Epson Action Printer 3000 User's Manual PDF

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. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio or television reception. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio and television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: . Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna . Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver . Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the

receiver is connected . Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

WARNING

The connection of a non-shielded equipment interface cable to this equipment will invalidate the FCC Certification of this device and may cause interference levels which exceed the limits established by the FCC for this equipment. It is the responsibility of the user to obtain and use a shielded equipment interface cable with this device. If this equipment has more than one interface connector, do not leave cables connected to unused interfaces.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Epson America, Inc., could void the users authority to operate the equipment.

FOR CANADIAN USERS

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

Le prsent appareil numerique n'met pas de bruits radiolectriques dpassant les limites applicables aux appareils numriques de Classe B prescrites dans le rglement sur le brouillage radioelctriques dict par le Ministre des Communications du Canada.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Epson America, Inc. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of information contained herein. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, Epson America, Inc. assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein.

Epson America, Inc. shall not be liable against any damages arising from the use of any options other than those designated as Original Epson Products by Seiko Epson Corporation.

Epson and Epson ESC/P are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation.

General Notice: Other product names used herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Copyright 1991 by Epson America, Inc. Torrance, California

ii

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.

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. Slots and openings in the cabinet and the back or bottom are provided for ventilation; to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it from overheating, these openings must not be blocked or covered. The openings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface. This product should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat register. This product should not be placed in a built-in installation unless proper ventilation is provided.

7. This product should be operated from the type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power available, consult your dealer or local power company.

8. This product is equipped with a 3-wire grounding-type plug, a plug having a third (grounding) pin. This plug will only fit into a grounding-type power outlet. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the purpose of the grounding-type plug.

9. Do not locate this product where the cord will be walked on.

i i i

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. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product.

12. Except as specifically explained in the Users Manual, do not attempt to service this product yourself. Opening or removing those covers that are marked Do Not Remove may expose you to dangerous voltage points or other risks. Refer all servicing in those compartments to service personnel.

13. Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions:

A. When the power cord or plug is damaged or frayed.

B. If liquid has been spilled into the product.

C. If the product has been exposed to rain or water.

D. If the product does not operate normally when the operating instructions are followed. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions, since improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the product to normal operation.

E. If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged.

F. If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance, indicating a need for service.

iv

Contents

Introduction 1

Features ..................................................................... 1 Options ..................................................................... 1 Finding Your Way Around ............................................ 2 Warnings, Cautions, and Notes ...................................... 2 Name of the Parts ....................................................... 3 Where to Get Help ...................................................... 4

Chapter 1 Setting Up the Printer 1-1

Unpacking the Printer ................................................ 1-2 Choosing a Place for the Printer .................................. 1-4 Assembling the Printer ............................................... 1-6 Testing the Printer .................................................... 1-10 Connecting the Printer to Your Computer ..................... 1-19 Setting Up Your Application Software .......................... 1-21

Chapter 2 Paper Handling 2-1

Using Single Sheets ................................................... 2-2 Using Continuous Paper ............................................. 2-6 Printing on Special Paper ........................................... 2-14

Chapter 3 Using the Printer 3-1

Operating the Control Panel ....................................... 3-2 Setting the DIP Switches ............................................ 3-5 Selecting Typestyles ................................................... 3-12 Selecting an International Character Set ........................ 3-16 Choosing a Character Table ........................................ 3-17 Data Dump Mode ..................................................... 3-19

Contents v

Chapter 4 Using the Printer Options 4-1

Cut-Sheet Feeder.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2 Film Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 4-8

Chapter 5 Maintenance and Transportation 5-1

Cleaning the Printer .................................................. 5-2 Replacing the Ribbon ................................................. 5-3 Transporting the Printer ............................................. 5-4

Chapter 6 Troubleshooting 6-1

Problems and Solutions .............................................. 6-2 Power Supply .......................................................... 6-3 Printing ................................................................... 6-4 Paper Handling ........................................................ 6-8 Options ................................................................... 6-10

Chapter 7 Technical Specifications 7-1

Printer Specifications ................................................. 7-2 Interface Specifications ............................................... 7-8 Initialization ............................................................. 7-12

Chapter 8 Command Summary 8-1

Using the Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2 Commands Arranged by Topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

Appendix A-1

Character Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Glossary GL-1

Index IN-1

vi Contents

Introduction

Your new Epson 24-pin dot matrix printer combines a compact design and high performance 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, your printer offers the following:

l Easy paper handling, featuring automatic single sheet loading

l Fast draft mode printing of up to 192 characters per second at 12 cpi

l Seven built-in Letter Quality fonts for producing high-quality documents

l A convenient control panel design that allows direct selection of fonts

l Two paper slots (rear and bottom) for using a variety of paper types

l Compatibility with the Epson ESC/P commands used by other Epson LQ printers.

Options

You may choose a cut-sheet feeder or a film ribbon to enhance use of your printer. For information on these options, see Chapter 4.

l Single-bin Cut-Sheet Feeder ( # 7341)

The cut-sheet feeder gives you easier and more efficient handling of single-sheet paper. It automatically feeds up to 100 sheets of standard bond paper into the printer.

Introduction 1

Introduction

l Film Ribbon Cartridge ( # 7768)

An optional film ribbon cartridge provides you with even higher quality printing than the standard fabric ribbon.

Finding Your Way Around

This manual provides fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions for setting up and operating your printer.

l Chapter 1 contains information on unpacking, setting up, testing, and connecting the printer. Be sure to read this chapter first.

l Chapters 2 and 3 include important information on paper handling and day-to-day operation of your printer.

l Chapter 6 contains troubleshooting information. If the printer does not operate properly or the printed results are not what you expect, see Chapter 6 for a list of problems and solutions.

l Other chapters contain information on general maintenance, specifications, and printer commands. There is also a glossary of printer terms and an index.

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes

WARNINGS must be followed to avoid bodily injury.

CAUTIONS must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.

Notes contain important information and useful tips on the operation of your printer.

2 Introduction

Introduction

Name of the Parts

edge guides

paper release lever

printer cover slot cover

control panel

paper guide

compartment cover

platen knob

print head

ribbon cartridge

parallel interface

power switch AC inlet

Note: In some locations, the power cord is attached to the printer.

Introduction 3

Introduction

Where to Get Help

A network of authorized Epson Customer Care Centers throughout the United States offers customer support and service for Epson products. Epson America provides product information and support to its dealers and Customer Care Centers.

Call the Epson Consumer Information Center at 1-213-782-2606 for the following referrals:

l Your nearest Epson dealer

l The nearest Customer Care Center for parts and service

l Technical assistance.

4 Introduction

Chapter 1 Setting Up the Printer

Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Choosing a Place for the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Assembling the Printer ................................................ 1-6 Installing the platen knob ......................................... 1-6 Installing the ribbon cartridge .................................... 1-6

Testing the Printer ..................................................... 1-10 Plugging in the printer ............................................. 1-10 Loading paper ......................................................... 1-11 Running the self test ................................................ 1-17

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer ...................... 1-19 The parallel interface ............................................... 1-19

Setting Up Your Application Software ........................... 1-21 Choosing from a menu ............................................ 1-21

Setting Up the Printer 1-1

Unpacking the Printer

When you unpack the printer, make sure that you have all the parts shown below and that none has been damaged.

tractor cover

printer paper guide

paper rest printer cover platen knob

power cord ribbon cartridge Selec Type sticker

1-2 Setting Up the Printer

Unpacking the Printer

Note: l Youll find the platen knob in a piece of the foam packing.

l Youll find the SelecType sticker inside the users manual. This sticker is a useful reference for selecting fonts with the control panel. You can put this sticker on either the printer cover or the front cover provided with the optional cut-sheet feeder.

l In some locations, the power cord is attached to the printer.

After removing the parts, store the packing materials in case you ever need to transport your printer.

CAUTION: There are several different versions of the printer designed for different electrical standards. It is not possible to adjust the printer for use at another voltage. The power supply type is shown on the label on the back of the printer. If it does not show the correct voltage for your country, contact your dealer.

Setting Up the Printer 1-3

Choosing a Place for the Printer

When selecting a place to set up your printer, be sure to keep the following in mind:

l Place the printer on a flat, stable surface.

l Place the printer close enough to the computer for the printer cable to reach.

l Leave adequate room around the printer to allow for easy operation and maintenance.

CAUTION: Avoid locations that are subject to direct sunlight, excessive heat, moisture, or dust.

Use a grounded outlet; do not use an adapter plug.

Avoid electrical outlets controlled by wall switches or automatic timers. Accidental disruption of power can wipe out information in the memory of your computer or your printer.

Avoid outlets on the same circuit with large motors or other appliances that might cause fluctuations in line voltage.

Keep the entire computer system away from potential sources of electromagnetic interference such as loudspeakers or the base units of cordless telephones.

1-4 Setting Up the Printer

Choosing a Place for the Printer

Note: If you plan to use a printer stand, follow these guidelines:

l Use a stand that supports at least 30 lbs (14 kg), which is twice the weight of the printer.

l Never use a stand that tilts the printer at an angle of more than 15 degrees from horizontal. If you install a cut-sheet feeder, keep your printer absolutely level.

l If you position the paper supply below the printer stand, make sure that you allow enough clearance (one inch or 25 mm) to keep the paper from catching on the underside of the stand. Also see that the distance between the stands supports is at least 11 inches (280 mm), to accommodate any paper size you may use.

l Position your printers power cord and interface cable so that they do not interfere with paper feeding. If possible, secure the cables to the printer stand.

l Position the paper stack even with the pull-tractor sprocket units, so that the paper has a straight path into the printer.

Setting Up the Printer 1-5

Assembling the Printer

After choosing a good place for your printer, you install the platen knob.

