Personal LaserWriter300 User’s Guide
K Apple Computer, Inc. This manual and the software described in it are copyrighted, with all rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this manual or the software may not be copied, in whole or part, without written consent of Apple, except in the normal use of the software or to make a backup copy of the software. The same proprietary and copyright notices must be affixed to any permitted copies as were affixed to the original.
Contents Radio and television interference v Preface About Your Personal LaserWriter 300 vii Energy conservation mode vii TrueType fonts viii GrayShare viii Sharing your printer viii Printing grayscale viii Chapter 1 Setting Up Your Printer 1 Choosing a location for the printer 1 Carrying the Personal LaserWriter 300 2 Important safety instructions 2 Connecting the printer to a Macintosh 3 Choosing a port 3 Installing the printer software 4 System requirements 4 Installation 5 Chapter 2 Adding Toner and
Printing on both sides of a page 21 Sharing your printer with other users 21 Using a shared printer connected to another Macintosh 23 Controlling the use of your printer by others 24 Chapter 4 Tips and Troubleshooting 25 Safety precautions 25 Checking the printer’s status lights 27 Solving some common problems 28 About paper 37 About fonts 38 How to use different kinds of fonts 38 Use restraint when choosing fonts 39 Add emphasis and contrast 39 Be careful setting alignment and columns 40 Choose the right
Important This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device in accordance with the specifications in Part 15 of FCC rules. See instructions if interference to radio or television reception is suspected. Radio and television interference The equipment described in this manual generates, uses, and can radiate radio-frequency energy.
S Important: Changes or modifications to this product not authorized by Apple Computer, Inc., could void the FCC Certification and negate your authority to operate the product. This product was tested for FCC compliance under conditions that included the use of shielded cables and connectors between system components. It is important that you use shielded cables and connectors to reduce the possibility of causing interference to radios, television sets, and other electronic devices.
Preface About Your Personal LaserWriter 300 The Personal LaserWriter 300 includes many features designed to produce high-quality text and graphics and deliver the performance of higher-priced laser printers. This preface describes the printer’s main features: m Energy conservation mode maintains your printer in a standby state that conserves energy by shutting off most of the printer’s functions when they are not in use. The printer “wakes up” automatically when you print a document.
TrueType fonts GrayShare All fonts supplied with the LaserWriter are TrueType fonts. TrueType is a font technology from Apple Computer that produces sharp characters at any size on the screen or printer.
Chapter 1 Setting Up Your Printer This chapter tells you how to connect the printer to your computer and install the printer software. S Important: Do not plug the printer in at this time. After you connect the printer to your computer, and install the printer software, you should continue with Chapter 2, “Adding Toner and Paper.” After you add the toner, you can plug the printer in. Plugging the printer in before adding toner can cause a paper jam when the printer starts up for the first time.
Carrying the Personal LaserWriter 300 Important safety instructions To carry the Personal LaserWriter 300, hold it firmly and level with both hands. Holding the printer in positions other than the one shown may cause an accident. Always take the following precautions: Place the LaserWriter on the flat, stable surface you have chosen. m Protect the printer from dampness and sources of liquids. m Don’t use devices that produce open flames, such as Bunsen burners, near the printer.
Connecting the printer to a Macintosh Choosing a port To connect the printer, you need an Apple Peripheral-8 cable, part number M0197. The Apple Peripheral-8 cable has special shielding to reduce the possibility of causing interference to radios, television sets, and other electronic devices. If you do not have an Apple Peripheral-8 cable, you can obtain one from an authorized Apple dealer. Your Macintosh has a printer port (marked with the icon [) and a modem port (marked with the icon W).
Installing the printer software System requirements Before you can print, you may need to install the software from the disks that came with your printer. To protect the disks, it is a good practice to lock them before use. See your Macintosh User’s Guide for information on locking floppy disks. The printer software can operate on a Macintosh using System 7 with at least 2 MB of memory, or System 6.0.7 with at least 1 MB of memory.
