Epson Stylus Pro 3800 User Manual

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The Epson Stylus Pro 3800 requires little maintenance to keep working at its 
best. This chapter describes the following routine procedures:
Checking printer status and part life
Checking and cleaning the print head
Aligning the print head
Replacing ink cartridges
Performing additional maintenance tasks (changing the black ink 
cartridge, adjusting the date and time, adjusting the LCD contrast)
Replacing the maintenance cartridge
Cleaning the printer
Transporting or storing the printer
Uninstalling...

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Checking Printer Status and Part Life
Using the printer’s menu system, you can check the status of your ink 
cartridges, the total number of prints, and the status of your maintenance 
cartridge and other printer parts. You can either print out a status check or 
you can view the printer’s status on the LCD panel. 
Printing Status Information 
The status check sheet shows some of the current default settings, the status 
of the ink in each cartridge, the...

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Viewing Status Information
To view printer status information instead of printing it, follow these steps:
1. Press the 
Menu r button and then d until PRINTER STATUS is 
highlighted.
2. Press r to select 
VERSION.
3. Do one of the following: 
To check the firmware version, press r again. When done, press l.
To check the number of pages that can be printed with each ink 
cartridge, press d to select 
PRINTABLE PAGES, then press r. Press 
d or u to scroll...

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Checking and Cleaning the Print Head
If your printed image shows a color shift or horizontal or vertical lines, you 
should check the print head to see if any nozzles are clogged.
You can automatically check and clean the print head using the Auto 
Cleaning feature in your printer utility software. This enables the printer to 
print a nozzle check pattern, read it, and run a cleaning cycle if necessary. 
1. Make sure several sheets of letter-size (or...

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3. Click the Nozzle Check icon.
4. Click 
Print to print the nozzle check pattern so you can see if the print 
head needs to be cleaned. Or click 
Auto if you want to run the nozzle 
check and have the printer automatically clean the print head if 
necessary.
5. Examine the nozzle check pattern to make sure it has no gaps or lines. 
If the printout looks okay as shown below, you’re done. Click 
Finish. 
If you see any gaps as shown below, click Clean to...

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Running a Power Cleaning Cycle
You can run a power cleaning cycle from the control panel if the normal 
cleaning process is not sufficient to clear the nozzles. However, the power 
cycle uses a large quantity of ink, so it is recommended only as a last resort. 
The cartridges need to be at least 50% full to use power cleaning. You may 
need to replace a low cartridge to run the cleaning cycle. After cleaning, you 
can reinsert the old cartridge.
1. Print a...

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Aligning the Print Head
Aligning the print head is the most important thing you can do to ensure the 
best print quality. If banding appears on your prints, if they look grainy or 
blurry, or you see misregistration or “ghosting,” you need to align the print 
head. 
Although you can align the print head using the printer utility software, it’s 
best to align from the printer’s control panel. This will do the most thorough 
job in the shortest time, and...

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5. Press d or u to select the type of paper you loaded: PREM. 
GLOSSY/LUSTER
, P Q INK JET PAPER (Epson Presentation Paper 
Matte), or 
ENHANCED MATTE PAPER (Ultra Premium Presentation 
Paper Matte). Then press r.
6. Press
 Enter to start printing. After printing is complete, the printer 
starts aligning the print head.
It takes several minutes to run the head alignment. The printer’s white 
beam sensor reads the alignment pattern and adjusts the printer...

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When the red B ink light is flashing and INK LOW appears on the LCD 
panel, the indicated cartridge is low on ink. Make sure you have a 
replacement cartridge. When the light stays on and you see the LCD 
message 
REPLACE INK CARTRIDGE, the cartridge is expended. You must 
replace the cartridge before you can continue printing. 
Use the following UltraChromeK3
TM Epson ink cartridges:
You can purchase genuine Epson ink and paper from an authorized Epson...

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2. If the red B ink light is on and REPLACE INK CARTRIDGE appears on 
the printer’s LCD, press the u Ink cover open button to unlock the ink 
cover. If the light is flashing and the LCD message is 
INK LOW, you 
need to hold down the button for 3 seconds to unlock the ink cover.
3. Lift the ink cover.
sp3800Guide.book  Page 90  Monday, January 29, 2007  11:08 AM