Page 1: Where To Find Information
Where to Find Information Setup Sheet Provides you with information on assembling the printer’s parts and installing the printer’s software. Reference Guide (this manual) Provides you with detailed information on the printer’s functions, optional products, maintenance, troubleshooting, and technical specifications. Online Help Provides you with detailed information and instructions on the printer software that controls your printer.
Page 2: Laser Printer
Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Neither SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION nor its affiliates shall be liable to the purchaser of this product or third parties for damages, losses, costs, or expenses incurred by purchaser or third parties as a result of: accident, misuse, or abuse of this product or unauthorized modifications, repairs, or alterations to this product, or (excluding the U.S.) failure to strictly...
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Contents Warnings, Cautions, and Notes.......1 Safety Precautions ......... .1 Important Safety Instructions .
Page 4 Making changes to printer settings ..... 25 Monitoring your printer (EPSON Status Monitor 3) ..34 Canceling printing.
Page 5 Chapter 6 Replacing Consumable Products Precautions During Replacement ......96 Replacing the Developer Cartridge ......96 Replacing the Photoconductor Unit .
Page 6 Appendix B Working with Fonts EPSON BarCode Fonts ........150 System requirements.
Page 7 For users in the Philippines......182 Glossary...
Page 9: Warnings, Cautions, And Notes
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes Warnings must be followed carefully to avoid bodily injury. Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment. Notes contain important information and useful tips about the operation of your printer. Safety Precautions Be sure to follow these precautions carefully to ensure safe, efficient operation: ❏...
Page 10 ❏ Avoid touching the components inside the printer unless instructed to do so in this guide. ❏ Never force the printer’s components into place. Although the printer is designed to be sturdy, rough handling can damage ❏ When removing the developer cartridge, never touch the developing roller under the flap;...
Page 11 ❏ When removing or installing a photoconductor unit, prevent the light-sensitive drum from exposure to light for any longer than necessary. The light-sensitive drum is the green cylinder visible through the openings in the unit. Overexposing the drum might cause abnormally dark or light areas to appear on the printed page and may shorten the service life of the unit.
Page 12: Important Safety Instructions
Warning: Do not dispose of developer cartridges or photoconductor units in fire, as they can explode and cause injury. Dispose of them according to local regulations. ❏ Be sure to keep consumable components out of the reach of children. ❏ Do not leave jammed paper inside the printer. This can cause the printer to overheat.
Page 13: Power On/Off Cautions
® NERGY Compliance ® As an International NERGY Partner, EPSON has determined that this product meets the International NERGY ® Program guidelines for energy efficiency. ® The International NERGY Office Equipment Program is a voluntary partnership with the computer and office equipment...
Page 15: Chapter 1 Product Information
Chapter 1 Product Information Printer Parts ..........8 Panel lights .
Page 16: Printer Parts
Printer Parts Face-down tray Panel lights Printer cover Latch MP (Multi-Purpose) tray Power switch Paper path selector AC inlet USB interface connector Parallel interface connector Product Information...
Page 17: Panel Lights
Flashing The printer is out of paper or has an error that can be easily cleared. For details, see the EPSON Status Monitor 3. Flashing An error has occurred. Try turning off the printer, waiting a few minutes and then turning it back on.
Page 18: About Your Printer
About Your Printer Your printer is the latest in EPSON’s advanced line of laser printers. The printer is easy to install and use. You simply set up the printer, connect it to your computer, and install the printer driver as described in the Setup Sheet.
Page 19: Options And Consumable Products
Resolution Improvement Technology Resolution Improvement Technology (RITech) is an original EPSON printer technology that works by smoothing out the jagged edges of diagonal and curved lines in both text and graphics. Enhanced MicroGray improves the halftone quality of graphics. With the driver provided, the printer’s 600/300 dpi (dot per inch) resolutions are enhanced by RITech and Enhanced MicroGray technology.
Page 20: Consumable Products
Consumable products Developer Cartridge (S050087) This cartridge includes the toner that creates the image on paper. The printer comes with this cartridge already installed. The service life of the cartridge is approximately 6,000 printed pages. (The developer cartridge included with the printer prints up to 3,000 pages.
Page 21: Chapter 2 Paper Handling
Chapter 2 Paper Handling Paper Sources ......... . . 14 MP tray.
Page 22: Paper Sources
Paper Sources This section describes the combinations of paper sources and paper types that you can use. MP tray Paper Type Capacity Paper Size Plain paper Up to 150 sheets of A4, A5, B5, Letter (LT), 75 g/m² paper Legal (LGL), Letterhead (Weight: 60 to 90 g/m²) Half-Letter (HLT),...
Page 23: Loading The Mp Tray
❏ You may use paper with preprinted letterheads, provided that the paper and ink are both laser-printer type. Loading the MP tray You can load up to 150 sheets of plain paper into the MP tray. Follow these steps to load paper into the MP tray: 1.
Page 24 2. Fan a stack of paper and tap it on a flat surface to even the edges, and set the paper into the MP tray with the printable surface facing up. Then adjust the paper guide to the size of the paper.
Page 25 3. Raise the face-down tray. Paper Handling...
Page 26 If you installed the optional Face-up Tray and you want the sheets to come out face-up, then raise the Face-up Tray instead, and set the paper path selector down. Note: ❏ Before printing, make sure that the Paper Size setting in your printer driver matches the paper you load.
Page 27: Printing On Special Media
EPSON cannot guarantee the quality of any type of paper. Always test samples of paper stock before purchasing large quantities or printing large jobs. EPL-5900L Laser Printer can print on special paper stock such as envelopes, labels, transparencies, and thick paper. Labels You can load up to ten sheets of labels into the MP tray.
Page 28: Envelopes
