Digital Equipment LA400plus User Manual

DIGITAL Matrix Printer LA400plus

User Guide

Order Number: EK-LA45E-UG-001

Digital Matrix Printer LA400plus Setting Up Your Printer

Digital Equipment Corporat ion Maynard, Massachusetts

First Printing, September 1998

The contents of this guide may be revised without prior notice and without obligation to incorporate changes and improvements into units already shipped.

Every effort has been made to ensure that information included here is complete and accurate at the time of publication: however, Digital Equipment Corporation cannot be held responsible fo r errors and omissions.

No part of this guide may be reproduced or translated, stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Digital Equipment Corporation 1998. All rights reserved.

The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: LA400plus MultiPrinter and the Digital logo.

Centronics is a trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corporation. IBM PC, IBM Proprinter X24E and IBM Proprinter XL24E are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. ESC/P2 is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark an d MS-DOS, Windows and Microsoft BASIC are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Other products names mentione d in this guide may also be trademarks of their resp ective companies.

As an Energy Star TM Partner. Digital Equipment Corporation has determined that this product meets the Energy Star TM guidelines for energy efficiency.

Table of Contents

Introduction

System Requirements ...................................................................................................................1

Digital Environment...............................................................................................................1

PC Environment.....................................................................................................................1

Installation Procedure...................................................................................................................2

Step 1 - Unpacking the Printer

Where to Place the Printer....................................................... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...........3

Environment...........................................................................................................................3

W ork Location........................................................................................................................3

Preparing the Printer.....................................................................................................................5

Checking Ca rton Contents ................................ .............................................................. .......5

Locating the Printer Parts.............................................................................................................6

Removing the Shipment Locks ....................................................................................................8

Step 2 - Mounting the Push Tractor Unit

About Paper Feeding and Paper Paths........................................................................................11

Paper Path for Continuous Forms ......................................................................................11

Feeding Cut Sheets and Envelopes .....................................................................................11

Mounting the Push Tractor Unit in Front Position ..............................................................12

Position of the Push Tractor Locking Buttons.....................................................................14

Step 3 - Starting-up the Printer

Connecting the Printer to the Power Outlet................................................................................15

Powering-on the Printer.............................................................................................................. 17

Step 4 - Selecting the Display Language

Entering the Set-Up Mode..........................................................................................................18

Selecting the Language...............................................................................................................18

Step 5 - Installing the Black Ribbon Cartridge

Preparing the Cartridge...............................................................................................................20

Installing the Cartridge...............................................................................................................21

Step 6 - Loading Continuous Form

Loading the Paper.......................................................................................................................25

Step 7 - Printing your Fir st Page

Printing the Printer Self-Test Page .............................................................................................30

iii

Step 8 - Connecting your Printer to the Host System

Connecting your Printer to a Digital Environment.................................................................... 32

Connecting to the Computer, Server or Terminal................................................................ 32

Checking the Connection .................................................................................................... 33

Printing a Test Page from Your Host System...................... .... .... .. .... .... .... .. .... .... .... .. ....33

Connecting your Printer to a PC Environment.......................................................................... 34

Connecting to the PC........................................................................................................... 34

Checking the Protocol ......................................................................................................... 35

What’s a Protocol..........................................................................................................35

Setting the Protocol ....................................................................................................... 35

Installing the Windows Printer Driver................................................................................. 36

Installing the Print e r Driver for Windows 3.x............... ................ .. ................ .. ................ ..36

Installing the Print e r Driver for Windows 95.............. ................ ................ .. ................36

Printing a Test Page............................................................................................................. 36

Printing a Test Page un de r Windows 3.x................. .. .. ................ .. ................ .. ..............36

Printing a Test Page un de r Windows 95.... ................ .. ................ .. ................ .. ..............36

Introduction

This is a short guide to installing and setting up the DIGITAL Matrix Printer LA400plus to work within a Digital or a PC environment. It also introduces some basic concepts defining the global hardware and firmware organization of the print e r.

System Requirements

The following information details the requirements for a proper installation and functioning of your printer.

