Star Micronics LC24-300 User Manual

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USERS MANUAL

QBF

80825595

300

COLOUR

VDE Statement

This device carries the VDE RFI protection mark to certify that it meets the radio interference requirements of the Postal Ordinance No. 243/ 1991.The additional marking Wfg. 243/P” expresses in short form that this is a peripheral,device (not operable alone) which only individually meets the Class B RFI requirements in accordance with the DIN VDE 0878 part 3/11.89 and the Postal Ordinance 243/1991.

If this device is operated in conjunction with other devices within a set-up, in order to take advantage of a “’General(Operating Authorization” in accordance with the Postal Ordinance 243/1991. the complete set-up must comply with the Class B limits in accor dance with the DIN VDE 0878 part 3/11.89, as well as satisfy the preconditions in accordance with 52 and the prerequisites in accordance with 53 of the Postal Ordinance 243/1991.

As a rule. this is only fulfilled when the device is operated in a set-up which has been type-tested and provided with a VDE RFI protection mark with the additional marking “Vfg 243”.

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 1S0 7779.

Bescheinigung des Importers

Hiermit wfrd bescheinigt. dafi cfer COMPUTER DRUCRER Q24260 in Ubereinstimmung mit den Bestimmungen der VDE 0878 3/22.89. EN 55022; 1987,BMPT Vfg. 243/1991 und 46/1992 funk-entstort ist

Dem Zcntralamt fur Zulassungen im Femmeldewesen wurde das hwerkehrbringen dieses Gerates angezeigt und die Berechtigung zur Uberpfifung der Serie auf die Einhal tung der Bestimmungen eingeraumt.

Star Micronics Deutschland, GmbH WesterbachstraJe 59. D-60489 Frankfurt, Germany

The abouestatements apply only toprinters marketed

in Germany

Trademark acknowledgments

LC24-300 Colour, LC24-200 Colour, LC24-200, SF-1ODW,SPC-8K: Star Micronics Co Ltd.

L9S5fY, L9S60, LQ105O, L9106O: Seiko Epson Corporation

IBM PC, IBM Proprinter X24E, IBM Froprinter XL24E, IBM Proprinter X24, IBM Proprinter XL24: International Business Macbines Corporation.

TrueType Macintosh: Apple Computer Inc. PostScript: Adobe Systems Incorporated. MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows 3.1: Microsoft Corporation Grappler: Orange Micro lnc

Notice

●

The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice

Afl 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,

Guide to this manual

Even though the LC24-300 Colour is basically a very simple printer to use, it is also capable of many complex functions. We have grouped this manual into two main sections, divided into seven chapters and an appendix.

For normal everyday use, you may never need to refer to Section II at all. We strongly recommend however that you read through Section I (Chapters 1, 2 and 3) before connecting and using the printer for the first time.

Guide tothismanuai.... .... ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... ............................iii

Introduction

Features ... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... ........ ....... ...... ........ ....... ...... ....... ....... .....I

Parts ......... ...... ........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... ........ ....... ...... ........ ...... ....... .............4

Unpacking and setting up

Choosing a place for the printer ........ ...... ........ ....... ...... ....... ....... ....... .T

Unpacking the printer .... ....... ....... ...... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ... 8

Setting up your printer .. ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... ........ ...... ....... ....... .. 9

Fitting the platen knob. ............................................................................9

Removing the front cover ...................................................................... 7~

Installing the ribbon cartridge .............................................................. 70

Removing the ribbon cartridge ............................................................ 72

Installing the roller unit. ......................................................................... 72

Removing the roller unit ........................................................................ 73

Replacing the front cover ......................................................................73

Installing the paper guide ...................................................................... 74

Installing the mute cover ....................................................................... 74

Connecting the printer to the computer ..... ....... ....... ...... ..............75

Setting up your printer with your computer ... ....... ....... ...... .......

Setting up with MS-DOS ........................................................... ...........77

MS-DOS ..................................................................................................... 17

MS-DOS application software ................................................................ 17

Setting up the printer in Windows ..................................................... 79

Installing TrueType fonts (for Windows)

Selecting different fonts ...........................................................................22

...............................................

Using your printer

Loading paper ...... ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... ........ ...... ....... ....... ....... ......23

Adjusting the print gap ..........................................................................24

Loading cut sheet paper ............................................ ...........................26

Loading and parking fanfold paper ...........................................,.........27

Loading paper from the rear of the printer .............................................28

Loading paper from the bottom of the printer ......................................30

Parking paper ............................................................................................31

Unparking the paper ................................................................................32

Using the control panel

Ready and not-ready modes .................................................................33

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Pausing printing

Feeding paper through the printer

One line or several lines at a time. ............................... ......................... 34

A page at a time Individual form tear-off

Loading paper ..........................................................................................35

Micro-feeding paper (backwards and forwards) ...................................35

.......................................................................................

.....................................................34

....,.... L................................... ......................................... 34

...........................................................................34

Setting the top of a form ....................................................................... 35

Changing the autoloading position ....................................................36

Eject and park

...........................................................................................

Quiet printing ...........................................................................................37

Changing the way your printout looks ............................................. 38

Selecting the different fonts ................................................................... 38

Changing the pitch of the font ............................................................... 39

Changing the zoom size .......................................................................... 40

Selecting the print color .......................................................................... 41

Controlling the printer’s memory ....................................................... 42

Saving Macros

Re-moving the macro ............................................................................... 43

Clearing the buffer ...................................................................................43

Setting the printer back to default settings ..........................................44

..........................................................................................

Locking the printer .................................................................................. 45

Font lock ................................................................................. .................45

Font unlock ............................................................................................... 45

Pitch lock.

Pitch unlock .............................................................................................. 46

Pitch and font lock ...................................................................................46

Pitch and font unlock...............,, ...............................................................46

.................................................................................................

Test printing .............................................................................................47

Short test. .......

Long test. .................................................................................................. 47

print area test mode ................................................................................ 48

Hexadecimal dump mode ....................................................................... 49

..........................................................................................

Adjusting the dot alignment ................................................................50

Electronic DIP switches ............. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... ....... ....5.2

Using the Electronic DIP switches ......................................................53

Banks and numbers .................................................................................53

Selecting the switch bank. ...................................................................... 53

Selecting the switch number .................................................................. 54

Changing a switch’s value ...................................................................... 54

An example..., ........................................................................................... 54

Exiting Electronic DIP Switch mode ......................................................54

What you can change with the Electronic DIP Switch mode ...... 55

Meanings of the switches .....................................................................56

A 1- Emulation ..........................................................................................56

Pagev

A2-Auto Emulation Change (AEC) mode. ............................................ 56

A3-RAM usage .......................................................................................57

A4-Colorand zoom ..........................................................................,.....57

A5-Auto LF with CR.. .............................................................................57

A6 - Auto sheet feeder. ...........................................................................57

B1 - Graphics direction ............................................................................57

B2 - Paper-out . . . .. ... . . .. .. . .. . . .. .. ...................................................58

B3 - Tear-o if............. .................................................................................58

B4 - Reserved ...........................................................................................58

B5 and B6 - Multi-part mode ..................................................................58

Cl and C2 - Print mode ...........................................................................59

C3 through C5 - Page length ...................................................................59

DI - Character table .................................................................................59

D2 through D4 - character code tables ..................................................60

D5 -CR centering .....................................................................................61

El through E5 - LQ Font selection ........................................................ 61

FI - Electronic DIP switch settings .........................................................62

Optional accessories 63

Accessories available............................,..,.......... ....... ....... ...... ....... ....... .63

The SF-IODW ............................................................................................63

Unpacking .................................................................................................63

Installing the SF-1 ODWASF......... ...........................................................64

Using the SF- IODW........... ................... . .. . . . ..... .. . . ..... . .. . .............65

The SPC-8K serial/parallel converter ..................................................67

Baud rate. ............................... ... . .. . .. . . . .... .... .. . .... .. .... . .. . ...... 68

Number of bits in a word ........................................................................68

Parity .............................................:...................................... ..................... 68

Handshaking ........................................ ....................................................69

Connecting the SPC-8K converter ..........................................................69

Using the SPC-8K......... ............................................................................70

The serial connector on the SPC-8K......... .............................................. 71

Setting up an MS-DOS computer ........................................................... 72

Setting up a Windows computer...........,.........,... ................................... 73

Troubleshooting 75

Common problems and solutions ......... ........ ...... ....... ...... ....... ....... .76

Power switch is on, but POWER indicator is neither lit nor flashing.. 76

Printer sounds as if it is printing, but is not . . . . .. . . .. . . . .... . . ......76

Printing is weak.,.....,.......,......,............. .....................................................76

Printer tests work, but printer will not print out data from attached

computer ... . . . .. .. . . . . . . .................................... . .... .. . . . . . . .. 77

Font selection changes unexpectedly ...................... . . .. . .... . .. .. .. . 77

Printer will not feed paper properly .......................................................78

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The printer will not print in color ........................................................... 78

Line spacing is incorrect....

