Epson FX-2180 User Guide

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Control Panel Buttons and Lights

Font button

Selects the font. See Chapter 5.

Font lights

Indicate which font is selected.

Tear Off/Bin button

Advances continuous paper to th e

•

tear-off position. Feeds continuous paper backward from

•

the tear-off po sition to the top-of-form position. Selects a cut-sheet feeder bin when the

•

cut-sheet feeder is installed. Enters the car d mode to print on

•

postcards and envelopes. See Chapter 3.

Tear Off/Bin lights

f f

when continuous paper is in the

•

tear-off position.

o n

when bin 1 of the optional cut-sheet

•

feeder is selected.

n o

when bin 2 of the optional cut-sheet

•

feeder is selected.

n n

when the printer is in the card mode.

•

n = On f = Flashing o = Off

Pitch button

Selects the font size. See Chapter 5.

Pitch lights

Indicate what font size is selected.

Pause button Stops printing temporarily, and resumes printing when pressed again.

Pause light

•

On when the printer is paused.

•

Flashes when the printer is in the micro adjust mode.

LF/FF button

•

Feeds paper line by line.

•

Ejects a single sheet or advances continuous paper to the next top-of-form position when held down.

Micro Adjust

When holding down the Pause button for three seconds, the printer enters the micro adjust mode. Using the micro adjust feature, you can press the

buttons to adjust the top-of-form or tear-off

and position. See Chapter 2.

Paper Out light

•

On when no paper is loaded in the selected paper source or paper is not loaded correctly.

•

Flashes when paper has not been fully ejected or a paper jam has occurred.

Operate button

Turns the printer on and off. The prin ter is off when the top of this button is even with the button protectors.

Load/Eject button

•

Loads a single sheet of paper.

•

Ejects a single sheet of paper if a sheet is loaded.

•

Loads continuous paper from the standby position.

•

Feeds continuous paper backward to the standby position.

9-Pin Dot Matrix Printer

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, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION. The information contained herein is designed only for use with this EPSON printer. EPSON is not responsible for any use of this information as applied to other printers.

Neither SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION nor its affiliates shall be liable to the purchaser of this product or third parties for damages, losses, costs, or expenses incurred by the purchaser or third parties as a result of: accident, misuse, or abuse of this product or unauthorized modifications, repairs, or alterations to this product, or (excluding the U.S.) failure to s t r ictly comply with SE IKO EPSON CORPORATIO N’s operating and maintenanc e in struc t io ns .

SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION shall not be liable for any damages or problems arising from the use of any options or any consumable products other than those designated as Original EPSON Products or EPSON Approved Products by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.

EPSON and EPSON ESC/P are registered tradema rks of SEIKO EPSON CORPOR ATIO N. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

General Notice: Oth er pr oduct names used herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. EPSON disclaims any and all rights in thos e marks.

User’s Guide

FCC Compliance Statement

For United States 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 insta llation. Th is e quipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordan ce with the instru ctions, may ca u s e 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 us er is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures .

q Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna q Increase the separation between the

equipment and rece iver

q Connect the equipment into an outlet on a

circuit different from that to which the receive r is connected

q Consult the dealer or an experienced

radio/TV technician for help.

WARNING

The connection of a non-sh ielded 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 unu s ed interfaces.

Changes or modifications not expressly app r o ve d b y the manufactur er co u ld voi d th e user’s authority to operate the equipment.

For Canadian Users

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian InterferenceCausing Equipment Regulations.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exige nc es du Règ lement sur le matériel brouil leur du Canada.

Declaration of Conformity

According to ISO/IEC Guide 22 and EN 45014

Manufacturer: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION Address: 3-5, Owa 3-chome, Su wa-shi,

Nagano-ken 392 Japan Representative: EPSON EUROPE B.V. Address: Prof. J. H. Bavincklaan 5 1183

AT Amstelveen

The Netherlands Decl a r e s th a t the Pr o du ct:

Product Name: Dot Matrix Printer Type Name: FX-2180 Model: P920B

Conforms to the following Directive(s) and Norm(s):

Directive 73/23/EEC:

EN 60950

Directive 89/336/EEC:

EN 55022 Class B

EN 61000-3-2

EN 61000-3-3

EN 50082-1

IEC 801-2

IEC 801-3

IEC 801-4 Februa ry 19 98

Y. Ishii President of EPSON EUROPE B.V.

Getting to Know Your Printer

Easy-to-Use Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-2

Available Paper Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-3

Printing on continuous paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-4

Printing on single sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-8

Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-10

Ribbon Cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-10

Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-11

Print Head Caution Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-12

ENERGY STAR Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-13

For United Kingdom Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-13

Use of options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-13

Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-14

How To Use Your Manuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-15

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-15

Chapter 1

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

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

Positioning the continuous paper supply . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Installing or Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Attaching the Paper Guide and Paper Separator . . . . . . . . 1-11

Plugging In the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

Installing the Printer Driver on Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

For Windows 95 or NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

For Windows 3.1 or NT 3.5x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19

For DOS programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Setting Up the Printer

iii

Chapter 2

Setting the Paper Release Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Setting the Paper Thickness Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Loading Multi-Part Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Turning on the double-strike mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Loading Continuous Paper With Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Removing continuous paper with labels . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Using the Front Push Tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

Installing the tractor in the front push position . . . . . . . 2-9

Loading paper onto the front push tractor . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Removing the printed document from the front

push tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

Removing the front push tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16

Using the Rear Push Tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17

Loading paper onto the rear push tractor . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17

Removing the printed document from the rear

push tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21

Using the Tractor in the Pull Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22

Installing the tractor in the pull position . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23

Loading paper onto the pull tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24

Removing paper from the pull tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-30

Using two tractors in a push and pull combination . . . . . 2-30

Removing the pull tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33

Switching Between Printing on Continuous Paper

and Printing on Single Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-35

Switching to printing on single sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-35

Switching to printing on continuous paper . . . . . . . . . . 2-36

Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-37

Advancing the Paper to the Tear-Off Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40

Using the Tear Off/Bin button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40

Advancing paper to the tear-off position automatically . . 2-41

Adjusting the tear-off position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-41

Printing on Continuous Paper

Chapter 3

Using Single Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Available paper types and paper slots . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Loading single-sheet multi-part forms . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Loading envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Loading postcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Loading Single Sheets in the Top Paper Slot . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Loading Single Sheets in the Front Paper Slot . . . . . . . . . . 3-10

Printing on Single Sheets

Chapter 4

About Your Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Using the Printer Driver With Windows 95 . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications . 4-3

Accessing the printer driver from the Start menu . . . . . . 4-5

Printer driver settings overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Using the Printer Driver With Windows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications . 4-8

Accessing the printer driver from the Control Panel . . . . 4-10

Printer driver settings overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Using the Printer Driver With Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . 4-12

Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications . 4-12

Accessing the printer driver from the Start menu . . . . . . 4-14

Printer driver settings overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14

Using the Printer Driver With Windows NT 3.5x . . . . . . . . 4-17

Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications . 4-17

Accessing the printer driver from the Control Panel . . . . 4-19

Printer driver settings overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19

Using the EPSON Remote! Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21

Using the Printer Software

Chapter 5

Selecting a Built-In Font and Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

About Your Printer’s Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Changing default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Changi ng P rinte r Sett ings F rom t he Pri nter’ s Cont rol Pa nel

Chapter 6

About the EPSON Status Monitor 2 Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Installing EPSON Status Monitor 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Accessing EPSON Status Monitor 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Checking Printer Status Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Using the EPSON Status Monitor 2 window . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Using the Printer Status window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Making Monitoring Preference Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10

Turning on background monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11

Using the background monitoring icon . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12

Chapter 7

Using the Error Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

Power supply problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5

Single-sheet paper loading or feeding problems . . . . . . . 7-6

Continuous paper loading or feeding problems . . . . . . . 7-8

Wrong top-of-form position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9

Wrong tear-off position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10

Printing or printout quality problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11

Clearing Paper Jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16

Aligning Vertical Lines in Your Printout . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17

Printing a Self Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18

Printing a Hex Dump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19

Using EPSON Status Monitor 2

Troubleshooting

Appendix A

Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Paper handling options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Optional interface cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Using the Optional Cut-Sheet Feeders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

Installing the high-capacity or double-bin

cut-sheet feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

Loading paper in the high-capacity cut-sheet feeder . . . . A-6

Selecting the paper source (bin 1 or bin 2) . . . . . . . . . . A-10

Switching between continuous paper and

single-sheet paper in the cut-sheet feeder . . . . . . . . . A-11

Using the Roll Paper Holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-12

Assembling the roll paper holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-12

