Nec SuperScript 660 user Manual

Silentwriter

SuperScript 660

User's Guide

PROPRIETARY NOTICE AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER

The information disclosed in this document, including all designs and related materi-

als, is the valuable property of NEC Corporation (NEC) and/or its licensers. NEC and/

or its licensers, as appropriate, reserve all patent, copyright and other proprietary rights

to this document, including all design, manufacturing, reproduction, use, and sales

rights thereto, except to the extent said rights are expressly granted to others.

The NEC product(s) discussed in this document are warranted in accordance with the

terms of the Warranty Statement accompanying each product. However, actual

perfomance of each such product is dependent upon factors such as system configu-

ration, customer data, and operator control. Since implementation by customers of

each product may vary, the suitability of specific product configurations and applica-

tions must be determined by the customer and is not warranted by NEC.

To allow for design and specification improvements, the information in this document

is subject to change at any time, without notice. Reproduction of this document or

portions thereof without prior written approval of NEC is prohibited.

Silentwriter is a U.S. registered trademark of NEC Corporation. SuperScript is a trademark of NEC

Corporation. All other product, brand, or trade names used in this publication are the trademarks or

registered trademarks of their respective owners.

First Printing — December 1994

NEC Corporation

7-1 Shiba 5-Chome, Minato-ku

Tokyo 108-01, Japan

NEC Technologies, Inc.