Envelopes You can load up to ten envelopes into the MP tray, depending on the envelope thickness (70 to 105 g/m²). Load envelopes with the flap side down and short edge first. printable side up To print on envelopes, choose Thick Narrow in the printer driver’s Paper setting found in the Basic Settings menu.
Page 29: Thick Paper
Thick paper You can load up to ten sheets of thick paper into the MP tray. However, you may need to feed some types of thick paper one sheet at a time. Use the thick paper of a weight between 90 and 163 g/m²...
Page 30 Paper Handling...
Page 31: Chapter 3 Using The Printer Driver
Making changes to printer settings ....25 Monitoring your printer (EPSON Status Monitor 3)..34 Canceling printing ........41 Uninstalling printer software .
Page 32: For Windows
The printer driver also includes the EPSON Status Monitor 3 utility, which is accessed through the Utility tab. The EPSON Status Monitor 3 utility lets you check the status of your printer. See “Monitoring your printer (EPSON Status Monitor 3)”...
Page 33: Making Changes To Printer Settings
Making changes to printer settings Choosing the print quality You can change the print quality or resolution of printouts to favor speed or detail. If you need high quality output, choose a higher number. Please note that doing so reduces the print speed. There are four levels of print output, 300 dpi, Class 600 dpi, 600 dpi, and Class 1200 dpi.
Page 34 2. Select the desired printing resolution from the Print Quality drop down list. 3. Click OK to accept the setting. Note: ❏ For details about the Enh. MG or RITech functions, see the Online Help. ❏ If printing is unsuccessful or a memory-related error message appears, selecting a lower resolution may allow printing to proceed.
Page 35 Resizing printouts You can have your document enlarged or reduced during printing. To automatically resize pages to fit the output paper 1. Click the Layout tab. 2. Check the Zoom Options check box. 3. Select the desired paper size from the Output Paper drop-down list.
Page 36 4. Select Upper Left for Location to print reduced page image at upper left corner of the paper. Select Center to print reduced page image with centering. 5. Click OK to accept the settings. To resize pages by a specified percentage: 1.
Page 37 4. Specify the magnification percentage in the box, then click OK. The percentage can be set between 50% and 200% in 1% increments. If necessary, select the paper size to be printed from the Output Paper drop-down list. Modifying the print layout “Layout printing”...
Page 38 2. Check the Print Layout check box, and click Print Layout Settings. The Print Layout Settings dialog box appears. Using the Printer Driver...
Page 39 3. Select the number of pages you want to print on one sheet of paper. 4. Select the Page Order in which the pages are printed on each sheet. Note: The Page Order choices depend on the Pages selected above, and the paper orientation (Portrait or Landscape) selected on the Basic Settings menu.
Page 40 1. Click the Special tab (in Windows Me/98/95) or Enhancement tab (in Windows 2000/NT 4.0). 2. Check the Watermark check box. 3. Click Watermark Settings. The Watermark dialog box appears. Using the Printer Driver...
Page 41 4. Select a watermark from the Watermark Name drop-down list. 5. Select the location on the page where you want to print the watermark from the Location list box. 6. Adjust the horizontal or vertical Offset position. 7. Adjust the image intensity of the watermark with the Intensity slider bar.
Page 42: Monitoring Your Printer (Epson Status Monitor 3)
Monitoring your printer (EPSON Status Monitor 3) About EPSON Status Monitor 3 The EPSON Status Monitor 3 is a utility program that monitors your printer and gives you information about its current status. For example, you can find out the amount of remaining toner through this utility.
Page 43 Status Monitor 3. Accessing the EPSON Status Monitor 3 You can access the EPSON Status Monitor 3 directly from any application programs, from your Windows operating system. ❏ The EPSON Status Monitor 3 appears automatically when an error occurs.
Page 44 ❏ To access the EPSON Status Monitor 3 from Windows, click Start, point to Settings, and click Printers. Next, right-click EPSON EPL-5900L Advanced icon and click Properties (in Windows Me/98/95), Printing Preferences (in Windows 2000) or Document Defaults (in Windows NT 4.0).
Page 45 Getting printer status details You can monitor printer status and obtain information on consumable products using the EPSON Status Monitor 3 dialog box. 1. Icon/Message: The icon and message shows the printer status. 2. Printer image: The image at the upper left shows the printer status graphically.
Page 46 3. Text box: The text box next to the printer image displays the current status of the printer. When a problem occurs, the most probable solution is displayed. 4. Close button: Clicking this button closes the dialog box. 5. Paper: Displays the paper sources, paper size and the approximate amount of paper remaining in...
Page 47 Setting Monitoring Preferences To make specific monitoring settings, click Monitoring Preferences in the Utility menu of the printer driver. The Monitoring Preferences dialog box appears. The following settings and buttons appear in the dialog box: 1. Select Notification: Use the check boxes in this area to select the types of error that you wish to be notified about.
Page 48 Alternatively, you can right-click the shortcut icon and select Monitoring Preferences to open the Monitoring Preferences dialog box, and EPSON EPL-5900L Advanced to open the EPSON Status Monitor 3 dialog box. 4. Allow monitoring To monitor a shared printer, check this of shared printers box.
Page 49: Canceling Printing
Status Alert window The Status Alert window appears automatically when an error occurs. It indicates what type of error has occurred and offers you a possible solution. It closes automatically once the problem is cleared. If you wish to see information about printer consumables, click Consumables.
Page 50: Uninstalling Printer Software
Usually, it is not necessary to change a setup. Use this utility when you want to change the settings for some reason. 1. Click Start, point to Program, point to EPSON, then click the Monitored Printers. 2. Uncheck the check box of the printer which is not monitored.
Page 51 3. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. 4. Select the EPSON Printer Software, then click Add/Remove. Note: When using Windows 2000, click Change or Remove Programs, select the EPSON Printer Software, then click Change/Remove. Using the Printer Driver...
