Rice Lake LC-7211 User Manual

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USER’S MANUAL

LC-7211

DOT MATRIX PRINTER

HF12H 80825062

Federal Communications Commission Radio Frequency Interference Statement

The 120V version equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television, which can be determined by turning off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures.

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. Unauthorized modiﬁcations of this product by the user will void his authority to operate the equipment unless

expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance. For compliance with the Federal Noise Interference Standard, this equipment requires a shielded cable. The 220V version equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursu-

ant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.

Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

For compliance with the Federal Noise Interference Standard, this equipment requires a shielded cable.

The above statement applies only to printers marketed in the U.S.A.

Statement of The Canadian Department of Communications Radio Interference Regulations

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectiques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la classe B prescrites dans le Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des Communications du Canada.

The above statement applies only to printers marketed in Canada.

Manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity

EC Council Directive 89/336/EEC of 3 May 1989

This product, has been designed and manufactured in accordance with the International Standards EN 50081-1/01.92 and EN 50082-1/01.92, following the provisions of the Electro Magnetic Compatibility Directive of the European Communities as of May 1989.

EC Council Directive 73/23/EEC and 93/68/EEC of 22 July 1993

This product, has been designed and manufactured in accordance with the International Standards EN 60950, following the provisions of the Low Voltage Directive of the European Communities as of July 1993.

The above statement applies only to printers marketed in EU.

Ambient Noise Statement

Machine Noise Information Ordinance 3. GSGV, January 18, 1991: The sound pressure level at the operator position is equal or less than 70 dB(A) according to ISO 7779.

The above statement applies only to printers marketed in EU.

Trademark acknowledgments

LC-7211, LC-10, LC-90, LC-100, NX-1000, NX-1010, NX-1040, SPC-8K: Star Micronics Co. Ltd. EX-800, FX-850, LX-810, LX-850: Seiko Epson Corporation IBM PC, IBM Proprinter, IBM Proprinter2, IBM Proprinter 3:

International Business Machines Corporation.

TrueType: Apple Computer Inc. MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows 3.1, Windows 95: Microsoft Corporation

Notice

• The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.

• All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this manual at the time of printing. However, should any errors be found, STAR would greatly appreciate being informed of them.

• The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors in this manual.

About this manual

This manual describes how to set up, use, and care for the Star LC-7211 printer. The following is a list of what you can expect to find in each chapter.

Chapter 1 Choosing a place for your printer, unpacking and setup,

Chapter 2 How to use the control panel Chapter 3 How to use the printer’s Electronic DIP Switch (EDS)

Chapter 4 Installing, starting up, and using the User Setup Utility Chapter 5 How to set up for printing with Microsoft Windows 3.1,

Chapter 6 How to set up for printing with Microsoft Windows 95,

Chapter 7 How to set up for printing with IBM OS/2 Warp, how to

ribbon cassette installation, loading paper, connecting to your computer

Mode to set up the printer to match the needs of your system and software

how to prepare for printing, how to print a document

prepare for printing, how to print a document

Chapter 8 How to set up for printing with MS-DOS Chapter 9 Selecting the best type of paper, adjusting for paper

thickness, manual sheet feeding, clearing paper jams

Chapter 10 How to connect and set up the optional Serial to Parallel

Converter (SPC-8K) that is available for your printer

Appendix A Troubleshooting Appendix B Speciﬁcations Appendix C Interface pin outs Appendix D Character sets Appendix E Printer control codes Appendix F Glossary Appendix G Control panel operation guide

Chapter 1: Printer Setup ... 1

Choosing a place for the printer ... 1 Unpacking the printer ... 2 General guide ... 3 Removing the protective materials ... 4 Installing the platen knob ... 4 Opening the front cover ... 5 Installing the ribbon cassette ... 5 Removing the ribbon cassette ... 7 Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off ... 8 Loading fanfold paper ... 9 Printing on fanfold paper ... 13 Parking fanfold paper ... 14 Unparking fanfold paper ... 14 Using the tear-off function ... 14 Connecting to your computer ... 15

Chapter 2: Control Panel Operations ... 17

Switching between on-line and off-line ... 17 Paper loading ... 18 Line feed ... 18 Paper eject (cut-sheet paper) ... 18 Form feed (fanfold paper) ... 18 Parking fanfold paper ... 18 Micro feed ... 19 Setting the top of form position ... 19 Setting the print mode ... 19 Tear-off function (fanfold paper) ... 19 Selecting a font ... 20 Selecting the Quiet Print Mode ... 20 Changing the auto load position ... 20 Saving a macro ... 21 Clearing the printer’s buffer ... 22 Initializing the printer ... 22

Chapter 3: Using the EDS Mode ... 23

About EDS Mode settings ... 23 Entering the EDS Mode ... 23 Selecting a bank ... 24 Selecting a switch ... 24 Changing a switch setting ... 24 Printing the current switch settings ... 25 Exiting the EDS Mode ... 25 EDS Mode Settings ... 25

Chapter 4: User Setup Utility ... 34

Installing the User Setup Utility ... 34 Starting the User Setup Utility ... 35 Changing the General, Font, Paper and Adjust Settings ... 36

To select a window ... 36 To select a setting box ... 37

To change a setting ... 37 Adjusting the dot alignment ... 37 Changing the printer port ... 38 Saving setup data in a conﬁguration ﬁle ... 38 Importing setup data from a conﬁguration ﬁle ... 39 Returning to default settings ... 39 Exiting the User Setup Utility ... 39 Using the Help menu ... 39

Chapter 5: Using the Printer with Windows 3.1 ... 40

Setting up for printing with Microsoft Windows 3.1 ... 40 Getting ready to print ... 42 Printing a document ... 43 Installing TrueType fonts ... 44 Selecting fonts in Windows applications ... 45

Chapter 6: Using the printer with Windows 95 ... 46

Setting up the printer in Windows 95 ... 46 Preparing to print ... 49 Printing a document ... 51 Installing TrueType fonts ... 52

Chapter 7: Using the Printer with OS/2 Warp ... 53

Setting up for printing with OS/2 Warp ... 53 Getting ready to print ... 54 Printing a document ... 54

Chapter 8: Using the Printer with MS-DOS ... 55

Setting up for printing with MS-DOS ... 55

Chapter 9: Paper Handling ... 56

Selecting paper types ... 56

Cut-Sheet Paper ... 56

Fanfold Paper ... 56 Adjusting for paper thickness ... 57 Automatic fanfold feeding ... 58 Manual sheet feeding ... 59 Clearing paper jams ... 61

Chapter 10: Optional Accessory ... 62

Appendix A: Troubleshooting ... 65

Appendix B: Speciﬁcations ... 76

Appendix C: Interface Pin Outs ... 78

Appendix D: Character Sets ... 79

Appendix E: Printer Control Codes ... 89

Appendix F: Glossary ... 94

Appendix G: Control Panel Operation Guide ... 95

Chapter 1: Printer Setup

This chapter contains important information on setting up your printer. Be sure to read this chapter carefully before using the printer for the first time. In this chapter you will learn about:

❏ Choosing a place for the printer ❏ Unpacking and setting up the printer ❏ Installing the ribbon cassette ❏ Loading paper ❏ Connecting to your computer

Choosing a place for the printer

Before actually unpacking the printer, you should take a few minutes to think about where you plan to use it. Remember the following points when doing this.

✓ Choose a ﬁrm, level surface where the printer will not be exposed to

vibration.

✓ The power outlet you plan to connect to for power should be nearby and

unobstructed.

✓ Make sure that the printer is close enough to your computer for you to

connect the two with your printer cable.

✓ Allow six inches (15 centimeters) of free space on either side of the printer .

If you are going to use fanfold paper, make sure that there is adequate space for paper behind the printer.

✓ Make sure that the printer is not exposed to direct sunlight. ✓ Make sure that the printer is well away from heaters. ✓ Make sure that the surrounding area is clean, dry, and free of dust. ✓ Make sure that the printer is connected to a reliable power outlet. It should

not be on the same electric circuit as copiers, refrigerators, or other appliances that cause power spikes.

✓ Use a power outlet that matches the power rating noted on the label afﬁxed

to the bottom of your printer.

✓ Make sure that the room where you are using the printer is not too humid.

2 Printer Setup

Unpacking the printer

Check to make sure that the carton contains each of the items shown in the following illustration.

Printer

Platen knob Ribbon cartridge

If anything is missing, contact the store where you bought the printer and ask them to supply the missing part. Note that it is a good idea to keep the original box and all the packing materials just in case you need to pack the printer up again and send it somewhere at a later date.

A serial-to-parallel interface converter (SPC-8K) is also available as an option. Consult your dealer for details.

Important!

There are several versions of this printer designed for different voltages. It is not possible to change the voltage of a printer. If the voltage shown on the label on the bottom of your printer does not match the voltage for your ar ea, contact your dealer immediately.

User,s manual

3.5" Floppy disk

General guide

The following illustrations show the major components of your printer.

Adjustment lever

Paper guide

Power switch

General guide 3

Front cover

Platen knob

Tractor unit

Control panel

Interface connector

Release lever

4 Printer Setup

Removing the protective materials

Protective sheets and a piece of cardboard are inserted into the printer to protect components during shipping. Before using the printer, be sure to remove all packing material from inside the front cover as shown in the illustration.

Cardboard

Installing the platen knob

The platen knob is packed into a recess in the packaging material.

❏ Install the knob on the shaft located inside the large hole on the right side of

the printer. Make sure that the flat side of the shaft is aligned with the corresponding flat surface inside the knob’s spindle. Press the knob carefully but firmly into place as far as it will go.

Front cover

Protection sheet

Opening the front cover

Hook your ﬁngers under the two small tabs on either side of the front cover

❏

and pull forward and up to swing the front cover open.

Installing the ribbon cassette

Make sure that the printer is unplugged from its power outlet.

❏ ❏ Open the front cover of the printer. ❏ By hand, move the cartridge holder to the center position of the paper guide

where there is a cutout to allow easy installation and removal of the ribbon cassette.

Opening the front cover 5

Front cover

Cartridge holder

6 Printer Setup

Important!

Never try to move the print head while the printer is plugged into a power outlet. Doing so can damage the printer. If you have just used the printer, let the print head cool for a few minutes before you touch it.

❏ Remove the ribbon cassette from its package. ❏ Rotate the knob on the ribbon cassette clockwise to take up any slack in the

ribbon.