1414 Massachusetts Avenue

Boxborough, MA 01719

Contents i

Contents

Using this Guide vii

1 Introduction 1-1

How the Printing Process Works 1-3

Standard Features 1-3

Options 1-7

Ordering Supplies and Accessories 1-8

2 Setting Up 2-1

Unpacking 2-2

Locating the Printer Items 2-3

Operating Requirements 2-4

Printer Dimensions 2-5

Printer Dimensions with 200-sheet Hopper 2-7

System Requirements 2-8

External Printer Parts 2-9

Internal Printer Parts 2-12

Installing the Hopper 2-14

Installing the Standard Hopper 2-14

Installing the 200-sheet Hopper 2-15

Toner Cartridge 2-16

Setting Up the Toner Cartridge 2-16

Installing the Toner Cartridge 2-20

Installing Paper 2-23

Interface Cable 2-26

Power Cord 2-28

Installing SuperScript Printing Software 2-30

ii Contents

3 Printing with Your SuperScript 660 3-1

SuperScript 660 Print Modes 3-2

GDI Mode 3-2

GDI Setup Screen 3-3

2Up/4Up Screen 3-7

GDI Options Screen 3-8

Advanced Options 3-8

Manual Duplex Printing 3-9

Scaling 3-12

Print to File 3-12

Density Button 3-13

Forms Window 3-14

PCL Print Mode 3-23

PCL Control Panel 3-24

Saving Downloaded Fonts and Macros ( PCL Mode) 3-26

Page Ejects - Form Feeds ( PCL Mode) 3-28

Printing from a Windows Application 3-29

Printing from DOS 3-29

Printing PCL Files from DOS Command Line 3-30

4 NEC SuperScript Print Manager 4-1

5 Print Status Window 5-1

6 Selecting Paper and Media 6-1

Paper Properties 6-3

Print Areas 6-4

Paper and Media Use 6-5

Preprinted Forms 6-6

Heavy Print Stock 6-7

Envelopes 6-7

Adhesive Labels 6-9

Transparency Film 6-10

Contents iii

Media Purchasing Specifications 6-10

Sheet Paper 6-11

Envelopes 6-13

Adhesive Labels 6-14

Transparency Film 6-15

Storage Guidelines 6-16

7 Using Fonts 7-1

Fonts in GDI mode 7-2

Fonts in PCL Mode 7-3

Installing SuperScript TrueType Fonts 7-4

8 Choosing Print Options 8-1

How to Print Using Various Media 8-2

The Standard Hopper 8-4

Multi-sheet Feed and Single-sheet Feed 8-4

Installing Paper 8-4

The 200-sheet Paper Hopper (Optional) 8-5

Removing the Standard Hopper 8-6

Installing the 200-sheet Paper Hopper 8-7

Installing and Removing the Legal Guide 8-8

Hopper Feed 8-9

Manual Feed 8-12

Removing the 200-sheet Hopper 8-14

Output Paths 8-15

Face-up Tray 8-16

Face-down Door 8-16

9 Maintaining Your Printer 9-1

Redistributing the Toner 9-3

Cleaning the Printer 9-8

Replacing the Toner Cartridge 9-9

Cleaning the Printer Mechanism 9-9

Installing the Toner Cartridge 9-17

iv Contents

Transporting the Printer 9-22

Removing the Toner Cartridge 9-22

Removing the Paper Hopper 9-24

Removing the Interface Cable 9-24

Removing the Power Cord 9-25

Check List Before Transporting the Printer 9-26

10 Troubleshooting 10-1

Print Quality Maintenance 10-3

Paper Jam 10-3

Locations of Potential Paper Jams 10-4

Removing the Jammed Paper 10-4

Paper Jams in the Hopper 10-5

Paper Jams in the Fuser Unit 10-6

Points to Check to Avoid Paper Jams 10-8

Testing the Printer 10-9

Status Messages 10-11

Installation Problems 10-11

Status Messages 10-14

Operating Problems 10-14

Output Quality 10-25

Light Page 10-25

Blank Page 10-26

Black Page 10-27

Streaked Page 10-28

Spots on Back of Paper 10-29

Blank Spots 10-30

Solid White Vertical Lines 10-31

Incomplete Page 10-31

Graphics Appear Coarse in GDI Mode 10-32

Text Appears Jagged or Low Resolution in GDI Mode 10-32

Unexpected Font in Either GDI or PCL Mode 10-33

Unexpected Font in PCL Mode 10-34

Shifted or Broken Image 10-34

Contents v

Allocating Virtual Memory 10-35

Commonly Asked Questions 10-37

11 Getting Service and Support (For U.S. Only) 11-1

Assistance 11-2

Getting Help from Your Company 11-2

Getting Help from NEC 11-3

Silentwriter SuperScript 660 Printer Limited Warranty 11-4

Warranty 11-5

Warranty Length 11-5

Warranty Coverage 11-5

Warranty Support 11-7

Getting Warranty Service 11-7

Limitation of Damages and Implied Warranties 11-8

A Character Sets and Code/Sequence/Commands for

HP LaserJet 4P A-1

Character Sets A-2

PCL Character Set Charts A-2

ISO Substitution Table A-16

Code/Sequence/Commands A-23

Control Codes and Escape Sequences A-23

B Optimizing Printer Performance B-1

What to do B-2

C Specifications C-1

D Interface Cable Specifications D-1

Cable configurations D-4

Pin Assignment of the printer side connector D-5

E Removing SuperScript Files from Your System E-1

F. Installing the Memory Expansion Module F-1

Glossary

Index

vi Contents

vii

Using this Guide

This guide provides an introduction to the NEC

SuperScript 660 printer and includes information

about set up, features, operation, and maintenance.

If you are a new user, you may want to read this

entire user’s guide to familiarize yourself with the

printer. If you have been using the printer for some

time, you can scan the Contents for specific informa-

tion that you need.

viii

Introduction 1–1

1 Introduction

1–2 Introduction

This guide provides complete instructions for operat-

ing your new NEC Silentwriter

SuperScript 660

printer. All printer features are explained and

illustrated in detail.

Silentwriter SuperScript 660 is a new laser printer

developed specifically for users of Windows

Version 3.1. This printer is provided with the

SuperScript software kit and requires no special add-

in cards or cartridges. We do require a good quality

parallel interface cable. Silentwriter SuperScript 660

differs from other printers in that it is directly driven

by the CPU of your computer; hence, it has faster

response and better status information. In addition,

by expanding the memory of your computer or

upgrading to a more powerful PC, the performance

of your SuperScript 660 can also be improved.

NEC SuperScript software supports two printing

modes, namely, GDI mode and PCL emulation

mode. GDI mode offers the full performance of the

total printing system while the PCL emulation mode

offers compatibility with existing PCL print files.

