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 and reinstalling printer software
Updating the printer firmware
In addition to the features described in this chapter, you can also use the 
printer’s menu system to fine-tune a variety of printer settings. For more 
information, see the on-screen User’s Guide. 
Chapter 5: 
Maintaining 
and 
Transporting 
the Printer
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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 page count, and the status of various printer 
parts. 
Follow these steps to print the status check sheet:
1. Make sure paper is loaded in the printer.
2. Press the 
Menu r button and then d to highlight TEST PRINT.
3. Press r then d to select 
STATUS SHEET.
4. Press r to select 
PRINT. 
5. Press the
 Enter button to start printing. 
The service life for each ink cartridge and the maintenance cartridge is 
indicated as follows:
E[*****]F 
E[**** ]F 
E[*** ]F 
E[** ]F
 
E[* ]F 
Note: To test the print 
quality, see page 84 for 
instructions on printing a 
nozzle check.
Note: You can replace 
the ink cartridges and 
maintenance cartridge 
yourself. Other printer 
parts need to be 
replaced by an 
authorized Epson service 
technician. 
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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 through the ink cartridges and see approximately 
how many pages can be printed with each ink cartridge. When 
done, press l.
To check the ink status, press d to select INK LEVEL, then press r. 
You see 
MATTE BLACK and the ink status for that cartridge. Press 
d or u to scroll through the ink cartridges and see their status. 
When done, press l.
To check how much of the maintenance cartridge has been used, 
press d to select 
MAINTENANCE CART, then press r. You see 
how much capacity remains in the cartridge. When done, press l.
To check the total amount of ink used (in milliliters), press d to 
select 
USAGE COUNT, then press r. When done, press l.
You can clear this setting with the 
CLEAR USAGE COUNT option. 
To check job history, press d to select JOB HISTORY, then 
pressr. For the last 10 print jobs saved in the printer, you see the 
total ink used (in milliliters) and the paper size used most recently. 
The most recent job is saved as No. 0. When done, press l.
To check the total number of prints, press d to select TOTAL 
PRINTS
, then press r. You see the total number of pages that have 
been printed. When done, press l.
4. Press the +
 Cancel button to exit the menu.
For more information about the Printer Status menu, see your on-screen 
User’s Guide.
Note: Some status 
information is a 
projection based on the 
last print made. 
Note: You can change 
the units of 
measurement from 
meters to inches and 
feet using the printer’s 
maintenance mode. 
See page 96 for 
instructions.
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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 larger) paper are loaded in the 
auto sheet feeder.
2. Do one of the following to access the printer utilities:
Macintosh: Open the Applications folder and double-click Epson 
Printer Utility2
. Select Stylus Pro 3800 and click OK.
Windows XP: Click Start and select Control Panel. Double-click 
Printers and Faxes. Right-click your printer icon and select 
Printing Preferences. Click the Utility tab.
Windows 2000: Click Start, point to Settings, then select 
Printers. Right-click your printer icon and select Printing 
Preferences. Click the Utility tab.
You see a screen like the following:
Note: You can run a 
cleaning cycle by holding 
down the Menu button 
for three seconds. You 
can also use the printer’s 
menu to run a power 
cleaning cycle. See 
page 86 for details.
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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 clean the print 
head and follow the on-screen instructions.
6. If the nozzles do not clear after a few cleaning cycles, run a Power 
Cleaning Cycle, as described in the next section. 
Note: You must use at 
least a 10
× eye loupe to 
check the pattern. 
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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 nozzle check to make sure the print head needs cleaning, as 
described on page 84.
2. Make sure the printer is ready and the red B ink light is not on or 
flashing.
3. Press the 
Menu r button. 
4. Press d until 
MAINTENANCE is highlighted, then press r. 
5. Press d to select 
POWER CLEANING, then press r. 
6. Press the
 Enter button to start the power cleaning.
7. When cleaning is finished and the P
 Power light stops flashing, print 
the nozzle check again to confirm that the head is clean.
For effective cleaning, always run a nozzle check between cycles. 
If the pattern is still missing segments after a few power cleaning cycles, turn 
off the printer and let it sit overnight. Then clean the print head again the 
following morning with regular cleaning cycles. If you still see no 
improvement, contact Epson for assistance. 
Caution: Don’t run a 
power cleaning cycle 
while thick media is 
loaded in the printer.
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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 it’s all automatic.
If you haven’t already done so, it’s a good idea to run a nozzle check before 
aligning the print head (see page 84). This ensures that the print head 
alignment patterns print correctly.
Follow these steps to align the print head using the control panel:
1. Make sure the printer is turned on. Then load one of the following types 
of paper:
Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper
Epson Premium Photo Paper Glossy
Epson Premium Luster Photo Paper
Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster
Enhanced Matte Paper
Epson Ultra Presentation Paper Matte
Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper
Epson Presentation Paper Matte
2. Press the 
Menu r button. 
3. Press d until 
HEAD ALIGNMENT is highlighted. Then press r.
4. Make sure 
Auto is highlighted and then press r.
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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 
automatically. Make sure you don’t open the top cover or turn off the 
printer during this process.
If you want to verify or fine-tune the alignment process, you can perform a 
manual head alignment. See your on-screen User’s Guide for instructions.
Replacing Ink Cartridges
Before you begin a large print job, you should check your ink levels. If one of 
your cartridges is low, you can replace it before you start. Or you can wait 
until the ink cartridge needs to be replaced, and then continue the job 
without any loss of print quality. However, it is best to replace a low ink 
cartridge before starting a large print job. 
The easiest way to check ink levels is from the control panel:
1 Matte Black
3 Light Black 2 Photo Black
4 Light Light Black7 Light Cyan 9 Yellow
5 Cyan8 Light Magenta 
6 Magenta
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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 
reseller. To find the nearest reseller, call 800-GO-EPSON (800-463-7766). 
Or you can also purchase online at www.epsonstore.com (U.S. sales) or 
www.epson.ca (Canadian sales).
Before you start, make sure the printer is turned on. Then follow these steps 
to replace an ink cartridge:
1. Note the color of the cartridge whose icon and abbreviation is on or 
flashing. This is the cartridge you need to replace.
CartridgeProduct code
Photo Black T580100
Cyan T580200
Magenta T580300
Yellow T580400
Light Cyan T580500
Light Magenta T580600
Light Black T580700
Matte Black T580800
Light Light Black T580900Caution: You must use 
the Epson ink cartridges 
designed for your printer. 
Other ink cartridges will 
not work and may cause 
damage not covered by 
your warranty. 
Caution: Leave the low 
or expended cartridge in 
the printer until you are 
ready to replace it.
To prevent ink reporting 
errors, never replace the 
ink cartridges with the 
printer turned off. 
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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.
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