Installing the platen knob

You use the platen knob to manually feed paper in the printer when the printer is turned off. You find the platen knob packed in an indentation in the white foam packing material.

1. Insert the knob into the hole on the printers side and rotate it until it slips onto the shaft.

2. Push firmly on the knob until it fits against the printer case.

Installing the ribbon cartridge

Before installing the ribbon cartridge, make sure that the printer is not plugged into an electrical outlet.

1-6 Setting Up the Printer

Assembling the Printer

1. Raise the tractor cover to the upright position. Then lift the cover up and off.

Note: Remove the packing material inserted between both sides of the tractor unit and the tractor cover. Be sure to store this material with the other packing materials.

CAUTION: Never move the print head while the printer is turned on because this can damage the printer. Also, if you just used the printer, the print head may be hot; let it cool for a few minutes before touching it.

2. Slide the print head to the middle of the printer.

Setting Up the Printer 1-7

Assembling the Printer

3. Turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow. This removes any slack in the ribbon to make it easier to install.

4. Hold the ribbon cartridge by its handle and push it firmly down into position, making sure the plastic hooks fit into the slots.

Press lightly on both ends of the cartridge to be sure the hooks are properly seated.

1-8 Setting Up the Printer

Assembling the Printer

5. Use a pointed object, such as a ball point pen, to guide the ribbon between the print head and ribbon guide while you turn the ribbon-tightening knob to help feed the ribbon into place.

6. Slide the print head from side to side to be sure it moves smoothly. Also see that the ribbon is not twisted or creased.

Setting Up the Printer 1-9

Testing the Printer

Before connecting your printer to a computer, you use the built-in self-test function to see that the printer is working properly.

Before running the self test, you need to connect your printer to an electrical outlet and load paper.

Plugging in the printer

1. Make sure the printer is turned off.

2. Check the label on the back of the printer to make sure the power rating required by the printer matches that of your electrical outlet.

CAUTION: If the rated voltage and your outlet voltage do not match, contact your dealer for assistance. Do not plug in the power cord.

3. If the power cord is not attached to the printer, connect it to the AC inlet on the printers rear panel.

4. Plug the power cord into a properly grounded electrical outlet.

1-10 Setting Up the Printer

Testing the Printer

Loading paper

Next, you need to load paper. This section describes loading continuous paper. If you wish to use single sheets, see the section on using single sheets in Chapter 2.

1. Make sure the printer is turned off and that the paper release lever is in the continuous paper position. Attach the paper rest.

2. Slide the print head to the middle of the printer.

3. Release the sprocket units by pulling the sprocket locks forward.

Setting Up the Printer 1-11

Testing the Printer

Slide the left sprocket unit to approximately 0.5 inches (12 mm) from the far left position and push the lever back to lock it in

5. Slide the right sprocket unit to match the width of your paper, but do not lock it.

CAUTION: Use continuous paper wider than 8 inches (200 mm) for the self test; otherwise, the print head will print directly onto the platen, possibly damaging it.

1-12 Setting Up the Printer

Testing the Printer

6. Position the paper support midway between the two sprocket units.

7. Open both sprocket covers.

Setting Up the Printer 1-13

Testing the Printer

8. Make sure your paper has a clean, straight edge and then insert the paper into the printer until it emerges between the platen and the ribbon guide. Pull it up to the sprocket units.

9. Fit the holes of the paper over the tractor pins of the sprocket units, and then close the sprocket covers.

1-14 Setting Up the Printer

Testing the Printer

10. Slide the right sprocket unit to a position where the paper is straight and not wrinkled; then lock it in place.

11. If there is slack in the paper between the print head and the tractor unit, use the platen knob to take up the slack.

12. To separate the incoming paper from the outgoing printed paper, attach the paper guide in its flat position over the printer and incoming paper.

Setting Up the Printer 1-15

Testing the Printer

13. Slide the edge guides to the center of the papers width.

14. Use the platen knob to feed the paper until its perforation is just about even with the top of the ribbon.

15. Attach and close the tractor cover.

1-16 Setting Up the Printer

Testing the Printer

Running the self test

The self test runs in draft mode or Letter Quality (LQ) mode, depending upon which button you hold down as you turn on the printer.

1. Make sure the printer is turned off and paper is loaded.

2. While holding down the LINE FEED button (draft mode) or the FORM FEED button (LQ mode), turn on the printer. After printing starts, release the button.

CAUTION: After turning the printer off, always wait at least five seconds before turning it back on. Turning the power on and off rapidly can damage the printer.

3. The self test continues until the paper runs out or you press the ON LINE button. When you wish to. stop the test, press the ON LINE button.

Note: To resume the test, press the ON LINE button again.

Setting Up the Printer 1-17

Testing the Printer

4. To end the self test, be sure the printer is not printing. Press the FORM FEED button to feed the paper forward and tear it off at the perforation. Then turn off the printer.

Here is part of a typical self test printed in Letter Quality mode.

Note: If the self test did not print satisfactorily, see Chapter 6.

1-18 Setting Up the Printer

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer

If the self test printed correctly, you are ready to connect your printer to the computer. Most computers have a parallel interface. Check your computers operating manual, if you are in doubt about your computers interface. If it is parallel, use a suitable shielded cable to connect your computer to your printers built-in parallel interface, as described in the next section.

The parallel interface

Connect the parallel interface cable as described below:

1. Make sure both the printer and computer are turned off; then plug the cable connector securely into the printer.

2. Squeeze the wire clips together until they lock in place on either side of the connector.

Setting Up the Printer 1-19

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer

Note: If your cable has a ground wire, connect it to the ground connector beneath the interface connector.

3. 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.)

1-20 Setting Up the Printer

Setting Up Your Application Software

Most application programs let you specify the type of printer you use so that the program can take full advantage of the printers features. Many of these programs provide an installation or setup section that presents a list of printers.

Choosing from a menu

Because the family of Epson printers shares a great many commands, you can use an application program even if it does not list your printer on its printer selection menu. Choose from the following list (the printers are listed in the order of preference):

LQ-200 LQ-500 LQ-510 LQ-860(LQ-1060) LQ-850(LQ-1050) LQ-2550 LQ-2500 LQ-800(LQ-1000) LQ-1500

If none of these printers is listed, select the first one available from the following list: LQ, EX, FX, LX, RX, MX, Epson printer, Standard printer, Draft printer.

To use all the features of your printer, however, it is best to choose a program with one of the LQ printers on its menu. If your program does not list one of these printers, contact the manufacturer to see if an update is available.

Setting Up the Printer 1-21

Chapter 2 Paper Handling

Using Single Sheets .................................................... 2-2 Attaching the paper guide......................................... 2-2 Loading the paper ................................................... 2-3 Reloading during printing ......................................... 2-5

Using Continuous Paper ............................................. .2-6 Installing the pull tractor .......................................... 2-6 Positioning your continuous-paper supply., ................. .2-8 Loading continuous paper ......................................... 2-8 Removing the pull tractor ......................................... 2-12

Printing on Special Paper ........................................... 2-14 The paper-thickness lever ......................................... 2-14 Mu1ti-part forms ..................................................... 2-15

Labels ................................................................... 2-16

Paper Handling 2-1

Using Single Sheets

Your printer accommodates single sheets with widths from 7.2 inches (182 mm) to 10.1 inches (257 mm).

If the pull-tractor unit is installed, you need to remove it before you print on single sheets. See Removing the pull tractor in this chapter.

Attaching the paper guide

Follow these steps to attach the paper guide:

1. Attach the printer cover.

2-2 Paper Handling

Using Single Sheets

2. Place the paper guide on the printer. Then raise it up until it locks into place.

Loading the paper

1. Make sure the printer is turned off and then push the paper release lever back to the single sheet position.

2. Turn on the printer. The POWER and PAPER OUT lights come on.

Paper Handling 2-3

Using Single Sheets

3.

4.

Slide the left edge guide until it locks in place at the Next, adjust the right edge guide to match the width paper.

guide mark. of your

Slide the paper down firmly meets resistance. Then press once to load the paper.

between the edge guides until it the AUTO LOAD (LINE FEED) button

2-4 Paper Handling

Using Single Sheets

Note: If the platen turns without loading the paper, completely remove the paper and reinsert it more firmly. Then press the AUTO LOAD button again.

CAUTION: Never advance the paper using the platen knob while the printer is turned on.

5. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line.

To eject the paper, set the printer off line (by pressing the ON LINE button) and then press the FORM FEED button.

Reloading during printing

When you print a document of more than one page using single sheet paper, there are two ways your software may leave your printer at the end of a page:

l If your software sends characters in a continuous stream, the printer stops printing when it reaches the bottom of the paper. When this happens, the page ejects and the ON LINE light goes off automatically.

l If your software handles printing page by page, it probably stops sending characters at the end of a page and prompts you to insert more paper. In this case, the ON LINE light may remain on. If it does, press the ON LINE button once to take the printer off line.

In either case, once the ON LINE light is off, remove the sheet that has just been printed and load a new sheet as before. Press the ON LINE button to start printing the next page.

Paper Handling 2-5

Using Continuous Paper

This printers paper-handling system allows you to load continuous paper through either the rear or bottom paper slot depending upon your paper supply location.

To print on continuous paper, you need to install the pull-tractor unit. If the pull tractor is already installed, skip to Positioning your continuous paper supply later in this section.

Installing the pull tractor

1. Turn off the printer and remove the printer cover and paper guide.

2. Attach the paper rest to the rear of the printer.

3. Pull the paper-release lever forward to the continuous-paper position. Open the slot cover for the tractor unit.

2-6 Paper Handling

Using Continuous Paper

4. Fit the rear notches of the tractor unit over the rear mounting pins of the printer.

5. Press the tractor unit forward until its front notches lock onto the front mounting pins of the printer.

Paper Handling 2-7

Using Continuous Paper

Positioning your continuous-paper supply

If you want to load paper through the bottom paper slot of the printer, use a printer stand that has an opening for paper to run through from the paper supply to the bottom paper slot.