Your computer and Silentwriter SuperScript 660

communicate bi-directionally to exchange operating

status information (i.e., warm-up, paper out, paper

jam, etc.) and display messages requiring your

attention, if necessary. Hence, you can focus on

your work without referring to the printer operator

panel periodically, a benefit of the SuperScript

software.

The SuperScript 660 is designed as a personal laser

printer to conserve desk space and it features low

power consumption .

Introduction 1–3

Whenever you send a job to the printer, an “image”

of that page is temporarily written to the rotating

surface of an electrophotographic (EP) drum. This

image acts like a magnet that attracts toner to the

drum. (The toner and the drum are grouped in one

self-contained cartridge.)

At the same time, paper (or transparency film or an

envelope) passes through the printer and near the

drum. The paper is electrostatically charged as it

reaches the drum.

Toner, previously attracted to the drum as image

areas, is transferred to the charged paper. The paper

then passes between two rollers where a combina-

tion of heat and pressure bonds the toner to the

paper. The paper is then moved to the output tray.

How the Print-

ing Process

Works

The following list highlights Silentwriter

SuperScript 660 features.

Host-based Processing

SuperScript uses your PC power to process print

jobs.

Two Printing Modes

The Silentwriter SuperScript 660 software

allows you to select from two different modes of

printing:

• GDI mode provides fast, WYSIWYP (What

You See Is What You Print) output.

• Both Windows and DOS applications running

under Windows can use PCL emulation mode

for printing, which provides compatibility

with the popular printer language used in the

LaserJet

4P.

Standard Fea-

tures

1–4 Introduction

Print speed: up to 6 pages per minute.

Print resolution : 600×600 dots per inch.

: 300×300 dots per inch.

Sharp Edge Technology

Silentwriter SuperScript 660 features the pat-

ented Sharp Edge Technology (SET). This

feature detects and smooths the jagged edges of

raster images by dividing one full dot into

several subdots set in the same area. The print

quality of both text and line graphics is thus

improved.

Introduction 1–5

Paper input: from a 50-sheet hopper supporting:

Paper:

1 Letter

2 A4

3 Executive

4 B5 (GDI Only)

5 Legal

Envelope:

1 Monarch

2 Commercial 10

3 DL

4 C5

Paper output: face-up tray with a maximum

capacity of 50 sheets (at 17 lb), or face-down

door.

Toner cartridge: clean, efficient printer operation

centered around one easily replaceable cartridge.

The Starter Toner Cartridge shipped with your

printer will print 2,000 pages (at 5% coverage).

Replacement toner cartridges will print up to

4,000 pages (at 5% coverage).

Power Saving Mode

This printer has Power Saving Mode. In this

mode, if the printer is idle for a specified time

(default 15 minutes), the fuser unit pauses and

power consumption will be decreased. However

the next job requires a warm up time. The printer

is in Power Saving Mode when it is turned on.

You can also turn Power Saver Mode OFF in the

Print Status Window (See Chapter 5, Print Status

Window).

1–6 Introduction

Toner Saving Mode

This feature allows you to save toner by control-

ling print density. You can turn this mode on or

off in Print Status Window (See Chapter 5, Print

Status Window).

Print Darkness

This feature allows you to control the print

darkness of a whole page as required.

(See Chapter 5, Print Status Window).

Density Adjustment

This feature allows you to adjust the contrast and

brightness of the output. This feature is useful for

making adjustments to embedded images to

produce the best quality when printing.

Manual Duplex Printing

When selected you can print on both sides of a

page in either of two binding styles (Book style -

binding in the middle or Report style - binding at

the top and bottom).

Cover Page

When selected you can print a customized page

of either text, graphics, or a combination at the

beginning of a print job.

Introduction 1–7

Trailer Page

When selected you can print a customized page

of either text, graphics, or a combination at the

end of a print job.

Print Overlay (B/W)

When selected you can print a customized

overlay of either text, graphics, or combination

on either the first page or all pages of a print job.

Now you can print your logo and text together

without having to import your logo into every

print job.

Print Overlay (Color)

When selected you can print a customized

overlay of either text, graphics, or combination

in one of three colors. For example, you could

print your company logo in red and your corre-

spondence in black. This feature requires an

optional color toner cartridge.

