User's Manual E P S O N® 4008123 601-03
EPSON L Q - 8 6 0 User’s Manual
FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT FOR AMERICAN USERS This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 1. Read all of these instructions and save them for later reference. 2. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product. 3. Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning the outside of the unit. 4. Do not use this product near water. 5. Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or table. The product may fall, causing serious damage to the product. 6.
10. If an extension cord is used with this product, make sure that the total of the ampere ratings on the products plugged into the extension cord do not exceed the extension cord ampere rating. Also, make sure that the total of all products plugged into the wall outlet does not exceed 15 amperes. 11. Never push objects of any kind into this product through cabinet slots, as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in a risk of fire or electric shock.
Contents Introduction Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Application Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Where to Get Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 4 Software and Graphics Enhancing Your Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . User-defined Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-l Chapter 5 Using the Printer Options The Cut Sheet Feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Pull Tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 9 Command Summary Data Flow Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Command Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commands in Numerical Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commands Arranged by Topic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-l 9-2 9-3 9-6 9-9 Appendix Proportional Width Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Character Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction The Epson LQ-860 is an advanced 24-pin impact dot matrix printer, combining high performance and reliability with a wide range of features. ® Features In addition to the high-quality printing and ease of operation you have come to expect from Epson printers, the LQ-860 offers the following features: • Easy paper handling, featuring automatic single-sheet loading. • Color printing in seven colors with a color ribbon.
l l • l l l Two built-in Letter Quality fonts, Roman and Sans Serif, for producing high-quality documents. A 360 x 360 dot per inch graphics mode. A micro-adjustment feature that allows you to feed the paper forward or backward in l/180-inch increments to finely adjust the loading and short tear-off positions. An auto-load feature lets you load a single sheet of paper automatically when not using the optional cut sheet feeder.
l l Pull Tractor Unit (C800161) This option improves the performance of continuous paper handling. It is especially useful with continuous multi-part forms. Multi-Font Module (#7407) The optional Multi-Font module adds to the number of fonts available in the Letter Quality mode.
l l Film Ribbon Cartridge (#7764) The optional film ribbon cartridge provides you with even higher quality printing than the standard fabric ribbon. Interface Boards Optional interface boards are available to supplement the printer’s built-in parallel and serial interfaces. Guidelines for choosing the right interface and instructions on installing the boards are given in Chapter 5.
Finding your way around • • Chapter 1 contains information on unpacking, setting up, testing, and connecting the printer. Be sure to read and follow these instructions first. Inside the back flap of this manual are illustrations of the printer in which all of the major parts are identified. Chapters 2 and 3 cover paper handling and general printer operation. This important information is necessary for the dayto-day operation of your printer. • Chapter 4 shows you how to get the most from your printer.
Application Notes Also included in the box with your printer is a booklet called Application Notes. It contains information on using specific software applications with your printer. Be sure to look at the booklet after you set up your printer. Where to Get Help Customer support and service for Epson products are provided by a network of authorized Epson dealers and Customer Care Centers throughout the United States.
Chapter 1 Setting Up the Printer Unpacking the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Checking the Parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Removing the Protective Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 1-2 1-3 Choosing a Place for the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6 Assembling the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installing the Platen Knob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unpacking the Printer Checking the Parts When you unpack the printer, make sure that you have all the parts shown below and that none have been damaged.
After removing the parts, save the packing materials in case you ever need to transport your printer. The LQ-860 comes with one black ribbon cartridge (#7762) and one color ribbon cartridge (#7763). Removing the Protective Materials The printer is protected during shipping by two locking brackets. These protective items must be removed before you turn on the printer. After removing these items, store them with the other packing material in case you ever need to transport your printer. 1.
2. Lift the paper guide cover and slide it back until the tabs on the cover fit into the raised slots on the printer. Leave the paper guide cover resting in this open position. 3. Remove any pieces of white packing material you find inside the printer.
4. Use the cross-head screwdriver that came with the printer to unscrew and remove the two transport locking brackets. Look straight down inside the printer to find the locking brackets. The brackets are orange and their screws are red. 5. Lower the paper guide cover and close the printer cover. WARNING: Be sure to remove all protective materials before you turn on the printer.
Choosing a Place for the Printer There are several important things to consider when selecting a place to set up your printer. Keep the following in mind: Place the printer on a flat, hard, stable surface. A soft surface, such as a padded counter or carpeted area, will block the ventilation slots and may cause overheating. Place the printer close enough to the computer for the printer cable to reach.
The illustration below shows a good printer arrangement. Note: Before using a printer stand, read these requirements and suggestions. l l l l l The stand should be able to support at least twice the weight of the printer. Never use a stand that supports the printer at an angle of more than 15 degrees from horizontal. With a cut sheet feeder, your printer must be kept level.
Assembling the Printer After you’ve decided on the best place to set up your printer, the next step is to install the platen knob. Installing the Platen Knob You use the platen knob to feed the paper manually in the event of a paper jam or other paper feeding problem. The platen knob is packed in an indentation in the printer’s white foam packing material. 1. Insert the platen knob into the hole on the printer’s side and rotate it slowly until it slips onto the shaft. 2.
Installing the Ribbon Cartridge Your printer’s ribbon cartridges are designed for easy installation and removal. You install the standard ribbon cartridge, the color ribbon cartridge, and the optional film ribbon cartridge in the same way. A standard ribbon cartridge and color ribbon cartridge come with your printer. Install the ribbon cartridge as follows: 1. Make sure the printer is turned off. 2. Open the printer cover. 3. Open the paper guide cover.
4. Slide the print head approximately three inches toward the middle of the printer. CAUTION: Never move the print head while the printer is turned on because this can damage the printer. Also, if you have been using the printer, the print head may be hot; let it cool for a few minutes before touching it. 5. Turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow. This removes slack in the ribbon and makes it easier to install.
6. Hold the ribbon cartridge while gently squeezing the two ridged plastic tabs together; then lower it until it snaps into place. The side hooks in the printer fit into the slots on each side of the ribbon cartridge, as shown below. Note: Press lightly on both sides of the cartridge to make sure the plastic hooks are properly seated.
7. Turn the ribbon-tightening knob again to make sure the ribbon moves freely. 8. Grasp the print head and slide it from side to side to make sure it moves smoothly. Do not try to slide the print head by grasping the ribbon cartridge. Note: Make sure the paper thickness lever on the left is set to position 2. See The Paper Thickness Lever in Chapter 2 if you are printing on special paper.
CAUTION: Film ribbon cartridges must be used and stored within the following temperature ranges: Operation: 60° F to 95° F (15° C to 35° C) Storage: -22° F to 104° F (-30° C to 40° C) Storing and using a film ribbon at high temperatures shortens the ribbon’s life expectancy, which is normally 100,000 characters (#7764). Film ribbon prints in red near the end of the ribbon. Replace the film ribbon at this point.
Attaching the Paper Guide When you use single sheets, the paper guide helps to feed the paper smoothly and efficiently into the printer. Attach the paper guide using the following procedure. 1. Open the paper guide cover. 2. Place the paper guide on the printer, as shown below.
3. Raise the paper guide until it locks into place. Note: To lower the paper guide, lift up slightly to release it from its locked position; then gently lower it down onto the printer. 4. Close the paper guide cover.
Testing the Printer Now that your printer is fully assembled, you can use its built-in self test function to see that the printer is working correctly before you connect it to a computer. You should perform this test to make sure that your printer was not damaged during shipping and that the ribbon is correctly installed. Before running the self test, you need to connect the printer to an electrical outlet and load a sheet of paper. Plugging in the Printer 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. 2.
With the color ribbon cartridge installed, the self test prints in seven colors: black, magenta, cyan, violet, yellow, red, and green. With the black ribbon cartridge installed, some lines of the test print twice, making some lines darker than others. CAUTION: Never run the self test using paper that is narrower than 8.27 inches (210 mm). This prevents the print head from printing directly onto the platen, which can damage the print head.
3. While holding down the LINE FEED button (draft mode) or FORM FEED button (Letter Quality mode), turn on the printer. The printer beeps three times and the POWER and PAPER OUT lights come on. 4. Open the paper guide cover.
5. Move the left edge guide to the right or left until it lines up with the triangular guide mark on the paper guide. 6. Adjust the right edge guide to match the width of your paper.
7. Next, slide a sheet of paper down between the edge guides until it meets resistance. After about two seconds, the printer loads the paper automatically and then starts the self test. A list of DIP switch settings is printed first, followed by a series of characters. The self test continues until the paper runs out or until you press the ON LINE button. 8. Close the paper guide cover. 9. If the test results are satisfactory and you wish to stop the test, press the ON LINE button.
If the test results are not satisfactory, see If the Self Test Doesn’t Print later in this chapter for possible causes and solutions. Note: To resume the test, press the ON LINE button once more. 10. To end the self test, press the ON LINE button. Then press the LOAD/EJECT button to eject any paper that is still loaded. Turn off the printer. WARNING: After turning the power off, always wait at least five seconds before turning it back on. Turning the power on and off rapidly can damage the printer.
Here are parts of typical self tests. Normal draft mode Count t-y USA France Germany U.K. Denmark Sweden Italy Spain CG table Italic SW1-1 1-2 1-3 on on on on off off off off on on off off on on off off SW1-4 off on off o n off on off on off Page Length SW2 11" C 12” C 1"Skip Invalid SW2 Valid Interface C SW2 C Parallel Serial even Serial odd Serial none Baud Rate 9600 BPS 19200 BPS C C C C SW2 C ( ) * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; <=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU ) * + , - .
Letter Quality mode !“#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKL !“#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLM “#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMN #$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . /0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO P % & ' ( ) * + , - ./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQ & ’ ( ) * + , - . /0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQR ' ( ) * + , - . /0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS ( ) * + , - . /0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST ) * + , - .
Problem Solution The printer does not print. The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing is printed. The ribbon may not be installed properly. Turn off the printer, reinstall the ribbon cartridge, and then tighten the ribbon by turning the ribbon-tightening knob. Make sure the ribbon passes between the print head and ribbon guide. The ribbon may be worn. Replace the ribbon cartridge. See Replacing the Ribbon in Chapter 6. The test did not print. Turn off the printer and repeat the self test.
Problem Solution The print is faint or uneven. Printed characters have part missing at the bottom as shown here. ABCD The printout is faint. The ribbon cartridge may not be properly installed. Remove the ribbon cartridge and reinstall it; make sure the cartridge hooks are inserted securely into the printer. The ribbon may be worn out. A worn ribbon can damage the print head and should be replaced. Install a new ribbon cartridge as soon as possible. See Replacing the Ribbon in Chapter 6.
Problem Solution Dots are missing in the printed characters or graphics. (continued) Dots are missing in random positions. A B C D There is either too much slack in the ribbon or the ribbon has come loose and caught on something. Stop printing, turn off the printer, and reinstall the ribbon cartridge. If the printer still does not print the self test correctly, contact your Epson dealer or Epson authorized service center.
Connecting the Printer to Your Computer Your printer has two separate interface connections: a parallel interface and an RS-232C compatible serial interface. If you are not sure which one is required by your computer, check your computer manual for this information. serial interface If you have a suitable shielded cable, you should be able to connect to most computers immediately.
The Parallel Interface Connect the parallel interface cable as described below: 1. Make sure that both your printer and computer are turned off. 2. Plug the cable connector securely into the printer. 3. Squeeze the wire clips together until they lock in place on either side of the connector.
4. If your cable has a ground wire, connect it to the ground screw beneath the interface connector. 5. Plug the other end of the cable into the computer. If there is a ground wire at the computer end of the cable, attach it to the ground connector at the back of the computer. The Serial Interface Connect the serial interface cable as described below: 1. Make sure both your printer and computer are turned off.
2. Plug the connector securely into the printer. WARNING: Do not plug more than one interface cable into the printer at once. This may damage the printer. 3. Using a screwdriver, secure the connector by tightening the screw on each side of the connector. Note: If the screws that come with the cable do not fit into the connector lock nuts on the interface, you need to replace these lock nuts with the connector lock nuts provided with the printer.
4. If your cable has a ground wire, attach it to the ground connector beneath the interface connector. 5. Plug the other end of the cable into the computer. If there is a ground wire at the computer end of the cable, attach it to the ground connector of the computer.
Setting Up Your Application Software Now that you have set up and tested the printer, you should make sure that it works with your application programs. Most application programs let you specify the type of printer you are using so that the program can take full advantage of the printer’s features. Many of these programs provide an installation or setup menu that presents a list of printers to choose from. If your application program has a printer selection menu, use the instructions below.
Chapter 2 Paper Handling Selecting a Paper Feeding Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2 Using Single Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reloading During Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 2-3 2-7 Using Continuous Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8 Positioning Your Continuous Paper Supply. . . . . . . . . .