Here are two ways to position your printer and supply of continuous paper:

Make sure you align your paper supply with the paper loaded in the tractor so that the paper feeds smoothly into the printer.

Loading continuous paper

1. Make sure the printer is turned off. Slide the print head to the middle of the printer.

WARNING: If the printer was used recently, the print head may be hot. Let it cool before attempting to move it.

2. Release the sprocket units by pulling the sprocket locks forward.

2-8 Paper Handling

Using Continuous Paper

3. Slide the left sprocket unit to approximately 0.5 inches (12 mm) from the far left position and push the lever back to lock it in place. Then slide the right sprocket unit to match the width of your paper, but do not lock it.

4

5

Position the paper support midway between the two sprocket units. Open both sprocket covers.

Make sure your paper has a clean, straight edge. Then insert the paper into the desired paper slot (rear or bottom) until it emerges between the platen and the ribbon guide. Pull the paper up to the sprocket units.

6. Fit the holes of the paper over the tractor pins of the sprocket units, and then close the sprocket covers.

Paper Handling 2-9

Using Continuous Paper

7. Slide the right sprocket unit to a position where the paper is straight and not wrinkled; then lock it in place. If there is slack in the paper between the print head and the tractor unit, use the platen knob to take up the slack.

8. To separate the incoming paper from the outgoing printed paper, attach the paper guide in its flat position over the printer and incoming paper. Then slide the edge guides to the center of the papers width.

9. Use the platen knob to feed the paper until its perforation is just about even with the top of the ribbon.

10. Attach and close the tractor cover.

11. Turn on the printer.

CAUTION: If you use the platen knob to feed the paper

2-10 Paper Handling

Using Continuous Paper

Setting the top of form position

You may need to set the top of the form to a certain position for printing on ready-made forms.

To set the top-of-form position at the third line of the paper, for example, mark the paper 4.1 inches (105 mm) above the perforation. Then load the paper and align this mark with the mark on the tractor unit, as shown below. The third line (0.42 inches or 10.6 mm) below the perforation becomes the top-of-form position.

You may have to experiment with setting the top of form position several times to get this adjustment just right.

Paper Handling 2-11

Using Continuous Paper

Removing the pull tractor

1. If you have a printed document still in the printer, set the printer off line and press the FORM FEED button to feed the paper forward. Then tear off the document at the perforation.

2. Remove the paper guide.

3. Tear off the fresh supply at the slot or below the bottom paper

perforation past the rear paper slot.

4. Press the FORM FEED button to feed the paper past the tractor pins. If paper remains in the tractor unit, press the FORM FEED button again.

5. Remove the tractor cover.

2-12 Paper Handling

Using Continuous Paper

6. Hold both ends of the tractor unit and slowly tilt the unit back until the front notches of the unit are free.

7. Lift the tractor unit up and off.

8. Close the slot cover.

9. Install the paper guide and printer cover. Push the paper release lever to the single sheet position.

Paper Handling 2-13

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, such as labels and multi-part forms. Before printing on special types of paper, you may need to change the paper-thickness setting.

CAUTION: When printing on labels or multi-part forms, make sure that your application program settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area.

Always return the lever to position 2 when you go back to printing on ordinary paper.

The paper-thickness lever

Change the position of the paper-thickness lever as follows:

1. Turn off the printer.

2. Remove the tractor cover or the printer cover.

WARNING: If the printer was used recently, the print head may be hot. Let it cool before attempting to move it.

3. Slide the print head to the middle of the printer.

2-14 Paper Handling

Printing on Special Paper

4. Set the paper-thickness lever to match the thickness of your paper according to the table below.

Paper Type Lever Position

Ordinary (single sheets or continuous)

Thin paper

2

2 or 1

3 4

Multi-part paper 2 sheets (original + 1 copy) 3 sheets (original + 2 copies)

Labels 4

Note: If the lever is set to position 4, the printing speed is reduced.

5. Attach the tractor cover or printer cover.

Multi-part forms

With the pull-tractor unit installed, your printer can print on continuous multi-part forms. You can use multi-part forms of up to three parts (including the original). Make sure you set the paper- thickness lever to the proper position using the table above.

Paper Handling 2-15

Printing on Special Paper

Except for the paper-thickness setting, you load multi-part paper the same way as continuous paper. For details, see the section on loading continuous paper in this chapter. Pay special attention to setting the top-of-form position.

CAUTION: l Do not use multi-part forms with the single-sheet

feeding system.

l When printing multi-part forms, make sure the printing stays entirely within the printable area of the forms.

L a b e l s

When printing labels, always choose the type 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.

Load labels from the bottom paper slot only. You load labels the same way that you load continuous paper except that the paper- thickness lever must be adjusted for printing labels. See the section on loading continuous paper in this chapter for details. For the correct paper-thickness setting, see the table on page 2-15.

CAUTION: l Never feed labels backward through the printer.

Labels can easily peel off the backing and jam the printer.

l Since labels are especially sensitive to temperature and humidity, use them only under normal operating conditions.

l Do not leave labels loaded in the printer between jobs; they curl around the platen and may jam when you resume printing.

2-16 Paper Handling

Chapter 3 Using the Printer

Operating the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-2 Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..3- 2 Buttons ................................................................. 3-3 SelecType .............................................................. 3-4 Other control-panel features ...................................... 3-4

Setting the DIP switches .............................................. 3-5 Changing a DIP-switch setting ................................... 3-5 DIP-switch tables.. .................................................. 3-7 DIP-switch functions ............................................... 3-10

Selecting Typestyles .................................................... 3-12 Character fonts ....................................................... 3-12 Character spacing ................................................... 3-15

Selecting an International Character Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-16

Choosing a Character Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17

Data Dump Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

Using the Printer 3-1

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 [ ] READY [ ] PAPER OUT

[ ] ON LINE

POWER (green) On when the power switch is on and power is supplied.

READY (green) On when the printer is ready to accept data. This light flickers during printing.

PAPER OUT (red) On when the printer is out of paper.

ON LINE (green) On when the printer can receive and print data from the computer. If this light flickers, the print head is overheated. In this case, the printer waits until the print head cools and then resumes printing.

3-2 Using the Printer

Operating the Control Panel

Buttons

POWER READY PAPER OUT

ON LINE This button controls the printers on line/off line status. 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 advance continuous paper to the top of the next page. When the printer is on line, press this button to select the character font. See the section in this chapter on selecting a font with SelecType.

LINE FEED/AUTO LOAD When the printer is off line and paper is loaded, press this button to feed the paper one line, or hold it down to feed paper continuously. To load single-sheet paper, the printer must be off line and the PAPER OUT light on. Then insert a sheet of paper and press the AUTO LOAD button.

Using the Printer 3-3

Operating the Control Panel

SelecType

When the printer is on line, the FORM FEED button is used to select the character font. The two orange indicator lights show which font is currently selected. (See the description on the tractor cover label or the SelecType sticker.) You can put the SelecType sticker on the printer cover or the front cover provided with the optional cut-sheet feeder. Youll find the sticker inside the users manual.

SelecType DRAFT PRESTIGE ROMAN SCRIPT SANS SERIF OCR-B COURIER ORATOR

O N O F F B L I N K I N G

Other control-panel features

The control panel also gives you access to several special functions.

Self test: The self test lets you check that your printer is operating properly and gives you a printout of the current DIP-switch settings. See the section on testing the printer in Chapter 1 for more information.

Data dump: The data dump mode allows advanced users to find the cause of communication problems between the printer and application programs. The data dump mode is explained at the end of this chapter.

3-4 Using the Printer

Setting the DIP Switches

By changing the settings of the two sets of DIP switches inside the compartment on the right top and side of the printer, you can control various printer features, such as the character set and page length. These new settings become effective whenever the printer is turned on, reset, or initialized.

Changing a DIP-switch setting

1. Make sure the printer is turned off.

2. Remove the compartment cover.

Using the Printer 3-5

Setting the DIP Switches

3. Use a pointed instrument, such as the tip of a pen, to turn a switch on or off. The tables on the following pages give the DIP-switch functions for each setting.

4. Reattach the compartment cover.

The new DIP-switch settings take effect when you turn on the printer.

3-6 Using the Printer

Setting the DIP Switches

DIP-switch tables

The tables below show the settings for each DIP switch function. The currrent settings appear on your self test printout.

DIP Switch 1

International character set/ Graphics character set

SeeTable1,2

Sea Table 3

DIP Switch 2

Using the Printer 3-7

Setting the DIP Switches

Table 1 international character sets (DIP switch 1-7 OFF)

When DIP switch 1-7 is off, PC 437 (United States) is the default graphics character set.

Table 2 Graphics character sets (DIP switch 1-7 ON)

Settings not shown above select PC 437 (United States). When DIP switch 1-7 is on, USA is the default international character set.

Table 3 Font selection

Font SW1-4 SW1-5 SW1-6

Epson Courier OFF OFF OFF

Epson Roman ON OFF OFF

Epson Sans Serif OFF ON OFF

Epson Prestige ON ON OFF

Epson Script

OCR-B

OFF OFF ON

ON OFF ON

Epson Orator

Epson Draft

OFF ON ON

ON ON ON

3-8 Using the Printer

Setting the DIP Switches

Table 4 Page length

Page length SW2-1 SW2-2 SW1-8

11 inches OFF OFF OFF

12 inches ON OFF OFF

8.5 inches OFF ON OFF

11.7 inches ON ON OFF

When DIP switch 1-8 is off, A4 size (61 lines) is the default CSF page length.

Table 5 CSF page length

CSF page length SW2-1 SW2-2

A4 size (61 lines) OFF OFF

OFF ON

Letter size (65 lines) ON OFF

ON ON

When DIP switch 1-8 is on, 11 inches is the default page length.

