Compuprint SP40 plus User Manual

User Manual

MAN 10239-01

User Manual

Compuprint Product Information

Thanks for choosing the Compuprint SP40plus printer.
Your printer is a reliable working equipment that will be very useful in your daily job.
Our printers have been designed to be compact and respectful of the work environment. They offer a wide
range of features and multiple functions that confirm the high technological level reached by Compuprint
printers.
To maintain these printing performances unchanged in the long run, Compuprint has developed its own
specific branded consumables for each printer type (for example: ribbon cartridges for dot matrix printers,
toner and OPC cartridges for laser printers, bubble ink jet cartridges for inkjet printers) that assure an
excellent operation with high printing quality level reliability.
Compuprint recommends to use only its original Compuprint branded consumables with original packaging
(identified by its holographic label). In this way, a proper use of the printer at quality level stated in the
product characteristics can be assured. All typical usage problems related to not certified consumables may
be avoided, such as an overall quality print level degradation and, often, the reduction of the product life due
to the fact that the proper working conditions for the print heads, OPC cartridge and other printer parts are
not assured.
Moreover, Compuprint does not only certify its consumables in terms of working conditions but also carefully
controls their compliance with the international standard rules concerning:
no cancerous materials;
no flammability of the plastic materials;
other standards

Compuprint advises the customers not to use products for which the compliance to this safety rules are not
warranted. Finally seek your dealer or contact a COMPUPRINT office and be sure that are provided you the
original Compuprint branded consumables.

FCC Notes

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
when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful 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:

o Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
o Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
o Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is

connected

o Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

A shielded Centronics IEEE1284 compliant bi-directional parallel cable, maximum length 3 meters (10 feet),
and a shielded RS-232 serial cable, maximum length 15 meters (50 feet), are necessary for this device to
meet the requirements of a Class B digital device pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules.

The above specified cables are readily available as Personal Computer or Peripheral accessories from
multiple retail outlets. Please consult your dealer for details concerning such cables and also for information
about FCC rules for digital devices.
Changes or modifications to the device covered by this manual, which are not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance, could void the user’s authority under the FCC rules to operate the
equipment.

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User Manual

Canadian D.O.C. Radio Interference Regulation

This digital apparatus complies with the Canadian ICES-003 Class B limits for radio
frequency emissions.
Cet appareil numérique est conforme aux limites de Classe B de la norme NMB-003 du
Canada.

EEC Regulations

This equipment conforms to the essential requirements of EU Directives 2006/95/EC, 2004/108/EC.
Per the applicable requirements of EU Directive 2006/42/EC (“machines”) sound pressure of this product
(measured according to EN27779) does not exceed 70 dBA.
This product is also compliant to the EU directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS) and 2002/96/EC (WEEE).

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Table of Contents

Compuprint Product Information i Offset Adjustments 26
FCC Notes i Reading the Preprinted Setup Forms 27
Canadian D.O.C. Printer Setup Flow Chart 28
Radio Interference Regulation ii Printer Setup through USB and RS232/C
EEC Regulations ii Ports 29
Table of Contents iii Compuprint CDC RS-232 Emulation Driver
Printer Presentation 1 Installation 29
Unpacking the Printer 1 SP40Setup Utility Installation 31
Printer Parts 2 Remote Setup 31
Front View 2 Read NVM 32
Rear View 3 Troubleshooting 34
Inside View 3 Paper Problems 34
Printer Installation 4 Paper Jams 34
Installing the Power Cable 4 Paper Damaged after printing 35
Installing the Ribbon Cartridge 5 Hexadecimal Dump 35
Paper Handling 9 Error Handling 36
Loading Paper 9 Recoverable Errors 36
The Operator Panel 10 Not-Recoverable Errors 37
Function Keys 10 Ribbon Cartridge Problems 38
Leds 11 Paper Specifications 39
LCD display messages 11 Cut Sheets 39
Software Driver Selection 12 Passbooks 40
Connection to the Host 13 Passbooks with Horizontal Fold 41
Setting the Interface Parameters 14 Passbooks with Vertical Fold 42
Parallel Interface 14 Technical Specifications 43
Serial Interface 14 Serial Interface Connection 44
USB Interface 14 User Information according the European
Printer Setup 15 Directive 2002/95/EC and 20003/108/EC 45
Entering the Printer Setup Mode 15
Printing the Self Test Page 15
Printing the Printer Setup Forms 17
Filling the Printer Setup Forms 20
Setup Parameters 20

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Printer Presentation

This dot-matrix printer is a multi-purpose printer for front office applications. Its compact structure is designed
for integration in an ergonomic environment. The printer provides a high level of reliability, form-handling
accuracy and data integrity.