Selecting a Paper Feeding Method The paper release lever on the LQ-860 has three positions for use with the various methods of paper feeding. When you switch the paper path, you must change the lever to the correct position to ensure smooth operation. The lever has three icons beside it. Each icon indicates its paper feeding method. Single-sheet position: When you want to load single sheets from both the paper guide and the optional cut sheet feeder, set the lever in this position (all the way back).
Using Single Sheets Your printer can accommodate single sheets up to a maximum width of 10.1 inches (257 mm). If you do most of your printing on single sheets, you may find it more convenient to install the optional cut sheet feeder. This option automatically inserts a new sheet and can hold up to 150 pages. For more details, see Chapter 5. Loading Paper 1. Make sure the printer is turned off. 2. Push the paper release lever back to the single-sheet position.
3. Turn on the printer. The POWER and PAPER OUT lights come on. Note: Do not insert paper in the printer before turning on the printer. 4. Open the paper guide cover.
5. Move the left edge guide until it lines up with the guide mark. (You may want to change this position later, depending on the margin settings of your application program.) 6. Adjust the right edge guide to match the width of your paper.
7. Slide the paper down between the edge guides until it meets resistance and the PAPER OUT light goes off. After about two seconds, the printer loads the paper automatically and is set ON LINE so that it can accept data from your computer. 8. Close the paper guide cover. WARNING: Never advance the paper using the platen knob except in the case of a paper jam or other paper feed problem.
You are now ready to begin printing. To eject the paper, press the ON LINE button to take the printer off line; then press the LOAD/EJECT button. Reloading During Printing When you print a document of more than one page using singlesheet paper, the printer stops printing when it reaches the bottom of the page. Your application program may take the printer off line automatically. However, if the ON LINE light remains on, the first thing you do is press the ON LINE button to take the printer off line.
Using Continuous Paper The tractor built into your printer is remarkably easy to load and operate. Its low-profile design takes up little space and can handle paper up to 10.1 inches or 257 mm wide. Positioning Your Continuous Paper Supply An important consideration for achieving smooth and trouble-free paper feeding is the position of your paper supply. Three ways of positioning your printer and continuous paper supply are shown below.
Loading Continuous Paper 1. Be sure that the printer is turned off. 2. Pull the paper release lever forward to the push tractor position, which is the middle position. 3. Open the paper guide cover and remove the paper guide.
4. Release the sprocket units by pulling the sprocket lock levers forward as shown below. 5. Slide the left sprocket unit all the way to the left and press the lever back to lock it in place.
6. Slide the right sprocket unit so that it roughly matches the width of your paper, but do not lock it. 7. Move the paper support midway between the two sprocket units.
8. Open both sprocket covers. CAUTION: Make sure that the first sheet of paper has a clean, straight edge before inserting it into the printer. 9. Fit the first four holes in the paper over the pins of both sprockets.
10. Close the sprocket covers. 11. Slide the right sprocket unit to a position where the paper is straight and has no wrinkles. Then lock it in place.
12. Reattach the paper guide on top of the paper as shown below. Note: For normal use, the paper thickness lever is set to position 2. If you are using special paper, see The Paper Thickness Lever later in this chapter for details. 13. Close the paper guide cover and turn on the printer.
14. Press the LOAD/EJECT button to feed paper to the loading position. Then press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line so that it can accept data. (Or, simply press ON LINE, and the printer loads the paper and then goes on line.) The printer remembers the loading position and advances each page to the same position. If you need to adjust the loading position, use the micro-adjustment feature. See Adjusting the Loading Position in Chapter 3.
Switching Between Continuous and Single Sheets Even with continuous paper loaded in the printer, the SmartPark feature allows you to easily switch to single-sheet printing without removing the continuous paper from the tractor. Switching to Single Sheets To switch from continuous paper to single sheets, follow the steps below. 1. If the printer is on line, press the ON LINE button to set the printer off line.
2. Tear off any outgoing sheets. If the paper has advanced past the print head, you need to press the FORM FEED button to advance your document to a point where it can be easily removed. CAUTION: Make sure you tear off your printed document before pressing the LOAD/EJECT button. Reverse-feeding several pages at a time may result in a paper jam. This is especially true for narrow paper (less than 6 inches or 152.4 mm wide).
3. Press the LOAD/EJECT button to feed the continuous paper backward out of the printer and into the standby position. The paper is still attached to the tractor but no longer in the paper path. The PAPER OUT light comes on when the paper is completely out of the paper path. CAUTION: Pressing the LOAD/EJECT button once may not feed the paper far back enough to reach the standby position. If the PAPER OUT light does not come on, press the LOAD/EJECT button again.
4. Push the paper release lever back to the single-sheet position. 5. Open the paper guide cover and lift the paper guide until it locks into place.
6. Move the left edge guide until it aligns with the guide mark. Adjust the right edge guide to match the width of your paper. 7. Slide a sheet of paper down between the edge guides until it meets resistance and the PAPER OUT light goes off. After about two seconds, the printer loads the paper automatically and sets itself ON LINE. 8. Close the paper guide cover. Switching Back to Continuous Paper It is also easy to switch back to printing with continuous paper.
1. Open the paper guide cover. 2. Lift up slightly on the paper guide and then lower it onto the back of the printer.
3. Pull the paper release lever forward to the push tractor position (the middle position), then close the paper guide cover. 4. Press the LOAD/EJECT button to feed the continuous paper to the loading position. Then, press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line so that it can accept data. (Or, simply press ON LINE, and the printer loads the paper and then goes on line.
Printing on Special Paper In addition to printing on single sheets and continuous paper, your printer can also print on a wide variety of paper types, including multi-part forms, labels, and envelopes. If you are printing preprinted or multi-part forms or labels, it is recommended that you use the optional pull tractor. See The Pull Tractor in Chapter 5. Before printing on special types of paper, you need to change the paper thickness setting.
Note: For normal use, set the paper thickness lever to position 2 on the scale. If you have installed the optional film ribbon cartridge, and you want to use single sheets or continuous paper, set the paper thickness lever to position 1.
To change the paper thickness setting, follow these steps. 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. Then open the printer cover and the paper guide cover. WARNING: If the printer has just been in use, the print head may be hot. Be careful not to touch it. 2. Make sure the print head is cool; then slide the print head to the middle of the printer.
3. Select the paper thickness you want according to the table at the beginning of this section. For normal use, the lever should always be set to position 2 on the scale. 4. Close the printer cover and the paper guide cover. To help you check the position of the paper thickness lever, the orange MULTI-PART light on the control panel comes on if the lever is set to position 4 or higher.
WARNING: Always return the lever to position 2 when you go back to printing on ordinary paper. Continuous printing with the lever set at a position higher than 2 can shorten the life of the print head. Printing past the edge of envelopes, multi-part forms, labels, or thicker-than-normal paper can damage the print head. Multi-part Forms With the built-in tractor unit, your printer can print on continuous multi-part forms. You can use multi-part forms that have up to four parts including the original.
Labels If you need to print labels, always use labels mounted on a continuous backing sheet with sprocket holes for use with a tractor. Do not try to print labels as single sheets because labels on a shiny backing sheet almost always slip a little. You load labels the same way that you load continuous paper except that the paper thickness lever must be adjusted for printing labels. See Loading Continuous Paper earlier in this chapter.
To eject labels from the printer, follow these steps: 1. Open the paper guide cover and remove the paper guide. 2. Tear off the sheet of labels at the perforation behind the push tractor.
3. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer off line. Then press the FORM FEED button to eject the labels. Envelopes You can feed envelopes individually using the single-sheet loading feature. Before loading envelopes, adjust the position of the paper thickness lever according to the Paper Thickness Lever table earlier in this chapter. For details on paper handling, see Using Single Sheets earlier in this chapter.
CAUTION: The printable area for envelopes is shown below. The print head must not go past the left or right edge of the envelope or other thick paper. Make sure the page setup of your application program keeps the printing entirely within this printable area. Always keep the longer side of the envelope horizontal. If you use No. 6 envelopes, make sure the left edge guide is aligned with the arrow on the paper guide. 0.39 inch (10 mm) or more 0.12 inch (3 mm) or more 0.
Chapter 3 Using the Printer Operating the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SelecType . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other Control Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 3-2 3-3 3-4 3-5 Setting the DIP Switches. . . . . . . .
Operating the Control Panel The indicator lights give you the current status of the printer. The buttons let you control many of the printer settings. Lights POWER (green) On when the POWER switch is on and power is supplied. READY (green) On when the printer is ready for input data. Flickers during printing. PAPER OUT (red) On when the printer is out of paper or when continuous paper is in the standby position. ON LINE (green) On when the printer is on line and ready to accept data.
Buttons ON LINE This button controls the printer’s on line and off line status. Press this button to put the printer on line or to take it off line. When the printer is on line, the ON LINE light is on and the printer can receive and print data from the computer. FORM FEED When the printer is off line, press this button to eject a single sheet of paper or to advance continuous paper to the top of the next page.
TEAR OFF Press this button to feed the perforation of continuous paper to the tear-off edge of the printer. After tearing off the paper, press this button again to feed the paper backward to the loading position. SelecType FONT Press this button to select LQ ROMAN, LQ SANS SERIF, DRAFT mode, or a cartridge font (if installed). The indicator light shows the font you select. See Selecting Typestyles later in this chapter. PITCH Press this button to select the character spacing.
Other Control Panel Features The control panel of your printer also gives you access to several special functions. Self test: Both a draft and Letter Quality self test function are built into the printer. The self test printout lets you check the current DIP switch settings and operating status of the printer. You can start the printer’s self test by holding down the LINE FEED button (for draft mode) or the FORM FEED button (for Letter Quality mode) while turning on the printer.
Setting the DIP Switches The printer has two sets of DIP (Dual Inline Package) switches located inside the printer cover to the left of the control panel. By changing the settings of these switches, you can control various printer features, such as the character set and page length. The new settings become effective when you turn on, reset, or initialize the printer. Changing a DIP Switch Setting To change a DIP switch setting, follow these steps: 1. Turn off the printer. 2. 3-6 Open the printer cover.
3. Use a pointed object, such as a pen, to change the DIP switch settings. A DIP switch is on when it is set toward the back of the printer, and off when it is set toward the front of the printer. 4. Close the printer cover. The new DIP switch settings take effect when you turn the printer on. The DIP Switch Tables The tables below describe the DIP switch settings.
DIP Switch 2 Table 1 International character sets See Selecting an International Character Set later in this chapter for other character sets. International character sets are selectable only when DIP switch 1-4 is off.
Table 3 Baud rate selection Table 2 Interface/parity selection Interface type Parity SW 2-3 SW 2-4 Baud rate OFF OFF 9600 bps Parallel SW 2-5 SW 2-6 OFF Serial Even ON OFF 19200 bps ON Serial Odd OFF ON 1200 bps OFF Serial None ON ON 300 bps ON OFF OFF ON ON Table 4 Code page tables Code page tables are selectable only when the DIP switch 1-4 is on.
The DIP Switch Functions Character sets and tables DIP switches l-1, 1-2, and l-3 select an international character set or a code page table based on the setting of DIP switch 1-4. When DIP switch l-4 is off, DIP switches l-l, 1-2, and l-3 select an international character set. When DIP switch l-4 is on, DIP switches 1-1, l-2, and l-3 select a code page table. Also, when DIP switch l-4 is off, the italics character table is selected.
Skip over perforation By changing the setting of DIP switch l-8, you can set skip over perforation to on or off. If this feature is on when using continuous paper, a one-inch margin is provided between the last printable line on one page and the first printable line on the next page. This feature is very convenient if your application program does not provide for top and bottom margins.
Note: Most application programs take care of top and bottom margins. Use skip over perforation only if your program does not provide these margins. The skip over perforation setting can be set to values other than one inch by using the ESC N command. See the Command Summary in Chapter 9 for details. Page length To obtain one of the four page lengths, set DIP switches 2-1 and 2-2 according to the Page length selection table. The page lengths are: 8.5 inches (216 mm), 11 inches (279 mm), 11.
Interface selection and communications parameters DIP switches 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, and 2-6 select communications parameters that you need to set if you are using the serial interface on the printer. DIP switches 2-3 and 2-4 select the type of interface you are using and the parity setting for the serial interface. DIP switches 2-5 and 2-6 select the baud rate at which the serial port will transmit and receive data. Tear-off mode When DIP switch 2-7 is on, the short tear-off mode is on.
Adjusting the Loading Position The Loading Position The loading position is the position of the paper when it has been automatically loaded by the printer. This position is important because it determines where the printing begins on the page. If the printing is too high or too low on the page, change the loading position using the micro-adjustment feature described in the next section. You can set separate loading positions for single sheets, continuous paper, and sheets loaded by the cut sheet feeder.
Using Micro-adjustment 1. Make sure that the printer is turned on and that either a single sheet or continuous paper is ready to be loaded. 2. If you are using the cut sheet feeder or continuous paper, press the LOAD/EJECT button to feed paper to the loading position. Then press the ON LINE button. (Or, simply press ON LINE, and the printer loads the paper and then goes on line.) If you are using single sheets, wait two seconds; the printer loads paper and then goes on line automatically.
