Oki ML690, ML691 User's Guide

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User's Guide

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ML690/ML691

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide

Trademark Information

P/N 45690601EE Rev1

September, 2013

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this document is complete, accurate, and up-to-date. Oki Data assumes no responsibility for the results of errors beyond its control. Oki Data also cannot guarantee that changes in software and equipment made by other manufacturers and referred to in this guide will not affect the applicability of the information in it. Mention of software products manufactured by other companies does not necessarily constitute endorsement by Oki Data.

ENERGY STAR

As an ENERGY STAR Partner, Oki Data has determined that this product meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. Note: Not comply (when employing Network Interface Card).

OKI and MICROLINE are registered trademarks of Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Epson is a registered trademark of Epson America, In. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines

Corp. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks

of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 2

Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................5

Printer Features .....................................................................................5

Oki Data on the Internet ...........................................................5

Parts Identication: Front View ...........................................................6

Parts Identication: Rear View .............................................................7

Parts Identication: Inside View .........................................................7

The Control Panel ..................................................................................8

Print Mode Key Functions .........................................................12

Chapter 2: Paper Handling .........................................................14

Loading Continuous Forms Paper ....................................................15

Rear Feed .................................................................................16

Front Feed ................................................................................19

Bottom Feed (optional pull tractor) ...........................................21

Tearing Off Continuous Forms Paper .......................................22

Aligning the Tear-Off Perforations ............................................22

Removing Continuous Forms Paper .........................................23

Loading Cut Sheet Paper ...................................................................23

Cut Sheet Paper, Top and Front Feed .....................................23

Ejecting Cut Sheet Paper .........................................................25

Notes on Different Types of Paper ...........................................26

Top of Form (TOF) ...............................................................................27

Top of Form (TOF) and Forms Tear-Off ...................................27

Determining if Forms Tear-Off is Off or On ...............................28

To print the Menu: ..................................................................28

To use the TEAR key: ............................................................28

Setting Top of Form (TOF): ......................................................29

Temporarily Changing the Top of Form Position ......................30

Resetting Top of Form to the Factory Default ...........................30

Forms Tear-Off Feature ......................................................................31

Potential Problems with Software Packages ............................31

Changing the Forms Tear-Off Setting .......................................32

Manual Forms Tear Off .............................................................32

Paper Park ............................................................................................33

Setting the Paper Thickness Lever ....................................................33

Paper Type Table ..................................................................34

Chapter 3: Print Settings ............................................................35

Print Quality .........................................................................................36

Draft: the default ....................................................................36

HSD: High Speed Draft ..........................................................36

LQ: Letter Quality ...................................................................36

Character Pitch ....................................................................................37

Print Speed ..........................................................................................38

Printer Reset ........................................................................................ 38

Emulations ...........................................................................................39

Changing Emulations ................................................................39

Chapter 4: Menu Mode ................................................................ 40

Menu Mode Keys ......................................................................40

Menu Mode Keys and Functions ..............................................41

Entering and Exiting Menu Mode ..............................................42

Resetting the Menu to the Factory Defaults .............................42

Printing the Menu Settings ........................................................43

Printing the Current Menu Settings ........................................43

Printing All Menu Settings ......................................................43

Changing the Menu Settings ....................................................43

Menu Settings Table .................................................................44

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 3

Chapter 5: Maintenance .............................................................. 70

Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge ........................................................70

Ribbon Cartridge Handling ....................................................70

If ribbon should contact the eyes: ..........................................73

If ribbon should contact the skin ............................................73

For more information .............................................................73

Clearing Paper Jams ...........................................................................74

Continuous Feed Paper Jams ..................................................74

Cut Sheet Paper Jams ..............................................................75

Cleaning the Printer ............................................................................77

Printer Exterior ..........................................................................77

Printer Interior ...........................................................................77

Testing the Printer ...............................................................................78

Font Sample Test .....................................................................78

Rolling ASCII Test ....................................................................79

Hexadecimal Dump Mode ........................................................80

Chapter 6: Troubleshooting .......................................................81

General Information ............................................................................81

Responding to Alarm Conditions ......................................................82

Problems / Solutions............................................................................83

Appendix A: Parts & Accessories ..............................................89

Purchasing Parts & Accessories .......................................................89

Consumables .......................................................................................90

Accessories .........................................................................................90

Appendix C: Specications ........................................................ 96

Print Method .............................................................................96

Printhead ..................................................................................96

Interfaces ..................................................................................96

Receive Buffer Size ..................................................................96

Printhead Life .........................................................................96

Reliability ..................................................................................96

Ribbon Life .............................................................................96

Emulations (co-resident) ...........................................................96

Physical Specications .............................................................96

ML690 ....................................................................................96

ML691 ....................................................................................96

Print Speed ...............................................................................97

Characters per Line (cpl) ..........................................................97

Graphics Resolution .................................................................97

Resident Fonts ..........................................................................97

Bar Codes .................................................................................98

Paper Thickness: Tractor Feed ................................................98

Environmental Requirements ...................................................98

Temperature ..........................................................................98

Humidity .................................................................................98

Electrical Requirements ............................................................98

Paper Specications .................................................................99

Appendix B: Printer Control Codes ........................................... 91

IBM Proprinter Commands .................................................................91

Epson FX Commands .........................................................................94

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 4

Chapter 1: Introduction

Printer Features

Super reliable, durable operation: 25,000 hours



Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) at 25% duty cycle and 35% page density



Advanced paper handling, with built-in rear push tractor and zero-tear forms capability.



Blazing print speeds, in characters per second:

High Speed Draft (HSD) Mode: 480/576 cps



Draft Mode: 360/540 cps



Letter Quality (LQ) Mode: 120 cps



This rugged 24 pin printer can meet the needs of



harsh and demanding environments. Five methods of loading paper and printing:



Continuous Forms Rear Feed (Push), Continuous Forms Front Feed (Push), Continuous Forms Bottom Feed (Pull), Cut Sheet (Top), Cut Sheet (Front)

Oki Data on the Internet

The Oki Data Web Sites provide the most current information available on your printer.

On-line documents are available for viewing and downloading via Oki Data’s Web Sites.

You may reach Oki Data via the Internet at:

www.okiprintingsolutions.com



my.okidata.com



ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 5

Parts Identication: Front View

Sheet Guide, Rear

Paper Type Lever

Platen Knob

Sheet Guide, Front (open to t the front feed

paper tray or the tractor)

Control Panel

On-Off Switch

Access Cover

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 6

Parts Identication: Rear View

USB connector

Parallel connector

Optional Serial/Network connector

Ventilation

Power Connector

Optional Cut Sheet Feeder/Roll Paper Stand

connector

Note: The serial number of your printer is on a label on

the back, beside “S/N.”

Parts Identication: Inside View

Paper Thickness Lever

Ribbon Cartridge

Print Head

Pull-up Guide Assembly

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 7

The Control Panel

The ALARM light

indicates an

alarm condition

The SEL light

indicates if

the printer is

online

The 7 keys function

differently, depending

on which printer

mode is active

The lights above these key labels show which option in the list is active. For example, if both of the

CPI is the current character pitch; if both lights are ashing, then

PROP (proportional) is the current pitch.

CHR PITCH lights are lit, then 15

The MICROFEED keys advance

() or retract () the paper in

small increments

Hold down the CHR PITCH key and press the PRINT SPEED key to

enter Menu mode; repeat the sequence to exit Menu mode. In Menu

mode use the purple text labels underneath the keys to identify the

Keys work differently according to which “mode” is active.

function of each key.

The lines above the square indicate a

ashing light

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 8

Control Panel Indicator Light Functions

Indicator Light Color Status Explanation

ALARM

Red ON The paper is at its end; i.e., no paper present.

OFF Paper is present. Flashing When ashing with

SEL: unrecoverable status alarm. Turn the

power OFF, verify that the carriage moves properly, then turn power ON again. May indicate: a paper jam, media alarm, thermal alarm (head/space/feed)

When ashing together with the

temperature alarm status.

SEL (Select)

Green ON Printer is online; ready to receive data and print.

OFF Printer is ofine; not ready to receive data and print. Flashing When ashing with

ALARM: unrecoverable status alarm. Turn

the power OFF, verify that the carriage moves properly, then turn power ON again.

When ashing together with the

Cover is open.

TEAR

Green ON Printer is in Menu mode.

OFF Printer is in Tear down position. Flashing Printer is in Tear up position.

TEAR light, indicates high

TEAR light, indicates the Top

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 9

Control Panel Indicator Light Functions

Indicator Light Color Status Explanation

PRINT QUALITY

Green ON

> LED 1 > LED 2 > LED 1 and 2

With ALARM light ashing: > Indicates paper park/eject jam.

> Indicates paper loading jam. > Indicates incorrect media setting.

> LED 3 > LED 2 > LED 2 and 3 > LED 1 > LED 1 and 3 > LED 1 and 2 > LED 1, 2 and 3

> Indicates HSD is selected. > Indicates DRAFT is selected. > Indicates COURIER is selected. > Indicates ROMAN is selected. > Indicates SWISS is selected. > Indicates SWISS-B is selected. > Indicates ORATOR is selected.

Flashing

> LED 3 > LED 2 > LED 2 and 3 > LED 1

Flashing

> LED 2

> Indicates GOTHIC is selected. > Indicates PRESTIGE is selected. > Indicates OCR-A is selected. > Indicates OCR-B is selected.

ALARM light ashing:

With > Indicates an incorrect Paper Lever setting.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 10

Control Panel Indicator Light Functions

Indicator Light Color Status Explanation

CHR PITCH

PRINT SPEED

Green ON

Flashing

Green ON

> LED 2

> LED 2 > LED 1 > LED 1 and 2

With TEAR light ON: > Printer is in Without

Menu Mode.

ALARM light ashing:

> 10 CPI is selected. > 12 CPI is selected. > 15 CPI is selected. Without

ALARM light ashing:

> 17 CPI is selected. > 20 CPI is selected. > PROP (Proportional) is selected. With TEAR light OFF: > NORM (Normal Speed) is selected. > HIGH SPEED is selected. > QUIET print is selected.

Flashing

> LED 2 > HIGH COPY is selected.

SLEEP

Green Flashing Low power consumption mode.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 11

Print Mode Key Functions

Function of Keys in PRINT MODE

Key Status Function when pressed

SEL

LF/FF

(Line Feed/ Form Feed)

LOAD/EJECT

TEAR

PRINT QUALITY CHR PITCH PRINT SPEED SEL + LF/FF

On-line Takes the printer off-line. Off-line Takes the printer on-line. On-line For continuous forms: when paper is loaded, performs a form feed.

For cut sheets: to eject the cut sheet hold the button down.

Off-line For a line feed: press once

For a form feed: press and hold (for more than 400 ms)

On-line / Off-line When no paper loaded: performs a paper load.

When paper is loaded:

- Continuous forms: Retracts the form to the Pin Tractor (i.e., reverses and moves paper out of the printer).

- Cut sheet paper: Ejects the cut sheet.

- Pull feed: no effect.

On-line / Off-line Continuous forms only: moves the paper to its cut position.

Pull feed: no effect. On-line / Off-line Press the key to toggle through the font options. On-line / Off-line Press the key to toggle through the character pitch options. On-line / Off-line Press the key to toggle through the print speed options. On-line / Off-line No effect.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 12

Function of Keys in PRINT MODE

Key Status Function when pressed

SEL + LOAD/ EJECT

On-line No effect. Off-line Pressing these keys at the same time

factory defaults.