SW1-8

ON

ON

ON

ON

Table 6 Character spacing

Character spacing

10 cpi

12 cpi

17 cpi

20 cpi

SW2-7 SW2-8

OFF OFF

ON OFF

OFF ON

ON ON

Using the Printer 3-9

Setting the DIP Switches

DIP switch functions

This section describes the different features you can control with the printers DIP switches.

Page length and CSF page length

When DIP switch 1-8 is off (cut-sheet feeder mode is off), DIP switches 2-1 and 2-2 let you select a page length of 8.5 inches (216 mm), 11 inches (279 mm), 11.7 inches (296 mm), or 12 inches (305 mm).

When DIP switch 1-8 is on (cut-sheet feeder mode is on), you can select the CSF (Cut-Sheet Feeder) page length of A4- or Letter-size paper by setting DIP switches 2-1 and 2-2.

Auto line feed

When auto line feed is on (DIP switch 2-3 on), each carriage return code (CR) is automatically accompanied by a line feed code (LF). If your printer is double spacing, turn the DIP switch off. If each line overprints the next, turn the DIP switch on.

Input buffer capacity

The input buffer stores data from your computer. If you want to free your computer for other tasks while the printer prints, change the setting to 8 Kbytes (DIP switch 2-4 on). Before defining user- defined characters, however, be sure to return the setting to 1 Kbyte (DIP switch 2-4 off).

3-10 Using the Printer

Setting the DIP Switches

Print direction for graphics

The printer ordinarily prints text bidirectionally for speed and prints graphics characters unidirectionally for precise vertical alignment. You can, however, change text printing to unidirectional with the software command ESC Ul.

If you want to increase printing speed, you can change graphics character printing to bidirectional by turning DIP switch 2-5 on and sending the ESC U0 command. If DIP switch 2-5 is off, graphics character printing is unidirectional whether or not ESC U0 is used.

Skip-over-perforation

DIP switch 2-6 controls the skip-over-perforation function. If this switch is on when you are using continuous paper, the printer leaves a one-inch (25.4-mm) space between the last printed line on one page and the first printable line on the next page so that the printer skips over the perforation.

Most application programs take care of the top and bottom margins. Do not turn on skip-over-perforation unless your program does not provide these margins.

If you adjust your top-of-form position to the proper point, you can get half of the space at the bottom of one page and half at the top of the next page, as shown below.

Using the Printer 3-11

Selecting Typestyles

You can produce a wide range of typestyles by combining different character fonts, widths, and other enhancements. You can select typestyles using the SelecType feature on your control panel, the DIP switches, or software commands.

Character fonts

Your printer has eight built-in character fonts. To select a font using SelecType, follow these steps:

1. Be sure the printer is turned on and the ON LINE light is lit. Check to see that the printer is not receiving data (the READY light should not be flickering).

2. Press the FORM FEED button until the two SelecType lights match the desired font, as shown below.

DRAFT selected

ROMAN selected SANS SERIF selected

COURIER selected

PRESTIGE selected SCRIPT selected OCR-B selected ORATOR selected

off

o n

blinking

The tractor cover label and the SelecType sticker list the state of the two orange indicator lights for each font. You can put the SelecType sticker on either the printer cover or the front cover provided with the optional cut-sheet feeder.

The font selected by SelecType remains effective until another font is selected by a software command or until the printer is turned off, reset, or initialized. Epson Courier is the default.

3-12 Using the Printer

Selecting Typestyles

Draft mode uses fewer dots per character for high-speed printing, which makes it ideal for rough drafts and editing work.

Other SelecType settings are Letter Quality (LQ) fonts. Letter Quality takes a little longer to print but produces fully-formed characters for presentation-quality documents.

The following samples show the characters for each font.

Epson Draft

!#$%&()*+, - . /0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJK LMNOPQRSTUVWXZ[\]^_ abcdefgh i jk lmnopqrstuv w x y z { | } ~ P t

Epson Roman

Epson Sans Serif

Epson Courier

Using the Printer 3-13

Selecting Typestyles

Epson Prestige

Epson Script

OCR-B

Note: The OCR-B font is read by an optical character reader (also known as a document reader or image scanner) for input into another computer. Print enhancements, such as bold and underlining, are not read by an optical character reader.

Epson Orator

3-14 Using the Printer

Selecting Typestyles

Character spacing

For all of the eight built-in fonts, you can choose character spacing of 10, 12, 15, 17, or 20 cpi (characters per inch), or proportional spacing using the DIP switches or software commands.

In the 10, 12, 15, 17, and 20 cpi modes, each character gets an equal amount of space. In proportional mode, the spacing varies from character to character. A narrow letter like the lowercase i receives less space than the uppercase W.

The printout below compares the different types of spacing:

This is 10 cpi printing. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

This is 12 cpi printing. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOFQRSTUVWXYZ

This is 15 cpi printing.

ABCDEPCHIJKLFlNOPQRSTUVUXYZ

Thie is 17 cpi printing. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

This is 20 cpi priding. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

This is proportional printing. ARCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTIJVWXYZ

If you choose 15 cpi for Epson Roman, Epson Prestige, Epson Script, OCR-B or Epson Orator, 15 cpi Courier is printed.

Using the Printer 3-15

Selecting an International Character Set

International character sets provide you with some characters and symbols used in other languages. The table below shows the eight international character sets you can select with DIP switches 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 when DIP switch 1-7 is turned off. The table also shows the characters that differ in each set.

Country

0 U.S.A. 1 France

2 Germany 3 U.K. 4 Denmark 5 Sweden 6 Italy 7 Spain I

ASCII code (hex)

23 24 40 5B 5C 5D 5E 60 78 7C 7D 7E

DIP SW

1-1

ON ON ON ON OFF OFF OFF OFF

1-2

ON ON OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF

1-3

ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF

Note: If you wish to select an international character set when DIP switch 1-7 is turned on, use the ESC R command.

Besides the eight sets above, the six international character sets and the legal set shown below are also available through the ESC R command.

Country ASCII code (hex)

23 24 40 58 5C 50 5E 60 78 7C 70 7E

8 Japan 9 Norway 10 Denmark II 11 Spain II 12 Latin America 13 Korea 64 Legal

3-16 Using the Printer

Choosing a Character Table

When DIP switch 1-7 is on, the graphics character tables are selected; when it is off, the italic character table is selected. The graphics character table selected depends on the settings of DIP switches 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3.

If you have an IBM@ or IBM-compatible computer, select a graphics character set when you wish to print character graphics as they are displayed on the screen. Even if you select a graphics character set, you can still print ordinary text and italics. For italics, see your software manual or the description of the ESC 4 command in the Command Summary, Chapter 8.

You can also select the italics character set or a graphics character set using the ESC t command. See the Command Summary in Chapter 8.

When DIP switch 1-7 is on, the graphics character table is determined by the DIP switch 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 settings.

Graphics character sets

Settings not shown above select PC 437 (United States)

Using the Printer 3-17

Choosing a Character Table

The characters in each character set are shown in the Appendix.

Note: l To change the setting of a DIP switch, first turn off the

printer. Then change the DIP switch and turn the printer back on.

l Use of the ESC 6 or ESC 7 commands lets you select whether to print hex codes 90 to 9E and FF as characters (ESC 6) or control codes (ESC 7).

3-18 Using the Printer

Data Dump Mode

Data dump mode is a special feature that allows experienced users to find the cause of communication problems between the printer and application programs. In data dump mode, the printer produces an exact printout of the codes it receives.

To use data dump mode, follow these steps:

1. Make sure that paper is loaded and the printer is off.

2. Hold down the FORM FEED and LINE FEED buttons and turn on the printer.

3. Next, run either an application program or a program you have written in any programming language. Your printer prints all the codes it receives in hexadecimal format, as shown below.

Data Dump Mode

1 8 4 0 1 B 5 2 0 0 1 B 7 4 01 1B 36 12 18 50 20 20 20 . @ . R . . t . . 6 . . P

2 0 2 0 5 4 6 8 6 9 7 3 2 0 6 9 7 3 2 0 6 1 6 E 2 0 6 5 7 8 6 1 This is an exa 6D 70 6C 65 20 6F 66 20 61 20 64 61 74 61 20 64 mplo of a data d 7 5 6 0 7 0 2 0 7 0 7 2 6 9 6 E 7 4 6 F 7 5 7 4 2 E 2 0 5 4 6 8 ump printout. T h

6 9 7 3 2 0 6 9 7 3 2 0 6 6 6 5 6 1 7 4 7 5 7 2 6 5 2 0 6 D 6 1 is is f e a t u r e m a

6 8 6 5 7 3 2 0 6 9 7 4 2 0 6 5 6 1 7 3 7 9 2 0 6 6 6 F 7 2 2 0 kes it easy for

4. To turn off data dump mode, press the ON LINE button to take the printer off line and then turn off the printer.

By reading the characters printed in the text field on the right side of the data dump printout (see step 3) or the printout of hex codes, you can check which codes are being sent to the printer.

Using the Printer 3-19

Chapter 4 Using the Printer Options

Cut-Sheet Feeder ......................................................... 4-2 Installing the cut-sheet feeder ...................................... 4-2 Paper handling ......................................................... 4-4 Removing the cut-sheet feeder ..................................... 4-7

Film Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Using the Printer Options 4-1

Cut-Sheet Feeder

The optional cut-sheet feeder ( # 7341) makes it possible to handle single sheets of paper more easily and efficiently. It automatically feeds up to 100 sheets of standard bond paper into the printer.

Installing the cut-sheet feeder

1. Make sure the printer is turned off. Remove the paper guide and printer cover. If the pull tractor is installed, remove it.