Page 52 5. Click the Printer Model tab, select the printer icon of your printer, then click OK. Note: You can uninstall only the utility for Monitored Printers of EPSON Status Monitor 3. When that utility is uninstalled, you cannot change the setting of the Monitored Printers from the EPSON Status Monitor 3 utility of other printers.
Page 53: For Macintosh
The printer driver also includes the EPSON Status Monitor 3, which is accessed through the Apple menu. The EPSON Status Monitor 3 lets you check the status of your printer. See “Monitoring your printer (EPSON Status Monitor 3)”...
Page 54: Making Changes To Printer Settings
Making changes to printer settings Choosing the print quality You can change the print quality or resolution of printouts to favor speed or detail. If you need high quality output, choose a higher number. Please note that doing so reduces the print speed. There are four levels of print output, 300 dpi, Class 600 dpi, 600 dpi, and Class 1200 dpi.
Page 55 Resizing printouts The Fit to page function in the Layout dialog box allows you to have your documents enlarged or reduced during printing according to the specified paper size. Note: ❏ The enlarging or reducing rate is automatically specified according to the paper size selected in the Paper Setting dialog box.
Page 56 3. Select the desired paper size from the Output Paper drop-down list. The page will be printed to fit on the paper you have selected. 4. Click OK to accept settings. Modifying the print layout “Layout printing” prints either two or four pages onto a single page and to specify the printing order, automatically resizing each page to fit the specified paper size.
Page 57 2. Select the Print Layout check box, then click Print Layout Settings. The Print Layout Settings dialog box appears. 3. Select the number of pages you want to print on one sheet of paper. 4. Select the page order in which the pages are printed on each sheet.
Page 58 Using watermarks Follow the steps to use a watermark on your document. In the Layout dialog box, you can select from a list of predefined watermarks, and you can make your original watermark with text or a bitmap (PICT) file. The Layout dialog box also allows you to make a variety of detailed watermark settings.
Page 59 6. Click OK to accept the settings. Making a new watermark To make a text watermark, follow the instructions below: 1. Open the Layout dialog box. 2. Check the Watermark Settings check box, and then click New/Delete. 3. Select Add Text. 4.
Page 60 5. Enter the file name in the Name box, and click Save. Note: ❏ To edit the saved text watermark, select it from List, and click Edit Text. After editing, be sure to click OK to close the dialog box. ❏...
Page 61: Monitoring Your Printer (Epson Status Monitor 3)
Monitoring your printer (EPSON Status Monitor 3) About the EPSON Status Monitor 3 The EPSON Status Monitor 3 is a utility program that monitors your printer and gives you information about its current status. For example, you can find out the amount of remaining toner through this utility.
Page 62 Accessing the EPSON Status Monitor 3 You can access the EPSON Status Monitor 3 by selecting the EPSON Status Monitor 3 alias in the Apple menu. Note: ❏ The EPSON Status Monitor 3 appears automatically when an error occurs. ❏ The appropriate printer port must already be selected in the Chooser so that necessary information can be received from the selected printer driver when the EPSON Status Monitor 3 starts.
Page 63 Getting printer status details You can monitor printer status and obtain information on consumable products using the EPSON Status Monitor 3 dialog box. 1. Icon/Message: The icon and message shows the printer status. 2. Printer image: The image at the upper left shows the printer status graphically.
Page 64 5. Paper: Displays the paper sources, paper size and the approximate amount of paper remaining in a paper source. 6. Toner: Indicates the amount of remaining toner. The toner icon flashes if toner is low (10 percent or less) or out. 7.
Page 65: Canceling Printing
2. During background printing, open the EPSON Monitor 3 from the Application menu. Then stop printing from the EPSON Monitor 3, or delete the file which is in standby mode. Uninstalling printer software When you wish to reinstall or upgrade the printer driver, be sure to uninstall the current printer software beforehand.
Page 66 3. Open the Printer Driver Installer folder, and then the folder of the printer being used. 4. Double-click the Installer icon. 5. Click Continue, and then click Accept. 6. Select Remove from the menu at the upper left, and then click Remove.
Page 67: Chapter 4 Sharing Your Printer
Chapter 4 Sharing Your Printer For Windows ......... . . 60 About the shared printer .
Page 68: For Windows
❏ “With Windows NT 4.0” on page 74 Note: ❏ When sharing the printer, be sure to set the EPSON Status Monitor 3 so that the shared printer can be monitored on the printer server. See “Monitoring your printer (EPSON Status Monitor 3)” on page ❏...
Page 69: Setting Up Your Printer As A Shared Printer
See “For users restarting the computer” on page 61. For users restarting the computer 1. Double-click the Printers icon on the control panel. 2. Right-click the EPSON EPL-5900L Advanced icon, and click Sharing in the menu that appears. Sharing Your Printer...
Page 70 ❏ Do not use spaces or hyphens for the share name, or an error may occur. ❏ When sharing the printer, be sure to set the EPSON Status Monitor 3 so that the shared printer can be monitored on the printer server.
Page 71: Using An Additional Driver
You must access to Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0 as the Administrators of the local machine. 1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Printers. 2. Right-click the EPSON EPL-5900L Advanced icon, and click Sharing in the menu that appears. Sharing Your Printer...
Page 72 3. Select Shared (for Windows 2000 users, select Shared as), then type the name in the Share Name box. Note: Do not use spaces or hyphens for the share name, or an error may occur. 4. Select the additional drivers. Note: When the computers of the server and clients use the same OS, you do not have to install the additional drivers.
Page 73 On the Windows NT 4.0 printer server Select Windows being used for clients. For example, select Windows 95 to install the additional driver for the Windows Me/98/95 clients. Then click OK. Note: ❏ You do not have to install the additional driver for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000, because that driver is preinstalled.
Page 74 On the Windows 2000 printer server Click Additional Drivers. Sharing Your Printer...
Page 75 Select Windows being used for clients, then click OK. For example, select Intel Windows 95 or 98 to install the additional driver for the Windows Me/98/95 clients. Select Intel Windows NT 4.0 or 2000 to install the additional driver for the Windows NT 4.0 clients. Note: ❏...