SEL + CHR PITCH

LOAD/EJECT + SEL

LOAD/EJECT + LF/FF

TEAR + SEL

On-line No effect. Off-line Selects a Menu conguration. On-line / Off-line Performs a forward line feed of 1/180” when paper is loaded.

On-line / Off-line Performs a reverse line feed of 1/180” when paper is loaded.

On-line / Off-line Performs a forward line feed of 1/180” when paper is in the tear

position.

TEAR + LF/FF CHR PITCH +

PRINT SPEED

On-line / Off-line Performs a reverse line feed of 1/180” when paper is in the tear position. Online / Ofine Enters/Exits Menu Mode.

RESETS the printer to the original

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 13

Chapter 2: Paper Handling

This chapter describes how to use continuous forms and cut sheet paper in the printer, including:

Loading Continuous Forms Paper



Rear Feed



Front Feed



Bottom Feed (optional pull tractor)



Managing Continuous Forms Paper



Tearing Off Continuous Forms Paper



Aligning the Tear-Off Perforations



Removing Continuous Forms Paper



Loading Cut Sheet Paper



Cut Sheet Paper, Top and Front Feed



Ejecting Cut Sheet Paper



Notes on Different Types of Paper



ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 14

Loading Continuous Forms Paper

rear

front

bottom

To avoid paper feeding problems:

Make sure the printer is on a surface



approximately 30” (76 cm) above the oor.

Position the continuous forms supply directly



below the printer, no more than 1.2” (3 cm) left or right of the printer paper path.



Make sure the rear of the printer is close to and parallel with the edge of the surface and at least 24” (61 cm) from any wall.

There are three ways to load continuous forms paper. See the following pages for instructions.



Rear feed

Front feed



Bottom feed (optional pull tractor)

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 15

Rear Feed

Note: If you have any paper in the paper path, remove

it before installing rear feed paper.

1 Lock Lever 2 Upper Tractor Cover 3 Pins

Note: These instructions assume you have ready access

to the back of the printer. If you do not, skip down to “Front Feed.”

Make sure the printer is turned ON.

Make sure the Paper Type lever is in the REAR

feed position:

Open the access cover (1) and set the Paper Thickness lever to suit the paper. Close the cover.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 16

Grasp the sheet guide (1). Lift it slightly, then

4. From the back of the printer, locate the tractors

slide it off the printer.

(1). NOTE: If the tractor assembly is in the front of

the printer, open the front access door, grab the

nger guides (2) on each side and pinch them

together to release the guide. Remove it from the front and insert it into the back feed and when it is seated, push down to snap the guides in place. Close the front access door.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 17

Open the lock levers (1) and move the right

reartractor-cover-close-B

tractor (as viewed from the back of the printer) to the reference mark (2) matching the

width of the paper you are loading. Then close the lock lever on the right tractor.

Move the rear paper guide to midway between the left and right tractor pins.

Open the tractor covers.

Place continuous forms paper on the rst two

pins of either tractor.

Important!

Be sure that both sides of the paper have the same number of paper holes engaged on the sprocket pins.

If you don’t, the paper will skew and jam.

Close the right tractor cover.

10.

Adjust the left tractor until the holes in the paper

11.

are centered on the pins then lock the lever and close the left tractor cover.

Note: If the paper is too loose or too tight it can cause

jams.

12.

Lower the top paper tray and slide it towards the front of the printer until the marks align.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 18

Press and hold the LOAD/EJECT key to advance

13. Make sure the printer is turned ON.

the paper.

Note: The factory default setting for the Top of Form

(where the printing should begin) is 11/12” down from the top of the page. To change the setting, see “Top of Form (TOF)”.

Front Feed

Make sure the Paper Type lever is in the FRONT

feed position.

Open the access cover (1) and set the Paper Thickness lever to suit the paper. Close the cover.

1 Lock Lever

Pull down the door to open the front sheet guide (2).

2 Upper Tractor Cover 3 Pins

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 19

Make sure the tractor assembly is in the front of

fronttractor-cover-close-20-70

the printer. If the tractor is in the back, remove

the sheet guide, grab the nger guides (1) on

each side and pinch them together to release the guide. Remove it from the back and insert it into the front feed and when it is seated, push down to snap the guides in place. Replace the back sheet guide.

then close the left tractor cover.

Important!

Be sure that both sides of the paper have the same number of paper holes engaged on the sprocket pins. If you don’t the paper will skew and jam.

Adjust the position of the right tractor to center

10.

the holes in the paper on the pins. Then, close the tractor cover and push back the lock lever. Do not stretch the paper.

Note: If the paper is too loose or too tight it can cause

jams.

Pull up on the lock levers to release them and

allow the tractor sprockets to slide back and forth.

You will nd reference marks on the printer for

the most common paper sizes. Move the left tractor to the position to match

your paper size and push back on the lever to

lock it in place, then move the right tractor to t

the width of the paper. Open the tractor covers and place continuous

forms paper on the rst two pins of either tractor,

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 20

Press and hold the LOAD/EJECT key to advance

11.

the paper.

Note: The factory default setting for the Top of Form

(where the printing should begin) is 11/12” (23.28 mm) down from the top of the page. To change the setting, see “Top of Form (TOF)”.

Bottom Feed (optional pull tractor)

Make sure the printer is turned OFF.

Open the access cover.

Adjust the Paper Thickness Lever to suit the

paper. Make sure the Paper Type Lever is in the PULL

position.

Place the printer on a slotted printer stand, carefully aligning the slot in the stand with the slot in the base of the printer.

Place the paper through the slot in the base of

the printer.

Bring the paper through the slot in the base of the printer.

Lift the locking lever of the left Pin Tractor and

slide the Pin Tractor as required to adjust the paper position. Then press the locking lever back down to lock the Pin Tractor.

Lift the locking lever of the right pin tractor and

slide the Pin Tractor to the required position to accommodate the width of the continuous forms to be used. Move the paper guide to midway between the left and right Pin Tractors.

10.

Open the left and right Pin Tractor covers and feed the continuous forms in the direction of the arrow, loading the sprocket holes in the forms onto the sprocket pins.

NOTE: Make sure that paper is fed straight into the

printer to avoid the possibility of skew printing, irregular line feeding and paper jams.

11.

Make sure that the forms are properly aligned on the sprocket pins, then close the Pin Tractor covers. Adjust the right Pin Tractor to accommodate the width of the continuous forms, taking care that the forms are held neither too loosely nor too tightly between the Pin Tractors. Press the locking lever down to lock the right Pin Tractor in the desired position.

NOTE: Make sure that the continuous form is pulled

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 21

down to take up slack. Slack will cause the line

pulltractor-cover-close-A

spacing to be inconsistent. Turn the platen to help remove the slack.

Close the access cover.

12.

13.

Turn the printer ON.

14.

Press the LF/FF key to feed paper to the tractor.

NOTE: If the TOF position shifts because of taking

up slack, press the LF/FF key to set the TOF position. Do not use the platen knob for this option as this will cause irregular line spacing.

Tearing Off Continuous Forms Paper

With the SEL indicator illuminated, press the TEAR

key to feed the continuous forms to the tear-off position.

Carefully tear off the forms along the tear-off

perforations in the direction shown. When data is received by the printer or when

the SEL key is pressed to select the printer, the

continuous forms is repositioned to the rst line

print position.

Aligning the Tear-Off Perforations

If the tear-off perforations are not aligned with the paper cutter on the access cover, align them as follows:

With the SEL indicator illuminated, press the TEAR button to move the tear-off perforations to the paper cutter on the access cover.

Check the position of the tear-off perforations

relative to the paper cutter. Adjust to the desired tear-off position using the 1/180” line feeds (LF).

- To move the form forward, press and hold the TEAR and SEL keys at the same time, then release the keys.

- To move the form backward, press and hold the

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 22

TEAR and LF/FF keys at the same time, then release the keys.

Continue until the tear-off perforations have been

aligned with the paper cutter.

When data is received by the printer or when the SEL key is pressed to select the printer, the paper will retract to the new position.

Loading Cut Sheet Paper

There are two methods of loading single sheets of cut sheet paper, top feed and front feed. See the following pages for instruction.

Cut Sheet Paper, Top and Front Feed

Make sure the printer is turned ON.

Removing Continuous Forms Paper

Tear off the continuous forms.

Press the LOAD/EJECT key to move the front edge of the continuous forms backwards to the Pin Tractors.

NOTE:

The printer switches to ofine mode. The

ALARM indicator illuminates to indicate that there is no paper present. If sprocket holes of the last page of the forms disengage from the sprocket pins, do not attempt to eject the paper to avoid the possibility of a paper jam.

Lift the pin tractor covers and remove the forms.

Close the pin tractor covers.

Note: If there is any continuous forms paper in the

printer, eject it as described in “Removing Continuous Forms Paper”.

Make sure that the Pin Tractor covers are closed to

avoid the possibility of paper jams.

Place the Paper Type lever in the cut sheet position:

To load the cut sheet in the Top Feed Paper tray,

raise the top tray. To load the cut sheet in the Front Feed Paper tray, open the front cover and install the front paper tray.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 23

Set the left margin of the paper by adjusting the

appropriate Paper Guides (1) along the scale (2) relative to the start of the printed line marker arrow.

Open the access cover and adjust the Paper

Thickness lever (1) to suit the paper. Close the cover.

NOTE: If the Paper Thickness lever setting does not

match the paper, paper feeding and printing may not work properly.

With the printing side downwards for top feed

and upwards for front feed and the left edge aligned with the Paper Guide (1), carefully insert the paper on the Paper Tray (2) and into the printer until it is gripped.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 24

To advance the paper in small steps, press LF/FF.

NOTES:

> Make sure that the paper is accurately aligned along the Paper Guide to avoid the possibility of skewed printing or paper jams. > When printing an envelope, do not open up the ap. > If you are feeding thick paper, push it in

sufciently until it touches the feed roller to avoid

the possibility of skewed printing or paper jams.

Ejecting Cut Sheet Paper

When the printer reaches the end of the cut sheet page it automatically ejects the page. If required, add another sheet for the printer to continue printing from where it left off.

To eject a cut sheet left in the printer, follow these steps:

Press the SEL button to take the printer off-line.

Press LOAD/EJECT to eject the paper to the paper

tray.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 25

Notes on Different Types of Paper

Narrow paper: When printing on very narrow



paper (e.g., three inches), change the Centering position (see the Menu Settings Table in Chapter

3) to “Mode1”. Failure to change the Centering position can result in paper jams.

Envelopes: When printing envelopes be sure to



adjust the Paper Thickness Lever to include the thickness of the overlapped and glue parts of the envelope — that is, the maximum thickness. If the Paper Thickness Lever is set for the thinnest part of the envelope the print density may

uctuate. Glossy paper: Test paper with a glossy nish



thoroughly before using. A glossy surface can absorb marks from the paper feed roller or from rubbing. Also, glossy paper may slip causing erratic line spacing.

Seal-type cards: Test seal-type cards thoroughly



before using. This type of card can cause ink to transfer.

Labels:



Always feed labels from the FRONT — never



from the top — labels fed from the top will peel off, causing paper jams.

