Printer: Epson Stylus C40UXQuestions and Answers: Q: Which computer interfaces does the printer support? A: The printer supports USB only. Q: Does this printer support Adobe Postscript fonts? A: No this printer does not support Adobe Postscipt. Q: Where can I get the printer driver? A: Windows 98, 2000, and Windows ME as well as Macintosh drivers are on the CD-ROM bundled with the printer. You can also download the latest Epson driver for your printer from Epson's web site. You may also contact the Driver Fulfillment support line at (562) 276-4367 to request a printer driver. A shipping and handling charge may be applied to drivers sent by mail. Q: What should I do if a new Windows or Mac version operating system is released for my computer and I need a new driver. A: For Windows &#reg; users: Your EPSON &#reg; printer software works on Microsoft&#reg; Windows 98, Me, and 2000. For Macintosh &#reg; users: Your EPSON printer software works on Apple&#reg; Macintosh OS 8.5.1 through 9.1. If Microsoft or Apple releases a new version of Windows or Mac OS, EPSON will make printer software available for the new operating system on our web site; http://support.epson.com. At the site, select your product name and follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the new driver. Q: What is the proper way to turn off the printer? A: Wait until the printer stops printing and use the printer's power button. Never use an external switch, such as a power strip, surge protector, or power protector, to turn off the printer, as the print heads will not be in the proper position. It can be harmful to your printer if you turn the printer off using an external switch. Q: Where can I find the printer manual? A: Your printer software CD-ROM includes an electronic Reference Guide for your printer. The manual is in HTML format, so you need a browser such as Internet Explorer 3.0 or later or Netscape Navigator 3.0 or later to view it. If you are using a different browser, the pages may not display correctly. (A browser is not included on the printer software CD-ROM.) Q: Can the Epson ink cartridges be refilled or can 3rd party ink cartridges be used without voiding the warranty? A: EPSON does not recommend refilling or using 3rd party ink cartridges. Using these products will not void their product's original warranty, however, if these 3rd party products cause a failure, the repair of that failure will not be covered under warranty. Q: What do I need to do to print with my Stylus printer on a LocalTalk network? A: This is not a LocalTalk printer. Q: Can I use the cleaning sheets that are included with any special media I purchase? A: No. These sheets can damage the printer. Q: Can I use sheet labels with this printer? A: Yes, EPSON makes Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheets. To avoid paper jams, only load one Photo Quality Self Adhesive Sheet at a time. Also, set the Media Type in the printer driver to the "Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper" setting. Q: What is the correct way to load transparency paper? A: It is recommended to use EPSON Ink Jet Transparency Paper (S041064). Before loading the transparency, place the included support sheet or a sheet of plain paper beneath the transparency (or beneath the stack of transparencies if you are loading more than one). You can load up to 10 transparencies at a time, but you may get better results by loading one sheet at a time. Insert the transparency sheet making sure that the notch is at the top right side of the sheet. Remember to choose the correct Media Type setting in the printer driver software. Please refer to your Printer Basics Manual or Electronic Reference Guide for detailed information. System Requirements and Recommendations Q: What are the system requirements for using this printer with a PC? A: The system requirements are: - An IBM &#reg; compatible PC with at least a Pentium &#reg; processor (for Windows 98), a Pentium 150 MHz processor (for Windows Me), or a Pentium 133 MHz processor (for Windows 2000) - Windows 98, Windows Me, or Windows 2000 - RAM of at least 20MB (for Windows 98), or 32MB (for Windows Me), or 64MB (for Windows 2000) [50MB for Windows 98, or 64MB for Windows Me or 2000 recommended] - At least 50MB of free hard disk space (100MB or more recommended) - VGA or better display adapter and monitor - CD-ROM or DVD drive for installing the printer software - Windows compliant USB port and a shielded USB "AB" cable up to 6.5 ft (2 meters) long. Caution: Using an improperly shielded USB cable - especially more than 6.5 feet (2 meters) long - may cause the printer to malfunction. Q: What are the system requirements for using this printer on a Macintosh? A: The minimum system requirements are: - An Apple iMac series, Power Macintosh, G3, or G4 with native USB port - Mac OS 8.5.1 through Mac OS 9.1. - 16MB of available RAM (32MB recommended) - 50MB of free hard disk space (100MB recommended) - CD-ROM or DVD drive for installing the printer software - VGA display or better - A shielded USB "AB" cable up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) long. Caution! Using an improperly shielded USB cable - especially more than 6.5 feet (2 meters) long - may cause the printer to malfunction. Installing and Uninstalling Printer Software Q: What do I do if I see a "New Hardware Found" window before I install my printer software in Windows? A: Cancel the window by clicking on "Do not install a driver" and then "OK". You cannot install the printer driver software by using the "New Hardware Found" window. Q: How do I install the driver from the EPSON Stylus C40UX CD-ROM in Windows? A: Turn off your printer. Then turn on your computer and wait until you see your desktop icons and the cursor is no longer an hourglass style. Your computer may come with the EPSON printer software files already installed on the hard drive. - Turn on your printer. If you see a screen telling you that Your software is already installed. Click OK. You're ready to start printing! - You may see a screen informing you that Windows has detected your printer (except on Windows NT). If so, click Cancel. You can't install your printer software that way. - Insert your printer software CD-ROM in a CD-ROM or DVD drive. - Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop. - Double-click the EPSON CD-ROM or DVD icon. - Double-click the EPSON icon to start the installer. (Don't select any other icon in the folder.) - Read the license agreement and click Agree. You see the Main Menu. - Click Install Printer Driver. You see the printer driver installation screen. - Make sure your printer model is highlighted, then click OK. The installer copies files to your computer and displays a series of windows on your screen. - When it's finished, click OK. You see the EPSON Product Registration screen. Follow the on-screen instructions to register your printer with EPSON. - At the last installation screen, click OK and close any open windows. - Restart your computer and you're ready to start printing. Your printer software icons will appear in the EPSON folder, your shortcuts will appear on your desktop and the EPSON Stylus C40UX will be set as your default Windows printer. Q: How do I remove the printer driver from Windows? A: - Double-click My Computer, then double-click the Control Panel icon. - Double-click Add/Remove Programs. Click EPSON Printer Software in the program list, and click the Add/Remove button (Change/Remove button on Windows 2000). - In the next window, make sure your EPSON Stylus C40 printer icon is selected and click OK. Then follow the on-screen instructions. - Click EPSON USB Printer Devices in the program list; then click the Add/Remove (or Change/Remove) button. - Restart your computer when you're done. Q: How do I install a printer driver from the EPSON Stylus C40UX CD-ROM on a Macintosh? A: - Turn on your printer, if necessary. - Turn on your Macintosh and wait until you see your desktop icons. - If you see a message telling you that you need to install software for a USB device, click Cancel. - Insert your printer software CD-ROM in a CD-ROM or DVD drive. - Double-click the EPSON icon in the CD-ROM folder. (If your CD-ROM folder doesn't open automatically, double-click the EPSON icon on your desktop.) - Read the license agreement and click Agree. You see the Main Menu. - Click Install Printer Driver. - At the next screen, click Install. Follow the instructions to install your printer driver, select a default paper size, and restart your Macintosh. - Open the Chooser from the Apple menu. - Click the SC40UX icon, then click your USB port icon. - Turn on background printing, if you want. - Close the Chooser. Q: How do I uninstall the printer driver from my Macintosh? A: - Insert your printer software CD-ROM. - Double-click the EPSON CD-ROM icon if necessary. Then double-click the EPSON icon in the CD-ROM folder. You see the Main Menu. - Click Install Printer Driver, then click Continue. - On the installer screen, click the arrow in the Easy Install list at the top and select Uninstall. Then click the Uninstall button at the bottom and follow the instructions. When you're finished, click Quit. - Restart your Macintosh. Removing and Installing Ink Cartridges Q: How do I install my ink cartridge for the first time? A: First ink cartridge installation takes approximately three minutes. Turn the printer on. The ink cartridge holders will move to the installation position. Unwrap the ink cartridges and remove ONLY the yellow tape seal from the top of the black and color ink cartridges. If you accidently remove anything but the yellow seal you cannot use the cartridge or it will damage the printer. Install the cartridges into the printer. After the ink cartridges have been inserted into their holders, push down the ink cartridge clamps until they lock in place. Press the Maintenance button, located next to the power button, to begin charging the ink delivery system. Charging can take up to three minutes and is complete when the power light stops flashing. Don't turn off the printer until the power light stops flashing. Q: What is the Epson part number for replacement ink cartridges? A: This printer uses the following EPSON ink cartridges: Black ink cartridge: T013201 (U.S.) T013311 (Canada) Color ink cartridge: T014201 (U.S.) T014311 (Canada) When you need new ink cartridges, contact your dealer or call EPSON at (800) 873-7766 or visit the EPSON Store at www.epsonstore.com (U.S. sales only). In Canada, please call (800) 873-7766 for dealer referral. Q: How do I know when the ink cartridges need to be replaced? A: When the printer's Error light flashes, an ink cartridge is low on ink. This is a good time to make sure you have a new cartridge handy. When the Error light stays on, the cartridge is empty and will need to be replaced. If you're printing from your computer, you'll see a message telling you which cartridge is low or empty. Click the "How to" button to see instructions for replacing the cartridge. Q: How do I replace an ink cartridge when an ink low or out condition occurs? A: Make sure the printer is on but not printing. Raise the printer cover, then press down the Maintenance button for six seconds until the print heads move to the center. Pull up the empty ink cartridge clamp all the way. The cartridge rises up from its holder and should be disposed. Unwrap the ink cartridges and remove ONLY the yellow tape seal from the black and color ink cartridge. If you accidently remove anything but the yellow seal you cannot use the cartridge or it will damage the printer. To install the new cartridge, tilt the ink cartridge forward slightly as you lower it into its holder. Hang the tabs at the back of the cartridge on the hooks on the holder clamps. Don't place the cartridge tabs under the hooks on the holder clamp; you may damage the clamp when you close it. Install the ink cartridge and press the Maintenance button to begin charging the ink delivery system. Charging takes about a minute and is complete when the power light stops flashing and the error light goes out. For more information on installing an ink cartridge please refer to your Start Here Poster or your Printer Basics Manual. Q: I installed new ink cartridges and the printer is now doing continuous cleaning cycles. Is there something wrong with my printer? A: When an ink cartridge is installed into the printer, it will take approximately a minute to charge the ink system and initialize the printer. While the ink is charging the power light will flash. Never turn off the printer while the power light is flashing (unless the power light is flashing AND the printer has not moved or made noise for over 5 minutes). This initialization is a normal and necessary process. If the printer initialization does not stop after 5 minutes turn the printer off and contact Epson technical support for assistance. Problems Getting Good Print Quality Q: The colors of my image on my monitor do not match the output from my printer. What is wrong? A: First you must have an understanding of how color is produced. A monitor displays color by transmitting Red, Green and Blue (RGB) light into your eyes. A printer uses existing light to reflect Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and black (CYMK) light into your eyes. It is virtually impossible to have these two different color types (transmissive and reflective) to match perfectly. Also, due to its transmissive nature, the monitor is able to display a much wider range of colors than a reflective product, such as a piece of paper with ink on it. Secondly, most monitors are not calibrated for correct color display out of the box, they have to be calibrated to produce accurate colors. Adobe PhotoShop includes a basic monitor calibrator to do this; it is the Adobe Gamma utility. This utility is contained in the Control Panel in Windows and on the Macintosh. Some of the higher-end monitor calibrators use a suction cup device that sticks on the monitor and reads a range of colors displayed on the monitor. These hardware/software combination devices create much more accurate color profiles than the strictly software solutions. Also, what type of color matching system (CMS) are you using when printing your image? The color matching system can greatly affect the output color of your image. For information on how to use the various color management system available, please check the CMS user documentation or the website of the manufacturer. To ensure that the images your Epson Color printer produces are as close as possible to the images displayed on your monitor you should do the following: Calibrate your monitor. Experiment with various Color Management Systems. Try using the ICM (Windows) or ColorSync (Macintosh) setting. Try using the Automatic mode option setting in the printer driver. setup. To print a file saved in CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) format with accurate colors, you first need to convert the file to RGB format. Your printer software automatically converts RGB files to your printer's 6-color CMYKcm format (including light cyan and light magenta). To print with the correct colors, convert any CMYK-format input files to RGB format before printing. For the best results, create your original print files in the RGB color space. Q: How should I preserve my pictures? A: For optimum image quality and longer print life, print your photos with EPSON ink and EPSON's light-resistant Matte Paper - Heavyweight (S041257). EPSON Premium Glossy paper also offers improved lightfastness but is more susceptible to atmospheric contamination than Matte Paper - Heavyweight or EPSON Photo paper. Prints with other EPSON media are less fade-resistant but can be preserved if kept in a photo album. As with all photos, care should be taken to preserve the long life of all your prints. All color dyes change over time. For storage in photo albums, we recommend acid-free, archival sleeves that are commonly available from camera shops and other retailers. For indoor display, we recommend avoiding direct sunlight and mounting prints under glass to help protect them from humidity, cigarette smoke, and other atmospheric contaminants. Color stability varies based on lighting conditions, color intensity, color range, and print media. Q: The quality of my printed output is unacceptable. What can I do to improve this? A: First verify that you are using the correct printer driver for your printer model. If MicroWeave is off, turn this feature on. If High Speed is on, turn it off. Make sure the Media Type setting matches the paper or media loaded. Also, the Halftoning and Color Adjustment Mode options may be set incorrectly for your document type. Let the printer driver automatically select the settings for the best Quality. Secondly verify that the printable side of the paper is face up, and check the type of paper being used. EPSON brand paper, which is specifically designed for the Stylus ink jet series of printers, delivers the best-printed output. If your output is faint, check the printer driver to make sure you have selected a print resolution other than Economy. The resolution of your image may also be set too low. Increase