Epson Stylus Pro 4800 User Manual

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101
The Epson Stylus Pro 4800 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
Changing the black ink cartridge
Performing additional maintenance tasks
Replacing the paper cutter blade
Replacing the maintenance tank
Cleaning the printer
Transporting or storing the printer
Uninstalling and reinstalling printer software
Removing the optional print server card
In addition to the features described in this chapter, you can also use the 
SelecType menu system on the printer to fine-tune a variety of printer 
settings. For more information, see the electronic Reference Guide included 
on the CD-ROM that came with your printer. 
Chapter 5: 
Maintaining 
and 
Transporting 
the Printer
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Checking Printer Status and Part Life 
Using the SelecType menus, you can check the amount of ink remaining, 
the total number of prints, and the status of your cutter blade, maintenance 
tank, 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 
amount of ink remaining 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 tray.
2. Press the 
Menu  button. You see PRINTER SETUP. 
3. Press the  button so you see 
TEST PRINT, then press Menu  . You 
see 
NOZZLE CHECK.
4. Press  so you see 
STATUS CHECK, then press Menu . You see 
PRINT. 
5. Press 
Menu  again to start printing. 
The amount of ink left or the component life is indicated as follows:
E*****F = 100–81% ink or service life remaining
E**** F = 80–61% 
E*** F = 60–41% 
E** F = 40–21% 
E* F = 20–11% 
% = less than 10% ink or service life remaining
Note: To test the print 
quality, see page 104 for 
instructions on printing a 
nozzle check.
Note: You can replace 
the ink cartridges, cutter 
blade, and maintenance 
tank 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  button. You see PRINTER SETUP. 
2. Press the  button until you see 
PRINTER STATUS, then press 
Menu . You see VERSION.
3. Do one of the following: 
To check the firmware version, press Menu  again. When done, 
press the   button.
To check the number of pages that can be printed with each ink 
cartridge, press   until you see 
PRINTABLE PG, then press Menu 
. When done, press the   button.
This option must be enabled by using the maintenance mode on the 
printer’s control panel. See page 117 for instructions.
To check the amount of ink left, press  until you see INK LEFT, 
then press 
Menu . The status of the first cartridge (MK, or matte 
black) is displayed, using the 
E*****F symbols described above. 
Continue pressing  to see the status of the remaining cartridges. 
When done, press the   button.
To check how much of the maintenance tank has been used, press 
 until you see 
MAINT TANK, then press Menu . The status of 
the tank is displayed, using the 
E*****F symbols described above. 
When done, press the   button.
To check the amount of ink used (in milliliters) and paper used 
(in square meters), press  until you see 
USAGE COUNT, then 
press 
Menu . Clear this setting with the USE COUNT CLR 
option.
You can change the units of measurement from meters to inches 
and feet by using the maintenance mode on the printer’s control 
panel. See page 117 for instructions.
Note: Some status 
information is a 
projection based on the 
last print made. 
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To check job history, press  until you see JOB HISTORY, then 
press 
Menu . For the last 10 print jobs saved in the printer, you 
see the ink used (in milliliters) and paper used (in square meters). 
The most recent job is saved as No. 0. When done, press the   
button. Clear this setting with the 
JOB HIST CLR option. 
To check the total number of prints, press  until you see TOTAL 
PRINTS
, then press Menu . When done, press the   button. 
To check the status of other printer parts, press   until you see 
SERVICE LIFE, then press Menu . The status of the cutter is 
displayed, using the 
E*****F symbols described below. Continue 
pressing   to see the status of the carriage motor, paper feed motor, 
print head, and cleaning unit.
The status of the ink and printer parts is indicated with these symbols:
E*****F = 100–81% ink or service life remaining
E**** F = 80–61% 
E*** F = 60–41% 
E** F = 40–21% 
E* F = 20–11% 
% = less than 10% ink or service life remaining
4. Press the 
 Pause button to exit the menu.
For more information about the Printer Status menu, see your electronic 
Reference Guide.
Checking and Cleaning the Print Head
If your printed image shows a color shift or horizontal lines, you should 
check the print head to see if any nozzles are clogged.
You can check the print head nozzles and select the Auto Cleaning feature at 
the same time, using your printer utility software. This enables the printer to 
print a nozzle check pattern, read it, and automatically run a cleaning cycle if 
necessary. 
1. Make sure paper is loaded in the paper tray.
2. Do one of the following to access the printer utilities:
Note: You can run a 
cleaning cycle by holding 
down the Menu button 
for three seconds. You 
can also use the printer’s 
menus to run a power 
cleaning cycle. See 
page 106 for details.