The adhesive strength of labels can vary — if



the adhesive is not strong enough labels can peel off and cause jams.



Do not use labels on individual sheets.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 26

Top of Form (TOF)

Important!

If you turn the platen knob when the printer is on, the Top of Form misaligns. Always shut the printer off before turning the platen knob.

Top of Form (TOF) and Forms Tear-Off

Note: Your software may print the rst line of print

above or below where TOF is set. You may need to adjust the TOF to meet your software’s requirements.

Note: The factory default setting for the Top of Form

(where the printing should begin) is 11/12” (23.28 mm) down from the top of the page.

Top of Form sets the print start position for the printer. It is adjustable in increments of 1/180 of an inch.

The rst line prints at the default top of form.

The Top of Form and Forms Tear-Off settings of your printer interact. How you set the Top of Form depends on whether Forms Tear-Off is ON (set to 500 ms, 1 sec, or 2 sec) or OFF (the factory default setting).

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 27

Determining if Forms Tear-Off is Off or

When the TEAR light is blinking, it indicates that the printer is in TEAR position (i.e., the paper is ready to be torn off).

There are two ways to determine the status of the Forms Tear-Off menu setting:

Print the Menu



Use the TEAR key



Look for the Form Tear-Off setting in the paper

feed group you are using.

To use the TEAR key:

Make sure paper is loaded.

Press TEAR (5).

If the paper moves up, Forms Tear-off is off.



If the paper moves down, Forms Tear-off is on.





To print the Menu:

Make sure paper is loaded.

Press the SEL key (1).

Hold down the CHR PITCH (2) key and press the

PRINT SPEED key (3).

Press the PRINT QUALITY (4) key to print the

menu.









ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 28

Setting Top of Form (TOF):

Notes:

Adjusting the TOF can be done in cut sheet or

continuous forms mode.

If necessary, print the menu settings to

determine where the current TOF is set.

The default TOF is set at 11/12” (23.28 mm).

With paper loaded and the printer on and selected:

Align the paper with the rst print line position as

follows:

To set the TOF lower (the rst line of print on



the page moves down), press and hold down the LOAD/EJECT and SEL keys at the same time.

To set the TOF higher (the rst line of print on



the page moves up), press and hold down the

LOAD/EJECT and LF/FF keys at the same time.

The paper moves in increments of 1/180”.

When you have the TOF set where you want it, press and hold SEL, then press LF/FF to save the new setting.

Note: To reset the Top of Form to the factory default,

see “Resetting Top of Form to the Factory Default” later in this chapter.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 29

Temporarily Changing the Top of Form

Position

Important

Do not use the platen knob to change the Top of Form. If you turn the platen knob when the printer is turned ON, the Top of Form misaligns. Always turn the printer OFF before turning the platen knob!

To move the Top of Form position lower for one page only:

Press SEL to deselect the printer.

Press LF to lower the position of the Top of Form.

Resetting Top of Form to the Factory

Default

The factory default setting for the Top of Form (where the printing should begin) is 11/12”

(23.28 mm) down from the top of the page.

To reset the Top of Form to the factory default:

Remove paper from the paper path.

Turn the printer off.

Press and hold LF/FF + TEAR while turning on the

printer.

Reload paper.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 30

Forms Tear-Off Feature

Note: This feature is normally turned off. To use Forms

Tear‑Off, you must enter the menu and change the setting to the desired time interval (see next page).

back down for printing.

Notes: The status of the Forms Tear‑Off menu setting

affects how you set the Top of Form: see “Top of Form (TOF) and Forms Tear‑Off” earlier in this chapter.

The Forms Tear-Off feature allows a printed continuous forms page to be torn off without wasting paper or adjusting the printer. It can be used for rear feed continuous forms, bottom feed continuous forms (with the optional push tractor installed) or for top feed roll paper (with optional roll paper stand installed).

When the printer is turned on, the paper feeds to the tear-off position.

When data is received, the paper automatically moves down to the print position (TOF) and printing begins.

Note: You can also move the paper down to the print

position manually by pressing TEAR.

When printing stops, Forms Tear-Off automatically moves the paper to align the perforation with the tear bar (located under the access cover), after the time interval which you selected through the menu.

Paper remains in the tear-off position until the printer receives more data. Then, the paper moves

Do not use Forms Tear‑Off with labels or

multipart forms.

Forms Tear‑Off cannot be used when the optional

pull tractor is engaged.

Potential Problems with Software

Packages

If Forms Tear-Off is set to On and the software package you are using “pauses” for a long enough interval while sending data to the printer, Forms Tear-Off may be activated. No data is lost, but this causes uneven print registration due to the paper movement.

If this occurs, use the menu to turn off this feature, then use the TEAR key to move the paper up to the tear position manually (see next page).

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 31

Changing the Forms Tear-Off Setting

Note: The default setting for Forms Tear‑Off is OFF.

To change the Forms Tear-Off setting:

Hold down the CHR PITCH key and press the PRINT

SPEED

Press GROUP repeatedly until the Rear Feed or

Bottom Feed group shows in the rst column of

the printed line, depending on which paper feed you are using.

Press ITEM repeatedly until Form Tear-Off appears in the second column:

Rear Feed Form Tear‑Off Manual

Press SET until the time interval you wish to

select appears in the third column:

Rear Feed Form Tear‑Off 1 Sec

key.

Hold down the CHR PITCH key and press the

PRINT SPEED key to exit Menu Mode and save the

setting.

Manual Forms Tear Off

If you don’t wish to engage the Forms Tear-Off feature, you can advance



rear-feed continuous forms loaded on the

built-in tractor

bottom-feed continuous forms loaded on the



optional push tractor

up to the tear off position manually by pressing the

LF/FF key and then pressing TEAR.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 32

Paper Park

Important!

Never park labels!

Paper park allows you to switch to single-sheet printing without removing continuous feed paper from the printer.

To print single cut sheets:

Tear off the last page of the continuous form

paper.

Press the LOAD/EJECT key; this causes a Paper Empty alarm.

Move the Paper Type lever to the Cut Sheet position.

Load the cut sheet of paper.

To activate the continuous form paper again:

Remove cut-sheet paper from the printer.

Move the Paper Type lever to Continuous.

Press the FF/LOAD key.

Setting the Paper Thickness Lever

There are 8 lever positions to adjust printing for the thickness of the paper.

CAUTION!

Make sure the printer is turned off before you open the access cover.

To adjust the lever, open the access cover and move the lever (1) to the recommended setting from the following tables.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 33

Paper Type Table

PAPER

TYPE

Cut Sheet Paper

g/m

52-81 g/m 81-128 128-156 Post Card Χ Envelope Χ

Continuous Paper

g/m

52-81 g/m 81-128

Carbon Paper or Pressure-Sensitive Paper (40 g/m2)

2-part Χ 3-part Χ 4-part Χ 5-part Χ 6-part Χ 7-part Χ

LEVER POS ITION

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Set the Paper Thickness lever for overall thickness as show below:

Overall P aper

Thickness

0.06 - 0.10 mm 1

0.11 - 0.15 mm 2

0.16 - 0.20 mm 3

0.21 - 0.25 mm 4

0.26 - 0.30 mm 5

0.31 - 0.35 mm 6

0.36 - 0.40 mm 7

0.41 - 0.45 mm 8

Lever

Position

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 34

Chapter 3: Print Settings

This section describes how to set and manage:

Print Quality



Character Pitch



Print Speed



Emulations



For more print setting options, see the Menu settings in chapter 4.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 35

Print Quality

Important!

Front panel settings for print quality and character pitch are normally overridden by software commands.

Draft: the default

Medium quality, medium speed (360/540 cps)



Gothic typeface only



HSD: High Speed Draft

Lower quality, higher speed (480 cps)



Gothic typeface only



LQ: Letter Quality

Highest quality, slowest speed (120 cps)



Courier, Roman, Swiss, Orator, Gothic, Prestige,



OCR-A, or OCR-B

Note: Available Print Quality settings depend on which

Character Pitch setting is selected.

There are three PRINT QUALITY indicator lights:

The sequence of lights shows which print quality setting is active:

 HSD  Draft

Courier Roman Swiss  Swiss-B

 Orator  Gothic  Prestige  OCR-A  OCR-B

( = light off,  = light on,  = blinking light) The default PRINT QUALITY is “Courier.” To change the PRINT QUALITY press the PRINT QUALITY

key. Each time the key is pressed the light sequence above the PRINT QUALITY key changes until all the options have been cycled through.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 36

Character Pitch

Important!

Front panel settings for character pitch are normally overridden when the SI command is received from your software.

Character pitch determines how many characters will

print on each line. You can choose a specic xed

width for each character in characters per inch (CPI), or Proportional. The higher cpi settings are often used for spreadsheets.

Proportional (PROP) sets character widths based on the character itself: e.g., the letter i is assigned a narrower width than the letter m. This provides a more polished, typeset appearance.

To select Proportional, press the CHARACTER PITCH key until both of the CHARACTER PITCH lights are

ashing.

To select non-proportional, press the CHARACTER

PITCH

key until the printer shows the light sequence

for the cpi value you want to use.

There are two CHARACTER PITCH indicator lights:

The sequence of lights shows which character pitch is active:

 10 CPI  12 CPI

15 CPI 17 CPI 20 CPI PROPORTIONAL ( = light off,  = light on,  = blinking light) The default CHARACTER PITCH is “10 CPI.” To change the CHARACTER PITCH press the CHR PITCH

key. Each time the key is pressed the light sequence above the CHARACTER PITCH key changes until all the options have been cycled through.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 37

Print Speed

There are two PRINT SPEED indicator lights:

The sequence of lights shows which print speed is active:

 Normal  HIGH-SPEED

QUIET HIGH-COPY ( = light off,  = light on,  = blinking light) The default PRINT SPEED is “Normal.” To change the PRINT SPEED press the PRINT SPEED

key. Each time the key is pressed the light sequence above the PRINT SPEED key changes until all the

options have been cycled through.

Printer Reset

Clearing some error conditions requires that you reset (reinitialize) the printer. To do this:

Press and release SEL to take the printer off-line.

The SEL light goes out.

Hold down the SEL key and press the LOAD/EJECT key.

Important!

Pressing LOAD/EJECT reinitializes the printer, but does not affect any menu settings and does not reset the printer to the factory defaults. For information on resetting the printer to the factory defaults, see “Resetting the Menu to the Factory Defaults” in chapter

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 38

Emulations

Epson LQ— factory setting



IBM® PPR



IBM® AGM (combines the IBM Proprinter



emulation with Epson LQ graphics for special graphics applications)

Changing Emulations

Make sure paper is loaded.

Press SEL.

Hold down the CHR PITCH key and press the PRINT

SPEED

Press LF/FF.

The following line prints:

Printer Control Emulation Mode EPSON LQ

Press TEAR repeatedly until the emulation you

wish to select prints in the right-hand column. Hold down the CHR PITCH key and press the PRINT

SPEED

key.

key to exit Menu Mode.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 39

Chapter 4: Menu Mode

Note: Please print the current Menu Mode settings

before you reset or change them. This is the only way to have a record of the settings.

In Menu Mode, you use the front panel keys to change the defaults for the printer parameters. The changes you make in the Menu Mode are automatically saved when you exit the Menu Mode and are retained, even when you turn the printer off.

