EPSON 740 / 850Ne FAQ

Care and Feeding of Epson 740 / 850 Printers

 

My printing is unacceptably light, smeared or missing dots, but the Mac says my cartridges are full - what can I do? — Epson 740 / 850

First, a note of caution: Never remove the ink cartridges once they have been installed unless you plan on replacing them. Installing them breaks a seal allowing the ink to flow. Removing the cartridges breaks the seal (which may be airtight) and also allows the ink to possibly link.

Second, a note of advice, never believe the Mac when it tells you that the cartridges in your Epson are full. If you did remove and reinstall the same cartridge, the printer doesn’t know the difference and will assume it’s a new cartridge and show you that it is full. It lies because it doesn’t know any better.

Try the following:

Before replacing the cartridges, you may wish to try and clean the printing nozzles.
(See the next section for a detailed description and explanation of nozzle cleaning on the 740/850Ne)The process will take anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes and when it’s done you will be given a page to scrutinize for missing lines. If the printout doesn’t look as it should after cleaning the nozzles, repeat the process up to a total of 5 times.

Before doing so, you may wish to replace the ink cartridges and start fresh. See farther down how to do this if the printer / computer don't think the cartridges are empty yet.

 

How do I most effectively clean the nozzles in the print head?

Ok, cleaning the nozzles is a bit tricky as there is a process that should be followed. First of all, know that cleaning the nozzles uses a large quantity of ink. If you find that you clean the nozzles frequently you will also find you changes your cartridges VERY frequently.

The Epson software is setup to clean the nozzles and then prompt for a test page to assess the success of the cleaning. It is imperative that you print that test page each time and if it doesn't meet your approval go directly back to the cleaning process. The software is will then initiate an increasingly more thorough cleaning process each time you print the assessment page and then return directly to cleaning again. It will also use significantly more ink each time.

Cleaning the nozzles can be accomplished by choosing Print from the File menu in any program. You may even choose Print Desktop from the Finder. Once you do this, the print dialog will come up on the screen. Do NOT hit OK to print, instead, look for the icon in the upper right corner of the print dialog that as a screwdriver and a wrench in it. When you click on this icon, you will be presented with a utilities screen for the Epson. (Ignore the check ink levels button as it is not accurate!)

Next, you will need to choose the button to clean the nozzles. You will be presented with a small explanation of what is about to happen and then you can go ahead with the cleaning. It will take anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes. Once it is done, you will be offered the opportunity to print a test page, do so! If the test page is not to your satisfaction, use the button to repeat the cleaning. Repeat the process over and over to a maximum of 5 to 10 times before stopping. After that, if the print is still poor, go ahead and replace the cartridge (you'll need the tip listed below to do so!), clean the nozzles one more time and usually the print will be good again.

Also, if you notice the print is getting lighter as you do these cleanings, you may need to replace the cartridges right off. The cleaning process can push a cartridge that is almost empty over the edge to totally empty. Replace the cartridges and try again. Chances are, one to two cleanings and you'll be all set.

 

Ok, I’m trying to replace the cartridges, but when I hold down the ink button (first on the left), the print carriage just goes back and forth a few times but never stops for me to replace the cartridges. — Epson 740 ONLY

There is a trick to replacing an ink cartridge if the printer doesn’t believe the cartridge is empty. Normally (this part is documented under your printer cover), to replace a cartridge, you would hold down the ink button for 3 seconds causing the carriage assembly would come to the left allowing for cartridge removal. IF the printer doesn’t believe the cartridges to be empty, then all that will happen is the carriage assembly will move right and left and not stop for you in the open area. THE TRICK (and this ISN’T under the printer cover) is to hold down the paper feed button (center button) for 3 seconds. This will bring the print carriage to the open section and allow you to replace the cartridges regardless of whether the printer thinks it’s time to change the cartridges or not.

 

I turn my computer and my printer off every night with a power strip, now my printing is very poor? — Epson 740 / 850

You must always turn your Epson (or any inkjet printer) off using the power button on the printer. If you do not, you chance the possibility that the print carriage will not be at it’s home position. This leaves the print heads open to air and allows the ink to dry in the nozzles. Using the power button on the printer to turn it off, will return the heads and cartridges to their home position, usually at the right of the printer. This protects the heads and cartridges from drying out. Once the printer is off, then you may use the power strip to turn the rest of the equipment off.

 

I use the IEP software and I’m having trouble printing, it just sits here and spools forever and never prints. What can I do? - Epson 740 ONLY

Make sure when you print, move the slider on the quality scale to speed, not quality. Quality will cause the printer to print a higher quality printout at the cost of time and memory. On a slower machine, this means LOTS of time.

 

I go to the Chooser and select Epson 740, but there is nothing in the right hand side. Shouldn’t something be there?? - Epson 740 ONLY

When you open the Chooser, it is divided into two parts, a right hand and left hand side. The left hand side contains icons for all of the printers that the Mac may print to. When you click on one of those icons, on the right side should appear either a list of names if the printer is a network printer or a choice of ports where the printer is connected for you to choose from. For the Epson 740 printer, when you click on it’s icon on the left, you should see "USB Port" appear on the right. Click one time on "USB Port" and close the Chooser. You should now be ready to print.

 

I have an Epson 850Ne and I can’t see it in the Chooser. Why!?!? — Epson 850

Before trying anything else, go to another machine that has the Epson 850 driver and see if you can see the printer in the Chooser there. If so, return to the previous machine and check the Appletalk control panel. It will need to be set to Ethernet. If the Appletalk control panel keeps losing this setting and reverting to Printer Port every time you turn the machine off, you may need a new battery. Machines that have this happen are usually older (not an iMac or G3 Tower) and the time and date is usually not correct either (1956). You will need to put in a work order in this case for replacement of your battery.

Concerning the 850 itself, it is sometimes necessary to reset the Ethernet card. To do this, turn the printer off. When turning the printer on, do so holding in the small black button on the back of the printer, right near where the ethernet cable connects. Hold it for about 3 seconds after you restart your printer and then let it up. The printer will print a configuration sheet and should be reset. As a final step, to be sure, turn the printer off and unplug it from the wall outlet or powerstrip for 5 seconds. Then plug it back in and turn it on. About 2 minutes later, you should be able to see the printer in your Chooser again.

 

 

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