Over-printing occurs ................................................................... .........79

Incorrect number of lines per page ........................................................80

Malformed text or graphics .

Poor printing quality....

Forms are smudged .......................

Printing is too dark..

Printer case is hot.

Printer makes excessive

Printer prints beyond the edge of the paper .........................................82

Left margin moves towards the right during printing ......................... 83

Some incorrect characters are being printed ........................................84

Printer behaves erratically ........................ .............................................85

Printing ceases....

................................................................. :!

.....................................................................................

......................................................................

.................................................................80

............................................................................

..........................................................

................................................................................

noise..............,.... ........ ........... ....... ...... ....... .....82

80 81

Display messages (non-error) ..............................................................85

Display messages (error) . ..

Beep tones ........

.........................................................................................

..................................................................87

Checking system sofiware settings ............... ...... ....... ....... ....... ... W

In Windows ...................

............................................................................

In MS. DOS.. ...............................................................................................90

Software commands

Introduction ............... ....... ............. ....... ....... ....... ........ ...... ....... ....... ...... ......91

Font control commands ........................................................................93

Character set commands ...................................................................... 98

Character size and pitch commands ................................................ 702

Vertical position commands .............................................................. ~70

Horizontal position commands .......................................................... 777

Graphics commands....

.........................................................................

127

Download character commands ....................................................... 725

Other printer commands ...

Specifications ..

Parallel interface..

...... ....... ...... ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... ........ ...... ....... ....... ....

..................................................................................

Character sets..... ....... ...

.................................................................

Appendix

..... ...... ....... ....... ....... ....... ......................... ....... ...

729

135

135 140 147

Standard character set #2... ................................................................ 742

International’ character sets. ............................................................... 744

IBM character set #2 ............................................................................. 745

Code page #437 (U. SEA.).......... .......................................................... 145

Code page #’850 (Multi.lingual) ............................................................. 747

Pagevii

Code page #860 (Portuguese) ............................................................... 148

Code page #861 (Icelandic) .............................................’. ...................... 149

Code page #863 (Canadian French) ...................................................... 150

Code page #865 (Nordic) ....................................................................... 151

Character set #l ..................................................................................... 752

IBM special character set................................,..... ............................... 753

Glossary

Index

155

167

Costumer service information 171

Pageviii

Chapter1

Thank you for buying a STAR LC24-300 Colour printer. We are confident that it will provide you with years of

reliable, high-quality printing. We think we have made

the LC24-300 Colour one of the fastest, quietest, and easiest to use dot matrix printers ever. We hope you agree with us.

Introduction

Features

color

Fu&:

You only need to add a color ribbon cartridge

to print vibrant, full-color documents. You can choose from up to 256 colors, depending on your computer software.

The LC24-300 Colour speeds through drafts

at 360 characters per second (15 pitch).

When printing in its 360 dpi letter-quality

mode (that’s more dots per inch than some laser printers!), it turns out beautifully-finished work atup to 100 characters per second.

Easy to use:

With clearly labeled buttons, an informative

LCD screen, and easy paper loading, the LC24-300 Colour can be used by anyone, even without previous computer or printer experience.

With the LC24-300 Colour’s Electronic DIP

Switch feature, you can change the printer’s default power-on settings from the front panel.

Page1

LCD screen: You can see your printer’s settings at a glance

by looking at the informative LCD screen. It shows what font you are using, how big it is

(the font pitch) and other useful information (this feature does not apply when you use the printer with Windows 3.1 or later).

Fonts: The LC24-300 Colour is a multi-font printer,

which means that it can print text in avariety of different type styles (fonts)—10 in all.

These include:

Draft

Samerif Prestige

ORATOR

H-Gothic

You can print these fonts in different styles, such as emphasized, bold, shadow, and outline, as well as being able to change the size of the font.

Graphics:

Zooming: You can print documents at 50V0or 67V0of

Paper t~pes: You can print on a wide variety of different

The advanced 24-pin print head can print up to 360 dots per inch (and in color too!) making it an ideal printer for graphics programs, and for programs running under Windows

3.1 and later.

their actual size. As a result, you need only use a single sheet of paper to print large documents, such as spreadsheets.

paper types and sizes; from fanfold computer paper, to single sheets and stationery, to multi-part forms. Even when fanfold paper is loaded, the LC24-300 Colour allows you to print on single sheets, saving you time and

Roman

Courier

Sdpk Orator-2

SLQ Roman

Page2

effort. A tear-off function allows you to tear off single printed fanfold paper sheets from the printer without wasting paper. You can feed fanfold paper from either the rear or the bottom of the printer.

An optional automatic sheet feeder is also

available, which holds up to 50 sheets of paper.

Compatibility By emulating the industry-standard Epson

and IBM printers, the LC24-300 Colour allows you to printjust about anything your computer software can generate. The NEC graphics command set is also supportted for even better graphics compatibility.

The Automatic Emulation Change feature

means that the printer can automatically change to the appropriate printer emulation for the application software, depending on the data received.

Special drivers and scalable fonts are included to allow you to produce high-quality printout from Windows 3.1 and later applications.

Page3

Parts

This is what your new printer looks like. These diagrams may be useful in the next few sections to identi& the different parts mentioned.

front

power

The printer (with interface cable connected)

peperkh edjustm

ribbon

The printer with the front and rear covers removed and no interface

cable connected

Page4

ver

Parts - an explanation

The paper guides hold single sheets and sets their position so that they are fed into the printer correctly.

The paper entrances are where paper feeds into the printer. There is one for single sheets, and two for computer (fanfold) paper—rear and bottom.

The release lever grips single sheets as they are fed in. The lever should be pushed towards the back of the

printer to hold single sheets properly, and released (pulled forward) when fanfold paper is in use.

The platen knob lets you feed paper through the printer manually. Usually, though, you will find that the

[PAPER FEED] button (see “Feeding paper through the

printer” on page 34) is the most efficient way of doing this.

The front cover protects internal components and reduces printing noise.

The mute cover further reduces printing noise. The display screen shows information about the print-

er’s current setting. The control panel has buttons to control the printer. The power switch turns the printer on and off. The interface connector accepts the cable connector

that links the printer to the host computer. The print head transfers the image to the paper. The ribbon cartridge contains the ribbon which the

head uses to mark the paper. The paper thickness adjustment lever lets you adjust

the position of the print head for different paper thick-

nesses and for multi-part forms. The roller unit helps to grip paper and pull it through

the printer.

Page5

The tractor unit grips the sides of fanfold computer paper. When you use the tractor unit, the tractor cov- ers must be closed.

Page6

Unpacking and

Chapter2

setting up

Choosing a place for the printer

Before you start unpacking and setting up your printer, make sure that you have a suitable place to put it. By a “suitable place”, we mean:

●

A firm, level surface where the printer will be stable, and vibration-free.

●

Away from any heaters.

●

Away from direct sunlight.

●

Not in an excessively humid area.

●

Somewhere that is clean, dry and dust-free. Basically, computer equipment works best in the same kind of temperature and humidity as you do.

●

Allow 6“ (15cm) of free space either side of the

printer and adequate space for paper behind the

printer, if you want to use fanfold (computer) paper.

●

If you want to use the bottom feed for fanfold (com-

puter) paper, you should locate the pile of paper at

least one page length (about 12” (30cm)) below the

printer.