Digital Environment

There are no specific requirements since your DIGITAL Matrix Printer LA400plus is a Digital printer, especially designed and manufactured for perfect integration in the Digital environment.

PC Environment

Check the following interface definition and connectors:

Serial Interface Parallel Interface

- Version: DEC423 (RS423 compatible). - The parallel interface cable is not provided.

- Connector: Use a Digital MMJ adaptor. For a 9 pins connector on your PC, use a H8571-J Digital adaptor.

Use a Digital parallel cable: BC19M-06 (6 feet) or BC19M-10 (10 feet).

Installation Procedure

The installation procedure described in this guide concerns the use of standard continuous form (simple part or thin multiple parts). We rec ommend that you first follow this step by step procedure for getting to know your printer:

• Step 1 - Unpacking the Printer

• Step 2 - Mounting the Push Tractor Unit

• Step 3 - Starting-up the Printer

• Step 4 - Selecting the Display Language

• Step 5 - Installing the Black Ribbon Cartridge

• Step 6 - Loading Continuous Form

• Step 7 - Printing Your First Page

• Step 8 - Connecting your Printer to the Host System

Note:

For information about loading different types of paper, see Chapter 3 "Handling Different Types of Paper" of the User Guide.

Unpacking the Printer

Where to Place the Printer

When choosing the location for your printer check the following:

Environment

• Away from any heat source and not exposed to direct sunlight.

• Avoid dusty, dirty or humid environment.

Work Location

• Choose a flat, stable surface near to the host system or PC.

• Avoid obstructing the openings of the casing (located on both side of the casing) for correct

ventilation.

• You need an independent power outlet to which you can connect the printer nearby.

• Avoid interference between cables at the rear of the printer and loaded continuous form.

Step 1

We recommend that you free up some space around the printer as shown in the following picture , to allow automatic paper routing for continuous form and easy access:

Free Space Dimensions

Preparing the Printer

Checking Carton Contents

1. Take out the accessor ies from the foam blocks and remov e the blo ck s fro m the printer.

2. Check if all printer parts are present and undamaged according to the following list.

DIGITAL Matrix Printer LA400plus

Power cable

"Setting Up Your Printer " + User Guide

Printer driver disk (Windows 3.1 and

Windows 95)

3. Place the printer at its location.

Note:

Keep the carton and all the packing materials in case you have to transport the printer, relocate it, or return it to Digital Services for maintenance.

Carton Contents

Push tractor unit

Black ribbon cartridge

Serial interface cable

Locating the Printer Parts

Power switch

Platen knob

Top cover

Operator panel

Cut sheet stand

Front slot cover

d400-c02

Rear slot cover

Power socket

Interface connectors

Slot for optional Set-Up ca rd or font card

Pull tractor mechanism covers

Large rear cover

d400-c03

Removing the Shipment Locks

Caution:

1. Open the front slot cover

Before performing any operation, you must remove the four orange shipment locks. Keep them in order to reuse them in case you have to transport the printer, relocate it or return it to Digital Services for maintenance.

by pulling it up at the center of the cover.

①

Opening the Front Slot Cover

d4001c04

2. Lock the front slot cover

to the printer casing by pushing on its center to the top.

①

Locking the Front Slot Cover

d4002c05

3. Remove the basic assembly shipment locks ②, ③ and ④.

2 3

Removing the Basic Assembly Shipment Locks

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4. Open the top cover

by pressing the two gray locking buttons ⑥.

⑤

Opening the Top Cover

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5. Remove the carriage motor shipment lock ⑦.

Removing the Carriage Motor Shipment Lock

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6. Close the top cover

⑤

Mounting the Push Tractor Unit

About Paper Feeding and Paper Paths

The DIGITAL Matrix Printer LA400plus is designed for use with a wide range of paper types, from continuous form (simple part, multipart or adhesive labels) to cut sheets (simple part or multipart) and envelopes.

Seve ral paper feeding devices are availabl e de pending on the type of pa per you intend to use.