3. The dots on the clear plastic ribbon mask show you where the bottom edge of your first line of text will print. This position is based on the first printable line of text. Press the FORM FEED button to feed the paper backward or the LINE FEED button to feed the paper forward. Note: When the paper reaches the factory-set loading position, the printer beeps and micro-adjustment feeding pauses for a moment before continuing.
Using Short Tear-off You can use the short tear-off feature in one of two ways. If DIP switch 2-7 is on and the printer does not receive data for three seconds after it has reached the bottom margin or received a form feed, the short tear-off feature automatically feeds the perforation of the continuous paper to the tear-off edge of the printer cover so that you can tear off the last sheet. When you resume printing, the paper feeds backward to the loading position.
When you have finished printing, and if the perforation is at the top of form position, the printer automatically feeds the perforation of the continuous paper to the tear-off edge of the printer cover. You can then tear off the page using the tear-off edge as shown below. If the page perforation is not properly aligned with the tear-off edge, you can adjust the tear-off position using micro-adjustment, as described later in this section.
Using the TEAR OFF Button 1. When you have finished printing, press the TEAR OFF button once. The orange TEAR OFF light comes on and the printer feeds the paper’s perforation to the tear-off edge of the printer cover. 2. Tear off the page using the tear-off edge. 3. Press the TEAR OFF button again to feed the paper back to its loading position.
Adjusting the Tear-off Position If the paper’s perforation does not meet the tear-off edge, you can adjust the tear-off position using the micro-adjustment feature. 1. Make sure the printer feeds the paper to the tear-off position after printing the document. The TEAR OFF light should be on and the MULTI-PART light should begin blinking, indicating that you can now use the micro-adjustment feature to make fine adjustments to the tear-off position. 2.
Selecting Typestyles You can produce a wide range of typestyles by selecting different character fonts, widths, and other enhancements from the SelecType control panel or by using software commands. This section describes only the features controlled by SelecType. To use software commands, see the Command Summary in Chapter 9. You can use the SelecType section of the control panel to choose fonts and character spacings. Orange lights indicate which features you have chosen.
To select a font, press the FONT button until the font’s orange indicator light comes on. Note that font selection skips over SLOT A or SLOT B if no optional font module is installed in that slot. DRAFT SLOT A ROMAN SLOT B FONT SANS SERIF There are two printing speeds for the DRAFT font, high-speed draft and normal draft. These printing speeds are controlled by DIP switch 1-6. The following samples show the character set available for each font.
ROMAN We’ve just seen your excellent ad for m i n i a t u r e z e b r a s in a recent back issue of T r a d e r ’ s T i m e s . What is the price schedule for quantities over o n e g r o s s ? SANS SERIF We’ve just seen your excellent ad for m i n i a t u r e z e b r a s in a recent back issue of Trader’s Times. What is the price schedule for quantities over one gross? The DRAFT mode uses fewer dots per character for high-speed printing, which makes it ideal for rough drafts and editing work.
Character Spacing To select character spacing, press the PITCH button until the indicator light of the desired character spacing comes on. 10 CPI 17 CPI 12 CPI 20 CPI 15 CPI PROPORTIONAL PITCH Note: Some of the fonts in the optional font module do not offer all character spacings. See The Multi-Font Module in Chapter 5. For each of the two Letter Quality fonts, you can choose a fixed character pitch of 10, 12, 15, 17, or 20 characters per inch (cpi) or proportional spacing.
The following printout compares the five pitches with proportional spacing. T h i s is 1 0 c p i p r i n t i n g . This is 12 cpi printing. This is 15 cpi printing. This is 17 cpi printing, This is 20 cpi printing. This is proportional spacing.
Selecting a Character Set and Table Selecting an International Character Set International character sets provide you with the characters and symbols used in other languages. You can select one of eight international character sets by changing the DIP switch settings, Whenever the printer is turned on, reset, or initialized, the character set selected by the DIP switches becomes the default character set.
In addition to the eight character sets shown above, the seven international character sets that follow can be selected with a software command: ESC R. For more information, see the Command Summary in Chapter 9. Country ASCII decimal code 8 Japan 9 Norway 10 Denmark II 11 Spain II 12 Latin America 13 Korea 64 Legal Once you set the DIP switches for a certain character set, that set remains valid even after you turn off, reset, or initialize the printer.
Choosing a Character Table DIP switch 1-4 selects either the italic character table or the Epson Extended Graphics character table. The Epson Extended Graphics character table contains international accented characters, Greek characters, mathematic symbols, and character graphics for printing lines, corners, and shaded areas. If you have an IBM@ or IBM-compatible computer, select the Epson Extended Graphics table when you wish to print character graphics as they are displayed on the screen.
Using the Data Dump Mode The data dump mode is a special feature that makes it easy for experienced users to identify the cause of communication problems between the printer and application programs. The data dump mode gives a printout of the codes reaching the printer. To use the data dump mode, follow these steps: 1. Make sure that the printer is loaded with either single-sheet or continuous paper. 2.
To interpret the sample data dump printout, examine the first three hex codes on the second line of the printout sample (20 20 54). Each hex code 20 represents a space; hex code 54 represents the letter T. Check the second line of the text field on the right side of the printout and you will find the letter T preceded by two spaces. The chart below interprets the first eight codes of the sample printout.
Chapter 4 Software and Graphics Enhancing Your Printing . . . . . . . Print Quality and Fonts . . . . . . Character Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . Character Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Special Effects and Emphasis. . ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... ..................... 4-2 4-2 4-3 4-4 4-5 Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Color Graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Print Head. . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Graphics Command .
Enhancing Your Printing You can obtain a wide variety of printing effects with the LQ-860 printer, from changing the number of characters per inch to using special effects on selected words and phrases. This section gives you a sampling of the features you may select with your software. For software control of these features, see the instructions for your application programs or look up their specific commands in the Command Summary in Chapter 9.
Note: High-speed draft is available only with 10 cpi printing. Underlining and double-width printing can be combined with high-speed draft. If other enhancements or character spacings are selected, the printer switches to normal draft speed. High-speed draft resumes again after the feature is turned off. Character Spacing To add greater variety to your documents, the printer has five cpi spacings, as well as proportional spacing. You can select each one with a software command or with SelecType.
In fixed cpi spacing each character is given the same amount of space. The width of proportional characters, however, varies from character to character. For example, a narrow letter like i takes less space than a wide letter like W. The width of each proportional character is given in the appendix. The following printout compares 10 cpi spacing with proportional spacing: This is 10 cpi printing. This is proportional spacing. Note: Proportional spacing is not available in the draft mode.
Both 10 and 12 cpi printing and proportional spacing can be reduced to about 60 percent of their normal width using the condensed mode. This mode is particularly useful for printing wide spreadsheets because condensed 12 cpi printing allows you to print up to 160 characters on an 8-inch line. You select the condensed mode with a software command. See ESC SI in Chapter 9 for more information. Condensed 10 cpi gives you character on a line. Condensed 12 cpi gives even more.
Emphasized and double-strike printing Emphasized and double-strike printing can give words and phrases added prominence. In emphasized mode, the printer prints each character twice as the print head moves across the paper, with the dots in the second pass printed slightly to the right of the first pass. This process produces darker, more fully-formed characters. In double-strike mode, the print head prints each line twice, making the text bolder.
Underlining, strike-through, and overlining The underline, strike-through, and overline modes are useful for highlighting selected text. This feature can be used to score spaces, subscripts, and superscripts without a break. You can choose from a variety of line styles, including single, double, broken, or continuous. See the ESC (- command in Chapter 9 for more information. This is continuous underlining.
Graphics The dot graphics mode allows your printer to produce color or black and white pictures, graphs, charts, or almost any other pictorial image you can create. Because many commercial software programs use graphics, you may be able to print graphs like the one on this page and pictures simply by giving your software a few instructions. The quickest and easiest way to print graphics on your printer is to use a commercial graphics program.
Color Graphics With a color ribbon and the appropriate software, you can print graphics in up to seven colors. Be sure your graphics program supports color on the LQ-860. The Print Head To understand dot graphics you need to know a little about how your printer’s print head works. The print head has 24 pins. As the print head moves across the page, electrical impulses cause the pins to fire. Each time a pin fires, it strikes the inked ribbon and presses it against the paper producing a small dot.
Twenty-four-pin graphics The graphics mode that takes full advantage of this printer’s print head is 24-pin graphics. This mode has five densities, but for simplicity this explanation deals with only one of them, tripledensity. Triple-density prints up to 180 dots per inch horizontally. As the print head moves across the paper, every 1/180th of an inch it must receive instructions about which of its 24 pins to fire. At each position it can fire any number of pins, from none to 24.
By adding the appropriate label numbers together, you can fire any combination of pins. Below are three examples of how to calculate the number that will fire a particular pattern of pins. With this numbering system, any combination of the eight pins adds up to a decimal number between 0 and 255, and no numbers are duplicated. Because there are 24 pins in each column, you must make a calculation for each of the three sections in each column.
Your printer has one command that allows you to use any of the 11 graphics options. The format of the command is: ESC * m nl n2 data In this command, m selects the graphics option and nl and n2 specify the number of columns to reserve for graphics. The available graphics options are listed below: Option Pins m Horiz. density dots/in.
To find nl and n2, divide the total number of columns by 256. The result is n2; the remainder is n1. Because the command is set up for two numbers, you must supply two even if you need only one. When you need fewer than 256 columns, just make nl the number of columns you are reserving and make n2 a zero. For example, if you wish to send 1632 columns of graphics data, nl should be 96 and n2 should be 6 because 1632 = 96 + (6 x 256).
Designing Your Own Graphics With what you know now, you can use the simplest application of graphics-calculating by hand the data to print the graphic image. While this method is the most tedious, it helps you understand dot graphics. It is also useful for small graphic elements that are used many times. The illustration below shows how you can use a grid on paper to plan where you want dots to be printed. This grid is for a single line of graphics 42 columns long.
Write the assigned values of the pins next to your design, then total the values for each column of dots. These totals are the values that you send to the printer as graphics data to print the design. Below is the same grid divided into three sections to make the data calculation easier. At the bottom of each section of each column is the total of the pin numbers for that section. This gives you the total of 126 data numbers necessary to print this small figure.
Below is the BASIC program that prints the design shown on the previous pages. Note that the data numbers in lines 80 through 140 are the same numbers that are at the bottom of each section in the last illustration. The WIDTH statement in line 10 is for IBM PC BASIC; the WIDTH statement format may be different for your system.
Adding the following lines to the preceding program causes the pattern to print 10 times in a row as shown below: 15 FOR C=1 TO 10: RESTORE 65 NEXT C Individual graphics option commands There are four individual graphics option commands that are very much the same as the ESC * command, but each one works for only one graphics option. All these commands are for 8-pin graphics options.
The letter s represents the command that you wish to change the assignment for (K, L, Y, or Z) and m is the number of the graphics option that you want to assign to it. For example, to change the ESC K command to use the CRT I graphics option, the command in BASIC is: LPRINT CHR$ (27);"?";"K";CHR$(4) This is a quick way to change the aspect ratio of the design that you are printing. Changing the graphics option will change the width without changing the height.
User-defined Characters With this printer, it is possible to define and print characters of your own design. You can design an entirely new alphabet or typeface, create special characters for use as mathematical or scientific symbols, or create graphic patterns with user-defined characters to serve as building blocks for larger designs. Below, you can see samples of typefaces created with the userdefined character function.
Design grids To design a character you use a grid that is 24 dots high-one dot for each pin on the printer’s print head. The width of the character matrix depends on the character set in use. For draft characters, the grid is nine dots wide, for Letter Quality it is 29 dots wide, and for proportional characters it is 37 dots wide. The dots for both Letter Quality and proportional characters are spaced more closely together than those for draft characters. The illustrations below show the two design grids.
There is one restriction in designing characters. Dots in the same row may not print in adjacent columns. This means that there must be an empty dot position both to the left and right of each dot that prints. This is true in draft, Letter Quality, and proportional modes. Defining Your Characters The first step in defining characters is to place the dots on a grid just as you want them to print. The examples shown here, like the ones in the graphics section, use an x to represent each dot.
Data numbers The bits within each byte have values of 1,2,4,8,16,32,64, and 128. In the vertical column of dots, the bits are arranged so that the most significant bit (with a value of 128) is at the top of the column and the least significant bit (with a value of 1) is at the bottom. The next illustration shows how to use this method to calculate the data numbers for the character in this example. On the left side of the figure, the data numbers are calculated for the middle column.
You have seen how to design a character by placing dots on a grid and translating the dots to decimal equivalents. The last step in defining a character is sending this information to your printer. Sending Information to Your Printer The printer loads characters in the print style (Letter Quality, draft, or proportional) that the printer is currently using. It also records whether italic, superscript, or subscript is turned on.
