Epson ActionLaser 1600

Is the ActionLaser 1600 a true 600 x 600 dpi printer?

Yes, the ActionLaser 1600's controller and high-precision laser assembly is capable of addressing and marking a true 600 x 600 dot per inch resolution. Some laser printers utilize chip-based laser modulation techniques to achieve 600 dpi output from a 300 dpi laser assembly. The print quality of true 600 dpi printing is superior to modulated 600 dpi printing.

Can the ActionLaser 1600 print a full page of 600 dpi graphics with its 2MB of standard memory?

Yes. Using memory management technology, the ActionLaser 1600 is capable of printing an entire page of 600 dpi graphics with the standard memory. Should users print extremely complex graphic documents or download numerous fonts, memory is easily upgraded to a maximum of 64MB using industry standard 72-pin SIMMs.

How is memory upgraded in the ActionLaser 1600?

Memory is upgraded to a maximum of 64MB via industry standard SIMMs on the printers main controller board, and is user installable. Two available SIMM sockets accept any combination of lMB, 2MB, 4MB, 8MB, 16MB or 32MB SIMMs. If two 32MB SIMMs are installed, the 2MB of standard memory is disabled. SIMMs must be 72-pin, and have an access time of 70ns or less.

How many computers can share the ActionLaser 1600 with its standard interfaces? How many with optional interfaces?

The ActionLaser 1600 can accommodate two computers using the standard parallel and serial interfaces. By adding an optional serial, parallel, coax, or twinax interface the ActionLaser 1600 can support up to three computers. Adding an optional third interface and the optional EPSON Talk kit enables the ActionLaser 1600 to connect to three PC's and a Macintosh.

How many levels of gray is the ActionLaser 1600 capable of printing?

The ActionLaser 1600 will print 33 different shades of gray in PCI mode, and 77 shades of gray using the EPSONScript level 2 option. The EPSONScript Level 2 option with 77 gray levels provides print resolution comparable to 1200 dpi for even better reproduction of photographic and scanned elements.

Can the ActionLaser 1600 have two LocalTalk interfaces installed at once?

No. The ActionLaser 1600 will work with either the LocalTalk module in the EPSON Talk kit for the ActionLaser 1600 or the Type B LocalTalk interface in the EPSON Talk kit for the ActionLaser 1000/1500. It will not support both simultaneously. The printer will display "SERVICE REQUIRED" on the LCD if both are installed.

Why doesn't the ActionLaser 1600 have an IC card slot like the ActionLaser 1000/1500?

The IC card slot on the ActionLaser 1000 was used for adding the EPSON GL/2 plotter language, and on the ActionLaser 1000/1500 for adding the Adobe PostScript language prior to the release of the PostScript Level 2 compatible cartridge. The EPSON GL/2 plotter language is standard on the ActionLaser l600, and the PostScript Level 2 compatible module is installed on the main board. There is no need for the IC card slot on the Actionlaser 1600.

Does the ActionLaser 1600 use the same options as the ActionLaser 1000/1500?

The ActionLaser 1600 uses the same 250-sheet lower paper cassette, face-up output tray and type B interfaces as the ActionLaser 1000/1500. The imaging cartridge, EPSONScript Level 2 module and EPSON Talk kit are unique to the ActionLaser 1600.

Why does the ActionLaser 1600 use a different imaging cartridge than the ActionLaser 1000/1500?

In order to ensure the sharpest possible 600 x 600 dpi resolution, the toner particles used in the ActionLaser 1600 imaging cartridge are manufactured to more exacting tolerances and are more uniform in size than those used in the ActionLaser 1000/1500. While the ActionLaser 1000/1500 imaging cartridge can be used in the ActionLaser 1600, the print quality will not be as good.

Won't print full page or "Page Buffer Full"

The "Page Buffer Full" message or incomplete page printing happens most often when printing spreadsheets or large graphic files. This indicates there is not enough RAM memory in the printer to process the whole page. This can be demonstrated by changing the printer resolution in the Print menu to a lower number, for example: 150 dpi instead of 300 dpi. If the complete page prints or most of the page then the problem is due to inadequate memory resources in the printer.

You can either decrease the current print driver's resolution to 150 dpi or lower (this options is found under GRAPHICS) or you can install more memory in the printer.