Installing the roll paper holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-13

Loading roll paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-14

Removing roll paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-16

Installing an Interface Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-17

Using the C82305

Enhancing Your Printer With Options

]

or C82306] serial interface card . . . . A-18

Appendix B

Cleaning the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Transporting the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3

Cleaning and Transporting the Printer

vii

Appendix C

Printer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4

Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5

Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5

Paper alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7

Printable area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8

Safety approvals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-10

CE marking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-10

Command Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-11

EPSON ESC/P control codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-11

IBM 2381 Plus emulation control codes . . . . . . . . . . . . C-15

Character Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-16

International character sets for the Italic table . . . . . . . . C-25

Specifications

Appendix D

Contacting Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-2

For North American Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-2

For United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland Users . . . . D-4

Enquiry Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-4

Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-4

Faxon EPSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-5

EPtec - Bulletin Board Service for latest drivers and

utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-5

World Wide Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-5

For Australian Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-6

EPSON FAXBACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-6

EPSON Bulletin Board System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-6

Internet URL http://www.epson.com.au . . . . . . . . . . . D-6

Your dealer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-6

EPSON Helpdesk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-7

For Singapore Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-7

Customer Support Information

viii

For Hong Kong Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-7

Internet home page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-8

Electronic bulletin board system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-8

Technical support hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-8

For Philippines Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-8

Glossary

Index

Chapter 1

Setting Up the Printer

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

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

Positioning the continuous paper supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Installing or Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Attaching the Paper Guide and Paper Separator . . . . . . . . 1-11

Plugging In the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

Installing the Printer Driver on Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15

For Windows 95 or NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16

For Windows 3.1 or NT 3.5x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19

For DOS programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Setting Up the Printer

1-1

Unpacking the Printer

Besides this guide, your printer box should include EPSON printer software disks, a Notice Sheet, and the following items:

paper guid e

printer

paper separator

power cord

new

screwdriver

ribbon cartridge

Note:

Depending on your printer model, the power cord may be permanently attached to the printer. Also, the shape of the power cord plug varies depending on the country in which you bought yo ur pri nter; be sure the plug you have is the right one for your location.

1-2

Setting Up the Printer

Caution:

You must remove all protective materials packed around and

inside your printer before you set it up and turn on the power.

Follow the directions on the Notice Sheet (packed with the

printer) to remove these materials. A screwdriver has been

provided for removing the transportation screw.

Save all packing and protective materials, including the

transportation screw and the protective locking clips on the

paper tension unit, in case you need to ship the printer in

the future. It should always be transported in its original

packaging or equivalent materials.

There are several models of the printer designed for different voltages, and it is not possible to adjust the printer for use with another voltage. If the label on the back of the printer does not show the correct voltage for your country, contact your dealer.

Setting Up the Printer

1-3

Choosing a Place for the Printer

Follow the gu id elin es bel ow whe n sel ec ting a locatio n for your printer.

Place the printer on a flat, stable surface. The printer will

not operate properly if it is tilted or at an angle.

Place the printer where you can easily connect it to a

network interface cable, if necessary.

Leave adequate room around the printer for easy operation

and maintenan ce.

Avoid using or storing the printer in places subject to rapid

changes in temperature and humidity. Also keep it away from direct sunlight, strong light, heat sources, or excessive moisture or dust.

Avoid places subject to shocks and vibrations.

Place the printer near a wall outlet where you can easily

unplug the power cord.

Note for French-speaking users:

Placez l’imprimante près d’une prise de contact où la fiche peut être débranchée facilement.

1-4

Avoid electrical outlets controlled by wall switches or

automatic timers. An interruption in power can erase information in the memory of your printer or computer. Also avoid outlets on the same circuit as large motors or other appliances that can cause voltage fluctuations.

Keep the entire computer system away from poten tial

sources of electromagnetic interference, such as loudspeakers or the base units of cordless telephones.

Setting Up the Printer

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

Make sure the paper path is clear and unobstructed before

you print on continuous paper. (See the next section.)

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

Use a stand that supports at least 26 kg (57.8 lb).

Never use a stand that tilts the printer. The printer should

always be kept level.

Position your printer’s power cord and interface cable so

they do not interfere with paper feeding. If possible, secure the cables to a leg of the printer stand.

Positioning the continuous paper supply

Before using continuous paper, make sure you line up your

paper supply with the tractor feeder so the paper feeds

smoothly into the printer, as shown below.

Setting Up the Printer

1-5

Installing or Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge

This section describes how to install or replace the ribbon cartridge. The installation and replacement procedures are the same except that you need to remove the used ribbon cartridge before replacing it with a new one.

EPSON recommends the use of genuine EPSON ribbon cartridges (S015086 ). Produc ts not manu factu red by EPSON may cause damage to your printer not covered by EPSON’s warranties.

Warning:

You will need to move the print head by hand to install or replace

the ribbon cartridge. If you have just used the printer, the print head may be hot; let it cool for a few minutes before touching it.

1. Make sure the printer is turned off. The printer is off when the surface of the protectors as shown.

Operate

button is even with the button

g1-10a

Caution:

Moving the print head while the printer is on may damage

the printer.

2. If the printer is connected to an electrical o u tl e t, unplu g i t from the outlet.

1-6

Setting Up the Printer

3. Lift the printer cover by its back edge and then pull it straight up and off.

4. Make sure that the print head is not hot; if it is, let it cool for a few minutes before touching it. Then slide the print head to the ribbon installation position (the indented portion of the paper tension unit) by hand.

Note:

When you use the pull tractor, you can replace the ribbon cartridge even though the print head is not positioned in the ribbon installation position.

Setting Up the Printer

1-7

5. If a used cartridge is installed, grasp the cartridge and pull it slightly forward and up; the ribbon guide snaps away from the metal pins behind the print head. Properly dispose of the used ribbon cartridge.

ribbon guide

6. Remove the new ribbon cartridge from the package. Remove the separator from the middle of the ribbon cartridge and discard the separator. Then turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow to remo ve an y slack in the ribbon.

new02

1-8

ribbon-tightening knob

Setting Up the Printer

separator

1-4

7. Hold the cartridge with the ribbon-tightening knob up. Fit the two front notches of the ribbon cartridge over the small pegs on each side of the printer as shown below. Then lay the cartridge flat.

8. Make sure that the two rear notches of the cartridge fit over the small pegs on each side of the printer. Then gently press down the cartridge until both ends click into place.

Setting Up the Printer

1-9

9. Lift the ribbon guide of the ribbon cartridge (À) and insert it firmly over the metal pins behind the print head (Á). Make sure the ribbon is not twisted or creased and that it is in place behind the print head. Press down the guide until it clicks into place.

ribbon guide

ribbon-tightening knob

10. Turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow to remove any slack in the ribbon as shown above. Then slide the print head from side to side to make sure it moves smoothly.

1-6SU

1-7

1-10

Setting Up the Printer

11. Replace the printer cover by first inserting the front tabs into the slo t s o n th e pr in t e r an d then lo w e r ing the cover until it clicks into place.

Attaching the Paper Guide and Paper Separator

To install the paper guide and paper separator, follow these steps:

1. Turn over the paper guide and insert the paper separator’s tabs into the slots on the paper guide.

paper separator

paper guid e

Setting Up the Printer

1-11

2. Make sure the paper guide cover is open as shown below. Attach the paper guide by sliding the slots on the bottom of the paper guide over the pegs behind the paper tension unit.

paper te nsion unit

paper gu ide cover

3. Close the paper guide cover.

1-9

1-11

1-12

Setting Up the Printer

Plugging In the Printer

1. Make sure the printer is turned off. The printer is off when the surface of the protectors as shown below.

2. Check the label on the back of the printer to make sure its voltage matches that of your electrical outlet. Also make sure the plug on your printer’s power cord matches your electrical outlet.

Caution:

It is not possi ble to cha n ge the pr i n te r’s voltage. If the rate d

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

Operate

button is even with the button

G1-10

3. If the power cord is not attached to the printer, plug the appropriate end into the AC inlet on the back of the pr inter.

4. Plug the power cord into a properly grounded elec tric al outle t.

Setting Up the Printer

1-13

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer

To connect your computer to your printer’s built-in parallel interface, you need a shielded, twisted-pair parallel cable with a D-SUB, 25-pin, male connector for your computer and a 36-pin Centronics

If your computer requires a different type of printer interface, you should be able to use one of the optional interfaces described on page A-3.

Follow the steps below to connect the printer to your computer using the built-in parallel interface.

1. Make sure both the pr in ter and computer are turned off. The printer is off when t h e sur fac e of the with the button protectors.

2. Plug the cable connector securely into the printer’s interface connector, and squeeze the wire clips together until they lock in place on both sides of the connector.

compatible connector for the printer.

Operate

button is even

1-16

1-14

Setting Up the Printer

3. If your cable has a ground wire, connect it to the printer’s ground connector as shown below.

4. Plug the other end of the cable into the computer. (If the cable has a ground wire at the computer end, attach it to the ground connector at the back of the computer.)

After you connect the printer to your computer, install the printer driver software as described in the next section.

Installing the Printer Driver on Your PC

g1-12-2

After you connect the printer to your computer, you need to install the printer driver on your computer. The printer driver is software that allows your computer to control the printer. You need to install the printer driver so your Windows software applications can take full advantage of the printer’s capabilities. The printer driver is included in the EPSON printer software disks that come with your printer.

If you are using DOS, see “For DOS programs” on page 1-20.

Note:

Before you install the printer software, it is best to make backup copies of the EPSON printer software disks.

Setting Up the Printer

1-15

For Windows 95 or NT 4.0

Follow the steps below to install the printer driver for Windows 95 or NT 4.0. To use the plug-and-play feature to install the printer driver for Windows 95, see page 1-17.

Note:

Installing the printer driver for Windows NT 4.0 may require network administration privileges. Ask your network administrator for more information.

1. Make sure Windows 95 or NT 4.0 is run n in g an d th e pr in ter is off.

2. Insert Disk 1 of your printer dr iv er software in a disk drive. Double-click the the drive in which you inserted the disk.

My Computer

icon, and then double-click

3. Double-click the

icon, then make sure your printer

Setup

icon is selected in the EPSON Printer Driver Setup dialog box shown below. Click OK and follow the on-screen instructions.

After you install the printer driver for Windows 95, you can install the EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility program. See Chapter 6 for information on installing and using the Status Monitor.

SUN95

1-16

Setting Up the Printer

Using Windows 95 plug-and-play

If you are using Windows 95 and you want to install the driver using plug-and-play, follow the steps below.

Note:

You can insta ll the pr i n ter dr iv e r usi n g pl u g-a n d-play only if your computer ha s an IEEE-1284 compatible, bidirecti onal parallel po r t. See your computer documentation for more information.

1. Make sure the printer is connected to your computer as described on p age 1-14.

2. Turn off your printer an d co mp uter, if necessary.

Caution:

Whenever you turn off the printer, wait at least five seconds

before turning it back on; otherwise you may damage the printer.

3. First turn on your printer and then turn on the computer. Your computer starts loading Windows 95.

4. If you use a password, enter it at the prompt. Th e New Hardware Found screen appears and displays your printer’s model name.

Note:

If you do not see the New Hardware Found screen or if a problem occurs, click 95 or NT 4.0” on pa ge 1-16.

5. Click the

manufacturer

Note:

Windows 95 may display the New Hardware Found screen again the next time you turn on your computer. If this happens, select the

not install a driver

will not appear again.

Cancel

Driver from disk provided by hardware

and follow the instructions under “For Windows

radio bu tton.

radio button an d the n click OK. This screen

Setting Up the Printer

1-17

6. Click OK. You see the Install From Disk screen.

7. Insert Disk 1 of your printer dr iv er software in a disk drive.

8. Type

9. You can type a unique name for the printer in the Printer nam e

10. Click the

A:\Win95

you inserted the disk in a drive other than drive A, substitute the appropriate letter.) Then click OK. The Add Printer Wizard dialog box appe ar s .

box. However, we recommend that you keep the default printer model name as shown.

If this is your only printer or you want to use this printer as the default printer for Win d ows 95 applications, s elec t the default setting.)

Finish

hard disk and adds an icon to the Printers folder using the printer model name or the name you selected.

in the Copy manufacturer’s files from box. (If

. (No is

Yes

button. The program copies the file s to your

After you install the printer driver for Windows 95, you can install the EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility program. See Chapter 6 for information on installing and using the Status Monitor.

1-18

Setting Up the Printer

For Windows 3.1 or NT 3.5x

Follow the steps below to install the printer driver for Windows 3.1 or NT 3.5x.

Note:

Installing the printer driver for NT 3.5x may require network administration privileges. Ask your network administrator for more information.

1. Make sure Wind ows 3.1 or NT 3.5x is run n i n g an d the Program Manager window is open.

2. Insert Disk 1 of your printer dr iv er software in a disk drive.

3. Choose appears:

from the File menu. The following dialog box

Run

4. Type

5. Make sure your printer is selected and click OK. Follow the

A:\SETUP

drive A, substitute the appropriate letter.) Then click OK. The EPSON Printer Driver Setup dialog box appears.

on-screen instructions.

. (If you inserted the disk in a drive other than

Setting Up the Printer

1-19

For DOS programs

To control the printer from DOS application programs, you need to select the printer you are using or another available printer from the printer list of your application.

Choose the EPSON FX-2180 printer at the appropriate step in the setup or installation procedure of your DOS application program. If the list in your application does n ot inclu de the FX-2180 printer, choose the first available printer from this list:

FX-2170 FX-880/FX-1180 FX-870/117 0 FX-850/105 0 FX-800/100 0 EX-800/1000 FX-85/105 FX-80+/100+ FX-80/100

If none of these printers is listed, choose the first one available from the following:

FX LX RX MX EPSON pri n te r Standard printe r Draft printer ASCII printer

Note:

If your application does not list a suitable alternative, contact the software manufacturer to see if an update is available.

1-20

Setting Up the Printer

Chapter 2

Printing on Continuous Paper

Setting the Paper Release Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Setting the Paper Thickness Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Loading Multi-Part Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Turning on the double-strike mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Loading Continuous Paper With Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Removing continuous paper with labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Using the Front Push Tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

Installing the tractor in the front push pos ition . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

Loading paper onto the front push tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Removin g the printe d docume n t from th e front push tractor . . . 2-14

Removing the front push tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16

Using the Rear Push Tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17

Loading paper onto the rear push tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17

Removin g the printe d docume n t from th e rear push tractor . . . 2-21

Using the Tractor in the Pull Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22

Installing the tractor in the pull position . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23

Loading paper onto the pull tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24

Removing paper from the pull tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-30

Using two tractors in a push and pull combination . . . . . . . 2-30

Removing the pull tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33

Switching Between Printing on Continuous Paper

and Printing on Single Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-35

Switching to printing on single sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-35

Switching to printing on continuous paper . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-36

Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-37

Advancing the Paper to the Tear-Off Edge . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40

Using the Tear Off/Bin button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40

Advancing paper to the tear-off position automatically . . . . . 2-41

Adjusting the tear-off position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-41

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-1

Setting the Paper Release Lever

You can load paper in the printer from various paper sources, such as the front push tractor or the paper guide. You set the paper release lever to indicate the paper source you want to use. The table below describes each paper release lever position.

Note:

To decide whic h pa pe r s o u rc e and paper path bes t s uits your printing needs, see “Available Paper Paths” on page 3.

paper release lever

2-1n

2-2

Paper release lever position

Description

Single-sheet position

For loading single-sheet paper from the top or front slot. For infor mation on loading single sheets, see Chapter 3.

Rear push tractor position

For loadi ng continuous paper from t he tractor in s talled in the rear push position. Also set the lever to this position when using the rear push and pull tractors in combination.

Front push tractor position

For loadi ng continuous paper from t he tractor in s talled in the front push position. Also set the lever to this position when using the front push and pull tractors in combination.

Printing on Continuous Paper

Paper release lever position

Description

Pull tractor position

For loadi ng continuous paper from t he tractor in s talled on top of the printer in the pull position. When the tractor is in the pull position, you can load paper in the front, rear, or bottom slot.

Note:

You can load two different types of continuous paper onto the front and rear push tractors, and easily switch between them using the paper release lever. Before moving the paper release lever, always press the

Load/Eject

button to feed the paper in the paper path backward to the

standby position.

Setting the Paper Thickness Lever

Setting the pape r thickn ess lev e r allows the printe r to accommodate various thicknesses of paper. The paper thickness lever is located under the printer cover. You can select one of eight positions identified by the scale next to the lever.

paper thickness lever

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-3

Use the following table to set the paper thickness lever to match the thickness of your paper.

Paper type* Lever position

Ordinary (single sheets or continuous paper) 0 Thin paper -1 or 0 Carbonless multi-part forms with:

2 parts (original + 1 copy) 3 parts (original + 2 copies) 4 parts (original + 3 copies) 5 parts (original + 4 copies) 6 parts (original + 5 copies) 7 parts (original + 6 copies)**

Continuous paper with labels 2 Envelopes 4 or 5 Postcards 3

* See Appendix C for complete paper specifications. **Always load multi-part form s with seven parts (one original plus six copies)

from the fr ont or botto m slot onto the pull tractor.

1 3 4 5 6 6

Note:

If the printed image is smeared, you may need to set the paper thickness lever one position lower to improve print quality.

2-4

If the printed image is faint or has many gaps, you may need to set the paper thickness lever one position higher to improve print quality.

Printing on Continuous Paper

Loading Multi-Part Forms

You can use carbonless multi-part forms of up to seven parts (six copies on top of the original). Make sure you set the paper thickness lever to the proper position based on the number of layers in your form.

For best results with thick paper such as multi-part forms, select a straight or almost straight paper path. It is best to load multi-pa rt form s us in g:

the front slot and the front push tractor

the front or bottom slot and the pull tractor

Note:

Always load multi-part forms with seven parts (one original plus six copies) in the front or bottom slot and onto the pull tractor.

You may want to turn on the double-strike mode as described on page 2-6 to make sure the printout on the bottom copies appears correctly.

When loading multi-part forms that are bound on only one side by point glueing, load them on the rear push tractor or from the rear slot using the pull tractor.

Except for setting the paper thickness lever, you load multi-part forms the same way you load ordinary continuous paper. For details, see the sections on loading continuous paper later in this chapter.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-5

Note:

Be sure your multi-part forms do not exceed 0.46 mm (0.018 inch) in thickness for the printable area and up to 0.9 mm (0.035 inch) for the perforated edges.

Use multi-part forms only under normal temperature and humidity conditions, as follows:

Temperature 15 to 25°C (59 to 77°F) Humidity 30 to 60% RH

Do not load paper that is damaged, curled or wrinkled.

Turning on the double-strike mode

If the printing on the bottom copies of your thick multi-part forms is faint, turn on the double-strike mode as described below.

Note:

Always turn on the double-strike mode before printing on multi-part forms with seven parts.

The double-strike mode is available only when the paper thickness lever is set to a position higher than 3 and the paper release lever is set to the pull tractor position.

When the printer is in the double-strike mode, the print speed is reduced.

1. Load your multi-part forms on the pull tractor as described in this ch apter.

2. Make sure that th e printe r is turned off .

3. While holding down the to turn on the printer. The printer enter s th e do uble-s trike mode.

button press the

Font

Operate

To exit the double-strike mode, turn off the printer; then hold down the

button and press the

Font

Operate

button to turn

the printer back on.

2-6

Printing on Continuous Paper

button

Loading Con tinuous Paper With Labels

When printing on labels, use only the type of labels that are mounted on continuous backing sheets with sprocket holes for use with a tractor feeder. Do not try to print on single sheets with labels because the printer may not feed labels on a shiny backing sheet properly.

Thick paper, such as continuous paper with labels, requires a straight or almost straight paper path. You can load labels in the front (push tractor or pull tractor) or bottom (pull tractor) paper slot; however, for best results, use the tractor in the pull position and load paper in the front or bottom paper slot.

You load labels the same way you load ordinary continuous paper, except you must set the paper thickness lever to 2 before printing on labels. See “Loading paper onto the pull tractor” later in this chapter for more information.

Caution:

Do not load continuous paper with labels in the rear paper slot because the paper path from the rear slot is curved; labels may come off their backing sheet inside the printer and cause a paper jam.

Never use the tear-off feature (by pressing the

Off/Bin

described in “About Your Printer’s Default Settings” in Chapter 5) to feed continuous paper with labels backward; they may come off their backing sheet and jam the printer.

Because labels are sensitive to temperature and humidity, use them only under normal operating conditions, as follows:

Do not load continuous paper with labels that is damaged, curled or wrinkled.

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

button or turning on the auto tear-off mode as

Temperature 15 to 25°C (59 to 77°F) Humidity 30 to 60%RH

Printing on Continuous Paper

Tear

2-7

Removing continuous paper with labels

To avoid peeling labels off the backing sheet and jamming the printer, follow the steps below when you remove continuous paper with labels from the printer.

1. After you finish printing, tear off the fresh supply of continuous labels at the perforation nearest the paper entry slot.

g3-19

2. Hold down the the printer.

Caution:

Never press the

backward, labels can easily come off the backing sheet and cause a paper jam.

2-8

Printing on Continuous Paper

button to eject the remaining labels fr om

LF/FF

Load/Eject

Tear Off/Bin

button. When fed

Using the Front Push Tractor

To use the front push tractor, load continuous paper in the front slot. For more information on when to use the front push tractor, see “Available Paper Paths” on page 3.

Note:

The tractors are installed in the front push and rear push positions when the printer is shipped. The rear push tractor cannot be removed.

Installing the tractor in the front push position

If a tractor is installed in the front push position, skip to “Loading paper onto the front push tractor“ on the next page.

If a tractor is installed in the pull position, you need to remove it, and replace the paper tension unit as described on page 2-33 before using the front push tractor.

To install the tractor in the front push position, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the printer is turned off.

2. Open the front paper guide by pulling the tab at the center of the guide. Then remove the guide by grasping both sides and pulling it str aig h t out of the prin te r.

tab

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-9

3. Insert the tractor into the printer’s mounting slots and press down both ends of the tractor to make sure that it is firmly seated.

You are now ready to load continuous paper onto the front push tractor as described in the next section. To remove the tractor, see page 2-16.

Loading paper onto the front push tractor

To load paper onto the front push tractor, follow these steps:

2-17

1. Open the front paper guide by pulling the tab at the center of the guide. Then remove the guide by grasping both sides and pulling it straight out of the printer. Check that the tractor is installed in the front push position.

2-10

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-20

2. Set the paper release lever to the front push tractor position. Also set the paper thickness lever (located under the printer cover) to the proper position for your paper’s thickness.

3. Release the left and right sprockets by pushing the sprocket lock levers backward.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-11

4. Slide the left sprocket to the left margin of your paper using the arrow mark inside the printer. (Printing starts at the arrow mark.) Then pull the lever forward to lock it in place.

Note:

See “Paper alignment” and “Printable area” in Appendix C for more information on the left margin position.

5. Slide the righ t sprocket to matc h the wid th of y our paper, but do not lock it. Move the paper support midway between the two sproc k ets as shown ab ov e .

2-22

6. Open both sprocket covers. Make sure your paper has a clean, str aig h t edg e a nd fit the fir s t fou r hole s o f the pap e r, printable side up, over the tractor pins. Then close the sprocket covers.

2-12

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-23

7. Slide th e right s p rocket to remove any slack in th e p aper; the n lock it in place by pushing the sprocket lock down.

8. Attach the front paper guide by sliding it along the printer’s mounting slots as shown below. Then close the front paper guide.

9. Slide the edge guides to the middle of the top paper guide. Make sure that the printer cover and the paper guide cover are closed.

Note:

Always close the printer cover before printing. The printer does not print when the cover is open.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-13

10. Make sure the printer is on. You may need to check and change the printer driver settings as de scr ibed in Chapte r 4. When the printer receives data, it automatically loads the paper and starts printing. The printed pages are fed over the paper guide toward the back of t he printer.

11. After you finish printing, follow the steps in the next section to tear off your print ed do cument.

If the fir st printed line on y ou r page appears too hig h or l o w, you can fix this using the micro adjust feature as described in “Adjusting the Top-of-Form Pos ition” on page 2-37.

Caution:

Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position; this may

damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

Removing the printed document from the front push tractor

2-35a

To remove the print e d docum e nt, follow these st eps:

1. Make sure the Tear/ Off Bin lights are flash in g . (Th is in d i c ate s your paper is at the current tear-off position.) You may need to

2-14

press the tear-off position.

Printing on Continuous Paper

Tear Off/Bin

button to advanc e the pape r to th e

2. Open the paper guide cover, and tear off the printed document using the tear-off edge of the printer.

Note:

If your paper’s perforation is not properly aligned with the tear-off edge, you can adjust the tear-off position using the micro adjust feature. See “Adjusting the tear-off position” on page 2-41.

Caution:

Never use the knob to adjust the tear-off position; this may

damage the printer or cause it to lose the tear-off position.

3. Close the paper guide cover.

When y o u resume p rinting , the pri nter aut o m aticall y f e eds the paper back to the top-of-form position and starts printing.

To remove the remaining paper from the printer, press the

Load/Eject

position. (See the Glossary for an explanation of the standby position.) Then open the sprocket covers of the tractor and remove the paper.

button to feed the paper backward to the standby

Caution:

Always tear off your printed document before you press the

Load/Eject

cause a paper jam.

button. Reverse feeding several pages at a time may

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-15

Removing the front push tractor

To remove the tractor from the front push position, follow these steps:

1. Remove any paper from the tractor as described in the previous section.

2. Turn off the printer.

3. Open the front paper guide by pulling the tab at the center of the guide. Then remove the guide by grasping both sides and pulling it straight out of the printer.

4. Press the tractor’s lock tabs, tilt the tractor up, and lift it out of the printer.

2-17nn

5. Replace the front paper guide by sliding it along the printer’s mounting slots until it locks in place. Then close the front paper guide.

2-16

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-16b

Using the Rear Push Tractor

To use the rear push tractor, load contin u ous pape r in the rear slot. For information on when to use the rear push tractor, see “Available Paper Paths” on page 3.

Loading paper onto the rear push tractor

If a tractor is installed in the pull position, you need to remove it and replace the paper tension unit as described on page 2-33 before using the rear push tractor.

Note:

To avoid paper jams, it is best to load thick multi-part forms using the front or bottom slot and pull or front push tractor.

When loading multi-part forms that are bound on only one side by point glueing, use the rear push tractor.

Caution:

Do not load continuous paper with labels in the rear paper slot;

the labels may come off their backing sheet inside the printer and cause a paper jam.

To load paper onto the rear push tractor, follow these steps:

1. Open the paper guide cover and remove the paper guide.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-17

2. Set the paper release lever to the rear push tractor position. Also set the paper thickness lever (located under the printer cover) to the proper position for your paper’s thickness.

3. Release the left and right sprockets by pulling the sprocket lock levers forward.

2-26

2-27

2-18

front of the printer

Printing on Continuous Paper

4. Slide the left sprocket to the left margin of the paper using the scale on the printer. (Printing starts at the “0” mark.) Then push the lever back to lock it in place.

front of the printer

Note:

See “Paper alignment” and “Printable area” in Appendix C for more information on the left margin position.

5. Slide the righ t sprocket to matc h the wid th of y our paper, but do not lock it. Move the paper support midway between the two sproc k ets as shown ab ov e .

6. Open both sprocket covers. Make sure your paper has a clean, str aig h t edg e a nd fit the fir s t fou r hole s o f the pap e r, printable side down, over the tractor pins. Then close the sprocket covers.

front of the printer

7. Slide th e right s p rocket to remove any slack in th e p aper; the n lock it in place by pushing the sprocket lock down.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-19

8. Attach the paper guide as described on page 1-11.

9. Slide the edge guides to the middle of the paper guide. Then close the paper guide cover.

Note:

Always close the printer cover before printing. The printer does not print when the cover is open.

10. Make sure the printer is on. You may need to check and change the printer driver settings as described in Chapter 4. When the printer receives data, it automatically loads the paper and starts printing. The printed pages are fed over the paper guide toward the back of the printer.

2-29a

11. After you finish printing, follow the steps in the next section to tear off your print ed do cument.

If the fir st printed line on y ou r page appears too hig h or l o w, you can fix this by using the micro adjust feature as described in “Adjustin g the Top-of-Form Pos ition ” on page 2-37.

Caution:

Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position; this may

damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

2-20

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-35C

Removing the printed document from the rear push tractor

To remove the printed document, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the Tear Off/Bin lights are flas h in g. (T h is in d ic ates your paper is at the current tear-off position). You may need to press the tear-off position.

2. Open the paper guide cover, and tear off the printed document using the tear-off edge of the printer.

Note:

Tear Off/Bin

button to advance the paper to the

Caution:

Never use the knob to adjust the tear off position; this may

damage the printer or cause it to lose the tear-off position.

3. Close the paper guide cover.

When y o u resume p rinting , the pri nter aut o m aticall y f e eds the paper back to the top-of-form position and starts printing.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-21

To remove the remaining paper from the printer, press the

Load/Eject

position. (See the Glossary for an explanation of the standby position.) Then open the sprocket covers of the tractor and remove pape r.

button to feed the paper backward to the standby

Caution:

Always tear off your printed document before you press the

Load/Eject

cause a paper jam.

button. Reverse feeding several pages at a time may

Using the Tractor in the Pull Position

Using the tractor in the pull position is ideal for printing on thick and heavy continuous paper, such as multi-part forms or continuous paper with labels. However, you cannot use the tear-off feature with the pull tractor.

You can also load paper onto the pull tractor from the rear slot. However, doing so is not recommended because the paper path from the rear slot is curved. Because thick paper requires a straight paper path to avoid paper jams, it is best to load paper in the front or bottom slot when using the pull tractor.

Caution:

Do not load continuous paper with labels in the rear paper slot;

the labels may come off their backing sheet inside the printer and cause a paper jam.

To further reduce the chance of paper jams and improve the performance of continuous paper, you can use two tractors in combination. When using this printing method, you load your paper onto both the front push tractor and the pull tractor, or both the rear push tractor and the pull tractor. See “Using two tractors in a push and pull combination” on page 2-30.

2-22

Printing on Continuous Paper

Installing the tractor in the pull position

To install a tractor in the pull position you must either remove the front push tractor or purchase the optional pull tractor (C80032]). To remove the front push tractor, see “Removing the front push tractor” on page 2-16.

Note:

The tractor in the rear push position cannot be removed.

To install a tractor in the pull position, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the printer is turned off. Lift the printer cover up and off the printer.

2. Push up the tabs on each side of the paper tension unit and lift the unit up and off the printer. Store the paper tension unit in a safe place.

2-18NN

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-23

3. Lower the tractor into the printer’s mounting slots and press down both ends of the tractor to make sure that it is firmly seated.

You are now ready to load continuous paper onto the pull tractor as described in the next section. To remove the pull tractor, see page 2-33.

Loading paper onto the pull tractor

2-19nn

When using the pull tractor, load continuous paper in the front or bottom slot, if possible; loading paper in the rear slot may increase the chance of a paper jam.

Caution:

2-24

Printing on Continuous Paper

Always load multi-part forms with seven parts (one original plus six copies) using the front or bottom slot and the pull tractor. Loading this type of form in the rear slot may cause a paper jam.

Do not load continuous paper with labels in the rear paper slot; the labels may come off their backing sheet inside the printer and cause a paper jam.

To load paper onto the pull tractor, follow these steps:

1. Make su r e the prin ter is tur ned off, and the printer cover is removed. Also check that a tractor is installed in the pull position.

2. Slide the edge guides to the middle of the paper guide.

3. Set the paper release lever to the pull tractor position. Also set the paper thickness lever to the proper position for your paper’s thickness.

4. Release the left and right sprockets by pulling the sprocket lock levers forward.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-25

2-32a

5. Slide the left sprocket to the left margin of the paper using the scale on the paper guide as a guide. (Printing starts at the arrow mark.) Then push the lever back to lock it in place.

Note:

See “Paper alignment” and “Printable area” in Appendix C for more information on the left margin position.

6. Push back the left sprocket lever to lock it in place.

7. Slide the righ t sprocket to matc h the wid th of y our paper, but do not lock it. Move the paper support midway between the two sprocket units as shown abov e. Then open both sprocket covers.

2-33a

8. Make sure your paper has a clean, straight edge.

2-26

Printing on Continuous Paper

9. Insert the paper into the front, bottom, or rear paper slot as described below until it emerges between the platen and the ribbon guide. Then pull up the paper until the perforation between the first and second pages is even with the top of the printer’s ribbon.

Before you load paper in the front slot, remove the front paper guide. Then load paper pr intable side up.

Load paper in the bottom slot printable side up ( forward).

2-34a

Before you load paper in the rear slot, remove the paper guide. Then load paper in the rear slot printable side down.

10. Fit four hol e s of the pap e r over the tr actor pins on b oth sprockets. Then close the sprocket covers.

11. Slide the righ t sprocket to remove any slack i n the paper ; then lock it in place by pushing the sprocket lock down.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-27

12. If you use the front slot, attach the front paper guide with the continuous paper positioned as shown below. Then close it.

If you use the rear slot, replace the paper guide and make sure the edge guides are together in the middle of the paper guide.

