Star Manufacturing LC-4522 User Manual

USER’S MANUAL

LC-4522

DOT MATRIX PRINTERS

Contents

Chapter 1: Printer Setup …1

Choosing a place for the printer … 1
Upacking the printer … 2
General guide … 3
Open the front cover … 4
Removing the protective materials … 4
Installing the platen knob … 6
Installing the ribbon cassette … 6
Removing the ribbon cassette … 8
Installing the paper guide … 9
Standing up the paper guide … 10
Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off … 11
Loading fanfold paper … 12
Printing on fanfold paper … 16
Parking fanfold paper … 17
Unpaking fanfold pap er … 17
Using the tear-off function … 18
Connecting to your computer … 18

Chapter 2: Control Panel Operations

Switching between on-line and off-line … 20
Selecting a Print Quality … 21
Entering the Print Quality Lock Mode … 21
Entering the Multi-part Mode … 22
Line feed … 23
Setting the top of form position … 24
Tear-off Function (fanfold paper) … 24
Selecting the Quiet Print Mode … 24
Changing the auto load position … 25
Save a macro … 26
Clearing the printer’s buffer … 26
Initializing the printer … 27

Chapter 3: Using the EDS Mode

About EDS Mode settings … 28
Entering the EDS Mode … 28
Selecting a bank … 29
Changing a switch setting … 29
Printing the current switch settings … 30
Exiting the EDS Mode … 30
EDS Mode Settings … 31

Chapter 4: Using the Print er with MS-DOS

Setting up for printing with MS-DOS … 40

Chapter 5: Paper Handling

Selecting paper types … 41
Adjusting for paper thickness … 43

Paper Handling … 44
Automatic fanfold feeding … 44
Manual sheet feeding … 44
Clearing paper jams … 45

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:

o Choosing a place for the printer
o Unpacking and setting up the printer
o Installing the platen knob

o Installing the ribbon cassette
o Loading paper

o 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.
3 Choose a firm, level surface where the printer will not be exposed to

vibration.

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

unobstructed.

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

connect the two with your printer cable.

3 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.

3 Make sure that the printer is not exposed to direct sunlight.
3 Make sure that the printer is well away from heaters.

3 Make sure that the surrounding area is clean, dry, and free of dust.
3 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.

3 Use a power outlet that m atches the power rating noted on the label affixed

to the bottom of your printer.

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

1

2 Printer Setup

Unpacking the printer

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

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.

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 area, contact
your dealer immediately.

General guide

The following illustrations show the major components of your printer.

General guide 3

4 Printer Setup

Opening the front cover

o Lift up on the front cover and swing it open until it stops.

o To close the front cover, simply lower it back into place.

Caution!

The tear assist edge is rather sharp. Take care to avoid injuring your hands.

Note:

You can completely remove the front cover from the printer or you can stand it
up. You should normally leave the front cover closed, because it protects

against objects getting into the printer, and it cuts down on printer noise.

Removing the protective materials

Two small pieces of packing material are inserted into the printer to protect
components during shipping. Be sure to remove them before using the printer.

o Open the rear cover by pushing it back so that the cover swings back and
down.

Removing the protective materials 5

o Open the front cover.
o Remove a pieces of packing material from inside the printer as shown in

the illustration.

A piece of cardboard is inserted into the printer to protect components during
shipping. Be sure to remove it before using the printer.

o Open the rear cover.
o Remove the cardboard from the inside of the rear cover as shown in the

illustration.

6 Printer Setup

Installing the platen knob

The platen knob is packed into a recess in the packaging material.
o Install the knob on the shaft located inside the large hole on the left side of

the printer. Make sure that the two splines of the platen shaft inside the
printer fit into the slots inside the knob’s spindle. Press the knob carefully

but firmly into place as far as it will go.

Installing the ribbon cassette

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

Caution!

Never move the print head while the printer is turned on. Doing so can damage
the printer. If you have just finished printing, let the print head cool for a few
minutes before you touch it.

o Remove the front cover of the printer.

o Remove the ribbon cassette from its package.

Installing the ribbon cassette 7

o Rotate the knob on the ribbon cassette clockwise to take up any slack in the

ribbon.

o Carefully place the cassette onto the mechanism making sure that the

spindle fits into the socket on the bottom of the cassette. Also
make sure that the side tabs fit into the grooves on the sides of the f lame.

8 Printer Setup

o While guiding the ribbon between the print head and print head shield,

press down the ribbon fabric by pen.

o By hand, move the printer head left and right making sure that the ribbon
fabric comes into correct position.
o Replace 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.

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.

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

Caution!

Never move the print head while the printer is turned on. Doing so can damage
the printer. If you have just finished printing, let the print head cool for a few

minutes before you touch it.

Installing the paper guide 9

o Open the front cover of the printer.
o By hand, move the cartridge holder to the left side where there is a cutout in

the top guide to allow easy installation and removal of the ribbon cassette.

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

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

o Use the procedure under “Installing the ribbon cassette” on page 6 to install

a new cassette.

Installing the paper guide

o Insert the two tabs on the rear cover of the printer into the holes in the

bottom of the paper guide.

o To remove the paper guide from the printer, simply pull the tabs out of the

holes.

10 Printer Setup

Standing up the paper guide

o You can move the paper guide so that it is at angle as shown in the illustrations

below.

Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off 11

Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off

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

voltage matches the power rating noted on the label affixed 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 assis tance.

o Set the switch on the left of the printer to 1 (ON) to turn power on, and to 0

(OFF) to turn power off.

Caution!

Whenever you turn off the power, wait for at least five seconds before turning it
back on. Otherwise you may damage the printer. We also recommend that you

unplug the printer from the power outlet whenever you do not plan to use it for
long periods. Because of this, you should locate the printer so that the power

outlet it is plugged into is nearby and easy to access.

12 Printer Setup

Loading fanfold paper

This section tells you how to load fanfold paper. Note that you can also use cut-sheet

paper. For details on using other types of paper, see “Paper Handling” on
page 41 of this manual.

o Remove the paper guide from the printer.
o Make sure printer power is turned off.
o Set the release lever to the fanfold position.

o Grasping the two back corners of the printer with the palms of your hands,

press back on the two raised areas on the top of the rear cover until it opens.

o Swing the rear cover back and down until it stops.