❏ Carefully place the cassette onto the cartridge holder making sure that the

spindle of the holder ﬁts into the socket on the bottom of the cassette.

❏ Press down gently but ﬁrmly on the cassette until it snaps securely into ❏ Rotate the knob on the cassette again to take up any slack.

❏ Close the front cover of the printer.

Important!

Printing that is poor quality or too light is almost always due to a ribbon that is simply worn out or “used up.” If you experience problems with print quality, check the condition of the ribbon. If the black part looks gray and well-worn, replace the ribbon with a new one.

place.

Removing the ribbon cassette

Use the following procedure to remove the ribbon cassette from the printer when you want to replace it with a new one.

❏ Make sure that the printer is unplugged from its power outlet. ❏ Open the front cover of the printer. ❏ By hand, move the cartridge holder to the center position of the paper guide

where there is a cutout to allow easy installation and removal of the ribbon cassette.

Important!

❏ Using your thumb and foreﬁnger to squeeze the two tabs on the ribbon

cassette towards the center, carefully remove the cassette from the holder.

Removing the ribbon cassette 7

❏ Use the procedure under “Installing the ribbon cassette” on page 5 to install

a new cassette.

8 Printer Setup

Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off

Plug the power cord of the printer into a standard power outlet whose

❏

voltage matches the power rating noted on the label af ﬁxed to the bottom of your printer.

Caution!

If the voltage marked on the bottom of your printer does not match the voltage from the outlet you are using, do not plug in the power cord. Contact your dealer for assistance.

❏ Set the switch on the front of the printer to ON to turn power on, and to

OFF to turn power off.

Important!

W e recommend that you unplug the printer fr om the power outlet whenever you do not plan to use it for long periods. Because of the this, you should locate the printer so that the power outlet it is plugged into is nearby and easy to access.

At this point you may want to perform a test of the printer to make sure it is working properly. See page 65 for details on how to perform tests.

ON

OFF

Loading fanfold paper

This section tells you how to load fanfold paper. Note that you can also use cutsheet paper and multi-part form paper. For details on using other types of paper, see “Paper Handling” on page 56 of this manual.

❏ Position the stack of paper behind the printer. ❏ The following figure shows the correct path for fanfold paper.

Loading fanfold paper 9

Important!

To protect against paper jams, make sure that the fanfold paper is stacked in a position that is lower than the printer.

❏ Unplug the printer from its AC power supply.

10 Printer Setup

❏ Set the release lever on the back of the printer to the fanfold position.

Fanfold

Cut-sheet

❏ Set the adjustment lever to the value that matches the thickness of the paper

you are using. The setting for normal paper is 1. Set the lever to a larger value for thicker paper , or to a smaller v alue for thinner paper. See the table on page 58 for details.

Release lever

Adjustment lever

❏ Unlock the tractor on the left (when viewing the printer from behind) by

pulling its gray lever up, and adjust the position of the left tractor.

Loading fanfold paper 11

Note that there is a guide inside the printer in front of the left tractor. The mark of the guide indicates where the left margin of the printing will be.

▼

❏ Once the left tractor is aligned the way you want it, push the gray lever

back down to lock it in place.

❏ Now move the tractor on the right to the approximate position of the right

side of the paper you are using. Pull its gray lever up to unlock it, and push the lever back down to lock it into place. Also move the center paper support so that it is approximately halfway between the two tractors.

Sheet guide Pin tractor

❏ Open the covers of both tractors and align the paper so that the pins on the

tractors are inserted into the holes of the paper.

❏ Close the tractor covers. At this point you can make ﬁnal adjustments to the

paper position by releasing the gray levers and moving the tractors. The paper should lie ﬂat with no buckling or bulging (tractors too close) or no stretching or elongation of the holes (tractors too far apart). After making these adjustments, be sure that you re-lock the tractors by pushing the gray levers back into their original positions.

❏ Plug the printer back into its AC power source. The printer will beep a

number of times to indicate that paper is not loaded.

12 Printer Setup

❏ Press the control panel’s LF button and the paper will feed to the starting

position.

Printing on fanfold paper

When printing on fanfold paper, take care not to print too close to the perforations that separate each sheet. The following shows the recommended print area for fanfold paper, cut-sheet paper, labels and envelope.

Printing on fanfold paper 13

18 mm (0.7")

Perforation

Bottom of Form

6.35 mm (0.25")min.

Fanfold paper

4 mm (0.16")

4 mm (0.16") 4 mm (0.16")

6 mm (0.25")

Labels

2.54 mm (0.1") min.

Label

C : 2.54 mm (0.1") min.

Perforation

6.35 mm (0.25")min.

18 mm (0.7")

Cut-sheet paper

5 mm (0.2")

25.4 mm (1")

4 mm (0.16")

6 mm (0.25")

Envelope

12.7 mm (0.5")

5 mm

(0.2")

25.4 mm (1")

14 Printer Setup

Parking fanfold paper

It is not necessary to remove fanfold paper currently loaded in the printer in order to print on cut-sheet paper fed by hand. Instead, simply use the following procedure to park the fanfold paper.

❏ Tear off the paper at a perforation so there is no more than half a page

sticking out of the front cover of the printer. If necessary, you can press the control panel’s ON LINE button to put the

printer off-line. Then use the LF button to feed the paper until a perforation is just past the front cover.

❏ Press the control panel’s ON LINE button to put the printer on-line. ❏ Press the control panel’s LF button. The printer automatically reverse feeds

the fanfold paper until it is no longer in contact with the platen.

❏ Set the release lever on the back of the printer to the cut-sheet position.

The paper is now parked, and you can load cut-sheet paper into the printer using the procedures under “Manual sheet feeding” on page 59.

Unparking fanfold paper

After you are finished printing on cut-sheet paper, use the following procedure to unpark fanfold paper and make it available for printing.

❏ If any cut-sheet paper is still in the printer, put the printer on-line and then

press the control panel’s LF button to eject it.

❏ Check to make sure the printer is off-line. ❏ Set the release lever on the back of the printer to the fanfold position. ❏ Press the control panel’s LF button. The printer automatically feeds the

fanfold paper back into position, ready for printing.

Using the tear-off function

The following procedure makes it easy to tear off fanfold paper without disturbing the current position of the paper.

❏ Check to make sure that the printer is on-line. ❏ Press the control panel’s MODE button.

The printer feeds the perforation of the fanfold paper to the tear-off edge of the printer cover.

❏ Tear off the paper. ❏ When you resume printing, the printer reverse feeds the paper to its former

position.

Connecting to your computer

The computer sends data to the printer through a cable. This printer does not come with a cable, so you must purchase one separately. You will probably want to use a standard parallel cable for connection, but note that you can also use an optional serial-to-parallel interface converter (SPC-8K).

Important!

The following instructions apply to the Centronics parallel cable that is used with an IBM-compatible personal computer. Note that they do not apply to all types of computers and cables. If you are unsure about what type of cable you should use to connect with your computer, consult your dealer.

Connecting to your computer 15

For an IBM-compatible personal computer:

✓ Use a standard 36-pin Centronics parallel cable. ✓ The parallel cable should be no longer than six feet (two meters). Longer

Important!

Make sure that the printer is unplugged from the AC outlet and that the computer is switched off before connecting them.

❏ Plug one end of the parallel cable into the parallel port of your computer.

cables can result in poor transfer of information.

The parallel port should be labeled “Printer,” “Parallel,” “PRN,” “LPT1,” or something similar.

16 Printer Setup

❏ Plug the other end of the parallel cable into the socket on the side of the

printer and secure it in place with the clips.

Note:

Consult your dealer for details on how to set up your computer when using the optional SPC-8K serial-to-parallel interface converter.

Chapter 2: Control Panel Operations

The control panel gives you push-button control over the printer’s power and paper feed operations. It also includes indicator lights, which tell you the current status of the printer at a glance.

BANK SW A1

ROMAN

SANSERIF

COURIER

PRESTIGE

ORATOR

QUIET

MICRO FEED

POWER

DRAFT

QUIET

FONT MODE LF ON LINE

This chapter describes general functions that can be performed using the control panel buttons while the printer is turned on and either on-line or off-line. The buttons perform different functions in the EDS and Dot Adjustment Modes. Functions of control panel buttons in these modes are described in the relevant sections covering them.

Important!

The procedures described in this chapter will not work if paper is not loaded into the printer. Be sure to use the procedures on page 9 of this manual to load paper before trying any of the following operations.

Switching between on-line and off-line

Press ON LINE to switch the printer between being on-line and off-line.

❏ ❏ When the printer is on-line, the ON LINE indicator is lit and the printer can

receive data from the computer. You should make sure that the printer is online whenever you are trying to print.

❏ When the printer is in off-line, the ON LINE indicator goes out, which

means that the printer cannot receive any data.

Important!

Make sure that the on-line/off-line setting of the printer is correct before performing any other control panel operations.

18 Control Panel Operations

Paper loading

Prepare either cut-sheet or fanfold paper for feeding.

❏

For details on how to prepare for paper feeding, see page 9 for fanfold paper and page 59 for cut-sheet paper.

❏ The POWER indicator ﬂashes to indicate there is no paper in the printer. ❏ When using fanfold paper, press LF to feed the paper into the printer.

When using cut-sheet paper, insert the paper into the front of the printer using the left paper guide. The paper is automatically fed into the printer.

Line feed

Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit).

❏ ❏ Press LF once to feed paper one line. Holding down LF continually feeds

paper, one line at a time, until you release the button.

Paper eject (cut-sheet paper)

Make sure the printer is on-line (ON LINE indicator is lit).

❏ ❏ Press LF to eject the paper. ❏ After the paper is ejected, the printer will beep and the POWER indicator

will ﬂash to indicate there is no paper in the printer.

Form feed (fanfold paper)

Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit).

❏ ❏ While holding down LF, press ON LINE to feed the paper to the top of the

next page.

Parking fanfold paper

Make sure the printer is on-line (ON LINE indicator is lit).

❏ ❏ Press LF to eject the paper. ❏ After the paper is ejected, the printer will beep and the POWER indicator

will ﬂash to indicate there is no paper in the printer.

❏ Later, you can press LF again to feed the paper back into the printer.

Micro feed

Use the following operation to feed the paper in very small increments. This makes it possible to align the print head exactly where you want it.

❏ Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ While holding down ON LINE, press LF to feed the paper forward or

MODE to feed the paper backward.

Setting the top of form position

The current position of paper loaded in the printer is automatically set as the top of the page whenever you turn power on. You can also use the following procedure at any time to specify a different position as the top of the page.