2. Turn on the cut-sheet feeder mode by setting DIP switch 1-8 on.

3. Push the paper-release lever back to the single sheet position and open the slot cover.

4 2 Using the Printer Options

Cut-Sheet Feeder

4. Hold the assembled cut-sheet feeder in both hands and fit its notches over the pins of the printer.

5. Two front covers are provided with the cut-sheet feeder. Attach the one for the LQ-500. The cut-sheet feeder manual tells which one this is.

6. Turn on the printer.

Using the Printer Options 4-3

Cut-Sheet Feeder

Paper handling

1. Pull the left and right rear tabs on the cut sheet feeder forward until the paper guides retract and lock open to allow for paper loading.

2. Slide the left paper guide all the way to the left. Next, slide the right paper guide to roughly match the width of your paper.

4-4 Using the Printer Options

Cut-Sheet Feeder

3. Move the front stacker support to the center of your papers width.

4. Take a stack of paper and fan it. Next, tap the side and bottom of the paper on a flat surface to even up the stack.

CAUTION: Do not use multi-part forms, carbon paper, or labels in the cut-sheet feeder.

5. Insert the paper along the left paper guide. Then, adjust the position of the right paper guide so that it closely matches your papers width. Make sure that the position of the guide allows the paper to move freely up and down.

Using the Printer Options 4 5

Cut-Sheet Feeder

6. Push the rear tabs on both paper guides backward to clamp the paper against the guide rollers.

A new sheet of paper loads automatically whenever a printable character or line-feed command is sent to the printer while the ON LINE light is on.

Note: Run the self test in cut-sheet feeder mode. The printer counts the number of lines on the page in l/6-inch line spacing and prints out this number at the bottom of the first test page. This information is useful when using software to set a new page length.

4-6 Using the Printer Options

Cut-Sheet Feeder

Removing the cut-sheet feeder

1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. If any paper remains in the bin, remove it.

2. Remove the front cover.

3. Tilt the back section of the cut-sheet feeder forward to release its notches from the printers pins and remove the cut-sheet feeder.

4. Turn off cut-sheet feeder mode by setting DIP switch 1-8 to off.

Using the Printer Options 4-7

Film Ribbon

The optional film ribbon (#7768) provides you with even higher quality printing than the standard fabric ribbon.

Use the optional film ribbon only when you need especially high quality printing. For everyday operation, use the standard ribbon.

Install the film ribbon the same way you install the standard ribbon. See Chapter 1.

4-8 Using the Printer Options

Chapter 5 Maintenance and Transportation

Cleaning the Printer ..................................................... 5-2

Replacing the Ribbon .................................................. .5-3

Transporting the Printer ............................................... 5-4

Maintenance and Transportation 5-1

Cleaning the Printer

To keep your printer operating at its best, you should clean it thoroughly several times a year.

1. Make sure the printer is turned off. Then remove the paper guide, pull tractor unit, and any installed options.

2. Use a soft brush to carefully clear away all dust and dirt.

3. If the outer case or paper guide is dirty or dusty, clean it with a soft, clean cloth dampened with mild detergent dissolved in water. Keep the printer cover in place to prevent water from getting inside the printer.

CAUTION: l Never use alcohols or thinners to clean the printer;

these chemicals can damage the components as well as the case.

l Be careful not to get water on the printer mechanism or electronic components.

l Do not use a hard or abrasive brush.

l Do not spray the inside of the printer with lubricants; unsuitable oils can damage the mechanism. Contact your dealer or a qualified service person if lubrication is needed.

5-2 Maintenance and Transportation

Replacing the Ribbon

When your printing becomes too faint, you need to replace the ribbon. The Epson # 7753 standard fabric or # 7768 film replacement ribbon cartridges are recommended. See Installing the ribbon cartridge in Chapter 1.

Note: l Use the optional film ribbon only when you need especially

high quality printing. For everyday operations, use the standard ribbon.

l Do not use ribbons designed for nine-pin printers.

Maintenance and Transportation 5-3

Transporting the Printer

If you need to transport your printer some distance, carefully repack the printer using the original box and packing materials, as described below.

1. Turn off the printer.

2. Remove the paper guide and paper rest.

3. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet; then disconnect the interface cable from the printer.

4. Remove the ribbon cartridge and platen knob.

5. If you have removed the pull tractor and the tractor cover, replace them now according to the instructions in Chapter 2.

CAUTION: Never hold the printer by the compartment cover even if you are carrying the printer only a short distance. This cover could come off and cause you to drop the printer.

5-4 Maintenance and Transportation

Chapter 6 Troubleshooting

Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Paper Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............. 6-8

Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10

Troubleshooting 6-1

Problems and Solutions

This chapter presents solutions to possible printer problems. If you have difficulty achieving the desired printing result, first locate the problem in the listing below and then see the appropriate page for the solution. If these solutions do not solve your problem, see Where to Get Help in the introduction.

Power supply

l Power is not being supplied. See 6-3.

Printing

l The printer does not print.

l The print is faint or uneven.

l Dots are missing in the printed characters or graphics.

l Printed characters are not what you expect.

l The print position is not what you expected.

Paper handling

l Single sheets do not feed properly.

l Continuous paper does not feed properly.

Options

l When you use the cut-sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly.

See 6-4.

See 6-5.

see 6-5.

see 6-5.

See 6-6.

see 6-8.

see 6-9.

see 6-10.

6-2 Troubleshooting

Power Supply

Power is not being supplied.

l The POWER light does not go on.

Check that the power cable is plugged into the electrical outlet properly.

If the electrical outlet is controlled by an outside switch or automatic timer, use a different outlet.

Plug another electrical device into the outlet to determine whether the outlet is operating properly.

l The POWER light comes on briefly and then goes off. The light stays off even when the power is turned on again.

Check that the printers voltage rating matches the voltage of your electrical outlet. If the voltages do not match, unplug the printer and contact your dealer immediately. Do not reconnect the power cable to an electrical outlet.

Troubleshooting 6-3

Printing

The printer does not print.

l The ON LINE light is off.

Press the ON LINE button to put the printer on line.

l The ON LINE light is on but nothing is printed.

Check that the software is installed properly for your printer. Check the softwares printer settings.

Check both ends of the interface cable between the printer and the computer. Make sure your interface cable meets both the printer and computer specifications.

l The PAPER OUT light is on.

Load paper in the printer.

l The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing is printed.

The ribbon cartridge may not be installed properly. See the section on ribbon installation in Chapter 1.

The ribbon may be worn out. Replace the ribbon cartridge.

l The printer makes a strange noise, the buzzer sounds several times, and the printer stops abruptly.

Turn off the printer and check for paper jams or other problems. If the printer still does not print correctly, contact your dealer or a qualified service person.

l The ON LINE light is flickering but the printer does not print, or it stops printing abruptly.

The print head is overheated. Wait a few minutes; the printer resumes printing automatically when the print head cools.

6 4 Troubleshooting

Printing

The print is faint or uneven.

l Printed characters have parts missing at the bottom.

The ribbon cartridge may not be installed properly. See the section on ribbon installation in Chapter 1.

l The printout is faint.

The ribbon may be worn out. Replace the ribbon cartridge.

Check that the paper-thickness lever is set correctly for the paper you are using.

Dots are missing in the printed characters or graphics.

l A line of dots is missing in the printout.

The print head is damaged. Stop printing and contact your dealer or a qualified service person to have the printer serviced.

l Dots are missing in random positions.

There is either slack in the ribbon or the ribbon has come loose. Reinstall the ribbon cartridge.

Printed characters are not what you expect.

l The typestyle or characters that are set by your software cannot be printed.

Check that the software is correctly installed for your printer.

l The font is selected in your software, but the characters are printed in a different font.

Check that the correct font is selected in SelecType.

Troubleshooting 6-5

Printing

l The font selected by SelecType does not print.

Your software may be overriding your SelecType setting. Check the printing style set in your software.

l The wrong characters are printed.

The wrong character table or the wrong international character set may be selected. Check the DIP-switch settings. See 3-16.

The print position is not what you expected.

l Printing starts too high or too low on the page.

Adjust the top margin set by your application software.

l All the text is printed on the same line.

Set DIP switch 2-3 on so that the printer automatically adds a line-feed code to each carriage return.

l The text is printed with an extra blank line in between.

Two line-feed signals are being sent. Set DIP switch 2-3 off.

l Page length does not match the length of the paper.

Change the page-length setting with DIP switches 2-1 and 2-2. see 3-9.

Check the page length set by your application software and adjust it if necessary.

l Regular gaps occur in the printout.

One-inch skip-over-perforation may be set. Set DIP switch 2-6 off.

6-6 Troubleshooting

Printing

l Skip-over-perforation is set, but the perforation does not fall in the center of the skip.

Adjust the top of form position as described in Chapter 2.

Make sure the DIP-switch settings match your required paper length. See 3-9.

If your application program is setting the top and bottom margins, set DIP switch 2-6 off.

If the printer still does not print correctly, try the self test described in Chapter 1. If the self test works properly, the printer is all right, and the problem probably lies in the computer, the software, or the cable. If the self test does not work, contact your dealer or a qualified service person.

Troubleshooting 6 - 7

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, see the section on options starting on 6-10.

Single sheets do not feed properly.

l Printing starts too low on the page, or the bottom part of one page is printed at the top of the next page.

Be sure to choose the correct printer when you choose a printer from your application programs menu. See Chapter 1.

If possible, specify single sheet paper with your application software.

Use your application software to reduce or eliminate the top margin and to reduce the page length.

l When you press the AUTO LOAD button, the platen does not rotate and paper does not feed.

If the ON LINE light is on, press the ON LINE button once to set the printer off line.

l When you press the AUTO LOAD button, the platen rotates but paper does not feed.

Check that the paper-release lever is pushed back to the single-sheet position.