the image resolution using your image-editing software, or decrease the size of the image. Also, try testing the printer with another computer. This will eliminate the possibility of a defective printer cable, or software issue. If you're still experiencing a problem, try replacing the ink cartridge and make sure you are using genuine EPSON ink cartridges. Q: Vertical lines are not aligned or vertical banding appears. How can I correct this? A: If you have already tried to align the print head and did not have any success, try turning high speed off in the printer driver settings. You can clean the print head nozzles. Make sure the printer is turned on but not printing, and the maintenance lights are off. Press and hold the maintenance button for three seconds. Cleaning takes about 30 seconds Q: How do I align the print head on my printer? A: To align the print head, make sure that paper is loaded and the printer has power. Access the "Utility" tab (if you are using Windows) or click the "Utility" button (if you are using a Macintosh) located in your printer driver settings. Click the Print Head Alignment icon and follow the instructions on the screen. Macintosh Troubleshooting Q: I installed the printer driver on my Macintosh, but it isn't showing up in the Chooser. What should I check? A: Make sure the QuickDraw GX extension is disabled, and make sure the "SC40UX" and "EPSON Status Monitor3" extensions are enabled. Then, restart your Macintosh. Q: I am getting the message "Sorry SC40UX cannot be used" when I try to select the "SC40UX" icon in the Chooser. What should I do? A: This message indicates that there is something wrong with the driver or the way it was installed, and you will need to remove and reinstall the driver. To remove the driver, trash the "SC40UX", "EPSON Monitor3", and "EPSON Folder" extensions from your "Extensions" folder (the "Extensions" folder is located in your "System Folder" folder in your hard drive). Then, restart your Macintosh and reinstall the driver. If you have printer drivers of other EPSON printers installed on your system, you may need to reinstall them after removing the Stylus C40UX driver. Q: Whenever I try to print from my Macintosh, I get a type 11 error and my system locks up. What's wrong? A: These issues are typically memory related errors. Check the available memory and its allocation. You may need to increase the memory allocation for your application, the EPSON Monitor3, or both. Insure that the needed system resources are available. If you have background printing enabled, you may want to try disabling it. Some printing issues can also be caused by conflicts with Extensions and Control Panels. Turn off all third party Extensions and Control Panels that have been added to the system and restart. Q: Why am I getting a memory error message when I try to print from my Macintosh? A: You may need to increase the memory allocation for your application, EPSON Status Monitor3, or both. If you have background printing enabled, you may want to try disabling it. Q: A portion of my image doesn't print when I'm printing from my Macintosh. A: Your system may not have enough available memory. Close any other applications you are running and turn off background printing. You may need to increase the memory allocation for your application, the EPSON Status Monitor3, or both. Windows Troubleshooting Q: How can I increase my print speed from my PC? A: Verify that your system meets the system requirements. The print speed is dependent upon the amount of RAM in your system, the type and speed of your computer's processor, and the amount of free hard drive space and degree of fragmentation of hard drive space in your computer. Verify that you are using the EPSON Stylus C40UX driver. Too many active USB devices may slow the printer. Disconnect USB devices that you're not using. Close any background applications that are running. Q: Why can't I print from a particular Windows application in color? A: Make sure the correct driver is selected and the Color option is enabled in the printer driver. Try printing again. If the image comes out monochrome, print from a resident program within Windows, such as Paintbrush. If the results are successful from Paintbrush, contact the software manufacturer of the application for assistance. If the results are not successful, troubleshoot the pertinent areas within Windows, such as the video driver. Q: When I try to print in Windows, the message "The printer is out of paper" or "The printer is off-line" appears in the despooler. What do I do? A: Examine the printer's control panel to make sure the printer does not show a paper out error. Also, the interface cable may not be securely connected. Turn off the printer and computer. Disconnect and reconnect the cable on both the printer and computer. Make sure the printer cable is fully shielded and meets the printer's specifications. If you are using Windows 98 or 2000 you can try printing a screen from the DOS prompt. If the DOS print screen does not print or is garbled, try using a different printer cable (a Belkin cable with a length of 6 feet or less is recommended). Diagnosing Printer Problems Q: The printer won't feed paper. What should I do? A: Power the printer on and press the Maintenance button to see if paper will load. If the paper doesn't load, make sure the paper isn't curled or creased, isn't loaded above the arrow on the left edge guide, and that the paper isn't jammed in the printer. If the Paper Out light is on solid, reload the paper, making sure the paper edge guide is adjusted to fit the paper's width, and then press the Maintenance button again to see if the paper will now load. If the Paper Out light is flashing, turn the printer off, reload the paper, turn the printer back on, and try pressing Maintenance again to see if the printer will now successfully load the paper. If the printer still will not load paper, power the printer off, remove the printer cable, and make sure all of the packing materials are removed. If the problem persists, the printer may need to be sent in for service and you should email Epson technical support for further assistance. Q: Is there a way to determine if a problem is caused by the computer or printer? A: You can run a printer operation check to determine whether the problem comes from the printer itself or some other source. If the results are satisfactory, the problem lies in your software settings, the interface cable, or your computer. If the check page does not print correctly, you have a problem with your printer. Please see the following suggestions for possible solutions. - Make sure both the printer and computer are turned off. - Disconnect the interface cable from the printer. - Make sure paper is loaded in the printer. - Hold down the Maintenance button, and turn on the printer. - Release the Maintenance button when a test page begins printing. The printer prints its ROM version number and a nozzle check pattern. If the check page doesn't print, then the printer may have a problem which needs to be serviced. - To end the check, turn off the printer. Then reconnect the interface cable and turn on your printer and computer. Q: The Power light is on, but nothing prints. What should I do? A: Turn off the printer and computer. Make sure the printer cable is securely connected to the printer and computer ports. Turn on the printer and computer and try printing again. If the cable was not the issue, turn off the printer and computer, disconnect the interface cable and run a nozzle check. If the nozzle check works, try checking for and deleting any stalled print jobs. Q: The printer sounds like it is printing, but no ink is on the paper. What's wrong? A: The print head nozzles may be clogged. From the Utility section found in the EPSON printer driver, clean the print heads by performing a head cleaning followed by printing a nozzle check pattern. A head cleaning and nozzle check must be performed as a cycle. After printing a nozzle check, examine the printed pattern. Each staggered horizontal and straight vertical pattern should be complete, with no stripes. If there are stripes, continue with another cycle. Perform up to 3 cycles if necessary. If the nozzle check is not printing completely, and if the head cleanings do not help the nozzle check pattern to print completely, try replacing the ink cartridge. Make sure your ink cartridges are not outdated. They should be replaced six months after installing them in the printer to ensure the ink is fresh. Q: My printouts are missing color and/or black print. How can I resolve this issue? A: If the printer is printing blank pages, make sure you are using the correct printer driver and make sure the paper size is correctly selected in the driver. If the printer is printing black only, the "Ink" option in the printer driver may be set to "Black" instead of "Color" or a setting in the software may be set to print black only. Also, the print head nozzles may be clogged. From the Utility section found in the EPSON printer driver, clean the print heads by performing a head cleaning followed by printing a nozzle check pattern. A head cleaning and nozzle check must be performed as a cycle. After printing a nozzle check, examine the printed pattern. Each staggered horizontal and straight vertical pattern should be complete, with no stripes. If there are stripes, continue with another cycle. Perform up to 3 cycles if necessary. If the nozzle check is not printing completely, and if the head cleanings do not help the nozzle check pattern to print completely, try replacing the ink cartridge. If this doesn't help your printer may require service and you should contact Epson technical support for further assistance. Q: Sometimes the paper doesn't eject all the way or is wrinkled. What should I do? A: Make sure the correct paper size is selected in your application and/or printer software. If the paper doesn't eject fully, it may be too long for the printer. If the paper is wrinkled, the paper may be damp or too thin. Check the paper specifications in your Printer Basics manual for ranges of paper size and thickness you can print with, as well as environmental requirements for storage. Use genuine EPSON inkjet paper for best results. Q: Why are my margins incorrect? A: The paper may be loaded incorrectly. Make sure that the left and right edge guides are flush against both sides of the paper. Make sure the margins are set correctly in your software application (margins are not adjustable via the printer driver), and make sure you are not trying to print outside of the printable area of the page for your paper size (printable area of the page specifications are available in the Printer Basics Manual). Make sure the correct paper size is selected in the printer driver settings. Q: If I want to clear the printer's buffer, what should I do? A: Make sure that you cancel the print job from the Epson Status Monitor3 menu on your computer before you try to clear the printer's buffer. Also, make sure the printer is no longer printing. After canceling the print job from the computer, turn the printer off, wait 10 seconds, and then turn on the printer again. Q: How can I stop the printer from feeding multiple pages at the same time? A: Make sure the paper you are using is not too thin (see paper specifications in the User's Guide on the CD-ROM supplied with the printer). If it is very humid the paper my have absorbed moisture and should be replaced with fresh dry paper. Remove the stack of paper and fan the edges to separate the sheets. Reload the paper, making sure the edge guides are snug against both sides of the paper, then press the Maintenance button to see if it feeds the paper correctly. Q: Why does the image look inverted, as if viewed in a mirror? A: You may have accidentally used the "Flip Horizontal" option in the printer driver or a similar feature in your application. Turn off the setting in the printer driver and/or software application and try printing again. Q: All lights are off. Why won't the printer initialize? A: The printer may not be receiving any power. Turn the printer off. Remove the interface cable from the back of the printer, unplug the power cord, plug it back into the outlet, and try turning the power on again. If you still do not get power to the printer, try another outlet. Make sure the outlets you are connecting to are not controlled by a switch or timer and are able to operate other equipment. Dot Matrix: FX-880 My printer will not power-on at all when I connect the parallel cable. What should I do? A: Disconnect the cable from the back of the printer and see if the power comes on. If the printer turns on after disconnecting the cable, you probably have a cable problem. Try a different cable, making sure that it is fully-shielded and preferably six-feet or less in length. If a different cable still has the same problem, try "masking" pin 31 on the cable connector that attaches to the printer. If you decide to mask pin 31, use masking or electrical tape. Q: Why does my printer print garbage from MS-DOS and Windows? A: When a printer prints garbage, it usually indicates a faulty cable or a loose connection. Power OFF your printer and computer. Disconnect and reconnect the cable on the printer and computer. Once the cable has been reconnected, power the printer and computer back ON. Try printing from MS-DOS. If you are still getting garbage, change the cable. We recommend getting a fully shielded cable, preferably 6 feet or less in length. If you are still experiencing problems after changing your cable, you may have a computer or printer port issue. If you take the cable and printer to another computer and it works fine, have your computer's port checked by an authorized dealer. If it still gives you garbage from another computer, have the printer taken in to be serviced. Q: Why won't the printer print serially from my PC? A: If you are using a straight through modem cable, change the cable to a null modem cable (pins 2 and 3 are reversed). If you are already using a null modem cable, ensure that the Default Settings for the serial port on the printer match the settings on your computer. There is always the possibility of a loose connection or a bad cable. Disconnect and reconnect the cable on the PC and the printer and try printing again. If you are still experiencing difficulty, try a different cable or take the printer to another computer to see if the computer's port is malfunctioning. Q: What driver should I choose in my MS-DOS program? A: Choose from any of the following printer drivers: FX-2170, FX-880, FX-870/1170, FX-850/1050, FX-800/1000, FX-85/105, FX-80+/100+, FX-80/100. Q: What is EPSON Status Monitor and what does it do? A: EPSON Status Monitor is a new software utility program for Windows 95 or 98 included with the printer that provides printer status, error conditions and troubleshooting instructions back to the user. For example, by using the Background Monitoring feature, users can monitor printers more conveniently and efficiently automatically checking a selected printers status (in the background). The Status Monitor 2 utility bundled with the printer is for Windows 95. The Status Monitor 2 utility bundled with the Ethernet card (C823572) is for Windows NT. Q: Does the printer support Apple EtherTalk? A: Yes, with the optional Ethernet/EtherTalk interface card available through EPSON Accessories. Q: What is the recommended duty cycle for the printer? A: The specification recommended is 25 percent. Epson America's definition of a 25 percent duty cycle stands for the printer printing (not idle) for two hours per day based on an eight hour day at 22 days per month. Q: What is micro-adjustment used for? A: The micro-adjustment feature allows you to make fine top-of-form adjustments and short form tear-off position adjustments in increments of 1/216th of an inch. The printer remembers adjustments made to continuous paper, even after the printer is turned off. When micro-adjust reaches the minimum or maximum adjustment point, the printer will begin to beep continuously. Different top-of-form settings can be set for both front and rear feed paper paths. Q: What are the most commonly used escape codes? A: Some commonly used escape codes include (in decimal values) - Reset (27, 64); Set page length in lines (27, 67, n - where n is a number from 1 to 127); Carriage return (13); Line feed (10); Form feed (12); Select 1/8-inch line spacing (27, 48); 10 cpi (27, 80); 12 cpi (27, 77); Select bold font (27, 69); Cancel bold font (27, 70); Select italic font (27, 52); Cancel italic font (27, 53); Turn underline on/off (27, 45, n - where n equals 49=ON or 48=OFF); Select condensed print (15); Cancel condensed print (18). For more escape codes, please refer to the Command Summary of your User's Manual. If you need to use advanced escape codes for programming purposes, you can purchase an ESC/P Reference Manual from EPSON Accessories. Q: When printing from MS-DOS applications, I'm getting italic characters instead of lines. A: To print lines instead of characters, the printer needs to be in graphics mode. Select a graphics character table (PC437). To switch to PC437, enter your Default Settings mode and select character table PC437. Q: I'm printing serial, my baud rate is at 9600, and intermittently the printer will lose data. What can I do to correct this? A: If you are using a non-buffered serial interface board and XON/XOFF is enabled, the XOFF signal may not reach the printer in time to delay data transmission that would result in an overflow and loss of data. If you can use a DTR setting, change XON/XOFF to DTR. If you must use XON/XOFF, try decreasing the baud rate. Another option would be to purchase a 32KB buffered serial interface card (C823071). The buffered serial interface has a flag reset timing, which sets aside additional buffer space to "catch" the data overflow. The flag reset timing feature settings are selectable through dip switches on the serial interface card. Q: I was printing labels and one of the labels peeled off. Now my paper won't feed. Can I remove the platen to get the label out? A: No, you cannot remove the platen from the printer. If you press the LF/FF button and the label does not appear on the platen for you to remove, you will need to take the printer in to be serviced. When printing labels, it is recommended that you only print with a pull tractor. Labels have a tendency to curl and peel off underneath the platen when being fed through the rear push tractor. Q: How do you select bar codes on my printer? A: The eight built-in bar codes are only selectable through software using an ESC code sequence. The built-in bar codes include: EAN-13, EAN-8, Interleaved 2 of 5, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 39, Code 128, and POSTNET. Q: What is short form tear-off for? A: The short form tear-off feature will help save paper. If you are using the tractor in the front or rear push position, you can use the tear-off feature to advance your continuos paper to the printer's tear-off edge when you finish printing. Then you can easily tear off the printed sheets and save the paper normally lost between documents. When printing resumes, the paperfeeds back to the top-of-form loading position. Q: The printer starts printing too high or low on the page. Is there any way I can adjust the starting point of the print job? A: There is a feature called Micro Adjust that allows you to adjust the top-of-form (TOF) position in increments of 1/216th of an inch. To use this feature, load the paper into the printer. Press the Pause button for three seconds (until Pause light flashes), then press LF/FF to move the paper forward or press Load/Eject to move the paper backward. Once you have the TOF position set where you want it, press the Pause button, then send a print job. The printer will remember the TOF setting and will position the print head accordingly for the next page. Q: Will this printer emulate an IBM printer? A: Yes, the printer has an IBM 2380 Plus emulation, selectable through the Default Settings mode or through the DOS Control Panel Utility. Q: There is paper loaded on the tractor unit. Why won't the printer load paper? A: Make sure the paper release lever is set to the tractor position. Facing the back of the printer, make sure the paper is loaded over to the left side of the printer. The paper sensor is located on the left side of the printer. If the sensor does not sense that there is paper loaded, the printer will not operate properly. Digital Cameras: PhotoPc3100zQ: What are the minimum system requirements for using this Camera? A: Windows Systems - IBM-compatible PC with Pentium 166 or higher processor - At least 32MB RAM (64MB recommended) - Double-speed CD-ROM drive - At least 30MB free hard disk space - VGA or SVGA monitor with at least 256-color display (16-bit color or greater recommended) - Mouse or other pointing device - 16-bit sound card and speakers (optional for sound playback) - QuickTime 4.1.2 or later (included on CD-ROM) USB connection requirements: - Built-in USB port - Pre-installed Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), or Windows 98 with USB Storage Device Driver (included on CD-ROM) Macintosh Systems - At least 32MB RAM (64MB recommended) - At least 30MB free hard disk space - CD-ROM drive - VGA monitor with minimum resolution of 640 &#times; 480 - Mouse or other pointing device - 16-bit sound card and speakers (optional for sound playback) - QuickTime 4.1.2 or later (included on CD-ROM) USB connection requirements: - Built-in USB port - iMac or Power Macintosh &#reg; G3 or G4 with Mac &#reg; OS version 8.5.1 to 9.1 NOTE If you are using Mac OS X, check the EPSON web site for software updates. Connect to the internet, then go to http://support.epson.com. The software included with the camera cannot be used with the Multiple Users function in Mac OS 9. Q: I can't take a picture with the camera. What's wrong? A: The batteries may be low. If you see the low battery icon, recharge or replace the batteries or use the optional AC adapter. The flash may be recharging. Wait until the status light turns green, and try again. The camera may be full. Check the picture counter on the display panel. Erase some pictures, or transfer the pictures to your computer and then erase them. Make sure your CompactFlash memory card is installed. You may need to format your CompactFlash memory card. Check to see if a message is displayed on the camera's LCD screen. The camera may be connected to your computer. When it's connected, you can't use any of the controls on the camera itself. See your user's manual for instructions on taking pictures from your computer. Q: Why does the camera take so long to take a picture? A: You may be pressing the shutter all the way down at once. This forces the camera to focus, make exposure adjustments, and capture the image all at once. By pressing the shutter button partially to focus, then the rest of the way to capture the image, your camera can process pictures more quickly. If you are taking a picture in HyPict mode, the camera takes longer to process the image. TIFF images create large files and can take approximately 22 seconds to process. If you are trying to capture large, high quality images that you can print, try setting the camera to HyPict JPEG mode instead of HyPict TIFF mode. Q: Why is the viewfinder image unclear? A: Look through the viewfinder and adjust the view with the diopter dial. Set the diopter with the camera dial turned for the most accurate adjustment for your vision. Q: The LCD image is dark or nothing appears on the LCD screen. A: The camera may have shut off automatically. Press the shutter button halfway down or turn the camera Off and then back On to View or Play mode. Make sure the lens cover is removed. Check your batteries and make sure they are installed correctly. Recharge or replace the batteries if necessary. Make sure the dial is set to LCD mode. Q: What should I do if the image on the screen is too dark? A: Adjust the brightness of the screen using the Settings menu. Q: Why am I getting a "Camera Connection Failed" error message (or a similar error message) when using the PhotoPC 3100Z software with the camera connected to my computer. A: Make sure the cable is connected correctly. Also make sure your camera is not turned off and the batteries have power. If your camera is connected to a USB hub, try connecting the camera directly to your computer. From the error screen, click Connection and make sure the connection is set to USB (Mounted Drive). Q: Why am I unable to drag and drop photos into a document. A: Your application may not support this method of adding pictures. Try importing or using copy and paste. If your system has less than 32MB RAM, you may not be able to use drag and drop. Make sure you don't run too many applications at the same time. You may need to add memory to your system or use another method of getting photos into your documents. Q: Why am I unable to format or use a CompactFlash storage card with the camera? A: Make sure you're using an ATA-compatible Type-I CompactFlash memory card. Make sure you've installed the card correctly. The card's label should be facing the front of the camera, and the arrow(s) on the label should point in. If you need help with a card, call the appropriate number: Lexar Media at (800) 789-9418, SanDisk at (408) 542-0595 or Delkin Devices, (858) 586-0123. Q: What should I do if my pictures display poor image quality on the screen or when I print them out? A: The camera captures images in 24-bit color (16.7 million colors). Your pictures will not display maximum image quality if your monitor or computer's video controller doesn't support this color depth. You may need to upgrade your system to achieve the best possible image quality. If your pictures look better on the screen than when you print them out, you may need to upgrade your printer. An EPSON Stylus ink jet printer, for example, provides excellent image quality. If you used drag and drop to insert your pictures, they may appear grainy. Try importing them into your documents instead. Q: What pixel resolution should I use to take the picture in order to print photo quality at various sizes? A: 1600 x 1200 pixel images at 4 x 5 inches or smaller. 2048 x 1536 pixel images at up to 8 x 10 inch size. 2544 x 1904 pixel images at up to 11 x 17 inches or Ledger size. Q: Can I copy files directly from my memory card? A: Yes. Whether you connect your camera with to your computer, insert your memory card into a PC card slot with an adapter, or insert your card into a memory card reader, your computer sees your CompactFlash card as an additional drive. This lets you copy your files directly from the memory card to your computer. Q: Where can I find the video clips or photos in the Flashcard. A: When connecting your camera to the computer, make sure the camera is turned on. If you are inserting a memory card, insert your card into the card reader or insert the PC card adapter into the PC card slot. NOTE: If you installed Image Expert, the Camio Viewer appears when you connect the camera. Click Cancel to close the Camio Viewer. In Windows, double-click My Computer. You see a removable drive icon for your camera or card. Double-click the drive icon. On a Macintosh, you see the EPSON_DSC drive icon on your desktop. Double-click the drive icon. You see two or more folders: Double-click the DCIM folder, then double-click the 100Epson folder to access your photo files and associated sound files. Double-click the Movie folder to access any QuickTime movie files that you captured. Q: How do I copy files from the memory card to my computer? A. Click any files you want to copy to the computer and drag them to the folder where you want to store them. (To select multiple files, hold down the Shift or Ctrl key in Windows, or the Shift key on a Macintosh.) If you copy files to the Desktop, be sure to use the Shift key or otherwise the files will not be copied and will disappear when the camera is disconnected or turned off. CAUTION: If you delete any files in the 100Epson or Movie folders, they are deleted from the camera's memory card. In Windows 98, turn off the camera and disconnect it from your computer or remove the card. In Windows 2000 or Windows ME, find the USB storage device icon in the System Tray (lower right corner) and stop the Card Services before disconnecting or turning off the camera. On a Macintosh, drag the icon for the camera or card to the Trash. Turn off your camera and disconnect it or remove the card. Q: When I preview images on my computer, they look distorted. Why? A: If you are using an STB(r) Velocity 128 video card and have a screen resolution of 800 x 600 or 640 x 480, you may notice this phenomenon. Slowing down the acceleration on your video card may solve this problem: Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, then double-click System Properties. On the Performance tab, click the Graphics button. Select a slower acceleration and click OK. See your Microsoft Windows documentation or online Help for more information. Q: Why don't the colors in my picture look right? A: When you take pictures under certain artificial lighting conditions, the colors may be slightly distorted. You can use your Image Expert software to adjust the colors. Q: Why do my pictures look too dark (underexposed)? A: You may need to use the flash. Make sure the setting is not flash off. If you're using the flash, make sure your subject is within the range of 14 feet for wide angle shots or 11 feet for telephoto shots. Use Image Expert to adjust the picture's brightness and contrast. Try adjusting the camera's exposure or sensitivity settings (use the Manual user mode). If you're taking pictures in the Manual user mode, look for the EV! warning that appears on your LCD screen when you are taking pictures out of the ideal exposure range. If you have trouble setting both the aperture and shutter speed manually, try adjusting the aperture and letting the camera choose the shutter speed with Aperture Priority mode. If you're using the macro mode to take a close-up photo, be sure to provide adequate lighting for your subject. If you're taking a picture at night and you want to light up the background as well as your subject, use the camera's slow synchronized flash mode. If you need more light, attach an optional external flash to the camera's hot shoe. Q: What causes a horizontal or vertical red line on my pictures? A: Red lines are caused by glare. Avoid photographing shiny surfaces that reflect excessive amounts of light into your lens. Q: Why is the area captured in the photo different from what I saw in the viewfinder? A: Make sure you look straight through the viewfinder. If you're taking a close-up or macro mode picture, turn the camera dial to LCD mode and use your LCD screen to preview your picture. Q: Why are my Video clips playing back sideways? A: Capture your video clips with the camera turned upright. You can't rotate video clips. Q: What should I do if the camera has no power? A: Remove the lens cap. The camera may have shut off automatically. Press the shutter button to turn the power back on. Check the batteries and make sure they are installed correctly. Recharge or replace the batteries. If you are using the AC adapter, make sure it is plugged into a working outlet. Press the power button to turn on the camera. Q: My pictures transfer to the computer too slowly. A: If you are transferring Tiff files or video clips, you can expect the transfer to take much longer than it does for JPEG files, due to large file sizes. If your system has less than 32MB RAM, the transfer speed may be slower. Q: Why is the lens still out even though the camera is turned off? A: The camera may have shut off automatically. To retract the lens, press the POWER button to turn the camera back on, then press it again to turn the camera off. The batteries may be low. Connect the camera to the optional AC adapter, or replace or recharge the batteries. Then turn the camera on and back off to retract the lens. Q: What should I do if the flash doesn't work? A: Make sure the flash is not set to the flash off setting. Check the batteries and make sure they are charged and installed correctly. Recharge or replace the batteries if necessary. You can't use the flash in continuous shooting or video mode. Check to make sure your camera's flash setting is not set to use the optional external flash (in Setup see User's Guide). If the flash is set to Auto, the camera may detect that the flash is not needed and supress the flash. Q: What should I do if my pictures are blurry or out of focus? A: 1. Make sure your subject is centered in the viewfinder or LCD display then 1/2 press the shutter button, this is when the camera performs its auto focus on what is present only in the center of lens, then continue to fully depress the shutter button while holding the camera perfectly still during the exposure. Make sure you hold the camera steady after you press the shutter button (until the red light starts to flash), and your subject isn't moving. If you are shaking the camera when you lock the focus, a warning icon appears in the right corner of the LCD. If you want to photograph a moving subject, you can also use Program (Sports Mode) or Manual (Shutter Priority) to increase the shutter speed. 2. As lighting conditions change so will exposure settings which can contribute to blurry images. For example if lighting is dim exposure times become longer and the slightest movement of the camera during the exposure will result in a blurry image proportional to the amount the camera was moved during the exposure. As lighting conditions require longer exposure times try resting the camera on a stable surface or a tripod when lighting conditions make it difficult to hand hold the camera steady enough during an exposure. 3. The built-in flash has a range of approximately 14 feet. If you are in poor lighting conditions and need better flash range, consider using the HotShoe adapter and an external flash. If you are using a tripod, consider using the 10 second time delay feature to avoid movement when pressing the shutter button. Refer to the user's guide for more information on taking pictures with the built-in flash and using the shutter time delay feature. 4. If you get blurry images turn the camera OFF then back ON again. This will reset the camera's focus mechanism. 5. In between photos the camera will automatically go to sleep. If the lens is accidentally repositioned (pushed in) when the camera is asleep, the focus setting for the lens is no longer correct. When the camera wakes up to capture more photos, it will continue to use the current focus setting; this may result in blurry images. Turn the camera OFF and back ON. This will re-calibrate the camera's focusing mechanism. As a precaution, when the lens is extended, avoid any contact between the lens and any hard surface. Q: What should I do if the lens remains extended and won't retract into the camera? A. If the battery power is depleted while the lens is extended, handle the camera with caution, until you can install a fresh set of batteries or connect the camera to an AC adapter. Power the camera On and then OFF to retract the lens automatically. Never attempt to manually push or force the lens back into the camera. This will damage the mechanism used to position and focus the Lens. If the batteries are good and it still will not retract then you should contact Epson technical support for service. Q: What type and size CompactFlash memory cards can I use with this camera? A: The camera comes with a 16MB CompactFlash memory card. It will accept Type I standard or USB enabled CompactFlash memory cards from 4MB to 256MB. Q: When I copy image files from the computer to a CompactFlash memory card in the camera or PCMCIA drive, the camera can't access the images. A: You can't use this method to upload pictures to the camera. You have to use the EPSON File Converter to convert your images before you upload your images. Q: Why can't I play video clips on my computer. A: Make sure you have QuickTime installed on your computer. You should have installed it when you installed Image Expert. It will try to install automatically after Image Expert is installed. Do not interrupt the installation. If you need to, it can be installed manually by browsing the CD-ROM and running the installer file. Q: Why can't I insert video clips into my application. A: Some applications may not recognize the camera's movie file format. If you upgrade your QuickTime Player to QuickTime Pro, you can use that program to save your file in a format that your application recognizes. Go to http://www.apple.com/quicktime/ on the Internet for details. Q: Why doesn't the Image Expert software recognize the camera. A: If you have a version of Image Expert from a different camera, printer, or other product, make sure you install the version of Image Expert included on your PhotoPC 3100Z Software CD-ROM and use it when you are connecting to your camera. Q: Nothing appears on the television or the sounds don't play when I connect the camera to it? A: Make sure the video and audio cables are connected correctly and the camera and TV are turned on. Make sure your camera dial is set to Playback mode. If your TV has both Video and S-Video modes, make sure it is set to Video mode. See the manual for your television if you need help. Check your batteries and make sure they're installed correctly. Recharge or replace the batteries if necessary. Make sure your camera is set to the correct broadcast signal. Also see your television's documentation for possible solutions. Check your playback settings to make sure the sound setting is turned on. In the Setup menu, be sure video is set to NTSC mode (see User's Guide for setting this feature). Q: I have a Macintosh with 64MB memory or less and I get "not enough memory" messages when I try to open a HyPict picture from Image Expert. What can I do? A: Turn ON virtual memory or add more memory to the system. Allocate more memory to the application. Q: Can I use the Image Authentication Software (IAS) with video clips or TIFF formatted pictures? A: No. IAS only supports pictures with standard, fine, superfine and Hypict, JPeg formatted pictures. Multimedia Projector: PowerLite 5600pQ: What are the differences between the Epson PowerLite 5600P and PowerLite 7600P Multimedia Projectors? A: The Epson PowerLite 5600P produces 800 x 600 pixel resolution with a contrast ratio or 300:1 and the PowerLite 7600P Multimedia Projector has a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels with a contrast ratio of 400:1. Q: What is the brightness of this projector? A: It has a brightness of 2200 Lumens (ANSI). Q: What type of projection lamp does it require? A: A type UHE (Ultra High Efficiency) lamp is required (Epson part number ELPLP12). Replacement lamps can be purchased from your dealer or call the EPSON Store (tm) at (800) 873-7766. You can also visit the Epson Store on-line. Q: How far can the projector be placed horizontally from the screen? A: The distance the projector is placed from the screen determines the size of the projected image. The projector can be from 3.6 to 48 feet from the screen. Be sure to place the projector on a sturdy, level surface within five feet of the computer or video source. Q: How long does the projection lamp last in normal operation? A: The lamp life should be about 1500 hours under normal conditions. Q: Is there a recommended sequence of turning on the projector and peripherals? A: It's best to turn on the projector and its attached equipment in the following order: 1. Video source (such as a VCR), if your video source is not your computer 2. Audio source (if different from computer or video source) 3. External amplified speaker or PA system (if necessary) 4. Projector 5. Computer When you are ready to turn off the equipment, turn them off in the reverse order. Q: Can the projector be mounted on the ceiling? A: Yes, the projector can be mounted for upside-down projection. Q: Can the projector do rear projection? A: Yes, the projector is designed to do rear projection. Q: Does the projector support a VCR or DVD? A: Yes, cables are provided for video and audio. Q: Can a computer monitor be run simultaneously? A: No. If you connect the projector to your desktop computer, you cannot view your images on the computer monitor. Q: Does the projector have an on-line help utility? A: Yes, the projector comes with an on-line help menu, which is accessed by pressing the Help button on the remote control or the control panel of the projector. The help menu can help you troubleshoot various situations with the projector. Some projector adjustments can even be performed directly from the help menu. Q: Why is the temperature light red? A: The projector is overheating, which turns the lamp off automatically. Let the projector cool for a few minutes, then turn it back on. Make sure nothing is blocking the ventilation vents. Check to see if the air filter is dirty. If it is, clean or replace the filter by following the steps in your User's Guide. Let the projector cool for a while after cleaning the air filter. If the projector continues to overheat the problem may be caused by damage to the cooling fan or internal circuits. Please contact the EPSON technical support for further assistance. Q: Why are the colors on the images wrong? A: The color balance may be incorrect. If you are displaying a computer image, Gamma option in the projector's Video menu to adjust the color. If you're displaying video, adjust the color, tint, and Gamma settings on the Video menu. You can adjust the whiteness value of the screen through the Settings, Color Balance menu. You can also use the on-line Help menu (accessed by pressing the Help button on the remote control or the control panel of the projector) to assist you with the adjusting of all of the previously mentioned settings. Q: My image does not appear on the screen. What should I do? A: Check that the Power light is on and the lens cover is off. Make sure the cables are installed correctly, as described in your User's Guide. The correct image source may not be selected. Press the Computer or Video button on the projector's control panel to choose another image source. Q: The power status light is flashing orange and I can't turn on the projector. What's wrong? A: The lamp is cooling down. Wait until the light turns steady orange and then press the power button. Q: Does the projector support external audio? A: Yes, the projector supports external audio. The projector comes with a PC audio cable to connect from a PC/Laptop audio-out port. The video composite cable has audio support as well. For S-video please check the manufacture's documentation for proper audio support. Other than composite video, there is only one audio-in port. Q: Why are the projected images getting darker or starting to deteriorate? A: The projector lamp needs to be replaced. Please refer to your User's Guide for more information. Q: Does the projector use a remote control? A: Yes, the projector comes with its own remote control unit. The ergonomic infra-red remote control allows it to function as a remote mouse, turn the power on or off, access the help function, switch between input images, access the projector menus, control resizing, control the display freeze function, control the AV/Mute function, adjust or mute the audio output, and assign custom effects functions. The remote control can also be connected using either a PS/2 cable or USB cable. Q: Why won't the power status light come on? A: The projector may not be receiving power or it may be malfunctioning. If there are any lights on or flashing on the projector, turn off the projector and wait until there are no lights on or flashing. Check that the power cable is connected securely both at the power outlet and the projector, then press the Power button again. Q: Why am I getting a NO SIGNAL message? A: An image source not connected to the projector is selected, the signal is not being output from the computer, or the signal is not reaching the projector. Make sure the connectors are securely attached to both the projector and the image source. Check that the video source is selected properly on top of the projector. Try restarting your computer. You may need to set the display to appear on both the LCD screen and the projector, or to switch between them. Hold down the Fn key and press the function key that lets you display on an external monitor. Check your laptop's manual or on-screen help for instructions. If you're using a Macintosh adapter with a PowerBook or Macintosh, make sure the DIP switches on the adapter are set correctly. (See your Macintosh documentation if you need instructions.) Q: Can I connect the projector to a PC, a Macintosh, or a VCR? A: Yes. The projector is compatible with PC's and Macintosh, as well as any video source using the HDTV, PAL, SECAM, or NTSC formats. Supported video connection types are composite (one-pin RCA) and S-Video or component video with optional cables (ELPKC19) available from the Epson Store. Q: Why isn't there any sound? A: Check that the volume setting is not turned all the way down and that the audio/visual cable is securely attached to both the projector and the audio source. Make sure the AV/Mute feature is not enabled. If it is, press the AV/Mute button one time to deactivate it. Also, the wrong source may be selected. Press the Source button on the remote control or control panel to select the proper source. Additionally, if there is still no sound, try connecting the speaker to the computer or video device to make sure that sound from the device is working. Always turn off equipment prior to changing cables. Q: Part of my image is blurred or out of focus. What should I do? A: Adjust the focus ring on the projector. Adjust the Brightness and Contrast settings on the Video main menu. You can also use the on-line Help menu (accessed by pressing the Help button on the remote control or the control panel of the projector) to assist you with the adjusting of all of the previously mentioned settings. There may be dirt or smears on the lens. Clean the lens as described in your User's Guide. Also make sure the projector is placed directly toward the screen and not at an angle. It may be too close or too far away. Refer to the User's Guide for placement information. Q: Why is only part of the computer image displayed? A: Try pressing the Resize button on the remote control. Make sure the image Position setting is correct on the Video menu. Make sure your computer's resolution setting is correct. Ideally it should be set to match the projector's native resolution. For supported display settings, see the User's Guide Supplement on the projector CD-ROM. You also may need to modify existing presentation files if you created them for a different resolution. See your software manual for specific information. Q: Why do I have a black or blue or user logo screen? A: The AV/Mute function may be active. If this is the case, you can press the AV/Mute button one time to deactivate it. Also, the computer signal may not be able to be interpreted by the projector. Verify the display format resolution and refresh rate (refer to the User's Guide). Q: Why is my image wider at the top or bottom of the screen? A: This is called Keystone and is due to the projection angle not being perpendicular to the screen. You can use the projector's built-in electronic Keystone adjustment to correct the image so the top and bottom are equal at up to a 30 degree angle. Q: Why won't my remote control function? A: The remote control has it's own on/off switch on the side of the remote marked R/C. Make sure the R/C switch is in the "ON" position. Test the batteries by pressing the illumination button on the remote control. If the remote buttons don't light up, replace the batteries. The lighting in the room or the angle you are pointing at may be affecting the infra-red signal from reaching the projector properly. Q: What is DVI and does the projector support DVI video? A: Yes the projector has a built in DVI interface. (Digital Video Interactive) DVI technology brings television to the microcomputer. Information is digitized and stored on a random-access device such as a hard disk or a CD-ROM and is accessed by a computer. DVI requires extensive compression and real-time decompression of images. Scanner: Epson Perfection 1250 ScannerThe EPSON Perfection 1250 has four buttons: 1. Start - Lets you scan directly to EPSON Smart Panel or a Smart Panel application 2. Photo Print - Lets you open or launch Photo Print applet in Smart Panel 3. E-Mail - Lets you scan your image and send it as an e-mail attachment. (Note: Must be a MAPI compliant Email application. See the User's Guide) 4. Scan to Web - Lets you scan an image and upload it to the EPSON photo-sharing site, EPSON PhotoCenter Questions and Answers: Q: What is the difference between the EPSON Perfection 1250 and the EPSON Perfection 1250 Photo model? A: The EPSON Perfection 1250 Photo model comes with a transparency unit and film holders. Q: What are the minimum system requirements for Windows? A: These are the minimum system requirements. For optimum performance, a faster processor and more memory are recommended. Scanning at higher resolutions may create very large files that can exceed system requirements. - An IBM(r) compatible PC with a Pentium or faster processor - Preinstalled Windows 98, Windows ME or Windows 2000 - At least 64MB RAM (128MB RAM recommended) - 50MB available hard disk space for software only (does not include scanned image storage space) - Mouse or pointing device - CD-ROM or DVD drive for installing the scanner software - Available USB port or self-powered hub connection - VGA color monitor with 640 x 480 or higher resolution (a color monitor with 800 x 600 or higher recommended) - 8-bit, 256 color display adapter card (24-bit display adapter card with millions of colors recommended) Q: What are the minimum system requirements for the Macintosh? A: These are the minimum system requirements. For optimum performance, a faster processor and more memory are recommended. Scanning at higher resolutions may create very large files that can exceed system requirements. You cannot use a serial, SCSI, FireWire or 3rd party interface to connect the scanner. - Apple(r) Macintosh computer (blue and white G3, G4 or higher, or iMac) running Mac(r) OS 8.5.1, or later. Check the Apple web site for any updates to your operating system. - Built-in USB port or self-powered hub connection - 64MB RAM (128MB recommended) - 50MB available hard disk space for software only (does not include scanned image storage space) - CD-ROM or DVD drive - Mouse or pointing device - VGA color monitor with 640 x 480 screen resolution (or higher recommended) and 256 colors (millions of colors recommended). Note: Color and tone reproductions are subject to the display capability of your computer system, including the video card, monitor, and software. See the documentation for these products for details. EPSON TWAIN supports the Apple ColorSync(tm) 2.x color management system and QuickTime. These extensions are automatically installed during EPSON TWAIN installation. Q: What is the Perfection 1250 scan area? A: The Perfection 1250 scan area is 8.5 &#times; 11.7 inches (216 &#times; 297 mm). Q: Can I scan positive or negative film strips and slides with this scanner? A: Only if you have the transparency unit (TPU) which comes with the Perfection 1250 Photo model. The film adapter supports 35mm slides and film strips. If you don't have the Photo model, you can order the transparency unit as an option (part number B12B813321) from the EPSON Store at 800-8737766 or from the Epson web site at www.epsonstore.com. Q: Where can I find the software and manuals for the scanner? A: The scanner software CD-ROM that comes with the scanner includes the EPSON TWAIN driver, software and electronic documentation. Q: The OneTouch feature is not working with my scanning program. A: The one touch function only works with programs that are OneTouch compliant, like Presto Pagemanager, Windows Imaging, and Photoshop 5.0LE or Full Edition. These applications support linking scanner events with the Start button on Windows 98, 2000, or ME and enable the scanner monitor utility. For details on how to set up one-touch scanning, see "Using the Start Button" in your EPSON Perfection 1250 Reference Guide. For Macintosh users, you must install EPSON Smart Panel. Q: Where can I find the User's Manuals for the Epson Perfection 1250 scanner? A: Your scanner software CD-ROM includes an electronic Reference Guide for your scanner. The manual is in HTML format, so you need a browser, such as Microsoft(r) Internet Explorer 3.0 or later or Netscape Navigator(r) 3.0 or later-to view it. You always have easy access to your EPSON Smart Panel electronic manual. It is automatically copied to your hard drive when you install the software. In Windows, you can access the manual by clicking Start, Programs, EPSON Smart Panel for Scanner, then EPSON Smart Panel for Scanner User's Manual. On a Macintosh, open the EPSON Smart Panel for Scanner folder and double-click SMART PANEL for Scanner Manual. If you already have Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 3.0 or later) on your system, the manual opens in Acrobat Reader automatically. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, you can install it from the CD-ROM. Your Bonus software may also include electronic manuals in PDF format. After installing the software, check its program folder to see if an electronic manual is available. Q: What is Epson TWAIN? A: Epson TWAIN is the software application that is used to run the scanner and scan the image. It acts as an interface (or driver) between your image application and the scanner. When you open your imaging application such as ArcSoft PhotoImpression or other TWAIN compliant program, you need to select Epson TWAIN as the scanner source. When you click on scan, the TWAIN progam will start. Then you can define how the image is to be scanned in the TWAIN application. Once the image scan is completed you can close Epson TWAIN and the scanned image will be in the imaging application where you can then edit and/or save the image. Q: How do I tell what scanning resolution to use for the best results? A: Here are some recommended settings for different types of scans. Image type Recommended Image Type Scanning Resolution for printing Photograph Color Photo 300 dpi Small photograph to be enlarged Color Photo 300 dpi to 3200 dpi Magazine Color Photo 300 dpi Newspaper (text only) Text (Background Removal) 400 dpi Text for OCR Text (Background Removal) 400 dpi Text with images Color Document 400 dpi Line art Line Art 300 to 3200 dpi 35 mm film or slide TPU for neg. film 300 to 3200 dpi 1. If your final file is for on-screen viewing (for example, on a web page or in an e-mail message), select 72 dpi for your resolution. 2. If you are enlarging your image, you must manually increase the resolution (dpi) proportionally to maintain the resolution of your original. Q: How do I decide which resolution to select when scanning? A: Resolution refers to how many dots per inch (dpi) or dots per centimeter (dpcm) your image contains. The best resolution for a scanned image depends on the type of image you're scanning and your final output device. For most images except line art, use a scanning resolution that is approximately one third of your output resolution. For example, use a scanning resolution up to 100 dpi with a 300-dpi laser printer, and up to 200 dpi with a 600-dpi laser printer. For high dpi ink jet printers, such as the EPSON Stylus Color or Photo series, use a scanning resolution of approximately 240-300 dpi. For on-screen viewing, you can scan at 72 dpi. Keep the following in mind when you choose a resolution: Higher resolution settings result in larger file sizes. For example, an 8.5 x 11-inch original scanned at 300 dpi can produce a 24MB file. The same original scanned at 72 dpi creates only a 1.3MB file. Large files take longer to process and print, so consider the practical limitations of your computer system when selecting a resolution. To keep your file size manageable, select the lowest possible resolution that gives acceptable quality. When scanning at a higher resolution, reduce the file size by scanning only part of the image. Q: What's the best way to resize images if I want scan them and make them larger? A: If you plan to enlarge your image, it is better to enlarge it when you're scanning rather than in your application. Each time you modify an image, you lose some quality. Keep in mind when you enlarge a small photo, such as a 35 mm slide or wallet-size photo, you'll need to scan at a high enough resolution to retain your image quality, but not so high that your file size is too large to be efficient. You must manually adjust the resolution (dpi) to maintain the same image quality when you resize your image. For example, if you have a 300 dpi 2 x 2-inch image that you want to enlarge to 4 x 4 (a factor of 200%), increase the Scale setting to 200% or change the resolution to 600 dpi. Q: How can I scan something that doesn't fit under the document cover? A: The self-adjusting document cover allows you to place thick documents on the document table glass without removing the cover. If your document is too thick to fit under the cover (such as a photo in an album) you can remove the document cover. To do this, simply open the document cover and lift the back of the document cover straight up. When scanning with the cover removed, make sure no area of the document table is exposed. This prevents interference from external light. When reattaching the document cover, hold the cover so the hinges are aligned with the notches on the scanner. Then lower the cover so the hinges fit into the notches and close the document cover. Q: Why won't the Operate light come on? A: Make sure the scanner power adapter is correctly plugged into a power outlet. Make sure the outlet is operational and is not connected to a timer or switch. Q: My scanner software doesn't work properly. A: Check your system requirements. See if the system requirements, such as the operating system version, are correct for your software. Check your computer's memory. See if the computer has enough memory for your software. If you're running other software at the same time, using RAM resident programs, or have many device drivers, the computer may not have enough memory. (See your software and computer manuals.) If you are scanning a large image or scanning at a high resolution, your computer may not have enough memory to process the image. Check your software installation. Make sure that your software is correctly installed and set up. If all else fails uninstall your software, then reinstall it. You may also want to consult the Perfection 1250 Reference Guide under Troubleshooting Problems and Solutions. Q: Why won't my system recognize the USB port (Windows 98/2000/ME only)? A: The USB interface is not supported by Windows 95 (including OSR-2.x) or Windows NT, you must have Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Windows 98 preinstalled full edition. The scanner must be connected to a built-in (root) hub or first tier hub only. If the scanner is attached to a built-in root hub and the scanner isn't recognized, check the computer's user manual and to see if the USB port needs to be enabled in the computer's setup. If the scanner is attached to a first tier hub, that hub must be self-powered (i.e.: an AC adapter should be attached). Be sure to use the USB cable that came with your scanner. Turn off both the scanner and your computer. Then turn on your scanner before you turn on the computer. If you're connected to a USB hub, try connecting the cable to the computer's USB port. Q: Can the Perfection 1250 be powered off? A: Yes, the Perfection 1250 can be powered off by unplugging the AC adapter from the wall outlet. Q: Can the USB cable be disconnected while the scanner and computer are on? A: Yes. Because USB is Plug and Play, the system will find the scanner when it is reconnected and powered on. Q: The system hangs up when I unplug the scanner from the computer. A: If your Windows system hangs after unplugging the scanner, try disabling Event Monitoring in Scanners and Cameras. If the scanner push buttons stop working with a Macintosh, manually launch EPSON Smart Panel and one of its applets. This will restore the button feature. Q: Can the Perfection 1250 scanner be disconnected from the computer after installing the scanner software (Macintosh only)? A: The scanner monitor searches for the Perfection 1250 during start up and may cause your system to hang if it does not find it. Do not disconnect your scanner unless you disable the EPSON Scanner Monitor extension in the Extensions folder. Q: Why can't I start EPSON TWAIN? A: Make sure the scanner's READY light is on. Check to make sure your cable is securely connected to both the scanner and computer. Try a different cable. Be sure to use an EPSON USB cable. For Macintosh, check the EPSON Scanner Selector. For Windows 98, check the Utility tab on the Perfection 1250 Properties window. If you have an older EPSON scanner and have a previous version of EPSON TWAIN installed, uninstall the older version (Windows) or close any extensions like EPSON Scanner Monitor, EPSON Scanner Monitor USB, or EPSON Monitor 3 (Macintosh). If none of these solutions help, uninstall your software, then reinstall it. See the instructions for uninstalling software in your reference guide. Q: How do I reinstall the scanner software on a PC? A: For best results, first uninstall the TWAIN driver. In Windows 98, Windows ME or Windows 2000. 1. Double-click the Scanners and Cameras icon in the Windows Control Panel. 2. On the Devices tab, select EPSON Perfection 1250. 3. Click the Remove button. Then click OK to close the window. 4. Disconnect the scanner. 5. Open Windows Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs. 6. Select EPSON TWAIN5 and click Remove. To reinstall your TWAIN driver in Windows 98, Windows ME or Windows 2000. 1. Insert your scanner CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive. 2. Click Start and Run. At the prompt, type your CD-ROM drive letter and EPSON (for example: D:\EPSON), or double-click the CD-ROM icon in My Computer. 3. On the Main Menu checkmark only EPSON TWAIN. 4. On the next "Install EPSON TWAIN" screen, click Next and follow the on-screen instructions. 5. Reconnect the scanner and restart the computer. The software must be installed before the scanner is connected. Q: How do I reinstall the scanner software on a Macintosh? A: 1. First uninstall the driver by opening the file menu and clicking on Find. Use the following keywords to find the scanner files that need to be removed: TWAIN, USB Scanner, 1250 Installer, Epson Perfection 1250 2. Disconnect the scanner. 3 Insert your scanner CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive. 4. Double-click the EPSON icon. 5. On the Install EPSON TWAIN screen, click Next. 6. On the TWAIN Installer screen, make sure Easy Install is selected for the default installation, and then click Install. 7. After the installation is complete, reconnect the scanner then Restart the computer. If necessary, calibrate your screen. Then your Macintosh automatically restarts. Q: Why isn't the fluorescent scanning lamp on? A: The scanner has a power saving function (sleep mode); press the Start button to "wake" the scanner. Or unplug the USB cable or power cable, then plug it back in. Make sure the power cord is connected to the scanner and plugged into a power outlet. Q: Why won't the scanner scan? A: Wait until the fluorescent lamp stays on (ready for scanning). You may need to preview your scan to make the lamp come on. If you are using a USB hub, try connecting the scanner directly to the computer's USB port. Use only the USB cable that came with your scanner. If you see your scanner in the Windows Control Panel, but you can't scan, uninstall and reinstall your scanner software. Q: My scanner buttons don't work after plugging in the USB cable or AC adapter (Macintosh)? A: If you unplug your USB cable or AC adapter, then plug it back in, wait until the scanner has initialized before using the scanner buttons. If you press a scanner button and nothing happens, initialize the scanner by scanning an image from Smart Panel. Then you can use the buttons. Software: Stylus RIP for MacQuestions and Answers: Q: What are the minimum Macintosh system requirements for EPSON StylusRIP? A: To use EPSON StylusRIP with a Macintosh in either a standalone or network environment as a print server, your system should meet the following minimum requirements: Power Macintosh, (r) iMac (tm) series, or Power Macintosh G3 or G4 series At least 16MB of available RAM for the EPSON StylusRIP software (20MB or more is recommended), in addition to the RAM needed by your operating system and other applications At least 52MB of free hard disk space to install the software and at least 150MB of hard disk space for processing large files Macintosh Operating System 7.6.1 or later CD-ROM drive Serial, Ethernet, or USB (SC900/SP1200 only) connection to the printer To set up a Macintosh as a client on a network using the EPSON StylusRIP, your system must have the following minimum configuration: Macintosh Centris, (r) Macintosh Quadra, (r) Performa, (r) iMac series, Power Macintosh G3 series, or Power Macintosh Ethernet (tm) AppleTalk (r) connection with the Macintosh set up as the EPSON StylusRIP print server 8MB RAM At least 2MB of free hard disk space to install the software and at least 150MB of free hard disk space for processing large files Macintosh Operating System 7.6.1 or later CD-ROM drive Q: How do I install the EPSON StylusRIP? A: These are the steps to install EPSON StylusRIP: 1. Install the standard EPSON driver that came with the printer, following the instructions in the printer's setup guide. Print a file from a Macintosh application to verify that the printer and driver are working correctly. 2. Quit any running applications and disable all anti-virus extensions, then restart the Macintosh. 3. Insert the EPSON StylusRIP CD ROM in the drive. When necessary, double click on the StylusRIP CD ROM icon to open its window. 4. Double click the Installer icon, click Continue, select Easy Install, then click the Install button. Follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation, then click on Restart. 5. When the system has restarted, open the AppleTalk control panel, choose Remote Only from the pop up menu when the printer is connected with a serial cable. Close the control panel and click on Save when prompted to. Q: How do I configure the EPSON StylusRIP Server? A: These are the steps to configure the EPSON StylusRIP Server: 1. Open the StylusRIP folder and highlight the StylusRIP Server icon. Choose 'Get Info' from the File menu, then set the Preferred size to twenty thousand and Minimum to sixteen thousand. Close the window. 2. Disable all desktop printing extensions, restart the computer, then turn on the printer when the desktop icons are back. 3. Double click the StylusRIP Server icon to launch the server. When asked to select a port, choose the port where the printer is connected, then click OK. 4. When the printer has not been previously licensed for PostScript or this is the first time the program has been run, a dialog prompts for the StylusRIP license key. The License key is printed on the CD ROM sleeve. Type it exactly as shown, then click OK. 5. Open the Chooser, click the Adobe PS icon, then select Stylus RIP Server from the printer list. Verify that AppleTalk is active. Click the Setup or Create button to select the PPD file for the printer being used. Click OK, then close the Chooser. Q: I'm getting a Memory or VM error message. What can I do to fix this? A: Try the following solutions: 1. Turn on Virtual memory. Select Control Panels from the Apple menu, then select Memory Control Panel. Click the On button in the Virtual Memory Panel. 2. Allocate more memory to the StylusRIP Server. Increase the Preferred memory size of the StylusRIP Server to at least 20,000 K. 3. If the first two solutions don't work, you may need to install additional memory on the Macintosh. Q: I am setting up EPSON StylusRIP with my Macintosh, iMac, DV iMac, G3, or G4. What type of connectivity is supported? A: Below is the connectivity between EPSON Stylus RIP and the Macintosh/iMac/PowerMac G3's. For Legacy Macs (Centris, Performa, PowerMac, etc...): StylusRIP 3.30 4.00 4.1x Printers: Stylus Color 800 Serial/Ethernet Ser/Ethernet Serial/Ethernet Stylus Color 850 Serial/Ethernet Ser/Ethernet Serial/Ethernet Stylus Color 900 Not Supported Ser/Ethernet Serial/Ethernet Stylus Color 1520 Serial/Ethernet Ser/Ethernet Serial/Ethernet Stylus Color 3000 Serial/Ethernet Ser/Ethernet Serial/Ethernet Stylus Photo Serial only Serial only Serial only Stylus Photo 1200 Not Supported Serial only Serial only Stylus Photo EX Serial only Serial only Serial only **Stylus Pro 5000 Not Supported Not Supported Serial/Ethernet (unbundled version) **The Stylus Pro 5000 (unbundled version) ships with EPSON Stylus RIP 4.11/2.03 (special to SP5000 only) and also comes with the PK4 cable in the box. This version of Stylus RIP has software for the Stylus Pro 5000 only. There is no other printer software on this particular version of Stylus RIP. For the iMac: StylusRIP 3.30 4.00 4.1x Printers: Stylus Color 800 Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet or PK4 Cable Stylus Color 850 Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet or PK4 Cable Stylus Color 900 Not Supported USB or Ethernet USB or Ethernet Stylus Color 1520 Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet or PK4 Cable Stylus Color 3000 Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet or PK4 Cable Stylus Photo Not Supported Not Supported PK4 Cable Stylus Photo 1200 Not Supported USB USB Stylus Photo EX Not Supported Not Supported PK4 Cable **Stylus Pro 5000 Not Supported Not Supported Ethernet or (unbundled version) PK4 Cable **The Stylus Pro 5000 (unbundled version) ships with EPSON Stylus RIP 4.11/2.03 (special to SP5000 only) and also comes with the PK4 cable in the box. This version of Stylus RIP has software for the Stylus Pro 5000 only Stylus Pro 5000 only. There is no other printer software on this particular version of Stylus RIP. For the DV iMac, G3 and G4: StylusRIP 3.30 4.00 4.1x Printers: Stylus Color 800 Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet or PK4 Cable Stylus Color 850 Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet or PK4 Cable Stylus Color 900 Not Supported USB/Ethernet USB/Ethernet /FireWire Stylus Color 1520 Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet/PK4 Cable/FireWire Stylus Color 3000 Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet/PK4 Cable/FireWire Stylus Photo Not Supported Not Supported PK4 Cable Stylus Photo 1200 Not Supported USB USB Stylus Photo EX Not Supported Not Supported PK4 Cable **Stylus Pro 5000 Not Supported Not Supported Ethernet/PK4 (unbundled version) Cable/FireWire **The Stylus Pro 5000 (unbundled version) ships with EPSON Stylus RIP 4.11/2.03 (special to SP5000 only) and also comes with the PK4 cable in the box. This version of Stylus RIP has software for the Stylus Pro 5000 only. There is no other printer software on this particular version of Stylus RIP. NOTE: The PK4 Cable Kit provides for Bi-directional communications between the printer and Macintosh and is needed to work with StylusRIP 4.1x or later. a) Earlier versions of StylusRIP will NOT work with the PK4 Kit. b) Earlier Versions of the USB Cable (PK1-3) will not work with StylusRIP 4.1x. Q: How do I use the Pantone Profiles? A: The Pantone Profiles include a README file with instructions on how to use the profiles with the most common graphics applications. If you need additional instructions, refer to the user manual for your application or contact your software vendors technical support. Q: I am unable to select StylusRIP Server in the Chooser. I keep selecting the PSPrinter driver but StylusRIP Server does not appear in the printer window. A: To select StylusRIP Server, StylusRIP must be running. Quit the Chooser, launch the StylusRIP Server application, then reopen the Chooser and select PSPrinter. StylusRIP Server will now be selectable in the printer window. Q: In the Chooser, Background Printing is always grayed out. How can I set Background Printing to On? A: To enable Background Printing, load the Apple Print Monitor extension and Restart. Q: I am unable to print to the StylusRIP Server and in the Information of Server window the Status window keeps displaying two messages that say "Checking License" and "testing the printer". Why can't I print to StylusRIP? A: StylusRIP is not finding the printer. Check to be sure that the printer is on and ready. Check the cable, it must be secure and making good contact on both ends. If the Operate or Pause light are on or flashing, reset the printer and try to print again. Q: I switched ports and now I can't print anything to the StylusRIP Server. A: The Epson StylusRIP will look for the printer on the previously used port. If you switched ports or type of connection to the printer, select PostScript and Printer Connection. You will be prompted to Quit StylusRIP (this will automatically remove the CPS Prefs file). Select Quit. When StylusRIP is launched again, the connection window will appear, at which time the port can be selected. Q: I keep getting a Find Font error. Is the Epson StylusRIP compatible with font management utilities? A: Epson StylusRIP is compatible with the most common font management utilities but users should upgrade their font management utilities to the latest version and check with their software vendor for compatibility issues if they have recently upgraded their operating system. Find Font errors can be caused by corrupted fonts, duplicate fonts, duplicate font sets open at the same time, etc. Check the System Font Folder to be sure that both the screen and printer font are present and available, reinstall the font, bypass your font management utility to eliminate the possibility of an incompatibility. Finally, if the error continues, convert text to outlines as a temporary solution. Q: I keep getting a Limitcheck error with one document. How can I get StylusRIP to print this document? A: Limitcheck errors are caused by an excessive amount of path elements created when a placed image has a clipping path or an excessively high resolution. Most Limitcheck errors can be resolved by reworking the clipping path and its flatness setting, reducing the resolution of placed images or both. Q: Whenever I try to print from QuarkXpress to Epson StylusRIP my system locks up as soon as I select Print from the File menu. Is Epson StylusRIP compatible with QuarkXpress? A: This is a known problem with QuarkXpress 3.3.2 and the Adobe PS Printer driver. The solution is to remove Balloon Help from the QuarkXpress folder. It is not sufficient to disable Balloon Help, it must be removed from the QuarkXpress folder. Q: My Quark (PageMaker) document takes over an hour to print. Why is Epson StylusRIP taking so long to rip my document? A: Your document probably contains a placed image that was scaled, rotated. or modified in your page layout application. All image modifications should be done prior to placing the image. When placed images are modified in a page layout application, the image is processed twice. Once to rasterize and once to calculate the new location for each dot. Q: When I try to select Page Setup options from Pagemaker 6.0X, the options for paper are not the same options that come up in other applications when I print with the Adobe PS Printer driver. How can I access the PS Printer Page Setup options? A: To access the PS Printer Page Setup options hold down the Option key before opening the File menu and selecting Print. The Setup button will open the PS Printer Page Setup window. This is only necessary when printing from PageMaker 6.0 and 6.01. Q: Does the Epson StylusRIP work with Apples Desktop Printing feature? A: It is not recommended but there is a feature that is very similar to Apples Desktop printing. Locate the StylusRIP Server in the StylusRIP folder. Create an alias and place it on the Desktop. From any application, select print to file and save the .ps file to the Desktop or folder of your choice. Simply drag and drop the .ps file onto the alias and StylusRIP will launch, process and print the file. Q: How can I improve the performance of Epson StylusRIP? A: StylusRIP performance can be improved by increasing the memory allocated to StylusRIP. The minimum amount of memory is 16 MB with a preferred size of 20 or more depending upon file size. Perform all image modifications in an image editing application such as Photoshop. Clean up the pasteboard in your page layout application, delete all unused artwork from the pasteboard. Avoid using a tint of a process color. The RIP must process a percentage of a color that is made with percentages of CMYK. Avoid excessively high resolution images and backgrounds. Many times, the resolution can be reduced without reducing the quality of the output. Switch to serial communications, especially if your StylusRIP Server is a newer PCI based Macintosh or clone. These newer models have high speed serial ports that can achieve a higher throughput than ethernet. This can be done even in a network environment when a System has been setup as the StylusRIP Server and is not used as a graphics workstation. As long as the StylusRIP Server is connected to the network via ethernet and StylusRIP is up and running, workstations that have StylusRIP Client installed will have access to StylusRIP Server through their Chooser. This avoids transmitting files over the network twice, once to the StylusRIP Server and a second time from the Server to the printer. Q: My custom documents come out rotated 90 degrees or sometimes clips. What is happening? A: This issue has been corrected with version 4.x or by upgrading to QuarkXpress 4.04 or higher. Please contact EPSON technical support if an upgrade is needed. Software: Stylus RIP for PCQuestions and Answers: Q: What are the minimum Windows system requirements for EPSON Stylus RIP? A: To use the EPSON StylusRIP in either a standalone or peer-to-peer network environment, your system should include: IBM (r) -compatible PC with 486 or higher processor (Pentium (r) 133 MHz or higher recommended) Microsoft Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4.0 At least 16MB of RAM (32MB or more recommended) At least 50MB of free hard disk space to install the software and at least 150MB of free hard disk space for processing files (more for large files) CD-ROM drive An available parallel port configured as LPT1 Q: How do I install the EPSON StylusRIP? A: Follow these steps to install the EPSON StylusRIP: 1. Connect the printer to the computer's LPT 1 parallel port. Install the standard EPSON driver that came with the printer, following the instructions in the printer's setup guide. Print a file from WordPad or another Windows application to verify that the printer and driver are working correctly. 2. Insert the EPSON StylusRIP CD ROM in the drive. The StylusRIP install program starts automatically. When it doesn't start, double click My Computer, then double click the StylusRIP icon. 3. Choose the printer being used from the Installer dialog box and click Install. Click Next, click Next again, then click Finish to install StylusRIP. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation of StylusRIP and the Adobe PostScript driver. 4. When prompted, set the port to StylusRIP and set the Printer Name to something that indicates PostScript or RIP output, such as 'Stylus Color 900 RIP'. Do not set the printer as the default printer and do not print the test page. When the setup is complete, restart the computer. Q: I am unable to print to StylusRIP and in the StylusRIP window, the Status window keeps displaying two messages that say "Checking License" and "testing the printer". Why can't I print to StylusRIP? A: StylusRIP is not finding the printer. Check to be sure that the printer is on and ready. Check the cable, it must be secure and making good contact on both ends. If the Operate or Pause light are on or flashing, reset the printer and try to print again. Q: Can my StylusRIP spool folder be placed on my NT/Netware/Mac Server? A: No, StylusRIP will monitor the spool folder on the local machine only. The spool folder on the local machine can be shared so that other Windows 95 or 98 users can spool their PostScript files to. Please refer to your Windows 95 or 98 documentation on Peer to Peer configuration. Q: I switched parallel ports and now I can't print anything to StylusRIP. A: The EPSON StylusRIP software will only print to the LPT1 port. LPT2 and LPT3 ports are not supported by StylusRIP. Q: I keep getting a Find Font error. Is the EPSON StylusRIP compatible with ATM and ATM Deluxe? A: EPSON StylusRIP is compatible with the most common font management utilities but users should upgrade their font management utilities to the latest version and check with their software vendor for compatibility issues. Find Font errors can be caused by corrupted fonts, duplicate fonts, duplicate font sets open at the same time, etc. Check the PS Fonts folder to be sure that both the screen (.PFM) and printer font (.PFB) are present, reinstall the font. Finally, if the error continues, convert text to outlines as a temporary solution. Contact your font management software vendor for additional assistance. Q: I keep getting a Limitcheck error with one document. How can I get StylusRIP to print this document? A: Limitcheck errors are caused by an excessive amount of path elements created when a placed image has a clipping path or an excessively high resolution. Most Limitcheck errors can be resolved by reworking the clipping path and its flatness setting, reducing the resolution of placed images or both. Q: When I try to select Page Setup options from Pagemaker 6.X, the options for paper are not the same options that come up in other applications when I print with the Adobe PS Printer driver. How can I access the PS Printer Page Setup options ? A: To access the PS Printer Page Setup, you must copy the *.PPD from either the Windows\System directory on the hard drive or from the Driver\USA directory found on the StylusRIP CD to Pagemakers PPD4 directory. Please refer to the troubleshooting section of your StylusRIP Users Guide for more information. Q: When printing from PageMaker 6.X, I cannot center my text and graphics. I have adjusted my margins but no matter how I set them, my margins are not equal. How can I center my text and graphics when printing from PageMaker? A: There are three factors that will affect where text and graphics will print on a page. The first is Document Setup. By default PageMaker's margins are not equal, the left or inside margin is greater and this shifts the print to the right. The second setting to check is located in the Print Menu, PPD. This should be set to your EPSON Stylus printer model. The third setting to check is also located in the Print Menu. Open the Print Menu and click on the Paper button. This will display a page with a letter "E" and the selected method for calculating offset. The options are to calculate based on printable area or paper size. Since the minimum setting for the bottom margin in portrait mode or the right margin in landscape mode is .56", selecting "Use Paper Size" for Offset Calculation may make it easier to center text and graphics. For further instructions on these settings, contact Adobe Technical Support. Q: Can I improve the performance of the EPSON StylusRIP software? A: Yes, StylusRIP performance can be improved by doing the following. Increase the memory on the PC. The minimum amount of memory is 16MB for StylusRIP in addition to memory used by Windows 95 or 98, but 32 MB or more is preferred. Perform all image modifications in an image editing application such as Photoshop. Clean up the pasteboard in your page layout application and delete all unused artwork from the pasteboard. Avoid using a tint of a process color. The RIP must process a percentage of a color that is made with percentages of CMYK. Avoid excessively high resolution images and backgrounds. Many times, the resolution can be reduced without reducing the quality of the output. Select a spool directory that is on a separate partition or drive. An increase to the PC's processor speed will also increase overall system performance. Q: I am using Quark 3.3x and my custom page sizes are not being seen when I select the PPD for my printer. A: Under the File and Print Setup dialog box there is an option to "use PDF for:". In the drop down menu select Generic Color in order for Custom Page Sizes to be honored. Printer specific features can still be set by selecting the Options button. Q: There are no Pantone Profiles for my Stylus Color 900 or Stylus Photo 1200. Where are they located? A: Pantone Profiles for the Stylus Color 900 and Stylus Photo 1200 will be released approximately in July or August and will be available for download from the Epson web site. Software: Epson Software Film Factory for Macintosh VersionEPSON SOFTWARE FILM FACTORY Q: What are the minimum system requirements to run EPSON Film Factory? A: System Requirements - Macintosh OS version 7.6.1 or higher - 90 MHz PowerPC 601 processor or higher - 64MB physical RAM (additional memory can improve performance) - 40MB of available hard disk space, not including photo storage - 