❏ Prepare either cut-sheet or fanfold paper for feeding. ❏ Press LF to feed the paper into the printer. ❏ Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Use the micro feed operations (see above) to move the paper so that the

print head is located where you want the new top of form position to be.

❏ While holding down FONT, press LF.

The printer will beep once to indicate that a new top of form position has been set.

Micro feed 19

Setting the print mode

Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit).

❏ ❏ Press the control panel’s MODE button to switch between NLQ (DRAFT

indicator is not lit) and draft (DRAFT indicator is lit) printing. NLQ printing provides high quality, but is somewhat slower. Draft printing

is quicker, but the quality is not as good as NLQ.

Tear-off function (fanfold paper)

This procedure feeds fanfold paper to a position where it can be torn off easily.

❏ Make sure the printer is on-line (ON LINE indicator is lit). ❏ Press the control panel’s MODE button. ❏ Tear off the paper. ❏ When you resume printing, the printer reverse feeds the paper to its former

position.

This operation causes the paper to be fed automatically so the tear assist edge of the printer cover is aligned with the paper’s next perforation.

20 Control Panel Operations

Selecting a font

Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit).

❏ ❏ Press FONT to change the font selection. An indicator lights to the left of

the name of the font that is currently selected.

Lit Indicator Font Name

ROMAN Roman

ROMAN + COURIER Sanserif

COURIER Courier

COURIER + ORATOR Prestige

ORATOR Orator

Selecting the Quiet Print Mode

The Quiet Print Mode lets you print with less noise than that produced with normal printing. Use the following procedure to enter and exit the Quiet Print Mode.

Important!

Though the Quiet Print Mode prints more quietly, it also causes printing to take considerably longer than normal printing.

❏ Make sure the printer is on-line (ON LINE indicator is lit). ❏ Press FONT, to toggle between the Quiet Print Mode and normal printing.

The QUIET indicator is lit when the Quiet Print Mode is selected, and is not lit when normal printing is selected.

Changing the auto load position

Normally the printer automatically feeds paper to a standard position (1/6-inch from the top of the paper). This is called the auto load position. You can use the following procedure to specify a different auto load position.

❏ Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ While holding down ON LINE, press FONT and then release the two

buttons. The printer will automatically eject the cut-sheet that is in the printer, or

reverse feed fanfold paper until it is no longer in contact with the platen. Also, all the font and pitch indicators on the control panel will light.

❏ Press FONT to feed the paper to the starting position. ❏ Feed the paper so the print head is located where you want the new auto

load position to be. Press LF to feed the paper forward and MODE to feed the paper backward.

This is the micro feed operation.

❏ After you have the paper at the position you want, hold down ON LINE

and press LF to make the current print head position the new auto load position. The printer will beep twice to indicate that the new auto load position is set.

❏ To clear the new auto load position and return to the one that you set

previously (using the above procedure), press ON LINE. To clear the currently set auto load position and return to the standard position (1/6-inch from the top of the paper), hold down ON LINE and press FONT.

Note:

The auto load position you set remains in effect until you turn the printer of f . If you want to save the auto load position in memory, press MODE instead of LF while holding down ON LINE in the above step.

Saving a macro

Saving a macro 21

Normally, any settings you make on the control panel are cleared when you turn the printer off. Use the following procedure to save the current control panel settings so that they are used whenever you turn the printer on.

❏ Make the control panel settings you want. ❏ Use ON LINE to put the printer off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Hold down FONT and then MODE. Keep both b uttons held do wn until the

printer beeps twice. Pressing FONT normally changes the font setting, so when you press it in

the above step, the next font will be indicated. Pressing MODE, however, returns the font setting to what it was before you pressed FONT.

This procedure saves the following settings.

• Current font and print mode

• Quiet Mode status These items can be set separately for the Standard mode and the IBM mode.

❏ To clear saved control panel settings repeat the above procedure, but keep

FONT and MODE depressed after the printer beeps twice. Soon the printer will beep again three times to indicate that the saved control panel settings have been cleared.

22 Control Panel Operations

Clearing the printer’s buffer

When the printer receives data from a computer, it temporarily stores it in a memory called a buffer. If you stop a printing job partway through, there is the chance that some data will remain in the buffer. The following procedure clears the printer’s buffer by deleting any data that might be there.

❏ Execute the necessary command in the program you are using to stop the

print job.

Important!

Be sure to stop the print job before taking the printer off line. Otherwise, the print job will resume from where you interrupted it when you put the printer back on-line.

❏ Use ON LINE to take the printer off line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Hold down FONT and then ON LINE. Keep both buttons held down until

the printer beeps once, which indicates that the buffer is cleared.

Initializing the printer

The following procedure initializes the printer to its power-on settings. If you have control panel settings stored in memory, this procedure sets up the printer using them.

❏ Use ON LINE to take the printer off line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Hold down FONT and then ON LINE. Keep both buttons held down until

the printer beeps once (indicating the printer buffer is cleared) and then beeps again three times, which indicates that the printer is reset.

Chapter 3: Using the EDS Mode

The letters “EDS” stand for “Electronic DIP Switches.” Just like the small DIP switches that are used by many computers, printers, and other devices, the EDS lets you configure the printer so that it matches your system and software needs. This chapter describes how to enter the printer’s EDS Mode and provides details about available settings and how to change them.

All switch settings, except for F-2, are ON when the printer is shipped from the factory.

About EDS Mode settings

EDS Mode settings are grouped among six “banks” (representing banks of switches) that are identified by the letters A through F. Each bank contains a number of “switches” numbered 1 through 6 that you can turn on and off to configure the printer.

Entering the EDS Mode

Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer.

❏ ❏ Turn off the printer. ❏ While holding down the control panel’s MODE, LF, and ON LINE

buttons, turn the printer back on. This causes the following message to be printed, which indicates the printer

is in the EDS Mode.

24 Using the EDS Mode

Selecting a bank

While in the EDS Mode, use the control panel’s FONT button to select a

❏

bank. Indicators on the left side of the control panel light to show which bank is currently selected.

Lit Indicator Selected Bank

ROMAN A

ROMAN + COURIER B

COURIER C

COURIER + ORATOR D

ORATOR E

ROMAN + COURIER + ORATOR F

Selecting a switch

While in the EDS Mode, use the control panel’s MODE button to select a

❏

bank switch. Indicators on the right side of the control panel light to show which switch is currently selected.

Lit Indicator Selected Switch

POWER 1

POWER + DRAFT 2

DRAFT 3

DRAFT + QUIET 4

QUIET 5

POWER + DRAFT + QUIET 6

Changing a switch setting

After selecting a bank and switch, press the control panel’s LF button to

❏

turn the switch on and off. The current setting of the switch is indicated by the ON LINE indicator: the indicator is lit when the switch is on, and is not lit when the switch is off.

Printing the current switch settings

In the EDS Mode, hold down the control panel’s ON LINE button and

❏

press the LF button to print out the current switch settings. Asterisks on the printout show whether a switch is turned on or off.

Exiting the EDS Mode

Press the control panel’s ON LINE button to exit the EDS Mode.

❏

EDS Mode Settings

The following details all of the settings you can program in the EDS Mode.

BANK A

Switch 1: Emulation

Selects Standard emulation (ON) or IBM emulation (OFF). Standard emulation causes the printer to act like the Epson ESC/P (9-pin), while IBM emulation makes it act like the IBM Proprinter III.

Switch 2: Character Table

The function of this switch depends on whether you are using IBM or Standard emulation.

Printing the current switch settings 25

Emulation

Standard

IBM

Switch 2

Setting

ON Graphics: IBM Character Set #2

OFF Italics: Italic character table used

ON IBM Character Set #2

OFF IBM Character Set #1

Description

Switch 3: RAM Usage

Specifies whether RAM should be used as an input buffer (ON) or as a download buffer (OFF). Selecting input buffer (ON) tells the printer to use available RAM to store data it receives from the computer, which speeds up the printing. Selecting download buffer (OFF) tells the printer to use available RAM to store character patterns.

26 Using the EDS Mode

Switch 4: Not used Switch 5: Paper Out Detector

Specifies whether the printer’s paper out detector is enabled (ON) or disabled (OFF). When the paper out detector is enabled (ON), the printer automatically stops printing whenever it senses there is no more paper. When it is disabled (OFF), the printer continues printing as long as there is data. Selecting disabled (OFF) makes it possible to print right up to the bottom of a page, but it also creates the danger of printing when there is no paper loaded in the printer, which can damage the print head and platen.

Switch 6: Not used

BANK B

Switch 1: Graphics Direction

Selects uni-directional (OFF) or bi-directional (ON) printing for graphics. Bidirectional printing (ON) is faster, while uni-directional (OFF) printing generally provides better print quality in the graphics mode.

Switch 2: Auto Tear-off

Specifies whether the printer’s auto tear-off feature (page 19) is enabled (OFF) or disabled (ON). Note that this setting controls the application software’s tearoff function only. It does not affect the manual tear-off function that is performed using the control panel buttons as described on page 19. The manual tear-off function is always enabled.

Switch 3: Line Spacing

Selects 1/6-inch (ON) or 1/8-inch (OFF) spacing between lines.

Switch 4: Auto LF with CR

Specifies whether auto LF with CR is enabled (OFF) or disabled (ON). When auto LF with CR is enabled (OFF), the printer automatically performs a line feed whenever it receives a carriage return from the computer. When it is disabled (ON), the computer must send both a line feed code and a carriage return code at the end of each line. Most applications do this automatically. Note the following checkpoints when trying to figure out which setting to use here:

✓ If you ﬁnd that your output is double-spaced when it should not be, turn

this switch ON (Disabled).

✓ If you ﬁnd that lines are printing over each other, turn this switch OFF

(Enabled).

BANK C

EDS Mode Settings 27

Switch 5: Zero Style

Specifies whether a normal zero (ON) or a slashed zero (OFF) will be used. Selecting Normal (ON) prints zeros without lines running through them, while Slashed (OFF) prints zeros with a diagonal slash running through them.

Switch 6: Reserved

Switches 1, 2: Print Mode

Turn these switches on or off to select the print mode you want to use.

Print Mode SW1 SW2

Draft ON ON NLQ ON OFF

Switches 3, 4, 5: Print Pitch

Turn these switches on or off to form the pattern that matches the print pitch setting you want to make.