Options

The options available for the Silentwriter

SuperScript 660 include the following.

Optional 200-sheet Paper Hopper supporting:

Paper:

1 Letter

2 A4

3 Executive

4 B5 (GDI Only)

5 Legal

1–8 Introduction

Envelope:

1 Monarch

2 Commercial 10

3 DL

4 C5

Ordering Sup-

plies and Ac-

cessories

SuperScript PS Upgrade Kit

This option upgrades your SuperScript 660 to

include support for PostScript printing, in addi-

tion to the standard GDI and PCL modes.

To order any of the following printer supplies or

accessories, contact your NEC printer dealer or call

1–800–NEC–INFO to locate a supplies dealer

nearest you.

Introduction 1–9

Table 1-1 Supplies and Accessories

PRODUCT ORDER NUMBER

Toner Cartridge 20-061

Optional 200-sheet Paper Hopper 6107

SuperScript PS Upgrade Kit 660PS

Blue Toner Cartridge 20-062

Red Toner Cartridge 20-063

Yellow Toner Cartridge 20-064

For a detailed description of the PCL printer lan-

guage, the LaserJet 4P Printer Technical Reference

Manual is available through the Hewlett Packard

Company. Call Hewlett Packard’s Direct Marketing

Division toll free at 1-800-538-8787 or direct at 408-

720-2428. In Canada call 416-671-8383.

1–10 Introduction

Setting Up 2–1

2Setting Up

2–2 Setting Up

Unpacking

Perform the following procedures to set up your

SuperScript printer.

1. Open the box.

2. Take out the documents (including software

diskettes), the hopper, and the power cord from

the box.

3. Lift the printer together with the packing materi-

als.

UNPACKING

Setting Up 2–3

Locating the

Printer Items

Locate the following items:

• NEC Silentwriter SuperScript 660 Printer

• SuperScript software kit

• User’s guide

• Hopper

• Power cord

• Starter Toner Cartridge (in the printer)

• Packing material (not shown)

NOTE: Save this user’s guide and all packing

materials in case the printer needs to be repacked.

2–4 Setting Up

OPERATING

REQUIRE-

MENTS

The following operating environment requirements

should be satisfied:

Place the printer on a sturdy, flat surface.

Keep the room well ventilated with a relative

humidity between 20% and 80% and temperature

between 50˚F and 90.5˚F (10˚C to 32.5˚C)

Leave adequate space around the printer for easy

access (See the following figure.)

WARNING: Do not place objects near the printer

that may cover the ventilation holes on its sides.

Setting Up 2–5

Printer

Dimensions

The following illustration shows the standard dimen-

sions of a Silentwriter SuperScript 660 printer.

2–6 Setting Up

Setting Up 2–7

Printer Dimen-

sions with 200-

sheet Hopper

The following illustration shows the dimensions of a

Silentwriter SuperScript 660 printer when the 50-

sheet hopper is replaced by the optional 200-sheet

hopper.

2–8 Setting Up

Silentwriter SuperScript 660 works with Windows

3.1, in Enhanced Mode, and requires MS-DOS 3.3 or

later.

To run SuperScript, you will need an IBM-

compatible PC with at least a 386SX 16-MHz CPU.

This includes all 486-based and most 386-based PCs.

Some older 386s cannot run in Windows Enhanced

Mode, which means that SuperScript will not work

properly on those systems. SuperScript will not run

on 286-based PCs and earlier systems. If you have

Windows installed on your PC, you can verify

whether it runs in Enhanced Mode by typing WIN/3

at the MS-DOS prompt. If your PC cannot run

Windows in Enhanced Mode, the system will tell

you.

SuperScript requires at least 4 megabytes (6 mega-

bytes recommended) PC memory (RAM), which is

the amount of memory recommended by Microsoft

for use with Windows 3.1. Adding more memory to

your PC will increase the overall system and printer

performance.

The SuperScript software requires approximately 7.1

megabytes disk space on your system’s hard disk

drive. About 2.1 megabytes more disk space is

needed to install the SuperScript TrueType

Fonts.

