Epson R2400 user guide: Windows

Windows

1. Start your printing application and open your photo file.
2. Open the File menu and click Print, then click Properties or Preferences.
3. Select the appropriate Source, Type, and Size for your printout.
4. Click the Advanced button, if necessary. The Basic settings change to the Advanced Settings.
5. Click Advanced B&W Photo in the Color Management section.

Select Advanced B&W Photo

Then choose a preset Color Toning option, or click Settings to customize Toning options

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6. Select a Color Toning option from the menu, or click Settings to create a customized Toning option. If you click Settings, the following window appears:

7. You can adjust the following settings:

■ Color Toning: Allows you to add tone (hue) to your black and white output. The default is Neutral, which will provide you with a neutral tonal scale print. You can also choose other popular presets such as Cool, Warm, and Sepia. Note that the presets will affect the target found in the Tone Color Circle.

■ Tone: Allows you to easily change the entire tonal scale of your black and white output.

■ Brightness: Adjusts the overall lightness and darkness of your image.

■ Contrast: Adjusts the difference between the light and dark areas of your image.

■ Shadow and Highlight Tonality: Allows you to control tonality only in the shadow or highlight areas of your image.

■ Max Optical Density: Adjusts the focus of the print. Create a soft focus print by setting the density to lower.

■ Highlight Point Shift: If your image is prone to gloss differential, checking Highlight Point Shift will help to reduce gloss differential by adding density to the highlights of your image.

■ Tone Color Circle: Click on any portion of this color wheel or enter corresponding values to customize the tone (hue) to add to your black and white print. The closer you select to the edge of the wheel, the more color you will add to your black and white print.

■ Preview: Approximates the image tone based on your settings. Please note this preview will always be of the same image and is not color managed.

Mac OS X

1. Start your print application and open your photo file.

2. From the File menu, choose Page Setup.

3. Select the Stylus Photo R2400 printer in the Format For menu, and choose the appropriate Paper Size and Orientation for your printout. Then click OK.

4. Select Print from the File menu. Then open the Printer menu and select Stylus Photo R2400.

5. Select Print Settings from the pop-up menu. Select the appropriate Media Type setting for your printout.

Note: In certain programs you may need to select Advanced before you can select Print Settings.

6. Select Advanced B&W Photo from the Color menu. Uncheck High Speed.

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7. Select Color Management from the pop-up menu.

8. You can adjust the following settings:

• Color Toning: Allows you to add tone (hue) to your black and white output. The default is Neutral, which will provide you with a neutral tonal scale print. You can also choose other popular presets such as Cool, Warm, and Sepia. Note that the presets will affect the target found in the Tone Color Circle.
• Tone: Allows you to easily change the entire tonal scale of your black and white output.
• Brightness: Adjusts the overall lightness and darkness of your image.
• Contrast: Adjusts the difference between the light and dark areas of your image.
• Shadow and Highlight Tonality: Allows you to control tonality only in the shadow or highlight areas of your image.
• Max Optical Density: Adjusts the focus of the print. Create a soft focus print by setting the density to lower.
• Highlight Point Shift: If your image is prone to gloss differential, checking Highlight Point Shift will help to reduce gloss differential by adding density to the highlights of your image.

Printing Special Photos 77

• Tone Color Circle: Click on any portion of this color wheel or enter corresponding values to customize the tone (hue) to add to your black and white print. The closer you select to the edge of the wheel, the more color you will add to your black and white print.

• Preview: Approximates the image tone based on your settings. Please note this preview will always be of the same image and is not color managed.

78 Printing Special Photos

Maintaining Your Printer

Follow the instructions in this chapter to keep your printer working at its best and to prepare it for moving, if necessary:

■ “Cleaning the Print Head” below

■ “Replacing an Ink Cartridge” on page 82

■ “Aligning the Print Head” on page 86

■ “Cleaning the Printer” on page 88

■ “Transporting the Printer” on page 89

Cleaning the Print Head

If your printouts are unexpectedly light, or dots or lines are missing, you may need to clean the print head. This unclogs the nozzles so they can deliver ink properly. Print head cleaning uses ink, so clean it only if quality declines.