6-8 Troubleshooting

Paper Handling

l The paper feed is crooked or the paper jams.

The cut-sheet feeder mode may be turned on. Set DIP switch 1-8 off.

Make sure the paper size is within the specified range. see 7-3.

l The paper does not fully eject.

See that the page-length setting is correct.

Continuous paper does not feed properly.

l The paper feed is crooked or the paper jams.

See that the paper-release lever is pulled forward to the continuous-paper position.

Make sure the paper supply is not obstructed by a cable or some other object.

Make sure that your paper supply is positioned within 3 feet (1 meter) of the printer.

The position of your paper supply may be preventing it from feeding straight.

See that the holes on the sides of the paper are aligned with each other. Also, make sure the sprocket units are locked and their covers are closed.

Check that the paper-thickness lever is set correctly for the paper you are using. See 2-15.

Check that the paper size is within the specified range. see 7-3.

Troubleshooting 6-9

Options

When you use the cut-sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly.

l When a print command is sent from the computer, the platen rotates but paper does not feed.

Make sure DIP switch 1-8 is set on. See 3-7.

The cut-sheet feeder may be incorrectly installed on the printer.

See that the paper-release lever is pushed back to the single-sheet position. See 2-3.

Paper may be jammed near the print head.

You may have loaded too many sheets in the cut-sheet feeders bin.

There may be only one sheet left in the bin. Add more paper. See 4-4.

l Two or more sheets feed at the same time.

You may have loaded too many sheets in the cut-sheet feeders bin.

You may have forgotten to fan the stack of paper before loading it into the bin. Remove the paper and fan it.

l The paper feed is crooked.

The paper may be old or creased. Use only new, clean sheets of paper.

There may be too much paper in the stacker.

Make sure that your paper is the proper sire and quality.

l One page of printing has spread to two pages.

Check that the page-length setting is correct.

6-10 Troubleshooting

Chapter 7 Technical Specifications

Printer Specifications ................................................. .7-2 Printing ................................................................. 7-2 Paper.................................................................... 7-3 Mechanical ............................................................ 7-6 Electrical ............................................................... 7-6 Environmental ........................................................ 7-7

Interface Specifications ................................................ 7-8 Specifications and pin assignments ............................. 7-8 Interface timing .................................................... ..7-11 Printing enabled/disabled signals and control conditions ........................................... ..7-11

Initialization ............................................................. -7-12 Default Settings ...................................................... 7-12

Technical Specifications 7-1

Printer Specifications

Printing

Printing method: 24-pin impact dot matrix

Printing speed:

Quality Character per inch Characters/second/line

10 Draft

160

12 192

10 53.3 Letter Quality

12 64

Printing direction: Bidirectional logic-seeking for text. Unidirectional for graphics. (Bidirectional for graphics can be selected with DIP switch 2-5 and the proper software command.)

Line spacing: 1/6 inch, or programmable in increments of l/180 inch

Paper feed speed: 100 ms/line at l/6-inch line spacing with intermittent feeding; 2.2 inches/second with continuous feeding.

Printable columns:

Character sizes Maximum printed characters

10 cpi 80

12 cpi 96

15 cpi 120

17 cpi 137

20 cpi 160

Proportional 69 (maximum-width character) 160 (minimum-width character)

7-2 Technical Specifications

Printer Specifications

Buffer:

Character fonts:

1 Kbyte or 8 Kbytes (DIP-switch selectable)

Font Available sizes (characters per inch)

Epson Draft 10, 12, 15, 17, 20

Epson Roman 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, proportional

Epson Sans Serif 10, 12. 15, 17, 20, proportional

Epson Courier 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, proportional

Epson Prestige

Epson Script

OCR-B

10, 12. 15, 17, 20, proportional

10, 12, 15, 17, 20, proportional

10

Epson Orator 10

Character tables: 96 standard ASCII characters, 14 international character sets, and a legal set, and 5 graphics character tables

Paper

Paper width:

Paper length: Single sheet 14.3 inches (364 mm) maximum

Single sheet 7.2 to 10.1 inches (182 to 257 mm)

Continuous paper (including multi-part forms)

4.0 to 10.0 inches (101 to 254 mm) Labels (continuous only)

backing sheet: 4.0 to 10.0 inches (101 to 254 mm)

label: 2 l/2 x 15/16 i nches (63.5 x 23.8 mm) minimum

Technical Specifications 7-3

Printer Specifications

Printable area:

Single sheet 0.12" (3 mm) or more on paper that is 9" (229 mm) or less wide.

0.53 (13.5 mm) or more

The minimum right and left margins are 1.06 (27 mm) when printing on paper that is 10.1" (257 mm) wide.

Continuous paper

0.35" (9 mm) or more 0.35 (9 mm) or more

0.51" (13 mm) or more on paper that is 9.5 (242 mm) or less wide.

For 10 (254 mm) paper width, the left margin is 1.02" (28 mm) or more and the right margin is 0.94 (24 mm) or more.

7-4 Technical Specifications

Printer Specifications

Paper thickness: Single sheets

Paper weight :

0.0025 to 0.004 inches (0.065 to 0.1 mm)

Continuous (including multi-part forms) 0.0025 to 0.01 inches (0.065 to 0.25 mm)

Labels 0.0063 to 0.0075 inches (0.16 to 0.19 mm) including backing sheet

Single sheet 14 to 22 lb (52.3 to 82.0 g/m2)

Continuous paper 14 to 22 lb (52.3 to 82.0 g/m2)

Multi-part forms [12 to 15 lb] x N ([40 to 58.2 g/m2] x N) Maximum number sheets (N) = 3

Labels 17 lb (68 g/m2) maximum

Number of copies: With continuous multi-part paper only: one original plus up to two copies. Maximum thickness: 0.01 inches (0.25 mm)

Note: In high temperature and humidity conditions, continuous paper less than 6 inches (152 mm) wide loaded in the rear paper slot must be 17-pound (64 g/m 2) or heavier.

Technical Specifications 7-5

Printer Specifications

Mechanical

Paper-feed methods: Friction Pull tractor Single-bin cut-sheet feeder (optional)

Ribbon: Black ribbon cartridge #7753: Life expectancy (in LQ, at 48 dots/character): 2 million characters

Film ribbon cartridge # 7768 (optional): Life expectancy (in LQ): 0.2 million characters

MCBF: For all components (excluding print head): 3 million lines

MTBF:

Print head life:

4000 power on hours (25% duty)

200 million strokes per wire (with fabric ribbon)

Dimensions and weight: (excluding knob and paper guide) Width: 15.3 inches (390 mm) Depth: 12.6 inches (320 mm) Height: 5.2 inches (131 mm) without

pull tractor 5.9 inches (149.5 mm) with pull tractor

Weight: Approx. 14.1 lb (6.4 kg) without pull tractor Approx. 15.2 lb (6.9 kg) with pull tractor

Electrical

Rated voltage: AC 120 V (120 V model) AC 220 V (220 V model) AC 240 V (240 V model)

7-6 Technical Specifications

Printer Specifications

Input voltage range:

Rated current:

Power consumption:

Rated frequency range:

Input frequency range:

Insulation resistance:

Dielectric strength (between AC line and chassis):

Environmental

Temperature:

Humidity:

AC 103.5 to 132 V (120 V model) AC 198 to 242 V (220 V model) AC 216 to 264 V (240 V model)

1.8 A (120 V model) 0.9 A (220 V model, 240 V model)

(during self test printing in draft mode, at 10 cpi) Approx. 36 W (120 V model) Approx. 38 W (220 V model) Approx. 38 W (240 V model)

50 to 60 Hz

49.5 to 60.5 Hz

10 M minimum (at DC 500 V between AC power line and chassis)

120 V model: AC 1.0 kV (rms), 1 minute AC 1.2 kV (rms), 1 second

220 V model, 240 V model: AC 1.25 kV (rms), 1 minute AC 1.5 kV (rms), 1 second

Operation: 41 to 95F (5 to 35C) Storage: -22 to 140F (-30 to 60C)

Operation: 10% to 80% RH without condensation

Storage: 5% to 85% RH without condensation

Technical Specifications 7-7

Interface Specifications

Your printer is equipped with a parallel interface.

Specifications and pin assignments The built-in parallel interface has the following characteristics:

Data format: 8-bit parallel

Synchronization: STROBE pulse

Handshake timing: BUSY and ACKNLG signal

Signal level: TTL compatible level

connector: 36-pin 57-30360 (Amphenol) connector or equivalent

Connector pin assignments and a description of their respective interface signals are shown in the following table.

Signal Signal Pin Pin

Signal Direction

1 19 STROBE IN

2 20 DATA 1 3 21 DATA 2 4 22 DATA 3 5 23 DATA 4 6 24 DATA 5 7 25 DATA 6 8 26 DATA 7 9 27 DATA 8

10 10 ACKNLG OUT

IN IN IN IN IN IN IN IN

Description

STROBE pulse to read data. Pulse width

These signals represent information of the 1st to 8th bits of parallel data, respectively. Each signal is at HIGH level when data is logical 1 and LOW when it is logical 0.

About an 11-microsecond pulse. LOW indicates that data has been received and that the printer is ready to accept more data.

7-8 Technical Specifications

Interface Specifications

Signal Pin

11

Return Pin

29

Description

A HIGH signal indicates that the printer cannot receive data. The signal goes HIGH in the following cases: 1) During data entry (ea. char. time) 2) During printing 3) When off line 4) During printer-error state

A HIGH signal indicates that the printer is out of paper.

Pulled up to +5 V through 3.3 K resistance.

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 2-3 to ON.)

Unused.

Logic ground level.

Printers chassis ground, which is isolated from the logic ground.

Unused.

Twisted-pair return signal ground level.

When this level becomes LOW, the printer controller is reset to its power-up state and the print buffer is cleared. This level is usually HIGH; its pulse width must be more than 50 microseconds at the receiving terminal.

