Epson Stylus 1500

Product Controls: Epson Stylus 1500

Reset - ALT + LF/FF + Economy/Condensed + Pause + Power-On

Cleaning Cycle Black - Pause, ALT + LF/FF

Cleaning Cycle Color - Pause, ALT + Load/Eject

Letter Quality Self-Test - Load/Eject + Power-On

Draft Quality Self-Test - LF/FF + Power-On

Demo Page - ALT + Power-On

Hex Dump Mode - LF/FF + Load/Eject + Power-On

Default Setting Mode - Economy/Condensed + Power-On

Install Black Cartridge - Pause, install cartridge, then Pause to resume printing

Install Color Cartridge - Pause and then ALT for 5 seconds, install cartridge, ALT to charge cartridge, then Pause to resume printing

Why can't I print from a particular Windows application in color?

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.

What are the Epson Spool Manager and Epson Despooler?

The Epson Spool Manager manages special spool files called "journal" files. These contain the print data in an unprocessed form. The Spool Manager sends this data to the Epson Despooler for processing. The Despooler processes the data in segments, called "bands". Once a band is finished, it is sent to the printer for printing. While the printer prints, the Despooler works on the next band.

I am getting the error, "Encountered error while processing band data, spool file is corrupt" when printing from my PC. How do I clear this?

Turn the printer and the PC off and then back on. If you are using Print Shop Deluxe, choose File, Preferences from the Print Shop menu and remove the check mark from "Fast Bitmap Printing Direct To Port." Using the printer User's Manual as a guide, check the Spool Manager setup to make sure the correct settings are enabled. Check to see if Spool Manager is Held. Delete any queued print jobs and remove the check mark from the word "Hold" under the "Queue" menu. Ensure that an "X" is in the "Use Print Manager for this port" box. Make sure the spool directory is spooling in a directory other than C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, C:\TEMP, C:\DOS, or any software application directory, by checking the spool directory specified in the Spool Manager. If the spool directory is listed as any of the preceding directories, create a unique spool directory such as C:\COLOR or C:\SPOOL (or a directory name that you prefer) on your root directory. You can create a new directory on your root directory from File Manager in Windows or from the MS-DOS Prompt. Change the spool directory in the Spool Manager to the new directory in both the Queue/Setup and in Options/Default Spool Directory. Try printing again. If you get the same error message, reinstall the printer driver and try printing again. If the condition persists, obtain a replacement printer driver available from the EPSON Internet web site.

I have a picture of the printer (the Despooler) with the International NO symbol across it on my screen. How do I clear this?

Check the Spool Manager to make sure the correct settings are enabled. Check to see if the Spool Manager is Held. Delete any queued print jobs and remove the check mark from the word "Hold" under the "Queue" menu. Make sure the printer's Pause light is not on and try printing again.

I can print from MS-DOS fine, but I am getting garbage from my Windows applications. What's wrong?

Try printing the autoexec.bat file from MS-DOS. Type "print autoexec.bat >prn. If this looks fine, go to Windows and make sure the correct printer driver is selected. Disable Print Manager and Fast Printing Direct to Port in the Control Panel. Reconnect the printer cable and try printing again. Sometimes the video driver causes a conflict with the printer driver. To determine if this is the cause of the problem, change the video driver to the Windows standard VGA mode (make sure you write down the name of the video driver prior to changing the video driver to VGA), then reinstall the printer driver. Try printing again. If the video driver is not the cause of the problem, try printing with the LQ-2550 driver to determine if there is a specific software issue. If the condition persists, move the cable and printer to another PC to determine if the problem is hardware or software related.

I am printing from a Windows application. The printer was printing fine a minute ago and now nothing will print. How can I correct this?

First, print a demo page to determine if the printer is operating properly. If the demo page looks fine, check the Spool Manager to make sure the correct settings are enabled. Check to see if the printer is Held. If the printer is Held, click on Queue, then Setup. Note the spool directory, verify "Spool to local printer" is selected, enable "Use Print Manager for this port," and click "OK." To take the printer off of Hold, select EPSON Stylus 1500, click Queue then click the word "Hold" to remove the check mark. This is the most probable solution. Try printing from Windows. If the problem persists, make sure the spool directory is spooling in a directory other than C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, C:\TEMP, C:\DOS, or any software application directory, by checking the spool directory specified in the Spool Manager. If the spool directory is listed as any of the preceding directories, create a unique spool directory such as C:\COLOR or C:\SPOOL (or a directory name that you prefer) on your root directory. You can create a new directory on your root directory from File Manager in Windows or from the MS-DOS Prompt. Change the spool directory in the Spool Manager to the new directory in both the Queue/Setup and in Options/Default Spool Directory. This normally corrects the problem. Refer to page 4-10 of the Stylus 1500 User's Manual for information about the Spool Manager.