●

Make sure the printer is connected to a steady

power supply. It should not be on the same electric

circuit as appliances like copiers or refrigerators

that cause power spikes and surges.

●

Use a power supply of the correct voltage as speci-

fied on the printer’s identification plate.

Page7

Unpacking the printer

As you unpack the printer from the box, make sure that you have all the following items:

2 Printer driver

and font disk \\&2\

A’

-4 guide

If any of these are missing, please contact your supplier. Optional accessories that you may have purchased are:

●

Serial-Parallel converter (SPC-8K)

●

Automatic sheet feeder (SF-10DWI

For details of how to install these optional accessories, see Chapter 5.

You will also need a cable to connect the printer to your

computer (available separately). For IBM or IBM-compatible computers, this will generally be a parallel cable,

with a 25-pin,‘D’ connector at one end and a 36-pin

Arnphenol-type (Centronics) connector at the other end

(a “Centronics” printer cable). This cable should be no

longer than about 6’ (2m].

Page8

If your computer has no parallel port available, you will need to use the Serial-Parallel converter (SPC-8K) and a cable to connect your computer to the printer. See “The SPC-8K serial/parallel converter” on page 67 for full details.

Setting up your printer

Remove the printer and all supplied parts from the packing material. Put the printer on the place you have prepared for it. Save the packing material and carton in case you need to move the printer in the future.

Fitting the platen knob

This knob is packed into a recess of the packaging mate-

rial in the printer box.

To.fit the knob, rotate the knob on the shaft (lining up

the flattened side of the shaft with the flattened part of the hole on the knob). After you have lined up these flattened sides, push the knob firmly onto the shaft.

Page9

Removing the front cover

You will need to remove the front cover (the smoked

plastic cover on the top of the printer) to install and change ribbon cartridges. Lift the cover from the rear using the grips on the sides, then lift up to remove the cover from the body of the printer.

Installing the ribbon cartridge

You have the choice of using a color or a black ribbon

with the LC24-300 Colour. Both ribbons are installed and removed in the same way.

●

Take the slack out of the ribbon by turning the knob on the ribbon cartridge clockwise

(as shown by the

arrow).

Page10

Place the cartridge on the cartridge carrier inside the printer. Make sure that the ribbon is between the print head and the print head shield. Press the cartridge so that it “clicks” into place. If the cartridge does not “click” into position on both sides,

you may need to turn the cartridge knob about 1/4

of a turn clockwise.

●

Once the cartridge is in the carrier, tighten the ri-

bbonagain by turning the cartridge knob clockwise

(about 1/2a turn). Check once more to make sure that the ribbon is between the print head and print head shield (if it isn’t, take the cartridge out, and try again).

Page11

Removing the ribbon cartridge

●

To remove the ribbon cartridge, press the cartridge

grips inward and lift the cartridge upward out of the printer.

Installing the roller unit

●

Open the rear cover by pushing the cover grips backward and upward.

●

Pick up the roller unit so that the small illustration is on top of the roller unit, and the smoked plastic side (with six small black rollers) is facing you.

●

Page12

Hold the roller unit so that the top is tilted slightly away from you..Slide the hooks on either side of the back of the roller unit over the platen (the large black roller) and under the silver bar behind and

above the platen. The hooks should both be between

the metal plates at either end of the silver bar.

●

Push the front of the roller unit down firmly, so that the unit “clicks” into place. If it does not fit properly, remove it and try again.

Removing the roller unit

●

Pull both gray locking tabs towards you and lift the front of the roller unit slightly to remove the roller

unit. Pull the roller unit out of the printer towards

you.

Replacing the front cover

Once you have fitted the ribbon and roller unit, you should replace the front cover.

Note:

●

Eventhough you can operate the printer with the front cover removed, we do not suggest that YOUdo this. The Printer will be noisyand it is also possibleto drop things into the printer, which may damage the mechanism.

Hold the cover by thegrips,so that the griPs are on the side of the cover furthest from you. Tilt the top of the cover towards you a little.

●

Insert the tabs into the slots in the case.

●

Lower the rear of the cover into position.

Page13

1’

Installing the paper guide

You can set the paper guide on the LC24-300 Colour in

one of two positions: horizontal for fanfold paper and

vertical for single sheets.

●

Hold the paper guide, either horizontally, or vertically, depending on the type of paper used.

●

Fit the tabs into the slots on the printer

body to

install the paper guide.

●

Make sure the guide is firmly in position.

Installing the mute cover

The mute cover helps reduce the noise from your printer when you are printing.

Page14

●

Hold the mute cover upright so that the ridges on the cover are towards you and at the top.

●

Slide the left tab on the mute cover into the left hole on the front cover.

●

Drop the right tab on the mute cover into the right slot on the front cover. Close the mute cover by swinging it down.

Connecting the printer to the computer

We assume here that you are connecting the printer to

an IBM or IBM-compatible computer, using the parallel interface. If you are connecting using a serial interface, or connecting to any other type of computer, read Chapter 5.

Note:

Before connecting or disconnectingthe printer and the computer, make surethatthepowertoboththeprinterandthe

computeristurnedOFF.Ifthepowerisonwhenyoumakeor breaktheseconnections,thereisariskthatyouwilldamage thecircuitryofthecomputerand/ortheprinter.Repairscan beexpensive!

Page.15

●

Press the cable plug into the printer socket:

●

Clip the cable into the socket using the wire clips on either side of the socket.

●

Page16

Connect the ‘D’ connector on the other end of the cable to the parallel (printer) port on your computer.

This will probably be labelled Printer, Parallel,

PRN, LPT1 or something similar. Refer to your computer’s instruction manual for details of how to secure the cable.

Now you can turn on your printer and computer.

Setting up your printer with your computer

In this section, you will learn to set up your printer with two different computer environments: MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows 3.1 (or a later version of Windows). If your computer uses a different operating system, you

should refer to Chapter 5 for details of setting up your printer. Refer to your computer operating system manuals for details of configuring the operating system.

Setting up with MS-DOS

Every program that you use with MS-DOS must be “told” separately what printer is connected to your computer. This is usually done in an INSTALL or SETUP program or menu option within your application software

(word-processor, spreadsheet, or whatever).

Look for an option called “Add printer”, “Install printer” or “Configure printer” in your application software. If

you can’t find this option easily, read your software

manual to find out how to do it.

MS-DOS

MS-DOS needs no specific commands to make it work. To test that the printer is connected properly to the computer, try entering the following command from the

c> prompt:

PRINT \AuTOExEC.BAT (lZ?RR)

If the computer answers with:

Name of list device [PRN]:

hit [~] again. The printer should then print the contents of the file AUTOEXEC.BAT. If the file AUTOEXEC.BAT does not exist, you will get an error message on your computer. Most MS-DOS computers do have a file called AUTOEXEC.BAT,however.

MS-DOS application soiltware

The LC24-300 Colour can emulate (pretend to be) a

member of one of two printer families: Epson or IBM.

Page17

When you open the box containing your LC24-300 Colour, the printer is set to Epson emulation. This is commonly supported by most software. If your software package gives you a list of printers to choose from, choose one printer from the following list (in order of preference):

Star LC24-300 Colour

Star LC24-200 Colour

The shaded printers are not color printers, so if you

select one, you will not be able to print in color. If none of the printers above is listed, choose one of the

following, in order of preference:

These two printers are not color printers, so if you select either, you will not be able to print in color.

Note: Theprintersinshadedboxesdonotsupportcolor. Ifyou

selectthem,alloutputwillbeinblackonly,regardlessofthe

ribboninstalledorthesoftwaresettings.

If you select either of these IBM Proprinter models, you may need to change your printer emulation.The Auto Emulation feature (page 56) of the LC24-300 Colour should take care of this for you. See “Al- Emulation” on page 56 on how to change the emulation if you have trouble with your printer.

Page18

If your software doesn’t list printer names, but asks you questions about your printer, you should answer “Yes” to the following two questions:

●

“Can your printer perform a backspace?”

●

“Can your printer do a hardware form feed?”

The answers to any other questions are not so impor-

tant. Answer these using the default settings in the software.

When you’ve set up your software, try a few test prints,

using features like bold, italic, etc. to see how itworks. If you find you have problems making your software work with your hardware, the best source of help is usually your software supplier.

