Epson EX-1000, EX-800 User Manual

0 (0)

FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

FOR AMERICAN USERS

This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used prop

erly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to

radio and television reception. It has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a

Class B computing device in accordance with the specifications in Subpart J of part 15 of FCC

Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a resi-

dential installation, However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particu-

lar installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or 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 the receiving antenna

- Relocate the printer with respect to the receiver

Plug the printer into a different outlet so that the printer and receiver are on different

branch circuits.

If necessary the user should consult the deafer or an experienced radio/television technician

for additional suggestions. The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal

Communications Commission helpful:

“How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV interference Problems.”

This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.

Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.

WARNING

The connection of a non-shielded printer interface cable to this printer will invalidate the FCC

Certification of this device and may cause interference levels which exceed the limits estab

lished by the FCC for this equipment. If this equipment has more than one interface connector,

do not leave cables connected to unused interfaces.

transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, with-

out the prior written permission of Seiko Epson Corporation. No patent liability is assumed with

respect to the use of the information contained herein. While every precaution has been taken in the

preparation of this book, Seiko Epson Corporation assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.

Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained

herein.

Graphics created with UniPaint by Unison World Inc. and EPSON 3D-Graph.

Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.

Centronics is a registered trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corporation.

Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation.

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

Microsoft is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

ESC/P is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation.

Nagano, Japan

Y446991030

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

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 S-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.

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.

PQ277

Introduction

About This Manual

Setting Up Your Printer

Chapter 1

Setting Up the Printer

1-1 Unpacking the Printer

1-3

Choosing a Place for the Printer

1-3 Installing the Ribbon

1-5

Turning On the Printer

1-6

Operating the Control Panel

1-8

Installing the Paper Guide

1-9 Loading Paper

1-11

Running the Self Test

1-12 Connecting the Printer to Your Computer

1-13 Setting the DIP Switches

Chapter 2

Choosing and Loading Paper

2-1 Choosing Paper

2-1 Loading Single Sheets

2-2 Loading Continuous-feed Paper

2-7 Loading Labels

2-8

The Paper Thickness Lever

Using Your Printer

Chapter 3

Using the EX with Application Programs

3-1

Printer Selection Menus

3-2 Computer-Printer Communication

3-3 Word Processors

3-4 Spreadsheets

3-6 Graphics Programs

3-6 Programming Languages

Contents

III

Chapter 4

SelecType

4-1 SelecType Choices

4-2

The SelecType Panel

4-3

How to Use SelecType

4-3

If SelecType Does Not Work

Print Features and Graphics

Chapter 5

EX Printer Features

5-1

Quality Fonts, and Color

5-2

Print Size and Character Width

5-2

Pitches and Proportional Spacing

5-3

Special Effects and Emphasis

5-4

Using Different Character Sets

5-5

Page Layout and Other Commands

Chapter 6

Graphics

and User-defined Characters

6-2 The Print Head

6-3 Pin Labels

6-4 Graphics Commands

6-6 Simple Graphics Programming

6-8 Density Varieties

6-10 Designing Your Own Graphics

6-13 User-defined Characters

Contents

Command Summary

Appendix A

Command Summary

A-4 Commands in Numerical Order

A-7 Epson (ESC/P) Commands

A-37 IBM Printer Emulation Mode Commands

Reference

Appendix B

Character Tables

B-l Epson Mode

B-9

Epson International Character Sets

B-11 IBM Printer Emulation Mode

Appendix C

The Serial Interface

C-l The DIP Switches

C-3

Troubleshooting for Serial Interfaces

C-3 Serial Interface Specifications

Appendix D

Problem Solving and Maintenance

D-1 General Troubleshooting

D-3 Troubleshooting Graphics Problems

D-4 Data Dump Mode

D-5

Solutions for IBM and Compatibles

D-5 IBM PC BASIC Solutions

D-6 Maintaining Your Printer

D-7 Transporting the Printer

Contents

Appendix E

Defaults and DIP Switches

E-l

Default and Initialization Settings

E-2 DIP Switch Settings

E-4 International Character Sets

E-5 Interface Selection

Appendix F

Choosing and Setting Up Optional Interfaces

F-1 Compatible Interfaces

F-2 Choosing an Interface

F-4 Installing an Interface

F-6

Inserting the Interface Board

F-7 Serial Interface Settings

Appendix G

Technical Specifications

G-1 Printing

G-2 Paper

G-2 Mechanical

Electrical

G3 Environment

G4 Parallel Interface

G6 Data Transfer Sequence

Index

Contents

Introduction

The EX printers combine all the well-known virtues of previous

Epson Spin printers with many features normally exclusive to costly

24-pin printers.

The speed of draft printing is higher than ever-300 characters per

second in draft elite and 250 in draft pica. When you have perfected

a document, you can switch to one of two Near Letter Quality fonts-

Roman or Sans Serif.

The Color Option Kit makes your EX a fully-fledged 7-color printer,

capable of using the many programs designed for the Epson JX-80

color printer. Even with the color unit, however, you can still use

inexpensive black ribbons when you don’t need color.

The SelecType feature gives you access to both of the Near Letter

Quality (NLQ) printing styles, two different pitches, proportional

spacing, and condensed print. All you have to do is press the button

for the style you want. While the EX is printing, the SelecType panel

shows you what choices it’s using.

If you are using software designed for an IBM@ printer, you have the

choice of using the EX in Epson mode or IBM printer emulation

mode. Even better, you can combine the best of both worlds; the

powerful Epson mode commands can now print character graphics

like those used by IBM printers and computers.

Loading paper is now easier than ever. Single sheets can be loaded

by just moving a lever, and the new built-in push-feed tractor lets you

load a wide range of widths of continuous-feed paper, including

labels.

For graphics, the EX sets a new standard in speed. By using the

bidirectional mode it almost doubles the speed of graphics printing.

Introduction

About this Manual

To make it easier to set up your new EX-800 or EX-1000, this manual

includes a 10-step guide. This guide, which is printed on the inside of

the back flap, summarizes the first chapter’s setting up instructions.

The blue-edged divider pages are another aid to using the manual.

They make it easy to find the section of the manual you need. In

addition to Setting Up Your printer, there are four other sections.

Using Your Printer covers the basic functions, Print Features and

Graphics describes more advanced functions, and the last two sections

contain reference information, including all the details you need to use

any of the printer’s commands, and some advice on solving problems.

Finally, there is a glossary and a comprehensive index, and inside the

back of the manual is a pullout quick reference card containing the

information you need most.

Introduction

Chapter 1

Setting Up the Printer

Setting up your EX printer is easy Simply follow the steps in this

chapter.

Note

Although this manual covers both the EX-800 and the EX-1000, the

illustrations show only one printer (the EX-800) because the only

difference between the two is that the EX-1000 can use wider paper.

1 Unpacking the Printer

As you unpack the printer, see that all the parts in Figure l-l are

there and that none of them has been damaged during transportation.

(You’ll find the paper feed knob inserted in the foam packing material.)

Figure 1-1.

The printer parts

Setting Up the Printer

1-1

Caution

Do not plug in the power cord yet. You should perform the first three

steps before you plug in the printer and turn on the power,

Remove the tape that holds the dust cover in place during shipping

and

take

the cover off the printer. Simply tilt the dust cover up and lift it

off.

Installing the paper feed knob

Install the paper feed knob on the right side of the printer, as shown

in Figure 1-2. Line up the flat side of the hole in the knob with the flat

side of the shaft, then push the knob firmly into place.

Now that you’ve installed the paper feed knob, use it to remove the

sheet of paper that is behind the printer’s platen (the black roller).

Removing the print head protector

Remove the print head protector by lifting it up and pulling it to the

right as shown in Figure 1-3 below.

1-2

Setting Up the Printer

When you are finished unpacking, put the packaging materials and

the head protector in the box and keep them in case you need to

transport the printer. Full details on transporting the printer are in

Appendix D.

2 Choosing a Place for the Printer

The printer must be close enough to the computer for the cable to

reach. Also keep the following tips in mind:

Place the printer on a flat, stable surface-never on a chair or any

other unstable support.

Choose a place that is clean and free from excessive heat (including

direct sunlight), moisture, and dust.

Use a grounded outlet-one that has three holes to match the power

plug on the printer. Don’t use an adapter plug.

Avoid sockets on the same circuit with large motors or other

appliances that might disturb the power supply

Keep your entire computer system away from potential sources of

interference such as the base units of cordless telephones.

3 Installing the Ribbon

The EX uses a simple cartridge ribbon designed for convenient and

trouble-free installation. With the color option kit, you can use a color

ribbon whenever you need one and a normal black ribbon for day-to-

day printing. You install both types of ribbon in-the same way

1. Remove the dust cover.

2. If the printer is plugged in, see that it is turned off.

Setting Up the Printer

1-3

WARNING

The power must be OFF when you move the print head. Otherwise,

you may damage the printer mechanism. Also, if you’ve been using the

printer just before changing the ribbon cartridge, be careful not to touch

the print head because it becomes hot during use.

Move the print head carriage to about 25 on the ruler on the paper

bail.

Remove the ribbon cartridge from its packaging and tighten the

ribbon by turning the

knob

in the direction of the arrow, as shown

in Fire 1-4.

Make sure the paper bail is against the platen.

Hold the cartridge, gently squeezing the two ridged plastic

tabs

together; then lower it (as shown in Figure 1-5 below) into the print

head carriage. As you lower it, see that the tab on the back of the

cartridge rests on the corresponding

tab

on the carriage and that the

ribbon passes between the print head and the silver ribbon guide.

Release the tabs so that the pins on the tabs click into the holes in

the sides of the print head carriage.

1-4

Setting Up the Printer

8. Turn the ribbon tightening knob again to see that the ribbon moves

freely

Replacing the ribbon . . .

The EX-800 uses a continuous-loop, inked fabric ribbon. When

your printing becomes too light, replace the whole ribbon cartridge.

Always use replacement ribbons designed specifically for Epson EX

printers. It is not possible to use ribbons for any other series of

printer, and you should never try to re-ink the ribbon.

To remove the old ribbon, simply grip the cartridge by the two

plastic tabs and lift it up and out of the printer. You can then install a

new cartridge as described above.

Before plugging in the power cord, see that the power switch on the

left side of the printer (see Figure 1-6 below) is turned off; then plug the

power cord into a properly grounded socket.

Warning:

Before turning on the printer, be absolutely sure you have removed all

packing materials. Turning on the printer when the print head cannot

move may seriously damage the mechanism.

Figure 1-6.

Turning on the printer

Setting up the Printer

1-5

Now, turn the power ON with the switch on the left side of the

printer. When you turn on the printer, several important things happen:

The print head moves back and forth and stops at the left side of the

printer; this is the home position.

The ribbon carriage moves up and down to set the ribbon at the

correct level for printing.

The printer is

initialized

and set to certain

default

settings (which are

fully described in Appendix E).

The green power light on the control panel comes on.

5 Operating the Control Panel

The control panel consists of three sections, shown in Figure 1-7

below.

The three buttons on the right side control advancing the paper and

communication with the computer. The four indicator lights show when

the printer is turned on and when it is ready to use.

Figure 1-7.

The control panel

1-6

Setting Up the Printer

The buttons

There are three buttons on the right side of the control panel.

ON LINE

The green light next to this button indicates that the

printer is able to receive and print data from the

computer. When the light is off, the printer is off line and

cannot receive any data. Press the button to change from

on line to off line or from off line to on line. The printer

automatically goes off line when you try to print without

paper in the printer. Pressing the ON

LINE

button then has

no effect until you load paper.

The other two buttons work only when the printer is off line.

FORM FEED

This button ejects a single sheet of paper or advances

continuous paper to the next top of form.

LINE FEED

This button advances the paper one line each time you

press it or continuously if you hold it down. When the

printer is turned on, use this

button

to advance paper.

Remember not to use the paper feed knob while the printer is turned

on. You can damage the printer mechanism.

The indicator lights

In addition to the

ON LINE

light, the printer has three other lights.

POWER

This comes on to show that the printer is connected to

the power and is turned on.

READY

This comes on when the printer is on line and ready to

print. It normally flickers during printing.

PAPER OUT

This comes on when the printer is out of paper.

The remain f the control panel is made up of eight touch

switches that

let you choose the print style and size. This is a special

feature called SelecType, which is fully described in Chapter 4.

Setting Up the Printer

1-7

6 Installing the Paper Guide

You can install the paper guide in two different positions. Right now

you need to install it to support a single sheet. Before you begin,

remove the dust cover so that you can see what you are doing.

The edge tab

First, put the edge tab into the guide. Squeeze it together as shown in

Figure 1-8 and insert the tab into the groove. Then move the edge tab

so that it is about 1 ¾-inch from the left edge of the paper guide.

The paper guide

Second, install the guide itself. Hold the paper guide vertically and

lower it so that the slots on either side fit onto the two pins as shown in

Figure 1-9 below. Then tilt the. paper guide back until it rests at an

angle.

1-8

Setting Up the Printer

7 Loading Paper

Even if you normally use continuous paper, it is simpler to test the

printer using a single sheet of paper. If you have an EX-1000, be sure to

use 14-inch-wide paper so that none of the self test prints on the platen.

Paper loading icons...

Roth levers on the EX have icons (small pictures) beside them.

These icons (shown below) remind you whether to push the lever

back or pull it forward

when you load

paper.

Now load a sheet of paper:

1. Turn the printer ON first. Do not put the paper in the printer before

you turn it on.

2. Remove the dust cover

3. Push the paper release and paper bail levers back. Note that the

paper bail lever must be in the printing (back) position now. You will

move it to the single-sheet loading (forward) position in step 5.

4. Make sure the

ON LINE

light is OFF If it is ON, press the

ON LINE

button once.

Setting Up the Printer

1-9

5. Place the paper on the paper guide with its left edge next to the edge

tab as shown in Figure 1-10 below. Push the paper firmly into the

printer, then let go of it.

6. Pull the paper bail lever forward to the single-sheet loading position

(indicated by the icon). This makes the paper feed into the printer

until it is past the paper ball.

7. When the paper stops, push the paper bail lever back to the printing

position. This makes the paper feed backward until only its top edge

is under the paper bail.

If the platen (the black roller) turns but the paper does not load,

remove the paper from the printer and try again, starting at Step 3. This

time press the paper a little more firmly into place.

If nothing happens at all, see that the printer is turned ON and that

the

ON LINE

light is off. Then remove the paper and try again.

Figure 1-1O.

Aligning the paper

Paper

bail

1-10

Setting Up the Printer

8 Running the Self Test

The EX has a built-in self test that prints out the characters in its

memory so that you can see that the printer is working properly

The self test also prints the settings of the printer’s DIP switches. This

part of the printout will be useful in the next section of this manual.

Before running the self test, make sure that paper is loaded in the

printer and that the power is OFF

To run the self test in the Near Letter Quality (NLQ) mode, hold down

the

FORM

FEED button while you turn the printer on. When the

printing starts, release the

FORM FEED

button.

The self test first prints the version number of the printer and 11 lines

of DIP switch settings. Then it prints the characters from its memory

The test continues until you turn the printer off. Part of a typical self test

is shown below.

Condensed

OFF

Zero

CG Table Italic

MODE

ESC/P

Print Quality Draft

Country U. S. A.

Page Length

11”

Sheet Feeder

OFF

Skip-Over-Perf.

OFF

Auto LF

OFF

Interface Parallel

!“#$%&‘()*+,-. /0X23456769: ; <=>?@ABCDEFGHIJ

!“#$%&‘()*+,-. /0123456769: ; <=>?BABCDEFGHIJK

“#$%&‘()*+,-. /0123456769: ;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKL

#$%&‘()*+,-. /0123456769: ; <=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLM

$%&‘()*+,-. /0123456769: ; <=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMN

%&‘(>*+,-. /0123456769: ;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO

&‘()*+,-. ,‘0123456789: ;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP

*o*+,-. /0123456789: ;<=>?BABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQ

o*+,-.

/0123456789: ;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQR

Setting Up the Printer

1-11

To run the same test in the draft mode, hold down the

LINE FEED

button instead of the

FORM FEED

button while you turn the printer on.

The EX cannot print a draft self test, however, if the NLQ DIP switch is

on. Therefore, if the Print Quality line of the self test printout says ‘Print

Quality NLQ,” you cannot print a draft test without changing a DIP

switch. (DIP switches are explained in Appendix E.)

9 Connecting the Printer to Your Computer

Your EX printer has two separate interface connections. Therefore,

you must be sure to use the one that your computer requires.

The two interfaces are a Centronics

compatible parallel interface and

an RS-232C compatible serial interface. If you have a suitable cable, you

can connect most computers immediately

The few computers that require other interfaces can usually use one

of the optional interface boards described in Appendix F Check your

computer’s manual if don’t know which interface to use.

The parallel interface

More connecting a parallel interface cable, see that both the printer

and computer are turned off. Then plug the connector into the printer

as shown in Fire 1-11. Next squeeze the clips gently and click them

into place.

Some parallel cables have a ground wire. Connect this wire to the

ground screw on the printer to protect data from interference. Then

plug the other end of the cable into the computer and connect the

ground wire on the computer end of the cable if it has one.

Parallel interfaces require no further adjustment.

1-12

Setting Up the Printer

The serial interface

For the serial interface, you should use an Epson serial interface

cable. Use #8239 for the Apple

IIc, #8297 for the IBM* PC and

compatibles, and #8293 for most other computers with a DB-25 socket,

including the Apple IIe with serial interface. (Although you can use the

serial interface with an IBM or compatible computer, it is usually best to

connect your EX to the parallel port of an IBM or compatible computer.)

The serial interface also requires the setting of four DIP switches. See

the section on serial interfaces in Appendix C for information on how to

set them.

10 Setting the DIP Switches

The EX has sixteen switches that allow you to change many of the

printer’s settings to suit your individual needs. These switches, known

as DIP (Dual In-line Package) switches, are in the back of the printer

See Figure 1-12 below.

Setting Up the Printer

1-13

The switches are in two groups of eight and are numbered from l-l

to 2-8. As you can see in the example below, the first part of the self test

shows the settings of the switches.

Condensed

OFF

Zero

CG Table

Italic

MODE

ESC/P

Print Quality Draft

Country

U.S.A.

Page Length 11”

Sheet Feeder

OFF

Skip-Over-Perf.

OFF

Auto LF

OFF

Interface

Parallel

You will find your own self test printout helpful as you use this

section.

Before you change any DIP switch settings, turn the printer around to

give you easy access to the switches. You can easily turn the switches

on and off with a thin pointed object, such as a small screwdriver or the

cap of a ballpoint pen. The switches are

when they are UP and OFF

when they are DOWN. In the tables that follow, shaded boxes indicate

the factory settings.

Note

When you change a DIP switch setting, turn off the power, reset the

switch or switches, then turn on the power again. The printer checks

and recognizes new settings only at the time you turn the power on.

Interface settings

If you are using a parallel interface, the interface line of the self test

DIP switch printout should be the following:

Interface

Parallel

1-14

Setting Up the

Printer

If the interface line does not say Parallel, turn switches 2-5 and 2-6

OFF

If you are using a serial interface, turn to Appendix C, which gives

full information on serial interfaces.

The operating mode

The EX has two operating modes, ESC/P

™

and IBM printer emulation

mode. ESC/P stands for Epson Standard Code for Printers, a powerful

set of commands developed by Epson and supported by almost all

application software for personal computers. This is the mode that you

should find the most useful and valuable for your printing. The rest of

this manual refers to the ESC/P mode simply as the Epson mode.