See the Menu Settings Table for a complete list of all the menu options. Features include Printer Control, Font, Symbol Sets, Rear Feed (Push), Front Feed (Push), Pull, Cut Sheet (Top), Cut Sheet (Front), and Setup.

Menu Mode Keys

Use the purple “sub-menu” labels on the Control Panel that are below the gray keys to identify functions:

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 40

Menu Mode Keys and Functions

The following table describes the function of the keys in Menu Mode.

Menu Mode Keys and Functions

Key Function

GROUP*

ITEM*

A GROUP is a general categorization of functions/features.

Use the

GROUP key to cycle forward

through the options. Each time

GROUP is pressed the next Group

menu option is printed. When the group you want to change is displayed, use the ITEM key to cycle through that group’s items.

An ITEM is a direct name of functions/features.

Use the

ITEM key to cycle forward

through the options. Each time ITEM is pressed the next Item menu is printed. When the item you want to change is displayed, use the SET key to cycle through that item’s options.

Menu Mode Keys and Functions

Key Function

SET*

A SET is a value (setting) for an ITEM. Use the

SET key to cycle forward

through the options. Each time SET is pressed the next Setting menu option is printed. When the setting you want to change is displayed, you can go back to the ITEM or GROUP keys to change additional menu options or exit Menu Mode.

PRINT*

Prints a list of the current Menu settings.

SEL + LL/FF

Use this key sequence to cycle backward through the Group options.

SEL + LOAD/ EJECT

SEL + TEAR

Use this key sequence to cycle backward through the Item options.

Use this key sequence to cycle backward through the Set options.

CHR PITCH + PRINT SPEED

* Press the key together with the SHIFT key to select

items in the reverse direction (i.e., to cycle backward through the options). Items not related to currently set emulations and options are not printed.

Exits MENU mode.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 41

Entering and Exiting Menu Mode

To activate Menu Mode:

Press the SEL key to take the printer ofine (the

SEL light will turn off).

Hold down the CHR PITCH key and press the

PRINT SPEED key. This toggles the menu on (i.e.,

“enters” the menu) and makes the GROUP, ITEM,

SET, and PRINT keys active.

Use the GROUP, ITEM, SET, and PRINT keys to perform the functions as described in the Menu Mode Keys and Functions table.

To turn Menu Mode off:

Hold down the CHR PITCH key and press the PRINT

SPEED

the Menu).

key. This toggles the menu off (i.e., “exits”

Resetting the Menu to the Factory

Defaults

Note: Please print the current Menu Mode settings

before you reset or change them. This is the only way to have a record of the settings.

To reset the Menu to the standard settings (factory defaults):

Turn the printer off.

Press and hold down the SEL and LF/FF keys at

the same time while turning the printer ON.

The SEL light will ash.

Press and hold down the TEAR key and then

press the SEL key again to put the printer online.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 42

Printing the Menu Settings

Printing the Current Menu Settings

Make sure paper is loaded in the printer.

Press the SEL key to take the printer ofine (the

SEL light will turn off).

While pressing the CHR PITCH key, press the PRINT

SPEED

Press the PRINT QUALITY key.

Printing All Menu Settings

To print out a listing of the settings for all menu items, regardless of the emulation selected or the accessories installed:

Make sure paper is loaded in the printer.

Press the SEL key to take the printer ofine (the

SEL light will turn off).

Hold down the CHR PITCH key and then press the

PRINT SPEED key.

Press the PRINT QUALITY key.

key.

Changing the Menu Settings

Note: Please print the current Menu Mode settings

before you reset or change them. This is the only way to have a record of the settings.

Press the SEL key to take the printer ofine (the

SEL light will turn off).

Use the GROUP, ITEM and SET keys to make your changes:

a Press GROUP until the Group you wish to

change appears in the rst column.

Press ITEM until the Item you wish to change

appears in the second column.

Press SET until the setting you want appears in

the third column.

When you have nished making changes, hold

down the CHR PITCH key and then press the

PRINT SPEED key to exit Menu Mode and save the

settings.

Important!

If you turn off the printer without rst exiting the Menu

Mode, the changes you have made will be lost.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 43

Menu Settings Table

For a complete explanation of each menu item, see “Explanations of Menu Items” later in this chapter. The table below shows the items which may appear in the menu. Settings which are engaged at the factory

(defaults) are set in bold italic. Some groups or entries will only appear when a specic emulation is engaged, as noted.

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Printer Control

Emulation Mode Selects the printer command set

(emulation) you want to engage.

Epson LQ, IBM PPR, IBM AGM

Font Print Mode Choose the quality and typeface of

printing. If you are printing drafttype documents, select DRAFT or HSD.

Pitch Choose the character width, in

characters per inch (cpi).

Proportional Spacing Change the setting to Yes to

engage proportional spacing of characters.

Style Change to italics if you want the

printed characters to be slanted.

LQ Courier, LQ Roman, LQ Swiss, LQ Swiss Bold, LQ Orator, LQ Gothic, LQ Prestige, LQ OCR-A, LQ OCR-B, Draft, HSD

10 cpi, 12 cpi, 15 cpi, 17.1 cpi, 20 cpi

No, Yes

Normal, Italics

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 44

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Font

(cont.)

Symbol Sets Character Set Select the character code table.

Size

Change to Double for double width

Single, Double

and height printing.

Set I, Set II

The default is Set II. Use Set I for Epson and IBM emulations only.

Language Set Replaces certain standard symbols

with special characters used in foreign languages.

American, French, German, British, Danish I, Swedish, Italian, Spanish I, Japanese, Norwegian, Danish II, Spanish II, Latin American, French Canadian, Dutch, Publisher

Zero Character If you do not want the printer

Slashed, Unslashed

to use a slash to distinguish the number zero from the capital letter O, change the setting to Unslashed.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 45

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Symbol Sets (cont.)

Rear Feed (Push)

Code Page Choose the Code Page character

set you wish to use.

Line Spacing Change to 8 lines per inch (lpi) to

get more lines on a page.

USA, Canada French, Multilingual, Portugal, Norway, Turkey, Greek_437, Greek_869, Greek_928, Greek_437 CYPRUS, Polska Mazovia, Serbo Croatic I, Servo Croatic II, ECMA94, Hungarian CWI, Windows Greek, Windows East Europe, Windows Cyrillic, East Europe Latin II 852, Cyrillic I-855, Cyrillic II-866, Kamenicky (MJK), ISO Latin 2, Hebrew NC (862), Hebrew OC, Turkey_857, Latin5 (Windows Turkey), Windows Hebrew, Ukranian, Bulgarian, ISO Latin 6 (8859/10), Windows Baltic, Baltic_ 774, KBL-Lithuanian, Cyrillic Latvian, Roman-8, Icelandic-861, Multilingual 858, ISO 8859-15, Greek_737, Asmo 449+, Asmo 708, Arabic 864, Windows Arabic, POL 1, Macedonian, BRASCII, Abicomp

6 LPI, 8 LPI

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 46

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Rear Feed (Push)

(cont.)

Form Tear-Off

Specify manual form paper

Manual, 0.5 sec, 1 sec, 2 sec

advancement or select a time; when printer is idle for .5, 1 or 2 seconds, paper is advanced from the current print position to the tear position. When data is received, paper is moved to its original printing position.

Skip Over Perforation Specify whether to skip over

No, 25.4 mm (1”)

perforations or not. When a skipover command is received, it is given priority. If your software has its own page formatting controls, leave the default setting. To set the printer to go to the next page when it comes within 1” (25 mm) of the bottom of the page, change the setting.

Page Width

(only

displayed for ML691)

Change to 8” to print on narrow paper.

13.6”, 8”

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 47

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Rear Feed (Push)

(cont.)

Page Length Specify the length of a continuous

form.

3” (76.2 mm), 3.25” (82.6 mm),

3.33” (84.7 mm), 3.5” (88.9 mm),

3.66” (993.1 mm), 4” (101.6 mm), 5” (127 mm), 5.5” (139.7 mm), 6” (152.4 mm), 7” (177.8 mm), 8” (203.2 mm), 8.5” (215.9 mm), 11” (279.4 mm), 11.7” (296.3 mm), 12” (304.8 mm), 14” (355.6 mm), 17” (431.8 mm)

Initial Position Paper position (print or cut) when

Print position, Cut position

printer is powered on.

Cut Position Adjust Specify an adjustment value

–30 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +30

for where to cut the end of a continuous form.

TOF Adjust Specify an adjustment value for

–30 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +30

the reference position for the Top of Form position of a continuous form.

The position moves to the bottom edge of the page (+) and to the top edge of the page (–) in 1/180” increments.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 48

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Rear Feed (Push)

(cont.)

Continuous Paper Top of Form

For continuous forms, sets a TOF in small increments.

1/12” (2.12 mm), 2/12” (4.23 mm), 3/12” (6.35 mm), 4/12” (8.47 mm), 5/12” (10.58 mm), 6/12” (12.70 mm), 7/12” (14.82 mm), 8/12” (16.93 mm), 9/12” (19.05 mm), 10/12” (21.17 mm), 11/12” (23.28 mm), 12/12” (25.40 mm), 13/12” (27.52 mm), User Top of Form

LF Revise (Continuous Paper Line Feed Adjust)

Centering Position Used to limit printhead travel

For continuous feed, adjusts the

line feed to the specied amount.

–2, –1, 0, +1, +2

Default, Mode1, Mode2

when printing narrow columns. Select Mode 1 for ML690. Select Mode 1 or Mode 2 for the ML691.

Front Feed (Push)

Line Spacing Change to 8 lines per inch (lpi) to

get more lines on a page.

Form Tear-Off

Specify manual form paper

6 LPI, 8 LPI

Manual, 0.5 sec, 1 sec, 2 sec

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 49

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Front Feed (Push)

(cont.)

Skip Over Perforation Specify whether to skip over

perforations or not. When a skipover command is received, it is given priority. If your software has

No, 25.4 mm (1”)

its own page formatting controls, leave the default setting. To set the printer to go to the next page when it comes within 1” (25 mm) of the bottom of the page, change the setting.

Page Width

(only

displayed for ML691) Page Length Specify the length of a continuous

Change to 8” to print on narrow paper.

form.

13.6”, 8”

3” (76.2 mm), 3.25” (82.6 mm),

3.33” (84.7 mm), 3.5” (88.9 mm),

Initial Position Paper position (print or cut) when

Print position, Cut position

printer is powered on.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 50

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Front Feed (Push)

(cont.)

Cut Position Adjust Specify an adjustment value

for where to cut the end of a continuous form.

TOF Adjust Specify an adjustment value for

–30 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +30

the reference position for the Top of Form position of a continuous form.

The position moves to the bottom edge of the page (+) and to the top edge of the page (–) in 1/180” increments.

Continuous Paper Top of Form

For continuous forms, sets a TOF in small increments.

, 12/12” (25.40 mm), 13/12”

mm)

(27.52 mm), User Top of Form

LF Revise (Continuous Paper Line Feed Adjust)

For continuous feed, adjusts the

line feed to the specied amount.

–2, –1, 0, +1, +2

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 51

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Front Feed (Push)

(cont.)

Pull Line Spacing Change to 8 lines per inch (lpi) to

Centering Position Used to limit printhead travel

when printing narrow columns. Select Mode 1 for ML690. Select Mode 1 or Mode 2 for the ML691.