Installation Before you install the printer software, quit any application programs that may be open. If you have virus protection software, turn it off. Then follow these steps: 3. Double-click the Installer icon to open it. The Installer’s Welcome screen describes the items that will be installed on your disk. 4. Click OK to clear the Welcome screen and display the Easy Install dialog box. 1. Insert the LaserWriter 300 Install disk and open the disk icon.
5. Make sure that the disk indicated on the screen is the one on which you want to install printer software. If the wrong disk name appears, click Switch Disk until the correct name appears. 6. Click Install. If any of your system’s application programs are open, a message appears warning you that you must quit the applications before installing the printer software. Click Continue to quit the applications. Status messages inform you of progress during installation. 6 Chapter 1: Setting Up Your Printer 7.
Chapter 2 Adding Toner and Paper 2. Remove the shipping restraints. Press on the restraints to remove them. This chapter tells you how to install a toner cartridge into the printer and load paper into a cassette. S Important: If you are setting up your Personal LaserWriter 300 for the first time, please add toner and paper before you plug your printer into an outlet. Otherwise, a paper jam may occur when your printer starts up.
Installing or changing a toner cartridge 3. Unpack the new toner cartridge and gently rock it to distribute the toner inside. Toner is the powdered ink that produces the image on the paper. Follow these steps to install a toner cartridge into the printer. Gently rock the toner cartridge. 1. Open the printer access door. Save the protective bag. If you move or transport your printer, you will need to remove the cartridge and transport it separately in the bag.
4. Pull the tab to remove the tape. 5. Insert the cartridge into the printer. Line up the markings on the sides of the cartridge with the arrows in the printer. Align arrows. Pull the tape in the direction shown. Do not pull it to either side or it may break. Pull the tape completely out. s Warning: Be sure to pull the tape in the direction shown. Don’t pull it too quickly or at too sharp an angle; otherwise, the tape may break. s 6.
Plugging in the printer A power cord is supplied with your printer. Press the power cord firmly into this notch to secure it. Be sure the power cord is within easy reach, in case you want to unplug the printer. When you plug the power cord into an outlet, the Ready/In Use light comes on. 10 Chapter 2: Adding Toner and Paper s Warning: The Personal LaserWriter 300 is equipped with a three-wire grounding plug—a plug that has a third (grounding) pin. This plug fits only a grounding-type AC outlet.
Loading the paper cassette The universal paper cassette supplied with your printer holds up to 100 sheets of copier-weight bond paper. The paper size can be U.S. Letter, A4, U.S. Legal, or Executive. For good advice on paper quality, see Chapter 4, “Tips and Troubleshooting.” To load the paper cassette: 1. Take the cassette out of the printer and place it on a flat surface. If you are loading the paper cassette for the first time, remove the orange cardboard and plastic shipping inserts. 2.
3. Insert a stack of paper that fits below the top edge of the paper bracket inside the cassette. 4. Slide the cassette into the printer. Insert paper this end first. Corner bracket Make sure paper fits under the corner brackets. Push firmly to make sure the cassette is in place. To remove the cassette to refill it, grasp it and pull firmly straight out.
Loading 3-hole punched paper Loading letterhead paper Follow the instructions for loading ordinary paper, and position the sheets as shown below. Follow the instructions for loading ordinary paper, and position the sheets as shown below. The holes should line up along this side of the cassette. Insert letterhead paper face down with the top of the page at this end of the cassette.
Loading legal-size paper Follow the instructions for loading ordinary paper, adjusting the sliding backstop to accommodate legal-size paper. Slide the cassette firmly into the printer. The cassette and paper will extend out the back of the printer.
Chapter 3 Printing This chapter explains how to print documents on a Personal LaserWriter 300 connected to your own Macintosh, to share the printer with other users on a network, and to use shared printers connected to other computers on the network. More printing instructions can be found in the manuals for your applications, such as word processing programs. These programs may include additional printing controls.