In addition, up to approximately 8.5 megabytes disk

space is required for virtual memory under Win-

dows. (If you have more than 4 megabytes RAM,

you won’t need the entire 8.5 megabytes virtual

memory. The total memory – PC RAM plus virtual

memory – should add up to at least 12.5 megabytes.

See Allocating Virtual Memory, in Chapter 10,

Troubleshooting).

A standard PC parallel printer port is required to

connect with the SuperScript 660 printer through a

high quality parallel cable. See Appendix D for more

details.

SYSTEM RE-

QUIREMENTS

Setting Up 2–9

NOTE: Because of NEC SuperScript’s high speed

interface, it is important to use a properly manufac-

tured parallel cable. Use of a poor quality parallel

cable may affect your output. See Interface Cable

specification, Appendix D.

The following two illustrations show external printer

parts.

EXTERNAL

PRINTER

PARTS

2–10 Setting Up

Upper Cover (also functions as a face-up tray)

Provides access to the inside of the printer and

stacks printed sheets with printed side facing up.

Maximum capacity: 50 sheets.

Lock Release Lever

Unlocks and opens the upper cover.

Status Panel

There are three indicator lights to show the

operating status of the printer.

- Ready indicator: the left panel light is used to

show that the printer is ready (steady green),

warming up (rapid blinking), or in power

saving mode (slow blinking).

- Paper indicator: the middle panel light is used

to show that the printer detects paper empty

(steady yellow), manual feed (blinking).

- Attention indicator: the right panel light is used

to show that the printer detects cover open, no

cartridge (steady red), or a paper jam (blinking).

All indicators light when the printer is powered

on or when a printer hardware error occurred

(steady).

Setting Up 2–11

Standard Hopper

Holds up to 50 sheets of paper (at 17 lbs).

Face-down Door

Ejects the printed sheets with printed side facing

down.

Power Switch

Turns the printer off or on.

Model Number

Indicates the model number of your printer.

Serial Number

Indicates the serial number of your printer.

(You need to enter this number on the warranty

registration.)

2–12 Setting Up

Memory Cover

Provides access to the inside of the printer for the

optional memory expansion module.

The printer memory can be expanded by adding

a Single In-line Memory Module (SIMM). This

is available from your local dealer.

The specification of the memory expansion

module is as follows:

SIMM, 30 pin, 70 nsec, DRAM module with

gold finger / 256 KB, 1 MB, or 4 MB

Parallel Interface

Provides connection to the Centronics-type

parallel interface connector of your computer.

Power Outlet

Connects the power cord to a power outlet.

Toner Cartridge

Contains the toner used in the printing process

and the electrophotographic (EP) drum.

INTERNAL

PRINTER

PARTS

Setting Up 2–13

Paper Guide Ribs

Guides the sheets to the fuser unit.

Transfer Roller

A high voltage roller that attracts the toner to the

sheets.

Laser Diode Unit

Exposes and generates the print image on the EP

drum surface.

Fuser Unit

Fixes the toner to the paper.

2–14 Setting Up

Install the hopper as follows.

INSTALLING

THE HOPPER

Installing the

Standard

Hopper

1. Hold the standard hopper with both hands as

illustrated and place on the printer.

NOTE: Be sure to remove the ATTENTION sheet

packed in your printer prior to installing the hopper.

Setting Up 2–15

Installing the

200-sheet

Hopper

If you have purchased the optional 200-sheet hopper,

install the hopper following the instructions in

Chapter 8 "Installing the 200-sheet Hopper".

2. Push the hopper downward. A clicking sound is

heard when the hopper is firmly in place.

3. Check that the hopper is securely set by pushing

gently against it.

2–16 Setting Up

The toner cartridge contains toner (a dry ink sub-

stance) and an EP drum that transfers the toner to

paper. The starter toner cartridge shipped in your

printer has a sealing tape in place that must be

removed prior to printing.

1. Lift up the toner cartridge gently by holding the

two green handles.

TONER

CARTRIDGE

Setting Up the

Toner

Cartridge

Setting Up 2–17

2. Hold the cartridge horizontally and gently rock it

five to six times to distribute the toner evenly.