Default, Mode1, Mode2

6 LPI, 8 LPI

get more lines on a page.

Skip Over Perforation Specify whether to skip over

No, 25.4 mm (1”)

Page Width (only displayed for ML691)

Change to 8” to print on narrow

paper.

13.6”, 8”

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 52

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Pull

(cont.)

Page Length Specify the length of a continuous

form.

3” (76.2 mm), 3.25” (82.6 mm),

3.33” (84.7 mm), 3.5” (88.9 mm),

LF Revise (Continuous Paper Line Feed Adjust)

Centering Position Used to limit printhead travel

For continuous feed, adjusts the

line feed to the specied amount.

–2, –1, 0, +1, +2

Default, Mode1, Mode2

when printing narrow columns. Select Mode 1 for ML690. Select Mode 1 or Mode 2 for the ML691.

Cut Sheet Top Feed

Line Spacing Change to 8 lines per inch (lpi) to

get more lines on a page.

Form Tear-Off

(Displayed when connected to RPS)

5, 6

Specify manual form paper advancement or select a time; when printer is idle for .5, 1 or

6 LPI, 8 LPI

Manual, 0.5 sec, 1 sec, 2 sec

2 seconds, paper is advanced from the current print position to the tear position. When data is received, paper is moved to its original printing position.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 53

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Cut Sheet Top Feed

(cont.)

Page Width (only displayed for ML691)

Change to 8” to print on narrow

paper.

Page Length Specify the length of a cut sheet

page.

13.6”, 8”

3” (76.2 mm), 3.25” (82.6 mm),

3.33” (84.7 mm), 3.5” (88.9 mm),

Initial Position

[Displayed when connected to RPS]

Cut Position Adjust

[Displayed when connected to RPS]

Paper position (print or cut) when printer is powered on.

Specify an adjustment value for where to cut the roll paper.

Print position, Cut position

–30 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +30

Wait Time Specify the wait time from when

the paper is set on the tray to when the printer feeds it.

Paper Length Control Specify the page length of a cut

sheet.

Invalid, 0.5 sec, 1 sec, 1.5 sec, 2 sec, 3 sec

by Menu Setting, by Actual Page Length

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 54

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Cut Sheet Top Feed

(cont.)

Cut Sheet Auto Eject Position

For cut sheets, when it reaches the selected measurement, measured from the bottom of the page, it ejects the paper.

TOF Adjust Specify an adjustment value for

.25” (6.35 mm), .5” (12.7 mm), 7/12” (14.82 mm), Invalid

–30 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +30

the reference position for the Top of Form position.

The position moves to the bottom edge of the page (+) and to the top edge of the page (–) in 1/180” increments.

Cut Sheet Top of Form Specify an adjustment value for

the reference position for the Top of Form when feeding a cut sheet (up to the mid-section of

characters in the rst line).

, 12/12” (25.40 mm), 13/12”

mm)

(27.52 mm), User Top of Form

LF Revise Adjust the line feed in cut sheet

–14 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +14

mode.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 55

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Cut Sheet Top Feed

(cont.)

Cut Sheet Front Feed

Centering Position Used to limit printhead travel

when printing narrow columns. Select Mode 1 for ML690. Select Mode 1 or Mode 2 for the ML691.

Line Spacing Change to 8 lines per inch (lpi) to

get more lines on a page.

Page Width (only displayed for ML691)

Change to 8” to print on narrow

paper.

Page Length Specify the length of a cut sheet

page.

Default, Mode1, Mode2

6 LPI, 8 LPI

13.6”, 8”

3” (76.2 mm), 3.25” (82.6 mm),

3.33” (84.7 mm), 3.5” (88.9 mm),

Wait Time Specify the wait time from when

the paper is set on the tray to

Invalid, 0.5 sec, 1 sec, 1.5 sec, 2 sec, 3 sec

when the printer feeds it.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 56

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Cut Sheet Front Feed

(cont.)

Paper Length Control If you are printing single sheets

no longer than 17 inches and wish the printer to acknowledge the menu setting for Top Feed Page

by Menu Setting, by Actual Page Length

Length, change the setting to “by Menu Setting.”

Cut Sheet Auto Eject Position

For cut sheets, when it reaches the selected measurement,

.25” (6.35 mm), .5” (12.7 mm),

7/12” (14.82 mm), Invalid measured from the bottom of the page, it ejects the paper.

TOF Adjust Specify an adjustment value for

–30 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +30 the reference position for the Top of Form position.

The position moves to the bottom edge of the page (+) and to the top edge of the page (–) in 1/180” increments.

Cut Sheet Top of Form Specify an adjustment value for

the reference position for the Top of Form when feeding a cut sheet (up to the mid-section of

characters in the rst line).

1/12” (2.12 mm), 2/12” (4.23 mm),

3/12” (6.35 mm), 4/12” (8.47 mm),

5/12” (10.58 mm), 6/12” (12.70

mm), 7/12” (14.82 mm), 8/12”

(16.93 mm), 9/12” (19.05 mm),

10/12” (21.17 mm), 11/12” (23.28

, 12/12” (25.40 mm), 13/12”

mm)

(27.52 mm), User Top of Form

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 57

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Cut Sheet Front Feed

(cont.)

LF Revise Adjust the line feed in cut sheet

mode.

Centering Position Used to limit printhead travel

–14 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +14

Default, Mode1, Mode2 when printing narrow columns. Select Mode 1 for ML690. Select Mode 1 or Mode 2 for the ML691.

Set-Up Graphics Set the printing direction when a

Bi-directional, Uni-directional line has double-height print data. Specify uni-directional graphics for better registration, but slower printing.

Receive Buffer Size

Selects the amount of memory

0 K, 1 Line, 32 K, 64 K, 128 K devoted to holding received data. Choosing “1 Line” will tie up your computer while printing, but if you abort the print job, the printer will stop much sooner.

Paper End Detection Set whether to detect paper end

On, Off or not. To override the sensor and print closer to the bottom of the page, set to OFF.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 58

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Set-Up

(cont.)

Print Registration 1 Adjust the print starting position

on printing in the reverse direction. The position moves

–10 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +10

to the right or left in 1/720” increments.

Print Registration 2 Adjust the print starting position

–10 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +10 on printing in the reverse direction. The position moves to the right or left in 1/720” increments.

Print Registration 3 Adjust the print starting position

–10 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +10 on printing in the reverse direction. The position moves to the right or left in 1/720” increments.

Print Registration 4 Adjust the print starting position

–10 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +10 on printing in the reverse direction. The position moves to the right or left in 1/720” increments.

Operator Panel Function 3Set control panel operation.

Full Operation, Limited Operation Limited operation locks functions on the control panel; only SEL, LOAD/EJECT, and TEAR keys work.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 59

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Set-Up (cont.)

Reset Inhibit To prevent a reset signal from

the computer from resetting the printer to its defaults, set to Yes.

Print Suppress Effective Set whether to enable or disable a

No, Yes

No, Yes print suppress setup command.

Auto LF Set whether to perform automatic

No, Yes line feed operation or not upon receiving a CR code. If your printout is consistently doublespaced, select No; if it overprints, select Yes.

Auto CR

(only displayed

for IBM Emulation)

If you want the printer to automatically add a carriage

No, Yes

return when a Line Feed is received at the end of a line, change the setting to “Yes.”

SI Select Pitch (10 cpi) (only displayed for IBM Emulation)

Sets the pitch to be engaged when the printer control panel is set for 10 cpi and the SI command is

15 cpi, 17.1 cpi

received.

SI Select Pitch (12 cpi) (only displayed for IBM Emulation)

Sets the pitch to be engaged when the printer control panel is set for 12 cpi and the SI command is

12 cpi, 20 cpi

received.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 60

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Set-Up (cont.)

Time Out Print If your software spends a long

time processing between portions of data it feeds to the printer,

Valid, Invalid

change the setting to Invalid to keep your printer from dumping the received data while it is waiting for more.

Auto Select Determines whether or not your

No, Yes printer will automatically be selected after you load in paper. If you always use the same Top of Form position, keep the default setting of “Yes”. When set to “No”, the printer will be deselected so that you can set the Top of Form.

Host Interface Set which interface the printer

uses to receive printing

Auto Interface, Parallel, USB,

Optional commands.

I/F Time Out Sets the length of time before the

interface switches to idle status

15 sec, 30 sec, 45, sec, 1 min, 2

min, 3 min, 4 min, 5 min when no printing commands have been received.

ESC SI Pitch

(only displayed for IBM Emulation)

Sets the character pitch used when the ESC SI command is received.

17.1 cpi, 20 cpi

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 61

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Set-Up (cont.)

Select Language Set Select “combined” to set both

country and language; select “code page only” for language

Combined, Code Page Only

only.

Print Style Sets the printer impact mode. Normal, High Speed, Quiet, High

Copy

Select Quiet Mode Quiet modes print slower and

Mode1, Mode2

quieter. In Mode1, the printer makes one pass; in Mode2, two passes.

Select High Copy Mode High copy modes set the printer

Mode1, Mode2, Mode3, Mode4

to print more forcefully. Mode1 is a double-strike print; Mode2 is triple-strike, etc.

Reverse Feed Control In reverse feed the paper is

TOF Stop, TOF Over

reverse fed back to the original printing position.

Print Direction at DH Mode

Set the print direction when printing double-height characters.

Uni-directional, Bi-directional

In uni-directional printing the printhead only moves from left to right; in bi-directional printing the printhead moves in both directions.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 62

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Set-Up (cont.)

Sleep Time Set the idle time before the printer

enters sleep mode.

Pin Control Regulates the striking force for

5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min, 60 min

Standard, Special

multi-part forms. For single sheets, use “Standard”; for multipart forms, use “Special.”

Pin Control Select Regulates the striking force for

Mode1, Mode2

multi-part forms. For single sheets, use “Mode1”; for multipart forms, use “Mode2.”

Paper End In default setting when paper end

On-line, Off-line

is detected, printer remains online; if set to Off-line, when paper end is detected, printer goes offline.

FF Function Set the feeding operation upon

Eject, Form Feed

receiving an FF code after cut sheet paper is fed.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 63

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Set-Up (cont.)

Cut Sheet Park Function To enable paper feed out of the

cut sheet feeder, set to Valid.

Feed Up when Menu Printing

To move the paper to the Access Cover to see the Menu printing,

Invalid, Valid

No, Yes

set to Yes.

Parallel I/F I-Prime Determines what the printer will

Buffer Print, Buffer Clear, Invalid

do when it receives the I-Prime signal from the software.

Buffer Print: prints out the buffer contents before resetting.

Buffer Clear: dumps the buffer contents immediately.

Invalid: causes the printer to ignore the I-Prime command. Select this setting if you wish to enter settings through the printer’s control panel which will not be automatically overridden by the software’s settings when the I-Prime signal is sent.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 64

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Parallel I/F

(cont.)

Auto Feed XT displayed for EPSON Emulation)

(only

If your system uses pin 14 of the parallel interface to control automatic line feed, change the

Invalid, Valid

setting to Valid.

Bi-Direction Set whether to return a device

Enable, Disable

ID or not in accordance with IEEE

1284.

Serial IF

(Appears only when the optional Serial Interface is installed.)