13. Turn on the pr i n ter.

14. Remove any slack in the paper an d adjust the top-of-for m position (the position where the prin te r will start print ing ) by pressing the (To use the micro adjust feat ur e, see “Ad jus ting t h e Top-of-Form Posit ion ” on pag e 2-37.) The printer will st ar t printing at the current position without advancing the paper.

button or using the micro adjust feature.

LF/FF

G3-19-AA

2-28

Caution:

Printing on Continuous Paper

Never use the knob to remove slack in the paper or to adjust the top-of-form position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

Always remove any slack from the paper; otherwise print quality may be reduced.

15. Attach the printer cover and close the paper guide cover.

Note:

Always close the printer cover before printing. The printer does not print when the cover is open.

16. You may need to check and change the printer driver settings as described in Chapter 4. Send a print job to the printer. The printer starts printing from the current position without advancing the paper. The printed pages are fed over the paper guide toward the back of the printer.

17. After you finish printing, open the paper guide cover; then tear off the printed document at the perforation nearest the paper exit slot.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-29

Removing paper from the pull tractor

1. After you finish printing, tear off the fresh supply of paper at the perforation nearest the paper entry slot.

G05-1

2. Hold down the

Caution:

Never press the

feeding the paper backward may cause it to come off the pull tractor an d jam the printer.

button to e ject the pa p er from the pr i n ter.

LF/FF

Load/Eject

button when using the pull tractor;

Using two tractors in a push and pull combination

To improve continuous paper feeding and reduce paper jams, you can use two tractors at the same time. When using two tractors in combination, you can load paper in the front paper slot onto both the front push tractor and the pull tractor, or in the rear paper slot onto both the rear push tractor and the pull tractor.

2-30

Printing on Continuous Paper

To use the front push tractor with the pull tractor, you need to purchase the optional pull tractor (C80032]). The tractor in the rear push position cannot be removed. Install the optional pull tractor as described in “Installing the tractor in the pull position” on page 2-23.

To use the rear push tractor with the pull tractor, you can remove the tractor from the front push position as described on page 2-16, and install it in the pull position as described on page 2-23.

Note:

The tractor in the rear push position cannot be removed.

To load paper onto two tractors, follow these steps:

1. Remove the printer cover and paper guide.

2. Make sure one tractor is in the front or rear push position and one tractor is in the pull position. Set the paper relea se lever to either the front push or rear push tractor position, depending on which push tractor you are using. Also, set the paper thickness lever to the proper position for your paper’s thickness.

3. Load paper onto th e fr on t or rear push tract or as d esc ribed earlier in this chapter.

4. Turn on th e p rinter. Press th e the paper to the top-of-form position. Then press the button until the perforation between t he fir st an d sec ond pages is even with the top of the printer’s ribbon.

Caution:

Never use the knob to move the paper; this may damage the

printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

Load/Eject

Printing on Continuous Paper

button to advanc e

LF/FF

2-31

5. Attach t he paper to t he pull tractor’s spro c k e ts as desc r i b e d in “Loading paper on t o the p ull tr ac t or ” on pag e 2-24.

6. Set the paper release lever to the pull tractor position. Then remove any slack in the paper between the push and pull tractors using t h e mic ro adju st feature (described on page 2-37) if neces sary .

7. Move the paper release lever back to the push tractor position you set in step 2.

8. Adjust th e top-of-for m po sition (th e p osition wh e re the printer will start printing) using the micro adjust feature as described in “Adjustin g the Top-of-Form Pos ition ” on page 2-37. The printer will start printing at the current position withou t advancing the paper.

Caution

Never use the knob to remove slack in the paper or to adjust the top-of-form position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

Always remove any slack from the paper; otherwise print quality may be reduced.

9. Attach the paper guide. Then slide the edge guides to the middle of the paper guide.

10. Attach the printer cover and close the paper guide cover.

Note:

Always close the printer cover before printing. The printer does not print when the cover is open.

2-32

Printing on Continuous Paper

11. You may need to check and change the printer driver settings as described in Chapter 4. Send a print job to the printer. The printer starts printing from the current position without advancing the paper. The printed pages are fed over the paper guide toward the back of the printer.

12. After you finish printing, open the paper guide cover; then tear off the printed document at the perforation nearest the paper exit slot.

To remove the paper from the tractors, follow the steps under “Removing paper from the pull tractor” on page 2-30.

Removing the pull tractor

To remove the tractor from the pull position, follow these steps:

1. Remove any paper loaded on the pull tractor as describe d on page 2-30.

2. Turn off the printer. Then remove the printer cover and lift the paper guide up and off the printer.

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-33

3. Press the tractor’s lock tabs, tilt the tractor toward you, and lift it off the printer.

4. Store the tractor in a safe pl ac e, or in st all it in the fr on t p ush position as de scribed on page 2-9.

5. To replace the paper tension unit, lower it onto the printer’s mounting pegs. Then press down both ends of the unit until it clicks into place.

g3-17-3

6. Replace the paper guide and printer cover. Then close the paper guide cover.

2-34

Printing on Continuous Paper

g1-9-1

Switching Between Printing on Continuous Paper and Printing on Single Sheets

You can easily switch back and forth between printing on continuous paper with a push tractor and printing on single sheets without having to remove or reload paper.

Switching to printing on single sheets

To switch from printing on continuous paper with the front or rear push tractor to printing on single sheets, follow these steps.

Note:

If continuous paper with labels is loaded in the printer, remove it before switching to single-sheet printing. See “Removing continuous paper with labels” on page 2-8.

If a tractor is in the pull position, remove any continuous paper from it before switching to single-sheet printing. See “Removing paper from the pull tractor” on page 2-30.

1. If any printed pages of continuous paper remain in the printer, press the tear-off posit i on , an d th en tear them off.

Tear Off/Bin

button to advanc e p rinted pa g e s to the

Caution:

Tear off your printed document before you press the

Load/Eject

several pages at a time may cause a paper jam.

Never use the knob to eject paper while the printer is on; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the tear-off position.

button in the next step. Reverse feeding

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-35

2. Press the backward to the standby position. The paper is still attached to the push tractor but is no longer in the paper path .

3. Load single sheets in the top or front paper guide as described in Chapter 3.

Load/Eject

button to f eed the continuous paper

Switching to printing on continuous paper

To switch from printing on single sheets to printing on continuous paper with the front or rear push tractor, follow these steps:

1. If a single sheet remains in the printer, pres s the button to eject it.

Caution:

Never use the knob to eject paper while the printer is on; this

may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

2. Make su r e that the tractor is i nstalled in the front or rear pus h position which you plan to use. To install the tractor in the front position, see page 2-9.

3. Load continuous pa per onto the front or re ar pu sh tractor as described earlier in this chapt er .

The printer loads your continuous paper automatically when you begin printing.

Load/Eject

2-36

Printing on Continuous Paper

Adjusting the Top-of-Form Posit ion

The top-of-form position is the position on the page where the printer will start printing. If your printing appears too high or low on the page, you can use the micro adjust feature to adjust the top-of-form position as described below.

Caution:

Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position; this may

damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

Note:

Your top-of-form position setting remains in effect until you change it, even if you turn off the printer.

The top margin setting made in some application software overrides the top-of-form position setting you make with the micro adjust feature. If necessary, adjust the top-of-form position using your software.

1. Make sure the printer is turned on.

2. If necessary, load paper as described earlier in this chapt er . If you load paper onto a push tractor, press the button to advanc e th e paper to th e curre n t top-of-form position.

Load/Eject

3. Lift the print er cover u p a n d off the pr i nter.

4. Hold down the light starts flash in g an d the printer enter s the m icro ad just mode.

Pause

button for about three sec ond s. The P aus e

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-37

5. Press the on the page, or press the top-of-form position down on the page.

LF/FF

button to move the top-of-form position up

Load/Eject

button to move the

Caution

Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position; this

may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

plastic ribbon cover

Note:

The printer has a minimum and a maximum top-of-form position. If you try to adjust it beyond these limits, the printer beeps and stops moving the paper.

When the paper reaches the default top-of-form position, the printer also beeps and stops moving the paper briefly. You can use the default setting as a reference point when adjusting the top-of-form position.

3-6anew

2-38

Printing on Continuous Paper

To adjust the top-of-form position for continuous paper loaded on the pull tractor, see th e following example:

First mark a point 6.5 mm (0.26 inch) above the paper’s perforation; then position the paper so that the mar k ev en with the top edge of the plastic ribbon cover. This gives you an

8.5 mm (0.33 inch) mar gin on the n ex t page, meaning the printer starts printing 8.5 mm below the perforation. If you mark a point 5.5 mm (0. 22 in c h ) abov e the perforation, you get a 9.5 mm (0.37 inch) margin on the next page.