This level becomes LOW when the printer is: 1) in paper out state. 2) off line. 3) in error state.

Same as for Pins 19-30.

Unused.

Signal

BUSY

Direction

OUT

12 30 PE OUT

13 - OUTSLCT

AUTO FEED XT

NC

14

15

-

-

IN

-

16 - GND -

17 - CHASSIS GND

-

18

19-30

-

- NC

GND

INIT

-

-

IN

ERROR OUT

31 -

32 -

33

34

-

- GND -

NC -

Technical Specifications 7-9

Interface Specifications

Signal Return Pin Pin Signal Direction Description

35 - - OUT Pulled up to +5 V through 3.3 K resistance.

36 - SLCT IN IN Internal fixing can be carried out with Jumper J6. The level of this signal is factory-set to LOW.

Note: 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.

l All interface conditions are based on TTL level. Both the rise and fall times of each signal must be less than 0.2 microseconds.

l Data transfer must be carried out by observing the ACKNLG or BUSY signal. (Data transfer to this printer can be carried out only after receipt of the ACKNLG signal or when the level of the BUSY signal is LOW.)

7-10 Technical Specifications

Interface Specifications

Interface timing

The figure below shows the timing for the parallel interface.

Printing enabled/disabled signals and control conditions

The table below shows the relationship between printing being enabled or disabled and the on-line/off-line status.

ON LINE (Indicator on)

ERROR BUSY ACKNLG Printing (Disabled/ enabled)

on line High High/Low Pulsed Enabled ea. char. (normal

cond.)

off line Low High Not Disabled generated

Technical Specifications 7-11

Initialization

There are three ways that the printer can be initialized (returned to a fixed set of conditions).

Hardware initialization 1. The power is turned on. 2. The printer receives an INIT signal from the

parallel interface (pin 31 goes LOW).

Software initialization 3. Software sends the ESC @ (Initialize the printer) command.

Default Settings The table below shows the default conditions that become effective when the printer is initialized.

Item Top of form position

Page length

Left and right margins

Line spacing

Vertical tab position

Horizontal tab positions

Font selection

Special printing effects

User-defined character set

Default condition

Current paper position

The current DIP-switch setting

Cancelled

1/6 inch

Cleared

Every eight characters

Hardware: reset to current DIP switch setting. Software: reset to the current

SelecType setting.

Cancelled

Hardware: cleared Software: deselected only

In addition, hardware initialization clears the data buffer of all text.

7-12 Technical Specifications

Chapter 8 Command Summary

Using the Command Summary ........................................ 8-2

Commands Arranged by Topic ..................................... 8-3 Printer operation ...................................................... 8-3 Data control ........................................................... 8-3 Vertical motion ........................................................ 8-3 Horizontal motion .................................................... 8-4 Overall printing style ............................................... 8-5 Print size and character width..................................... 8-5 Print enhancement .................................................... 8-6 Word processing ...................................................... 8-7 Character tables ....................................................... 8-7 User-defined characters .............................................. 8-8 Graphics ................................................................ 8-9

Command Summary 8-1

Using the Command Summary

The following section lists and describes all the commands by topic. If a command has no parameters, it is merely listed. If it has parameters, they are explained. The parameters are indicated by lowercase italicized letters, usually n. The examples below show how the parameters are indicated.

ESC @ is a command with no parameters.

ESC U 1/0 is a command that uses 1 to turn the feature on and 0 to turn it off.

ESC $ n1 n2 is a command with two parameters.

ESC D m is a command with a variable number of parameters.

8-2 Command Summary

Commands Arranged by Topic

Printer operation ASCII Dec. Hex. Description

ESC @ 64 40 Initialize Printer

ESC U 1/0 85 55 Turn Unidirectional Mode On/Off

ESC EM n 25 19 Control Cut-Sheet Feeder Mode 4: Turns mode on R: Ejects a sheet 0: Turns mode off

Note: For the ESC EM command the variables are the characters 0 (48 decimal or 30 hex) and 4 (52 decimal or 34 hex). Do not use 0 decimal, 00 hex, 4 decimal, or 04 hex.

Data control ASCII Dec. Hex. Description

CR 13 0D Carriage Return

Vertical motion ASCII Dec. Ha. Description

FF

ESC C n

ESC C 0 n

ESC N n

ESC 0

LF

12 0C Form Feed

67 43 Set Page Length in Lines n = no. of lines (1-127)

67 43 Set Page Length in Inches n = no. of inches (1-22)

78 4E Set Skip-Over-Perforation n = no. of lines (1-127)

79 4F Cancel Skip-Over-Perforation

10 0A Line Feed

Command Summary 8-3

Commands Arranged by Topic

ASCII

ESC 0

ESC 2

ESC 3 n

ESC J n

VT

ESC B nn

Dec. Hex. Description

48 30 Select l/8-inch Line Spacing

50 32 Select l/6-inch Line Spacing

51 33 Set n/180-inch Line Spacing

74 4A Perform n/l80-inch Line Feed

11 0B Tab Vertically

66 42 Set Vertical Tabs Up to 16 tabs; last n should be 0 (1-255)

Horizontal motion ASCII Dec. Hex. Description

ESC 1 n 108 6C Set Left Margin n = left margin column

ESC Q n 81 51

ESC $ nl n2 36 24

ESC \ n1 n2 9 2 S C

HT

ESC D nn

9 09

68 44

Set Right Margin n = right margin column

Set Absolute Print Position n = Specifies print position from left margin in l/60-inch units Total units = n1 + (n2 x 256)

Set Relative Print Position Moves current print position in units of l/120 inch for draft and l/180 for LQ Total units = n1 + (n2 x 256)

Tab Horizontally

Set Horizontal Tabs Up to 32 tabs (1-255) entered in ascending order Terminated by 0

8-4 Command Summary

Commands Arranged by Topic

Overall printing style ASCII Dec. Hex. Description

ESC x n 120 78 Select Letter Quality or Draft 1: Letter Quality 0: Draft

ESC k n 107 6B Select Typestyle Family 0: Epson Roman 4: Epson Script 1: Epson Sans Serif 5: OCR-B 2: Epson Courier 7: Epson Orator 3: Epson Prestige

ESC ! n 33 21 Master Select To find the value of n add together the numbers of the typestyles you want to combine from the list below: 10 cpi: 0 decimal, 00 hex 12 cpi: 1, 01 proportional: 2, 02 condensed: 4, 04 emphasized: 8, 08 double-strike: 16, 10 double-width: 32, 20 italics: 64, 40 underline: 128, 80

Print size and character width ASCII Dec. Hex. Description

ESC P 80 50 Select 10 cpi

ESC M 77 4D Select 12 cpi

ESC g 103 67 Select 15 cpi

ESC p l/0 112 70 Turn Proportional Mode On/Off

SI 15 0F Select Condensed Mode

DC2 18 12 Cancel Condensed Mode

s o 14 0E Select Double-Width Mode (one line)

Command Summary 8-5

Commands Arranged by Topic

ASCII Dec. Ha. Description

ESC W l/0 87 57 Turn Double-Width Mode On/Off

DC4 20 14 Cancel Double-Width Mode (one line)

ESC w l/0 119 77 Turn Double-Height Mode On/Off

Print enhancement ASCII Dec. Hex. Description

ESC E 69 45

ESC F 70 46

ESC G 71 47

ESC H 72 48

ESC S 0 83 53

ESC S 1 83 53

ESC T 84 54

ESC ( - nn 40 28

ESC - 1/0 45 2D

ESC 4 52 34

ESC 5 53 35

Select Emphasized Mode

Cancel Emphasized Mode

Select Double-Strike Mode

Cancel Double-Strike Mode

Select Superscript Mode

Select Subscript mode

Cancel Superscript/Subscript Mode

Select Score ESC ( - 301 n1 n 2 n l = 1: Underline n1 = 2: Strikethrough nl = 3: Overscore n 2 = 0: Cancel score line selected by n1 n2 = 1: Single continuous line n2 = 2: Double continuous line n2 = 5: Single broken line n2 = 6: Double broken line

Turn Underline Mode On/Off

Select Italic Mode

Cancel Italic Mode

8-6 Command Summary

Commands Arranged by Topic

ASCII

ESC q n

Dec. Hex. Description

113 71 Select Character Style 0: Normal style 1: Outline 2: Shadow 3: Outline with shadow

Word processing ASCII Dec. Hex. Description

ESC SP n 32 20 Set Intercharacter Space n = number of units of space added to the space between characters (1-127) Units are l/120 inch (draft) and l/l80 inch (LQ and proportional)

Character tables ASCII Dec. Hex. Description

ESC t n 116 74 Select Character Tables Selects character table for codes 128-255 0: Italic 1: Graphics

ESC R n

2: Re-maps download characters from O-127 to 128-255

82 52 Select an International Character Set 0: USA 1: France 2: Germany 3: UK 4: Denmark 5: Sweden 6: Italy 7: Spain 8: Japan 9: Norway 10: Denmark II 11: Spain II 12: Latin America 13: Korea 64: Legal

Command Summary 8-7

Commands Arranged by Topic

Userdefined characters ASCII D e c . H e x . Description

ESC & nn

ESC : 0 n 0

ESC % n

ESC 6

ESC 7

38 26 Define User-Defined Characters ESC & 0 nl n2 d0 d1 d2 data n1 = code for first character n2 = code for last character d0 = left space of character dl = Body width of character d2 = right space of character data: 3 bytes required for each column; super/subscripts require only 2 bytes per column

58 3A Copy ROM to RAM n = font family

37 25 Select User-Defined Set 0: Normal set 1: User-defined set

54 36 Enable Printable Characters With graphics character sets this command enables the printing of codes 128-159

55 37 Enable Upper Control Codes Cancels ESC 6

8-8 Command Summary

Commands Arranged by Topic

Graphics ASCII Dec. Hex. Description

ESC * m n1 n2 42 2A Select Graphics Mode Total columns = n1 + (n2 x 256)

Option Pins m Horiz. dots/inch

Singledensity 8 0 60 Double-density 8 1 120 High-speed double density 8 2 120 Quadruple-density 8 3 240 CRT I 8 4 80 CRT II 8 6 90 Single-density 24 32 60 Doubledensity 24 33 120 CRT Ill 24 38 90 Triple-density 24 39 180 Hex-density l 24 40 360

*Adjacent dots cannot be printed in this mode.