Print Pitch SW3 SW4 SW5

10cpi ON ON ON 12cpi OFF ON ON 17cpi ON OFF ON 20cpi OFF OFF ON

Proportional ON ON OFF

Switch 6: Quiet

When the Quiet Mode is enabled (OFF), the printer prints with less noise than normal printing. Though the Quiet Mode prints more quietly, it also takes considerably longer than normal printing.

28 Using the EDS Mode

BANK D

Switches 1, 2, 3, 4: Page Length

Turn these switches on or off to form the pattern that matches the Page Length setting you want to make.

Page Length SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4

11”/Letter ON ON ON ON

8” OFF ON ON ON

11.7”/A4 ON OFF ON ON 12” OFF OFF ON ON

8.5”/Letter ON ON OFF ON 14”/Legal OFF ON OFF ON

10.5”/Executive ON OFF OFF ON

7.25”/Executive OFF OFF OFF ON

3.5” ON ON ON OFF

5.5” OFF ON ON OFF

BANK E

Switches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: Code Page/International Character Set

If your EDS settings specify IBM emulation (Bank A, Switch 1 OFF) with either character table (Bank A, Switch 2), or Standard emulation (Bank A, Switch 1 ON) with the graphics character table (Bank A, Switch 2 ON), use the Bank E switches to select the default character code page you want to use.

EDS Mode Settings 29

Code Page SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5

#437 IBM-PC ON ON ON ON ON #850 Multi-lingual OFF ON ON ON ON #860 Portuguese ON OFF ON ON ON #861 Icelandic OFF OFF ON ON ON #863 Canadian French ON ON OFF ON ON #865 Nordic OFF ON OFF ON ON

#866 Russian ON OFF OFF ON ON #3840 IBM-Russian OFF OFF OFF ON ON #3841 Gost-Russian ON ON ON OFF ON #3843 Polish OFF ON ON OFF ON #3844 CS2 ON OFF ON OFF ON #3845 Hungarian OFF OFF ON OFF ON #3846 Turkish ON ON OFF OFF ON #3847 Brazil-ABNT OFF ON OFF OFF ON #3848 Brazil-ABICOMP ON OFF OFF OFF ON

#852 Latin-2 OFF OFF OFF OFF ON #1001 Arabic ON ON ON ON OFF

#737 Greek OFF ON ON ON OFF

#851 Greek ON OFF ON ON OFF

#869 Greek OFF OFF ON ON OFF

#928 Greek ON ON OFF ON OFF #2001 Lithuanian-KBL OFF ON OFF ON OFF

#772 Lithuanian ON OFF OFF ON OFF

#774 Lithuanian OFF OFF OFF ON OFF #3001 Estonian-1 ON ON ON OFF OFF #3002 Estonian-2 OFF ON ON OFF OFF #3011 Latvian-1 ON OFF ON OFF OFF #3012 Latvian-2 OFF OFF ON OFF OFF #3021 Bulgarian ON ON OFF OFF OFF #3031 Hebrew OFF ON OFF OFF OFF #3041 Maltese ON OFF OFF OFF OFF

30 Using the EDS Mode

A code page is the set of symbols and characters that your printer can print. Your printer converts ASCII hexadecimal data according to a code page to print symbols and characters. By supporting different code pages, the printer can print in a variety of different languages. The following table shows detailed information about code pages.

Code Page Name Country Remarks

#437 IBM PC

#850 Multi-Lingual

#860 Portuguese Portugal #861 Icelandic Iceland #863 Canadian French Canada #865 Nordic Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden Preferred by Microsoft

#866 Russian Russia Preferred by Microsoft #3840 IBM-Russian Russia, Bulgaria #3841 Gost-Russian Russia Gost: government standard #3843 Polish Poland Also called “Mazowia” #3844 CS2 Czech Republic Also called “Kamenicky” #3845 Hungarian Hungary #3846 Turkish Turkey #3847 Brazil-ABNT #3848 Brazil-ABICOMP

#852 Latin-2

United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, United States, Spain

Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia

Preferred by Microsoft

#1001 Arabic

#737 Greek Greece Almost 80%

#851 Greek Greece

#869 Greek Greece

Egypt, Saudi Arabia Mainly in Arabic speaking

countries

EDS Mode Settings 31

Code Page Name Country Remarks

#928 Greek Greece For UNIX #2001 Lithuanian-KBL Lithuania Commonly used for DOS

#772 Lithuanian Lithuania New standard

#774 Lithuanian Lithuania #3001 Estonian-1 Estonia #3002 Estonian-2 Estonia Most often used #3011 Latvian-1 Latvia #3012 Latvian-2 Latvia Government standard #3021 Bulgarian Bulgaria #3031 Hebrew Israel #3041 Maltese Malta

32 Using the EDS Mode

If your EDS settings specify Standard emulation (Bank A, Switch 1 ON) with the italic character table (Bank A, Switch 2 OFF), use the Bank E switches to select the international character set you want to use. This setting determines the assignment of 14 character codes in the Standard Italic character set.

International

Character Set

U.S.A. ON ON ON ON ON France OFF ON ON ON ON Germany ON OFF ON ON ON England OFF OFF ON ON ON Denmark-1 ON ON OFF ON ON Sweden OFF ON OFF ON ON Italy ON OFF OFF ON ON Spain-1 OFF OFF OFF ON ON Japan ON ON ON OFF ON Norway OFF ON ON OFF ON Denmark-2 ON OFF ON OFF ON Spain-2 OFF OFF ON OFF ON Latin America ON ON OFF OFF ON Korea OFF ON OFF OFF ON Ireland ON OFF OFF OFF ON

SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5

Legal OFF OFF OFF OFF ON

BANK F

Note:

EDS Mode Settings 33

Switches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: NLQ Font Selection

Turn these switches on or off to form the pattern that identifies the font you want to use for NLQ printing.

Font SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5

Roman ON ON ON ON ON

Sanserif OFF ON ON ON ON

Courier ON OFF ON ON ON

Prestige OFF OFF ON ON ON

Orator OFF OFF OFF ON ON

Bank C Switches 1 and 2 must be in the correct position before this setting has any effect.

Chapter 4: User Setup Utility

The User Setup Utility is included on the floppy disk that comes with the printer. It allows you to change the EDS settings of the printer from your computer.

To run the User Setup Utility, you need an IBM-compatible computer running PC-DOS or MS-DOS. The computer must be equipped with a 3.5″ floppy drive and a hard disk drive.

In this chapter you will learn about:

❏ Installing the User Setup Utility ❏ Starting the User Setup Utility ❏ Editing setup data ❏ Loading and saving setup data ❏ Exiting the User Setup Utility and sending the settings to the printer

Important!

See the “readme.txt” ﬁle for important information that became available after this documentation was printed.

All the procedures in this chapter assume that you are using a mouse and that you are familiar with common mouse operations like click and double-click. If you need information on mouse operations, see your computer manual. If you want to operate the User Setup Utility using the keyboar d instead of the mouse , follow the instructions that appear on your computer’s screen.

Installing the User Setup Utility

Insert the disk that contains the User Setup Utility into one of your

❏

computer’s disk drives. This explanation assumes you are using the A: drive, but you could use any drive. Just remember to change the “A:” drive name speciﬁcations in the following steps to the name of the drive you are using.

❏ Execute the following commands to start installation of the User Setup

Utility. The following commands assume you are starting from drive C:, and the ﬂoppy that contains the User Setup Utility is inserted in drive A:.

C:\>A: ↵ A:\>CD UTILITY↵ A:\UTILITY>SETUP↵

Starting the User Setup Utility 35

Setting for Install

Language: English

Printer Type: LC-7211

Install Directory: c:\star

F1=Install F2=Cancel

❏ Pull down the list of available languages under Language: and double-

click the one you want to use.

❏ Click the Install Directory: box to change it into an input box. ❏ Input the drive name and directory where you want the User Setup Utility

installed. Make sure to include the full path to the directory. You can use your computer’s left and right arrow keys, Delete key, and

backspace key to move around the input box and make changes to the text inside it.

❏ Click Install to install the User Setup Utility and start it up.

Starting the User Setup Utility

After you install the User Setup Utility, you can start it an y time by mo ving

❏

to the directory you speciﬁed in the previous section and inputting the following:

STARSET ↵

36 User Setup Utility

Note:

Help

Exit

Emulation Standard

RAM usage Input Buffer

File

General

General

Quiet mode Disabled

Graphic Direction Bi-direction

Font

PaperF6Adjust

Port

When you start the User Setup Utility, it reads and displays the last settings that were sent to the printer by the utility.

The utility does not read the settings from the printer. It reads the settings from a ﬁle that was created the last time the utility was run, which ar e stor ed on your computer’s hard disk. If the EDS settings (or any other settings) have been changed using the printer’s control panel, those control panel settings will not be shown by the utility, and they will be replaced by the current User Setup Utility settings if you specify that current settings should be sent to the printer (page 39) when you exit the utility.

❏ Now you can use the User Setup Utility to make the setup changes you

want. You can press F1 at any time to access the on-screen help for the setup

utility.

Changing the General, Font, Paper and Adjust Settings

The following are basic operations to change settings in the General, Font, Paper and Adjust windows.

To select a window

❏ Click on the name of the window you want to select (General, Font,

Paper, Adjust, Port) by clicking on its name at the top of your computer’s

screen. When you do, the corresponding window appears on the screen. You can also select a window by pressing a function key from F4 to F8.

To select a setting box

❏ Click on the box you want to select or move to it by using your keyboard’s

Tab or arrow keys. The currently selected setting box is highlighted on the screen.

To change a setting

❏ After you select a setting box, click on the box or press Enter to pull down

a list of available settings.

❏ Select the setting you want to use in the list by double-clicking on it, or by

moving to it with the arrow keys and pressing Enter.

Note:

An asterisk to the right of a setting indicates that it is the default.

The settings in the General, Font, and Paper windows are identical to those in the EDS Mode. See “EDS Mode Settings” on page 25 for details.

Adjusting the dot alignment

Click on Adjust or press the F7 function key.

❏

Adjusting the dot alignment 37

Multi-Part Mode Normal Mode

DRAFT 0

D-Density/Speed 0

D-Density P-Graphics 0

NLQ 0

Quadruple-Density 0

F9:Test F10:Test All

Adjust

Normal-Density 0

Plotter-Graphics 0

CRT Graphics I 0

CRT Graphics II 0

Double-Density 0

❏ Use the above window to test and adjust the vertical alignment of the

printer in each printing mode. See “Adjusting the dot alignment” on page 66 for full details on dot alignment.

38 User Setup Utility

Changing the printer port

Click on Port or press the F8 function key.

❏

Port

Lpt1: 

Com1: Com2:

❏ Select the port you want to use by double-clicking on it, or by moving to it

with the arrow keys and pressing Enter.

Saving setup data in a conﬁguration ﬁle

To save setup data in a conﬁguration ﬁle so you can recall it later, click on

❏

File or press the F3 function key.

❏ Select Save from the menu that drops down by double-clicking on it, or by

moving the highlighting to it with the arrow keys and pressing Enter.

❏ Input the name that you want to assign to the conﬁguration ﬁle and press

Important!

Remember that changing User Setup Utility settings on the computer screen does not directly change them in the printer. To change the printer settings to those shown on the screen, use the Exit command (page 39).

Enter. The conﬁguration is automatically stored in the directory you speciﬁed under “Installing the User Setup Utility” on page 34, and assigned the extension “.cfg”.

Importing setup data from a configuration file 39

Importing setup data from a conﬁguration ﬁle

Click on File or press the F3 function key.

❏ ❏ Select Load from the menu that drops down by double-clicking on it, or by

moving the highlighting to it with the arrow keys and pressing Enter.

File C:\STAR\*.cfg  .. <DIR> 1995-06-15 DEFAULT .CFG 1995-06-15 PREVIOUS.CFG 1995-06-22

Load file

❏ Select the ﬁle that contains the conﬁguration you want to use by double-

clicking on its name, or by moving the highlighting to its name with the arrow keys and pressing Enter.

Returning to default settings

To make all settings revert to their defaults, perform the procedure under

❏

“Importing setup data from a conﬁguration ﬁle” in the previous section and select the ﬁle named “DEFAULT.CFG”.

Exiting the User Setup Utility

To exit the User Setup Utility, pull down the File menu and select Exit.

Exit without sending current settings. Exit after sending current settings.

❏ Select the option you want by double-clicking on it, or by moving the

highlighting to it with the arrow keys and pressing Enter. “Exit after sending current settings” sends all User Setup Utility settings to

the printer, which replaces any settings that may have been made using the printer’s control panel. “Exit without sending current settings.” exits the User Setup Utility without sending anything to the printer.

Using the Help menu

T o get information on ho w to use the User Setup Utility, click Help or press

❏

function key F1.

Exit

Chapter 5: Using the Printer with Windows 3.1

This chapter contains specific information you need to know when using the printer with Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later. It also tells you how to install the printer driver on your computer so that it can control the printer correctly. In this chapter, you will learn:

❏ How to set up for printing with Microsoft Windows 3.1 ❏ How to prepare for printing ❏ How to print a document ❏ How to install TrueType fonts ❏ How to select fonts from within an application

Setting up for printing with Microsoft Windows 3.1

This printer is designed to work best with computers running Microsoft Windows 3.1. If you are running an earlier version of Windows, we recommend that you upgrade to 3.1.

Before you can use the printer with Windows, you must first use the procedure outlined below to install the printer driver that is supplied on the 3.5” floppy disk that comes with the printer. This procedure assumes that you are using a mouse and that you are familiar with common mouse operations like click and double-click. If you need information on mouse operations or if you want to install the printer driver without using a mouse, refer to your Microsoft Windows User’s Guide.

❏ Insert the disk that contains the printer driver into one of your computer’s

disk drives. This explanation assumes you are using a drive named “A:”, but you could use any drive. Just remember to change the “A:” in the following steps to the name of the drive you are using.

❏ In the Main group, double-click on the Control Panel icon. ❏ Double-click on the Printers icon in the Control Panel window.

Setting up for printing with Microsoft Windows 3.1 41

❏ Click Add and the dialog box will expand to show a List of Printers. ❏ In the List of Printers: box, select Install Unlisted or Updated Printer. ❏ Click Install. ❏ This causes the Install Driver dialog box to appear, which instructs you to

insert the disk that contains the printer driver file.

❏ Click Browse. ❏ In the Directories: list, select WIN 31. ❏ Click on the language you want to use and then click OK.

We will use English in all of our examples here.

❏ In the List of Printers: box of the Add Unlisted or Updated Printer

dialog box, select the Star printer driver and then click OK. This causes the Printers dialog box to appear. The STAR printer is now

listed in the Installed Printers: list.

42 Using the Printer with Windows 3.1

❏ Double-click on the name of the printer model you just installed to select it

as the default printer.

❏ Click Close to close the Printers dialog box.

Note:

Windows applications automatically print on the currently selected default printer. If you want to print on a different printer, you must ﬁrst select it.

Getting ready to print

Before printing, there are a number of things you must first do to set up the printer. You must select the printer driver, and the paper source, size, and orientation. Use the following procedure to make these selections.

Note:

You do not need to perform printer driver and paper selections mentioned above each time you print, but only if there are any changes to the last selections you made.

❏ In the Windows Program Manager, open the Main group by clicking on its

icon.

❏ Double-click on the Control Panel icon. ❏ Double-click on the Printers icon in the Control Panel window. ❏ Double-click on the name of the printer model you selected above to

choose it as the default printer.

❏ Click on Setup to display the window for setting up your printer.

Printing a document 43

❏ From this window you select buttons that let you control a wide variety of

printer setup parameters. This manual does not include any information about how to do this because everything you need to kno w is included in an on-line manual that tells you how to use all the buttons and menus that appear. To view the on-line manual, click on the Help button.

❏ After the printer is set up the way you want it, click on OK. ❏ Click on the Close button in the Printers window to save your setup and

return to the Program Manager.

Note:

Depending on the application software you are using, settings similar to those in the above procedure can be made using the Print Setup command of the File menu instead of the Control Panel.

Printing a document

The following Print window appears when you select the Print command of the File menu of your Windows application.

44 Using the Printer with Windows 3.1

Note:

The actual appearance of the Print window may differ somewhat depending on the application you are using.

Use this window to specify the range of the pages to be printed, the quality of the printing (in dots per inch), and the number of copies you want to print. Note also that there are boxes that you can select to specify printing to a file or collating (printing from back to front).

You can change the printer setup by clicking on the Setup button. When you do, the following window for setting up your printer appears on the display.

Make changes by clicking on the appropriate radio button or highlighting your selection on the appropriate pull-down menu.

Installing TrueType fonts

The TrueType fonts that are supplied on one of the 3.5” floppy disks that come with the printer can be used only when you are running Windows 3.1 or later. Use the following procedure to install the fonts.

❏ Launch Windows. ❏ Close any applications that may be open. ❏ Open the Windows Control Panel. ❏ Double-click the Fonts icon and the Fonts dialog box appears. ❏ Click Add and the Add Fonts dialog box appears.

Selecting fonts in Windows applications 45

❏ Insert the disk that contains the fonts into one of your computer’s disk

drives. This explanation assumes you are using a dri ve named “A:”, but you could use any drive. Just remember to change the “A:” in the following steps to the name of the drive you are using.

❏ Select the drive letter that represents where the ﬂoppy disk is installed.

When you do, the names of all the fonts on the disk appear in the List of Fonts window. Select the fonts you want to install by clicking on their

names. If you want to install all of the fonts, click Select All.

❏ Click OK. The Fonts dialog box appears and installation is performed. The

names of the newly installed fonts are automatically added to the Installed Fonts list.

❏ If you were in an application program when you installed the new fonts,

you will need to select Printer Setup from the application’s File menu and reselect the printer. After that, the application can display on-screen text and print text on the printer using the newly installed fonts.

Selecting fonts in Windows applications

Refer to the manual of the application you are using for details on how to select fonts within that application.

In addition to the Windows fonts, you can also use the TrueType fonts that come with this printer.

Chapter 6: Using the printer with Windows 95

This chapter describes how to use the printer with Microsoft Windows 95. The following topics are covered:

❏ Setting up the printer in Windows 95 ❏ Preparing for printing ❏ Printing a document ❏ Installing the TrueType fonts

Note:

The ﬁle “readme.txt” on the ﬂoppy disk contains any late-br eaking information that has been made available since this manual was printed.

Setting up the printer in Windows 95

To use the printer with Windows 95, you need to install a file known as the printer driver onto your computer. This file is supplied on the floppy disk that comes with the printer.

The following description assumes that you are using a mouse (“click” and “double-click” refer to the action of using the mouse to point at an item with the on-screen pointer, and then clicking either once, or twice in quick succession).

To install the printer driver under Windows 95, use the following steps:

❏ Turn on the printer and start up your computer. ❏ Click on the Start button in the bottom lefthand corner of the screen. ❏ Select Settings. ❏ Release the mouse button on Printers. ❏ Double-click on the Add Printer icon in the Printers window.

❏ Click on the Next button.

Setting up the printer in Windows 95 47

❏ When the above window is displayed, make sure the Local printer radio

button is checked. Then click on the Next button twice, and click on the Back button.

❏ Click on the Have Disk button. ❏ Insert the disk with the printer driver ﬁle on it into the ﬂoppy disk drive.

Make sure that the drive’s name (“A:” or “B:”) is displayed in the ﬁeld named Copy manufactur er’ s ﬁles fr om:. To select a drive name, click on the arrow by the side of the ﬁeld and select the drive from the list that appears.

❏ Click on the Browse button. A list of folders on the ﬂoppy disk is

displayed.

❏ Select “WIN95” (either by double-clicking on it or by clicking on it and

clicking on the OK button).

❏ Click on the OK button twice.

48 Using the printer with Windows 95

❏ Select the language or language group you want to use by clicking on it. ❏ Select the printer model name (“Star LC-7211”) by clicking on it and then

click on the Next button.

Note:

❏ Select the printer port to which the printer is connected by clicking on it

(usually “LPT1”). Click on the Next button.

❏ Change the printer name if you want. If you have previously installed

another printer, you must select whether you want the new printer to be the default printer. Click on the appropriate radio button.

Windows applications always print to the currently selected default printer, unless the user chooses a different printer from within the application.

❏ Click on the Next button. ❏ Select whether to print out a test page by clicking on the appropriate radio

button.

❏ Click on the Finish button. ❏ If a message appears requesting you to insert the Windows 95 CD-ROM,

insert it into the CD-ROM drive and click on the OK button.

❏ If a message appears saying that the printer driver ﬁle LC7211.DRV cannot

be found on the Windows 95 CD-ROM, click on the Bro wse button, select the ﬂoppy disk drive’s name (“A:” or “B:”), click on “WIN95” in the list of directories and click on the OK button (or double-click on “WIN95”).

❏ Click on the OK button.

