really, this will be fun…

Load the Paper

first load the paper. We have four main kinds of paper we’re printing currently.

* Ink Jet 17×22 – thin yet big. good for seeing what stuff looks like or making posters.
* Ink Jet 13x 19 (Super B/A3). thin yet large-ish. good for seeing what stuff looks like or making posters.
* Velvet Fine Art Paper 13×19 (Super B/A3). Thick and arty. Nice for finished pieces. Matte – not great for photos
* Velvet Fine Art Paper 17×22. Thick and arty. Finished pieces that can use the larger scale of 17×22. also Matte.

We’ll go over in order how to print each kind of paper. In this tutorial we’ll be printing from the PREVIEW program, but the steps should be similar for other software.

Step 1.

Select File > Page Setup. Under paper size select the size of paper you are printing. It may be listed by the inch measurement or by the type (Super B/A3). Under Format for select Epson Stylus Pro 4800. Here is an image of how the dialogue box would look if we were printing onto the 13×19 paper (Super B/A3)

Step 2. Select File > Print to open the print dialogue. Select Epson Stylus 4800 as the printer. I know you already selected that in preview, yet you must do it again for it to work.

Step 3. Using the third drop down menu in the print dialog box, select Print Settings Select Paper Tray if you are using the thinner, ink jet paper (which is is loaded automatically from the paper tray). Select Manual Feed if you are using the thicked, fine art paper (which is loaded manually). Under media choose either Velvet Fine Art (for the thicker paper) or Photo Quality Ink Jet. The dialogue box should look something like this.

Step 4. Click on Preview. Does your image look like what you are expecting? Is it the right scale? If so, go ahead and print.

Step 5. Is the printer printing? If so, go get some coffee and come back in a couple minutes and your art will be ready. If not, check the following – Did you send it to the correct printer in both print and print set up? Did you select the correct source of paper (paper tray or manual feed)? Did the printer get upset loading the paper?

Troubleshooting – when in doubt, delete the job from the print queue, then turn off the printer, turn printer back on and try again.