Command Summary 8-9

Appendix

Character Tables ........................................................ A-2 Italic character table ................................................. A-2 Graphics character tables .......................................... A-3

Appendix A-1

Character Tables

These character tables are selected by setting DIP switches 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and 1-7, or using the ESC t software command. For the graphics character tables, the ESC 6 and ESC 7 software commands let you select whether hex codes 80 to 9F are characters (ESC 6) or control codes (ESC 7).

Italic character table

A-2 Appendix

Character Tables

Graphics character tables

PC 437 (United States)

PC 850 (Multilingual)

Appendix A-3

Character Tables

PC 860 (Portugal)

PC 863 (Canada-French)

A-4 Appendix

Character Tables

PC 865 (Norway)

Appendix A-5

Glossary

The following definitions apply specifically to printers.

application program A software program that helps you carry out a particular task, such as word processing or financial planning.

ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standardized coding system for assigning numerical codes to letters and symbols.

auto line feed When this feature is selected using a DIP switch, each carriage- return code (CR) is automatically followed by a line-feed (LF) code.

bidirectional printing Printing in which the print head prints from left to right only on every other line. On the other lines, it prints from right to left. This increases the speed of printing because the head prints in both directions.

bit A binary dig.3 (0 or l), which is the smallest unit of information used by a printer or computer.

byte A unit of information consisting of eight bits.

character set A collection of letters, numerals, and symbols.

Glossary GL-1

character table A portion of the printers standard ASCII character set that you use for graphic symbols or italic characters.

characters per inch (cpi) A measure of the size of text characters. Ten cpi is the printers default setting.

continuous paper Paper that has sprocket-feed holes on each side, is perforated between pages, and is supplied in a folded stack. Also called fanfold paper.

control code Special codes used to control printer functions such as performing a carriage return or line feed.

cpi See characters per inch.

cut-sheet feeder (CSF) An optional, detachable device that automatically feeds single sheets of paper into the printer.

data dump A troubleshooting feature that helps advanced users find the cause of communication problems between the printer and the computer. When the printer is in data dump mode, it prints each code it receives in hexadecimal notation and ASCII code. Also called hex dump.

default A value or setting that takes effect when the equipment is turned on, reset, or initialized.

GL-2 Glossary

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.

dot matrix A method of printing in which each letter or symbol is formed by a pattern (matrix) of individual dots.

double-height printing Printing in which each character is twice as tall as normal.

double-strike printing A way of producing bolder characters. Each character is printed twice.

double-width printing Printing in which each character is twice as wide as normal.

draft One of two print qualities available on your printer. Draft uses a minimum number of dots per character for high-speed printing. See also Letter Quality.

emphasized printing A way of producing darker characters. Each character is printed twice, with the second slightly to the right of the first.

ESC/P Abbreviation for Epson Standard Code for Printers. This system of commands gives you software control of your printer from your computer. It is standard for all Epson printers and supported by most application software for personal computers.

font A font is a style of type designated by a family name.

Glossary GL-3

form feed A control code and a panel button that advances the paper to the next top of form position.

initialize To establish the initial default status of the printer by turning on the printer or sending an INIT signal.

interface The connection between the computer and the printer. A parallel interface transmits data one character or code at a time, and a serial interface transmits data one bit at a time.

italics A typestyle in which the characters slant. This sentence is italicized. Also, a character table that contains italicized characters and symbols.

Letter Quality (LQ) One of two print qualities available on your printer. Letter Quality provides better readability and appearance at a reduced print speed. See also draft.

line feed A control code and a panel button that advances the paper one line space.

on line When the printer is on line, it is in communication with the computer connected to it. The ON LINE button controls the printers on line/off line status.

parallel interface See interface.

GL-4 Glossary

platen The black roller that provides a backing for the paper during printing.

proportional printing Printing in which the width of the character varies from character to character. For example, a capital W receives much more space than a lowercase i. The result looks more like a typeset book than a typewritten draft.

RAM Random Access Memory. The portion of the printers memory used as a buffer and 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 by sending a command or an INIT signal or by turning the printer off and then back on.

self test A method for checking the operation of the printer. When the self test is run, the printer prints out its current DIP switch settings and the characters that are stored in its ROM.

subscripts Printing in which each character is printed at about two-thirds the normal height in the lower part of the character space.

superscripts Printing in which each character is printed at about two-thirds the normal height in the upper part of the character space.

top of form The position on the paper that the printer recognizes as the first printable line. The printer feeds the paper to this position when it loads the paper.

Glossary GL-5

unidirectional printing Printing in one direction only. Unidirectional printing is useful for printing graphics because it allows more precise vertical alignment than bidirectional printing.

user-defined characters Characters that are defined and stored in the printer by the user. Also known as download characters.

GL-6 Glossary

Index

Command descriptions are not indexed here. For information on a specific command, see Chapter 8.

A

Auto line feed, 3-7, 3-10 AUTO LOAD button, 2-4, 3-3

B

Buttons, control panel, 3-3

C

Character fonts, 3-8, 3-12-14 Character spacing, 3-7, 3-9,

3-15 Character tables, 3-7, 3-17-18, A-2-5

Cleaning printer, 5-2 Command summary, 8-1-9 Connecting printer, 1-19-20 Continuous-feed paper, 2-6-13

loading, 2-8-10 top of form, 2-11

Control panel, 3-2-4 buttons, 3-3 lights, 3-2

Cut-sheet feeder, 3-7, 3-10, 4-2-7

D

Data dump, 3-4, 3-19 Default settings, 7-12 DIP switches, 3-5-11

functions, 3-10-11 setting, 3-5-6 tables, 3-7-9

Draft font, 3-8, 3-13 Draft mode, 1-17

E

Edge guides, 1-16, 2-4, 2-10

F

Fonts Epson Courier, 3-8, 3-13 Epson Draft, 3-8, 3-13 Epson Orator, 3-8, 3-14 Epson Prestige, 3-8, 3-14 Epson Roman, 3-8, 3-13 Epson Sans Serif, 3-8, 3-13 Epson Script, 3-8, 3-14 OCR-B, 3-8, 3-14 selecting, 3-4, 3-12-14

FORM FEED button, 1-17, 2-5, 2-10, 2-11, 3-3, 3-19

Index IN-1

G

Graphics character sets, 3-7-8, 3 - 1 7 - 1 8 , A - 3 - 1 5

I

Initialization, 7-12 Input buffer, 3-7, 3-10, 7-3 Interface specifications, 7-B-11 International character sets,

3-7-8, 3-16 Italic character table, 3-7-8,

3-17-18, A-2

L

Letter Quality fonts, 3-8 3 - 1 2 - 1 4

Letter Quality mode, 1-17 LINE FEED button, 1-17, 2-10,

3-3, 3-19 Line spacing, 7-2 Loading paper

continuous, 1-11-16, 2-8-10 single-sheet, 2-3-5

M

Multi-part forms, 2-15-16, 7-5

O

OCR font, 3-8, 3-14 ON LINE light, 3-2, 3-12, 4-6 ON LINE button, 1-17, 2-5, 3-3

P

Page length, 3-7, 3-9 Paper

loading, 1-11-16, 2-3-5, 2-8-10, 4-4-6

multi-part forms, 2-15-16, 7-5

specifications, 7-3-5 top of form, 2-11

Paper guide attaching, 1-15, 2-2, 2-10 continuous-feed paper, 1-15,

2-10 single sheet paper, 2-2

PAPER OUT light, 2-3, 3-2 Paper-release lever, 2-3, 2-6, 4-2 Paper rest, 1-11, 2-6 Paper-thickness lever, 2-14-15 Parallel interface

connecting, 1-19-20 specifications, 7-B-11

Platen knob, 1-6 POWER light, 2-3, 3-2 Printable area, 7-4 Print direction, 3-7, 3-11, 7-2 Printer

assembling, 1-6-9 cleaning, 5-2 cover, 1-2, 2-2 default settings, 7-12 specifications, 7-2-7 testing, 1-10-18 transporting, 5-4 unpacking, 1-2-3 voltage, 7-7

IN-2 Index

Print head, 7-6 Print speed, 7-2 Problems, see Troubleshooting Proportional spacing, 3-15, 7-2 Pull tractor

installing, 2-6-7 removing, 2-12-13

R

READY light, 3-2 Ribbon cartridge

installing, 1-7-9 replacing, 5-3 specifications, 7-6

S

SelecType, 3-4, 3-12-14 SelecType light, 3-4, 3-12 Self test, 1-17-18, 3-4 Single-sheet paper, 2-2-5

loading, 2-3-5 Skip-over-perforation, 3-7, 3-11 Specifications, 7-2-12

T

Technical specifications, 7-2-12 Testing printer, 1-10-18 Top-of-form position, 2-11 Tractor cover, 1-2, 1-7, 1-16,

2-10 Tractor unit

installing, 2-6-7 removing, 2-12-13

Tractor-unit slot cover, 2-6, 2-13

Transporting printer, 5-4 Troubleshooting, 6-2-10 Typestyles, see also Fonts

U Unpacking printer, 1-2-3

V

Voltage, 7-7

Index IN-3

3000 KEY FEATU