Setting up the printer in Windows

The LC24-300 Colour is ideally suited for use with com-

puters running Microsoft Windows system software. It works best with Windows version 3.1 or later. If you are

running an earlier version of Windows, we recommend you upgrade your computer to the latest version. In par-

ticular, this will allow you to use the 15TrueType fonts

included on the floppy disk packaged with this printer. To use the printer with Windows, you need to install a

file known as the printer driver file onto your computer. This file is supplied on the floppy disk packaged with the

printer. The following description assumes that you are using a

mouse. (Clickand doubZe-cZickrefer to the action of

using the mouse to point at an item with the on-screen

pointer, and then pressing the left mouse button either

once, or twice in quick succession.)

If you are not using a mouse, you can still carry out the

installation. Refer to the

Microsoft Windows User’s Guide

to find out how to use the keyboard instead of a mouse

to operate Windows.

Page19

To install the printer driver under Windows 3.1, do the

following:

●

Turn on the printer and start up your computer.

●

If Windows does not start up automatically, type WIN and then press [ZN7EY]or [~).

●

Double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main window.

●

Double-click the Printers icon

●

If you have never previously installed a printer on

your system under Windows, a list of supported

printers is displayed. (If you have already installed one or more printers, select the Add button to display the list of supported printers.)

●

Click on InstaZlUnlisted or Updated Printer in the list, so that this option is highlighted.

●

Click Install. A window prompts you to put in the floppy disk supplied with the printer.

Insert the disk with the printer driver file on it and click OK. A new list of printers appears. (If you have inserted the disk into a drive other than drive A, you must type in the drive letter followed by

.acolon and a backslash, e.g. “B:\“before selecting

OK.)

●

Select LC24-300 Colour from the new list of printers.

●

Click OK. The ,listof installed printers appears, including the LC24-300’Colour.

Click on Set As Default Printer. Click on CZoseto return to the Control Panel win-

dow.

For instructions on how to configure the printer, see the

section of the Microsoft Windows User’s Guide called

Control Panel.

Page20

If you cannot print from your applications programs

after installing the driver, refer to the section “In Win-

dows” on page 89.

Note: Unlesstheuserchoosesadifferentprinterfromwithinthe

application,Windowsapplicationsalwaysprinttothecurrentlyselecteddefaultprinter.

Installing TrueType fonts (for Windows)

To install the TrueType fonts that are on the floppy disk

accompanying this printer, follow the procedure below.

Double click the Control Panet in Windows. Double click on Fonts. The Fonts dialog box appears. Click Add. The Add Fonts dialog box appears. Insert the disk in your computer’s floppy disk drive. Select the drive by letter (this is usually “A:”, some-

times “B:”). The names of the fonts stored on the disk are displayed in the List of Fonts window. Each font name is followed by the word “TrueType”

Select the fonts you wish to install. If you want to install all of them, click SelectAll.

Click OK. The Fonts dialog box reappears and installation is earned out. The names of the newly installed fonts are automatically added to the Installed Fonts list.

Withinyour applicationprogram, selectPrinter Setup from the application’sIWemenu, and reselect the printer.The applicationcannow displaytexton-screen and printtext on your printerusing the new fonts.

Note:

TheTrueTypefontsthataresuppliedcanonlybeusedonIBM PCcompatiblecomputersrunningWindows3.1or higher.

Page21

Selecting different fonts

If you are running applications software under

Windows, you will select fonts from within your applica-

tion (refer to your application’s manual for details).

Your application software manual will tell you the vari-

ous ways in which you can type-set your text on-screen so ‘that it is ready to print out on the printer.

Your Windows system already includes several fonts,

such as Arial, Times New Roman and Symbol. You can also use the 15True~pe fonts included with the printer. If you have installed Adobe me Manager software on your computer, you can also display and print

Adobe PostScript fonts.

Page22

Chapter3

Using your printer

Loading paper

The LC24-300 Colour can print on a variety of paper types, as explained below:

Cut sheet paper

The LC24-300 Colour can use single sheets of paper (cut

sheets) or letterheaded stationery. Use the friction feed or the optional SF-1ODWautomatic sheet feeder.

Fanfald paper

It can also accept fanfold (continuous) computer stationery. Fanfold stationery has the sheets joined together,

with perforations between sheets, and holes (“sprocket

holes”) along each edge to help the printer grip the paper. You should not print too close to the sprocket holes. Otherwise, you run the risk ofjamming the paper in the printer.

Multi-part forms

You can print continuous multi-part forms which are

either carbon backed or pressure-sensitive carbonless (NCR), with up to five copies (including the top copy). If

you use multi-part forms, we suggest that you feed them

through the bottom paper feed slot, as this will help to

prevent premature separation of the forms. There

should be a difference in thickness of not more than

0.05mm between the side edges.

Note: Ifyouusemulti-partsets,setuptheMulti-Partsettingusing

theElectronicDIPswitchesasdescribedin“B5andB6- Multipartmode”onpage58.

Page23

Where you can print on each kind of paper

Single sheets

Fanfoldforms

5mm

18 mm

Perforation

5mm

Bottom of Form

81 mm

o 0

If you print outside these limits, you run the risk of damaging the printer mechanism (and tearing the paper orjamming it as it goes through the printer).

Adjusting the print gap

Note:

Important.Ifyoudonotadjusttheprintgapproperly,yourun theriskofshorteningthelifeoftheprinthead.

Different paper thicknesses need a different gap between the print head and the paper. The LC24-300

Colour allows you to make six different settings, using

the adjustment lever at the left of the printer. If you

push this lever towards the back of the printer, the gap

Page24

is narrowed (thin paper), and if you pull it towards the front, the gap is widened (thick paper).

As you move the lever, you can feel it click between the

six different positions. Position number 2 (starting from the rearmost position) is the one you will generally use for single sheets of paper (fanfold or cut sheet). Here is a table for the adjustment lever when you use multi-part

sets.

Paper Weightof each

type sheet

Sincjle

2-part 3-part 4-part 11to 14 Ibs (40 to 52 gsm) 5-part

Note: Ifyouusemulti-partsets,setuptheMulti-Partsettingusing

14 to 24 Ibs(52to 90 gsm) 11 to 14Ibs(40to 52 gsm) 11 to 14 Ibs (40 to 52 gsm)

11 to 14 Ibs(40to 52 gsm)

theElectronicDIPswitchesasdescribedin “B5andB6- Multipartmode”onpage58.

Thickness

‘total‘n ‘m)

007to 0.12

0.12 to 0.14

0.18 to 0.21

0.24 to 0.28

0.30 to 0.35 5 or 6

Recommended

leverposition

(1 = rearmost)

2 or 3

2 or 3 3 or 4 4 or 5

Page25

Loading cut sheet paper

This procedure shows you how to load cut sheet paper

using the paper guide. If you are using the SF-10DW automatic sheet feeder, please refer to “Using the SF-

10DW” on page 65.

. This is how cut sheet paper is fed through the printer:

. Make sure that the paper guide is in the vertical posi-

tion. See “Installing the paper guide” on page 14.

. If no fanfold paper has been loaded, and no cut sheet

paper has been loaded, the display will show

“PE”

alternating with the character pitch when the printer is turned on. The printer will also beep.

. Make sure that the release lever is at the back posi-

tion ( ? ).

. Adjust the left and right paper guides to the position

you want. Allow the paper to feed through the guides

smoothly, but without allowing it to move from side to side while feeding through. A gap of less than a millimeter (0.04”) is ideal.

. Place a sheet of paper in the guides (upside down,

and printing side towards the rear of the printer), and gently push it down between the guides until you feel

it stop.

Page26

●

Press the (SET/EJECT)button. This should make the printer feed the paper round the platen until it is in a position suitable for printing. The ON LINE indicator should come on. If this does not happen, you have probably not loaded the paper correctly. Take the sheet out and try loading it again.

●

If the paper is at the wrong place to start printing (for instance, if the address printed on the top of your letterhead takes up a lot of space), put the printer not- ready mode (press the [~] button) and use the micro-feed function, as described in Chapter 4.

●

You can now start printing.