Parity Selects the type of parity your

system uses: None, Odd, or Even, Ignore (do not convert the character to ox40 in case of parity error).

Serial Data 7/8 Bits Change to 7 Bits if your systems

None, Odd, Even, Ignore

8 Bits, 7 Bits

uses a 7-bit data format.

Protocol Set the communications control

method.

Diagnostic Test To perform input/output diagnosis

Ready/Busy, X-On / X-Off, Ready/

Busy & X-On / X-Off No, Yes

of RS-232C interface signals, set to Yes.

Busy Line If Ready/Busy protocol (factory

SSD–, SSD+, DTR, RTS

default) is selected, you can choose which line your system monitors for a busy signal.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 65

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Serial I/F

(cont.)

Baud Rate Set this to match your system’s

transmission speed.

DSR Signal Used with the Ready/Busy

19200 bps, 9600 bps, 4800 bps, 2400 bps, 1200 bps, 600 bps, 300 bps

Valid, Invalid

protocol (factory default) to select the way your system handles the DSR signal.

DTR Signal Change to Ready on Select if the

DTR signal is required when the

Ready on Power Up, Ready on

Select printer is selected (leave as Ready on Power Up if the DTR signal is required when the printer is turned on).

Busy Time Sets the length of the busy signal

0.2 sec, 1 sec

when the Ready/Busy protocol (factory default) is engaged,

Stop Bit Set the stop bit length. 1 bit, 2 bit Receive Error When “checked” is selected the

Checked, Unchecked printer checks for the correct number of bits and sends an error if an incorrect number is found.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 66

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

CSF (Cut Sheet Feeder) Bin 1 (Appears

only when the optional Cut Sheet Feeder is installed.)

Line Spacing Change to 8 lines per inch (lpi) to

get more lines on a page.

Page Width

(only

displayed for ML691)

Change to 13.6” to print on wide paper.

Page Length Selects the length of the paper

you are using. This enables the printer to keep track of the initial printing position (TOF) on each page.

6 LPI, 8 LPI

8”, 13.6”

3” (76.2 mm), 3.25” (82.6 mm),

3.33” (84.7 mm), 3.5” (88.9 mm),

3.66” (993.1 mm), 4” (101.6 mm),

5” (127 mm), 5.5” (139.7 mm), 6”

(152.4 mm), 7” (177.8 mm), 8”

(203.2 mm), 8.5” (215.9 mm), 11”

(279.4 mm), 11.7” (296.3 mm),

12” (304.8 mm), 14” (355.6 mm),

16” (420.9 mm), 17” (431.8 mm)

Cut Sheet Auto Eject Position

When the printer reaches the selected measurement, measured

.25” (6.35 mm), .5” (12.7 mm),

.58” (14.82 mm), Invalid from the bottom of the page, it ejects the paper.

TOF Adjust Set an adjustment value for the

–30 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +30 reference position in regard to the TOF position of a cut sheet paper.

The position moves to the bottom edge of the page (+) and to the top edge of the page (–) in 1/180” increments.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 67

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

CSF (Cut Sheet Feeder) Bin 1

(cont.)

Cut Sheet Top of Form Specify an adjustment value for

the reference position for the TOF position when feeding a cut sheet (up to the mid-section of

characters in the rst line).

1/12” (2.12 mm), 2/12” (4.23 mm),

3/12” (6.35 mm), 4/12” (8.47 mm),

5/12” (10.58 mm), 6/12” (12.70

mm), 7/12” (14.82 mm), 8/12”

(16.93 mm), 9/12” (19.05 mm),

10/12” (21.17 mm), 11/12” (23.28

mm), 12/12” (25.40 mm), 13/12”

(27.52 mm), User Top of Form

LF Revise Adjust the line feed in cut sheet

–14 ~ –1, 0, +1 ~ +14 mode.

Centering Position Used to limit printhead travel

Default, Mode1, Mode2 when printing narrow columns. Select Mode 1 for ML690. Select Mode 1 or Mode 2 for the ML691.

Extension

Detect Sprocket Hole For continuous paper set to be

Enable, Disable fed via the individual Form paper route: the default is to have the printer detect sprocket holes; to turn detection off, set to disable.

Right Margin (Continuous paper)

If the printer data exceeds the width of the paper, printing is truncated column-by-column. Specify a margin from the right

Right Margin Over, .0394” (1 mm),

.12” (3 mm), .2” (5.08 mm), .39”

(10 mm), .51” (13 mm), .59” (15

mm), .79” (20 mm), .98” (25 mm) edge of the paper.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 68

MENU SETTINGS TABLE

Group Item Function Settings (defaults are set in bold italic)

Extension

(cont.)

Right Margin (Cut Sheet) If the printer data exceeds the

width of the paper, printing is truncated column-by-column.

Right Margin Over, .0394” (1 mm),

.0787” (2 mm), .12” (3 mm), .16” (4

mm), .2” (5 mm), .24” (6 mm) Specify a margin from the right edge of the paper.

Table Footnotes:

1 Selects both double-width and double-height character or

single-width and single-height characters.

2 When “1 line” ID selected, the receiving buffer size is set

to 8K bytes.

3 When “Limited Operation” is selected, after exiting MENU,

only. 4 Displayed only for ML691. 5 With Form Tear Off function “on,” if the printer is idle for

a few moments (approximately 0.5, 1, or 2 seconds), the

paper is forward advanced, from the current position,

to the tear bar position. If more data is received and

processed by the printer, the paper is then automatically

reversed feed back to the original printing position. 6 Displayed only when the roll paper stand (RPS) is

connected. 7 Displayed only for IBM emulation. 8 Displayed only for EPSON emulation.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 69

Chapter 5:

Maintenance

Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge

Important!

Make sure you have the correct replacement ribbon for your printer. The wrong ribbon will not print when installed in your printer. Look for the printer model number on the ribbon package.

Ribbon Cartridge Handling

Leave unused ribbon cartridges in their



packages until needed.

Careful; the ribbon ink may cause permanent



stains.

Ribbon ink on skin or clothing can usually be



removed with soap and water.

Make sure the printer is turned OFF.

Open the access cover, set the Paper Thickness

lever to the highest number position and center the printhead.

CAUTION!

The printhead may be HOT!

Holding the sides of the ribbon guide, slope it

up and out to remove it from the carriage. Make sure the Ribbon Guide is aligned with the cutaway on the Pull Up Roller Assembly.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 70

Swing the used ribbon cartridge up off the

printhead, lift it out, and discard it.

Remove the new ribbon cartridge from its

wrapping and note the position of the Ribbon Guide (1), Knob (2), and Pin (3).

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 71

In the direction indicated by the arrows,

insert the pins at both ends of the ribbon

cartridge (1) into the U grooves (2) in the

printer until the ribbon cartridge is fully locked.

make it easier to mount the ribbon cartridge.

Holding the sides of the ribbon guide slope

it downward until the ribbon guide comes in line with the slot of the printhead.

NOTE: Make sure that the guide is pushed to the end

of the printhead.

Move the printhead horizontally to make sure

that the ribbon is properly installed.

NOTE: It may be easier to mount the ribbon cartridge

in place if you align it with the topside of the grooves. Also, a slightly loose ribbon may

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 72

Turn the take-up knob in the direction of the

arrow to take up any ribbon slack.

CAUTION!

Do not turn the knob counterclockwise as the

ribbon may jam.

Make sure that the ribbon is not twisted or damaged when it goes through the gap between

the printhead and the ribbon guide.

Set the Paper Thickness lever to match the paper

10.

being used.

11.

Close the access cover and turn the printer back on.

CAUTION!

If ribbon should contact the eyes:

Flush eyes with large quantities of water for 15

minutes, keeping eyelids open with ngers. Seek

medical attention.

If ribbon should contact the skin

Wash thoroughly with soap and water.

For more information

See the Material Safety Data Sheet in your Warranty, Regulatory, and Safety Information booklet.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 73

Clearing Paper Jams

Continuous Feed Paper Jams

WARNING: Do not carry out any operations

inside the printer with the Power Switch

set to ON.

Make sure the printer is turned OFF.

Open the access cover.

Tear off any unprinted continuous forms.

Remove the top Paper Tray by holding

the tray by the tabs on both sides

and pulling it up from the printer.

Raise each Pin Tractor cover and remove

the continuous forms from the Pin Tractors.

Rotate the platen knob and remove the forms from the front of the printer.

If a form fragment remains inside the printer, place two or three forms in a stack on the Pin Tractors and turn the platen knob to push the fragment out of the printer.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 74

When the paper jams are cleared, lower

the top Paper Tray and slide it towards the

front of the printer until the marks align.

Close the access cover and turn the printer back

on.

Cut Sheet Paper Jams

WARNING: Do not carry out any operations

inside the printer with the Power Switch

set to ON.

Make sure the printer is turned OFF.

Open the access cover.

Set the Paper Thickness Lever to the highest number position.

CAUTION!

The printhead may be HOT!

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 75

Remove the ribbon cartridge. See “Replacing the

Ribbon Cartridge.”

Move the printhead away from the paper.

Rotate the platen knob in the relevant direction

and pull the cut sheet out from the top of the

printer.

If a paper fragment remains inside the printer:

(a) use tweezers to grip and extract it or

(b) insert a triple folded sheet from the Paper

Tray and turn the platen knob to pass the folded

sheet through and push out the paper fragment.

When the paper jams are cleared, replace

the ribbon cartridge, close the access cover and turn the printer back on.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 76

Cleaning the Printer

To keep your printer in good operating condition, you are advised to clean it regularly.

WARNING!

Turn the printer OFF and disconnect

the power cable from the printer before

cleaning.

Printer Exterior

CAUTION!

Keep the access cover closed to avoid the possibility of detergent entering the printer.

You should clean the printer housing every six months (or after about 300 hours of operation).

Moisten a piece of cotton cloth with diluted neutral detergent and carefully wipe the printer exterior.

CAUTION!

Never use strong solvents or strong detergents on the cabinet—they could damage the housing.

Printer Interior

WARNING!

Allow the printhead to cool before cleaning

inside the printer. To avoid any risk of re

or electric shock, do not use any ammable

solvents for cleaning the printer.

You should clean the printer housing every six months (or after about 300 hours of operation).

Use the platen knob to back the paper out of the

printer.

CAUTION!

Make sure the printer is turned off before you open the access cover.

Open the access cover and remove the pull-up roller assembly.

Use a clean, dry cloth to dust around the carriage shaft and platen. Remove any loose bits of paper.

Reinstall the pull-up roller assembly and close the access cover.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 77

Testing the Printer

Font Sample Test



Rolling ASCII Test



Hexadecimal Dump Mode



Font Sample Test

Important!

Wide carriage Model ML691: If you are using 8.5” paper to run the tests, make sure the paper width selection in the printer menu is set to 8.5 inches. Otherwise, printing on the platen may damage the printer. See Chapter 4: Menu Mode for more information.

The Font Sample Test prints a sample of the fonts standard to the printer.

The top of the printout shows the Printer Model, Emulation (Epson, IBM compatible), Firmware (F/W) Revision Level, Flash Loader (LD) Revision Level, and Part Number.

Make sure paper is loaded.

Turn off the printer.

Press and hold the SEL + LF/FF keys while turning

the printer back on.

When only the SEL indicator is blinking, hold down the LF/FF key and press the LOAD/EJECT key.