Caution: When you don’t turn on your printer for a long time, print quality can decline, so turn it on at least once a month to maintain good print quality.

This section explains how to clean the print head using the Auto Nozzle Check and Cleaning utility and the Head Cleaning utility. Use the Auto Nozzle Check and Cleaning utility first to let the printer check and clean the nozzles. If you still notice problems with quality, you can manually clean the print head.

Note: You can also clean the print head by holding down the \triangle ink button on the printer for three seconds (when the red \triangle ink light is off).

Automatically Checking and Cleaning the Print Head

The Auto Nozzle Check and Cleaning utility prints a nozzle check pattern that the printer then reads to see if you have any clogged nozzles. If cleaning is needed, the printer automatically cleans the print head.

1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and the red ink light is off. (If the ink light is flashing or on, you need to replace a cartridge; see page 82.)

2. Load several sheets of plain, letter-size paper in the printer's sheet feeder.

3. Do one of the following: Windows: Right-click the icon on your taskbar (in the lower right corner of your screen). Select Auto Head Cleaning.

   Note: If the icon does not appear, click Start > Printer (and Faxes), right-click on EPSON Stylus Photo R2400, and select Printing Preferences. Select the Maintenance tab and click Auto Nozzle Check and Cleaning.

   Mac OS X: Open the Applications folder and select EPSON Printer Utility. Select SP R2400, click OK, and select Auto Nozzle Check and Cleaning.

4. Follow the instructions on the screen. The printer prints and examines the nozzle check pattern shown below. If cleaning is necessary, it then cleans the print head and prints and checks another nozzle check pattern.

5. The utility prints and checks up to five times. If some print head nozzles are still clogged, it displays an on-screen message telling you to manually clean the print head. Follow the instructions on page 81 to clean the print head, if necessary.

If you still have print quality problems, check the solutions beginning on page 99. You can also turn the printer off and wait overnight—this allows any dried ink to soften—and then try cleaning the print head again.

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Running the Head Cleaning Utility

1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and the red ink light is off. (If the ink light is flashing or on, you need to replace a cartridge; see page 82.)

2. Do one of the following: Windows: Right-click the icon on your taskbar (in the lower right corner of your screen). Select Head Cleaning.

   Note: If the icon does not appear, click Start > Printer (and Faxes), right-click on EPSON Stylus Photo R2400, and select Printing Preferences. Select the Maintenance tab and click Head Cleaning.

   Mac OS X: Open the Applications folder and select EPSON Printer Utility. Select SP R2400, click OK, and select Head Cleaning.

3. Follow the instructions on the screen to clean the print head.

Cleaning takes about two minutes, during which the printer makes noise and the green power light flashes.

Caution: Never turn off the printer while the green power light is flashing, unless the printer hasn't moved or made noise for more than 5 minutes.

4. When the green power light stops flashing, make sure paper is loaded in the printer. Click Print nozzle check pattern, then click Print (Windows) or click Confirmation, then click Next (Macintosh). The nozzle check pattern prints.
5. If the nozzle check pattern has no gaps or lines (as shown below), click Finish.

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If the pattern has white lines or gaps (as shown below), click Clean to clean the print head again.

If you don’t see any improvement after cleaning the print head three or four times, check the solutions beginning on page 99. You can also turn the printer off and wait overnight—this allows any dried ink to soften—and then clean the print head again.

Replacing an Ink Cartridge

When the red △ ink light flashes, an ink cartridge is low on ink. When the red △ ink light stays on, you need to replace a cartridge. You can open the printer cover to check the ink light indicating which cartridge is low on ink or needs to be replaced. When a cartridge is more than six months old, you may need to replace it if printouts don’t look their best. If the quality doesn’t improve after cleaning and aligning the print head, you can replace the cartridge even if the red △ ink light is off.

Caution: Don’t open Epson Status Monitor, pause printing, or respond to ink messages when your printer is printing. This may cause your printer to pause and leave an uneven surface on your printout. If ink is low, wait until printing finishes before checking ink levels or replacing a cartridge. If you replace an ink cartridge in the middle of a print job, the quality of your printout may decline. For best results, check ink cartridge status and replace cartridges, if necessary, before printing large or high-resolution print jobs.

82 Maintaining Your Printer

Checking the Ink Cartridge Status

To check your ink cartridge status, do one of the following:

■ Windows: Double-click the icon on the Windows taskbar.

You see a window like this:

■ Mac OS X: Choose Applications > EPSON Printer Utility > SP R2400 > EPSON StatusMonitor.

You see a window like this:

Click a cartridge image to display information about the cartridge.

Purchasing Ink Cartridges

Use these Epson ink cartridges within six months of installing them and before the expiration date on the package:

Caution: To ensure good results, use genuine Epson ink cartridges and do not refill them. Other products may cause damage to your printer not covered by Epson's warranty.

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You can purchase genuine Epson ink and paper from an authorized Epson reseller. To find the nearest reseller, please call 800-GO-EPSON (800-463-7766). Or you can purchase online at www.epsonstore.com (U.S. sales) or www.epson.ca (Canadian sales).

I nk Cartridge Precautions

Warning: Keep ink cartridges out of the reach of children and don’t drink the ink.

If ink gets on your hands, wash them thoroughly with soap and water. If ink gets in your eyes, flush them thoroughly with water.

Caution: To avoid damaging the printer, never move the print head by hand.

You cannot print if an ink cartridge is expended. Leave the cartridge you need to replace installed in the printer until you have obtained a replacement. Otherwise the ink remaining in the print head nozzles may dry out.

R emoving and Installing Ink Cartridges

Be sure you have a new ink cartridge before you begin. Once you start replacing a cartridge, you must complete all the steps in one session.

You can replace a cartridge whether the red △ ink light is off, flashing, or on.

1. Make sure the printer is turned on (the green ☂ power light should be on, but not flashing). Then open the printer cover.
2. Press the △ ink button.

The print head moves and the green ☂ power light flashes.

If a red ink light is flashing or on (indicating a low or expended cartridge), the cartridge(s) indicated beneath the light(s) needs to be replaced.

3. Lift up the cartridge cover.

84 Maintaining Your Printer

4. Press in the tab on the back of the cartridge, lift it out of the printer, and dispose of it carefully.

5. Shake the new cartridge four or five times before opening its package. (Don’t shake it after it’s unwrapped.)

6. Remove the new cartridge from its package.

Caution: Don’t touch the green circuit board on the front of the cartridge; you may inhibit normal operation and printing.

7. Slide the new cartridge into its slot. The side with the green circuit board goes in the front of the slot.

8. Press the cartridge down until it clicks into place.

9. If you need to replace any other ink cartridges, repeat steps 4 through 8.

10. Close the cartridge cover, press down on the top until it clicks, then close the printer cover.

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11. Press the \triangle ink button. The printer begins charging the ink delivery system.

The green \circlearrowright power light and red \triangle ink lights flash and the printer makes noise. Charging takes about 90 seconds. When it’s finished, the green \circlearrowright power light stops flashing and stays on. The red \triangle ink light and the light(s) above the cartridge(s) go out.

Caution: Never turn off the printer while the green \circlearrowright power light is flashing, unless the printer hasn’t moved or made noise for more than 5 minutes.

Aligning the Print Head

If your printouts contain misaligned vertical lines, or you see light or dark horizontal banding, you may need to align the print head. You can have the printer automatically check and align the print head or you can check and adjust it yourself.

Automatically Aligning the Print Head

1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing.

2. Load at least three sheets of letter-size Epson Presentation Paper Matte (Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper).