Choosing face-down or face-up delivery You can select either face-down or face-up paper delivery with your Personal LaserWriter 300, depending on the type of paper you are using. When you choose face-down delivery, paper comes out into the delivery tray on top of the printer, face down and stacked in order. The delivery tray can hold at least 25 sheets of standard copierweight bond paper. Face-down delivery is useful when you want your document collated; but it is limited to plain paper only.
Using the Chooser the first time you print You use the Chooser desk accessory to tell the Macintosh where to send print jobs. In the Chooser, you choose the port to which you connected the Personal LaserWriter 300, and can also choose among printers connected to your network, if any. 1. Choose the Chooser from the Apple (K) menu. Then click the serial port that you used to connect the printer. First click the LaserWriter 300 icon in this box.
Defining the page setup The Page Setup command is found in the File menu of nearly all Macintosh programs. Depending on the program you are using, some of the options in this dialog box may change. You need to choose Page Setup only if you want to change settings. Click here to reduce the image by 4%. This makes the printed dots proportional to the dots on your screen so there is no distortion when you print a bitmapped image. Click one of these icons to choose vertical or horizontal page orientation.
Printing a document The Personal LaserWriter 300 prints your document using the cassette or manual feed. See the next section for instructions if you choose Manual Feed as the paper source. To print more than one copy, type a number here. If you don’t want to print all pages, click in these boxes and type the first and last page to print. Choose the paper source from the top menu. To print the first page on special paper, click “First from” and use both menus. 1.
Printing paper or envelopes with the manual feed slot If you want to use paper that is different from the paper in the cassette, you can use the manual feed slot to insert sheets one at a time as the document is printed. You can also use this slot to print on envelopes and other nonstandard paper sizes. 1. Open the document you want to print or select its icon in the Macintosh Finder. 4. Click Print. The sheet you inserted is printed.
Printing on both sides of a page Sharing your printer with other users Follow these steps to print a document using both sides of the paper. If your Macintosh is connected to a network, you can set up your printer to let other users on the network use it. 1. Print the first side of the page using manual feed or the paper cassette. Follow these steps to turn on the printer’s sharing feature: 2.
3. Make AppleTalk active if it is not already active. 6. Click OK. 4. Click Setup. 7. Close the Chooser window. 5. Click Share this Printer and enter the options for the shared printer and in the Setup dialog box. Background printing is automatically turned on when a printer is shared. For details, see the Print Monitor instructions in your Macintosh User’s Guide. Click to place an X in this checkbox. Type a name for the printer. This is the name other users will see in their own Chooser.
Using a shared printer connected to another Macintosh To print on a shared Personal LaserWriter 300, network users must have the LaserWriter 300 driver installed on their computers, AppleTalk must be active, and the shared printer and Macintosh must be turned on. Each user wanting to use the shared printer should use the LaserWriter 300 installation disks and follow the instructions in Chapter 1 to install the printer software.
Controlling the use of your printer by others After you turn on the sharing feature, you still have complete control over the shared printer: m You can turn sharing on or off at any time. m You can type a password in the Sharing Setup dialog box so only those who know the password can use your printer. m You can use the Print Monitor program in your Macintosh system software to view a list of print jobs that have been sent to your printer, and to delete any jobs in the list.
Chapter 4 Tips and Troubleshooting This chapter provides solutions to printing problems you may encounter while using your printer. s Warning: If you have a problem with your printer and nothing presented in this chapter solves it, see the service and support information that came with your printer or computer. If you attempt to repair the printer yourself, any damage you may cause to the printer will not be covered by the limited warranty. s See page 2 for additional safety information.
m Don’t open the drum-protection shutter on the toner cartridge. m Be sure the power cord is within easy reach, should you want to unplug the printer at any time. Since the Personal LaserWriter 300 has no power switch, unplugging it is the only way to turn it off. S Important: The fixing assembly in the printer operates at very high temperatures. When you need to open the printer, be careful not to touch the fixing assembly. S m Never try to manually defeat the interlock switches inside the printer.
