Epson LQ-2180 User Manual

EPSON LQ-2180

paper guide
cover

printer cover

front paper guide
(closed)

control panel

shield plate

parallel interface

edge guides

paper thickness
lever

tractor

paper guide

paper
separator

paper release
lever

knob

ribbon cartridge

paper tension
unit

User Replaceable Part Parts Price List Name Part Number

Paper guide cover Rear printer cover 1028340

Paper separator Paper separator n/a

Paper tension unit Paper eject assembly 1039457

Paper thickness lever cap Lever cap 1039412

Printer cover Printer cover assembly 1025024

Rear edge guides Rear edge guides 1039459

Rear push tractor Rear tractor assembly 1039012

Ribbon cartridge Ribbon cartridge S015086

Tractor (pull or front push) Front tractor assembly 1039013

Options

Paper Handling Options

High-capacity cut-sheet feeder (C80673✽)

Feeds up to 150 sheets of paper, 25 plain bond envelopes, or
30 postcards into the printer without reloading. You can also
load a stack of single-sheet multi-part forms up to 0.59 inch
(15 mm) thick in this feeder.

Second-bin cut-sheet feeder (C80674✽)

Connects to the high-capacity cut-sheet feeder to create a
double-bin cut-sheet feeder. You can load up to 50 sheets of
ordinary single-sheet paper in the second-bin cut-sheet feeder.

Pull tractor (C80032✽)

Improves continuous paper handling and reduces the chance
of paper jams. Using a pull tractor in combination with a
push tractor is especially useful for printing on continuous
preprinted forms, multi-part forms, and labels, and also for
printing high-quality graphics.

(open)

front edge guidesfront paper guide

User Replaceable Parts

User Replaceable Part Parts Price List Name Part Number

Bottom cover Bottom cover 1039404

Connector cover Upper connector cover 1037223

Connector cover screws (2) C.B. S-tite screw 1002674

Front edge guides Front edge guides 1039456

Front paper guide Front cover 1039403

Knob Knob 1039462

Logo plate Logo plate 1039774

Roll paper holder (#8310)

Allows you to use your printer with 8.5-inch roll paper like
that used with telex machines.

Note:
The asterisk (✽) is a substitute for the last digit of the product
number, which varies by country.

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EPSON LQ-2180

Optional Interface Cards

You can install an optional interface card to supplement your
printer’s built-in parallel interface and provide added network
compatibility. The EPSON interface cards in the table below
are compatible with your printer. (Not all interfaces are
available in all countries.)

Model number Name

C82305✽ / C82306

C82307

C82310✽ / C82311

C82312

C82313

C82314

C82315

C82345

C82357✽ / C82362✽ /
C82363✽ / C82364

The asterisk (✽) is a substitute for the last digit, which varies by country.

/ C82308

✽

✽
✽
✽
✽
✽

✽
✽
✽

✽

Serial interface card

32KB serial interface card

32KB parallel interface card

LocalTalk interface card

32KB IEEE-488 interface card

Coax interface card

Twinax interface card

IEEE-1284 parallel interface card

Ethernet interface card

Printer Specifications

Mechanical

Printing method 24-pin impact dot matrix

Printing speed High-speed draft

480 cps at 10 cpi maximum

Draft

360 cps at 10 cpi

Letter-quality

120 cps at 10 cpi

Printing direction Bidirectional logic seeking for text and

graphics printing. Unidirectional text
or graphics printing can be selected
using software commands.

Interfaces One standard bidirectional, 8-bit,

parallel interface with IEEE 1284
nibble mode support and one optional
interface slot

Paper feed methods Friction (front or top paper entry)

Push tractor (front or rear paper entry)

Pull tractor (front, bottom, or rear
paper entry)

Push and pull tractor (additional
tractor is required for front push and
pull tractor combination)

Cut-sheet feeder (optional)

Roll paper holder (optional)

Paper feed speed Continuous

5 inches/second

Intermittent

45 ms/line at 1/6-inch line spacing

Paper capacity High-capacity cut-sheet feeder

up to 150 sheets of 22 lb
(82 g/m

2

) paper
up to 25 plain or bond envelopes
up to 30 airmail envelopes
up to 30 postcards
a stack of multi-part forms up to

0.59 inch (15 mm) thick

Note:
The total thickness of the paper stack
can be up to 0.59 inch (15 mm).