3. Do one of the following:

Windows: Right-click the [icon] icon on your taskbar (in the lower right corner of your screen). Select Print Head Alignment.

Note: If the icon does not appear, click Start > Printer (and Faxes), right-click on EPSON Stylus Photo R2400, and select Printing Preferences. Select the Maintenance tab and click Print Head Alignment.

Mac OS X: Open the Applications folder and select EPSON Printer Utility. Select SP R2400, click OK, and select Print Head Alignment.

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You see a screen like this:

4. Click the Automatic button, if necessary, then click OK.
5. On the next screen, click Start. The printer prints and checks an alignment pattern, and then prints and checks two more patterns.
6. When alignment is finished, click Finish on the last screen.

Manually Aligning the Print Head

1. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing.

2. Load letter-size Epson Presentation Paper Matte (Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper).

3. Do one of the following: Windows: Right-click the icon on your taskbar (in the lower right corner of your screen). Select Print Head Alignment.

   Note: If the icon does not appear, click Start > Printer (and Faxes), right-click on EPSON Stylus Photo R2400, and select Printing Preferences. Select the Maintenance tab and click Print Head Alignment.

   Mac OS X: Open the Applications folder and select EPSON Printer Utility. Select SP R2400, click OK, and select Print Head Alignment.

4. Click the Manual button, then click OK. You see a screen like this as the printer prints an alignment check pattern:

5. On the check page, select the box in each pattern with the least noticeable lines. You may need to use a magnifying glass. Select one box for each pattern numbered 1 through 3. Then enter the box number for each pattern in the boxes on the screen.

If box #5 is not the best-aligned box in each pattern, click Realignment to print another test page and repeat this step.

6. When box #5 is the best-aligned in all the patterns, click Finish.

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Cleaning the Printer

To keep your printer working at its best, you should clean it several times a year.

1. Turn off the printer, unplug the power cord, and disconnect the interface cable.
2. Remove all the paper, then use a soft brush to clean the paper feeders.
3. Clean the exterior of the printer with a soft, damp cloth. Keep the paper support and printer cover closed as you clean the printer.
4. If you need to clean ink out of the inside of the printer, use a soft cloth to clean only the black plastic area shown below:

Warning: Don't touch the gears or rollers inside the printer.

Caution: Never use a hard or abrasive brush, or benzine, alcohol, or thinner for cleaning; they can damage the printer components and case.

Don't get water on the printer components and don't spray or apply lubricants or oils inside the printer.

Don't use any cleaning sheets included with special paper; they may jam inside the printer.

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Transporting the Printer

If you move your printer some distance, you need to prepare it for transportation in its original box or a similar one. Follow these steps:

1. Turn on the printer, and wait for the ink cartridge holder to move right to the home position.
2. Turn off the printer, unplug the power cord, and disconnect the interface cable.
3. Open the printer cover and tape the ink cartridge holder to the printer case using packing tape. Then close the printer cover.

Tape the ink cartridge holder to the printer case

Caution: Be sure to remove the tape after installing the printer in its new location.

4. Remove any paper from the printer, then remove the roll paper holder or single sheet guide, if it is installed.
5. Close the output tray and the paper support.
6. Repack the printer and its attachments in the original box using the protective materials that came with them.

Keep the printer level as you transport it.

After transporting the printer, remove the tape you used in step 3. Then test your printer. If you notice a decline in print quality, clean the print head (see page 79); if output is misaligned, align the print head (see page 86).

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Solving Problems

See “Diagnosing Printer Problems” on page 94 to help determine what the cause of your printer problem may be. Then see these sections for solutions:

■ “Setup and Software Installation Problems” on page 97

■ “Printer Problems” on page 98

■ “Quality Problems” on page 99

■ “Paper Problems” on page 101

■ “Miscellaneous Problems” on page 104

■ “Uninstalling and Reinstalling Printer Software” on page 105

■ “Where To Get Help” on page 106

Tip: It’s a good idea to check Epson’s support website periodically for free updates to your printer driver. Visit http://support.epson.com. Download instructions are posted for your convenience.

