🚀 go-pugleaf

have you tried the printer on another computer or with another cable?

how long is your printer cable, while you can get away with cables that are
longer than the spec for parralell they are susecptable to interference.

It sounds like the test prints that you have done are the ones built into
your printer, ie press combination of buttons on printer and it prints a
test pattern.

This would put the problem somewhere in the communication between computer
and printer.

Try another printer cable
"Bunnyman" <bunnymen@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:hU4y7.155230$bY5.757777@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> I am having all sorts of troubles printing from my Epson printer both in
> Windows ME and Windows XP Professional. The printer is online -power light
> is on. I can even do a "printer operation check " which gives me the test
> pattern and code
> W00473 and 213B with the colored test pattern lines. When I try to print
> from Wordpad or Notepad it won't work either. It says "printer offline"
the
> ink lights for color or Black do not flash or are "on"  at all indicating
> they need replacing. I cannot print from a command prompt
> as it indicates in the Windows XP printer troubleshooter for a
> non-postscript printer
> ECHO HELLO CTRL+L dir > lpt1 status just says "error printing"  The
> parralled cable is connected at both ends to the printer port as always on
> my computer "lpt1" I cannot print a "test page" either.  I have
uninstalled
> and reinstalled the epson printer software and also removed from Device
> Manager the printer port and rebooted and Windows ME reinstalled the LPT1
> port.. Still doesn't work !!
>  Anyone with any insight on this problem will be appreciated.
>
>
>