Second-bin cut-sheet feeder

up to 30 airmail envelopes
up to 30 postcards

Note:
The total thickness of the paper stack
can be up to 0.20 inch (5 mm).

Line spacing 1/6-inch or programmable in

1/360-inch increments

Printable columns 136 columns (at 10 cpi)

Resolution Maximum

360 × 180 dpi (letter quality)
360 × 360 dpi (raster graphics)

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Buffer 64KB or 0KB (selectable in the

default-setting mode or the EPSON
Remote! utility)

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EPSON LQ-2180

Built-in fonts

Bitmap fonts

EPSON Draft 10, 12, 15 cpi
EPSON Roman 10, 12, 15 cpi, proportional
EPSON Sans Serif 10, 12, 15 cpi, proportional
EPSON Courier 10, 12, 15 cpi
EPSON Prestige 10, 12 cpi
EPSON Script 10 cpi
EPSON OCR-B 10 cpi
EPSON Orator 10 cpi
EPSON Orator-S 10 cpi
EPSON Script C proportional

Scalable fonts (selectable in 2-point increments)

EPSON Roman 10.5, 8–32 pt
EPSON Sans Serif 10.5, 8–32 pt
EPSON Roman T 10.5, 8–32 pt
EPSON Sans Serif H 10.5, 8–32 pt

Barcode fonts

EAN-13, EAN-8, Interleaved 2 of 5, UPC-A,
UPC-E, Code 39, Code 128, POSTNET

Character tables 1 Italic table and 12 graphical

character tables (34 graphical
character tables are available in
some countries)

Character sets 14 international character sets and

1 legal character set

Reliability Total print volume

24 million lines (except print head)
MTBF 10,000 POH (25% duty)

Print head life

400 million strokes/wire

Dimensions and
weight

Height

10.1 inches (257 mm)

Width

25.2 inches (639 mm)

Depth

15.8 inches (402 mm)

Weight

28.8 lb (13 kg)

Ribbon Black ribbon cartridge (S015086)

Ribbon life

8 million characters
(LQ, 10 cpi, 48 dots/character)

Electrical

120 V Model 220 to 240 V Model

Input voltage range 99 to 132 V 198 to 264 V

Rated frequency range 50 to 60 Hz

Input frequency range 49.5 to 60.5 Hz

Rated current 1.0 A (maximum 4 A

depending on the
character type)

Power consumption Approx. 52 W (ISO/IEC 10561 letter pattern)

0.5 A (maximum 2 A
depending on the
character type)

This product is also designed for IT power systems with Phase
to Phase voltage 220 to 240 V.

Note:
Check the label on the back of the printer for the printer’s voltage.

Environmental

Temperature

Operation 41 to 95 °F (5 to 35 °C) 10 to 80% RH

Storage

–

22 to 140 °F (–30 to 60 °C) 0 to 85% RH

Paper

Note:
Use recycled paper and envelopes only under normal temperature
and humidity conditions, as follows:

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

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

Ordinary single sheets: front, top, and cut-sheet feeder entry

Width Front and Top

3.9 to 16.5 inches (100 to 420 mm)

High capacity cut-sheet feeder

3.9 to 16.5 inches (100 to 420 mm)

Second bin cut-sheet feeder

7.2 to 16.5 inches (182 to 420 mm)

Length Front

5.8 to 16.5 inches (148 to 420 mm)

Top

3.9 to 16.5 inches (100 to 420 mm)

High capacity cut-sheet feeder

3.9 to 16.5 inches (100 to 420 mm)

Second bin cut-sheet feeder

8.3 to 16.5 inches (210 to 420 mm)

Humidity
(without condensation)

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EPSON LQ-2180

Thickness 0.0025 to 0.0055 inch (0.065 to 0.14 mm)

2

Weight 14 to 24 lb (52 to 90 g/m

Single-sheet multi-part forms: front, top, and cut-sheet feeder entry

)

Width Front and Top

3.9 to 16.5 inches (100 to 420 mm)

High-capacity cut-sheet feeder

3.9 to 11.7 inches (100 to 297 mm)

Length Front

5.8 to 16.5 inches (148 to 420 mm)

Top

3.9 to 16.5 inches (100 to 420 mm)

High-capacity cut-sheet feeder

3.9 to 11.7 inches (100 to 297 mm)

Copies 1 original + up to 5 copies

Thickness 0.0047 to 0.018 inch (0.12 to 0.46 mm)

Weight 12 to 15 lb (40 to 58 g/m

2

)

Binding Line glue at the top of form

(both front and top entry)
Single side line glue (front entry only)

Envelopes: top entry only

Size No. 6: 6.5 × 3.6 inches (165 × 92 mm)

No. 10: 9.5 × 4.1 inches (241 × 105 mm)

Thickness 0.0063 to 0.0197 inch (0.16 to 0.52 mm)

Weight 12 to 24 lb (45 to 90 g/m

Postcards: front and top entry

2

)

Width 3.9 to 5.8 inches (100 to 148 mm)

Length Front

5.8 inches (148 mm)

Top

3.9 to 5.8 inches (100 to 148 mm)

Thickness 0.0087 inch (0.22 mm)

Weight 51 lb (192 g/m

2

)

Continuous paper (standard and multi-part): front, rear, and bottom entry

Width 4.0 to 16.0 inches (101 to 406 mm)

Length 4.0 to 22.0 inches (101 to 558 mm)

Copies 1 original + up to 5 copies

Thickness Printable area

0.0025 to 0.018 inch (0.065 to 0.46 mm)

Perforated edges

up to 0.035 inch (0.9 mm)

Weight (not multi-part)

14 to 22 lb (52 to 82 g/m

2)

Weight (one sheet of multi-part)

12 to 15 lb (40 to 58 g/m

2

)

Binding Point glue or paper staples on both sides

(front, bottom, or rear entry)

Note:
Because thick multi-part forms require a straight paper path, load
them in the front slot.

Continuous paper with labels: front and bottom entry

Label size (minimum)

0.938 × 2.5 inches (23.8 × 63.5 mm)

0.1 inch (2.5 mm) corner radius

Backing sheet width

4.0 to 16.0 inches (101 to 406 mm)

Backing sheet length (one page)

4.0 to 22.0 inches (101 to 558 mm)

Backing sheet thickness

0.0028 to 0.0035 inch (0.07 to 0.09 mm)

Total thickness

0.0063 to 0.0075 inch (0.16 to 0.19 mm)

Label weight 17 lb (68 g/m

Roll paper: rear entry with optional roll paper holder only

2

)

Width 8.5 ± 0.12 inch (216 ± 3 mm)

Thickness 0.0028 to 0.0035 inch (0.07 to 0.09 mm)

Weight 14 to 22 lb (52 to 82 g/m

2

)

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EPSON LQ-2180

Paper Alignment

Front entry

Printing starts at the arrow mark. The unprintable area is to
the left of the arrow mark.

Rear entry

Printing starts at “0” on the scale. The unprintable area is to
the left of the “0.”

Printable Area

Single sheets, envelopes, and postcards

A

printable

area

A The minimum top and bottom margins are 0.17 inch (4.2 mm).

B The minimum left and right margins are 0.12 inch (3 mm).

The maximum width is 16.5 inches (420 mm).
The maximum printable width is 13.6 inches (345 mm).
For paper wider than 13.8 inches (351 mm), the side margins
increase to match the width of the paper.

Continuous paper

B

A

B

printable area

A

printable

area

A

B

A

printable area

B

A The minimum top and bottom margins (above and below the

perforation) are 0.17 inch (4.2 mm).

B The minimum left and right margins are 0.51 inch (13 mm).

The maximum width is 16.5 inches (420 mm).
The maximum printable width is 13.6 inches (345 mm).
For paper wider than 13.8 inches (351 mm), the side margins
increase to match the width of the paper.

A

B

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Roll paper

A

B

printable area

A

A The minimum top and bottom margins are 0.17 inch (4.2 mm).

B The minimum left and right margins are 0.12 inch (3 mm).

The maximum printable width is 8 inches (203 mm).

B

Safety Approvals

120 V model:

Safety standards UL1950

CSA C22.2 No. 950

EMI FCC part 15 subpart B class B

CSA C108.8 class B

230 V model:

Safety standards EN 60950 (TÜV)

EMI EN 55022 (CISPR pub. 22) class B

AS/NZS 3548 class B

Acoustic noise Approx. 54 dB (A) (ISO 7779 pattern)

CE Marking

230 V model:

Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC EN 60950

EMC 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

Control Panel Buttons and Lights

Font button

Selects the font.

Font lights

Indicate which font is selected.

Pitch button

Selects the font size.

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.

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.

Tear Off/Bin button

❏ Advances continuous paper to the tear-off position.
❏ Feeds continuous paper backward from the tear-off position

to the top-of-form position.

❏ Selects a cut-sheet feeder bin when the cut-sheet feeder is

installed.

❏ Enters the card mode to print on postcards and envelopes.

Tear Off/Bin lights

❏

f f when continuous paper is in the tear-off position.

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❏

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, o = off, f = flashing

EPSON LQ-2180

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.

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.

Micro Adjust

When the Pause button is held down for three seconds, the
printer enters the micro adjust mode. Using the micro adjust
feature, you can adjust the top-of-form or tear-off position
with the

Operate button

D and

U buttons.

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

Error Indicators

You can identify many common printer problems using the
lights on the control panel. If your printer stops working and
one or more control panel lights are on or flashing or the
printer beeps, use the following table to diagnose and fix the
problem. If you can’t fix your printer problem using this table,
go to the next section.

State of
panel lights

n

Pause – The printer is paused.

Beep
pattern

••• The printer cover is open.

••••• Paper from another paper source

Problem

Solution

Press the Pause button to resume
printing.

Close the printer cover and press the
Pause button to resume printing.

is currently in the paper path.

Move the paper release lever back to
the appropriate position and press
the Load/Eject button to feed the
paper out of the paper path. Then set
the lever to the position you want to
use. Press the Pause button to turn
off the Pause light, if necessary.

State of
panel lights

n

Paper Out

n

Pause

f

Paper Out

n

Pause

f

Pause – The print head is overheated.

f

Paper Out

f

Pause

f f

Tear Off/Bin

f f

Font

= on,

n

•••

•••••

Note:
The printer beeps once if you press a control panel button when the
corresponding function is not available.

= flashing

f

= short series of beeps (three beeps)

= long series of beeps (five beeps)

Beep
pattern

••• No paper is loaded in the selected

••• The paper is not loaded correctly.

••• Paper is jammed in the printer.

••• Continuous paper is not fed to the

••• A single sheet of paper is not fully

••• Paper is jammed in the printer.

– An unknown printer error has

Problem

Solution

paper source.

Load paper in the printer. Then press
the Pause button to turn off the
Pause light, if necessary.

Remove your paper and reload it
correctly. Then press the Pause
button to turn off the Pause light, if
necessary.

Clear the paper jam.

standby position.

Tear off the printed document at the
perforation; then press the Load/
Eject button. The printer feeds the
paper to the standby position. Press
the Pause button to turn off the
Pause light.

ejected.

Press the Load/Eject button to eject
the sheet. Then press the Pause
button to turn off the Pause light, if
necessary.

Clear the paper jam.

Wait a few minutes; the printer
resumes printing automatically once
the print head cools.

occurred.

Turn off the printer and leave it off
for several minutes; then turn on the
printer again. If the error recurs,
contact your dealer.

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EPSON LQ-2180

Status Monitor

The EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility comes with your printer
but is available only for use with Microsoft
and 98. It allows you to monitor your printer’s status, alerts
you when printer errors occur, and provides troubleshooting
instructions when needed.

®

Windows 95

Paper Positions

Top-of-Form Position

The top-of-form position is the position where the printer
starts printing on a page of single-sheet or continuous paper.

The letters ABC above are printed at the top-of-form position.

Tear-off Position

Your continuous paper is in the tear-off position when the
perforation is aligned with the printer’s tear-off edge. You can
easily tear off your printed document when your paper is in
this position.

Standby Position

Your continuous paper is in the standby position when it is
attached to the tractor but not loaded in the printer.

Available Paper Paths

Your printer provides a variety of paper paths for printing on
continuous and single-sheet paper. As described in this
section, paper can be fed into the printer from the top, front,
bottom, or rear. You select the paper path that best suits your
current printing needs.

Printing on Continuous Paper

You can choose from three tractor positions (front push, rear
push, and pull) and three paper entry slots (front, rear, and
bottom) for continuous paper printing. This section helps you
determine which paper paths and tractor positions are best for
your continuous paper printing needs.

Using a push tractor

If you often need to tear off sheets of continuous paper (for
example, if you are printing purchase orders or sales slips), it is
best to use a push tractor. This allows you to use the printer’s
tear-off edge to easily tear off printed sheets of continuous
paper at the perforation. Also, when continuous paper is
loaded on a push tractor, you can load single sheets of paper
from the paper guide without removing the continuous paper.

There are two push tractor positions: front and rear. The
tractors are installed in the front push and rear push
positions when the printer is shipped. See the table below for
details about the push positions and the corresponding
paper-feeding paths.

Note:
The tractor in the rear push position cannot be removed.

Tractor position Description

To use this tractor, load paper in the front slot.
If you print on thick paper such as multi-part
forms or continuous paper with labels, load the
paper in the front paper slot because the paper
path from this slot is almost straight. This
reduces the chance of paper jams.

front push

To use this tractor, load paper in the rear slot.

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rear push

Note:
Because thick multi-part forms require a
straight paper path, load them in the front slot.

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

EPSON LQ-2180

Using a pull tractor

If you often print on thick or heavy continuous paper, such as
multi-part forms or continuous paper with labels, use a tractor
in the pull position. The pull tractor provides the best paper
jam prevention, and allows you to load continuous paper from
the front, rear, or bottom of the printer. However, you cannot
use the tear-off feature with the pull tractor.

Note:
If you plan to use a pull tractor, you can remove the tractor from the
front push position and install it in the pull position, or you can
purchase the optional pull tractor (C80032✽) and install it in the pull
position.

As shown in the table below, three paper entry slots are
available for use with the pull tractor: front, bottom, and rear.

Paper slot Description

If you print on thick paper such as multi-part
forms or continuous paper with labels, load it
using the front paper slot because the paper
path from this slot is almost straight. This
reduces the chance of paper jams.

front

Paper slot Description

Because the bottom paper slot has the
straightest paper path, it is ideal for printing on
thick paper, such as multi-part forms or
continuous paper with labels.

Note:

bottom

When loading paper in the bottom slot, be sure
to use a printer stand with an opening large
enough so that the paper can feed through it
without obstruction.

You can also load continuous paper onto the
pull tractor using the rear slot.

Using the push and pull tractors in combination

To improve continuous paper feeding and reduce paper jams,
you can use two tractors at the same time. This is especially
helpful for printing on continuous preprinted forms, multi­part forms, or labels, and for printing high-quality graphics.
When using two tractors in combination, you can load paper
in the front paper slot onto the front push and the pull
tractors, or load paper in the rear paper slot onto the rear push
and the pull tractors.

Combination Description

To use the front push tractor with the pull
tractor, you need to purchase the optional pull
tractor (C80032✽) and install it in the pull
position.

front push and pull

To use the rear push tractor with the pull
tractor, you need to remove the standard
tractor that comes in the front push position
and install it in the pull position.

Note:
Because thick multi-part forms require a

rear push and pull

straight paper path, load them in the front slot.

Caution:
Do not load continuous paper with labels onto
the rear push tractor even when it is used in
combination with the pull tractor. If you load
continuous paper with labels onto the rear
push/pull tractor, the labels may come off their
backing sheet inside the printer and cause a
paper jam.

Printing on Single Sheets

rear

Note:
Because thick multi-part forms require a
straight paper path, load them in the front slot.

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

Your printer has two paper entry slots for printing on single
sheets: top and front. When continuous paper is loaded on the
front or rear push tractor, you can load single sheets in the top
or front slot without removing the continuous paper.

This section helps you determine which paper slot best suits
your single-sheet printing needs.

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