Paper Path for Continuous Forms

A paper path is ma in l y defined by:

– the paper feeding device used – the position of the paper feeding device on the printer

Two paper feeding devices are available:

– the Push tractor unit (standard)

Step 2

– the Pull tractor unit (option)

You can mount the feeding devices in two positions:

– the Front position (under the front slot cover) – the Rear position (under the rear slot cover)

The most common paper path uses the Push tractor unit mounted in the Front position and is compatible with most of the paper types. This paper path, called Push-Front, is factory set in the printer as the path to be used at first power-on.The following instructions explain how to set up this paper path.

Feeding Cut Sheets and Envelopes

The Cut sheet stan d of you r DIGI TAL Matrix Printer LA400plus defines the Manual paper path available for cut sheets and envelopes.

Note:

For more information about feeding different types of paper, see Chapter 3 "Handling Different Types of Paper" of the User Guide.

Mounting the Push T ractor Unit in Front P osition

Warning:

1. Remove the Push tractor unit ① from its plastic packet.

2. Remov e t he bl ack plastic prote ct ion

The printer must be powered-off before you start this procedure.

from the elect rical connect o r ③.

②

Removing the Protection from the Electrical Connector

3. Disengage the plastic protection the picture.

from the feeding motor gear wheel, rotating it as shown in

④

d4001a02

Disengaging the Gear Wheel Protection

d4001a04

4. Identify the place ⑤ of the Push tractor unit ① in the printer with the help of this figure. The electrical connec tor

must be on the right.

③

Identifying the T r actor Unit Place

5. Mount the Push tractor unit printer casing and inserting the electrical connector into the corresponding plug on the printer.

Warning:

Ensure that the paper separ at or ⑥ is correctly retracted into the tractor unit casing. Otherwise, paper may not be loaded.

in its place ⑤, aligning both its left and bottom sides with the

①

d4001a54

d400-a58

Mounting and Aligning the Push Tractor Unit in its Place

6. Push both the left and right sides of the Push tractor unit ① upward, until it is fully engaged.

d4001a07

Engaging the Push Tractor Unit

Note:

7. Check that the paper separator

The Push tractor is en gaged when you feel and he ar th e cli c k of both left and right locking buttons shown in the following picture.

. The Push tractor locking buttons must be in the up position as

⑦

seats inside the printer and does not overhang the casing.

⑥

Position of the Push Tractor Locking Buttons

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Right Position (up)

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Wrong Position (down)

Starting-up the Printer

Connecting the Printer to the Power Outlet

Step 3

Warning:

The manuf a cturer declines all respo ns ib il it y for accidents to pers on s or da mage to the printer arising from the non-observance of the following procedure.

Make sure the power outlet supplies the voltage indicated on the electrical data plate

on the left side of the printer (when facing th e op er ator panel), abov e the po w er

①

switch. If the electrical data plate indicates a different voltage, call your dealer immediately. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, CONNECT OR SWITCH ON THE PRINTER.

Electrical Data Plate

Caution:

BEFORE connecting the printer to the power outlet and / or switching it on, read all the following points carefully.

To connect the printer to the power outlet:

1. Make sure that the plug on the power cable is of the type accepted by the power outlet you intend to use; if it is not, call your dealer.

Do NOT attempt to change the plug yourself.

2. Make sure the printer is powered-off. The power switch ② is in the O position.

Checking the Printer is Powered-off

3. Plug the power cable

4. Plug the other end of the power cable into the power wall socket.

(into the power socket ④ at the back of the printer).

③

Plugging the Power Cable

d4001c10

d4001c11

Powering-on the Printer

1. Check all the points in the previous step.

2. ONLY if no further intervention is required, power-on the printer by pushing the power switch to the position I.

When you po wer-on the printer:

• It undergoes a series of internal checks, including all sensors information (paper detection etc.).

• The messages "Starting Up...", "Testing...", then "Ready M1-Aut" appear on

the display.

Ready

• The

• Since no paper is detected by the printer, the printer beeps, the

indicator for t h e Push-Front paper pa th should be loaded.

indicator is on.

Fault

indicator is on and the

blinks slowly, indicating the paper path where paper

①

Push-Front Path Indicator

If any faults are found during the initialization, the messages "Printer failure" and "Call Service" appear alternately on the display.

Call your dealer or the technical assistance service.

