Printing in Windows

Before you start, make sure your printer is set up and its software is installed as described on the Start Here sheet. (For Windows NT® 4.x, see the Quick Guide to install your printer software.)

Whenever you print, make sure you do the following:

See these sections for instructions on selecting printer settings:

Printing from an Application

After you create a document in a software program, follow these steps to print it using the basic printer settings:

  1. From the File menu, click Print. You see a Print window like this one:



  2. Make sure Epson Stylus C86 Series is selected.
  3. Click the Properties or Preferences button. (If you see a Setup, Printer, or Options button, click it. Then click Properties or Preferences on the next screen.)
  4. Select the following in the print settings window:



    5. Select from these Quality Option types:

    Draft: For rough drafts with reduced print quality

    Text: For text-only documents with higher text quality

    Text & Image: For documents with text and images with higher quality

    Photo: For photos and graphics with good quality and speed

    Best Photo: For photos or graphics with high print quality

    Note: For more information about printer settings, click the Help button.

    The Quality Option settings on this screen give you the best combination of quality and speed for most prints. For the highest quality (Photo RPM) on selected papers, click the Advanced button on the Main tab. Then see Customizing Windows Print Settings for instructions on selecting Photo RPM.

    Make sure the paper Type matches the paper you've loaded in the printer.

  5. Select other settings as shown above.
  6. Click OK.
  7. At the Print window, click OK or Print to start printing.

During printing, the following window appears to show the progress of your print job. You can use the buttons to cancel, pause, or resume printing. You can also see how much ink you have left.

Tip: You can also cancel printing by pressing the Paper button on your printer.

Selecting the Default Settings for All Windows Programs

When you change the printer settings within a program, they apply only to that program. If you want to change the default printer settings for all your programs, follow these steps:

  1. Right click the printer icon in the lower right corner of your screen (taskbar).

    2. Note: If you don't see the icon, see display the printer icon for instructions on making it appear.

  2. Select Printer Settings. You see this window.
  3. Select the default settings you want for all your applications, then click OK.

You can still change the printer settings in your individual programs, when necessary. They will override the Windows default settings until the next time you turn on or reset your computer.

Customizing Windows Print Settings

You can use advanced settings for color matching, printing at a higher resolution, or selecting a variety of special effects and layouts.

  1. On the Main tab, click the Advanced button in the bottom right corner of the window.
  2. If you see a warning note, click Continue.
  3. Select the following advanced settings as necessary:



    4. Note: When you select Photo RPM for the highest print quality, printing will take longer.

    For more information about advanced settings, or instructions on saving them as a group so you can reuse them later, click the Help button. If you want to use the Advanced screen each time you access your printer settings, click Show this screen first.

  4. Once you've finished selecting advanced settings, you can:
    • Click OK to save your settings, return to the Print window, and print.
    • Click the Basic button to return to the Basic settings.
    • Continue with step 5 to change the layout options.
  5. Click the Page Layout tab and select the following page layout settings as necessary:



    6. Note: For more information on page layout settings, click the Help button.

  6. Click OK to save your settings, then click OK or Print.