Following the specification of the range of characters to be defined in this command are three data bytes, d0, dl, and d2, that specify the width of the character and the space around it. The left space (in dot columns) is specified by d0, and the right space is specified by d2. The second byte, dl, specifies the number of columns of dots that are printed to make up the character.
This example of a character definition program should make this clear: 18 LPRINT CHR$(27)"x0" 20 LPRINT CHR$(27)"&"CHR$(0); 30 LPRINT "@@"; 40 LPRINT CHR$(1)CHR$(9)CHR$(1); 50 FOR I=1 TO 27 60 READ A: LPRINT CHR$(A); 70 NEXT I 80 LPRINT "@@@@@" 90 LPRINT CHR$(27)"%"CHR$(1); 100 LPRINT "@@@@@" 110 LPRINT CHR$(27)"X"CHR$(0); 120 LPRINT "@@@@@" 130 END 140 DATA 1,0,0,2,0,0,4,0,0 150 DATA 8,0,0,23,255,240,8,0,0 160 DATA 4,0,0,2,0,0,1,0,0 In line 10, the ESC x0 command selects draft printing.
Printing User-defined Characters If you entered the previous program example, you defined an arrow and placed it in the RAM location for ASCII code 64 (replacing the @ sign). You can now print out a three-line sample of your work. The first and third lines (printed by lines 80 and 120) print the normal @ sign. The second line (printed by line 100) prints out the arrow that you defined.
Copying ROM Characters to RAM After running the program, if you select the user-defined character set and try to print other characters, the only one that will print is your arrow. Because no other characters are in the printer’s userdefined RAM, there is nothing else to print. Other characters sent to the printer do not even print as spaces; it’s as if they were not sent at all.
Letter Quality Characters If you select Letter Quality printing with the ESC xl command, you can design user-defined characters using up to 29 columns of the Letter Quality/Proportional grid. The dot columns are spaced closer together horizontally than draft dot columns (the horizontal dot spacing is 1/360th of an inch as opposed to 1/120th of an inch for draft characters). Proportional mode characters Selecting the proportional character mode yields user-defined characters of the highest resolution.
Because superscript and subscript characters are smaller, when you define them you only need two bytes of data for each vertical row of dots. Design grids for these characters are shown in the figure below: Draft pica Letter Quality and Proportional Mixing Print Styles You can use each of the three user-defined character modes (draft, Letter Quality, and proportional) in combination with most of your printer’s various print styles. For instance, emphasized mode works with user-defined characters.
If you define characters in one mode, then switch to another mode and select the user-defined character set, the command is ignored and nothing is printed. The user-defined character definitions, however, remain unaffected. If you switch back to the mode in which they were defined, you can then select and print them. Keep in mind that user-defined characters are stored in RAM, which is not permanent memory.
Chapter 5 Using the Printer Options The Cut Sheet Feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Testing the Printer in the Cut Sheet Feeder Mode . . . . . Loading Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Operating the Cut Sheet Feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Cut Sheet Feeder The optional cut sheet feeders make it possible to handle singlesheet paper more easily and more efficiently. Up to 150 sheets of standard bond paper can be fed automatically into the printer without reloading. You can also feed envelopes using the cut sheet feeder. Both single-bin (C806271) and double-bin (C806281) cut sheet feeders are available. The double-bin sheet feeder has a front bin (bin 1) and a back bin (bin 2) in which you can store two different types of paper.
2. Make sure the printer is turned off. Lift the paper guide cover up and off the printer. 3. Remove the paper guide.
4. Push the paper release lever back to the single-sheet position. 5. Remove the paper tension unit by pressing the levers back to open the mounting latches. At the same time, lift up on the front of the unit and lift the unit off of the printer.
6. Tilt the cut sheet feeder slightly forward to fit the notches at the base of the unit over the pins on the printer. Then tilt the feeder back until it rests on top of the printer. 7. Open the printer cover and attach the cut sheet feeder cover included with the cut sheet feeder.
8. Turn on the cut sheet feeder mode by setting DIP switch 1-7 to on. Note: Always make sure that the printer is turned off before changing the DIP switch settings. 9. Close the cut sheet feeder cover and the printer cover. 10. Turn on the printer.
Loading Paper 1. Make sure the printer is turned off. Check that the cut sheet feeder mode is turned on with DIP switch 1-7. Then turn on the printer. 2. Pull the left and right paper set levers of the selected bin all the way forward until the paper guides retract and lock open to allow for paper loading. Note: Make sure the front levers on the left and right paper guides are up when using normal paper.
3. Slide the left paper guide to where the fin on the edge guide matches the arrow on the panel. Next, slide the right paper guide so that it roughly matches the width of your paper. 4. Take a stack of paper and fan it as shown. This keeps the paper from sticking and ensures that only one sheet feeds at a time. Tap the side and bottom of the paper on a flat surface to even the stack. Note: For best results, use typewriter quality paper.
5. Insert the stack of paper between the paper guides, aligning it with the left edge of the guide. Then adjust the right paper guide until the paper is held firmly, but not so tightly that it causes the paper to buckle. Make sure the paper can move up and down freely.
6. Push the paper set levers back until they clamp the paper against the guide rollers. The levers will not close completely if too much paper is used. If this happens, remove some paper from the stack and try again. 7. If you use the double-bin cut sheet feeder, you can select the paper bin number with the control panel on the printer. Press the TEAR OFF button to change between bin 1 and bin 2. The printer beeps once if you select bin 1 and twice for bin 2.
Running the self test is the same as when the cut sheet feeder mode is off. The steps below are for a self test in draft mode. 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off and a stack of paper is inserted in the selected bin of the cut sheet feeder. Check that the cut sheet feeder mode is selected and the paper release lever is pushed to the rear. 2. While holding down the LINE FEED button, turn on the printer. (For Letter Quality mode, press the FORM FEED button instead of the LINE FEED button.
Loading Envelopes You can print on plain, bond, or air mail envelopes. The cut sheet feeder can hold up to 25 plain or bond envelopes, or 30 air mail envelopes. Before printing on envelopes, you need to set the paper thickness lever. See Printing on Special Paper in Chapter 2. WARNING: When you print on envelopes, be sure that the settings of your application program keep the printing entirely within the printable area. You load envelopes in much the same way as regular paper. 1.
2. Push down on the two front levers on the left and right paper guides until they lock into position. 3. Take a stack of envelopes and fan it; then tap it on a flat surface to even the edges. Then insert the envelopes into the front bin. 4. Press the LOAD/EJECT button to load an envelope. Then press the ON LINE button to start printing.
Operating the Cut Sheet Feeder After stacking paper in the cut sheet feeder, turn on the printer and make sure that the ON LINE light is on. When the printer is on line, a new sheet of paper loads automatically whenever a printable character or line feed command is sent to the printer. Paper out condition When the printer is on line and receives print data from the computer, the first sheet loads automatically. Subsequent sheets load automatically as necessary.
LOAD/EJECT When there is no paper in the printer, press this button to load the paper. (Note that paper loads automatically when you print.) When there is paper in the printer, press this button to eject the sheet. BIN 1 BIN 2 (TEAR OFF) When the printer is on line or off line, press this button to select either bin 1 or bin 2 if you are using a double-bin cut sheet feeder. Software operation The following commands cause the printer to eject the sheet in the printer without loading the next sheet.
Using Continuous Paper The printer allows you to easily switch between the cut sheet feeder and the tractor feeding system without having to remove either the feeder or the continuous paper supply. 1. Make sure the continuous paper is already loaded and in the standby position as explained in Chapter 2. 2. Install the cut sheet feeder as described in this section, making sure that DIP switch l-7 is set to on. 3. If a single sheet is still in the printer, eject it by pressing the LOAD/EJECT button. 4.
5. Raise the paper path guide until it clicks open. This guide directs the flow of continuous paper out of the front of the printer.
6. Raise the continuous paper support on the paper path guide. 7. Press the ON LINE button. The printer loads continuous paper and goes on line. Note: l l With the paper release lever forward and the printer off line, the control panel functions normally, allowing you to use the micro-adjustment feature to finely adjust the loading position of your paper. If you wish to use the short tear-off feature, you can tear off the perforation of the continuous paper at the cut sheet feeder's tear-off edge.
Switching back to the cut sheet feeder To switch back to using the cut sheet feeder, press the ON LINE button to take the printer off line, and then follow these steps: 1. Tear off all printed sheets. Press the LOAD/EJECT button until the continuous paper feeds backward out of the paper path. 2. Lower the continuous paper support and close the paper path guide.
3. Push the paper release lever all the way back to the single-sheet position.
Loading Single Sheets Your cut sheet feeder also has a single-sheet loading feature. This feature is especially useful because it allows you to switch to a different type or size of paper without replacing the stack of paper already in your cut sheet feeder. 1. Make sure that the paper release lever is in the single-sheet position. CAUTION: If you are using the double-bin cut sheet feeder, make sure that bin 1 is selected by the TEAR OFF button or with the ESC EM software command. 2.
Removing the Cut Sheet Feeder 1. Turn off the printer and remove any paper stacked in the cut sheet feeder. 2. Open the cut sheet feeder cover and remove it.
3. Tilt the back of the cut sheet feeder forward to release its notches from the printer’s pins. Then lift up and remove the cut sheet feeder.
4. Replace the paper tension unit as shown below. Tilt the unit back and position the back notches on the unit over the rear mounting pins of the printer. Press the levers open as you tilt the unit toward you until the front latches click in place over the front mounting pins located behind the paper bail. 5. Set DIP switch l-7 to off to turn off the cut sheet feeder mode. Note: When DIP switch 1-7 is off, the printer uses the continuous paper page length selected by DIP switches 2-1 and 2-2.
The Pull Tractor The optional pull tractor (C800161) provides optimum continuous paper handling. The pull tractor is especially useful with continuous preprinted forms, multi-part forms, and labels. Use of the pull tractor is also recommended for obtaining the highest quality graphics. For best results, use the pull tractor along with the built-in push tractor as described in this section. Installation 1. Turn off the printer and remove the paper guide cover.
2. Remove the paper guide. 3. Remove the paper tension unit by pressing the levers back to open the mounting latches. At the same time, lift up the front of the unit.
4. Hold the pull tractor with the knob to the right. Fit the rear notches on the tractor over the rear mounting pins of the printer. 5. Tilt the tractor unit toward you until the front latches click in place over the front mounting pins of the printer.
6. Pull the paper release lever all the way forward to the pull tractor position. CAUTION: You cannot use the short tear-off function with the pull tractor. Before you start printing with the pull tractor, be sure that DIP switch 2-7 is set to off. Paper Handling 1. Load continuous paper in the push tractor as described in Chapter 2. However, make sure the left sprocket units on both the push tractor and the pull tractor are positioned evenly. Then lock the sprocket units on the push tractor in place.
2. Raise the paper bail. Slide the right sprocket unit to the right and open both sprocket covers. 3. Make sure that the printer is off line and then press the LOAD/EJECT button to load the paper. If you need to adjust the loading position, use the micro-adjustment function described in Chapter 3. Next, press the FORM FEED button to advance the paper one page so that you can fit the paper onto the pull tractor. CAUTION: Never use the platen knob to feed the paper while the printer is turned on.
4. Pull the sprocket lock levers toward you to release them. 5. Adjust the sprocket units to match the width of the paper. Place the paper support evenly between the sprocket units.
6. Fit the holes of the paper over the tractor pins on the sprocket units, adjusting the position of the sprocket units as necessary. 7. If the paper does not fit exactly onto the tractor pins or if the paper buckles, press in on the pull tractor knob and turn it in the desired direction until the paper fits properly. Then close the sprocket covers.
The Pull Tractor 8. See that the paper is not crooked or wrinkled and lock the sprocket units in place. CAUTION: Make sure that the sprocket units of the two tractor units are properly aligned. 9. Slide the rollers on the paper bail bar so they are evenly distributed across the width of your paper, making sure that the right and left rollers are at both edges of your paper. Then lower the paper bail.
10. Attach the paper guide. Then slide the edge guides together so they meet at about the middle of the paper’s width. The paper guide separates the printed pages and prevents them from returning to the paper feed path and jamming the printer. 11. Install the pull tractor cover. 12. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line. Note: Do not use the short tear-off feature with the pull tractor.
Removing the Pull Tractor 1. Remove the pull tractor cover and the paper guide. 2. Tear off any printed sheets or extra blank sheets. 3. Press the ON LINE button to take the printer off line and press the LOAD/EJECT button until the continuous paper feeds backward out of the paper path to the standby position. The PAPER OUT light comes on when the paper is completely out of the paper path. Note: Make sure you tear off the printed document before removing paper with the LOAD/EJECT button.
4. Remove the continuous paper from the built-in push tractor unit. 5. Turn off the printer. Then, pressing the tabs on the pull tractor, tilt it back and lift it off the printer.