Printer Parts

Paper support and extensions Sheet feeder Left edge guide Printer cover Output tray Output tray extension Roll paper guides Ink cartridge holder (in home position) Paper support closed Front path Buttons and lights (control panel) Roll paper edge guide USB port Roll paper holder IEEE 1394 (FireWire) port

92 Solving Problems

Printer Buttons

The table below summarizes the functions of the printer buttons.

Solving Problems 93

Printer Lights

The table below summarizes the functions of the printer lights.

Diagnosing Printer Problems

First, check the printer’s lights (see below) or run a printer check (see page 96).

94 Solving Problems

Solving Problems 95

Running a Printer Check

You can run a printer check to determine whether a problem comes from the printer or some other source.

1. Turn off your printer and computer, then disconnect the printer’s interface cable.
2. Load letter-size paper in the sheet feeder.
3. Hold down the 📄 paper button, then press and release the ⏻ power button. Continue to hold down the 📄 paper button until the ⏻ power light flashes.
4. A test page prints the printer’s ROM version number and a nozzle check pattern.
   • If the check page prints, the problem probably lies in your software settings, interface cable, or computer, or your software may not be installed correctly.
   • If the check page doesn’t print, the printer may have a problem. Try the suggestions in “Problems and Solutions” beginning on page 97.
5. Turn off the printer, connect the interface cable, and turn on your printer and computer.

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Problems and Solutions

Setup and Software Installation Problems

The printer makes noise after ink cartridge installation.

• When you install ink cartridges, the printer must charge its print head for about two and a half minutes. Wait until it’s finished (the green power light stops flashing) before you turn off the printer, or it may use excess ink the next time you turn it on.
• Make sure the ink cartridges are inserted completely, the ink cover is closed, and no packing material remains in the printer. Turn off the printer, wait a moment, then turn it back on to clear the error.

You’re having problems installing or using the printer software.

• Make sure your printer is turned on and its cable is securely connected at both ends. Follow the installation steps on the Start Here sheet, and make sure your system meets the requirements on page 109.
• Close other programs, including screen savers and virus protectors, and install again.
• If you see an error message with Windows 2000, you may not have software installation privileges. Contact your System Administrator.
• If you’re using Windows and the USB port, make sure your system was not upgraded from Windows 95; the USB driver may not install correctly.
• If you’re using Windows Vista, you cannot connect the printer using a FireWire cable; you must use a USB cable.
• If you’re printing over a network, see your on-screen Reference Guide for instructions on configuring your printer for use on a network.
• In Windows, make sure your printer is selected as the default printer in the Printers utility.

Solving Problems 97

Printer Problems

Only the green ☂ power light is on, but nothing prints.

■ Make sure the interface cable is securely connected at both ends and meets the system requirements on page 109.

■ Run a printer check as described on page 96. If the test page prints, make sure your software is installed correctly.

■ If you’re printing on a network, make sure you set up your printer for network printing, as described in your on-screen Reference Guide.

The printer sounds as though it is printing, but nothing prints.

■ The print head may need cleaning; see page 79 for instructions.

■ The printer won’t operate properly if it’s tilted or at an angle. Place it on a flat, stable surface.

Your printer makes noise when you turn it on or after it has been sitting for awhile.

Your printer is performing routine maintenance.

Printing is too slow.

Make sure your system meets the recommended requirements listed on page 109. You may also need to:

■ Clear space on your hard drive or run a defragmentation utility.

■ Close open programs that you’re not using.

■ Increase your system’s memory (RAM).

For the fastest printing:

■ Select Draft (Windows) or set the Quality/Speed slider to Speed (Macintosh).

■ Turn High Speed on and turn Finest Detail off, if available.

■ If your printer is connected to a USB hub, disconnect any unused USB devices. Use a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 cable connected to a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port.

98 Solving Problems