Epson RX500 user guide: Printing Photos on a Macintosh

Printing Photos on a Macintosh

You can print your photos with no margins, extending the image all the way to the edges of the page. Although borderless printing is a bit slower (especially near the edges), you get beautiful snapshots or enlargements, without trimming.

Note: For instructions on loading special paper, see page 15, or the instructions included with the paper.

You can also print borderless photos using the LCD menus and buttons on the RX500. See page 98 for details.

Follow the steps in these sections to print borderless photos:

• “Printing Photos With OS X” on page 52
• “Printing Photos With OS 8.6 to 9.x” on page 53

Printing Photos on a Macintosh 51

Printing Photos With OS X

1. Start your application and open your photo file.
2. From the File menu, select Page Setup. You see the following window:

Select Stylus Photo RX500 (Sheet Feeder - Borderless)

3. Select Stylus Photo RX500 (Sheet Feeder - Borderless) from the Format for list.
4. Choose your Paper Size.

Note: When printing borderless photos, select one of the supported paper sizes listed on page 51; never select a custom or unsupported paper size or ink may spray inside your printer.

5. Select your photo Orientation.
6. Click OK to close the Page Setup window.
7. Select Print from the File menu.
8. Select Stylus Photo RX500 (Sheet Feeder - Borderless) from the Printer list. Make sure to select this option so it matches the one you chose as the Format for setting on the Page Setup window.
9. Choose Print Settings from the pull-down menu.

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10. Select one of the following paper types as the Media Type setting:

    • Premium Glossy Photo Paper
    • Matte Paper-Heavyweight
    • Glossy Photo Paper
    • Premium Semigloss Photo Paper
    • Premium Luster Photo Paper

11. Click Print.

Printing Photos With OS 8.6 to 9.x

1. Start your application and open your photo file.

2. Select Page Setup from the File menu. You see the following window:

Select this box to print without borders

3. Click the Borderless checkbox.

4. Select your Paper Size.

Note: When printing borderless photos, select one of the supported paper sizes listed on page 51; never select a custom or unsupported paper size or ink may spray inside your printer.

5. Select your photo Orientation.

6. Click OK to close the Page Setup window.

7. Select Print from the File menu. You see the Print window.

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8. Select one of the following paper types as the Media Type setting:

• Premium Glossy Photo Paper
• Matte Paper-Heavyweight
• Glossy Photo Paper
• Premium Semigloss Photo Paper
• Premium Luster Photo Paper

9. Click Print.

Selecting Your Paper Type

Select the correct Type or Media Type setting in your printer software so your printer can adjust the ink correctly for your paper.

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Selecting Your Paper Type 55

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Scanning to a Computer

If you would like to create digital files from printed documents, photos, or film and work with them on your computer, follow the instructions in this chapter:

■ “Using Epson Smart Panel” on the next page

■ “Scanning to a File” on page 60

■ “Scanning From a Program” on page 63

■ “Restoring Color to Old Photographs” on page 68

■ “Scanning Slides and Film” on page 74

■ “Scanning Using the RX500 Buttons” on page 79

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Using Epson Smart Panel

Epson Smart Panel is an easy, step-by-step interface that lets you scan your photo or document, then launch a variety of programs on your computer to handle the scanned file.

1. To start Smart Panel, double-click the EPSON Smart Panel icon on your desktop. You see this screen:

2. To start one of the Smart Panel applications listed below, click its icon. Then follow the on-screen instructions to use the application.

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For details on using all the Smart Panel features, click the ? button in Smart Panel or see the on-screen Smart Panel User Guide.

Using Epson Smart Panel 59

Scanning to a File

Follow these steps to scan directly to a file on your computer:

1. Open the scanner lid.

2. Place your photo or document face down on the glass in the upper left corner. Move your document about 0.1 inch from the top and side edge so your entire document is scanned.

If you place your photo or document too close to the edges of the scanner glass, the edges of the photo or document may not be scanned.

To scan a thick document, you can remove the scanner lid. Turn off the RX500 and open the scanner lid completely. Then disconnect the cord from the TPU connector and pull the lid straight up. Turn on the RX500 and gently press down the original to keep it flat on the scanner glass as you scan. When you're finished, be sure to turn off the RX500 before you replace the scanner lid and plug in the connector.