800x600 display resolution, with Color Depth set to "thousands of colors" - QuickTime 3 or higher - HTML browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) Version 4.0 or higher to view on-line help - Mouse or other pointing device - Compatible with most color printers; a high-quality photo printer and special media are recommended to print the best images Compatible file formats - Imports and can overwrite JPEG, PICT, TIFF (if QuickTime 4.0 or higher is installed), QuickTime, MacPaint, PhotoShop (Ver 2.5 and 3.0), SGI, PNG, 16-bit BMP, and TGA. - Also, imports, but cannot overwrite, FPX (if QuickTime 4.0 or higher is installed) and GIF files. - Exports PICT and JPEG. Compatible image capture devices - Film Factory can import images directly from TWAIN-compatible digital cameras and scanners - For non-TWAIN devices, you can download photos using the software bundled with your digital camera or scanner. Film Factory can easily import the downloaded files. Q: I don't understand how to create a roll of film. A: Select 'New Roll' from the 'File' menu (or click the 'New' button) to see the 'New Roll' dialog box. Input a roll name in the 'Name' field. If the photos are already on a diskette, hard drive, network drive, or CD-ROM: 1) select 'Use Existing Image Folder' and specify the folder name where the photos reside in the 'Existing Image Folder' field. (You can browse folders by clicking the 'Browse' button.) Click the 'Add' button. OR 2) select 'Empty Roll' and click the 'Add' button. Select 'Import Photo' / 'From File' from the 'File' menu (or click the 'Import' button) and select 'From File' to see the 'Import Files' dialog box. Select the folder and files you want to import. Next, click the 'Copy' or 'Move' button. If the photos are still in a digital camera, smart media, or compact flash, select 'Empty Roll' and click the 'Add' button. Select 'Import Photo' / 'From TWAIN Device' or 'Import Photo' / 'From File', from the 'File' menu to import the photos. Q: Is there a limit to the number of photos a roll of film can contain? A: A roll of film can contain many photos. However, it is best to limit about 100 photos to a roll. This makes it easier to see and work with them. In addition, if you have too many photos, some of the thumbnails images may not be displayed. Q: I can select all the pictures with the Select All icon but how can I unselect all of them? A: You can unselect all the photos by pressing the Cancel icon. Q: When editing an album page layout, how can I delete the text box if I want to make the pictures as large as possible? A: You don't need to delete the text box. You can just ignore it and leave it empty. Just make the pictures as large as possible overlapping the text boxes and the text boxes will not show up on the printed page. Q: What should I do if I don't like the results after retouching an image? A: Select the thumbnail of the picture you've retouched, select "Manual Retouch" then select "Cancel Retouch". Under "Settings", select the changes you made that you want to cancel. Click on "Run" and the picture will revert to the original settings. Note: This can be done only if you didn't select "Replace Original Image" when retouching the first time. Q: How many characters can I input as a comment of a photo? A: The comment can be up to 255 characters long, including spaces. Q: What kind of camera generated photo information can be used? A: When importing photo images from a camera, Film Factory automatically retrieves photo information about the date, time, flash on/off, exposure, and shutter speed settings. However, this information is not available if: - the digital camera doesn't store such information in image files - the digital camera uses an incompatible photo format - photos are imported using 'From TWAIN Device' In addition, photo dates can be printed but not the time a photo was taken. Q: How can I rename an image file? A: Select a photo, and then select 'Rename Photo' from the 'Edit' menu. Only the first photo of the selected photos is processed. Q: Why are all selected photos not processed? A: Please check to see if selected photos have yellow frames. Manual Retouch, Red Eye Correction, Wallpaper, Greeting Cards, and Sticker Prints cannot process multiple photos. Only the first photo of the selected photos is processed. If another photo, other than the selected one is processed, please see the rightmost field of the status bar to check to see how many photos are selected. Other photos might be selected that are not currently being displayed on the screen. Q: Photos, which I deleted from the Macintosh Finder, still exist in the roll of film. A: Select 'Refresh Screen' from the 'View' menu to refresh the screen. The deleted photo should disappear. Q: Photos that I added to the roll of film directory are not displayed. A: Select 'Refresh Screen' from the 'View' menu to refresh the screen. Q: The names of photos I imported have been changed. A: Select 'Import Photo' / 'Import Settings' from the 'File' menu and see the 'Naming Convention' setting. For further information, please refer to the online help by clicking the 'Help' button. Q: Photos I transferred using TWAIN are not displayed. A: Film Factory refreshes the screen after TWAIN is finished. While TWAIN is active, these photos are not displayed. Q: After importing photos using TWAIN, Film Factory does not automatically start running. A: Click the title bar, or the ICON on the task bar of Film Factory to activate Film Factory. Q: Clicking on "Slide Show" does nothing. A: You must first select the photos you want to include in the slide show. Q: How can I stop a slide show? A: Press the 'ESC' key. Q: Why does it take so long for some images to display a photo when I select the Viewer button? A: If your photos are very large, it will take longer to display a photo. An image that is 3000 x 2000 pixels will take much longer to display than an image that is 640 x 480 pixels. Also, if the photo has been retouched, it takes longer to display the photo since the retouching information must be processed. Q: When exporting photos to files, how can I specify file names? A: File names cannot be specified. Alternatively, rename the file first, using the Edit Rename Photo option. Q: Does 'Rotate' or 'Soft Focus' support batch processing, such as 'Trim All'? A: No. These functions require the user's confirmation for each photo. Q: Can 'Manual Retouch' or 'Red Eye Correction' process multiple images? A: No. These functions require the user's confirmation for each photo. Q: When attempting to print a large number of copies I get a message to lower the number of copies. A: Film Factory can handle up to 99 copies. However, some printer drivers limit the number of copies and will prompt you to select fewer copies. Q: Can additional areas for comments be created? A: The comment areas are fixed and cannot be created. However, you can re-size and move them. Q: Why doesn't the preview screen display all the changes I made using the retouch tool? A: To display photos quickly, part of the retouch information may not be used to display the photo in the preview screen. However, all the retouch information is used when printing. Q: Is it possible to create clip art for Greeting Cards or frames for Sticker Prints? A: This feature is not supported in Film Factory. Q: Why can't I print photos that I can view in the preview screen. A: Please check your free hard disk space and increase it if necessary. You may need more than 100MB of free disk space depending on the size and number of your images. Q: Does the image size affect the time it takes to display or print photos. A: An image that is 3000 x 2000 pixels will take much longer to display than an image that is 640 x 480 pixels. Also, if the photo has been retouched, it will take longer to display the photo since the retouching information must be processed. You can reduce the image size when importing an image to reduce the processing time. If you want to speed up the process, you can use smaller image sizes or modify an original photo by checking the 'Overwrite Original Image' check box when retouching the photo. Q: Can I reinstall Film Factory? A: As long as the drive name and directory is unchanged, you shouldn't have a problem reinstalling the software. Your photo and roll data should be maintained. Q: Does Film Factory support panorama photos? A: You can select "Panorama" in the "Height/Width Ratio" drop down menu on the "Print Assignment" step of "Standard Prints" and "Duplicate Prints". Q: Can I print several photos at a time using Sticker Prints? A: No. Only one photo can be printed at a time. If multiple photos are selected, only the first photo is printed. Q: How can I arrange the order of photos when printing? A: You can manually select the order of photos for Album Pages. For Standard Prints, Index Prints, or Duplicate Prints, photos will be printed in the order of the thumbnails (left to right, top to bottom). You can sort thumbnails by selecting an option from 'Sort Photos' in the 'View' menu. By renaming photos, you can sort photos as you like. To rename a photo, select 'Rename Photo' from the 'Edit' menu. Q: The horizontal or vertical positions of photos printed are out of alignment. A: In general, small misalignments may occur with any printer. If you are experiencing this kind of small misalignment, try using the 'Adjust Print Position' in the 'Print' menu. For example, if a photo is printed 0.2 inches left, set the 'Left and Right' print position to 20 and the photo will be printed in the correct position. This adjustment does not affect the preview screen. Q: How can I use the photos, which I imported to Film Factory, in other applications? A: First, you need to export the photos to files. 1) Select photos you want to use. 2) Select 'Export Photo' 'To File' from the 'File' menu. 3) Click the 'Browse' button to specify the folder where you want to export the photos. 4) Select appropriate options and click the 'Run' or 'Run All' button. For further information, please refer to the online help by clicking the 'Help' button. Q: It seems like it takes a long time to automatically retouch my photos. A: Consider upgrading to a faster processor. The latest Macintosh PowerPC systems are your best choice. Increase your computer's memory. Additional memory significantly improves performance. If the image size is very large it will take longer to process. Q: Why am having trouble importing very large photos (or high resolution images) with my TWAIN scanner. A: If you can't scan in a very large image, try adjusting the memory allocated to Film Factory. To do this, first exit Film Factory. Next, click on the Film Factory icon once and open File Get Info Memory from the File menu. Double-click on the Preferred Size box and type in a higher number. A rule of thumb is to enter a number that is twice the size of your image plus 4MB. If necessary, adjust the Minimum Size field. This is the smallest amount of memory with which Film Factory can open. This should not be less than the Suggested Size. Q. I have an Epson color ink jet printer. When I try printing with Film Factory, I get large bands in the print. What's the problem? A. On Macintosh systems, if you try to print snapshots with "PhotoEnhance" mode enabled on the printer driver, you will get this banding. Since Film Factory already does image processing for you, the PhotoEnhance button is redundant in this case. We recommend using the "Automatic" mode when printing photos with Film Factory. Q. I have large image files (1MB) and Film Factory sometimes does not display or print the full image. The thumbnails look fine, but when I try to look at the full image or print them, they show up as gray boxes. A. Try allocating additional Virtual Memory to your system. Since your printer driver may use a large block of memory to print photos, sometimes even as much as 512MB may be appropriate. The amount you can allocate depends upon how much free disk space you have on your computer. To adjust your Mac's Virtual Memory setting, go the the Apple Menu Control Panel Memory. Q: I don't use a TWAIN scanner and want to optimize Film Factory and my computer's performance. A: You can reduce the amount of memory allocated to Film Factory to speed up the performance of your entire system. However, if you manipulate large files, you may run into problems. To adjust the memory allocated to Film Factory, first exit Film Factory. Next, click on the Film Factory icon once and open File Get Info Memory from the File menu. Double-click on the Preferred Size box and type in a lower number. If necessary, adjust the Minimum Size field. This is the smallest amount of memory with which Film Factory can open. This should not be less than the Suggested Size.Epson Software Film Factory for Windows VersionQ. What are the minimum system requirements to run EPSON Film Factory? A: System Requirements - Windows(r) 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT(r) 4.0 - Pentium(r) 90 (or equivalent) processor or higher - 32MB of RAM (64MB or more recommended) - 25MB of available hard disk space, not including photo storage - SVGA monitor with 16-bit (High Color) display adapter or better - CD-ROM drive - Mouse or other pointing device - Compatible with most color printers; a high-quality photo printer and special media are recommended to print the best images - Optional: Sound card with speakers or headphones Compatible file formats - TWAIN-compatible digital cameras and scanners - Imports BMP, JPEG, PCX, uncompressed TIF and FPX file formats. - Exports BMP and JPEG -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I don't understand how to create a roll of film. A: Select 'New Roll' from the 'File' menu (or click the 'New' button) to see the 'New Roll' dialog box. Input a roll name in the 'Name' field. If the photos are already on a diskette, hard drive, network drive, or CD-ROM: 1) select 'Use Existing Image Folder' and specify the folder name where the photos reside in the 'Existing Image Folder' field. (You can browse folders by clicking the 'Browse' button.) Click the 'Add' button. OR 2) select 'Empty Roll' and click the 'Add' button. Select 'Import Photo' / 'From File' from the 'File' menu (or click the 'Import' button) and select 'From File' to see the 'Import Files' dialog box. Select the folder and files you want to import. Next, click the 'Copy' or 'Move' button. If the photos are still in a digital camera, smart media, or compact flash, select 'Empty Roll' and click the 'Add' button. Select 'Import Photo' / 'From TWAIN Device' or 'Import Photo' / 'From File', from the 'File' menu to import the photos. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Is there a limit to the number of photos a roll of film can contain? A: A roll of film can contain many photos. However, it is best to limit about 100 photos to a roll. This makes it easier to see and work with them. In addition, if you have too many photos, some of the thumbnails images may not be displayed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I can select all the pictures with the Select All icon but how can I unselect all of them? A: You can unselect all the photos by pressing the Cancel icon. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When editing an album page layout, how can I delete the text box if I want to make the pictures as large as possible? A: You don't need to delete the text box. You can just ignore it and leave it empty. Just make the pictures as large as possible overlapping the text boxes and the text boxes will not show up on the printed page. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What should I do if I don't like the results after retouching an image? A: Select the thumbnail of the picture you've retouched, select "Manual Retouch" then select "Cancel Retouch". Under "Settings", select the changes you made that you want to cancel. Click on "Run" and the picture will revert to the original settings. Note: This can be done only if you didn't select "Replace Original Image" when retouching the first time. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How many characters can I input as a comment of a photo? A: The comment can be up to 255 characters long, including spaces. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When my computer's display mode is set for 256 colors, photos are not properly displayed. A: Film Factory doesn't support the 256 color mode. Please set the display mode to high color (16 bit) or higher. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can Film Factory read GIF files? A: Film Factory does not support the GIF format. Most digital cameras store photos in the JPEG format. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What kind of camera generated photo information can be used? A: When importing photo images from a camera, Film Factory automatically retrieves photo information about the date, time, flash on/off, exposure, and shutter speed settings. However, this information is not available if: - the digital camera doesn't store such information in image files - the digital camera uses an incompatible photo format - photos are imported using 'From TWAIN Device' In addition, photo dates can be printed but not the time a photo was taken. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When I tried to change the folder to install Film Factory, an error occurred. A: Please try installing Film Factory again. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How can I rename an image file? A: Select a photo, and then select 'Rename Photo' from the 'Edit' menu (or press the F2 key). Only the first photo of the selected photos is processed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Why are all selected photos not processed? A: Please check to see if selected photos have yellow frames. Manual Retouch, Red Eye Correction, Wallpaper, Greeting Cards, and Sticker Prints cannot process multiple photos. Only the first photo of the selected photos is processed. If another photo, other than the selected one is processed, please see the rightmost field of the status bar to check to see how many photos are selected. Other photos might be selected that are not currently being displayed on the screen. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Photos that I deleted with Windows Explorer still exist in the roll of film. A: Select 'Refresh Screen' from the 'View' menu (or press the F5 key) to refresh the screen. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Photos that I added to the roll of film directory are not displayed. A: Select 'Refresh Screen' from the 'View' menu (or press the F5 key) to refresh the screen. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: After a hard drive (or partition) was added/removed, drive names were changed and my roll of film information disappeared. A: Select 'Rename Roll' from the 'File' menu and change the 'Designated Folder' field. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: The names of photos I imported have been changed. A: Select 'Import Photo' / 'Import Settings' from the 'File' menu and see the 'Naming Convention' setting. For further information, please refer to the online help by clicking the 'Help' button. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Photos I transferred using TWAIN are not displayed. A: Film Factory refreshes the screen after TWAIN is finished. While TWAIN is active, these photos are not displayed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: After importing photos using TWAIN, Film Factory does not automatically start running. A: Click the title bar, or the ICON on the task bar of Film Factory to activate Film Factory. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Clicking on "Slide Show" does nothing. A: You must first select the photos you want to include in the slide show. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How can I stop a slide show? A: Press the 'ESC' key. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Why does it take so long for some images to display a photo when I select the Viewer button? A: If your photos are very large, it will take longer to display a photo. An image that is 3000 x 2000 pixels will take much longer to display than an image that is 640 x 480 pixels. Also, if the photo has been retouched, it takes longer to display the photo since the retouching information must be processed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When exporting photos to web format, how can I use the same default colors my web browser is using for Background, Text, and Link? A: Select the same colors as the colors the web browser is using, or delete the tags from the HTML files which specify the colors. If you delete BGCOLOR, TEXT, and LINK options of the BODY tag, the web browser will use the default colors. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When exporting photos to web format, how can I specify GIF files as a background image? A: Film Factory does not support the GIF format. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When exporting photos to files, how can I specify file names? A: File names cannot be specified. Alternatively, rename the file first, using the Edit Rename Photo option. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Does 'Rotate' or 'Soft Focus' support batch processing, such as 'Trim All'? A: No. These functions require the user's confirmation for each photo. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can 'Manual Retouch' or 'Red Eye Correction' process multiple images? A: No. These functions require the user's confirmation for each photo. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When attempting to print a large number of copies I get a message to lower the number of copies. A: Film Factory can handle up to 99 copies. However, some printer drivers limit the number of copies and will prompt you to select fewer copies. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can additional areas for comments be created? A: The comment areas are fixed and cannot be created. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Why doesn't the preview screen display all the changes I made using the retouch tool? A: To display photos quickly, part of the retouch information may not be used to display the photo in the preview screen. However, all the retouch information is used when printing. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Is it possible to create clip art for Greeting Cards or frames for Sticker Prints? A: This feature is not supported in Film Factory. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Why can't I print photos that I can view in the preview screen. A: Please check your free hard disk space and increase it if necessary. You may need more than 100MB of free disk space depending on the size and number of your images. Also, you should run Scandisk to check your hard disk for errors and Defrag to see if your hard disk needs defragmentation. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Does the image size affect the time it takes to display or print photos. A: An image that is 3000 x 2000 pixels will take much longer to display than an image that is 640 x 480 pixels. Also, if the photo has been retouched, it will take longer to display the photo since the retouching information must be processed. You can reduce the image size when importing an image to reduce the processing time. If you want to speed up the process, you can use smaller image sizes or modify an original photo by checking the 'Overwrite Original Image' check box when retouching the photo. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can I reinstall Film Factory? A: As long as the drive name and directory is unchanged, you shouldn't have a problem reinstalling the software. Your photo and roll data should be maintained. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Does Film Factory support panorama photos? A: You can select "Panorama" in the "Height/Width Ratio" drop down menu on the "Print Assignment" step of "Standard Prints" and "Duplicate Prints". -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can I print several photos at a time using Sticker Prints? A: No. Only one photo can be printed at a time. If multiple photos are selected, only the first photo is printed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Colors of the Film Factory main screen are strange. A: The color mode may not be appropriate. Run Display from the Control Panel, select the Settings tab, and select High Color (16 bit) or better in the Colors field. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How can I arrange the order of photos when printing? A: You can manually select the order of photos for Album Pages. For Standard Prints, Index Prints, or Duplicate Prints, photos will be printed in the order of the thumbnails (left to right, top to bottom). You can sort thumbnails by selecting an option from 'Sort Photos' in the 'View' menu. By renaming photos, you can sort photos as you like. To rename a photo, select 'Rename Photo' from the 'Edit' menu. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: The horizontal or vertical positions of photos printed are out of alignment. A: In general, small misalignments may occur with any printer. If you are experiencing this kind of small misalignment, try using the 'Adjust Print Position' in the 'Print' menu. For example, if a photo is printed 0.2 inches left, set the 'Left and Right' print position to 20 and the photo will be printed in the correct position. This adjustment does not affect the preview screen. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How can I use the photos, which I imported to Film Factory, in other applications? A: First, you need to export the photos to files. 1) Select photos you want to use. 2) Select 'Export Photo' 'To File' from the 'File' menu. 3) Click the 'Browse' button to specify the folder where you want to export the photos. 4) Select appropriate options and click the 'Run' or 'Run All' button. For further information, please refer to the online help by clicking the 'Help' button. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: It seems like it takes a long time to automatically retouch my photos. A: Consider upgrading to a faster processor. Auto Retouch processing works best on computers that support MMX commands. Pentium MMX, Pentium II and Pentium III are good choices. Increase your computer's memory. You need at least 64 MB to process very large photo files. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I have loaded Film Factory onto my Windows NT 4.0 workstation. Now, when I try to run Film Factory, I get an error message that says I have a missing DLL, file 'urlmon.dll'. A: To run Film Factory on your Windows NT 4.0 system, you need to install Microsoft NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 and Microsoft Internet Explore 4.01 Service Pack 1 to your system (both are available from Microsoft). These steps will add 'urlmon.dll' to your system. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I am trying to display photos that are stored on removable media with the Film Factory Screen Saver. When I select a roll that I keep on removable media from the Screen Saver control panel, I get an error saying that this roll has no images. A: To display pictures that are stored on removable media using the Film Factory Screen Saver, the pictures must be stored in a folder on the media, and Film Factory databases must be included in the folder. In addition, the removable disk must be loaded on your computer. Here are the steps to create this kind of roll on removable media: 1) Create a folder on the removable media. 2) Copy your photos to this folder. 3) Run Film Factory and select "New Roll" from the "File" menu. 4) Select "Use Existing Image Folder" and specify the folder by clicking the "Browse" button. Then click the "Add" button. 5) Specify a volume label in "Disk Name" field and check the "Copy Film Factory databases to the removable media" check box. Click the OK button. 6) Click the OK button. 7) Quit Film Factory 8) Specify this roll of film in the Film Factory Screen Saver control panel. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q. While trying to scan a black and white image into Film Factory, I get a "Failed to output as an image. Either there is insufficient disk space, or the disk is damaged" error message. My scanner works with other programs. My Film Factory import settings are set to JPG, my TWAIN scanner specified black and white. A. There are a couple of workarounds here. Even though your picture is black and white, set your scanner export settings to export a color image. Alternatively, set the Film Factory import settings (FileImport PhotoImport Settings, TWAIN tab) to BMP. Film Factory will save the black and white image fine. Basic Tips for Great Photo Print Quality From Your Digital Camera and Color Ink Jet PrinterTake photos with the highest resolution possible.Shoot digital photos on the highest possible resolution on your camera to capture the most data and ultimately get the best performance from your ink jet printer. If you don't capture enough data on the front end, you can't add it during the editing process without losing quality.Get to know your printer driver software.The driver software that comes with your printer allows you to fine-tune a wide variety of settings each time you print. It lets you change paper type, print resolution, print speed and color matching to make your photos turn out the way you want. Make sure you follow the instructions to install and use it correctly. Set your photo editing objectives.In most cases, you'll print outstanding pictures on an ink jet with little or no modifications. If you decide to edit, remember that photo editing software is not a miracle worker. It won't turn a poor quality image into a high quality image. But it can help you edit content, create a certain artistic mood, or make minor corrections.Choose easy-to-use editing software. If you're just starting to experiment with photo editing, choose a simple, intuitive software program, such as EPSON Film Factory or Sierra Image Expert.Before you edit, make a copy of the original file.Make a copy of the original file so that if you make editing mistakes while experimenting, you haven't modified the original file. If you don't make a backup to the source file, you can't revert to the original once it's modified.Adjust the image to a printable size.When you open the digital photo, it will be much larger than you can print. You'll need to adjust the image to a printable size. When you reduce the image size, the resolution increases if you do not resample the image. Resampling when reducing the image size may throw away some of the data, resulting in reduced image quality. For Epson printers, the target resolution of an image file is about 240 dpi or higher.Correct brightness and contrast.One very simple editing trick that can greatly enhance the look of a photo is to correct brightness and contrast. With most editing programs, users can automatically adjust these levels with a click of the mouse.Sharpen the image.If you notice that your image has a soft focus, you can automatically sharpen the image and give it better definition in a single step with most editing software.Crop the image.Cropping the image allows you to control content to emphasize what you want in the final print. Simply select the cropping tool and drag it across the image to define the area you want. Since the aspect ratio of the image captured by a digital camera doesn't coincide with standard print sizes, your program may automatically crop the image to the right ratio.Clone the background.Advanced users can remove unwanted elements within the desired boundaries of the image by "cloning the background."Print high quality enlargements.If you want to make larger prints, resampling may improve image quality by creating "best guess data" to fill in gaps where there is no data. If you don't use this option, enlargements may have jagged edges or artifacts. Of course, it is always better to start with the highest resolution image so you won't have to create more data in the editing phase. Color correction.If you dabble in color correction, remember that the colors you see on your screen may not match the actual colors that your camera can capture or that your printer is capable of printing. Furthermore, the age of your monitor, type of light hitting it and even reflections from your clothing can affect the colors you see on screen. PRINT Image Matching technology allows cameras and printers to work together at their highest level producing the best prints possible automatically by embedding important print commands, including not only color space, but also gamma level, sharpness, brightness, shadow and highlight, into the file's JPEG header.Choose the right printer.You should choose the printer that is designed for the type of printing that you plan to do most often. For example, Epson has two categories of consumer ink jet printers. The EPSON Stylus Color line of general purpose printers uses four colors of ink. Although able to print outstanding photographs, the Stylus Color line of printers has more black nozzles to be optimal for printing faster black. The EPSON Stylus Photo line uses six colors of ink. These printers are optimized for printing higher quality photographs quickly. Use the right kind of media.Because the printer is just one component of the total imaging system, make sure the paper you use is compatible with the printer's inks and is supported by the printer software. Best results come when you use materials designed by the manufacturer to work specifically with your printer. Check out Epson's large selection of media, including plain, general purpose, specialty crafts, proofing and numerous high-quality glossy and matte photo papers.Size up your system.The printer is just one part of the total imaging system. Printer, software, ink and paper are all precisely fine-tuned to work together for the best results. Also, your computer system must have enough processor power, memory and hard disk capability to print high-resolution color photos. The faster your processor, the faster it can handle large print files. The larger and more complex your color images, the more disk space they require.

Epson's high quality 1200 dpi image class laser printing