The printer prints a page of font samples and the test ends.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 78

Rolling ASCII Test

Important!

The Rolling ASCII Print Test produces a continuous printout of all 96 ASCII characters in a rolling pattern in whatever typeface is selected.

The top of the printout shows the Printer Model, Emulation (Epson, IBM compatible), Firmware (F/W) Revision Level, Flash Loader (LD) Revision Level, and Part Number.

Make sure continuous forms paper is loaded.

Turn the printer off.

Press and hold the SEL + LF/FF keys while turning

the printer back on.

When only the SEL indicator is blinking, hold down the LF/FF key and press the SEL key.

The printer prints the rolling ASCII text page after page.

Turn the power OFF to end the test.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 79

Hexadecimal Dump Mode

When the printer is placed in the Hexadecimal Dump Mode, all data received, including text and printer commands, is printed in both hexadecimal and ASCII format.

For example, the following line of BASIC code

LPRINT CHR$ (27);”0”;CHR$ (30);”This is an example of a hexadecimal dump.”

would print like this:

Note: In the ASCII format, all non‑printable characters

are represented by a period.

To engage the Hexadecimal Dump Mode:

Make sure paper is loaded.

Turn off the printer.

Press and hold the SEL + LF/FF keys while turning

the printer back on.

When only the SEL indicator is blinking, hold down the SEL key and press the LOAD/EJECT key.

To exit the Hexadecimal Dump Mode:



Turn the printer off.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 80

Chapter 6:

Troubleshooting

General Information

Here are some general things to check before proceeding with detailed troubleshooting.

Is the printer plugged in and turned on?



Are the connections (power and interface)



secure? Is the product being operated under the proper



ambient conditions? Does the paper being used meet the



specications for this product?

Is the paper properly installed?



Is the ribbon properly installed?



Is an Oki ribbon being used?



Is the printhead gap correctly set?



Are the correct printer drivers being used for the



printer?

Note: Settings in your software application will normally

override any settings in your printer driver.

Printer driver settings normally override settings

from the printer menu or printer front panel.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 81

Responding to Alarm Conditions

Use the following table for guidance on how to respond to alarm conditions.

INDICATOR

SEL ALARM

OFF ON Paper has run out. Add paper and

OFF Flashing The Paper Type lever is set

OFF Flashing Problem with cut sheet feeding.

Flashing ON Print data is received but printing

Flashing Flashing Printing cannot be resumed at this

ALARM MEANINGS AND ACTIONS

press the SEL key.

incorrectly for the type of paper in use. Press the the Paper Type lever to the correct setting.

Remove the cut sheet.

does not start because no paper is being fed. Insert paper.

stage. Turn the power OFF, verify that the carriage moves properly, then turn the power ON again. If the indicator lights continue to

ash, contact your dealer.

SEL key and move

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 82

Problems / Solutions

Use the following table to help identify symptoms and possible causes and solutions.

PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION

No power

No power The power cable in not properly connected. Check that the power cable is properly

connected at both the power outlet and the printer.

Power outlet problem or power outage. Plug another appliance into this outlet to

check if it works.

No printing takes place

indicator is unlit. The printer driver is not installed properly. Re-install the printer driver correctly.

SEL

SEL indicator is illuminated

but no printing takes place.

The printhead is moving but no printing takes place.

Print position offset

The printer has just stopped printing. Press the There is no paper in the printer. Load paper Interface cable is disconnected. Reconnect the interface cable. Wrong interface cable attached. Use correct interface cable. The ribbon cartridge has not been installed. Install the ribbon cartridge.

SEL key.

The horizontal printing position is offset.

The start position may change after the printer is powered on.

When the printer is powered ON, switch from off-line mode to on-line mode by pressing the SEL key. Reset the start position. You must set the Power Switch to OFF before you change the start position.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 83

PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION

Printing slows down

Print direction changes suddenly to unidirectional.

Print Error warning

The print carriage does not operate.

Print blurring

The characters are too pale to display properly on the paper.

When the printhead overheats, the printer automatically starts unidirectional split printing.

There is contamination on the carriage shaft.

The Paper Thickness lever position does not match the paper.

The printer will return to its original operation when the printhead temperature drops

sufciently.

Clean any paper dust and contamination from the carriage with a dry cloth.

Correct the Paper Thickness lever setting.

The printer is set to print at high speed. Set the speed to normal. The ribbon has reached its end-of-life. Replace the ribbon with a new one. The ribbon cartridge is not installed

Reinstall the ribbon cartridge correctly.

correctly. The ribbon has been wound incorrectly. Replace the ribbon cartridge with a new one.

The ribbon is not transferring properly. Replace the ribbon cartridge with a new one.

A line of print is missing. Broken wire pins. Contact your dealer.

The printout differs from the screen display

Printout contains completely different characters or symbols.

Incorrect print setup for the user’s application.

The application control codes for the

Reselect print setup for the applications according to priority.

Initialize the printer.

previous print operation are still enabled.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 84

PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION

Too high or too low TOF (where printing starts)

Too large or small left and/or right margins.

When continuous forms are used, the content of a single form is printed on two forms.

When cut sheets are used, the content of a single sheet is printed on two sheets.

The input application control signal is not correct.

The interface cable is not properly

Print in hex-dump mode and verify the data content. Make corrections in the application.

Reconnect the cable correctly.

connected. The TOF is not correctly selected. Initialize the printer.

Select correct TOF for cut sheet and continuous forms.

Select the rst-line print position and adjust

the paper top position. Reselect the margin correctly in the

application.

The left or right margin is not correctly selected.

Incorrect positions of the Paper Guide or Pin Tractors. Select and adjust the position again depending on the paper type.

Reselect the left and right margins correctly in the application.

The paper length selected in the application does not match the physical paper length.

Match the paper length selected in the application with the physical paper length in use.

The paper setting selected in the application does not match the physical paper size.

The paper setting does not match the lines per page automatically detected by the printer.

Match the paper setting selected in the application with the physical paper in use.

Leave enough top and bottom margin in the application.

Correct the cut sheet LF adjustment.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 85

PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION

The content of a single line is printed in two lines.

When continuous forms are

The left and/or right margins are not correctly selected.

Reselect the left and right margins correctly in the application.

Tear-off perforation spacing is selected. Cancel tear-off perforation spacing. used, several blank lines appear in the print-out.

Broken and uneven vertical

May happen in bidirectional printing. Adjust the Print Registration. lines.

Too large or small line

Line spacing is not set correctly. Reset line spacing correctly in the application. spacing.

Split print

Blanks or deformed characters appear in double-height type

A paper feed error due to line feeding when

printing a single character.

Use the printer’s built-in fonts when printing important documents or bills.

or other extended types.

Improper cut sheet feed

No paper feed. Sheets are located off the paper guide. Load sheets with their left edges against the

paper guide.

Sheets are not loaded to the end. Load sheets to the end. Continuous forms instead of

cut sheets are fed. Paper distortion. Sheets are not loaded to the end, or they

The printer is in the continuous forms

mode.

Eject the continuous forms and select the printer’s cut sheet mode.

Load sheets to the end.

are not inserted straight.

Paper with wrinkles, folds, or other defects. Change paper.

Paper not specied for the printer. Use paper types specied for the printer.

Unable to eject. The

LF/FF key was pressed. Press the LOAD/EJECT key.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 86

PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION

Improper continuous forms feed

No line feed, and no paper feed.

Paper is off the Pin Tractors. Reload paper correctly.

The adjust lever position does not match

Set the adjust lever to the correct position.

the paper type. Paper distortion or jam. Forms are loaded with their left holes out of

line with the right ones.

Inadequate distance between the left and

Load forms with their left holes in line with the right ones.

Relocate the Pin Tractors to tighten the paper.

right Pin Tractors, making for loose paper.

Skewed paper feeding. Move the paper to make it straight.

Paper movement is blocked. Remove the blockage.

Paper source is too far from the printer. Move the paper source nearer to the printer.

Paper not specied for the printer. Use paper types specied for this printer.

Several blank lines appear in

Skip-over perforation spacing is set. Cancel the skip-over perforation spacing. the print-out

The selected skip-over perforation spacing does not match the physical tear-off perforation positions.

The paper length selected in the application

does not match the physical paper length.

Match the paper length selected in the application with the physical paper length in use.

Select the paper length in number of lines in the application.

Abnormal switch-over between cut sheet and continuous forms modes

No cut sheet feed. The printer is in continuous forms mode. Set the Paper Type lever to cut sheet mode. No continuous forms feed. The printer is in cut sheet mode. Set the Paper Type lever to continuous forms

mode.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 87

PROBLEM CAUSE SOLUTION

Paper feed operations for both cut sheets and continuous forms are activated.

The cut sheet is not ejected. Eject the cut sheet.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 88

Appendix A: Parts & Accessories

Purchasing Parts & Accessories

Before you purchase, know your printer model number (see the front of the unit) and have the correct part number and description of the item. Item descriptions and part numbers are provided in this section.

Consult the dealer where your purchased your



printer. Locate an Authorized Oki Data Reseller by visiting



one of our web sites

http://my.okidata.com (allows you to register

your product and personalize your own support needs)

http://www.okiprintingsolutions.com (provides

general information)

In the United States, purchase directly from Oki



Data

Via the Internet



www.okiprintingsolutions.com



Via telephone



Order toll-free by phone at 1-800-654-3282

(1-800-OKI-DATA) using VISA®, MasterCard®, or AmEx®.



In Canada, call 888-309-4570.

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 89

Consumables

Accessories

Item Part Number

Model ML690

Ribbon

Model ML691

Ribbon

44173403

44173404

Option Part Number

Model ML690

Tractor Assembly (Pull) Tractor Assembly (Push) Cut Sheet Feeder

Model ML691

Tractor Assembly (Pull) Tractor Assembly (Push) Cut Sheet Feeder

Both Models

LAN Card (100BASE-TX/10BASE-T

44753901 44454901 44497401

44754001 44455001 44497501

72008701

Network Interface) RS-232C Serial Interface Roll Paper Stand

44455101 70023301

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 90

Appendix B: Printer Control Codes

This section lists the most commonly used printer control codes.

You will nd a comprehensive listing of the control

codes (English only), on your Printer CD. To access it:

Place the CD in your CD-ROM drive and wait for it

to AutoPlay.

Select your printer model, then click Continue.

Click Documentation and follow the on-screen

prompts to view the le.