This concludes the printer set-up.

Preparing to print

Often you can simply select the Print command in the application you are using, click the OK button, and your document will be printed out. However, sometimes you may need to change certain settings beforehand, such as the default printer, which port a printer uses, which printer driver it uses, the paper size, the paper source etc.

Settings are made by checking radio buttons, entering numbers into fields or by clicking on the arrow by the side of a ﬁeld and selecting an option from the list that appears. All these settings, and how to make them, are fully explained in the Microsoft Windows 95 User’s Guide.

Some settings, e.g. paper size and paper source, can be made within an application when you select the Print command (see the next section: Printing a document). However, settings made within an application only affect printing from that application.

To change the default printer and to make general settings that will apply to any application, proceed as follows:

❏ Click on the Start button in the bottom lefthand corner of the screen. ❏ Select Settings. ❏ Release the mouse button on Printers.

Preparing to print 49

50 Using the printer with Windows 95

❏ Double-click on the icon bearing the name of the printer (Star LC-7211) in

the Printers window. A window appears listing any documents that are currently being printed on the printer.

❏ Click on the Printer menu. ❏ To set the printer as the default printer, click on the Set As Default

command so that a tick mark appears in the check box. This denotes that the selected printer is the default printer.

❏ Click on the Printer menu and click on the Properties command.

❏ Click on any of the ﬁve index-card type buttons and change the parameter

settings as you require. For a detailed explanation of any of the settings, click on the “?” button on the top right of the window and then click on the relevant parameter ﬁeld. Click once more to clear the help message from the screen.

Note:

Paper, Graphics

select the application only apply to printing from that application.

and

Device option

command in an application. However, settings made within an

settings can also be made when you

❏ Click on the Close (X) button on the top right of the Properties window. ❏ Click on the Close (X) button on the top right of the printer’s window

This concludes the printing preparation. The printer which you selected is now the default printer, and the page size, paper source setting and any other settings which you made for the printer, apply to printing from all applications. To override these settings for a specific application, refer to the next section, Printing a document.

Printing a document

Windows 95 applications always print to the currently selected default printer. If you want to change the default printer, refer to the previous section,

Preparing to print.

To print from any Windows 95 application, proceed as follows:.

❏ Click on the application’s File menu. ❏ Click on the Print command.

Note:

The actual appearance of the Print window may differ somewhat depending on the application you are using.

❏ If you do not want to use the default printer, select a different printer by

clicking on the arrow by the side of the Name ﬁeld and selecting one from the list that appears.

❏ Click on the Properties button. ❏ If you want to change any of the printing settings, for example paper size,

orientation or paper source, click on the appropriate index card-type button (Paper , Graphics or Device options) and change the parameter settings as you require. For a detailed explanation of any of the settings, click on the ? button on the top right of the window and then click on the relevant parameter ﬁeld. Click once more to clear the help message from the screen. Changes you make here apply only to printing from the current application

❏ Click on the Close (X) button on the top right of the window.

Printing a document 51

❏ Select how many copies of the document will be printed by entering the

appropriate number into the Number of copies ﬁeld. If you want to print all the pages in your document, make sure that the All radio button is checked. If you do not want to print all the pages in your document, enter the ﬁrst and last pages to print into the from and to ﬁelds.

❏ If you want the output to be collated (each copy automatically sorted into

page order) or if you want to print to ﬁle (instead of a print-out, a graphic ﬁle of the print-out is saved on disk), check the appropriate radio button.

❏ Click on the OK button.

Your document will now be printed out.

52 Using the printer with Windows 95

Installing TrueType fonts

To install the TrueType fonts that are on the floppy disk accompanying this printer, follow the procedure below.

❏ Insert the disk in your computer’s ﬂoppy disk drive. ❏ Click on the Start button in the bottom lefthand corner of the screen. ❏ Select Settings. ❏ Release the mouse button on Control Panel. ❏ Double-click on the Fonts folder. The currently-installed font ﬁles are

displayed.

❏ Click on the Files menu.

❏ Click on the Install New Font... command. ❏ Display the drive’s name (“A:” or “B:”) in the Drives ﬁeld. To select a driv e

name, click on the arrow by the side of the ﬁeld and select the drive from the list that appears. The names of the fonts stored on the disk are displayed in the List of fonts window.

❏ Select the fonts you wish to install by clicking on them. If you want to

install all of them, click on the Select All button.

❏ Click on the OK button.

The new fonts can now be seen in the Fonts folder window. This concludes the font installation.

Chapter 7: Using the Printer with OS/2 Warp

This chapter contains specific information about using the printer with IBM OS/2 Warp. It also shows you how to install the printer driver on your computer so you can control the printer. By reading this chapter, you will learn:

❏ How to set up for printing with IBM OS/2 Warp ❏ How to prepare for printing ❏ How to print a document

Important!

See the “readme. txt” ﬁle for important information that became available after this documentation was printed.

Setting up for printing with OS/2 Warp

Before you can use the printer with OS/2 Warp, you must first perform the following procedure to install the printer driver supplied on the 3.5” floppy disk that comes with the printer.

❏ Start up the OS/2 system. ❏ Insert the ﬂoppy disk that comes with the printer into one of your

computer’s disk drives.

❏ Open the ﬂoppy in icon view. ❏ Double click on the OS2\ENG folder. ❏ Double click on the STARDM.DR_ ﬁle. ❏ Drag the printer driver whose name matches the name of your printer to the

desktop.

54 Using the Printer with OS/2 Warp

Getting ready to print

There are several steps to set up the printer before using it. You must select the printer driver, and specify the source, size, and orientation of the paper. Use the following procedure to make these selections.

Note:

You do not need to select the printer driver and paper speciﬁcations each time you print, but only if you want to change any of your previous settings.

❏ Point to the printer object. ❏ Click mouse button 2. ❏ Select Settings. ❏ Select the Printer driver tab. ❏ Point to the printer driver you want to use.

Click mouse button 2.

❏ Select Settings to display the Properties window for setting up your

printer. With the Properties window, you can click on various buttons to control a

wide variety of printer setup parameters. Everything you need to know about these settings is included in an on-line manual that tells you how to use all the buttons and menus that appear on your computer’s screen. To view the on-line manual, select Help.

❏ After you get the printer set up the way you want it, select Save.

Printing a document

Select the Print command in the File menu of the application you are using.

Chapter 8: Using the Printer with MS-DOS

This chapter contains information about how to use the printer with applications software running under MS-DOS. In this chapter, you will learn about:

❏ How to set up for printing with MS-DOS ❏ How to select fonts from within an application

Setting up for printing with MS-DOS

To print from an application running under MS-DOS, you must first select the printer from within the application. Typically, the program will feature an INSTALL or SETUP command for selection of printers. Refer to the manual for the application you are using for details on how to select a printer for it.

❏ Start up the application and use the correct procedure for that application to

select a printer. The following is a list of printers that can be used. If your application lists more than one of these, select the printer that is nearest to the top of this list. For these printers, you should use the EDS Mode or User Setup Utility to select standard emulation (page 25).

Star LC-7211

Star LC-90 / NX-1010

Star LC-100 / NX-1040

Star LC-10 / NX-1000

Epson EX-800 Epson FX-850

Epson LX-850 / LX-810

If none of the printers listed above are available in the application, choose one of the printers listed below. Once again, you should choose the printer that is nearest to the top in the following list. For these printers, you should use the EDS Mode or User Setup Utility to select IBM emulation (page 25).

IBM Proprinter III

IBM Proprinter II

IBM Proprinter

❏ To print, follow the instructions given in the manual of the application you

are using. Typically, you would select the application’s PRINT command, make any necessary changes in the window that appears (such as the number of copies to be printed), and then press the Enter key to start printing.

Chapter 9: Paper Handling

Your printer is designed to print on a variety of paper types. This chapter tells you everything you need to know about paper, and how to set the printer up for manual paper feed. In this chapter, you will learn about:

❏ Selecting the best type of paper ❏ Adjusting for paper thickness ❏ Manual sheet feeding ❏ Clearing paper jams

Selecting paper types

Use the following information when selecting paper.

Cut-Sheet Paper

Width: 5.5″ to 12″ / 140 to 305mm Length: 5.5″ to 11″/140 to 280mm (min.) Weight (1-ply): 14 to 42 lbs / 52 to 156g/m2 / 45 to 135 kg Multi-part: 11 to 14 lbs / 40 to 52g/m2 / 34 to 45 kg; pressure sensitive

paper Total Thickness: 0.020″ / 0.5mm

Copies: Original + 6

Fanfold Paper

Width: 4.5″ to 12″ / 114 to 305mm Length: 6″/152mm (min.) Weight (1-ply): 14 to 22 lbs / 52 to 82g/m2 / 45 to 70 kg Multi-part: 11 to 14 lbs / 40 to 52g/m2 / 34 to 45 kg; pressure sensitive

Copies: Original + 6

paper Total Thickness: 0.020″ / 0.5mm

Labels

Backing sheet: 4.5″ to 12″ / 114 to 305 mm Thickness:

Backing sheet 0.0028″ to 0.0035″ / 0.07 to 0.09 mm Total thickness 0.0075″ / 0.19 mm

* Use labels only under normal temperature and humidity conditions.

Envelope

#10: 9.4″ × 4.1″ / 240 × 104 mm

Adjusting for paper thickness

Paper comes in different weights, normally expressed as gsm (grams per square meter) or lbs (pounds). Some types of forms have multiple pages that make them quite thick. Use the following procedure to change the gap between the print head and the platen and adjust for paper thickness.

Adjusting for paper thickness 57

Adjustment lever

❏ Move the adjustment lever to one of its nine settings. Position 1 is most

suitable for single-sheet paper.

58 Paper Handling

The following table provides a general guide for setting the adjustment lever. Experiment with different settings until you find the one that gives you the print quality you want.

Paper Type Weight Per Sheet Thickness

14 lbs (52 gsm) 0.06 mm 1 17 lbs (64 gsm) 0.08 mm 1

Single-sheet

2-ply 11 lbs (40 gsm) 0.13 mm 2 3-ply 11 lbs (40 gsm) 0.20 mm 3 4-ply 11 lbs (40 gsm) 0.26 mm 4

Multi-part

5-ply 11 lbs (40 gsm) 0.33 mm 5 6-ply 11 lbs (40 gsm) 0.39 mm 6 7-ply 11 lbs (40 gsm) 0.45 mm 7

Labels — — 2

Envelope (#10) — — 6

21 lbs (81 gsm) 0.10 mm 1 28 lbs (104 gsm) 0.13 mm 1 42 lbs (156 gsm) 0.19 mm 2

Recommended

Position

Continuous use of the wrong adjustment lever setting can drastically reduce print head life!