Loading and parking fanfold paper

You can use fanfold paper up to 25cm (10”) wide with

this printer. You can feed this paper from the bottom or

the rear of the printer. These are the ways in which fanfold paper is fed through

the printer:

Page27

Loading paper from the rear of the printer

Always load fanfold paper with the printer’s power

turned OFF.

●

Place the stack of fanfold paper behind and below the

printer.

●

Pull the release lever at the right of the printer towards you ( n ). This releases the paper from the platen and allows it to feed through the tractor rollers.

●

Open the mute cover and the rear cover

●

Grip the gray tractor position locking levers on both sides of the tractor unit and rotate the tractor unit as

far as it will go (about 20 degrees) so that the top is

tilted slightly towards you:

●

Open the tractor pin covers and align the holes in the fanfold paper with the pins on the tractor unit. You

will probably need to slide the tractor pin units left

and right to align the paper properly. Use the gray locking levers on each tractor pin unit to allow the unit to slide left and right along the rail. Remember to

Page28

lock each tractor pin unit in place again when you have finished moving it.

“ “Close the pin unit covers after you have made sure

that the paper holes are properly lined up with the tractor pins. If the holes and pins are not correctly lined up, you may find that the paper tears and jams.

Note: Ifthepaperistootightlystretchedortoo loosebetweenthe

pinholders,thepaperwilltearorjamasit isfedthroughthe printer.Youmayneedto experimenttofindtheidealtension.

“ Close the rear and mute covers, and insert the paper

guide in the horizontal position. See “Installing the paper guide” on page 14.

. When you turn on the printer (using the switch at the

front), the display will show

“PE”alternating with the

character pitch. The printer will also beep.

● Press the ISETIEJECT] button to load the paper into the

printer. The printer will go into ready mode.

. If you want to adjust the paper position, put the

printer into not-ready mode (use the [~] button) and use the micro-feed function (described in Chapter 4).

Page29

Loading paper from the bottom of the printer

Always load fanfold paper into the printer with the printer’spower turned OFF.

. Remove the front cover and the roller unit. See

“Removing the front cover” on page 10and “Removing

the roller unit” on page 13 for details.

“ Grip the gray tractor position locking levers on both

sides of the tractor unit. Rotate the front of the trac-

tor unit upward so that the top is horizontal.

s With a stack of fanfold paper below the printer, feed

the top sheet of the stack through the feed slot at the bottom of the printer and pass it over the platen.

● Open the tractor pin covers and align the holes in the

fanfold paper with the pins on the tractor unit. You will probably need to slide the tractor pin units left and right to align the paper properly. Use the gray locking levers on each tractor pin unit to allow the unit to slide left and right along the rail. Remember to lock each tractor pin unit in place again when you have finished moving it.

“ Close the pin unit covers after you have made sure

that the paper holes are properly lined up with the

Page30

tractor pins. If the holes and pins are not correctly lined up, you may find that the paper tears andjams.

Note:

●

Ifthepaperistootightlystretchedortooloosebetweenthe pinholders,thepaperwilltearorjamas it isfedthroughthe

printer.Youmayneedto experimenttofindtheidealtension.

Replace the roller unit (see “Installing the roller unit” on page 12).

●

Replace all the covers that you have removed.

●

Turn on the printer.

●

Put the printer into not-ready mode (use the [~] button) ‘ad use the

[PAPER FEED] button to advance

‘the paper so that the print head isjust below a perfo-

ration. Put the printer into ready mode again.

Parking paper

Paper parking allows you to print single cut sheets even

when fanfold paper is loaded. The fanfold paper is tem-

porarily “parked” out of the way while the cut sheet is fed through the printer.

Note:

Youcanonlyusethepaper@rking functionwhenfanfold paperisloadedfromtherear.Youcannotuseitwhenyouare feedingfanfoldpaperfromthebottomslot.

. The power should be ON. The release leaver should be

pulled forward ( ~ ) and the fanfold paper loaded.

. Put the printer into not-ready mode (use the [~]

button).

. Tear off the last page of the fanfold paper. If the paper

is not in a suitable position to be torn off, use the

[PAPER FEED) button to feed the paper forwards to a

suitable position.

Page31

● Press the [SET/EJECT]button. The printer will feed the

fanfold paper back until it is out of the way.

● Move the release lever to the back ( N ) position.

“ Place the paper guide in the upright position.

Load single sheets as described in “Loading cut sheet paper” on page 26.

Unparking the paper

When you have finished printing on cut sheet paper and you want to start printing again on fanfold paper, here’s

how you do it:

●

Remove any cut sheets which may still be in the

printer.

●

Place the paper guide in the horizontal position.

●

Move the release lever to the front ( D ) position. The printer will beep if you move the lever while paper is still loaded ready for printing.

●

Press the

[SET/EJECT]button. The parked fanfold paper

will be fed into the correct position ready for printing

again.

Page32

Using the control

Chapter

The LC24-300 Colour control panel has five buttons, which have white labels above them to indicate their pri-

mary functions. Other functions are available as alter-

native functions (labelled in brown) or by pressing

combinations of buttons (labelled in yellow).

panel

ALT MACRO cOLOR ZOOM CLEAR

There are two indicators: the POWER indicator shows

that power is supplied to the printer. When steadily lit, it means that paper is correctly positioned for printing.

When flashing, it means that paper is not correctly posi-

tioned for printing.

Ready and not-ready modes

When the ON LINE indicator is lit, it means that the

printer is ready to accept data to be printed from the computer. If it is not lit, the printer is in not-ready mode, and it will not be able to accept data from the computer. You can usually only make changes to the printer’s settings using the front panel when this indica-

tor is not lit. You set the printer ready and not-ready with the [~] button.

Pausing printing

You can make the printer not-ready if you want to pause in the middle of a printing job. Printing will

Page33

restart from the point where it left off when you make the printer ready again.

Feeding paper through the printer

There are a number of ways in which you can feed paper

through the printer.

One line or several lines at a time

Make the printer not-ready, and press the [PAPER FEED) button. This will feed the paper farward one line. If you continue to hold down the

(PAPER FEED] button, the

printer will continue to feed the paper one line at a time. Make the printer ready again to continue printing.

A page at a time

This will either eject a cut sheet or feed fanfold paper to the top of the next sheet. To determine where the top of a sheet should be, see “Setting the top of a form” on page 35.

. If you want to feed a page of paper through the

printer, make the printer not-ready. Press and hold down the

[PAPER FEED] button.

. While holding down the

[PAPER FEED] button, press the

- button.

. Release both buttons at the same time. The paper will

feed through.

Individual form tear-off

You can tear off individual sheets (for instance, sales

invoices) from fanfold paper.’

● While the printer is in ready mode, press and hold

down the [~] button.

c Press the

forward about

[PAPER FEED) button. The paper will move

2 inches (50mm), so that you can tear

off the sheet.

Page34

1’

● When you press the [~] button again, the paper

will move back to its original position.

Loading paper

For the most part, paper loading is described in Chapter

3. However, one important point to note is that if paper has not been loaded, the printer will indicate that it is not-ready. Pressing the

[SET/EJECT]button will start

loading paper, and automatically enter the ready mode.

Micro-feeding paper (backwards and forwards)

It is often useful to be able to feed the paper backwards or forwards in the printer by very small amounts. For example, to get the correct printing position on preprinted stationery.

● Put the printer in not-ready mode.

. Press and hold down the (~] button.

● While holding down the [~] button, press the

[PAPER FEED] button to advance the paper in a series of

small steps.

● While holding down the [~] button, press the

[SET/EJECT] button to move the paper backwards in a

series of small steps.

● Release both buttons (the [~] and the

[PAPER FEED] or [SET/EJECT] buttons) when the paper

reaches the place you want.

● Put the printer back into ready mode.

Setting the top of a form

Very often, when feeding fanfold paper through a page at

a time (see “A page at a time” on page 34), the printer’s top of a page’does not correspond with the actual top of a page. This is how you “tell” the printer about the top of a page:

. Put the printer in not-ready mode.

Page35

●

Set the paper position to the top of a page (where you

want the printing to start on each page) using the micro-feed functions (page 35).

●

Press and hold down the [~] button.