6. Replace the paper tension unit as shown below. Tilt the unit back and position the back notches on the unit over the rear mounting pins of the printer. Press the levers open as you tilt the unit forward until the front latches click in place over the front mounting pins. 7. Install the paper guide and the printer cover unit. 8. Push the paper release lever all the way back to the single-sheet position.
The Multi-Font Module The optional Multi-Font Module (#7407) gives you an easy way to have access to seven more fonts for your printer. After you install the Multi-Font Module in either slot A or slot B of the printer, the following fonts are available: Courier, Prestige, Script, OCR-A, OCR-B, Orator, and Orator-S. You can use any one of these fonts as your default font when the printer is turned on and any of the others optionally by sending a command to the printer.
Prestige We've just seen your excellent ad for m i n i a t u r e z é b r a s in a recent back issue of Trader's Times. What is the price schedule for quantities over one gross? Script We’ve just s e e n y o u r eX c e l l e n t a d f o r m i n i a t u r e z e b r a s i n a r eC e n t b a c k i s s u e o f Trader’s Times.
OCR-A We've just seen your excellent ad for back issue of the price s c h e d u l e gross? m i n i a t u r e z e b r a s in a recent Trader's Times. What is for quantities over one OCR-B We've just s e e n your excellent ad for m i n i a t u r e z e b r a s in a r e c e n t b a c k issue of Trader's Times.
Orator W E ' VE JUST SEEN YOUR EXCELLENT AD FOR MINIATURE ZEBRAS IN A RECENT BACK ISSUE OF T R A D E R' S T I M E S .
Installation WARNING: Always turn off the printer before you insert or remove the module. Installing or removing the module while the power is on may damage the printer. 1. Make sure the printer is turned off. 2. Dial the rotary switch on the font module to select the font you want according to the table in the next section, Selecting a Font. 3. Hold the module with the rotary switch facing up, and insert the font module securely into slot A or B. If you install only one font module, insert it in slot A.
4. Turn on the printer. Then select SLOT A or SLOT B by pressing the FONT button on the SelecType panel. DRAFT SLOT A ROMAN SLOT B FONT I SANS SERIF Note: This font module selection remains valid even after you turn off, reset, or initialize the printer. Selecting a Font This table shows the family numbers and characters per inch of the fonts in the Multi-Font Module.
There are two ways to select a font from the module: l l With the printer turned off, dial the family number of the font with the rotary switch on the module. When the printer is turned on, that font becomes the default font if the slot is selected by pressing the button on the control panel. Send a software command, ESC k, to the printer to select the family number. See the Command Summary in Chapter 9 for details. Proportional spacing is not effective when printing any font in this module.
The Interface Boards A number of optional interfaces are available that supplement the capabilities of your printer’s built-in serial and parallel interfaces. Choosing an Interface Optional interfaces can be divided into three main categories which are described briefly below. l IEEE-488 interfaces offer standardized connections, trouble-free operation, and the ability to connect computers, printers, and other devices on the same line so that they may share data freely.
Note: Some interfaces may not be available in all countries. All Epson interfaces have the Epson name printed on them. If the board has an identification code printed on it, it is a four-digit number beginning with 8 and should correspond to one of the numbers listed above. Also Coax and Twinax interfaces are available from Epson dealers. These interfaces allow connectivity to mainframes and minicomputers and emulation of IBM printers.
2. Remove any installed printer options such as the pull tractor or the cut sheet feeder. Then, open the paper guide cover and remove the paper guide. 3. Turn the printer around so the back is facing you. 4. Using a cross-head screwdriver, remove the retaining screw securing the interface board cover. 5. Pull the interface board cover toward you and remove it.
6. Remove the shield plate above the parallel interface by pressing in on the plastic clips located on the back of the plate inside the printer. 7. Remove the screw labeled CG (chassis ground) from the main board. Then set it aside in a safe place.
The Interface Boards Installing the board There are two basic types of interface board designs, which slightly change the way they are installed in the printer. The frame ground (FG) wire is attached for one type and not attached for the other. This difference does not affect the operation of the interface in any way. Check to see which type of interface board you have and then follow the instructions for that type of board.
2. Use the CG screw to attach the round end of the FG wire to the main board and position the other end as shown. 3. Align the interface board with the CN2 connector on the main board and with the interface port on the back of the printer. Carefully insert the pins on the optional interface board into the mating connector on the main board. Then secure the board with three of the screws provided.
4. Attach the plug end of the FG wire onto the FG pin located on top of the interface board. If the FG wire is attached, follow these steps: 1. Set the DIP switches on the interface board according to the manual accompanying your interface board. (If you are installing the #8143 board, see the next section, #8143 New Serial Interface.) 2. Carefully place the interface on the back of the printer as shown below. Use the CG screw to connect the round end of the FG wire to the main board.
3. Holding the interface board level, rotate it counterclockwise into position above the main board. Then lower the interface board into the printer and attach it to the main board. Make sure the connector pins are properly inserted into the mating connector. 4. Secure the board with three of the screws provided.
Attaching the interface board cover 1. Reattach the interface board cover and secure it with the screw you removed earlier. 2. Replace all parts and options you removed earlier. WARNING: Before you use the optional interface board, be sure to disconnect the interface cable for the printer’s built-in parallel or serial interface. Two interface cables must not be installed at the same time.
Chapter 6 Maintenance Cleaning the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 Replacing the Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4 Transporting the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cleaning the Printer To keep your printer operating at its best, you should clean it thoroughly several times a year. Follow the steps below: 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. Then remove the paper guide and any installed options. 2. Using a soft brush, carefully remove all dust and dirt. 3. If the outer case or paper guide cover is dirty or dusty, clean it with a soft, clean cloth dampened with a mild detergent solution.
WARNINGS: l Never use alcohols or thinners to clean the printer, because these chemicals can damage the components as well as the case. l l l l Be careful not to get water on the printer mechanism or electronic components. Do not use a hard or abrasive brush. Do not spray the inside of the printer with lubricants; unsuitable oils can damage the mechanism. Contact your Epson dealer if you think lubrication is needed. Before cleaning, disconnect the printer from the wall socket.
Replacing the Ribbon Replace the ribbon when the printout becomes too faint. The following Epson replacement ribbon cartridges are available: #7762: Standard (black) #7763: Color #7764: Film (black) Note: The optional film ribbon prints in red near the end of the ribbon. Replace the film ribbon at this point. Do not use ribbons designed for nine-pin printers. 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. Then open the printer cover and the paper guide cover.
2. Holding the print head, not the ribbon cartridge, move the print head to about three inches from the left side toward the center of the printer. 3. To release the ribbon cartridge, gently press the tab at the top left of the cartridge holder. Then lift the cartridge straight up and out of the printer.
4. To remove slack in the new ribbon, turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow. Note: The film ribbon cartridge has a slightly different tightening knob and comes with a white shipping spacer. Before installing a film ribbon, remove the white tab spacer from the cartridge first. 5. Hold the ribbon cartridge while gently squeezing the two ridged plastic tabs together; then lower it until it snaps into place.
6. Turn the ribbontightening knob again to make sure the ribbon moves freely. 7. Holding the print head, not the ribbon cartridge, slide the print head from side to side to make sure that it moves smoothly.
8. Close the printer cover and the paper guide cover.
Transporting the Printer Before you transport your printer some distance, carefully replace it in the original box and packing materials, as described below. 1. Turn off the printer, then remove any installed options. 2. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet and disconnect the interface cable between the printer and the computer. 3. Open the paper guide cover and remove the paper guide.
4. Open the printer cover, and remove the ribbon cartridge and the platen knob. 5. Using the cross-head screwdriver, reattach the two transport locking brackets.
6. Close the printer cover and the paper guide cover. 7. Fit the printer back into the white packing material and then back into its original box.
Chapter 7 Troubleshooting Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2 Power Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4 Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5 Paper Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Problems and Solutions This chapter discusses problems you may encounter while operating your printer and their likely solutions. If you are having difficulty achieving the desired printing result, first locate the problem in the table below and then see the appropriate page for the solution. Power supply l Power is not being supplied. See 7-4 Printing l The printer does not print. See 7-5 l The print is faint or uneven. See 7-6 Dots are missing in the printed characters or graphics.
l l Switching between single sheets and continuous paper cannot be performed properly. See 7-24 The short tear-off function does not operate properly. See 7-26 Options l l l l Using the cut sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly. See 7-27 Using the pull tractor with the push tractor, continuous paper does not feed properly. See 7-31 Using the font module, the module’s fonts do not print. See 7-35 Using an optional interface, the printer does not operate properly.
Power Supply Problem Solution Power is not being supplied. The POWER light does not go on. The power cable may not be properly plugged into the electrical outlet. Turn off the printer and properly plug the power cable into the electrical outlet. The power switch is off. Turn it on. Power is not being supplied to the electrical outlet. Plug another electrical device into the outlet to determine whether the outlet is operating properly.
Printing Problem Solution The printer does not print. The ON LINE light is on but nothing is printed. The software may not be installed properly for your printer. Check the printer settings and make the necessary changes. The interface cable may be loose. Check both ends of the cable between the printer and the computer. Secure the connector using the wire retaining clips. You may not be using the correct interface cable. Make sure your interface cable meets the printer and the computer specifications.
Problem Solution The printer does not print (continued). The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing is printed. The ribbon cartridge may not be installed properly. Turn off the printer, reinstall the ribbon cartridge, and take up any slack in the ribbon. The ribbon may be worn. Replace the ribbon cartridge. See Chapter 6. The printer makes a strange noise, the buzzer sounds several times, and the printer stops abruptly. This indicates an error in printer operation.
Problem Solution The print is faint or uneven (continued). The printout is faint. The ribbon may be worn out. A worn ribbon can damage the print head and should be replaced. Install a new ribbon cartridge. See Chapter 6. The paper thickness lever may not be set correctly for the paper you are using. Set the paper thickness lever to match the thickness of your paper. See Chapter 2. Dots are missing in the printed characters or graphics. A line of dots is missing in the printout.
Problem Solution Printed characters are not what you expected. The typestyle or characters that are set by the software cannot be printed. The software may not be correctly installed for your printer. Use the program’s setup (or install) procedure to check the printer settings, and reset as needed. The Roman, Sans Serif, or Draft font is selected in your software, but the characters are printed in a different font. The wrong font is selected.
Problem Solution Printed characters are not what you expected (continued). Graphic characters or lines are being printed instead of the selected italic characters. The wrong character table is selected. If your application program is capable of sending control codes, specify the italic character table using ESC t 0. You can also select the italic character table by changing a DIP switch setting. To do this, turn off the power, set DIP switch l-4 to off; then turn on the power. See Chapter 3.
Problem Solution Printed characters are not what you expected (continued). The wrong graphics characters are printed. The wrong graphics character set is selected. To set the desired graphics character set, turn off the power and set DIP switches l-l, l-2, and l-3 to the correct positions for the graphics character set you want. See Chapter 3. You can check the current DIP switch settings by running the self test. The characters printed are smaller than expected. The wrong pitch may be selected.
Problem Solution Printed characters are not what you expected (continued). The printer prints a series of strange characters. Your printer and the computer may not be communicating correctly. Make sure that you are using the correct interface cable and that the communication protocol is correct. See your computeis manual for more information. Make sure the interface cable is fastened securely to both the printer and the computer. The print position is not what you expected.
Problem Solution The print position is not what you expected (continued). Text is printed with an extra blank line in between, even after setting the auto line feed setting to off. Your interface cable may not be configured correctly. Disable the AUTO FEED XT signal of your interface. Line spacing is incorrect. Line spacing is too tight or too far apart. If your application program is capable of sending control codes, specify the line spacing using ESC 0, ESC 2, ESC 3, or ESC A. See Chapter 9.
Problem Solution The print position is not what you expected (continued). Page length does not match the length of the paper. The page length may be set incorrectly. Change the page length setting with DIP switches 2-l and 2-2. See Chapter 3. If your program allows you to send control codes to the printer, specify page size by sending ESC C or ESC C 0. See Chapter 9. If this does not resolve the problem, check the page length set by your application software and adjust it if necessary.
Problem Solution The print position is not what you expected (continued). Skip over perforation is set, but the perforation does not fall in the center of the skip. The page length for continuous paper may be set incorrectly. Set DIP switches 2-l and 2-2 to the correct position for the page length you want. See Chapter 3. If your program allows you to use control codes, you can also use the ESC C or ESC C 0 command to set the page length. See Chapter 9.
Problem Solution The print position is not what you expected (continued). Vertical printed lines do not align or gaps appear in lines or graphics. The printer is usually set for bidirectional printing. This can cause a slight misalignment of graphics characters. When precise printing of vertical lines is necessary, contact your service center to have them perform the bidirectional print alignment adjustment or select the unidirectional print mode by sending ESC U or ESC < to the printer.