IBM Proprinter Commands

IBM Command ASCII Decimal

Backspace BS 8 Carriage Return CR 13 Character Pitch

Select 10 cpi DC2 18 Select 12 cpi ESC : 27 58 Select 15 cpi ESC g 27 103 Select 20 cpi ESC SI 27 15 Select Condensed Print SI 15

Character Sets

IBM Set I ESC 7 27 55 IBM Set II ESC 6 27 54

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 91

IBM Proprinter Commands

(continued)

IBM Command ASCII Decimal

Double Width On ESC W 1 27 87 49 Double Width Off ESC W 0 27 87 48

Emphasized Printing On ESC E 27 69 Emphasized Printing Off ESC F 27 70

Enhanced Printing On ESC G 27 71 Enhanced Printing Off ESC H 27 72

Form Feed FF 12 Form Length

n inches (n = 1 to 255) ESC C NUL n 27 67 0 n n lines (n = 1 to 255) ESC C n 27 67 n

Horizontal Tab, Execute HT 9 Italics On ESC % G 27 37 71

Italics Off ESC % H 27 37 72

IBM Command ASCII Decimal

Line Feed, Execute

w/ Carriage Return LF 10 n/180” (n = 1 to 127) ESC % 5 n 27 37 53 n n/216” (n = 0 to 255) ESC J n 27 74 n Reverse ESC ] 27 93 Auto Line Feed On ESC 5 1 27 53 49 Auto Line Feed Off ESC 5 0 27 53 48

Line Spacing

Set Spacing to 1/8” ESC 0 27 48 Set Spacing to 7/72” ESC 1 27 49 Set Spacing to n/72”

(n = 0 to 255) ESC A n 27 65 n

Store Spacing Set

by ESC A n ESC 2 27 50

Set Spacing to n/180”

(n = 1 to 127) ESC % 9 n 27 37 57 n

Set Spacing to n/216”

(n = 0 to 255) ESC 3 n 27 51 n

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 92

IBM Proprinter Commands

(continued)

IBM Command ASCII Decimal

Overscore On ESC _ 1 27 95 49 Overscore Off ESC _ 0 27 95 48

Paper Out Sensor Off ESC 8 27 56 Paper Out Sensor On ESC 9 27 57

Select HSD/SSD ESC # 0 27 35 48 Select Draft ESC 1 0 27 73 0 Select LQ ESC 1 2 27 73 2

Print Suppress Mode On

ML690 ESC Q ETX 27 81 3 ML691 ESC Q SYN 27 81 22

Print Suppress Mode Off DC1 17 Proportional Spacing On ESC P 1 27 80 49

Proportional Spacing Off ESC P 0 27 80 48 Reset: Clear Print Buffer CAN 24

IBM Command ASCII Decimal

Software I-Prime ESC } NUL 27 125 0 Stop Printing ESC j 27 106 Subscript On ESC S 1 27 83 49

Superscript On ESC S 0 27 83 48 Subscript/Superscript Off ESC T 27 84

Top of Form,

Set at Current Position ESC 4 27 52

Underline Printing On ESC - 1 27 45 49 Underline Printing Off ESC - 0 27 45 48

Uni-Directional Print On ESC U 1 27 85 49 Uni-Directional Print Off ESC U 0 27 85 48

Vertical Tab, Execute VT 11

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 93

Epson FX Commands

Epson Command ASCII Decimal

Backspace BS 8 Carriage Return,

Execute CR 13

Character Pitch

Select 10 cpi ESC P 27 80 Select 12 cpi ESC M 27 77 Select 15 cpi ESC g 27 103 Select Condensed Print ESC SI, or SI 27 15, or 15

Cancel Condensed Print DC2 18 Delete DEL 127 Double Height On ESC w 1 27 119 49

Double Height Off ESC w 0 27 119 48 Double Width On ESC W 1 27 87 49

Double Width Off ESC W 0 27 87 48 Emphasized Print On ESC E 27 69

Emphasized Print Off ESC F 27 70 Enhanced Print On ESC G 27 71

Enhanced Print Off ESC H 27 72 Epson Set 1, Select ESC t 0 27 116 48

Epson Set 2, Select ESC t 1 27 116 49

Epson Command ASCII Decimal

Italic Printing On ESC 4 27 52 Italic Printing Off ESC 5 27 53

Form Feed FF 12 Form Length

n Inches (n = 1 to 22) ESC C NUL n 27 67 0 n n Lines (n = 1 to 127) ESC C n 27 67 n

Horizontal Tab HT 9

Justication

Left ESC a 0 27 97 48 Center ESC a 1 27 97 49 Right ESC a 2 27 97 50 Full ESC a 3 27 97 51

Line Feed, Execute

Select 10 cpi ESC P 27 80 Select 12 cpi ESC M 27 77 w/ Carriage Return LF 10 n/216” (n = 0 to 255) ESC J n 27 74 n n/180” (n = 0 to 127) ESC % 5 n 27 37 53 n Reverse, n/216”

(n = 0 to 255) ESC j n 27 106 n

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 94

Epson FX Commands (continued)

Epson Command ASCII Decimal

Line Spacing, Set

n/180” (n = 0 to 127) ESC % 9 n 27 37 57 n n/216” (n = 0 to 255) ESC 3 n 27 51 n n/72” ESC A n 27 65 n

(n = 0-85 or 128-213) 1/6” ESC 2 27 50 1/8” ESC 0 27 48 7/72” ESC 1 27 49 n

Paper Out Sensor Off ESC 8 27 56 Paper Out Sensor On ESC 9 27 57

Print Speed

Half-Speed On ESC s 1 27 115 49 Half-Speed Off ESC s 0 27 115 48

Print Suppress Mode On DC3 19 Print Suppress Mode Off DC1 17

Proportional Spacing On ESC p 1 27 112 49 Proportional Spacing Off ESC p 0 27 112 48

Reset Printer

Clear Buffer & Initialize ESC @ 27 64 Clear Print Buffer CAN 24

Skip Over Perforation,

Cancel ESC O 27 79 Software I-Prime ESC } NUL 27 125 0 Subscript On ESC S 1 27 83 49

Superscript On ESC S 0 27 83 48 Subscript/Superscript Off ESC T 27 84

Underline On ESC - 1 27 45 49 Underline Off ESC - 0 27 45 48

Uni-Directional Printing

One Line Only ESC < 27 60 On ESC U 1 27 85 49 Off ESC U 0 27 85 48

Vertical Tab, Execute VT 11

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 95

Appendix C:

Specications

Note: Specications are subject to change without

notice.

Print Method

Impact dot matrix

Printhead

24 pins, 0.2 mm (0.008”) diameter, with thermal protection

Interfaces

Standard: Bi-directional parallel, IEEE-1284

compliant, USB 2.0

Optional: RS-232C Serial

Receive Buffer Size

Maximum 128K

Printhead Life

400 million characters average in 10 cpi draft mode at 25% duty and 35% page density

Reliability

Ribbon Life

ML690: approx. 8 million characters (Draft Mode) ML691: approx. 13 million characters (Draft Mode)

Emulations (co-resident)

IBM Proprinter



Epson FX



Physical Specications

Note: Height dimensions do not include the acoustic

cover.

ML690

Size (WxDxH): 16.3 x 12.6 x 6.26” (414 x 320 x 159 mm) Weight: 16.4 lb. (7.5 kg)

ML691

Size (WxDxH): 22.36 x 12.6 x 6.26” (568 x 320 x 159 mm) Weight: 22 lb. (10 kg)

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 96

Print Speed

Graphics Resolution

Print Mode

HSD 480 cps 576 cps — — — Draft 360 cps 432 cps 540 cps 309 cps 360 cps LQ 120 cps 144 cps 180 cps 206 cps 240 cps

* cps = Characters Per Second

10 cpi 12 cpi 15 cpi 17.1 cpi 20 cpi

Character Pitch

Characters per Line (cpl)

Setting ML690 ML691

10 cpi 80 cpl 136 cpl 12 cpi 96 cpl 163 cpl 15 cpi 120 cpl 204 cpl

17.1 cpi 137 cpl 233 cpl 20 cpi 160 cpl 272 cpl

Maximum number of dot columns per line

ML690 60 dpi 480 960 1,920

80 dpi 640 — — 90 dpi 720 1,440 2,880

ML691 60 dpi 816 1,632 3,264

80 dpi 1,088 — — 90 dpi 1,224 2,448 4,896

Single Double Quadruple

Density

Resident Fonts

Print Quality Available Fonts

Letter Quality (LQ) Courier, Roman, Swiss,

Orator, Gothic, Prestige, OCR-A, OCR-B, Swiss

Bold Draft Gothic High Speed Draft (HSD) Gothic

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 97

Bar Codes

Code 39



UPC A, UPC E



EAN 8, EAN 13



Interleaved 2 of 5



Code 128



Postnet



CODEBAR (NW7)



Industrial 2 of 5



Matrix 2 of 5



Paper Thickness: Tractor Feed

Rear/Front Push Feed: 0.015” (0.36 mm) maximum Rear/Front Pull Feed: 0.017” (0.44 mm) maximum

Bottom Feed: 0.019” (0.48 mm) max. Requires optional push or pull tractor.

Environmental Requirements

Temperature

Operating: 41 to 95° F (5 to 35° C) Storage: 14 to 122° F (–10 to 50° C)

Humidity

Operating: 20 to 80% RH Storage: 5 to 95% RH

Electrical Requirements

120 V model:



100 VAC –10% to 127 VAC +10% 50 or 60 Hz (±2%)

Power Consumption:

Printing: max. 88 W (ISO 10561 Letter, Draft, Range1) Idle: max. 15 W Sleep mode: max. 1.5 W (with no option attached) max. 3.7 W (with full options attached)

230 V model:



220 VAC –10% to 240 VAC +10% 50 or 60 Hz (±2%)

Power Consumption:

Printing: max. 88 W (ISO 10561 Letter, Draft, Range1) Idle: max. 15 W Sleep mode: max. 1.5 W (with no option attached) max. 3.7 W (with full options attached)

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 98

Paper Specications

Paper Size

Cut Sheet Paper

Paper Width ML690

ML691 Paper Length 3.9 – 14.3” (99.1 – 363 mm) Single-part weight 12 – 24 lb. (45 – 90 g/m Thickness 0.002 – 0.0055” (0.05 – 0.14 mm)

NOTE: Multi‑part cut sheet paper cannot be used.

Continuous Paper

Paper Width ML690

ML691 Single-part weight 12 – 24 lb. (45 – 90 g/m Single-part

Thickness Multi-part weight 9 – 11 lb. (35 – 40 g/m Multi-part

Thickness

3.9 – 10.1” (99.1 – 256.5 mm)

3.9 – 16.5” (99.1 – 419.1 mm)

)

3 – 10” (76.2 – 254 mm) 3 – 16” (76.2 – 406.4 mm)

)

0.002 – 0.0049” (0.05 – 0.12 mm)

)

0.015” (0.36 mm) total thickness

0.019” (0.48 mm) total thickness (bottom path only)

Paper Size

Carbon-lined Paper/Pressure Sensitive Paper

Multi-part weight 9 – 11 lb. (35 – 40 g/m2) Number of copies Rear and Front push feed:

original plus 5 copies Bottom pull feed:

original plus 6 copies

Inter leaf paper weight

Multi-part weight 38 – 40 g/m (carbon paper: 9 lb., 34 g/m2)

Number of copies Rear and Front push feed:

original plus 3 copies Bottom pull feed:

original plus 4 copies

NOTE: Multiple‑part paper should be fastened by spot‑pasting or

crimping on both sides, and should be free of wrinkles.

Envelopes

Cut Form Envelope

Continuous Envelope

Weight: max. 24 lb. (90 g/m2) Thickness: max. 0.016” (0.41 mm)

Weight: max. 24 lb. (90 g/m

) Thickness: max. 0.014” (0.36 mm) Width: 3 – 10” (76.2 – 254 mm)

(Bottom path only)

ML690/ML691 User’s Guide 99

Oki ML690, ML691 User's Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Chapter 1: Introduction

Printer Features

Oki Data on the Internet

The Control Panel

Print Mode Key Functions