●

While holding down the [~] button, press the m button.

●

Release both buttons. The display will show “--”,

which means that the top of the form has been set.

●

Put the printer back into ready mode.

Note: Theprinternow“knows”thetopofa page,butit doesn’t

knowtheexactpageunlessyoutellit,whichmeansthat whenyoudo apagefeed,theprinterwillnotnecessarily movetothecorrectpositiononthenextpage.Youmustset thepagelengthusingtheElectronicDIPSwitchmode describedonpage53.

Changing the autoloading position

When you load cut sheet paper, the printer automati-

cally loads the paper so that printing starts one line from the top of the paper, unless you tell it otherwise. This is how you tell it otherwise (for example, if you’re printing a lot of letters on letterhead paper):

● With the printer in not-ready mode, load cut sheet

paper using the

● Use the micro-feed functions (page 35) to alter the

[SET/EJECT] button.

print position. Notice that a number will appear in the LCD window. This means you can remember that, for instance, “we should print starting from 67 steps

down on headed invoices”. If the value goes over 99

steps, the display changes from “9S”to “--”. . Set the printer back in ready mode. . All cut sheet paper loaded from now on will be loaded

so that printing starts at this position, until you

Page36

change the position again using this procedure, or until the power to the printer is turned off.

. If you want to save this value for future use (after the

printer has been turned off and on again), you must save it as a macro. See “Saving Macros” on page 42.

Note:

Thisfunctionwillonlyworkifyouuseitimmediatelyafteryou haveloadedpaperasdescribedabove.Ifpaperhasalready beenfedintotheprinter,thisfunctionwillnotwork.

Eject and park

If paper has already been loaded, and the printer is notready, the

[SET/EJECT]button has two different functions,

depending on the setting of the release lever.

. If the release lever is set to the back position for cut

sheet paper ( p ), pressing the

[SET/EJECT] button will

eject the sheet.

. If the release lever is set to the forward position for

fanfold paper ( 3 ), pressing the

[SET/EJECT]button will

park the fanfold paper to allow you to print on cut sheets. See “Parking paper” on page 31.

Note: Ifyouarefeedingfanfoldpaperthroughthebottomslotofthe

printer,thisbuttonwillhavenoeffect.

Quiet printing

Even though the LC24-300 Colour is a quiet printer, it also has a “quiet” mode, which allows it to print at a reduced noise level. Setting the quiet mode requires that the printer is in ready mode. This is an exception to the general rule that settings are made when the printer is in not-ready mode.

Page37

● Press the [PAPER FEED] button. The printer will beep

once and ~ will appear on the display.

● To cancel quiet mode, the printer must be in the

ready mode. Press the

[PAPER FEED] button. The

printer will beep twice and ~ will disappear from

the display.

Changing the way your printout looks

The following section described how you can change the

look of the printout from your printer.

Selecting the different fonts

The LC24-300 Colour has a range of different fonts, which can be selected using the front panel controls. The display highlights the currently-selected font by enclosing the font name with lines:

The Prestige font

has been selected

“’=&=f :%::: m

●

Set the printer to not-ready.

●

Press the [F61JT]button. The printer will highlight the

SLQi DRAFT Sc.d.ok

Roman ORATOR PITCH

,Prestigej OPTION

font names in the display in the following order:

I I

Font name

Draft

Roman /Roman

Saris-serif

Courier

Prestige

Orator

Orator-2

Display highlights

~Sanserifj

~Courier /

Prestige [

IORATOR

~Oratar-2]

I I

Page38

Font name

Display highlights

H-Gothic

Super Letter Quality Roman

[H-Gothic ~

~ + ~

Roman

. If you are using an optional font, the word “Option”

will be added to this list. This means that you have

selected the font contained in the optional font.

. When you have highlighted the font you want to use,

press [~] again to make the printer in ready mode again.

Changing the pitch of the font

The font “pitch” means “how many characters can be printed in one inch”.

10-pitch, for instance, means “10 characters can be printed in one inch across the page.” There are two special modes on the LC24-300 Colour: Proportional and Condensed proportional. In these modes, you cannot say exactly how many characters will fit into one inch, because each character takes up a different amount of space. The opposite of “proportional” is

“fixed-pitch” or “monospaced”. Look at these two

examples:

Proportional

MMMMMMMMMM

1111111111

MMMMMMMMMM

1111111111

Fixed-pitch

Even though there are 10 characters in each line, the “M”S in the proportional column take up more space overall than the “1”s.The space between letters is proportional to the letter itself.

However, in the fixed-pitch column, although each “M” also takes up more space than each “I”, the space between letters is fixed, no matter what the letter, so

Page39

that a row of 10“1”stakes up the same amount of space as 10“M”s.

Usually, it is easier to read proportional text than

text

which is fixed-pitch.However, if you are trying to line up columns of figures, fixed-pitch has definite

advantages.

To change the pitch:

. Put the printer into the not-ready mode. . When you press the [FR5iT]button, the pitch will

change in the following way:

Semi-condensed (15 cpi) 15

Condensed pica (17 cpi) 17 Condensed elite (20 cpi) 20

Pitch

Pica(1Ocpi) Elite (12 cpi)

Display

IL?

1.?

*. Only available in IBM emulation mode

. Make the printer ready again.

Changing the zoom size

The zoom feature allows you to print at 100Yo(full-size),

67yo(two-thirds size) or 50Y0(half-size) of the normal

size. The “normal size” is the size that the computer “thinks” the printout will be.

Page40

This is a useful way of printing, for example, wide

spreadsheet results on a narrow piece of paper. To change the zoom level:

. Put the printer into not-ready mode. “ Press and hold down the [~] button. . While holding down the (~] button, pressthe

[PAPER FEED] button.

. Each time you press the

[PAPER FEED] button, the dis-

play will change:

Zoomsize

50~o m so ON

100?’0 w~o OFF

● When you’ve selected the zoom scale you want, make

Display

the printer ready again.

Note:

Selecting the print color

Changingthezoomsizewillresettheprinter.

The LC24-300 Colour will always print in black, unless you tell it otherwise, even if the multi-color ribbon is installed. Here’s how you set the print color from the front panel:

● Put the printer into not-ready mode.

. Press and hold down the [~] button.

● While holding down the [F6Wl button, press the

(SET/EJECT] button.

Page41

. With each press of the (SET/EJECT] button, the print

color will change:

● When you make the printer ready again, printing will

Color

Black

Magenta

Cyan

Violet

Yellow

Orange

Green

Display

restart in the color you have just chosen.

Controlling the printer’s memory

The following two functions allow you to change the

memory in the printer.

Saving Macros

It is obviously a nuisance to have to set up a particular font, color, etc. every time you turn on the printer. If you want the printer to remember and recall these settings every time you turn it on, you can use a “macro” to store them.

This what you store when you make a macro:

● Current font. See “Selecting the different fonts” on

page 38.

. Current pitch. See “Changing the pitch of the font” on

page 39.

● Current zoom size. See “Changing the zoom size” on

page 40.

Page42

●

Current color. See “Selecting the print color” on page 41.

●

The current auto-load position for cut sheets, fanfold paper and use with the automatic sheet feeder. See “Changing the autoloading position” on page 36. Also see the section on the automatic sheet feeder on page

63.

This is how you store a macro:

●

Put the printer in not-ready mode.

●

Press and hold down the [~] button.

●

While holding down the [~] button, press the m button$and hold them both down until

“m” aPPears on the disPlaY. The Printer will beeP twice.

●

Release both buttons after the “=” message appears.

●

Make the printer ready again.

Removing the macro

If the “-” message is shown on the display and you

want to remove it, do the following:

●

Put the printer in not-ready mode.

●

Press and hold down the [T5ii7]button.

●

While holding down the [~] button, press the m button! and hold them both down until

“-” disappears from the display. The printer will beep three times.

●

Release both buttons after the “-” message goes away.

●

Make the printer ready again.

Clearing the buffer

When the printer takes data from the computer, it stores

the data in a buffer before it prints it. This means that it

Page43

can accept data from the computer faster than it can print it. This allows the computer to finish sending data before the print job is finished, freeing up the computer for the next job.