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Mac OS X: Open the Epson Printer Utility in your Applications 
folder. Select 
Stylus Pro 4800, 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 (Windows 2000). Click the Utility tab.
You see a screen like the following:
3. Click the 
Nozzle Check icon.
4. Click 
Print to print the nozzle check pattern. 
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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. 
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 102.
2. Make sure the printer is ready and the red B ink light on the printer’s 
LCD panel is not on or flashing.
3. Press the 
Menu  button. 
4. Press the  button until you see 
MAINTENANCE, then press 
Menu . 
5. Press the  button until you see 
PWR CLEANING, then press 
Menu . Press Menu  again to start the power cleaning.
6. Follow the instructions on the LCD panel to raise or lower the ink 
levers.
Caution: Don’t run a 
cleaning cycle while 
thick media is loaded in 
the printer.
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7. When cleaning is finished and the  Pause 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 the printer off and leave it overnight, then clean the print head 
again the following morning with regular cleaning cycles. If you still see 
no improvement, contact Epson for assistance. 
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 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 (page 104). 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 Epson Enhanced Matte 
paper or the paper that came with the printer. 
2. Press the 
Menu  button. 
3. Press the   button so you see 
HEAD ALIGNMENT, then press 
Menu . You see PAPER THKNS. 
4. Press the 
Menu  button again so that *STD appears on the display. 
This is the correct thickness setting for most Epson papers, including 
Enhanced Matte paper. 
5. Press the 
Menu  button to register the value, then press the   button 
to display 
PAPER THKNS again. 
6. Press the  button to display 
ALIGNMENT. 
Note: You must use at 
least a 10
× eye loupe to 
check the pattern. 
Tip: To properly align the 
print head, you can use 
letter-size Epson 
Enhanced Matte Paper or 
Premium Luster Photo 
Paper. 
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7. Press the Menu  button to display AUTO, then press the Menu  
button again. You see 
UNI-D (uni-directional). This is the type of 
alignment to start with.
8. Press the 
Menu  button again to start the alignment process. 
It takes about 7 minutes to run the automatic uni-directional 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.
9. When the uni-directional alignment is finished, press the   button until 
you see 
BI-D 2-COLOR. Then press the Menu  button again to start 
the bi-directional black alignment process, which is also completely 
automatic and takes about 7 minutes. 
10. When the bi-directional black alignment is finished, press the   button 
until you see 
BI-D ALL. Then press the Menu  button again to start 
the alignment process. Again, this process is completely automatic and 
takes about 7 minutes. 
11. When done, press the 
 Pause button to exit the head alignment mode. 
If you want to verify or fine-tune the automatic alignment process, you can 
perform a manual head alignment. See your electronic Reference Guide for 
instructions.
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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 runs out, replace the cartridge, 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:
When the red B ink light is flashing (and
 INK LOW is displayed on the LCD 
panel), the indicated cartridge is almost out of ink. Make sure you have a 
replacement cartridge. When the light stays on and 
INK OUT is displayed, 
the cartridge is empty. You must replace the cartridge before you can 
continue printing. 
You can install any combination of 110 ml and 220 ml cartridges. It’s a good 
idea to keep a set of empty 110 ml cartridges on hand at all times in case you 
need to ship the printer. 
Tip: You can store 
partially used ink 
cartridges for up to 
6 months. 
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8
Menu
3sec.
1 Matte 
Black/Photo 
Black
2 Cyan
3 Magenta4 Yellow
6 Light Cyan8 Light 
Light Black
7 Light Magenta 
5 Light Black 
FullEmpty
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Use the following UltraChromeK3 Epson ink cartridges: 
* When using these cartridges, you must leave the ink compartment door open.
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). 
In the U.S., you can also purchase online at www.epsonstore.com. In 
Canada, you can also purchase at www.epson.ca or 800-807-7766.
Before you start, make sure the printer is powered on. Then follow these 
steps to replace an ink cartridge:
1. Note the color of the cartridge whose light is on or flashing. This is the 
cartridge you need to replace.
2. Press the ink compartment cover to open it.
Cartridge110 ml220 ml*
Matte Black T543800 T544800
Photo Black T564100 T565100
Cyan T564200 T565200
Magenta T564300 T565300
Yellow T564400 T565400
Light Cyan T564500 T565500
Light Magenta T564600 T565600
Light Black T564700 T565700
Light Light Black T564900 T565900Caution: 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 
empty 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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