(0.26 inch)

(0.33 inch)

6. After you set the top-of-form po sit i on , pres s the to ex it mic r o adjust mod e.

Pause

button

Printing on Continuous Paper

2-39

Advancing the Paper to the Tear-Off Edge

If you use the front or rear push tractor, you can use the tear-off feature to advance your continuous paper to the printer’s tear-off edge when you finish printing. You can then easily tear off the printed document. When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position so that you can save the paper normally lost between documents.

As described below, you can use the tear-off feature in two ways: manually by pressing the printer’s or automatically by turning on the auto tear-off mode.

If the perforation between pages is not aligned with the tear-off edge, you can adjust the position of the perforation using the micro adjust feature. See “Adjusting the tear-off position” on page 2-41 for instructions.

Caution:

Never use the tear-off feature (by pressing the

button or turning on the auto tear-off mode as described below) to feed continuous paper with labels backward; they may come off their backing sheet and jam the printer.

Tear Off/B in

Tear Off/ Bin

button,

Using the Tear Off/Bin button

After the printer finishes printing your document, check that the Tear Off/Bin lights are not flashing. Then press the

Off/Bin

edge.

Note:

If the Tear Off /Bi n lig hts are flashing, the pa pe r is in the tear off posit io n . If you press the next top-of-f orm position.

2-40

button. The printer advances the paper to the tear-off

Tear Off/B in

Printing on Continuous Paper

button, the pr i n ter fee ds your paper to the

Tear

Advancing paper to the tear-off position automatically

To automatically advance your printed documents to the tear-off position, you need to turn on the auto tear-off mode and select the appropriate page length for continuous paper in the default-setting mode. For instructions, see “About Your Printer’s Default Settings” on page 5-3.

When auto tear-off is on, the printer automatically advances the paper to the tear-off position whenever it receives a full page of data or a form feed command followed by no more data.

Adjusting the tear-off position

If your paper’s perforation is not aligned with the tear-off edge, you can use the micro adjust feature to move the perforation to the tear-off position. Follow the steps below.

Caution:

Never use the knob to adjust the tear-off position; this may

damage the printer or cause it to lose the tear-off position.

Note:

Your tear-off position setting remains in effect until you change it, even if you turn off the printer.

1. Make sure the Tear Off /Bin ligh ts ar e flas h in g (the pap er is at the curren t t ear -off position). You ma y ne ed to press the

Off/Bin

2. Open the paper guide c ov er.

3. Hold down the light begins flashing and the printer enters the micro adjust mode.

button to a dvance th e p ap er to the tear-of f p o si tion.

Pause

button for about three sec ond s. The P aus e

Printing on Continuous Paper

Tear

2-41

4. Press the the

Load/Eject

LF/FF

button to feed the paper backward, or press

button to feed the paper forward, until

the paper perforation is aligned with the tear-off edge.

tear-off edge

Note:

The printer has a minimum and a maximum tear-off position. If you try to adjust the tear-off position beyond these limits, the printer beeps and stops moving the paper.

3-6BNEW

5. After y ou set the tea r-off position, press the turn off mi cr o ad just mode.

6. Tear off the printe d pag es.

Pause

When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position and begins printing.

2-42

Printing on Continuous Paper

button to

Chapter 3

Printing on Single Sheets

Using Single Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Available paper types and paper slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Loading single-sheet multi-part forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Loading envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Loading postcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Loading Single Sheets in the Top Paper Slot . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Loading Single Sheets in the Front Paper Slot . . . . . . . . . . 3-10

Printing on Single Sheets

3-1

Using Single Sheets

Available paper types and paper slots

As shown below, you can load single-sheet paper one sheet at a time using the paper guide on top of the printer or the front paper guide. You can print on ordinary single sheets, single-sheet multi-part forms, postcards, and envelopes. Your single-sheet paper may be from 101 to 420 mm (4.0 to 16.5 inches) wide.

Note:

To load a stack of single-sheet paper, use the optional cut-sheet feeder. See Appen dix A, “ Enhanc ing Your Printer With Options.”

For detailed specifications on the types of single-sheet paper you can use, see Appendix C.

Loading Si ngle Sheets in the Top Paper Slot

To load paper in the top slot, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the paper guide is installed properly. If not, attach it as described on pag e 1-11.

2. Open the paper guide cover. Slide the left edge guide until it locks in place next to the arrow on the paper guide. Next adjust the right edge guide to match the width of your paper.

2-7n

3. Set the paper release lever to the single-sheet position. Also set the paper thickness lever (located under the printer cover) to the proper position for your paper’s thickness . (See the table on page 3-3.)

3-8

Printing on Single Sheets

4. Close the paper guide cover.

5. Press the

6. Insert a sheet of paper printable side down between the edge guides until it meets resistance. The printer feeds the paper automatically and is ready to print.

Note:

Always close the printer cover before printing. The printer does not print when the cover is open.

Operate

button to turn on the printer, if necessary.

Printing on Single Sheets

3-9

7. Check and change the printer driver se ttin gs as desc ribed in Chapter 4. Then send a print job to the prin ter.

When the printer receives data, it prints the page and ejects it back onto the paper guide. To continue printing your document, remove the printed page and insert a new sheet of paper. If you need to eject a sheet, press the

If the first printed line on your page appears too high or low, you can fix this using the micro adjust feature. See “Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position” on page 2-37.

Caution:

Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position or eject a sheet when the printer is on; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top -of-form position .

Load/Eject

Loading Single Sheets in the Front Paper Slot

To load paper in the front paper slot, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the paper guide is installed properly. If not, attach it as described on pag e 1-11.

button.

2. Make sure the paper guide cover is closed.

3-10

Printing on Single Sheets

3. Open the front paper guide by pulling the tab at the center of the guide. Slide the left edge guide as shown below. (Printing starts at the arrow mark.) Next adjust the right edge guide to match the width of your paper.

4. Set the paper release lever to the single-sheet position. Also set the paper thickness lever (located under the printer cover) to the proper position for your paper’s thickness. (See the table on page 3-3. )

5. Press the

Operate

button to turn on the printer, if necessary.

Printing on Single Sheets

3-11

6. Insert a sheet of paper printable side up between the edge guides until it meets resistance. The printer feeds the paper automatically and is ready to print.

Note:

Always close the printer cover before printing. The printer does not print when the cover is open.

7. You may need to check and change the printer driver settings as described in Chapter 4. Then send a pr in t job to the printer .

When the printer receives data, it prints the page and ejects it onto the paper guide on top of the printer. To continue printing your document, remove the printed page and insert a new sheet of paper in the front paper guide. If you need to eject a sheet, press the

Load/Eject

button.

2-12

If the first printed line on your page appears too high or low, you can fix this using the micro adjust feature. See “Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position” on page 2-37.

Caution:

3-12

Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position or eject a sheet when the printer is on; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top -of-form position .

Printing on Single Sheets

Chapter 4

Using the Printer Software

About Your Printer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Using the Printer Driver With Windows 95 . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Accessing the printer driv er from Win d ow s applicat ions . . . . 4-3

Accessing the printer driver from the Start menu . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Printer driver settings overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Using the Printer Driver With Windows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Accessing the printer driv er from Win d ow s applicat ions . . . . 4-8

Accessing the printer driver from the Control Panel . . . . . . . 4-10

Printer driver settings overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Using the Printer Driver With Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . 4-12

Accessing the printer driv er from Win d ow s applicat ions . . . . 4-12

Accessing the printer driver from the Start menu . . . . . . . . . 4-14

Printer driver settings overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14

Using the Printer Driver With Windows NT 3.5x . . . . . . . . 4-17

Accessing the printer driv er from Win d ow s applicat ions . . . . 4-17

Accessing the printer driver from the Control Panel . . . . . . . 4-19

Printer driver settings overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19

Using the EPSON Remote! Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21

Using the Printer Software

4-1

About Your Printer Software

The EPSON printer software that comes with your printer includes the printer driver software, the EPSON Remote! utility, and the EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility for Windows 95.

As described in Chapter 1, a printer driver is software that allows your computer to control the printer. You need to install the printer driver so your Windows software applications can take full advantage of the printer’s capabilities.

Note:

Before proceeding, make sure you have installed the printer driver on your PC as described in Chapter 1.

EPSON Remote! is a DOS-based printer setup utility that allows you to easily change the printer’s default settings from the computer screen. To use the EPSON Remote! utility with DOS, see page 4-21.

The EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility program is available only for Windows 95. It monitors the status of your printer, alerts you when errors occur, and provides you with troubleshooting tips. To install and use the Status Monitor, see Chapter 6, “Using EPSON Status Monitor 2.”

To use the printer driver, see the appropriate page below, depending on your Windows version.

Windows 95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Wndows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Windows NT 3.5x . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17

4-2

Using the Printer Software

Using the Printer Driver With Windows 95

While many Windows applications override the settings made with the printer driver, some do not, so you must verify that the printer driver settings match your requirements. To access the printer driver, see “Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications” or “Accessing the printer driver from the Start menu,” below. To check and change the printer driver settings, see “Printer driver settings overview” on page 4-5.

Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications

When you access the printer driver from a Windows application, any settings you make apply only to the application you are using. To access the printer driver from a Windows application, follow the steps below.

Note:

The steps below provide general guidelines on accessing the printer driver. How you access the printer driver may differ depending on your application. See your application manual for details.

1. Select

Print Setu p

application software. The Print or Print Setup dialog box appears.

from the File menu of your

Using the Printer Software

4-3

2. Make sure that your printer is selected and then click

Setup, Properties

, or

Options

. (You may need to click a combination of these buttons.) The Properties window appears, and you see the Paper, Graphics, and Device Options menus. These men us contai n the printer driver setting s.

Printer

3. To view a menu, click the corresponding tab at the top of the window. See “Pr in te r d r iver se tt in gs over view” on the next page for detailed informat ion about the s ett ings.

4-4

Using the Printer Software

Accessing the printer driver from the Start menu

When you access the printer driver from the Start menu, the printer driver settings you make apply to all your applications. To access the printer driver from the Start menu, follow these steps:

1. Click the

2. Click

3. Right-click your printer icon, and click displays the Properties window, which contains the Paper, Graphics, an d D evic e Options menus. Th ese menus provid e the printer driver settings.

4. To view a menu, click the corresponding tab at the top of the window. See the next section for detailed information about the printer driver settings.

Start

Printers

button, and then point to

Settings

Properties

Printer driver settings overview

Your printer driver has three menus: the Paper, Graphics, and Device Options menus. The printer driver settings on each of these menus are described b elow. To ope n these men us, see the previous sections on accessing the printer driver.

When you finish making your printer driver settings, click to apply the settings, or click settings to their previous values.

Restore Defaults

to return the

. The screen

Using the Printer Software

4-5

Paper menu

Paper size Select the size of the paper you want

to use. If you don’t see your paper size, use the scroll bar to scroll through the list. If your paper size is not included in the list, click

Custom

and enter the paper size in the dialog box that appears.

95paper1

4-6

Orientation

Paper source Click the paper source you want to use.

Using the Printer Software

Select

Portrait

Landscape

Graphics menu

Resolution Click the printing resolution you want.

95GRAPHI

The higher the resolution you select, the more detailed your printout will be; however, increasing the resolution slows printing.

Dithering

Intensity Move the slider to make your printout

You can leave this option set to which is the default setting, or select another dithering pattern depending on the kind of printout you want. The display to the left of the dithering options shows the effect of your setting.

lighter or darker.

Using the Printer Software

Fine

4-7

Device Options menu

Print quality Select a print quality option from the

Print quality list. Selecting a high quality option produces more detailed printouts at a slower printing speed.

Once you’ve checked your printer driver settings and changed them if necessary, you are ready to print with continuous paper as described in Chapter 2, or with single sheets as described in Chapter 3.

Using the Printer Driver With Windows 3.1

While many Windows applications override the settings made with the printer driver, some do not, so you must verify that the printer driver settings match your requirements. To access the printer driver, see “Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications” or “Accessing the printer driver from the Control Panel,” below. To check and change the printer driver settings, see “Printer driver settings overview” on page 4-10.

95DEVICE

Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications

4-8

Using the Printer Software

Note:

The steps below provide general guidelines on accessing the printer driver. How you access the printer driver may differ depending on your application. See your application manual for details.

1. Select

2. Make sure that your printer is selected and then click

Print Setup

software. The Print or Print Setup dia log box appear s. See “Printer dr iver settings overview ” on the next page for detailed information about the se ttings in this dialo g box.

Setup

of these buttons.) The Options dialog box appears. See page 4-11 for detailed information about the settings in this dialog box.

, or

Options

. (You may need to click a combination

from the File menu of your application

Printer

OPTIONS

Using the Printer Software

4-9

Accessing the printer driver from the Control Panel

When you access the printer driver from the Control Panel, the printer driver settings you make apply to all your applications. To access the printer driver from the Control Panel, follow these steps:

1. In the Main window, double-click the

2. Double-click the

3. Make sure your printer is highlighted, then click Print Setup dialog box appears. To access more settings, you may need to click information about the printer driver settings.

Printers

Options

icon. The Printers dialog box appears.

. See the next sect ion for de taile d

Control Panel

Printer driver settings overview

The printer driver settings are described below. To access the printer driver settings, see the previous sections on accessing the printer driver.

When you finish making your printer driver settings, click to apply the settings, or click

Print or Print Setup dialog box

Resolution Click the printing resolution you

Cancel

to cancel your changes.

want. The higher the resolution you select, the more detailed your printout will be; however, increasing the resolution slows printing. This setting is available only from the Control Panel.

Setup

icon.

. The

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Orientation

Using the Printer Software

Select

Portrait

Landscape

. The diagram on the screen changes depending on the orientation you select.

Paper Size Select the size of the paper you want

to use. If you don’t see your paper size, use the scroll bar to scroll through the list. If your paper size is not included in the list, click

Defined Size

in the dialog box that appears.

Paper Source Click the paper source you want to

use.

and en ter the paper size

User

Options dialog box

Dithering

Intensity Control Move the slider to make your printout

Print Quality Select a print quality option from the

You can leave this option set to which is the default setting, or select another dithering pattern depending on the kind of printout you want.

lighter or darker.

Print Quality list. Selecting a high quality option produces more detailed printouts at a slower printing speed.

Fine

Using the Printer Software

4-11

Using the Printer Driver With Windows NT 4.0

Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications

Note:

The steps below provide general guidelines on accessing the printer driver. How you access the printer driver may differ depending on your application. See your application manual for details.

1. Select

4-12

Print Setup

application software. The Print or Print Setup dialog box appears.

Using the Printer Software

from the File menu of your

95D

2. Make sure that your printer is selected and then click

Setup, Properties

combination of these buttons.) The Document Properties window appears, and you see the Page Setup and Advanced menus. These menus contain the printer driver settings.

, or

Options

. (You may need to click a

Printer

NT40PR

3. To view a menu, click the corresponding tab at the top of the window. See “Pr in te r d r iver se tt in gs over view” on the next page for detailed informat ion about the s ett ings.

Using the Printer Software

4-13

Accessing the printer driver from the Start menu

When you access the printer driver from the Start menu, the printer driver settings you make apply to all your applications. To access the printer driver from the Start menu, follow these steps:

1. Click the

2. Click

3. Right-click your printer icon, and click The screen displays the Default Document Properties win d ow, which contains the Page Setup and Advanced menus. These menus provide the printer driver settings.

4. To view a menu, click the corresponding tab at the top of the window. See the next section for detailed information about the printer driver settings.

Start

Printers

button, and then point to

Settings

Document Defaults

Printer driver settings overview

Your printer driver has two menus: Page Setup and Advanced. The printer driver settings on each of these menus are described below. To open these menus, see the previous sections on accessing the printer driver.

When you finish making your printer driver settings, click to apply the settings, or click

Cancel

to cancel your changes.

4-14

Using the Printer Software

Epson FX-2180 User Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Control Panel Buttons and Lights

Contents

Setting Up the Printer

Unpacking the Printer

Choosing a Place for the Printer

Installing or Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge

Attaching the Paper Guide and Paper Separator

Plugging In the Printer

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer

Installing the Printer Driver on Your PC

Printing on Continuous Paper

Setting the Paper Release Lever

Setting the Paper Thickness Lever

Loading Multi-Part Forms

Loading Con tinuous Paper With Labels

Using the Front Push Tractor

Using the Rear Push Tractor

Using the Tractor in the Pull Position

Adjusting the Top-of-Form Posit ion

Advancing the Paper to the Tear-Off Edge

Printing on Single Sheets

Using Single Sheets

Loading Si ngle Sheets in the Top Paper Slot

Loading Single Sheets in the Front Paper Slot

Using the Printer Software

About Your Printer Software

Using the Printer Driver With Windows 95

Using the Printer Driver With Windows 3.1

Using the Printer Driver With Windows NT 4.0