The IBM printer emulation mode is for software that is designed only

for IBM printers. It is not necessary to use this mode for your EX to be

compatible with IBM computers. As you can see from the list of Epson

and IBM printer emulation mode commands in Appendix A, the Epson

mode has more commands and many more capabilities.

There are only two cases in which you may want to use the IBM

printer emulation mode:

1. Your software lists only IBM printers in its printer selection menu.

2. You need to use the following characters and your application

software will not print them in the Epson mode:

If you select IBM printer emulation mode with the DIP switch and

choose an IBM printer in your software’s printer selection menu, your

EX will behave as an IBM printer does. You can use most software that

supports IBM printers, but you will notice that the commands do not

allow you access to all the features of your Epson printer.

DIP switch 1-4 controls the choice of operating modes. Turning the

switch OFF selects Epson mode, and turning it ON selects IBM printer

emulation mode.

Setting Up the Printer

1-15

The Epson character graphics set

Half of the characters used by IBM PCs and compatibles are special

character graphics and international characters. On most previous

Epson printers, these characters printed as italics. With the EX,

however, you can print the character graphics without losing italics or

any of the power of the Epson commands.

DIP switch 1-3 controls the choice between the italic character and

graphic character tables (called CG

table

in the DIP switch printout).

Turning the switch ON selects the character graphic table, and turning it

OFF selects the italic table. Remember that italics are still available even

if you select the character graphic table.

Because only Epson mode has italics, DIP switch 1-3 has a different

function in the IBM printer emulation mode; In that mode the EX adds

a carriage return to each line feed if DIP switch 1-3 is OFF For most

IBM printer emulation mode applications, you should not have to

change the setting of this switch.

Making the choice

The decision you make about the operating mode and the character

graphics set depends upon the software you use. For most applications,

choose the Epson mode and the Character Graphics set (DIP switch 1-4

OFF and DIP switch 1-3 ON). That way you can set up your software for

an Epson printer and have the full power of the Epson commands.

If you have trouble printing italics, change DIP switch 1-3 to OFF to

choose italics instead of character graphics. On the other hand, if you

have trouble printing character graphics, change the printer to IBM

printer emulation mode by setting DIP switch 1-4 ON and set your

software to match.

You must always be careful to set up your printer and software to

match. Although the IBM commands are based on some of the Epson

commands, important differences affect much software. These

differences can cause erratic printing. In particular, line spacing and

page layout are likely to be wrong, and extra characters may appear

1-16

Setting up the Printer

Other DIP switch settings

Appendix E summarizes all the DIP switch settings in a group of

tables. See that appendix for reference or further information.

Setting Up the Printer

1-17

1-18

Setting Up the Printer

Chapter 2

Choosing and Loading Paper

The EX printer can accommodate many different sizes and types of

paper, using either its automatic singlesheet loading feature or its built-

in adjustable tractor.

The tractor is easy to use and can handle a wide range of paper

widths. The automatic singlesheet loading feature handles individual

sheets quickly and easily, and for greater efficiency you can add an

optional automatic sheet feeder.

Choosing Paper

Without installing any accessories, you can use single-sheet paper

from 7¼ to 8½ inches wide and continuous paper from 4 to 10 inches

wide (including the perforated edge strips).

You can also add an optional roll paper holder, which uses paper 8½

inches wide. You load roll paper the same way you load single sheets,

except that you do not use the paper guide.

Carbon copies

If you use multi-part forms or carbon copies in the EX, use no more

than three sheets or parts at a time, with a total thickness of no more

than 0.16 mm. Also change the paper thickness setting as described at

the end of this chapter.

Loading Single Sheets

You have already loaded singlesheet paper using the automatic sheet

loading feature in Step 7 of the setup chapter This feature gives you

short printing times by combining fast loading with fast printing.

If you print large amounts on single sheets of paper, however, you

may find it more convenient to use an automatic sheet feeder. This is

an optional device that holds a stack of paper and inserts a new sheet

Choosing and Loading Paper

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