Page 76 Note: Confirm the following items when sharing the printer. ❏ Be sure to set the EPSON Status Monitor 3 so that the shared printer can be monitored on the printer server. See “Monitoring your printer (EPSON Status Monitor 3)” on page 34.
Page 77: Accessing The Shared Printer
❏ Set the security for the shared printer (access license for clients). Clients cannot use the shared printer without license. For details, see Windows help. You need to set the client computers so that they can use the printer on a Network. See the following pages for details: ❏...
Page 78 2. Double-click the Add Printer icon, then click Next. 3. Select Network printer, then click Next. 4. Click Browse, and the Browse for Printer dialog box appears. You can also type “\\(the name of the computer that is locally connected to the shared printer)\(the shared printer’s name)” in Network path or queue name.
Page 79 6. Click Next. Note: ❏ When the printer driver is installed in the client beforehand, you need to select the new printer driver or the current printer driver. When the prompt to select the printer driver appears, select the printer driver according to the message. ❏...
Page 80 ❏ In Windows NT 4.0 printer server, the additional driver for Windows 2000 clients is the “Windows NT 4.0 x86” driver which is installed beforehand as the printer driver for Windows NT 4.0. When installing the printer driver in the Windows 2000 clients from Windows NT 4.0 printer server, the driver for Windows NT 4.0 is installed.
Page 81 5. Click the icon of the computer or server that is connected to the shared printer, and the name of the shared printer. Then click OK. Note: ❏ The name of the shared printer may be changed by the computer or server that is connected to the shared printer.
Page 82 ❏ To use the printer driver for Windows 2000 on the client, install the local printer driver for Windows 2000 in the client from the CD-ROM beforehand. When performing the procedures in this section, select the installed local printer driver as the printer driver.
Page 83 4. Click the icon of the computer or server that is connected to the shared printer and the name of the shared printer. Then click OK. You can also type “\\(the name of the computer that is locally connected to the shared printer)\(the shared printer’s name)“ in Network path or queue name.
Page 84: Installing The Printer Driver From The Cd-Rom
❏ When the additional driver for Windows NT 4.0 is not installed in the Windows 2000 printer server or the printer server’s OS is Windows Me/98/95, go to “Installing the printer driver from the CD-ROM” on page 76. 5. Select whether to use the printer as the default printer or not, then click OK.
Page 85: For Macintosh
2. Type the appropriate drive and folder names in which the printer driver for clients is located, then click OK. When installing drivers in Windows 2000, “Digital Signature is not found.” may appear. Click Yes and continue installing. The folder name differs depending on the OS being used. Client’s OS Folder Name Windows Me/98/95...
Page 86: Setting Up Your Printer As A Shared Printer
Follow these steps to share a printer connected directly to your computer with other computers on an AppleTalk network. 1. Turn on the printer. 2. Select Chooser from the Apple menu and click the EPL-5900L icon. Then select USB port in the “Select a printer port” box on the right.
Page 87: Accessing The Shared Printer
2. On each computer from which you want to access the printer, select Chooser from the Apple menu. Then click the EPL-5900L (AT) icon and select the name of the shared printer in the “Select a printer port” box on the right. You can only select from the printers connected to your current AppleTalk zone.
Page 88 3. Click Setup, enter the password for the printer, then click OK. The following dialog box appears. 4. Under Printer Sharing, click Shared Printer Information. 5. The following type of message appears if the client has fonts that are unavailable on the printer server. 6.
Page 89: Chapter 5 Installing And Removing Options
Chapter 5 Installing and Removing Options Face-up Tray..........82 Installing the Face-up tray.
Page 90: Face-Up Tray
Face-up Tray The printer normally outputs paper face-down on top of the printer. If you want face-up output, you can install the optional Face-up Tray (C12C813801). This tray gives you immediate viewing of your printed output and is recommended for printing on media that requires a straight-through paper path, such as labels and transparencies.
Page 91: Installing The Face-Up Tray
Installing the Face-up tray Follow the instructions below to attach the Face-up Tray to the printer: 1. Turn off the printer. 2. Attach the Face-up Tray by inserting the pegs into the holes on the printer one side at a time. Do not force both sides in at once.
Page 92: Using The Face-Up Tray
Using the Face-up tray The printer is factory set for face-down output. After installing the Face-up tray, you can switch the paper path from face-down to face-up by pushing the paper path selector down. The paper path selector is located on the right side of the printer, near the back.
Page 93: Memory Module
Memory Module By installing a Single In-line Memory Module (SIMM), you can increase printer memory up to 13 MB (printer standard 2 MB plus optional 8, 16, 32 MB). You may want to add additional memory if you are having difficulty printing complex graphics. Note: The maximum expandable memory is 13 MB.
Page 94 2. Press the latch on the left side of the printer, and raise the printer cover. 3. Face the right side of the printer, and using a cross-head screwdriver, remove the two screws holding the side cover in place. Remove the side cover by pulling it toward you. Installing and Removing Options...
Page 95 Note: Be careful to avoid dropping screws into the printer when removing them. It may be helpful to use a magnetic screwdriver. Warning: ❏ Make sure that the printer is turned off. ❏ Remove only two screws attaching the right side cover. ❏...
Page 96 5. Firmly insert the SIMM into the slot at an angle as shown below. Hold both sides of the SIMM and turn it to the perpendicular to lock it into place. Notched part Installing and Removing Options...
Page 97 6. Set the side cover back into place. 7. Fasten the side cover with the two screws. Installing and Removing Options...
Page 98: Removing A Memory Module
8. Gently close the printer cover. 9. Plug in the printer and turn it on. To verify that memory is correctly installed, print a status sheet. See “Printing a Status Sheet” on page 117. If an incorrect amount of memory is shown on the status sheet, turn off the printer and review the steps above to make sure you correctly installed the SIMM.