Note:

If you have not properly closed the top cover, the printer beeps and the message "Top cover open" appears. Initialization starts again after correctly closing the top cover.

Fault

indicator blin ks ra pi d l y an d t he

Step 4

Selecting the Display Language

Entering the Set-Up Mode

Your DIGITAL Matrix Printer LA400plus allows you to choose the language used for the different messages displayed.

To select the display language, you need to enter Set-Up mode. The following procedure will help you learn how Set-Up mode works, even if you don’t need to change the display lan guage.

Selecting the Language

To select the language:

1. Press the The message "MACROS" appears on the display an d the

2. Press the R button. The message "INSTALLATION" appears.

3. Press the D button. The message "LANGUAGE" appears.

4. Press the D button. The message "* English" appears. The * symbol indicates that English is the current language for displaying the messages.

5. Select your language by using the L or R buttons. The different available languages app ear on the display, each time yo u pr es s on e of th ese buttons.

Set-Up

button.

Set-Up

indicator blinks slowly.

6. Once the desired language is displayed , confirm your choice by pressing the The * symbol appears to confirm your choice.

Sel/Save

button.

7. Press the

Exit

button to exit Set-Up mode. The message "Save config." appears, indicating that you ar e go ing to sa ve your new configuration.

– To permanently save your choice in the current M1 macro, press the

Sel/Save

button.

The new language selection will still be active at next power-on.

– To temporarily save your choice, press the

Exit

button. The new language selection will be lost at next power-on. The previous language selection will be active.

– To cancel your modification and return to the previous configuration, press the R button.

The message "Restore Macro 1" appears. Pr ess the

Sel/Save

button.

Installing the Black Ribbon Cartridge

Preparing the Cartridge

Step 5

Note:

1. Remove the black ribbon cartridge

2. Turn the ribbon feed knob

If you have the color mechanism option, see Appendix A "Supplies and Options" to see how to install the color ribbon cartridge.

in the engraved arrow direction ③ to take up slack in the

②

ribbon.

Taking Up Slack in the Ribbon

from its plastic packet.

①

d4001b43

Caution:

To avoid damaging the ribbon, do not turn the ribbon feed knob in the wrong direction.

3. Locate the front mounting pins ⑤, the back mounting pins ⑥ and the ribbon guide ⑦.

The Ribbon Cartridge

Installing the Cartridge

1. Open the top cover ① by pressing the two gray locking buttons ②. The print head

moves automatically to the center of the printer.

③

6 5

d400-b43

Print Head Position for Installing the Ribbon Cartridge

d4001b20

2. Locate the front ④ and back ⑤ locking grooves of the left and right cartridge supports.

Aligning the Cartridge Pins with the Cartridge Supports

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3. Align the cartridge front mounting pins

Note:

4. Align the center of the ribbon guide

In order to correctly position the left front mounting pin, turn the ribbon feed knob of the cartridge according to the engraved arrow, until the mounting pin is in contact with the cartridge support. See the following picture.

⑦

Positioning Cartridge/Aligning Ribbon Guide with Print Head

on the front locking grooves on both sides.

⑥

with the center of the print head nose ⑧.

d4002b29

5. Slide down the ribbon guide ⑦ on the print head nose ⑧ so that the ribbon ⑨ is inserted between the print head nose

and the print head guide ⑩.

⑧

d4002b15

Inserting the Ribbon Guide

6. Position the back mounting pins on the back locking grooves

7. Push down t he ri bb on cartridge above the mo un t ing pi ns area so that the pins fully en gage the locking grooves.

of the cartridge supports.

⑤

d4001b41

Locking the Ribbon Cartridge

8. Turn the ribbon feed knob again in the direction of the arrow to take up slack in the ribbon.

9. To ensure that the ribbon guide print head

along the carriage bar.

③

Checking the Ribbon Cartridge Installation

runs freely along the ribbon, manually move the

⑦

d4001b38

Caution:

10.Close the top cover

This operation can be done only when you are installing the ribbon cartridge for the first time. If you have been already printing and you are going to replace the ribbon cartridge, this operation must be done only after the print head has cooled down.

①

+ 269 hidden pages

Digital Equipment LA400plus User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual