Lexmark E312 User Manual
Optra E312
User’s Guide
June 2000
www.lexmark.com
Edition: June 2000
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References in this publication to products, programs, or services do not imply that the manufacturer intends to make
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state or imply that only that product, program, or service may be used. Any functionally equivalent product, program,
or service that does not infringe any existing intellectual property right may be used instead. Evaluation and
verification of operation in conjunction with other products, programs, or services, except those expressly designated
by the manufacturer, are the user’s responsibility.
Lexmark, MarkVision and Optra are trademarks of Lexmark International, Inc., registered in the United States and/or
other countries. FontVision is a registered trademark of Lexmark International, Inc. Operation ReSource is a service
mark of Lexmark International, Inc.
Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. TrueType is a trademark
of Apple Computer, Inc.
®
PCL
is a registered trademark of the Hewlett-Packard Company. PCL 5 and PCL 6 are Hewlett-Packard Company’s
designations of a set of printer commands (language) and functions included in its printer products. This printer is
intended by Lexmark International, Inc. to be compatible with the PCL 5 and PCL 6 languages. This means the printer
recognizes PCL 5 and PCL 6 commands used in various application programs, and that the printer emulates the
functions corresponding to the commands.
Details relating to compatibility are included in the Technical Reference.
Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
© Copyright 2000 Lexmark International, Inc.
All rights reserved.
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Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 and in applicable FAR provisions: Lexmark International, Inc.,
Lexington, KY 40550.
Table of
contents
About your printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Model specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Print quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Ease of use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Other information sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
1 The basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What’s in the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Installing the print cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Connecting the printer to your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Loading paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Printing a test page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Attaching a new operator panel overlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Installing memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2 Printer drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Printer drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
MarkVision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3 Paper handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Paper types and sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Loading paper, other media in the automatic feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Table of contents
iii
Loading paper, other media in the manual sheet feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Clearing paper jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5 Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Print cartridge maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Appendix A: Printer specifications . . . . . . . . . . 65
Printer features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Printer dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Appendix B: Advanced troubleshooting . . . . . . 67
Appendix C: Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
iv
Appendix D: Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Statement of Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X-1
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X-5
Table of contents
About your
printer
The Optra E312 printer combines the quality of a laser
printer with a conveniently small footprint for a perfect
fit.
With its easy setup, you’ll be printing in no time. Use
this CD for information on:
• installing printer memory options
• installing printer drivers
• loading paper
• solving printing problems
• understanding the indicator light sequences
• maintaining your printer
We’d like to keep you informed of upgrades for your
printer and new products as they become available, so
be sure to fill out the printer registration card and mail
it in.
v
Model
specifications
The information included on this CD applies to both the
Lexmark™ Optra™ E312 and E312L printers. The
differences between these two models are outlined in
the following table.
Note:Some sections in this printer manual may not
apply to the E312L model.
Item Optra E312 Optra E312L
Base memory 4MB 2MB
Maximum memory 68MB 66MB
Emulations PostScript Level 2, PCL 6 and
Machine type and model 4044-201 4044-2Lx
Ship with print cartridge yield (at
approximately 5% coverage)
Reorder print cartridge yield 6,000 pages (Standard) 6,000 pages (Standard)
PPDS
6,000 pages (Standard) 1,500 pages (Starter)
PCL 6 and PPDS
vi
Performance The Optra E312 printer prints up to 10 pages per
minute for quick job turnaround. It comes with 4MB of
memory, expandable to 68MB to print complex jobs
quickly. You can also install an optional flash memory
card to store forms, macros and downloaded fonts.
PostScript Level 2 and PCL 6 emulation datastreams
give you application flexibility.
Print quality Selectable print resolution to optimize printer/job
performance: true 600 x 600 dpi resolution for crisp
images and graphics; 1200 Image Quality to print
sharper scanned or bitmapped print images; 300 dpi
with the Toner Saver setting selected from your printer
driver to conserve toner when printing drafts.
Ease of use A variety of fonts for printing flexibility: 75 PCL
scalable fonts (45 LaserJet-compatible scalable fonts
plus 30 additional PCL scalable fonts), 75 PostScript
scalable fonts (39 Optra-compatible scalable fonts plus
36 PostScript scalable fonts), FontVision™ font
manager utility with 110 TrueType fonts and worldclass international font support, including the new euro
currency symbol.
The MarkVision™ printer utility that ships with your
printer lets you:
• view and change your printer settings
• view your operator panel status
• view printer error messages
• use online Help
vii
Printer Features
Front View
1 Automatic paper feeder
3 Paper guides
5 Paper support
7 Indicator lights
8 Paper output bin
9 Front output door
2 Paper
support
4 Manual
sheet feeder
6 Paper
guides
Use the: When you want to:
1 Automatic paper feeder Load paper/other media (up to 150 sheets of paper or 10 sheets of other media).
2 Paper support Stack media in the automatic paper feeder.
3 Paper guides Adjust the width of the paper in the automatic paper feeder.
4 Manual sheet feeder Load a single sheet of paper/other media. Use for transparencies, labels, envelopes
and card stock.
5 Paper support Stack media in the paper output bin.
6 Paper guides Adjust the width of the paper in the manual sheet feeder.
7 Indicator lights Check the status of your printer. For information, see Printer status information.
8 Paper output bin Stack printed documents, face down.
9 Front output door Feed media straight out the front of the printer. Use the front exit when printing on
card stock. To minimize curl, use when printing labels, envelopes and
transparencies.
viii
Rear view
13 Power switch
10 Printer cable
connector
11 USB
connector
12 Power cord connector
Use the: When you want to:
10 Printer cable connector Connect your computer to the printer’s parallel port with a parallel interface cable.
11 USB connector Connect your computer to the printer’s USB port with a Universal Serial Bus cable.
12 Power cord connector Connect your printer to a properly grounded wall outlet with a power cord.
13 Power switch Turn your printer on or off.
ix
Indicator lights
The operator panel has 6 lights and 1 button. Different
light sequences provide status, attendance and service
information.
Depending on the light sequence, briefly
(approximately one second) pushing Press Button
activates different printer functions, such as restarting
the printer, printing data or displaying an error code.
Press and hold Press Button for 3 seconds only when you
want to reset the printer to the user defaults. When resetting
the printer to the user defaults, all print job data is lost.
The different light sequences are explained in the
Troubleshooting chapter.
Use MarkVision or your software application driver to
change printer settings such as paper source, paper size
and orientation.
To set up your printer, go to the next chapter.
x
Other information
sources
In addition to this User’s Guide CD, Lexmark offers
other sources of information about your printer or
about Lexmark products and services.
Online documents The Drivers, MarkVision and Utilities CD that was
shipped with your printer contains several online
documents. Refer to the booklet that came with the CD
for launching instructions. Once you have launched the
CD, click the View Online Documentation icon to
display a list of the available documents. All online
documents are in English only.
The CD includes:
• Getting Started with MarkVision, which provides
step-by-step instructions for installing MarkVision
for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and
Windows NT 4.0. It also describes some of the most
popular MarkVision features.
• Card Stock & Label Guide, which provides detailed
information about selecting media appropriate for
your printer.
• A Technical Reference, which includes information
about printer languages and commands, interface
specifications and printer memory management.
xi
xii
The basics
1
What’s in the box 1 Remove the printer and all accessories from the
packaging carton.
Save the carton and packing materials in case you
need to repack the printer for service or storage.
2 Make sure you have the items listed below:
– Setup Guide and printer registration card
– printer
– print cartridge
– power cord
– User’s Guide CD
– Drivers, MarkVision and Utilities CD
If you need help during setup, or if any items are
missing or damaged, refer to the registration card
for the designated Lexmark phone number for your
country.
3 Place the printer on a flat, stable surface in a
well-ventilated area near your workstation.
Do not place the printer:
– in direct sunlight
– near heat sources or air conditioners
– in dusty or dirty environments
What’s in the box
1
Installing the print
cartridge
1 Use the finger tab to pull down the printer
cover.
2 Unpack the print cartridge.
3 Holding the cartridge level, pull out the sealing
tape.
2
Chapter 1: The basics
4 Gently shake the cartridge to distribute the
toner evenly.
5 Insert the print cartridge:
a Slide the print cartridge down between the
print cartridge slots.
b Gently push down on the cartridge until it
drops into place.
6 Close the printer cover.
Installing the print cartridge
3
Troubleshooting Tips
Problem: What to do:
Characters appear light or blurred. • Make sure you removed the sealing tape from the print cartridge.
• Replace the print cartridge.
Printer seems to be printing, but
pages are blank.
Printer is on, but nothing prints.
Jobs are not printing and the Error
light is on solid.
Connecting the
printer to your
computer
Using a parallel
interface cable
• The print cartridge may be out of toner. Replace the cartridge.
• The print cartridge may be defective. Replace the cartridge.
• Make sure you removed the sealing tape from the print cartridge.
• Make sure the print cartridge is installed.
To print from software loaded on your computer, your
printer needs to be connected to your computer with
either a parallel interface cable or a USB cable.
Your printer requires an IEEE-1284 compliant parallel
cable. We recommend Lexmark part number 1329605
(10 ft) or 1427498 (20 ft). If you use something other
than an IEEE-compliant cable, you may not be able to
use all of your printer’s functions.
1 Make sure your printer is turned off.
2 Plug the parallel interface cable into the
connector on the back of the printer.
3 Push the metal clips toward the plug until they
snap in the notches on the plug.
4 Attach the other end of the parallel cable to your
computer.
5 Turn on the printer.
4
Chapter 1: The basics
Using a USB cable If you are connecting your printer to a PC with a USB
(Universal Serial Bus) cable, we recommend Lexmark
part number 12A2405 (2 m). If you use something other
than this cable, you may not be able to use all of your
printer’s functions.
If you are using Windows 2000:
1 Make sure your computer and printer are turned
off.
2 Connect the USB cable to the port on the back of
your computer.
3 Connect the other end of the cable to the USB
port on the back of your printer.
4 Turn on your computer and your printer.
5 When the Found New Hardware Wizard screen
appears, select
Cancel to close the wizard.
6 Insert the Drivers, MarkVision, and Utilities CD
that came with your printer and select
Start.
7 From the Start menu, select Run, then click
Browse.
8 Click on the My Computer shortcut in the Browse
window, double-click on the CD icon, and
double-click on the setup application
(setup.exe).
9 Click OK to start the printer driver installation
program.
10 Follow the installation instructions in the
printer drivers dialog box.
11 In the Print to the following port check box, select
the USB port that best describes the order
you’ve connected USB printers to your
computer (i.e., the first USB printer is USB001,
the second USB002, and so on).
Connecting the printer to your computer
5
12 When you finish, exit the setup program and
remove the CD from your computer.
If you are using Windows 98:
1 Make sure your computer and printer are turned
off.
2 Connect the USB cable to the port on the back of
your computer.
3 Connect the other end of the cable to the USB
port on the back of your printer.
4 Turn on your computer and your printer.
5 When the Add New Hardware Wizard screen
appears:
a Select Next to begin searching for the new
drivers.
b Select Next to use search for the correct driver.
c Make sure the Floppy disk drives, CD-ROM
drive and Microsoft Windows Update check
boxes are cleared, and select the
location
check box.
Specify a
d Insert the Drivers, MarkVision, and Utilities CD
that came with your printer and select B
rowse.
e Double-click the letter of your CD drive, then
double-click the Win98USB folder beneath it.
f Highlight the language you wish to install
USB support for, then click
OK.
g Select Next.
h Select Next again.
i When the hardware is loaded, click Finish.
The printer driver installation program
automatically launches after a few moments.
6
Chapter 1: The basics
Troubleshooting Tips
Problem: What to do:
6 Follow the installation instructions in the
printer drivers dialog box.
7 In the Print to the following port check box, select
the USB port that contains the name of the
printer you are currently installing as your
default printer port.
8 When you finish, exit the setup program and
remove the CD from your computer.
9 Restart your computer.
Unexpected characters print or
characters are missing.
You are connected to the USB port,
but the printer will not print.
• Make sure the parallel cable or USB cable is firmly plugged in at the
back of the printer.
• Make sure you are using Windows 98 or Windows 2000.
Connecting the printer to your computer
7
For Macintosh users:
1 Make sure the printer power is Off (O) and the
printer power cord is unplugged from the
electrical outlet.
2 Connect the end of the USB cable to the port on
your computer.
3 Align and plug the other end of the USB cable
into the port on the back of your printer as
shown.
4 Plug the printer in.
5 Turn the printer on.
6 Launch the Drivers, MarkVision, and Utilities
CD to install the necessary items. Instructions to
launch the CD are in the CD
booklet.
7 Restart the computer.
8 Open the Apple Extras folder.
9 Open the Apple LaserWriter Software folder.
10 Open the Desktop Printer Utility application.
11 The New Des ktop Printer screen displays.
12 Select Printer (USB) from the list and click OK.
13 In the USB Printer S election box, click Change.
The USB printer dialog box displays.
14 Select Optra E312 and click OK.
The previous screen displays. Notice the new
printer icon.
8
Chapter 1: The basics
15 In the PostScript Printer Description (PPD) File
box, click
Wait for the information to process.
The previous screen displays. Notice the new
printer icon.
Auto Setup.
Note: Both areas of the printer
dialog box show the Optra E312
printer icon.
16 Click Create.
A window appears for you to name the printer.
17 Type in the name of the printer or accept the
default name.
18 Click Save.
19 Quit the Desktop Printer Utility application.
The printer icon displays on your Desktop.
20 Click the new desktop printer icon.
The Printing menu appears on the menu bar.