Page 99 2. Press the latch on the left side of the printer, then raise the printer cover. 3. Face the right side of the printer, and using a crosshead screwdriver, remove the two screws holding the side cover in place. Remove the side cover by pulling it toward you. Installing and Removing Options...
Page 100 4. Push the clips on each side of the SIMM slot outward to release the memory module. The memory module comes out. 5. Set the side cover back into place. Installing and Removing Options...
Page 101 6. Fasten the side cover with the two screws. 7. Gently close the printer cover. Installing and Removing Options...
Page 102 Installing and Removing Options...
Page 103 Chapter 6 Replacing Consumable Products Precautions During Replacement ......96 Replacing the Developer Cartridge ......96 Replacing the Photoconductor Unit .
Page 104: Precautions During Replacement
3,000 pages. This cartridge is not for sale.) You need to replace the developer cartridge when a notice message is displayed on the window of the EPSON Status Monitor 3. Follow these steps to replace the developer cartridge: 1.
Page 105 3. Open the printer cover by pressing the latch on the left side of the printer and lifting the cover up all the way. Caution: You must completely open the printer cover when replacing the developer cartridge; otherwise, you may damage the printer.
Page 106 4. Hold the cartridge by the handle and pull it straight up and out of the printer. Warning: Do not touch the fuser, which is marked CAUTION Hot Surface Avoid Contact. If the printer has been in use, the fuser may be very hot. Caution: Be careful not to spill any remaining toner from the used developer cartridge.
Page 107 6. Remove the new developer cartridge from its bag. While holding the cartridge horizontally, gently shake it a few times from side to side and then from front to back to distribute the toner evenly. 7. Remove the protective tape seal from the developer cartridge completely, then raise up the handle.
Page 108 Caution: Never touch the developing roller under the flap; otherwise, print quality may decline. 8. Hold the cartridge by its handle and lower it into the printer, making sure that the pins on both sides of the cartridge fit into the grooves inside the printer.
Page 109 9. Lower the printer cover. Press it gently until it clicks shut. Replacing Consumable Products...
Page 110 10. Clear the toner counter. For Windows Turn on the printer, access the printer driver. Click the Optional Settings tab, and click Printer Setting. Click Toner Level Clear, and the toner clear dialog box appears. For Macintosh Turn on the printer, select Chooser in the Apple menu. Click Setup, and click Printer Settings.
Page 111: Replacing The Photoconductor Unit
11. Click OK to reset the toner level counter. Whenever you replace the developer cartridge, you should clean the paper roller as described in “Cleaning the paper path rollers” on page 111. Replacing the Photoconductor Unit If the print quality has declined, print a status sheet and confirm the photoconductor unit life.
Page 112 Caution: You must completely open the printer cover to replace the photoconductor unit; otherwise, you may damage the printer. 4. Remove the developer cartridge as described in “Replacing the Developer Cartridge” on page 96. 5. Slide the photoconductor unit gently out of the printer, as shown below.
Page 113 Caution: Never touch the photoconductor unit’s light-sensitive drum; otherwise, print quality may decline. 8. Insert the pins on both sides of the new photoconductor unit into the grooves inside the printer. Slide the unit gently into the opening until it locks into place. Replacing Consumable Products...
Page 114 9. Reinstall the developer cartridge as described in “Replacing the Developer Cartridge” on page 96. 10. Lower the printer cover. Press it gently until it clicks shut. Replacing Consumable Products...
Page 115 11. Clear the photoconductor level counter. For Windows Turn on the printer, access the printer driver. Click the Optional Settings tab, and click Printer Setting. Click OPC Level Clear, and the OPC Level Clear dialog box appears. For Macintosh Turn on the printer, select Chooser in the Apple menu. Click Setup, and click Printer Settings.
Page 116 12. Click OK to reset the Photoconductor level counter. Replacing Consumable Products...
Page 117: Chapter 7 Cleaning And Transporting
Chapter 7 Cleaning and Transporting Cleaning the Printer ........110 Cleaning the inside of the printer .
Page 118: Cleaning The Printer
Cleaning the Printer The printer needs only minimal cleaning. If you notice a decline in print quality, clean the inside of the printer as described in this section. You should also clean the MP tray and the printer case every few months.
Page 119: Cleaning The Paper Path Rollers
6. Lower the printer cover. Press it gently until it clicks shut. 7. Remove all paper from the MP tray and clean the tray with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth. Cleaning the paper path rollers Paper is sometimes dusted with a powder to keep the image on one sheet from bleeding over to the back of the sheet stacked on top of it.
Page 120 Warning: Be careful not to touch the fuser, which is marked CAUTION Hot Surface Avoid Contact, or the surrounding areas. If the printer has been in use, the fuser and the surrounding areas may be very hot. 3. Remove the developer cartridge and the photoconductor unit from the printer as described in “Replacing the Developer Cartridge”...
Page 121: Cleaning The Printer Case
6. Close the printer cover until it clicks shut. Cleaning the printer case If the printer’s outer case is dirty or dusty, turn off the printer and clean it with a soft, clean cloth dampened with a mild detergent. Caution: Never use alcohol or thinner to clean the printer cover;...
Page 122: Transporting The Printer
Transporting the Printer If you need to transport your printer, carefully repack it using the original box and packing materials as follows: 1. Turn off the printer. 2. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet and then from the printer. 3.
Page 123: Chapter 8 Troubleshooting
Chapter 8 Troubleshooting Ready and Error Lights........116 Printing a Status Sheet .
Page 124: Ready And Error Lights
The status of the lights, on, off or flashing, indicates your printer status, as described below. The Status Alert window in the EPSON Status Monitor 3 utility indicates what type of error has occurred and offers you a possible solution.
Page 125: Printing A Status Sheet
Follow the steps below to print a status sheet. For Windows users 1. Click Start, point to Settings and click Printers. 2. Right-click the EPSON EPL-5900L Advanced icon, and click Properties in the menu that appears. 3. Click the Optional Settings tab and then click Status Sheet.
Page 126: Clearing Jammed Paper
3. Click Status Sheet, and the printer starts printing a status sheet. 4. Click OK to close the dialog box. Note: ❏ When you install an 8 MB SIMM, the total printer memory is the standard 2 MB plus the optional SIMM. However, even if you install an optional 16 MB or 32 MB SIMM, the total printer memory is increased to its maximum of 13 MB only.
Page 127: Preventing Paper Feed And Paper Jam Problems
Warning: Be careful not to touch the fuser, which is marked CAUTION Hot Surface Avoid Contact, or the surrounding areas. If the printer has been in use, the fuser and the surrounding areas may be very hot. Preventing paper feed and paper jam problems If you have frequent paper feed or paper jam problems, use this checklist of corrective measures: ❏...
Page 128 2. Close the output tray, and open the printer cover gently by pressing the latch on the left side of the printer and lifting the cover up all the way. Troubleshooting...
Page 129 Warning: Opening the printer cover exposes the fuser, which is marked CAUTION Hot Surface Avoid Contact. Be careful not to touch the fuser. If the printer has been in use, the fuser may be very hot. CAUTION Hot Surface Avoid Contact Troubleshooting...
Page 130 3. Remove the developer cartridge. Caution: When removing the developer cartridge, never touch the developing roller under the flap; otherwise, print quality may decline. Troubleshooting...
Page 131 4. Remove the photoconductor unit. Caution: Never touch the photoconductor unit’s light-sensitive drum; otherwise, print quality may decline. Troubleshooting...
Page 132 5. Remove the paper from the paper path. Note: When paper is jammed at the fuser, grasp the bottom of the paper and pull it out. If you pull the jammed paper by grasping the top of it, it may reduce the printout quality. Troubleshooting...
Page 133: Paper Jam - Mp Tray
6. Reinstall the photoconductor unit, and the developer cartridge. 7. Close the printer cover. 8. Tap the edges of the stack of paper on a flat surface and carefully reload it into the MP tray. (Do not reload curled or wrinkled sheets.) Printing automatically restarts from the page that jammed.
Page 134 1. Remove paper stacked on the MP tray. 2. Gently pull out any sheets that have fed part way into the printer. Troubleshooting...
Page 135: Operational Problems
3. Close the output tray, and open the printer cover. Be sure to remove any pieces of paper that may have torn off or are remaining in the printer. If necessary, take out the developer cartridge and the photoconductor unit and remove any paper left in the paper feed path.
Page 136: Printout Problems
The Ready light (green) is on but nothing prints Cause What to do Your computer may not be Perform the procedure described in properly connected to the “Connecting the Printer” in the Setup printer. Sheet. The interface cable may not Check both ends of the cable between be plugged in securely.
Page 137 You may not be using the If you are using the parallel interface, correct interface cable. make sure that the cable is a double-shielded, twisted-pair interface cable no more than six feet in length. If the printer still does not print correctly, contact your dealer or a qualified service representative.
Page 138: Print Quality Problems
Print Quality Problems The background is dark or dirty Cause What to do The paper path inside the Turn off the printer. Clean internal printer may be dusty. printer components by printing three pages with only one character per page. You may not be using the If the surface of your paper is too correct type of paper for your...
Page 139 Black or white bands appear in the printout Cause What to do The paper path inside the Turn off the printer. Clean internal printer may be dusty. printer components by printing three pages with only one character per page. There may be a problem with Turn off the printer.
Page 140 Missing areas on printed image Cause What to do Your paper may be moist or This printer is sensitive to moisture damp. absorbed by the paper. The higher the moisture content in the paper, the lighter the printed output. Do not store paper in a humid or damp environment.
Page 141 Completely blank pages Cause What to do There may be no toner in the If the toner status in the EPSON Status developer cartridge. Monitor 3 utility indicates that the amount of toner is low, see “Replacing the Developer Cartridge” on page 96 for information on replacing the developer cartridge.
Page 142 The printed image is light or faint Cause What to do Your paper may be moist or The higher the moisture content in the damp. paper, the lighter the printed output. Do not store paper in a humid or damp environment. The Toner Save mode may be Turn off the Toner Save mode using the printer driver.
Page 143: Memory Problems
Non-printed side of the page is dirty Cause What to do Toner may have spilled onto Turn off the printer. Clean internal the paper feed path. printer components. Warning: Be careful not to touch the fuser, which is marked CAUTION HOT Surface Avoid Contact, or the surrounding areas.
Page 144 The printer cannot print in Check to see if the printout is the required quality level acceptable. If not, add more memory because of insufficient for a permanent solution or set Print memory, and the printer Quality to 300 dpi in the printer driver. lowers the quality automatically so that the printer can continue...
Page 145: Appendix A Technical Specifications
Appendix A Technical Specifications Paper ..........138 Available paper types .
Page 146: Paper
Paper Available paper types This section explains what kind of paper you can use with your printer. Be sure only to use paper mentioned in this section. Note: The printer is extremely sensitive to moisture. Be sure to store your paper in a dry environment.
Page 147: General Paper
Note: ❏ Since the quality of any particular brand or type of media may be changed by the manufacturer at any time, EPSON cannot guarantee the quality of any type of media. Always test samples of media stock before purchasing large quantities or printing large jobs.
Page 148 Paper that should not be used You cannot use the following paper in this printer. They may cause printer damage, paper jams, and poor print quality. ❏ Media meant for other color laser printers, black-and-white laser printers, color copiers, black-and-white copiers, or ink jet printers ❏...
Page 149: Specifications