Paper Handling The following section guides you through problems in handling single sheets and continuous paper. If you are having problems using the optional cut sheet feeder or pull tractor, see the section on options later in this chapter. Problem Solution Single sheets do not feed properly. The LOAD/EJECT button is pressed, but the platen does not move and paper does not feed. You may be trying to feed paper using one of the control panel buttons while the printer is on line (ON LINE light is on).
Problem Solution Single sheets do not feed properly (continued). When the LOAD/EJECT button is pressed, the platen rotates, but paper does not feed. The paper release lever may be set in the wrong position. Push the paper release lever back to the single-sheet position. See Chapter 2. The left and right edge guides may be too close together, preventing the paper from feeding smoothly. Adjust the position of the edge guides so that the paper can move up and down freely. See Chapter 2.
Problem Solution Single sheets do not feed properly (continued). When the LOAD/EJECT button is pressed, the paper feeds through and then out of the printer. The paper may have been between the The paper feed is crooked. The paper guide may not be attached, or it may not be in the correct position. When printing on single sheets, use the paper guide in its upright position. edge guides before the printer was turned on.
Problem Solution Continuous paper does not feed properly. When the LOAD/EJECT button is pressed, the platen does not rotate and paper does not feed. You may be trying to feed paper using the control panel buttons while the printer is on line (ON LINE light on>. Press the ON LINE button once to take the printer off line, then try feeding paper. After feeding paper, press the ON LINE button again to set the printer on line. See Chapter 3.
Problem Solution Continuous paper does not feed properly (continued). The paper feed is crooked or the paper jams. The paper supply may be obstructed by a cable or some other object. Make sure that the paper feeds smoothly into the printer. See Chapter 2. Your supply of continuous paper may be too far from the printer. Position your paper supply within 3 feet (1 meter) of the printer. See Chapter 2. The paper may be caught on the edge guides.
Problem Solution Continuous paper does not feed properly (continued). The paper feed is crooked or the paper jams (continued). The sprocket lock levers may be unlocked, or the sprocket covers may be open. Position the sprocket units to match the width of your paper. Then, lock them in place by pressing the sprocket lock levers away from you. See Chapter 2. The paper guide may be in the upright position.
Problem Solution Continuous paper does not feed properly (continued). Skip over perforation does not function. You may not have turned off the power after setting DIP switch 1-8 to on. To make new DIP switch settings effective, turn the power off, then on again. Skip over performation is set, but the perforation does not fall in fhe center of the skip. The page length for one page of continuous paper may be set incorrectly. Set DIP switches 2-1 and 2-2. See Chapter 3.
Problem Solution Continuous paper does not feed properly (continued). The short tear-off function is selected (DIP switch 2-7 is on), but if does not work. You may not have turned off the power after setting the DIP switch. To make new DIP switch settings effective turn the power off, then on again. There may still be data in the print buffer. The short tear-off function works only if the data in the print buffer is completely printed and the next print position is at the top of the next page.
Problem Solution Continuous paper does not feed properly (continued). When printing labels, the labels either do not feed or feed incorrectly. You may not be using the correct type of labels. Read through the section on printing on special paper for the correct type of labels to use. See Chapter 2. You may be trying to back-feed labels through the printer. This can cause labels to come off their backing and jam the printer. Do not back-feed labels using the LOAD/EJECT or TEAR OFF button.
Problem Solution Switching between single sheets and continuous paper cannot be performed properly (continued). The paper release lever is correctly set for continuous paper, but when you press the LOAD/EJECT button, the platen rotates backward and the paper comes off the sprockets. A single sheet may be in the paper guide, causing the continuous paper to back out and come off the sprockets. When using continuous paper, always make sure to remove any single sheets remaining in the paper guide.
Problem Solution Switching between single sheets and continuous paper cannot be performed properly (continued). Even with the paper release lever set correctly to the singlesheet position, the single sheet and continuous paper feed together and jam. The continuous paper may not have fed backward far enough to reach the standby position before you changed the position of the paper release lever. Remove the jammed paper and try again.
Options Problem Solution Using the cut sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly. The LOAD/EJECT button is pressed, but the platen does not move and the paper does not feed. You may be pressing the LOAD/EJECT button while the printer is on line. Always take the printer off line before feeding the paper. Paper feeds automatically when the cut sheet feeder receives a print command from the computer (only while the printer is on line).
Problem Solution Using the cut sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly (continued). After a print command is sent from the computer, the platen rotates, but paper does not feed. The PAPER OUT light is on. DIP switch l-7 is set to off. DIP switch l-7 must be set to on in order to use the cut sheet feeder. See Chapters 3 and 5. The cut sheet feeder may be incorrectly installed on the printer.
Problem Solution Using the cut sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly (continued). After a print command is sent from the computer, the platen rotates, but paper does not feed. The PAPER OUT light is on (continued). The left and right paper guides may be too close together, preventing smooth paper feed. Adjust the position of the paper guides so that the paper can move up and down freely. Check the envelope levers. They should be up for single sheets and down for envelopes. See Chapter 5.
Problem Solution Using the cut sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly (continued). The paper feed is crooked. The paper may be old or creased. Discard it and load new, clean sheets of paper. The left and right paper guides may be too far apart. Adjust the paper guides to the width of the paper. There may be too much outgoing paper. Never let more than 80 sheets of outgoing paper accumulate while printing. The weight of your paper may be too heavy or too light for the cut sheet feeder.
Problem Solution Using the cut sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly (continued). One page of printing has spread to two pages. The page length setting may be wrong. Run a self test in cut sheet feeder mode. The printer will automatically measure the paper loaded and set the correct page length. See Chapter 5. You may have to change the top or bottom margin or page length for your application program. When printing envelopes, the envelopes either do not feed or feed incorrectly.
Problem Solution Using the pull tractor with the push tractor, continuous paper does not feed properly (continued). Paper feed is crooked or the paper jams. Something may be obstructing the paper feed, like an object on top of the paper stack or a cable caught on the paper. Make sure that nothing prevents the smooth flow of paper and position the paper so that it feeds straight in line with the sprockets. The supply of paper may be too far from the printer.
Problem Solution Using the pull tractor with the push tractor, continuous paper does not feed properly (continued). Paper feed is crooked or the paper jams (continued). The paper may be slack. Adjust the position of the sprockets to take up any slack along the width of the paper. Remove slack lengthwise by pressing in and rotating the pull tractor knob on the right. Do not turn the platen knob. The paper thickness lever may not be correctly set.
Problem Solution Using the pull tractor with the push tractor, continuous paper does not feed properly (continued). Skip over perforation is set, but the skip has shifted from the perforation, or the perforation does not fall in the center of the skip. The page length for one page of the continuous paper may be set incorrectly. Use DIP switches 2-l and 2-2. See Chapter 3. You can use control codes ESC C or ESC C 0 to set the correct page length. See Chapter 9.
Problem Solution Using the font module, the module’s fonts do not print. The font module is set, but the fonts in the module do not print. The font module may not be fully inserted in the slot. Check it and insert the module properly if necessary. The font module may be inserted the wrong way. Align the ( ) marks on the module and the slot and insert the module properly. See Chapter 5. The font in the module may not be correctly selected. Select the slot by pressing the FONT button on the control panel.
Problem Solution Using an optional interface, the printer does not operate properly (continued). The printer does not print or the printout is not what you expected (continued). You may be trying to use an interface with the wrong specification. Check the specifications to make sure that you can use the interface with this printer. See Chapter 5. The DIP switch settings may not be set correctly.
Problem Solution Using an optional interface, the printer does not operate properly (continued). The printer does not print or the printout is not what you expected (continued). The computer and interface settings may not match. Match the settings for each condition. Two cables may be installed on the printer; only one cable may be attached at any time.
Chapter 8 Technical Specifications Printer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Environment . . . . . . . . . .
Printer Specifications Printing 24-pin impact dot matrix Print method: Print speed: Characters per inch Characters/second/line High-speed draft 10 300 Normal draft 10 246 12 295 10 82 12 98 Quality Letter Quality Printing direction: Bidirectional logic-seeking for text and graphics. Unidirectional for graphics. (Unidirectional can be selected with a DIP switch or by using the proper software command.
Printable columns: Character spacing Maximum printed characters 10 cpi 80 10 cpi condensed 137 12 cpi 96 12 cpi condensed 160 6KB or 0KB (panel button selectable) Buffer: Character fonts: Font Available sizes (Characters per inch) High-speed draft 10 Normal draft 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, Proportional Epson Roman 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, Proportional Epson Sans Serif 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, Proportional Characters: 96 standard ASCII character set (including italic characters) 14 international charact
Paper Paper feeding methods: Friction Built-in push feed tractor with paper tension unit Pull tractor (optional) Single-bin or double-bin cut sheet feeder (optional) Paper width and length: Paper Single sheet width length 7.2 to 10.1 inches (182 to 257 mm) 14.3 inches (364 mm) maximum Continuous paper width 4.0 to 10.0 inches (101 to 254 mm) Envelopes No. 6 No. 10 Labels 2.5 x 0.94 inch (63.5 x 23.8 mm ) minimum 4 x 0.94 inch (101.6 x 23.8 mm) maximum 8-4 6.54 x 3.62 inches (166 x 92 mm) 9.45 x 4.
Printable area: Single sheet 0.33 inch (8.5 mm) minimum 0.12 inch (3.0 mm) minimum 0.53 inch (13.5 mm) minimum Note: Printing on paper from 9 to 10.1 inches wide increases the minimum right and left margins to 0.24 inches (6.0 mm).
Continuous paper 0.35 inch (9 mm) minimum 0.51 inch (13 mm) minimum Note: The minimum for the right and left margins increases to 0.98 inch (25.0 mm) when printing on IO-inch wide paper.
Envelope 0.33 inch (8.5 mm) minimum 0.12 inch (3 mm) minimum 0.87 inch (22.0 mm) minimum Note: Envelope printing is only available at normal operating conditions. Load the envelope with its long side horizontal. Paper weight: Single Sheet Continuous Multi-part forms Envelope 14 lb to 24 lb 14 lb to 22 lb 12 lb to 15 lb per sheet. Maximum number sheets = 4 12 lb to 24 lb Paper thickness: Single Sheet 0.0025 to 0.0055 inch (0.065 to 0.14 mm) 0.0025 to 0.012 inch (0.065 to 0.32 mm) 0.0063 to 0.
Notes: l The use of 24 lb paper is only available at normal temperature. l Printing past the edge of envelopes, multi-part forms, labels, or paper that is thicker than normal can damage the print head. l Labels with a pressure sensitive covering, either glued or tacked onto the backing sheet, can be printed under the conditions listed below. The total thickness may not exceed 0.0118 inch (0.3 mm). -- The temperature range is 41° F to 95° F (5° C to 35° C).
MTBF: Print head life: 4000 power-on hours (at 25% duty) 200 million strokes/wire (fabric ribbon) 100 million strokes/wire (film ribbon) 100 million strokes (color ribbon) Dimensions and weight: Height 7.6 inches (194 mm) Width 18.5 inches (469 mm) Depth 15.7 inches (399 mm) Weight approx. 22.0 lb (10 kg) Electrical Voltage: 120 VAC ± 10% Frequency: 49.5 to 60.
Environment Temperature: Operation: Storage: Humidity (without condensation): Operation: 10% to 80% Storage: 5% to 85% Operation angle: Less than 15° (without cut sheet feeder) 0° (with cut sheet feeder) Shock: Operation: Storage: Up to 1 G within 1 ms Up to 2 G within 1 ms Vibration: Operation: Storage: Up to 0.25 G at up to 55 Hz Up to 0.
Interface Specifications Your printer is equipped with both a parallel and a serial interface. For specifications on optional interfaces, see the manuals provided with the interfaces. Parallel Interface Pin assignments for the parallel interface Connector pin assignments and a description of their respective interface signals are shown in the following table. Signal Pin Return Pin 1 19 STROBE IN STROBE pulse to read data. Pulse width must be more than 0.5 microseconds at the receiving terminal.
Signal Pin Return Pin 12 30 PE OUT A HIGH signal indicates that the printer is OUT of paper. 13 ----- SLCT OUT Pulled up to +5 volts through 3.3. K ohm resistance 14 ------------- AUTO FEED XT IN When this signal is LOW, the paper is automatically fed 1 line after printing. (The signal level can be fixed to this by setting DIP switch 2-8 to on.) 15 ----- NC ----- Not used. 16 ----- GND ----- Logic ground level.
l The column heading “Direction” refers to the direction of signal flow as viewed from the printer. l “Return” denotes the twisted-pair return, to be connected at signal ground level. For the interface wiring, be sure to use a twisted-pair cable for each signal and to complete the connection on the return side. These cables should be shielded and connected to the chassis of the host computer and the printer. l All interface conditions are based on TTL level.