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3. Close the scanner lid.
4. Start Epson Scan. Windows: Select Start > All Programs or Programs > EPSON Scan > EPSON Scan. Macintosh: Double-click EPSON Scan in the Applications folder.

You see the File Save Settings window:

Type a name for your file here Select a file format here

5. Type a name for your file in the Prefix box. If you don't change the name, Epson Scan assigns the name imgxxx, where xxx is a three-digit number in a sequence (for example, img001, img002, etc.) Whether you change the name or not, all of the image files saved to your computer using Epson Scan are assigned consecutive numbers.
6. Select a file format in the Type box.

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7. Click OK.

Epson Scan starts and scans your file to the location specified. The default location for your scanned images is:

■ Windows XP and 2000: C:\Documents and Settings\epson\My Documents

■ Windows Me and 98: C:\My Documents

■ Macintosh OS X: Users:Home:Pictures (“Home” can be any name you’ve given your computer.)

■ Macintosh OS 8.6 to 9.x: EPSON Scan Images folder on your desktop

Tip: To make scanning even more automatic, you can clear the Show this dialog box before next scan checkbox in the File Save Settings window. Then all you need to do to scan is place your document and start Epson Scan.

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Scanning From a Program

You can scan from any TWAIN-compliant program—such as Adobe® Photoshop® or ArcSoft PhotoImpression—using Epson Scan. Epson Scan provides three scanning modes for progressive levels of control over your scanned image:

• Full Auto Mode makes scanning quick and easy, with automatic image type and resolution settings.
• Home Mode provides a simple screen giving you automatic image adjustments, previewing and cropping capability, and preset configurations for various types of scans. Includes Color Restoration.
• Professional Mode lets you manually configure advanced image settings, including Color Restoration. Use this mode if you have experience scanning and are familiar with color and image adjustments.

Note: Epson Scan starts in the mode you used last, but you can change the mode at any time.

Tip: You can restore color in your old photos. See page 68 for details.

1. Open the scanner lid.
2. Place your photo or document face down on the scanner glass, in the upper left corner. Move your document about 0.1 inch from the top and side edge so your entire document is scanned.

Note: You can also place additional small documents or photos and scan them at the same time.

Orient the photo as shown

Move the photo in about 0.1 inch from the edges

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3. Close the scanner lid.

4. Start your application.

5. Open the File menu and choose Import or Acquire, then select EPSON Stylus Photo RX500.

6. Epson Scan starts previewing your image in Full Auto Mode. To switch modes, click the Pause button at the bottom of the screen.

Select Home Mode or Professional Mode here

Click Pause

7. Select Home Mode (for basic scan settings) or Professional Mode (for advanced scan settings) from the Mode menu at the top of the screen.

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EPSON Scan previews your image and displays the screen for the mode you chose.

Home Mode Professional Mode

To change back to Full Auto Mode, select Full Auto Mode from the Mode pull-down menu at the top of the screen.

8. If you don't see an automatic preview of your scan to the right of the EPSON Scan window, click the Preview button.

After a moment, your image appears in the Preview window.

Click the Auto Detect icon

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If you placed more than one photo or document on the scanner glass, you see multiple images in the Preview window.

9. Click the Auto Detect icon to select your image, creating a movable outline called a marquee. If you’re scanning more than one image, the marquee surrounds all of them. (For information on adjusting the marquee, see page 67.)

If your Home Mode preview image has a blue box around it, you’re previewing in Thumbnail mode and can’t create a marquee. Click the arrow beside the Preview button and select Normal from the menu that appears. Click the Preview button again to preview in Normal mode.

10. Choose Document Type, Image Type, and Destination settings that match the type of image you’re scanning and the way you want to print or view it. (Click Help on the Epson Scan screen for detailed information about all the available settings.)

Note: The Document Type you select determines the other options that appear in the Epson Scan window.

11. Size your image and adjust your image settings as necessary.

12. Make any other desired settings. For example, to improve the color of faded photos or negatives, click the Color Restoration box.

Note: You must preview your photo to make the Color Restoration option active.

13. Click the Scan button. Your scanned image opens in your application window.

Never open the scanner lid while scanning, or your scans may not look right.

14. Click Close to exit Epson Scan.

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Adjusting the Scan Area (Marquee)

Once you create a marquee on your preview image, you can use it to crop the area you want to scan. You can create a marquee on each preview image, if you’re scanning more than one at a time.

■ To move the entire marquee, click and hold your mouse button inside the outlined area and drag the marquee to where you want it.

■ To resize the marquee, click and hold your mouse button on one of the edges or corners and drag the marquee to the size you want.

■ To create additional marquees on multiple images, click the next image, then click the Duplicate button. Then adjust the marquees as described above.

■ To delete a marquee, click the Delete button.

■ To start over with a new marquee, click the Auto Detect button.

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Restoring Color to Old Photographs

You can use Epson Scan to restore color to faded photographs and open them in an application or save them to a file on your computer. If you want to restore and print one of your old photos, the easiest way is to use the Reprint Photos feature in Smart Panel (see page 73).

Placing Your Photo and Loading Paper

Follow these steps to place your photo on the scanner glass and load paper.

1. Open the scanner lid.
2. Place your photo face-down on the glass, in the upper left corner. Move your photo about 0.1 inch from the top and side edge so your entire document is scanned.

If you place your photo flush against the guides, the edges next to the guides may not be copied.

3. Close the scanner lid.

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4. Open the output tray.

Output tray

5. Flip the feeder guard forward.

Feeder guard

6. Pinch the sides of the left edge guide together as you slide the guide all the way to the left.

7. Insert your paper against the right edge of the sheet feeder, behind the tab.

Don't place the paper in front of the feeder guard.

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8. Press the sides of the left edge guide together and slide against the paper (but not too tightly.

Always load paper short edge first

9. Flip the feeder guard back over the paper.
10. See one of the following sections to continue:
    • “Restoring and Saving Photos to Your Computer” below
    • “Restoring and Printing Photos” on page 73

Restoring and Saving Photos to Your Computer

Follow these steps if you want to restore color to an old photo and save the results to a file.

1. Do one of the following: Windows: Select Start > All Programs or Programs > EPSON Scan > EPSON Scan Macintosh: Double-click EPSON Scan in the Applications folder.

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2. Epson Scan starts previewing your image in Full Auto Mode. To switch modes, click the Pause button at the bottom of the screen.

3. Select Professional Mode from the Mode menu at the top of the screen. Epson Scan previews your image and displays the Professional mode window.

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4. If you don’t see an automatic preview of your scan to the right of the Epson Scan window, click the Preview button.

After a moment, your image appears in the Preview window:

If you placed more than one photo on the scanner glass, you see multiple images in the Preview window.

5. Click the Auto Detect icon to select your image, creating a movable outline called a marquee. If you’re scanning more than one image, the marquee surrounds all of them. (For information on adjusting the marquee, see page 67.)

6. Choose Document Type, Image Type, and Destination settings that match the type of image you’re scanning and the way you want to print or view it. (Click Help on the Epson Scan screen for detailed information about all the available settings.)

7. Size your image and adjust your image settings as necessary.

8. Scroll down and click the Color Restoration box.

Note: You must preview your photo to make the Color Restoration option active.

9. Click the Scan button.

Never open the scanner lid while scanning, or your scans may not look right.

10. Click Close to exit Epson Scan.

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Restoring and Printing Photos

Follow these steps if you want to restore color to an old photo and then print it.

1. Double-click the EPSON Smart Panel icon on your desktop to start Smart Panel.
2. Click the Reprint Photos icon. You see this screen:

Make sure the Stylus Photo RX500 is selected as your scanner and printer

Select settings here

Click here

Click here to preview and print the image

3. Make sure the EPSON Stylus Photo RX500 is selected as both your scanner and printer.

   If it isn’t, click the scanner icon or the printer icon to display a list of the scanners or printers installed on your computer. Select EPSON Stylus Photo RX500 from the list.

4. For Image Type, make sure Photo is selected. If it isn’t, click the Image Type icon to see a list of image types and select Photo.

5. Click the Print Paper icon to select your paper type and size.

6. Click the Print Size icon and select Fit to Page (Borderless) if you’ve loaded paper that supports borderless printing (see page 41 for a list of borderless papers). Otherwise, leave Fit to Page selected.

7. Click the ▲ or ▼ arrow to select the number of copies you want.

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