Specifications Since the quality of any particular brand or type of paper may be changed by the manufacturer at any time, EPSON cannot guarantee the quality of any paper. Always test samples of paper stock before purchasing large quantities or printing large jobs.
Page 150: Printable Area
Paper weight: Plain paper: 60 to 90 g/m², 16 to 24 lb* Thick paper: 90 to 163 g/m², 24 to 43 lb *lb: Ream Weight (lb/500 sheets/17 in. × 22 in.) Paper size: A4 (210 × 297 mm) Paper: A5 (148 × 210 mm) B5 (182 ×...
Page 151: Printer
Printer General Printing method: Laser beam scanning and dry electrophotographic process Resolution: 300, Class 600, 600 or Class 1200 dpi Printing speed: Up to 12 pages per minute with A4 paper, depending on the font and data quantity First print: Less than 15 seconds with A4 paper/Letter paper (When feeding from MP tray at 600 dpi)
Page 152: Environmental
Environmental Temperature: Operation: 10 to 35°C (50 to 95°F) Storage: 0 to 35°C (32 to 95°F) Humidity: Operation: 15 to 85% RH Storage: 10 to 85% RH Altitude: 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) maximum Safety approvals Safety standards: U.S. model: UL 60950 CSA C22.2 No.60950 European model: Directive 73/23/EEC...
Page 153: Mechanical
Mechanical Dimensions and Height: 255 mm weight: Width: 399 mm Depth: 263 mm Weight: Approx. 7 kg, excluding the developer cartridge and photoconductor unit Durability: 5 years or 180,000 sheets, whichever comes first Electrical Model 110 V to 120 Vmodel 220 to 240 V model Voltage 110 V - 10%, 127 V + 6%...
Page 154: Interfaces
Interfaces Parallel interface Use only an IEEE 1284-II compliant parallel connector. USB interface USB 1.1 compliant. Note: Only Macintosh PC systems equipped with a USB connector and running Mac OS 8.1 to 9.X and Windows Me/98/2000 support the USB interface. Options and Consumables Face-up tray (C12C813801) Dimensions and weight (including printer):...
Page 155: Memory Module
Memory module Capacity: 8 MB, 16 MB or 32 MB Type: 72-pin, EDO mode type Access speed: 60 ns or less Within 108 × 26 mm Dimensions: with a thickness of 10 mm Developer cartridge (S050087) Storage temperature: 0 to 35°C (32 to 95°F) Storage humidity: 30 to 85% RH Shelf life:...
Page 156: Photoconductor Unit (S051055)
Photoconductor unit (S051055) Storagetemperature: 0 to 35 °C (32 to 95 °F) Storage humidity: 30 to 85% RH Shelf life: 18 months after production Life: Up to 20,000 pages under the following conditions: Letter or A4 size paper, continuous printing, 5% print ratio The number of pages you can print with a developer cartridge or a photoconductor unit varies depending on the type of printing.
Page 157: Appendix B Working With Fonts
Working with Fonts EPSON BarCode Fonts ........150 System requirements .
Page 158: Epson Barcode Fonts
EPSON BarCode Fonts EPSON BarCode Fonts let you easily create and print many types of bar codes. Normally, bar code creation is a laborious process requiring you to specify various command codes, such as Start bar, Stop bar and OCR-B, in addition to the bar code characters themselves.
Page 159: System Requirements
EPSON Codabar CD Num EPSON Codabar System requirements To use EPSON BarCode Fonts, your computer system should meet the following requirements: Computer: IBM PC series or IBM compatible with an i386SX or higher CPU Operating system: Microsoft Windows Me/98/95/2000/NT 4.0 Hard disk: 15 to 30 KB free space, depending on the font.
Page 160: Installing Epson Barcode Fonts
Note: EPSON BarCode Fonts can only be used with EPSON printer drivers. Installing EPSON BarCode Fonts Follow these steps to install EPSON BarCode Fonts. The procedure described here is for installation in Windows 98; the procedure for other Windows operating systems is nearly the same.
Page 161: Printing With Epson Barcode Fonts
7. In the List of fonts box, select the BarCode Font you want to install, or click the Select All button to install all EPSON BarCode Fonts. Note: Make sure that the Copy fonts to Fonts folder check box is selected.
Page 162 2. Select the characters, then select Font from the Format menu. 3. Select the EPSON BarCode Font you want to use, then set the font size and click OK. Note: In Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000, you cannot use font sizes larger than 96 points when printing bar codes.
Page 163 4. The characters you selected appear as bar code characters similar to those shown below. 5. Select Print from the File menu, then select your EPSON printer and click Properties. Make the following printer driver settings. EPL-5900L is a host based monochrome printer.
Page 164 Printing Mode (not High Quality (not available) (in the More available) (Printer) Settings dialog box accessed through the Basic Settings tab) 6. Click OK to print the bar code. Note: If there is an error in the bar code character string, such as inappropriate data, the bar code will be printed as it appears on the screen, but it cannot be read by a bar code reader.
Page 165: Epson Barcode Font Specifications
❏ For best results, use only the font sizes recommended in “EPSON BarCode Font specifications” on page 157 for the EPSON BarCode Font you are using. Bar codes in other sizes may not be readable with all bar code readers.
Page 166 ❏ Left/Right guard bar ❏ Center bar ❏ Check digit ❏ OCR-B Print Sample EPSON EAN-8 EPSON EAN-13 ❏ EAN-13 is the standard 13-digit EAN bar code. ❏ Because the check digit is added automatically, only 12 characters can be input.
Page 167 ❏ Left/Right guard bar ❏ Center bar ❏ Check digit ❏ OCR-B Print Sample EPSON EAN-13 EPSON UPC-A ❏ UPC-A is the UPC-A standard bar code specified by the American Universal Product Code (UPC Symbol Specification Manual). ❏ Only regular UPC codes are supported. Supplementary codes are not supported.
Page 168 ❏ Left/Right guard bar ❏ Center bar ❏ Check digit ❏ OCR-B Print Sample EPSON UPC-A EPSON UPC-E ❏ UPC-E is the UPC-A zero-suppression (deletes extra zeros) bar code specified by the American Universal Product Code (UPC Symbol Specification Manual).
Page 169 ❏ OCR-B ❏ The numeral “0” Print Sample EPSON UPC-E EPSON Code39 ❏ Four Code39 fonts are available, allowing you to enable and disable the automatic insertion of check digits and OCR-B. ❏ The height of the bar code is automatically adjusted to 15% or more of its total length, in conformance to the Code39 standard.
Page 170 EPSON Code39 EPSON Code39 CD EPSON Code39 Num EPSON Code39 CD Num EPSON Code128 ❏ Code128 fonts support code sets A, B, and C. When the code set of a line of characters is changed in the middle of the line, a conversion code is automatically inserted.
Page 171 ❏ The height of the bar code is automatically adjusted to 15% or more of its total length, in conformance to the Code128 standard. For this reason, it is important to keep at least one space between the bar code and the surrounding text to prevent overlapping.