This is usually useful, but there maybe times when you want to stop the print job halfivay through (e.g. you’re printing the wrong file, or printing on the wrong kind of

paper). In this case, halting the print job on the computer may not be enough – the printer may still continue to print the data stored in its buffer.

You can clear the buffer by switching the printer off and

on again, but that’s a bit drastic. Here’s a better way:

●

Put the printer in not-ready mode.

●

Press and hold down the [~] button.

●

While holding down the (T6NT]button, press, and hold down the [~] button. Continue holding both buttons down for about one second, until the printer beeps.

●

The display will show “be” (buffer cleared). Release both buttons. If you hold them down for a little longer, the printer will beep three times and will be reset to default settings (not necessarily what you want!).

●

If you need to make any control setting changes (maybe you were printing in the wrong font or the

wrong color), make them now. “

●

If you haven’t already stopped the computer printjob, stop it now. Otherwise you’ll continue the printjob where it was interrupted, not from the beginning.

●

Now make the printer ready again.

Setting the printer back to default settings

As mentioned above (“Clearing the buffer” on page 43), if you clear the buffer and continue to hold down the

m and - buttons together for about three sec-

Page44

ends after you clear the buffer, the printer will beep three times. The printer’s default settings will be restored.

Locking the printer

It’s sometimes useful to be able to lock settings using the front panel. If your computer sends unwanted commands, they won’t accidentally change settings. Here’s how.

Font lock

This stops you from accidentally changing the font with

software commands.

●

Turn the printer OFF (front switch).

●

Press and hold down the [T6NT]button.

●

While holding down the [~] button, turn the printer on again.

●

Keep holding down the [~] button until the printer

beeps, and the display shows m.

You can make the printer not-ready and change fonts

using the [T5iF) button (“Selecting the different fonts” on

page 38), but any software commands from your computer that try to change the font will be ignored by the printer.

Font unlock

Reset the printer. See “Setting the printer back to

default settings” on page 44. This will also reset the

pitch lock (see below).

‘Pitch lock

This stops you from accidentally changing the pitch with

software commands.

● Turn the printer OFF (front switch).

. Press and hold down the [TREK)button.

Page45

● While holding down the [~] button, turn the

printer on again.

. Keep holding down the [~) button until the printer

beeps, and the display shows m.

You can put the printer in not-ready mode and change the pitch using the [FE@ button (“Changing the pitch of the font” on page 39). Any software commands from your computer that try to change the pitch will be ignored by the printer.

Pitch unlock

Reset the printer. See “Setting the printer back to default settings” on page 44. This will also reset the font lock (see above).

Pitch and font lock

This stops you from accidentally changing the font and/ or the pitch with software commands.

. Turn the printer OFF (front switch). . Press and hold down the [T6NY]button and the [~]

button.

● While holding down the [~) button and the (~]

button, turn the printer on again.

● Keep holding down the [*] and [7%EK’buttons until

the printer beeps, and the display shows both _ and _

You can put the printer in not-ready mode and change fonts and pitch using the [m) button and the [~] button (“Selecting the different fonts” on page 38). Any

software commands from your computer that try to

change the pitch or font will be ignored by the printer.

Pitch and font unlock

Reset the printer. See “Setting the printer back to default settings” on page 44. This will reset the pitch

lock and the font lock.

Page46

Test printing

The following modes allow you to produce test prints

which show off the capabilities of your printer, and also

confirm that it is in good working order.

Short test

To print the short test, first make sure there is paper in

the printer:

. Turn off the printer. . Press and hold down the [~] button. Turn the

printer on while holding down the button.

Release the [~) button. The display will show

The printer will print the ROM version number (the ver-

sion of its own built-in software), followed by 7 lines of

ch-aracters(this is a greatly reduced example).

. If you have a color ribbon cartridge fitted, each line of

characters will be printed in a different color (the order will be the same as in “Selecting the print color” on page 41).

Long test

Note:

Thistestproducesalotof printout.Wesuggestthatyouload

fanfoldpaperifyouwantto runthistest.

“Pi”.

This test produces a list of all the current Electronic DIP

switch settings (see page 56), and then prints out samples of all the fonts available.

Page47

. Make sure the printer is loaded with fanfold paper,

and that it is turned OFF. . Press and hold down the . While holding down the

(PAPER FEED] button.

(PAPER FEED] button, turn on

the printer.

. Release the

[PAPER FEED) button. The test pattern will

start printing. The display will show “P2”.When the

pattern comes to the end, it will start from the begin-

ning again.

. To stop the test pattern, turn off the printer, wait a

few seconds, and then turn it on again.

Print area test mode

This function allows you to see how long the printer

“thirrks”the paper is. This works best with cut sheet paper.

. Make sure that there is paper in the printer and turn

the printer OFF.

● Press and hold down the [SET/EJECT] button.

. While holding down the button, turn the printer on

again.

. The display will show “P3!’,and will print

* * *

Th “

1s 1s fIrst 1Ine***

at the top of the paper.

. If you are using cut sheet paper, the paper will feed to

the bottom of the paper (or where the printer “thinks” is the bottom of the paper) and print (for example):

*‘* This is line 068. ***

. This number of lines is based on the figure of 6 lines

to the inch, In this case:

lengthof paper =

Page48

numberoflines

6 ‘6

—

— = 11,333

● We can guess from this that the paper is probably -

international A4 size.

. If you use this feature with fanfold paper, only the top

message will be printed.

● The printer is ready to start printing normally after it

has printed the bottom message.

Hexadecimal dump mode

This feature is most useful for programmers and sup-

port staff who need to check that the printer is really receiving the expected data. In this mode, the printer does not act on so-called “control codes”; codes which cause the printer to perform an action such as feeding paper. Characters are printed in the following way:

A space is printed with its hexadeci mal value (20).

6E 67 20 79 6F

72 61 6D 73 73 65 6E 64 20 6F 75 74

70 75 74

65 72 2C 20 69 74 20 69 73 20 73 6F 6D 65 74 69

60 65 73 20 75 73 65 66 75 6C 20 74 6F 20 70 72 mes usef U1 to pr 69 6E 74 20 6F 75 74 20 64 61 74 61 20 74 68 61 69 6E 74 65 72 20 69 73 6E 67 2E OA 57 68 65 6E 20 79 6F 75 20 70 65 72

. .

72 65 20 77 72 69 7 I f YOU a re wr i t-i 6F 77 6E 20 70 72 6F 67 own prog

68 65 20 70 72 69 6E 74

74 68 65 20 72 61 77 20 Int out the raw 74 20 74 68 65 20 70 72 data th# t the pr

2.0 72 65 63 65 69 76 69 inter is receivi

er , i t i s someti

ng .When

send out

you per

‘i;;T[v$::;i

Non-printable (con%l) characters are sh&vn as periods, and printed with their hexadecimal values.

Printable characters are printed with their hexadecimal

values on the left, and the characters on the right. This

kind of format is familiar to anyone who has used the MS-DOS DEBUG command.

Page49

To enter the hexadecimal dump mode, make sure paper is loaded into the printer.

●

Turn the printer OFF.

●

Press and hold down the and the

L buttons.

●

While holding down the and the

I buttons, turn on the printer.

●

Release the buttons. The display will show “W” (hexadecimal dump -in hexadem

&pmodeuntilyouturnitoff and

d the pnn_ter-willcontinue to print

on again in the usual way.

Adt d a

Note: Youmayneverneedto usethisfunction. it onlyif graph-

icsprintoutsappearstrange(asintheillustrationsbelow).

After you have owned and been using your printer for

some time, you may find that when you print graphics, the printed dots are slightly out of line with each other. For instance, what you intend to look like this:

11111

may come out like this:

or like this:

This is due to the mechanical parts of the printer work-

ing slightly out of alignment. It happens very rarely – you may never see this symptom. However, if it does occur, it is nothing to worry about, and you can cure it in the following way:

. Load a sheet of paper (or load fanfold paper) into the

printer, and turn the printer OFF.

Page50

●

Press and hold down both the and the

●

Turn on the printer.

●

After a few seconds. release the buttons.