Checking the printer’s status lights Always check the status lights first when a printing problem occurs. These often tell you the cause of the problem. Ready/In Use light Paper Out light m The Ready/In Use light should glow steadily whenever the printer is on, and blink when it is printing. m The Paper Out light is on only when there is no paper in the cassette, or the printer is waiting for manual feed. m The Paper Jam light is on when any obstruction occurs in the paper path.
Solving some common problems The Macintosh can’t find the printer The Chooser doesn’t show the LaserWriter 300 icon If you have selected the printer icon in the Chooser but nothing prints or you get a message that no printer has been found, one of the following may be the cause: If the LaserWriter 300 icon is missing from the box that identifies different printer types, you need to install the printer software from the disks that came with your printer.
Printing takes a long time The printer won’t print a particular page or document Printing may be slow on pages containing complex graphics or pages printed using landscape (horizontal) orientation. If a document contains a page with very complex graphic images, the printer may be unable to print the page. You will see a message telling you that your printer has “insufficient memory.” The processing speed of your computer and the amount of memory it has directly affect printing time.
Type looks jagged or some text changes to the Geneva font The most likely cause of this problem is that you are using a nonTrueType font. LaserWriter 300 printers use two kinds of fonts: outline fonts and bitmapped fonts. TrueType fonts are outline fonts. Each character in an outline font is produced by instructions that describe its shape. A character from an outline font can be printed smoothly in any size you specify.
2. Look in the list of fonts for the font you wish to use. If it is a TrueType font, its icon will look something like this: If a TrueType version of your font is available, use it in your documents. When your computer runs low on memory, TrueType turns itself off and some TrueType fonts may be displayed and printed in the Geneva font. If you’ve installed fixed-size versions of your TrueType fonts, they will not change to Geneva, but they will look very jagged when TrueType is turned off.
The printer prints on only part of the paper Paper is jammed Make sure you have selected the appropriate paper size in the Page Setup dialog box. To avoid paper jams, make sure the paper cassette is properly loaded with one of the recommended paper types. (See “Paper Feeds Improperly,” next.) If you are using manual feed, be sure to wait for the prompt before inserting a new sheet. Check the adjustment of the sliding backstop in the paper cassette to make sure it is correct for your paper size.
If the Paper Jam status light is on, follow these steps: 1. Remove the paper cassette. Be sure the paper is loaded correctly in the paper cassette. The stack of paper should fit under all the corner brackets. 2. Open the printer and remove the cartridge. Look inside the printer and remove any jammed sheets you see. Pull the sheet straight out. Avoid pulling at an angle that might tear the paper and leave scraps inside the printer.
3. Open the printer’s back door as shown below. Press the paper release lever and pull the jammed sheet out through the front. This type of jam is often caused by an interruption in printing. Press the paper release lever. 34 Chapter 4: Tips and Troubleshooting 4. If the paper is wrapped around the roller, remove it as shown below.
Paper feeds improperly Unwanted lines or stripes appear If paper tears, gets skewed, or comes through the printer crumpled, it may not be entering the printer properly. If white or dark lines appear on the page, try the following: Remove any jammed sheets from inside the printer. Remove the paper cassette, turn the stack of paper over, and replace the cassette (most paper has one side that prints better).
Toner stains appear on printed pages The image is too light or too dark If the printed pages are not clean, there may be a buildup of toner on the printing rollers. If stains appear on the backs of printed pages, you may have printed an image that is larger than the paper, causing toner to be deposited in the paper path. If printing is too light or too dark, try the following: To clean the rollers, print several blank pages until the stains disappear.