Printing enabled/disabled signals and control conditions The table below shows the relationship between printing being enabled or disabled, the on line/off line status, and the receipt of the data on/off control characters, DC1 or DC3. ERROR BUSY ACKNLG Printing (Disabled/ enabled) ON LINE SLCT IN (Indicator on) DC1/DC3 (Data on/off control) On line Low (J9 interface) DC1/DC3 High (no effect) High/Low Pulsed ea. char. Enabled (normal cond.) On line High DC1 Recv’d High High/Low Pulsed ea.
Signal level Mark (1) -3 V to -27 V Space (0) +3 V to +27 V Handshaking Handshaking by DTR signal or X-on/X-off. The DTR signal changes to mark-meaning the printer is not ready to receive data-when the number of bytes free in the input buffer goes down to 256. The signal changes to space-meaning that the printer is now readywhen the number of bytes in the input buffer rises to 528. Error handling A * character is printed if a parity error is detected. All other errors are ignored.
Option Specifications Cut Sheet Feeder Bin and stacker capacity: Single sheet: Up to 150 sheets of 22 lb 2 (82g/m ) paper Up to 185 sheets of 17 lb 2 (64g/m ) paper (total thickness should be up to 0.59 inch or 15 mm) Envelopes:* Up to 25 (plain and bond type) Up to 30 (air mail) *For double-bin cut sheet feeder, envelopes can be used only in bin 1. Reliability (total cycle of bin 1 and bin 2) 100,000 cycles MCBF: Paper: Single sheets bin 1 and bin 2 Envelopes bin 1 Paper length 8.27 to 14.
Paper storage condition: Temperature: 64° F to 72° F (18° C to 22° C) 40% to 60% Humidity: Environmental Temperature: Operation: Storage: 41° F to 95° F (5° C to 35° C) -22° F to 149° F (-30° C to 65° C) Humidity (without Operation: Storage: 15% to 80% 5% to 85% condensation): Notes: l l 24 lb paper printing is available only at normal operating conditions. Envelope printing is available only at normal operating conditions.
Initialization There are three ways that the printer fixed set of conditions). Hardware initialization l l Software initialization l can be initialized (returned to a When the power is turned on. When the printer receives an INIT signal at the parallel interface (pin 31 goes LOW). Software sends the ESC @ (initialize the printer) command. These three kinds of initialization have slightly different effects.
Default Settings The following table shows the default conditions that become valid when the printer is initialized.
Chapter 9 Command Summary Data Flow Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2 Using the Command Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Control Key Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3 9-4 9-5 Commands in Numerical Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6 Commands Arranged by Topic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Data Flow Process The diagram below shows the basic data flow process up to the time output is printed. l The data received by the printer is first stored in the input buffer. l Data is picked up from the input buffer and then processed through the data analysis section. There it is divided into graphics image data, control codes, and printable characters.
Using the Command Summary This chapter lists and describes all the commands available on the printer. The first part of this chapter lists all commands in numerical order and gives the number of the page where each is fully described. If you know which command you are looking for, consult the numerical list. Note: The Quick Reference card at the end of the book also contains a list of the commands divided by topic, with page number references that direct you to full explanations of the commands.
Variables are represented by italicized letters such as n, n1, and m. The variables are explained in the comments section. Note: Some application programs use control key sequences. See the Control Key Chart later in this chapter. Examples The simplest type of command consists of a single character to be sent to the printer. For instance, to print in condensed mode, the code format is: ASCII code: SI Decimal: 15 Hexadecimal: OF This code can be sent from a program by sending the code 15 directly.
For example, in BASIC you can turn on proportional spacing with either of these statements: LPRINT CHR$(27);"p";CHR$(1) LPRINT CHR$(27);"p";"1" Control Key Chart Some application programs use control key codes for decimal values O-27. The table below gives you the proper values. The Control Key column indicates that you press the control key at the same time you press the key for the letter or symbol in that column. For example, you press the control key and A at the same time to send the value 1.
Commands in Numerical Order The following list shows control codes and ESC sequences with their decimal and hexadecimal values, and the page where the description of the command can be found. ASCII Dec. Hex. Description Page Beeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Backspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tab Horizontally . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tab Vertically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Form Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hex. Description Page 42 43 45 2A 2B 2D 9-39 9-15 ESC / ESC 0 ESC 2 ESC 3 ESC 4 ESC 5 ESC 6 ESC 7 ESC : ESC < 47 48 50 51 52 53 54 55 58 60 2F 30 32 33 34 35 36 37 3A 3C ESC = ESC > ESC ? ESC @ ESC A ESC B ESC C ESC C 0 ESC D ESC E ESC F ESC G ESC H ESC J ESC K 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 67 68 69 70 71 72 74 75 3D 3E 3F 40 41 42 43 43 44 45 46 47 48 4A 4B ESC L 76 4C ESC M 77 4D Select Graphics Mode . . . . . . . . . Set n/360-inch Line Spacing. . . . Turn Underline Mode On/Off. . . . . . . . .
ASCII Dec. ESC N ESC 0 ESC P ESC Q ESC R Page Hex. Description 78 79 80 81 82 4E 4F 50 51 52 ESC S 0 ESC S l ESC T 83 83 84 53 53 54 ESC U 85 55 ESC W 87 57 ESC Y 89 59 ESC Z 90 5A ESC \ ESC a ESC b ESC g ESC k ESC 1 ESC p 92 97 98 103 107 108 112 5C 61 62 67 6B 6C 70 ESC q ESC r ESC t ESC w 113 114 116 119 71 72 74 77 ESC x 120 78 Set Skip Over Perforation . . . . . . 9-14 Cancel Skip Over Perforation. .. 9-14 Select 10 CPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Commands Arranged by Topic This following section lists and describes all the commands by topic. See the Quick Reference card at the back of this book for a handy list of commands by topic. Printer Operation Initialization ESC @ Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Initialize Printer ESC 27 1B @ 64 40 Comments: Resets the printer mode and clears the current print line preceding the command. See Initialization in Chapter 8.
Deselect Printer DC3 Format: ASCII code: DC3 Decimal: 19 Hexadecimal 13 Comments: Puts the printer into the deselected state until the select printer code (DCl) is received. The printer cannot be reselected with the ON LINE button. Delete Character DEL Format: ASCII code: DEL 127 Decimal: Hexadecimal: 7F Comments: Removes the last text character on the print line but does not affect control codes.
ESC U Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Turn Unidirectional Mode On/Off ESC 27 1B U 85 55 n n n Comments: The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns the mode on 0: Turns the mode off Printing is normally bidirectional. This command selects unidirectional printing for more accurate positioning.
MSB Control MSB means the Most Significant Bit. MSB control (ESC =, ESC >, and ESC #) does not work for graphics or user-defined characters. ESC = Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Set MSB to 0 ESC 27 1B 61 3D Comments: Sets the MSB of all incoming data to 0. Some computers always send data with the MSB set to 1, which means that italics or character graphics are always printed. ESC = can overcome this problem.
BEL Format: ASCII code: BEL Decimal: 7 Hexadecimal: 07 Beeper Comments: Sounds the printer’s beeper. Data Control CR Format: ASCII code: CR Decimal: 13 Hexadecimal: 0D Carriage Return Comments: Prints the data in the print buffer and returns the print position to the left margin. A line feed is added if the AUTO FEED XT line on the parallel interface is held LOW or if DIP switch 2-8 is on.
Vertical Motion Form feeding Form Feed FF Format: FF ASCII code: 12 Decimal: Hexadecimal: 0C Comments: Prints the data in the print buffer and advances the paper to the top of the next form according to the current page length. The default page length is 66 lines; you can change the page length with ESC C. When using a cut sheet feeder, FF ejects the sheet into the stacker but does not load a new sheet.
Set Page Length in Inches ESC C 0 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B C 67 43 0 0 00 n n n Comments: Sets the page length to n inches. The value of n must be from 1 to 22. The top of form position is reset to the current line. Overrides the DIP switch page length setting.
Line feeding LF Line Feed Format: ASCII code: LF Decimal: 10 Hexadecimal: 0A Comments: When this command is received, the data in the print buffer is printed and the paper advances one line in the current line spacing. ESC + Set n/360-inch Line Spacing Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B + 2B n n n Comments: Sets line spacing to n/360 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands. The value of n must be from 0 to 255.
Select 1/6-inch Line Spacing ESC 2 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B 2 50 32 Comments: Sets the line spacing to l/6 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands. This line spacing is the default at power on. Set n/180-inch Line Spacing ESC 3 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B 3 51 33 n n n Comments: Sets the line spacing to n/180 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands. The value of n must be from 0 to 255.
Perform n/180-inch Line Feed ESC J Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B J 74 4A n n n Comments: Advances the paper n/180 of an inch. The value of n must be from 0 to 255. This command produces an immediate line feed but does not affect subsequent line spacing and does not produce a carriage return. Tab Vertically VT Format: ASCII code: VT Decimal: 11 Hexadecimal: 0B Comments: Advances the paper to the next vertical tab position in the channel selected by ESC /.
Set Vertical Tabs in Channels ESC b Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B b 98 62 c c c nl nl nl n2 n2 . n2 . . ... . . . 0 0 00 Comments: Functions the same as ESC B, except that the variable c selects a channel for the vertical tabs, which must be from 0 to 7. Therefore, up to eight sets of vertical tabs can be set. The channels are selected by ESC /. To clear the tabs in channel c, use ESC b c 0.
Horizontal Motion Margins Set Left Margin ESC 1 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B 1 108 6C n n n Comments: Sets the left margin to n columns in the current character size. Settings made in the proportional mode are treated as 10 cpi. This command clears previous tab settings and all previous characters in the print line. Use lowercase 1 (as in left), not the numeral one. The minimum space between the margins is the width of one double-wide 10 cpi character.
Backspace BS Format: ASCII code: BS Decimal: 8 Hexadecimal: 08 Comments: Prints out data in the print buffer, then moves the print position one space to the left. Backspacing is possible up to, but not beyond, the left margin setting. The BS code is ignored if ESC a2 or ESC a3 has been sent.
Set Relative Print Position ESC \ Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B \ 92 5C nl nl nl n2 n2 n2 Comments: Determines the position (relative to the current position) at which printing of subsequent data will start. To find nl and n2, first calculate the displacement required in dots. If the displacement is to the left, subtract it from 65536. Send the resulting number using this formula: total number of dots = nl + (256 x n2).
ESC D Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Set Horizontal Tabs ESC D 27 68 1B 44 nl nl nl n2 n2 n2 . . . . . . . . . 0 0 00 Comments: This command allows setting of up to 32 horizontal tabs, which are entered as nl, n2, n3, etc., (from 1 to 255) with the number 0 character terminating the command. The tab settings must be entered in ascending order. ESC D 0 clears all tabs. The default settings, when power is turned on or after an ESC @ command, are at every eight characters.
Select Typestyle Family ESC k Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B k 107 6B n n n Comments: This command affects only the Letter Quality typestyle, not draft. If n = 0, the Roman typestyle in the printer is used. To select one of the other typestyles, use the family number of the font as shown below. For example, to choose the Prestige font, use 3 for the value of n.
Feature Dec. Hex. 10 cpi 0 00 12 cpi 1 01 Proportional 2 02 Condensed 4 04 Emphasized 8 08 Double-strike 16 10 Double-wide 32 20 Italics 64 40 128 80 Underline For example, for double-wide 12 cpi characters printed in the double-strike mode, you would add three numbers together to calculate the value of n. 12 cpi 1 Double-strike 16 Double-wide 32 n = 49 The print quality and font must be set separately, using SelecType or the ESC x and ESC k commands.
Print Size and Character Width ESC P Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Select 10 CPI ESC 27 1B P 80 50 Comments: Selects 10 character per inch printing. This command is normally used to cancel 12 or 15 cpi. ESC M Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Select 12 CPI ESC 27 1B M 77 4D Comments: Selects 12 character per inch printing. ESC g Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Select 15 CPI ESC 27 1B g 103 67 Comments: Selects 15 character per inch printing, and cancels 10 or 12 cpi.
Turn Proportional Mode On/Off ESC p Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B p 172 70 n n n Comments: Turns proportional mode on and off. The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns mode on. 0: Turns mode off. The width of proportional characters varies from character to character. Therefore, a narrow letter like i receives less space than a wide letter like W. Proportional character widths are given in the Appendix. This command overrides the condensed mode and fixed cpi fonts.
ESC SI Select Condensed Mode Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B SI 15 0F Comments: Duplicates the SI command. DC2 Format: ASCII code: DC2 Decimal: 18 Hexadecimal: 12 Cancel Condensed Mode Comments: Cancels condensed mode set by SI or ESC SI and returns printing to normal. SO Select Double-wide Mode (one line) Format: ASCII code: SO Decimal: 14 Hexadecimal: 0E Comments: Doubles the width of all characters on one line. This mode is cancelled by LF, FF, VT, or DC4.
Select Double-wide Mode (one line) ESC SO Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B SO 14 0E Comments: Duplicates the SO command. ESC W Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Turn Double-wide Mode On/Off ESC 27 1B W 87 57 n n n Comments: Doubles the width of all characters. The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns mode on. 0: Turns mode off.