21 Scroll down in the Printing menu and select Set
Default Printer.
A dark line appears around the printer in the
printer icon to indicate it is selected as the default
printer.
Troubleshooting Tips
Problem: What to do:
Auto Setup fails in the PostScript
Printer Description (PPD) File box
• Re-install the printer PPD from the CD.
Connecting the printer to your computer
9
Loading paper
Automatic paper feeder
Manual paper feeder
You can load paper in the automatic paper feeder,
which holds up to 150 sheets, or the manual feeder,
which holds 1 sheet at a time.
1 To print from the automatic paper feeder, extend
the paper support.
2 Before loading paper, flex the sheets back and
forth to loosen them, then fan them.
3 If the paper has a preferred print side, insert the
paper with the print side facing you.
If you are loading letterhead paper, insert letterhead
with the top of the page pointing down.
10
Chapter 1: The basics
4 Slide the paper guides against the edges of the
paper.
5 Extend the paper support on the paper output
bin.
6 Select the paper size from your software
application.
7 Start your print job.
Loading paper
11
Troubleshooting Tips
Problem: What to do:
Toner smudges appear on the front or
back of the page.
Paper sticks together/printer feeds
multiple sheets of paper.
Paper fails to feed from the automatic
paper feeder.
Paper skews or buckles. • Make sure there isn’t too much paper in the paper feeder. The automatic
Printing a test
• Make sure the paper is straight and unwrinkled.
• Remove the paper from the paper feeder and fan the paper.
• Make sure there isn’t too much paper in the paper feeder. The automatic
paper feeder holds up to 150 sheets, depending on the thickness of the
paper.
• Remove the paper from the paper feeder and fan the paper.
paper feeder holds up to 150 sheets, depending on the thickness of the
paper.
• Make sure the paper guides are properly positioned against the edges
of the paper.
To check that your printer is working correctly, print a
page
test page.
To print a test page, the print cartridge must be
installed (see
Installing the print cartridge).
12
Chapter 1: The basics
Troubleshooting Tips
1 Turn the printer off.
2 Plug one end of the power cord into the power
cord connector on the back of the printer and
the other end into a properly grounded wall
outlet.
3 Turn on the printer.
As the printer powers up, each operator panel light
turns on and off, starting with Press Button and
ending with the Ready light. If this does not
happen, see
Printing problems.
4 When the Data light stops blinking and Ready
is the only light on, briefly press the operator
panel button.
A test page listing your printer model and default
settings should print out. If it doesn’t, check
problems
.
Printing
Problem: What to do:
The operator panel lights do not
come on when the printer is turned
on.
Attaching a new
operator panel
overlay
• Make sure the power cord is firmly plugged in at the back of the printer
and at the wall outlet.
If you have a non-English overlay sheet in your printer
box and wish to use it, peel it off and place it over the
overlay currently on your printer.
Attaching a new operator panel overlay
13
Installing memory To install a memory card or a flash memory card, go on
to the next section. Otherwise, you are ready to set up
your application software and install the appropriate
printer driver. Refer to the booklet that came with the
Drivers, MarkVision and Utilities CD for installation
instructions. Go to
about the printer utilities and drivers.
Your printer comes with 4MB of printer memory. You
can buy and install a 4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB or 64MB
optional memory card for a total of 68MB of printer
memory.
You can also install a 1MB, 2MB or 4MB optional flash
memory card for storing downloaded fonts or macros.
Printer drivers for more information
Removing the
system board shield
Before installing any of these option cards, you will
need a small Phillips screwdriver to
shield covering the printer system board.
remove the metal
1 Turn off the printer and unplug the power cord
from the printer.
2 Disconnect the printer cable (if attached) from
the printer.
3 Remove the print cartridge and cover it.
14
Chapter 1: The basics
Note: Exposing the
photoconductor to light may
damage the print cartridge. After
you remove the cartridge from
the printer, cover it or store it in a
clean, dark place.
4 With the printer facing you, place it on its left
side.
5 Turn the printer around so the bottom of the
printer is facing you.
6 Locate and remove the 3 screws on the metal
shield.
Installing memory
15
7 Grasp the corner of the shield and gently pull it
out, then down.
16
8 Pull the shield away from the printer.
Chapter 1: The basics
Notch
Installing a printer
memory card
Connection points
To install an optional printer memory card, follow the
instructions below.
1 Remove the printer memory card from its
packaging.
Avoid touching the connection points along the
edge of the card.
2 Locate the printer memory connector.
Printer memory connector
3 Hold the option card with the connection points
facing toward the system board, with the notch
pointing down and to the left.
4 Insert the card into the printer memory
connector at a 45 degree angle.
Installing memory
17
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