When printing from Windows, the driver won't remember its last settings. What am I doing wrong?

The driver settings are stored along with your documents. The next time the document is opened, the driver settings will be restored. When you create a new document and print it for the first time, you will need to adjust the driver settings to fit your particular needs. The Stylus 1500 driver automatically reverts to its default settings each time you run your program, unless you are loading a document previously printed on the Stylus 1500.

I am getting the message "Disk is full" on my PC screen whenever I send something to print from Windows. How can I clear this?

First, if LPT1.DOS is set as your default printer port, switch to the regular LPT1: Local Port. If this does not remove the error, check the Spool Manager to make sure the correct settings are enabled. Check to see if the printer is Held. If the printer is Held, select Queue, then Setup. Note the Spool Directory, verify "Spool to local printer" is selected, enable "Use Print Manager for this port," and click "OK." To take the printer off of Hold, select EPSON Stylus 1500, click Queue then click the word "Hold" to remove the check mark. This is the most probable solution. Try printing from Windows. If the problem persists, delete all files with the extension .jnl or .tmp (*.jnl, *.tmp) from the File Manager. If the problem still persists, make sure the spool directory is spooling in a directory other than C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, C:\TEMP, C:\DOS, or any software application directory, by checking the spool directory specified in the Spool Manager. If the spool directory is listed as any of the preceding directories, create a unique spool directory such as C:\COLOR or C:\SPOOL (or a directory name that you prefer) on your root directory. You can create a new directory on your root directory from File Manager in Windows or from the MS-DOS Prompt. Change the spool directory in the Spool Manager to the new directory in both the Queue/Setup and in Options/Default Spool Directory. Turn the printer and the PC off and back on and try printing again. This normally corrects the problem.

Whenever I try to print from my Macintosh, I get a type 11 error, my system locks up or a portion of my image doesn't print. What's wrong?

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 Monitor, 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.

I installed the printer driver on my Macintosh, but it isn't showing up in the Chooser. What went wrong?

The EPSON driver does not support QuickDraw GX. Therefore, this feature will need to be disabled. If your using system version 7.5 or later disable this feature, go to the Apple menu, select Control Panels, then open Extensions Manager and de-select "QuickDraw GX." After restarting, the printer will appear in the Chooser. If Quickdraw GX is off and there is still no printer icon in the Chooser, verify your system meets the minimum system requirements. Refer to your User's Guide for more information.

I am using the Stylus 1500 with my Macintosh and I just installed the optional LocalTalk interface card. Why won't it confirm my printer in the Chooser?

Make sure the EPSON Namer can see the LocalTalk interface card. If it does not see it, reset the interface card and check the cables. When the card is seen, rename the card and check the Chooser again. The printer should appear in the Chooser after renaming the card.

When printing from my Macintosh I always get a type -39 error. What should I do?

Make sure that the printer is functioning normally by running a printer test page. If the test page prints fine, but you still continue to get the error from the Macintosh, you may need to upgrade your System software. If you are running System 7.5.2, we would suggest that you upgrade to System 7.6.1 or higher. This is also suggested by Apple.

How can I increase my print speed?

Is your using single sheet paper to print, check that the printers blue paper thickness lever is set to single sheets, not envelopes. One thing to keep in mind is that color print jobs can produce 20-100 times as much data as a monochrome (black/white) text print, which makes color printing a heavy draw on your CPU, memory, and hard disk. The entire printing process includes the time it takes the to spool the job into the spool directory or folder. Increasing or maximizing physical RAM, lowering the print resolution, and enabling "High Speed" in the driver will also help speed up the process. Ensure that you have at least 150MB of free hard drive space available. On a PC creating a unique spool directory improves printing performance by eliminating spooling conflicts within Windows. Regularly defragmenting (DEFRAG) your hard drive In the Control Panel will also help. Also in Control Panel, Printers, click on Connect and disable "Fast printing direct to port". If you using a Macintosh disable background printing in the Chooser. If you must use Background printing, allocate more memory to the Epson Monitor. To increase the speed when printing black text only, set your printer driver to the Black ink option, try setting the Print Quality to Economy, turn MicroWeave off and High Speed on, and choose No Halftoning.