Turn Double-high Mode On/Off ESC w Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B w 119 77 n n n Comments: Doubles the height of all characters. The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns mode on. 0: Turns mode off. You may need to adjust line spacing to compensate for the height of these characters. Cannot be used with the pull tractor.
Cancel Emphasized Mode ESC F Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B F 70 46 Comments: Cancels the emphasized mode selected by ESC E. Select Double-strike Mode ESC G Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B G 71 47 Comments: Makes text bolder by printing each line twice, with the second printing slightly below the first. Cancel Double-strike Mode ESC H Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B H 72 48 Comments: Cancels the double-strike mode selected by ESC G.
Select Superscript Mode ESC S 0 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B S 83 53 0 0 00 Comments: Prints characters about two-thirds of the normal character height in the upper part of the character space. ESC S 1 Select Subscript Mode Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B S 83 53 1 1 01 Comments: Prints characters about two-thirds of the normal character height in the lower part of the character space.
Select Score ESC (- Format: ESC ASCII code: Decimal: 27 Hexadecimal: 1B ( 40 28 n1 45 nl 2D n1 n2 n2 n2 m m m d1 d1 d1 d2 d2 d2 Comments: Use decimal or hexadecimal values for all variables, not ASCII characters. Use the following values for the first 3 variables: n1 must be 3. n2 must be 0. m must be l. The value of d1 determines the location of the score: d1 = 1 for underline. d1 = 2 for strike-through. d1 = 3 for overscore.
Turn Underline Mode On/Off ESC - Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B 45 2D n n n Comments: This mode provides continuous underlining including spaces. The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns mode on. 0: Turns mode off. Areas skipped with HT or ESC $ are not underlined. Select Character Style ESC q Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B q 113 71 n n n Comments: The following values can be used for n: 0: Selects normal. 1: Selects outline. 2: Selects shadow.
Word Processing Select Justification ESC a Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B a 97 61 n n n Comments: Sets the type of justification. The following values can be used for n: 0: Selects left justification. 1: Selects centering. 2: Selects right justification. 3: Selects full justification. The default setting is n = 0. Full justification (n = 3) is performed when the buffer becomes full; HT, BS, and spacing commands should not be used with justification.
Character Tables ESC t Select Character Table Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B t 116 74 n n n Comments: Selects the character table used by codes 128 to 255. Selecting Epson Extended Graphics characters does not disable italic printing. Italic printing can still be selected by ESC 4. The following values can be used for n: 0: Selects italics character table. 1: Selects Epson Extended Graphics character table.
Cancel Italic Mode ESC 5 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B 5 53 35 Comments: Cancels the mode selected by ESC 4. Select an International Character Set ESC R Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B R 82 52 n n n Comments: Selects one of the international character sets.
User-defined Characters See Chapter 4 for sample programs and full information on this topic. Define User-defined Characters ESC & Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B & 38 26 0 0 00 dl d1 d1 d2...dn d2...dn d2...dn Comments: This command allows characters to be redefined in the currently selected mode.
Select User-defined Set ESC % Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B % 37 25 n n n Comments: This sequence is used to print the user-defined (download) character set. ESC & is required to define the character set. The following values can be used for n: 0: Selects the normal set. 1: Selects the user-defined set.
Graphics See Chapter 4 for sample graphics programs. See the table under ESC * for graphics modes. ESC K Select Single-density Graphics Mode Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC K 27 75 1B 4B n1 n1 n1 n2 n2 n2 Comments: Turns on 8-pin, single-density graphics mode. The total number of columns = n1 + (n2 x 256).
ESC Z Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Select Quadruple-density Graphics Mode ESC 27 1B 90 Z 5A n1 n1 nl n2 n2 n 2 Comments: Turns on 8-pin, quadruple-density graphics mode. The total number of columns = n1 + (n2 x 256). ESC * Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Select Graphics Mode ESC 27 1B * 42 m 2A m nl nl m nl n 2 n2 n 2 Comments: Turns on graphics mode m. See the following table for details on the available modes. The total number of columns = n1 + (n2 x 256).
Reassign Graphics Mode ESC ? Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: ESC 27 1B ? 63 3F s s s m m m Comments: Changes from one graphics mode to another. The variable s is a character (K, L, Y or Z). The variable m corresponds to the mode m in the ESC * command.
Appendix Proportional Width Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2 Character Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proportional Width Table This table lists the widths of your printer’s proportional characters. The values given are in 360ths of an inch. (For example, a value of 36 is 36/360ths of an inch.) You may need to enter these widths into a special table for your processing program so it can calculate the number of proportional characters that will fit on a line. The characters with no code indicated are international characters or graphics.
Code 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 4A 48 4C 4D 4E 4F 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 5A 58 5C 5D 5E 5F 60 61 62 63 CHR @ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U v W X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _ ' a b c Width 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 24/16 30/20 36/24 36/24 42/28 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 42/28 36/24 42/28 36/24 36/24 30/20 24/16 30/20 24/16 30/20 30/20 18/12 30/20 36/24 30/20 Code 64 65 66 67 68 69 6A 6B 6C 6D 6E 6F 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 7A 7B 7C 7D 7E CHR d
Code A-4 CHR Width Code 30/20 30/20 18/12 18/12 18/12 36/24 36/24 36/24 42/28 42/28 30/20 30/20 30/20 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 42/28 30/20 30/20 36/24 42/28 30/20 30/20 18/12 30/20 36/24 36/24 36/24 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 BO B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 BA BB BC BD BE BF C0 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 CA CB CC CD CE CF D0 D1 D2 CHR Width 30/20 30/20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30
Code D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 DA DB DC DD DE DF E0 E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 EA EB EC ED EE EF F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 CHR Width 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 Code F8 F9 FA FB FC FD FE CHR Width 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 24/16 30/20 36/24 36/24 30/20 30/20 30/20 A-5
Character Tables These character tables are selected by DIP switch 1-4 or the ESC t software command. For the Epson Extended Graphics character table, use of the ESC 6 or ESC 7 software command lets you select whether to print hex codes 80 to 9F as characters (ESC 6) or control codes (ESC 7).
Glossary Note that these definitions apply specifically to printers. If a word is italicized, see that topic for more information. application program A software program that helps you carry out a particular task, such as word processing or financial planning. ASCII Acronym for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standardized coding system for assigning numerical codes to letters and symbols.
byte A unit of information consisting of eight bits. carriage return (CR) The control code that returns the print position to the left margin. When issued together with a line feed, the print position moves to the left margin of the next line. In bidirectional printing, the print head may not physically move to the left margin. character set A collection of letters, numbers, and symbols that provides you with the characters used in a particular language.
data dump Sometimes called hex dump. A troubleshooting feature. When the printer is in the data dump mode, each code that it receives is printed in hexadecimal notation. decimal See number systems. default, A value or setting that takes effect when the equipment is turned on, reset, or initialized. DIP switches Small switches in a printer that control various printer functions and set the default status of the printer when it is turned on or initialized. DIP stands for Dual In-line Package.
draft mode One of three print qualities available on your printer. Draft uses fewer dots per character for high-speed printing. See also high-speed draft and Letter Quality. emphasized printing A way of producing darker characters. In a single pass of the print head, characters receive twice the number of dots.
high-speed draft One of three print qualities available on your printer. High-speed draft uses a minimum number of dots per character for high-speed printing. See also draft mode and Letter Qualify. initialize To establish the initial default status of the printer by turning the printer on, or by sending an INIT signal or code (ESC @). input buffer The memory in the printer in which data sent from the computer is stored while waiting to be printed.
memory The printer, like a computer, has a memory. When you print a file from a computer, the contents of the file are transferred quickly from the computer’s memory to the printer’s memory. The printer then prints information from its own memory at a much slower rate. This way of printing frees the computer to do other work while the printer is still working. The printer memory is sometimes called the buffer memory or input buffer.
paper-out sensor A small switch behind the platen that sends a signal when it is not in contact with paper, informing the printer and remote computer that there is no paper loaded, and causing the PAPER OUT light to go on. paper tension unit The part of the printer that fits above the platen to assure proper paper tension in the printing area. parallel interface An interface that connects the computer and the printer. A parallel interface transmits data one character or code at a time.
push tractor A built-in device that feeds continuous paper through the printer. RAM Acronym for Random Access Memory. The portion of the printer’s memory used as a buffer and as a place for storing user-defined characters. All data stored in RAM is lost when the printer is turned off. reset To return a printer to its defaults, either by a command, an INIT signal, code, or by turning the printer off and on. self test A method of checking the operation of the printer.
tractor The part of the printer that moves continuous paper through the printer by its sprockets gripping the holes in continuous paper. unidirectional printing Printing in one direction only. Allows more precise vertical alignment than bidirectional printing. Often used for printing graphics. user-defined characters Characters that are defined and stored in the printer by the user. Also known as download characters. 10 cpi A character spacing of 10 characters per inch.
Index Command descriptions are not indexed here. To locate the page number of a specific command, see Chapter 9 or the Quick Reference card.
Control panel buttons, 3-3--4 features, 3-5 lights, 3-2 operating, 3-2--5 SelecType, 3-4 Courier font, 5-37, 5-42 Cross-head screwdriver, l-2, 1-5 Cut sheet feeder, l-23, 3-7, 5-2--24 bins, 3-3 continuous paper, 5-16--20 control panel operation, 5-14--15 controlling, 9-11 installing, 5-2--6 loading envelopes, 5-12--13 operating, 5-14--15 paper handling, 5-7--10 paper out condition, 5-14 removing, 5-22--24 self test, 5-10--11 single sheets, 5-21 software operation, 5-15 testing printer, 5-10--11 Data dump m
Help, where to get, Intro-6 Hex dump, see Data dump mode High-speed draft, 4-2--3 font, 3-21-23 mode, l-16, 3-7, 3-10 Horizontal motion, 9-20--23 tabbing, 9-22--23 Initialization printer, 9-9 specifications, 8-18--19 Input buffer control, 3-5 Interface boards, Intro-4, 5-44--53 choosing, 5-44--45 Coax, 5-44--45 frame ground wire, 5-48--51 IEEE-488, 5-44 installing, 5-45--52 serial, 5-44 Twinax, 5-44--45 Interface type/parity, 3-8--9, 3-13 International character sets, 3-7--8, 3-10 selecting, 3-26--27, 9-37
OCR-A font, 5-37, 5-39, 5-42 OCR-B font, 5-37, 5-39, 5-42 ON LINE button, 3-3 light, 3-2 Operation, checking, l-23--26 Options problems, 7-27--37 see Cut sheet feeder see Interface boards see Multi-Font Module see Pull tractor Orator font, 5-37, 5-40, 5-42 Orator-S font, 5-37, 5-40, 5-42 Outline mode, 4-7, 9-34 Overline mode, 4-7, 9-33 Overscore, 9-33 Packing materials, l-3, 6-9, 6-11 Page length, 9-14--15 selection, 3-8--9, 3-12 Paper feeding, 8-4 changing, see continuous paper, single sheets length, 8-4
Printer assembling, l-8--15 cleaning, 6-2--3 connecting to computer, 1-27--31 location for, l-6--7 maintaining, 6-l--11 options, using, 5-51--52 plugging in, 1-16 setting up, l-l--32 specifications, 8-2--19 testing, 1-16--26 transporting, 6-9--l1 unpacking, l-2--5 using, 3-l--30 Printer stand, l-7 Printing enhancing, 4-2--7 problems, 7-5--15 speeds, 4-2 Problems, 7-l--37 options, 7-27--37 paper handling, 7-16--26 power supply, 7-4 printing, 7-5--15 solutions, 7-l--37 Proportional spacing, 3-4, 4-3--4, 9-27
Skip over perforation, 3-7, 3-ll--12, 9-15 SmartPark feature, Intro-l, 2-16 Spacing, 3-4, 3-24--25, 9-26--29 Special paper, 2-23--31 Specifications, 8-2--19 cut sheet feeder, 8-16--17 default settings, 8-19 electrical, 8-9 environmental, 8-10 initialization, 8-18--19 interface, 8-11--15 mechanical, 8-8 options, 8-16--17 paper, 8-4--8 parallel interface, 8-11--14 printer, 8-2--10 printing, 8-2--3 serial interface, 8-14--15 Strike-through mode, 4-7 Subscripts, 4-5, 4-7, 4-28, 9-32 Superscripts, 4-5, 4-7, 4-28
Commands Arranged by Topic This section lists all the commands. The numbers in the columns on the right arc the page numbers in Chapter 9 where a complete description of the command can be found.
The DIP Switch Tables * You can select an international character set when DIP switch 1-4 is OFF, or select a graphics character set when DIP switch l-4 is ON.
EPSON AMERICA, INC. 2780 Lomita Boulevard, Torrance, California 90505 EPSON ® Printed in Japan 90.09 .
