Mac OS X 10.4: Print job stops when printing to an Epson SC 740 printer

If you're using an Epson Stylus Color 740 printer with Mac OS X 10.4, you may come across a situation in which a print job stops immediately when you try to print, and a red exclamation point appears over your printer's icon in the Dock.

Note: This document does not apply to Intel-based Macs.

If you look in the CUPS error log (located at /var/log/cups/error_log), you will see the message—"Communication error with the printer. Please reset (or turn on) the printer and try printing again"—for each time you attempted to print.

If this happens to you, try these steps to resolve the issue:

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. Click Print & Fax to display the pane.
3. Click the Printing section tab.
4. Select Stylus COLOR 740 in the list, then click the remove (-) button to remove it. If you see more than one Stylus COLOR 740 listing, remove all instances of it.
5. Click the add button (+) to open the Printer Browser window.
6. Click the "More Printers" button (do not click the Add button in the Printer Browser).
7. In the resulting sheet, choose EPSON USB from the top pop-up menu.
8. Select Stylus COLOR 740.
9. Click Add.

Tip: After removing the printer, you can also add it by disconnecting and reconnecting the printer's USB cable.

This document will be updated as more information becomes available.

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute Apple's recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.