About paper Many problems, such as toner smearing, paper curling, or paper feeding improperly, can be caused by the paper you are using. To assure good results, use only paper, envelopes, and transparencies that are manufactured for use with laser printers and photocopy machines. Make sure any paper you use is free of tears, wrinkles, dust, and oil stains. Paper with cutouts or perforations is not recommended.
About fonts The disks provided with your LaserWriter contain fonts from the most widely used font families. Font families (also called typefaces) can be classified into two groups: serif and sans serif. T T Serif Sans Serif The small accents at the ends of the strokes of the letters are serifs. Fonts that do not have these accents are “sans” serifs. How to use different kinds of fonts Serif fonts are considered more readable than sans serif fonts.
Use restraint when choosing fonts Add emphasis and contrast A good rule of thumb to use when choosing fonts for your documents is: Avoid using more than two font families on the same page. To add emphasis and contrast to your documents, use bold, italic, and, occasionally, all caps. It is fine to use several sizes and styles (such as bold or italic) of the same font family on the same page. Using too many font families on the same page gives your document a “ransom note” appearance.
Be careful setting alignment and columns Choose the right size Properly aligning your text can enhance or detract from your document’s readability. One of the most common mistakes is to set a document in many narrow columns, with full justification (text lined up on the left and right). This allows for only a few words per line, and “darkens” a page by eliminating the white space around the edges of the text. Use 9- to 12-point type for long passages of body text.
Appendix Specifications Paper feed m Automatic feed from paper cassette; manual feed for single sheets Print quality m 300 dots per inch for text and graphics Printer fonts m Standard TrueType font families. The Personal LaserWriter 300 can support additional fonts from Apple and from other suppliers. Printing materials Apple recommends 20-lb. photocopy bond (75 g/m2). You can use 16-lb. (64 g/m2) to 28-lb. (105 g/m2) paper with manual feed; the paper cassette accepts 16-lb. (64 g/m2) to 24-lb.
Dimensions Input electrical requirements m Height: 16.1 cm (6.3 in.) m Width: 38.5 cm (15.2 in.) m Depth: 37.9 cm (14.9 in.) U.S./Japan m 100–120 V (±10%), 50–60 Hz (±2 Hz) Weight Europe/Australia m 220–240 V (±10%), 50 Hz (±2 Hz) m 7 kg (15.4 lb.) not including cartridge Power consumption Operating environment Temperature m 50° to 90.5° F (10° to 32.
Index A alert message, choosing 19 alignment, design tips 40 Apple Peripheral-8 cable 3 AppleTalk, setting up printer for 21–22 Avant Garde® font 38 B background printing on network 22, 24 setting up in Choose 17 bitmapped fonts Page Setup for 18 TrueType fonts vs. 30 Black and White printing, choosing 19 bold font, using 39 Bookman® font 38 C cable checking 28 connecting to printer port 3 carrying the printer 2 cassette feed, printing with 19.
G J, K Geneva font 38 TrueType fonts printed as 31 graphics, print speed and 29 grayscale printing viii choosing 19 GrayShare software viii jagged type problems 30–31 H Helvetica® font 38 Helvetica Narrow font 38 horizontal page orientation choosing 18 print speed and 29 I icons font 31 Installer 5 LaserWriter 300 4 printer and modem port 3 Installer icon 5 installing paper cassette 11–12 installing printer software 4–6 installing toner cartridge 7–9 “insufficient memory” message 29 italic font, using
paper about 37 face-down vs.
specifications 41–42 standby status vii, 15 status lights Paper Jam 27 Paper Out 27 Ready/In Use vii, 15, 27 Symbol font 38, 39 system software fonts and 30, 31 requirements 4 T television interference v–vi cable for preventing 3 3-hole punched paper, loading 13 Times® font 38 toner 8 pages stained with 36 redistributing 35, 36 toner cartridge changing 8–9 installing 7–9 transparencies, face-up delivery required for 16 46 Index troubleshooting 28–36 “insufficient memory” message 29 jagged type 30–31 Lase
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