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Print ArticleFor years, Epson has made stable and full-featured drivers for the Windows operating system. However, getting all the buttons pressed properly and all the windows set for optimum output in a color-managed workflow can be tricky, so with the help of Epson, I've outlined a step-by-step approach which should clear things up. By the way, most of the information presented in this article can also be used for other printer models and other Windows operating systems.
HELP FROM EPSON.COM
One page is not sufficient to do a full step-by-step routine, but
have no fear—Epson has created an excellent tutorial for
using the XP driver in a Color Managed Workflow.
To locate it, first select 'drivers and support' on the left side
of Epson's home page, then select 'printers', then 'inkjet' and
then the 'Epson 2200' on the right side of the screen (regardless
of your printer). Then select the Windows link and last, click on
the link under the printer's photo: 'Visit our ICC Profiles for
Stylus Photo 2200 page'. Then select the link: 'How to Use ICC
Profiles' which will download a file named 'Color-Managed-Workflow
2' to your machine. It will be worth the effort! The first section
is for Mac OSX and the second is for Windows.
While you're there, if you are a 2200 user, also download the
specific Windows profiles for the papers you intend to use, such as
Premium Luster.
PROFILES MADE EASY
fig. 1: The Window's XP profiles folder
Windows XP has made vendor supplied and custom profiles easier to
install and use for printing. For example, if you download a
profile from a web site (i.e. mattepaper.icc), you can right click
on the file and select 'install profile'. It will then be copied to
your profiles folder.
The Epson 2200 profiles downloaded from the page described are even
easier to install. After downloading, each profile will be
contained in a folder which includes the file 'setup.exe'. Clicking
on setup.exe will automatically install one or two profiles. One
for 1440dpi and one for 2880dpi will usually be installed.
Now back to the PDF; the first section of the Windows tutorial
guides you through the very important Color Settings dialog box
found in Photoshop under Edit>Color Settings. I concur with the
recommended settings for most users. The tutorial then takes you
through the whole printing process.
DRIVER'S ED
fig. 2: XP Printer List, accessible through Control Panel/Printers &Faxes
Windows XP comes with pre-installed drivers for printers from
numerous manufacturers, which can be very helpful. Although they
are suitable in many cases, I recommend printing with the most
current drivers available from Epson.com because they have more features and are
often updated to fix or improve specific printing features.
It is possible to delete the installed XP drivers for your
printers, but instead, I recommend just naming them to distinguish
them from Epson's drivers. First go to Start>Control
Panels>Printers & Faxes and change the name of the built-in
driver to 'Ignore 2200' (fig. 2). Now install the Epson driver for
the printer. This will make the Epson driver easier to find in your
printer list; it will show up as 'Epson Stylus Photo 2200' after
installation.
To find the drivers on Epson's site, follow the same instructions
described in the second section of this article. It's a good idea
to also download the updated Status Monitor if available. Depending
on the printer, you may also see some excellent 'How To Animations'
on Epson's site, which are well worth a look. Another important
link is called 'Documents and Manuals' under 'Support Links' on the
right side of the driver download screen. From there, many
important documents are available, such as Product Service
Bulletins describing issues like what to do if a USB port alert
comes up.
After downloading the XP driver and Status Monitor, keep your
printer off with the cable disconnected. Then double click on the
file 'epson10720.exe' (for the Epson 2200), which will prompt you
to Unzip the files. After running the .exe file click 'Stop
Searching' if the program looks for a connected printer.
Next, attach the cable and turn on your printer. It should then be
recognized by Windows XP's Wizard. Go to Start>Control
Panels>Printers & Faxes and right click on the SP2200 driver
to select 'Properties', then the 'Ports' tab, which will allow you
to choose a port, (usually USB). Next, install the Status Monitor.
If you have installation problems, Epson has very good e-mail
support.
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