User's Manual

General Symptom List
243
Communications Failures
With the exception of a defective interface cable, most communications
problems between the host computer and printer are not the result of a
hardware failure. Communications problems most often result from
incompatible configuration of the host computer system, network (LAN, print
server, controller, multiplexer, etc.), or the printer. Sometimes the print
application program itself is at fault.
If the printer appears to have communication problems, print a test pattern
and a hex dump to help identify printer configuration errors that can cause
problems. Things to look for include the following:
• Check that the data string sent to the printer contains the correct
information.
• Verify that the correct host interface port is being used and that the
communication parameters (baud rate, parity, etc.) match those of the
host computer.
• Verify that the correct interface cable is installed between the host
computer and the printer.
• If the printer is using the parallel interface, verify that the terminating
resistors are correct.
If you have limited communications experience and the cause of the problem
is not readily apparent, do the following:
1. Print out the printer configuration.
2. Verify that you have the latest level of software. If not, load the latest
level.
3. Obtain a copy of the Device Host Configuration if possible.
4. Call your support group for help in analyzing the problem.
If you cannot get help, or if you have experience solving host-printer
communications problems, the following additional information is provided.
You can quickly check the ASCII portion of printer logic by sending a plain text
file from a computer to the printer to the parallel or serial port. For a
description of the ASCII interfaces, refer to the
User’s Manual.