Stops printing and "Continue" lights

This is normal when trying to print on odd size and small documents within the printer specifications without the AUTO CONTINUE feature turned on. The printer will stall momentarily, and you will have to press the CONTINUE button after each page. It also sometimes occurs if paper misfeeds and more than one sheet is fed at one time. To avoid having to press Continue you can turn the AUTO CONTINUE feature on.

• Enabling the AUTO CONTINUE feature on the printer.
• Press the SELECT TYPE LEVEL 2 button.
• Press the CONTINUE button until you reach AUTO CONTINUE OFF>
• Press the FEED button until AUTO CONTINUE OFF >SET.
• Press the COPY END button until AUTO CONTINUE ON>SET.
• Press the FEED button until AUTO CONTINUE ON>.
• Press the INITIALIZE RESET (you won't see any change, but the printer knows) button, then press ON-LINE.

Poor print quality

If print quality has declined, please read through the troubleshooting section of your printer user's manual as it has important instructions on how to handle and clean the various components and locations of these items.

These are a few important things to check in a laser printer which can affect print quality.

• Print density adjustment may cause print to be too light or dark/dirty background if adjusted too low or too high.
• Printer components may be dirty with spilled toner inside printer.
• Transfer charger wire may be broken or dirty and need cleaning.
• Glass lens on print head may be dirty and require cleaning.
• Cleaning pad may need replacing.
• Toner may be low.
• Imaging cartridge or drum may need replacing.

If, after cleaning or replacing the above items, print quality has not improved, the printer should be inspected or serviced by an Epson authorized servicer.

Windows 95 printing problem

Epson laser printers emulate HP printers, so if the Epson printer model is not listed among the Windows driver choices, you need to use the appropriate HP printer driver. Since you are using Windows 95, you should install the printer's emulation which is the HPLJ2 printer driver (32-bit).

There are three changes that you will need to make.

• Go to the HPLJII properties section, go to the tab called, "GRAPHICS" select the option called, "DITHERING." Under this option select "ERROR DIFFUSION."
• Under the tab called, "FONTS." Go to "TRUE TYPE FONTS." Select on this menu, the option called, "PRINT TRUE TYPE AS GRAPHICS."
• Make sure that the port settings are set to LPT1, NORMAL, STANDARD, bi-directional or SPP only. The printer does not support ECP or EPP. Any changes to your printer port will have to be done in your system's BIOS. Refer to you Windows 95 manual or contact your computer vendor for assistance.

Error Messages

A C0002, C0003 or C9999 error usually occurs if the printer cannot understand an instruction. So the problem could be a corrupted or wrong driver sending wrong instructions, in this case we would recommend reinstalling the correct driver. Do you use any non Windows applications where there is no problem or is the problem consistant to only one application or document in Windows? This would indicated the printer hardware is not the problem. Otherwise there could be something wrong with the printer if it is not understanding a valid instruction. On the EPL-7000 the C9999 error when printing in landscape mode can be solved by using the HPII driver rather than the HPIIP driver.

The C0004 error is a controller error or could also be caused by a failing fusing unit. If you are seeing this error at power up, then you are experiencing a hardware problem with the printer. If this is the case you will need to have the printer serviced at an Epson authorized service center. If the error message appears on the LCD when it is in a process of printing or receiving the data, then what you may be experiencing is a driver corruption, reinstalling the correct driver may help.

The C0008 error message means Privilege Violation. Your software application is sending a message or a code to the printer that it is not understanding. Make sure you have the correct driver installed.

Prints 2 pages for each page

If you're using single sheets you need to make sure the software is set up for either single sheet paper or 61 lines per page otherwise it will print a few lines on a second page if the document is over 61 lines. Some older DOS software may not have those settings if it is designed to be used only with tractor feed paper. For Windows software, make sure to select Sheet Feeder bin 1 for your paper source in Printer setup.

@PJL printing AT top of page

Use the HPLJIIIP driver and set up your system as follows:

• From the Desktop click Start, Settings, then Printers
• Highlight the HP LaserJet IIIP
• Click on File then Properties
• Click on the Details tab
• Click on Port settings (located in the lower right side of the window)
• Disable "check port state before printing" and click OK
• Click on Spool Settings and select "print directly to printer" and click OK
• OK the Properties, close Printers, restart the computer
• Once back in Windows 95' try and print a document from the Wordpad or Notepad programs (located in accessories).