Will the printer work on both Macintosh and PC platforms?

Yes, if you install the optional LocalTalk interface card or the Ethernet/EtherTalk interface card for the Macintosh.

Why are my margins incorrect?

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, 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 User's Manual). Make sure the correct paper size is selected in the printer driver settings. Also, check the settings on the paper menu in the printer driver to make sure they are correct for your paper size. Margins are not adjustable via the printer.

Even after calibrating, vertical lines aren't quite straight.

First ensure that the correct printer name has been selected. The calibration program shows values that increase by 2 at a time. Actually, you can enter any integer, including odd numbered values. Try using an odd number if you think the proper calibration value lies between two of the settings shown.

Why am I getting white horizontal lines through my printed text?

This phenomena is called banding and may be caused by a clogged nozzle. Print the demo page by pressing the ALT button while applying power to the printer. Check to see if white lines appear on the demo page. If the white lines are present, perform three cleaning cycles as described under the front cover of the printer. For COLOR Cleaning press the Pause button, then push ALT and Load/Eject; for BLACK Cleaning press the Pause button, then ALT and LF/FF. If the ink cartridge is new and the cleaning cycles do not correct the problem, print the default settings (Economy/Condensed and power the printer on) to ensure that "Auto line feed" is off. If "Auto line feed" is off, and the test print still shows missing dots, have the printer sent in for repair. If the ink cartridge is old, the cleaning cycles do not correct the problem, and "Auto line feed" is off in the default settings, replace the ink cartridge. You may have to perform a few cleaning cycles after installing the new ink cartridge. Banding may also occur if the user turns the printer off by a power bar. If this is the case, the user may need to run up to 10 cleaning cycles to correct the problem. If the condition persists and it is visible in the demo page, the printer needs to be serviced. The Troubleshooting Guide located in Chapter Four of the User's Manual provides additional information.

Why won't the printer do a self-test?

Verify that the correct procedure for printing the self-test has been performed. This problem is commonly caused by not holding down the required button long enough. Power-On the printer while holding down the Load/Eject button until the data light comes on or the printer starts to load paper. If the print head moves back and forth, but there is no ink on the page, press Pause, then turn the printer off. Using the instructions on the inside front cover of the printer as a guide, perform three cleaning cycles. For COLOR Cleaning press the Pause button, then push ALT and Load/Eject; for BLACK Cleaning press the Pause button, then ALT and LF/FF. Try running the self-test again. If the self-test still shows no inkon the page, contact the place of purchase for an exchange or take the printer in for service.

Why won't the printer feed paper?

Power the printer on and press the Load/Eject button to see if paper will load. If no paper loads, make sure the paper isn't curled or creased, it isn't too old, isn't loaded above the arrow on the left edge guide, and that the paper isn't jammed in the printer. Reload the paper making sure the paper edge guide is adjusted to fit the paper's width. If the Paper Out light is on solid or flashing, power the printer OFF and remove the printer cable. Make sure all the packing materials are removed. If the problem persists, the printer may need to be sent in for service. If this is the case, please contact the EPSON Connection for assistance.

Calibration doesn't seem to have any effect. What should I do?

Make sure that whenever you turn off the printer, you are always using 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. If you turn the printer off using an external switch, calibration settings will not be saved.

Is the printer Year 2000 ready?

Yes, the printer is Year 2000 ready.

When I print from Appleworks 5.0.3 / 5.0.4 or Word 98 from my Macintosh (PowerMac / G3 / G4 / iMac / DV iMac) to my EPSON Stylus Color/Photo inkjet printer, some of the text is cut off on the right edge. What can I do to correct this?

Follow the steps below to correct the issue of characters clipping from Appleworks and Word 98.

Appleworks:

1) Open document.
2) Click on Edit, then Preferences.
3) Topic should be set to Text.
4) Under the Options, enable "Fractional Character Widths".
5) Click OK and print the document.
6) When the file is saved, it will save the setting along with it.

Word 98:

1) Open document.
2) Click on Tools, then Preferences.
3) Click on the Print tab.
4) Under the options for current document only, select "Fractional Widths".
5) Click OK and print the document.
6) When the file is saved, it will save the setting along with it.