Its main features are:

o Printing on a wide range of paper media: different types of cut sheets, multi-parts and passbooks.
o High print pressure for multi-parts documents
o High print quality supplied by a 24 wire print head
o High reliability paper handling

The straight paper path allows the printing on particular documents such as envelopes, multipart
forms and passbooks.

o Automatic paper thickness adjustment

The print head detects the paper thickness for correct printing on any type of document. This printer
can print also on documents with a variable thickness, such as passbooks.

o Easy paper handling

The operator places the paper on the front table and the printer loads it without any other user
intervention. The paper ejection towards the front or the rear of the printer allows an easy access to
the printed document.

o Automatic document alignment feature

The printer checks automatically the alignment of the top margin of the document and adjusts it, if
necessary. The printout is therefore performed correctly independently from the paper loading
position.

o Standard parallel, serial and USB interface with automatic switch-over function.
o Easy printer setup through an optically managed menu.
o Supported emulations: Epson 570, IBM Proprinter XL24E, XL24E AGM, IBM 2390+, 4722, 9068 and

Olivetti PR40+, PR2, 2845.

Unpacking the Printer

Together with the printer the following items are included in the shipment box:

Notify any damage to your supplier.

o Ribbon Cartridge
o Power Cable
o CD-ROM with printer documentation and drivers.
o Quick Reference Guide

Always keep the packing material in a safe place as you must repack the printer into

it, when you need to move it.

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User Manual

Printer Parts

Never remove any printer part unless it is expressly indicated in this manual.

Front View

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Rear view

Optional interfaces available (parallel, 2x Serial, USB, 2x USB-Hub, LAN)

Inside view

Inside View

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Printer Installation

Choosing a Suitable Location

Consider the following points when you choose the location for your printer:
The distance between the printer and the host computer must not exceed the length of the interface cable;
The location must be sturdy, horizontal and stable;
Your printer must not be exposed to direct sunlight, extreme heat, cold, dust or humidity;

When printing on standard paper formats, the paper comes out
partially on the rear side of the printer. Make sure that behind the
printer there is sufficient clearance to correctly move the paper.

Installing the Power Cable

1. Find the power cable connector and the rating plate on the rear side of the printer.

Always use a grounded outlet

2. Insert the power cable into the connector
on the printer and the other end into a
convenient mains outlet.

3. Press the
printer front to power the printer on.

key on the right side of the

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Installing the Ribbon Cartridge

In order to avoid damaging the print head or mechanical gearings, this printer

accepts only original Compuprint ribbon cartridges.

Therefore, if you install a not original cartridge, the printer may not work.

1. Remove the cartridge from its bag.

2. Unhook the green ribbon mask from the cartridge

pins.

3. Open the printer cover.

The print head will automatically move in the middle
of the printer.

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4. Open the upper mechanical frame.

Locate the open green lever in the left
side of the printer.

5. Unhook the green lever with the left hand

towards the rear of the printer in the open
position.

6. Then rise up the lever to its maximum

position in order to completely open
the head assembly.

7. Check for the “click” which means the

correct open lever position, showed in the inset
picture.

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8. The printer is now ready to install the ribbon

cartridge.

9. Turn the tension knob in the direction

of the arrow to tighten the ribbon.

10. Insert the upper cartridge pins onto the

corresponding grooves on both sides of the upper
mechanical frame.

11. Then push the lower cartridge pins into

the corresponding lower grooves on both
sides of the upper mechanical frame until it clicks
into place.

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12. Insert the green plastic ribbon mask onto the

print head. Pay attention to match the two pins
(2) on both sides of the green ribbon mask with
the grooves (1) on both sides of the print head.

13. Push the green ribbon mask up until it clicks into

place.

14. Turn the tension knob in the direction of the

arrow to tighten the ribbon

15. Carefully pull down the green lever following the step 3, 4, and 5 in reverse order in order to securely

close the Upper Mechanical Frame.
If you do not LOCK the Upper Mechanical Frame, the printer does not print correctly.

16. Close the printer cover.

Remark

The printer detects the Ribbon Genuine type and the amount of printed characters and stops in error if
appearing.

See “Error Message” later in this manual.

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Paper Handling

This printer is designed for versatile and reliable paper handling. The flat-bed mechanism allows the handling
of special documents, such as multiple invoices, postcards, labels, passbooks and tickets.

The print head detects the paper edges automatically, the sheet can therefore be inserted in any position
within the detection area according to the rules described in the following paragraph.
The paper alignment sensors determine the alignment of the upper paper margin, adjusting it if necessary.

Loading Paper

The inserted documents must not have folds, tears, pins, clips, staples or any foreign material.

Pin

Staple

If you insert damaged documents or paper with foreign material, you

can seriously damage the printer.

Before inserting a passbook into the printer, open it and crease it in both directions along the binding stitch,
so that the passbook lays flat on the paper stand when it is inserted into the printer.

