Printing from Windows
 or Printing 
from a Macintosh
 for instructions.
The
 Media Type 
setting doesn’t match 
the loaded paper.Make sure the Media Type setting matches the paper you’re using. See 
Printing from Windows
 or Printing from a Macintosh
 for instructions.