NOTE: Rock the cartridge in the direction indicated

in the illustration. While rocking, take care not to

touch the drum protection shutter (red transparent

plastic) of the toner cartridge.

2–18 Setting Up

3. Grasp the transparent toner sealing tape and pull

the tape out. The toner sealing tape is approxi-

mately 20 inches (500 mm) long when com-

pletely removed.

NOTE: Be sure to pull the tape straight and slowly

out of the cartridge to prevent it from being broken

in the middle. Be careful not to get toner from the

tape on your hands. If you get toner on your hands,

wash with cold water.

Setting Up 2–19

4. Carefully remove the yellow drum protection

pins of the toner cartridge (2 pieces).

NOTE: Do not touch the drum protection shutter.

2–20 Setting Up

1. Check that the power switch is off.

2. Pull the lock release lever of the upper cover and

carefully open it.

Installing the

Toner Car-

tridge

Setting Up 2–21

3. Hold the toner cartridge by its two green handles

and gently release it bottom first into the printer.

NOTE: Check that the toner cartridge is securely

seated inside the printer.

2–22 Setting Up

4. Carefully push down the upper cover to close it.

NOTE: Check that the lock release lever has se-

curely returned to its locked position.

Setting Up 2–23

1. Slide the right paper guide over to the right edge

to allow for paper installation.

2. Pull the paper setting lever in the direction

indicated by the arrow.

INSTALLING

PAPER

2–24 Setting Up

3. Insert paper as far as it will go with its edges

evenly touching the left paper guide.

The hopper can accommodate up to approxi-

mately 50 sheets. However, load one sheet at a

time in single-sheet feed mode if you are using

heavier paper, envelopes, labels and transparen-

cies (refer to Chapter 8). To protect unused

sheets from getting excessively damp or dry,

store them in their original protective coverings.

Setting Up 2–25

4. Slide the right paper guide over until it gently

touches the edge o f paper.

5. Return the paper setting lever to its original

position.

NOTE: Check that the edges of paper are even.

Otherwise, sheets may not be fed properly, which

may cause print errors.

2–26 Setting Up

Use a good quality parallel cable to connect this

printer to a computer. See Appendix D for the

parallel cable specifications.

Connect the interface cable as described below.

1. Switch off power to the printer and the computer.

NOTE: To protect your printer and computer from

possible damage, make sure they are powered down

prior to connection.

INTERFACE

CABLE

Setting Up 2–27

2. Plug the interface cable connector into the printer

and then secure the lock springs.

3. Connect the other end of the cable to the compu-

ter. Refer to the computer manual for details

about selection of a proper interface connector.

2–28 Setting Up

Use the power cord provided and connect it to an

outlet.

NOTE: Do not connect the power cord to the

auxiliary outlet of your computer.

Connect the power cord as described below.

1. Switch off power to the printer.

NOTE: Check that the power switch is off.

POWER CORD

Setting Up 2–29

2. Plug the power cord into the power connector on

the rear panel of the printer.

3. Plug the other end of the power cord into an

outlet.

2–30 Setting Up

Silentwriter SuperScript includes a software installa-

tion program to make setup easier. The installation

program analyzes your system configuration, installs

the SuperScript software and fonts, and makes any

necessary changes to Windows startup files.

Once you have started the NEC SuperScript 660

setup program, you can cancel the installation at any

time. Just click on the Cancel button that appears in

the setup program window.

NOTE: You must have a minimum of 4 megabytes

of RAM and sufficient disk space for SuperScript.

(See this chapter “System Requirements”.)

SuperScript software checks your system and will

report if an adjustment is required.

To install the SuperScript software:

1. Place the NEC SuperScript software diskette #1

into the appropriate disk drive of your computer,

for example A:. Close the drive door or lever if

the drive has one.

2. Start Microsoft Windows. At the DOS prompt,

type:

WIN/3

Windows will start up as usual, after which the

Program Manager window should be displayed

on your screen. If the Program Manager appears

as an icon, restore it by double-clicking on the

icon.

3. From the Program Manger menu, click on File.

Then click on the Run... Option. The Run

Program dialog box appears.

INSTALLING

SUPERSCRIPT

PRINTING

SOFTWARE

+ 263 hidden pages