Automatic fanfold feeding

See “Loading fanfold paper” on page 9 for details on using fanfold paper.

❏

Manual sheet feeding

You can use the following procedure to manually feed cut-sheet paper into the printer.

❏ Make sure that there is no fanfold paper in the printer. If there is, use the

procedure under “Parking fanfold paper” on page 14 to park the fanfold paper and prepare for manual sheet feeding.

❏ Set the release lever on the back of the printer to the cut-sheet position.

Fanfold

Cut-sheet

Manual sheet feeding 59

Release lever

❏ Set the adjustment lever to the value that matches the thickness of the paper

you are using. The setting for normal paper is 1. Set the lever to a larger value for thicker paper, or to a smaller value for thinner paper.

60 Paper Handling

❏ Adjust the paper guide to the position you want.

Note that the ▼ mark of the guide indicates where the left margin of the printing will be.

Paper guide

Scale

❏ Making sure that the left edge of the paper is against the paper guide, insert

straight a sheet of paper into the front of the printer as far as it will go. The paper will automatically be fed into the printer.

Paper guide

Paper

Table

❏ Start the printing operation from your software application. ❏ After printing is complete, press LF while the printer is on line to eject the

paper from the printer.

Note:

If you are inserting letterhead paper, insert the sheet so that it is face up with the letterhead portion up.

Clearing paper jams

Use the following procedure to clear paper jams from the printer.

❏ Turn the power off. ❏ Unplug the printer from its AC power outlet. ❏ Open the front cover of the printer. ❏ Carefully try to pull the jammed paper from the printer.

If necessary, move the release lever on the back of the printer to the fanfold position or rotate the platen knob to remove the paper.

❏ Close the front cover of the printer.

Clearing paper jams 61

Chapter 10: Optional Accessory

This chapter explains how to connect and set up the following optional accessory that is available for this printer:

❏ Serial-to-Parallel Converter (SPC-8K)

Important!

Always make sure that printer power is turned off whenever installing or removing optional accessories.

Connecting the Interface Converter

Unplug the printer from its AC power outlet.

❏ ❏ Set the DIP switches on the SPC-8K to the settings you want to use before

you connect it to your printer. See the following section for details on how to set the DIP switches

❏ Plug the interface converter’s Centronics connector into the socket on the

side of the printer and secure it in place with the clips.

Interface converter

❏ Plug one end of a serial cable into the serial interface connector’s 25-pin D-

TYPE connector.

Serial cable

Serial interface connector

❏ Plug the other end of the serial cable into your computer’s serial ports.

Important!

❏ Make sure that the serial-to-parallel converter is resting on a stable, level

Setting the converter’s DIP switches 63

Serial ports are usually marked COM1, COM 2, etc. If your computer has only one serial port, it will be marked COM1.

surface where it will not be subject to vibration or damage.

[CORRECT METHOD] [INCORRECT METHOD]

Setting the converter’s DIP switches

You should set the converter’s DIP switches so they match the settings you make on your computer. The table to the right shows the parameter that each DIP switch on the serial-to-parallel converter controls.

The tables below show all of the settings you can make with the serial-toparallel’s DIP switches to control certain parameters. The tables also include the matching settings you have to make in your MS-DOS AUT OEXEC.BAT file or with the Ports option of the Windows Control Panel. The highlighted cells in the tables indicate default settings for the serial-to-parallel converter.

Switch Function

1 Data length 2 Parity 3 Protocol 4 Protocol 5 Parity 6 Baud rate 7 Baud rate 8 Baud rate

64 Optional Accessory

Data Length

Switch 1 Data Length DOS/Windows Setting

ON 8 bits 8

OFF 7 bits 7

Parity

Switch 2 Switch 5 Parity DOS/Windows Setting

ON ON or OFF None N OFF ON Odd O OFF OFF Even E

Protocol

Switch 3 Switch 4 Protocol

ON ON DTR

Baud Rate

ON OFF XON/XOFF

OFF ON ETX/ACK

Switch 6 Switch 7 Switch 8 Baud Rate DOS/Windows Setting

OFF OFF OFF 150 bps 150 OFF OFF ON 300 bps 300 OFF ON OFF 600 bps 600 OFF ON ON 1200 bps 1200

ON OFF OFF 2400 bps 2400 ON OFF ON 4800 bps 4800 ON ON OFF 9600 bps 9600 ON ON ON 19200 bps 19200

Appendix A: Troubleshooting

The appendix will provide help if you experience problems with your printer. It tells you how to test the printer, how to check system software settings, and how to adjust the vertical alignment. In addition, there is information on actions to take for specific problems, and on the meanings of printer beep tones.

Warning!

The printer uses high voltage. Do not attempt any other r epair or maintenance except as expressly recommended in this appendix. Unauthorized repair and maintenance not only exposes you to the danger of electrical shock, it also may damage your printer and void your warranty.

Short test

Use the following procedure to test the printer to make sure that everything is working correctly.

❏ Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer. ❏ Turn off the printer. ❏ While holding down the control panel’s ON LINE button, turn the printer

back on. This test prints the version number of the software contained in the printer’s

ROM followed by the current EDS settings.

❏ To stop demo printing, turn the printer off.

Long test

Use the following procedure to test the printer to make sure that everything is working correctly.

❏ Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer. ❏ Turn off the printer. ❏ While holding down the control panel’s LF button, turn the printer back on.

❏ To stop demo printing, turn the printer off.

This test prints the title and seven lines of text, and then continues to print the entire character set for each font and pitch available.

66 Troubleshooting

Note:

Test printing prints across the entire width of the carriage. Make sure that the printer is loaded with the widest paper available in order to avoid damage to the print head and platen.

Hexadecimal dump

This procedure prints in hexadecimal format all codes (character codes and control codes) that are sent to the printer by the computer. The printer does not execute any control codes (such as 0A - linefeed), it just prints them out. The hexadecimal dump is useful when you are writing programs for printer control.

❏ Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer. ❏ Turn off the printer. ❏ While holding down the control panel’s FONT and MODE buttons, turn

the printer back on to enter the Hex Dump Mode.

❏ To exit the Hex Dump Mode, turn the printer off.

Adjusting the dot alignment

You may never have to use the procedure described in this section, but after you have been using your printer for some time you may find that the dots of some graphics do not align correctly. For example, what should look like:

may come out looking like one of the following:

or like this

This is caused when mechanical parts of the printer get out of alignment. This happens only rarely and you may never experience it at all throughout the life of the printer. If you do have problems, use the following procedure to correct it.

❏ Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer. ❏ Turn off the printer.

❏ While holding down the control panel’ s LF and ON LINE b uttons, turn the

printer back on to enter the Dot Adjustment Mode. The printer will print something like the following.

*** DOT ADJUSTMENT SETTING ***

DRAFT

Note that the printer will feed the paper forward and back each time during this operation so you can view the printout.



❏ If the three lines do not align properly, use FONT to move the middle line

to the left or MODE to move it to the right. The above step performs alignment for DRAFT mode only. You must make

separate adjustments for the D-DENSITY/SPEED, D-DENSITY PGRAPHICS, NLQ, QUADRUPLE-DENSITY, NORMAL-DENSITY, PLOTTER-GRAPHICS, CRT GRAPHICS-I, CRT GRAPHICS-II, and DOUBLE-DENSITY modes as well.

❏ Press LF to change to another printing mode. ❏ Repeat the above steps for each printing mode, if necessary. ❏ After making changes to the adjustments, press ON LINE to exit the Dot

Adjustment Mode and register your adjustments.

68 Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting guide

Use the following table to help track down the causes of problems and to determine the best solution to deal with them.

Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action

The ON LINE indicator does not light.

Printer sounds like it is printing, but it is not.

Printing is weak.

Printer test works, but printer will not print out data from the attached computer.

The printer is not receiving power.

The ribbon is jammed, twisted, or not set correctly between the print head and the print head shield.

The printer is not set up correctly for the thickness of paper you are using.

The ribbon is worn out or “used up.”

The wrong emulation is selected.

Y our application progr am’s or system software’s printer selection is wrong.

Check whether the power cord is correctly plugged into the power outlet.

Check whether the power outlet is working by unplugging the printer and plugging in another device.

Make sure that the ribbon cassette is installed correctly.

Set up the printer for the paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 57.

Replace the ribbon with a new one.

Check the emulation selection and change it if necessary. See page 25.

Check the printer selection of your application software.

The computer’s system software is not set up properly for the printer or for the port you are using.

Check the system software settings. Check the settings for LPT1, COM 1, or COM 2 if you are using the SPC-8K Serial Interface.

Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action

Printer test works, but printer will not print out data from the attached computer.

Printer does not feed paper properly.

Line spacing is incorrect. Jamming paper. Set up the printer for the

The interface cable is connected incorrectly or damaged.

Jamming paper. Remove all paper from the

The printer is not set up correctly for the thickness of paper being used.

The line spacing or leading selected in your application program is wrong.

Auto line feed with carriage return is enabled.

Check to make sure that the printer interface cable is connected correctly. If it is, try a different cable.

printer and then reload it. Set up the printer for the

paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 57.

Choose a different line spacing or leading setting from your application.

Use the EDS Mode or the User Setup Utility to disable auto line feed with carriage return (page 26).

Lines print over each other. Auto line feed with carriage

return is disabled.

Jamming paper. Set up the printer for the

Use the EDS Mode or the User Setup Utility to enable auto line feed with carriage return (page 26).

paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 57.

70 Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action

Incorrect number of lines are printed on the page.

Text and graphics are malformed.

Print quality is poor.

Forms are smudged. Printing is too dark.

Auto line feed with carriage return is enabled.

The line spacing or leading selected by your application program is wrong.

Dot adjustment is not correct.

The ribbon is worn out or “used up.”

The printer is not set up correctly for the thickness of paper being used.

The print head is damaged. Return the printer to your

The printer is not set up correctly for the thickness of paper being used.

Use the EDS Mode or the User Setup Utility to disable auto line feed with carriage return (page 26).

Choose a different line spacing or leading setting from your application.

See “Adjusting the dot alignment” on page 66.

Replace the ribbon with a new one.

Set up the printer for the paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 57.

dealer for repair. Set up the printer for the

paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 57.

The ribbon is jammed, twisted, or not set correctly between the print head and the print head shield.