The document may not exceed the limits of the paper stand.

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Clip

Tear

Fold

Foreign
material

User Manual

The Operator Panel

The operator panel is located in the middle of the printer cover and is composed of function keys and leds
with which you can easily check the printer status and select the functions. Optionally it can be equipped with
a wide LCD 2x16 characters display.

Function Keys

KEY NORMAL MODE SETUP MODE SPECIAL MODE

When using the IBM 4722, IBM 9068 and
the Olivetti protocols in two operators
(“booking”) mode, the application software
determines the function of this key.

Toggles the printer between Ready (on-line)
and Local (off-line) status.

Pressing this key, when the printer is offline,
or when the printer is online and no print
data are in the buffer, the printer ejects the
paper, if inserted (EJECT function). In the
Olivetti protocols, the EJECT function may
be performed only if the printer is offline.
When using the IBM 4722, IBM 9068 and
the Olivetti protocols in two operators
(“booking”) mode, the application software
determines the function of this key.
When the printer is offline or when the
printer is online and no print data are in the
buffer, pressing this key, the printer toggles
between Letter Quality and Draft printing mode
(no Olivetti)

When the Printer is in
the Printer Setup mode,
pressing this key the
operator selects the
Configuration Page to
be printed. See “Printer

Setup” later in this

manual.

If pressed in the Printer
Setup mode, the printer
prints the Self Test Page.
See “Printer Setup” later
in this manual.

When the Printer is in
the Printer Setup mode,
pressing this key the
Setup Page selected
with the ST1 key will be
printed. See “Printer

Setup” later in this

manual.

When pressed while
powering the printer on
with READY key selects
the T&D mode
(diagnostic).
When pressed while
powering the printer on
with cover open enters in
formware upgrading
procedure.
When pressed while
powering the printer on,
selects the Printer Setup
Mode.
When pressed while
powering the printer on
with READY key select
the T&D mode
(diagnostic).

When pressed while
powering the printer on,
selects the HEX_DUMP
mode.
See “Hexdump Mode ”
later in this manual.

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Leds

LED NORMAL MODE SETUP MODE SPECIAL MODE

Lit if paper presence, Unlit without paper
(no Olivetti).
When using the IBM 4722, IBM 9068 and
the Olivetti protocols in two operators
(“booking”) mode, the ST1 led is under
software control.

Lit, when the printer is ready (on line).
Unlit, when the printer is in local (off line).

On, if the printer is powered on without
data.
Off, if the printer is powered off.
Blinks if the printer has data traffic or data
in the buffer.

Lit when the Letter Quality print mode is
selected. Unlit when the Draft printmode is
selected.
When using the IBM 4722, IBM 9068 and
the Olivetti protocols in two operators
(“booking”) mode, the S2 led is under
software control.

If the printer is in Setup
Mode, this led indicates
which setup page is
selected for printing. See
“Printer Setup” later in this
manual.

If the printer is in Setup
Mode, this led indicates
which setup page is
selected for printing. See
“Printer Setup” later in this
manual.
Blinks if the printer is in
Setup Mode. See “Printer

Setup” later in this

manual.

If the printer is in Setup
Mode, this led indicates
which setup page is
selected for printing. See
“Printer Setup” later in this
manual.

Blinks, together with the
ST2 led, if a printer error
occurs. See “Error

Message” later in this

manual.

Blinks, together with the
ST1 led, if a printer error
occurs. See “Error

Message” later in this

manual.

LCD display messages (only for the model with it)

Upper line message
Lower line message

STARTING UP

..INIT..

SP40plus Rel. xxx

PRINTER READY

PROG1 DRAFT

PRINTER READY

HEX-DUMP MODE

PRINTER OFF-LINE

PUSH ON LINE

PAUSE ON PRINT

PUSH ON LINE

WAITING MEDIA

INSERT MEDIA

PRINTER BUSY

EPSON PARALLEL

SET UP

SETUP PAG=CONF

ST1=PAG ST2=PRT

NVM CHANGED

Indication

The printer initialization phase is starting-up.
The printer initialization phase is ended
The printer firmware release message
The printer is in normal ready status showing the current Program and the current Font.

The printer is in normal ready status in hex dump mode.

The printer is in off-line status.

The printer is going in off-line status while data are in the buffer and ready to be printed.

Data are sent to the printer, the printer is waiting for the insertion of the paper.

The printer is currently printing showing the used Emulation and interface

The printer is in Set Up status and is waiting for a blank sheet to be loaded
See “Printer Setup” later in this manual.
The printer is waiting for a Set Up operation selection.
See “Printer Setup” later in this manual.

The firmware of the printer has been updated and the NVM values have been resored to
the default parameters.

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