Page 172 Print Sample EPSON Code128 EPSON ITF ❏ The EPSON ITF fonts conform to the USS Interleaved 2-of-5 standard (American). ❏ Four EPSON ITF fonts are available, allowing you to enable and disable the automatic insertion of check digits and OCR-B.
Page 173 Print Sample EPSON ITF EPSON ITF CD EPSON ITF Num EPSON ITF CD Num EPSON Codabar ❏ Four Codabar fonts are available, allowing you to enable and disable the automatic insertion of check digits and OCR-B. Working with Fonts...
Page 174 ❏ The height of the bar code is automatically adjusted to 15% or more of its total length, in conformance to the Codabar standard. For this reason, it is important to keep at least one space between the bar code and the surrounding text to prevent overlapping.
Page 175 Print Sample EPSON Codabar EPSON Codabar CD EPSON Codabar Num EPSON Codabar CD Num Working with Fonts...
Page 176 Working with Fonts...
Page 177 Appendix C Contacting Customer Support Where to Get Help........170 For users in Latin America .
Page 178: Where To Get Help
Where to Get Help If your EPSON product is not operating properly and you cannot solve the problem using the troubleshooting information in your product documentation, contact customer support services for assistance. If customer support for your area is not listed below, contact the dealer where you purchased your product.
Page 179: For Users In Latin America
Electronic support services are available 24 hours a day at the following web sites: Service Access World Wide Web From the Internet, you can reach EPSON’s Latin American web site at http://www.latin.epson.com In Brazil, you can reach Epson at http://www.epson.com.br...
Page 180 Visit our Internet home page for a full list of support and warranty services including: ❏ Register your product on-line ❏ Free access to the latest EPSON software drivers ❏ Easy access to frequently asked questions ❏ Interactive web based support tool to help you quickly resolve support issues ❏...
Page 181: For Users In The Middle East
Select your country from our Internet home page for a full list of support and warranty services including: ❏ Register your product on-line ❏ Free access to the latest EPSON software drivers ❏ Easy access to frequently asked questions ❏ Interactive web based support tool to help you quickly resolve...
Page 182: For Users In Scandinavia
Select your country from our Internet home page for a full list of support and warranty services including: ❏ Register your product on-line ❏ Free access to the latest EPSON software drivers ❏ Easy access to frequently asked questions ❏ Interactive web based support tool to help you quickly resolve support issues ❏...
Page 183: For Users In South Africa
Finland 0800 523 010 Norway 800 11 828 Sweden 08 445 12 58 Pre-Sales Enquiries Literature Requests and Nearest Dealer Denmark Home Page: http://www.epson.dk Telephone: 38 48 71 37 Finland Home Page: http://www.epson.fi Telephone: 0981 710 083 Norway Home Page: http://www.epson.no...
Page 184: For Users In Australia
❏ Home Page: http://www.epson.co.za ❏ Telephone: (011) 448-2736 or 0800 005 956 For users in Australia EPSON Australia wishes to provide you with a high level of customer service. In addition to your product documentation, we provide the following sources for obtaining information: Your Dealer Don’t forget that your dealer can often help identify and resolve...
Page 185 EPSON Helpdesk EPSON Helpdesk is provided as a final backup to make sure our clients have access to advise. Operators on the Helpdesk can aid you in installing, configuring and operating your EPSON product.
Page 186: For Users In Singapore
Information on product specifications, drivers for download, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Sales Enquiries, and Technical Support via e-mail are available. Epson HelpDesk (Phone: (065) 5863111) Our HelpDesk team can help you with the following over the phone: ❏ Sales enquiries and product information ❏...
Page 187: For Users In Indonesia
To obtain technical support as well as other after-sales services, users are welcome to contact EPSON Hong Kong Limited. Internet Home Page EPSON Hong Kong has established a local home page in both Chinese and English on the Internet to provide users with the following information: ❏...
Page 188: For Users In Malaysia
❏ Latest versions of EPSON product drivers Users can access our World Wide Web home page at: http://www.epson.com.hk Electronic Bulletin Board System An electronic bulletin board system (BBS) is also available to obtain product information and the latest versions of product drivers.
Page 189: For Users In India
For users in India Contacts for information, support, and services are: World Wide Web (http://www.epson.co.in) Information on product specifications, drivers for download, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Products Enquiry, and Technical Query are available.Epson India Head Office - Bangalore: Phone: 5321 266-70 Fax:...
Page 190: For Users In The Philippines
Help Desk Phone: 2404932 For users in the Philippines To obtain technical support as well as other after sales services, users are welcome to contact the EPSON Philippines Representative Office at the telephone and fax numbers below: Phone: (632) 813-6552...
Page 191 Glossary ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standardized way of assigning codes to characters and control codes. The system is widely used by manufacturers of computers, printers, and software. buffer See memory. cpi (characters per inch) A measure of the size of fixed-width text characters. default A value or setting that takes effect when the printer is turned on, reset, or initialized.
Page 192 landscape Printing that is oriented sideways on the page. This orientation gives you a page that is wider than it is high and is useful for printing spreadsheets. memory The part of the printer’s electronic system that is used to store information. Some information is fixed and is used to control how the printer operates.

Epson EPL-5900L Reference Manual

Product Information

Chapter 1 Product Information

Chapter 2 Paper Handling

Chapter 3 Using the Printer Driver

Chapter 4 Sharing Your Printer

Chapter 5 Installing and Removing Options

Chapter 6 Replacing Consumable Products

Chapter 7 Cleaning and Transporting

Chapter 8 Troubleshooting

Appendix A Technical Specifications

Appendix B Working with Fonts

Working with Fonts

Appendix C Contacting Customoer Support

Quick Links

Where to Find Information

Troubleshooting

Related Manuals for Epson EPL-5900L

Summary of Contents for Epson EPL-5900L

Table of Contents