Print head shield is damaged or missing.

Make sure that the ribbon cassette is installed correctly. See “Installing the ribbon cassette” on page 5.

Return it to your dealer for repair.

Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action

Printer case is hot. The printer’s air vents are

blocked or obstructed.

Printer makes excessive noise.

Printer prints past the edge of the paper.

The front cover is removed. Replace the front cover. The printer is vibrating. Move any objects that are

Incorrect margin settings are selected by your application program.

The paper guide is not positioned correctly.

The ribbon is jammed, causing the print head to jam.

Switch off the printer and let it cool. Check the air vents on the bottom of the printer to see if they are blocked. Remove the obstruction if possible. If the problem persists, return the printer to your dealer for repair.

touching the printer. Make sure that the printer is

on a level steady surface. Choose different margin

settings from your application program.

Remove the paper and adjust the position of the paper guide. Reload the paper and try printing again.

Make sure that the ribbon cassette is installed correctly. See “Installing the ribbon cassette” on page 5.

Paper is jamming, causing the print head to jam.

Remove all paper from the printer and reload it. Try printing again.

Set up the printer for the paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 57.

72 Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action

Left margin moves to the right during printing.

Some characters are printed incorrectly.

The paper is not loaded correctly, causing the print head to jam.

The ribbon cassette is not installed correctly, causing the print head to jam.

The printer is not set up correctly for the thickness of paper being used.

Inappropriate settings are selected by your application program.

Static electricity caused by interference from nearby electrical devices or by lowlevel humidity is affecting printer operation.

The wrong emulation is selected.

Remove all paper from the printer and reload it. Try printing again.

Make sure that the ribbon cassette is installed correctly. See “Installing the ribbon cassette” on page 5.

Set up the printer for the paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 57.

Choose different settings in your application.

Make sure that the printer is not too close to any devices with electric motors or that raise the humidity level.

Check the emulation selection and change it if necessary. See page 25.

The wrong character table, code page, or international character set is selected.

Static electricity caused by interference from nearby electrical devices or by lowlevel humidity is affecting printer operation.

Use the EDS Mode or the User Setup Utility to select the correct character table, code page, or international character set (page 28).

Make sure that the printer is not too close to any devices with electric motors or that raise the humidity level.

Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action

Some characters are printed incorrectly.

Printer behaves erratically. Printing suddenly stops.

Inappropriate settings are selected by your application program.

Wires are missing from the print head.

The interface cable is connected incorrectly or damaged.

Static electricity caused by interference from nearby electrical devices or by lowlevel humidity is affecting printer operation.

Choose different settings in your application.

Return the printer to your dealer for repair.

Check to make sure that the printer interface cable is connected correctly. If it is, try a different cable.

Make sure that the printer is not too close to any devices with electric motors or that raise the humidity level.

74 Troubleshooting

Checking system software settings in Windows

Whenever you have problems printing from a Windows application, you should check the following four things:

✓ Is the printer you are using set as the default printer? ✓ Is the drive setup correctly? ✓ Is the printer you are using correctly selected in your application? ✓ Is the correct port selected?

You should also refer to your Microsoft Windows User’s Guide for other information that might be helpful. If you still experience problems, consult your software dealer.

To check the default printer selection

❏ Double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main window. ❏ Double-click the Printers icon. ❏ Check to see that the name of your Star printer is the default printer. If it is

not, double-click on the name of your printer in the list of installed printers.

❏ Click on Close to return to the Control Panel window.

To check the Driver Setup

❏ Double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main window. ❏ Double-click the Printers icon. ❏ Double-click on the name of your Star printer in the list of installed

printers.

❏ Click on Setup. ❏ Check resolution, paper source, etc. ❏ Click OK. ❏ Click on Close to return to the Control Panel window.

To check the application printer selection

❏ Select Print from the application’ s File menu, and a windo w appears listing

available printers.

❏ Check to see that the name of your Star printer is selected. If it is not, select

it and try printing from your application again.

To check the port

❏ Double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main window. ❏ Double-click the Printers icon. ❏ Double-click on the name of your Star printer in the list of installed

printers.

❏ Click on Connect. ❏ Make sure that your printer cable is connected to the port highlighted in the

list of ports. If you are using a parallel cable, you will probably be using LPT1. If you are

using the optional serial-to-parallel interface converter, you should be using COM1 or COM2. Click on the correct port name.

❏ Click OK. ❏ Click on Close to return to the Control Panel window.

Checking system software settings in MS-DOS

If you are using a parallel cable and cannot print a text file using the MS-DOS PRINT command, you may have a problem with your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Open the file and look for the following line:

MODE LPT1:=COM1 or MODE LPT1:=COM2 These lines indicate you are using a serial cable connection, and so you should

delete them, save the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, reboot and try printing again. Of course, if you are having problems printing with the optional serial-to-

parallel converter, you should conversely check to make sure that one of the above lines is included in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The file must also contain information on parameter settings. For details, see the user’s manual that comes with the optional Serial-to-Parallel Interface Converter.

If the above is not the problem or if you make the above changes and still experience problems printing using the MS-DOS PRINT command, refer to your MS-DOS Users’ Guide or consult your software dealer.

If you are successful in printing using the MS-DOS PRINT command but cannot print from an application, check to see what printer driver is selected in the application. See “Setting up for printing with MS-DOS” on page 55. If this does not help, consult your software dealer.

Appendix B: Speciﬁcations

Printing System Serial Impact Dot-Matrix Printing Speed Pitch Draft (cps/dpi) NLQ (cps/dpi)

Pica (10 cpi) 225/120H 56/240H Elite (12 cpi) 270/120H 67/240H Condensed pica (17 cpi) 191/240H 95/240H Condensed elite (20 cpi) 225/240H 112/240H H: half-dot

Print Direction Draft: Bi-directional logic seeking

NLQ: Uni-directional/bi-directional logic seeking (selectable) Bit-Image: Uni-directional/bi-directional logic seeking (selectable)

Print Head Number of pins: 9

Life: 200 million dots/pin (adjustment lever position 1 to 3)

100 million dots/pin (adjustment lever position 4 to 8)

Line Spacing 1/6”, 1/8”

7/72”, n/72”, n/216”: software

Character Matrix Pitch Draft NLQ

Pica (10 cpi) 9 Elite (12 cpi) 9 × 9H 18 × 19H Condensed pica (17 cpi) 9 × 11H 18 × 12H Condensed elite (20 cpi) 9 × 9H 18 × 10H H: half-dot

Environment Operating temperature: 41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C)

Storage temperature: –22°F to 149°F (–30°C to 65°C) Operating humidity: 30% to 80% (noncondensing) Storage humidity: 20% to 90% (noncondensing)

Paper Cut-sheet

Paper width: 5.5″ to 12″ / 140 to 305 mm Paper length: 5.5″ to 11″/ 140 to 280 mm Paper weight (1-ply): 14 to 42 lbs / 52 to 156 g/m2 / 45 to 135 kg Multi-part: 11 to 14 lbs / 40 to 52 g/m2 / 34 to 45 kg; pressure

sensitive paper Total thickness: 0.020”/0.5mm

Copies: Original + 6

Fanfold

Paper width: 4.5″ to 12″ / 114 to 305mm Paper weight (1-ply): 14 to 22 lbs / 52 to 82 g/m2 / 45 to 70 kg Multi-part: 11 to 14 lbs / 40 to 52 g/m2 / 34 to 45 kg; pressure

sensitive paper Total thickness: 0.02” / 0.5mm

Copies: Original + 6

11H 18 × 23H

Labels

Backing sheet: 4.5″ to 12″ / 114 to 305 mm Thickness:

Backing sheet Total thickness

Envelope

#10 9.4″ × 4.1″ / 240 × 104 mm

Emulation Standard Mode: EPSON ESC/P (9-pin)

IBM Mode: Proprinter III

Interface Standard: Centronics parallel

Option: RS-232C serial

Ribbon Type On-carriage, dedicated

Fabric monochrome ribbon (Black only) Z9HD: Standard type LZ9: Long life type (option)

Ribbon Life Z9HD: 2 million characters (ASCII draft)

LZ9: 4 million characters (ASCII draft)

Dimensions and Weight Width: 20.67″ / 525 mm

Depth: 14.57″ / 370 mm Height: 9.06″ / 230 mm Weight: 16.1 lbs. / 7.3 kg

Power Supply 120V AC +10%/–17%, 230V AC

purchase)

Power Consumption 10W during stand-by

31W during ASCII draft printing

Options SPC-8K Serial-To-Parallel Converter

0.0028″ to 0.0035″ / 0.07 to 0.09 mm

0.0075″ / 0.19 mm max.

14%/–13%; 50/60Hz (depending on country of

Appendix C: Interface Pin Outs

Parallel Interface

Pin Name Function

1 STROBE Goes low for ≥0.5µs when active. 2 DATA0 These signals represent information for the 1st through 8th bit of parallel data, 3 DATA1 4 DATA2 5 DATA3 6 DATA4 7 DATA5 8 DATA6

9 DATA7 10 ACK 10µs low to acknowledge receipt of data. 11 BUSY Printer sets line low when ready to receive data. 12 PAPER High when paper runs out. 13 SELECT High when printer is on-line. 14 15 Not used. 16 SIGNAL GND Signal ground 17 CHASSIS Chassis ground (isolated from signal ground) 18 +5V +5V DC output from printer

19 - 30 GND Twisted pair ground return

31 RESET Printer is reset when this signal goes low. 32 ERROR Low when printing cannot continue due to error. 33 EXT GND External ground

34 - 35 Not used

36 SELECT IN Printer ignores this signal.

AFXT Printer ignores this signal.

respectively. Each signal is HIGH when data is logical 1, and LOW when logical

Optional Serial Interface

Pin Name Function

1 GND Printer chassis ground

2 TXD Data from printer

3 RXD Data to printer

4 RTS Always space

5 CTS Space when computer is ready to send data. Printer ignores this signal.

6 Not used.

7 GND Signal ground

8 - 10 Not used.

11 RCH Printer sets line to space when ready to receive data. Same signal as Pin 20.

12 - 19 Not used.

20 DTR Printer sets line to space when ready to receive data.

21 - 25 Not used.

Appendix D: Character Sets

Standard Italic Character Set

International Character Set

The character codes shown in the table are hexadecimal.

80 Character Sets

IBM Character Set #2 Code Page #437 (IBM-PC)

Character Set #1

Other characters are the same as those for Character Set #2.