●

The display will show

“d/?”(dot adjustment). The

printer will then print something like

***

DOT ADJUSTMENT SETTING * * *

●

The number before the vertical bars may not be “-3”,

-3

: 1’1’1’1’1’1 1’1’1’1’1’1’1’1’1’1’1’1’1’1’1’

but whatever its value, it will be also shown in the display: “ After the bars have been printed, the printer will feed the paper so that you can see the printout clearly.

●

Each vertical bar is actually two bars. You can use the

[ button to move the bottom row of bars

to the left, and the button to move them to the right.

***

DOT ADJUSTMENT SETTING * * *

●

Before printing the test pattern again, the printer will

-3 : ,~,,~,~,~,~,~,~,,~&~%~@~,&,~&d~%~a,

~@ET/EJEcTl [PAPER FEED

reverse-feed the paper. After printing the pattern, the printer will feed the paper up for you to see it clearly.

●

In the illustration above, you would want to move the bottom row to the right, so pressing the button will give you the following printout:

***

DOT ADJUSTMENT SETTING * * *

-2 : /1’I I / / / / I / / / / / I / / / I / /

Page51

c The display will now show “-I?”.The bars are more

aligned now. Keep using the button and

[ button until the two rows are aligned.

You have now aligned the printer in Letter Quality (LQ) mode. By pressing the [~] button, you can now correct the dot alignment of the draft mode.

There are five modes where the dot alignment may need

to be corrected: LQ, DRAFT, DRAFT COND (condensed), GRAPHICS A and GRAPHICS B. Cycle around these

modes by pressing [~] (“cycling” here means that if you are in the last mode; GRAPHICS B, and you press [~], the printer will go back to LQ). The different modes may have different alignments because of the way that the printer’s electronics drive the moving parts.

. When you have adjusted all the dot alignments, exit

from the mode by pressing [TR15iT].The printer will

print “*** END ***”

and go into r mode.

. Eject the paper and continue with normal printing.

Electronic DIP switches

Conventional printers have a set of small 2-way switches (Dual In-line Package, hence “DIP”) which you use to set up various features of the printer which you

want to use every time you turn on the printer. The list

of settings that you can change is given on page 55.

Although the LC24-300 Colour has a Macro function to

allow you to set up some of these “power-on default settings”, (see “Saving Macros” on page 42). However, when it comes to DIP switches, it is not a conventional printer

it makes your life much easier.

Instead of poking around with small switches and a screwdriver, all “switch” settings are made from the front panel – hence “Electronic DIP switches”. Here’s how they work:

Page52

U t ElD s

●

To use the Electronic DIP Switch mode, turn the

printer OFF.

●

Press and hold down the and the (@RTiNE]buttons.

●

Turn the printer on while holding down these but-

tons. Wait a few seconds and release them.

●

The display will show:

R]. 0“

EDS

●

This means that we are in Electronic DIP Switch

mode, that switch number 1of bank A (switch “Al”) has been selected, and it is now ON.

Banks and numbers

Conventional DIP switches are arranged in banks. Each

bank contains a number of different switches. If the

LC24-300 Colour had conventional DIP switches, this is how they would look:

I the

B C D E

As it is, the LC24-300 Colour switches are represented

on the front panel.

Selecting the switch bank

To select a switch bank in Electronic DIP Switch mode,

press the [T6FR_]button. With each press of the [~] button, the display will change from “A” to “B”, through “F”, and back to “A” again. If you have selected a switch number other than “l“, the number will be changed to “1“ when you go to the next bank.

Page53

Selecting the switch number

To select a switch number, press the [FRi5K)button. With each press of the [FRET]button, the display will change from “l”, round the number of switches in the currentlyselected bank (only one switch in bank F).

Changing a switch’s value

When you have chosen the bank and switch you want to

change, press the

[ button to toggle the

switch’s value from ON to OFF or OFF to Oh’ (as the display shows you).

An example

Suppose you have just turned on the printer in Electronic DIP Switch mode and you want to change switch 5 in bank C from “ON” to “OFF”. Here’s how you do it:

● Press the [~] button twice. You are now in bank C.

. Press the [~] button four times. You have now

selected switch 5 of bank C.

● Press the [ button once. The display should

show:

[5 OFF

EDS

And that’s it!

Exiting Electronic DIP Switch mode

Press the [ZXTFE_]button to save the “switch” settings and exit the Electronic DIP Switch mode. The printer

will now operate in the mode you have just set up with

the Electronic DIP Switch mode.

Page54

W y c c w t E D S

Y c

~ “~

Function

Meaning

when ON

Meaning

when

OFF

A 1 Emulation Standard (Epson) A 2 AECmode A

3 A 4 A 5 Auto LF with CR A

B- 1

B 2 Paper-out

B 4

c c, 2 c 3 c 4 Pagelength c 5

RAM usage

Color and zoom

Auto sheet feeder

Graphicsdirection

Tear-off

Reserved

Multi-part mode

Print mode See page 59

Enabled Disabled Input buffer Download buffer Enabled Disabled

Disabled Not installed B-directional Uni-directional Enabled Disabled Disabled Enabled Leave this switch ON

See page 58

See page 59

IBM

Enabled Installed

Character table

D 1 In standard mode

In IBM mode D 2 D 3

D 4

Code page (interna-

tional character set)

Graphics

IBM #1 IBM #2

See page 60

Italics

Y c

~ “g

D 5 E 1 E 2 E E E

Function

CRcentering Disabled Enabled

3 4 5

LQ font selection

Meaning Meaning

when ON

See “El through E5- LQ Font selection” on page 61.

when OFF

Electronic DIP Switch setting settings

User settings

Default (factory)

Note that: . All “switches” are ON when they leave the factory

except for A5 (Auto CR-LF). Setting F1 to OFF will set all switches to ON, except for A5.

● If switch F1 is set to OFF, the changes made to other

switches will have no effect. All switches will be reset

to factory settings.

. You should not change the setting of switch B4.

Meo t s

A 1- Emulation

This switch determines what printer the LC24-300

Colour emulates (pretends to be). When ON, the LC24300 Colour emulates an Epson LQ-860, and when OFF, the LC24-300 Colour emulates an IBM Propnnter X24E.

A2 -

Auto Emulation Change( m

If this switch is ON, the LC24-300 Colour will automatically change between the two emulations above, depending on the data received. If this switch is OFF, the printer will stay in whatever emulation you have

selected with Al.

Page56

A3 - RAM usage’

The printer’s internal memory can be set as either buffer

memory (ON) – the printer accepts data from the computer faster than it can print it, or download memory (OFF) - you can invent your own character symbols and download them using software into the printer.

A4 - Color and zoom

If this switch is ON, both color printing and zooming

(page 40) are enabled. If OFF, you can do neither color printing nor zoom printing. If you have set a zoom level and stored it as a macro (page 42), and turn this switch OFF, the zoom size will be cancelled.

A5 - Auto LF with CR

If A5 is ON, your computer needs to send both a line feed code and a carriage return code at the end of each line. If A5 is set to OFF, the printer will automatically

perform a line feed each time it receives a carriage return. As a result, your software only needs to send a

carriage return at the end of a line.

●

If your output is double-spaced when it should not be, you may need to set this setting to ON.

●

If the lines of your output are being printed on top of one another, you should set this s~tting to OFF. -

A6 -

Auto sheet feeder

If you have installed the optional automatic sheet feeder

(SF-1ODW),you should turn this switch OFF. Other-

wise, simply leave it ON.

B1 - Graphics direction

When you are printing graphics, you can print bi-direc-

tionally (left-to-right and right-to-left) for speed (ON).

Uni-directional graphics printing (OFF) means that the print head prints from left-to-right, returns to the left without printing, and prints from left-to-right again. This is a little more accurate than bi-directional pnnt-

Page57

ing, but for most purposes, you’ll probably find that bidirectional printing is accurate enough.

B2 - Paper-out

When ON, the printer takes note of its internal paper sensor. It prints to the bottom edge of the paper and then stops, waiting for a new sheet. If this switch is OFF, the printer ignores its sensor and will continue printing, even if there is no paper to print on.

B3 - Tear-off

If you set this switch to OFF, this allows you to use the fanfold tear-off function (page 34). If you this switch is

ON, the function is disabled.

B4 - Reserved

Leave this switch on.

B5 and B6 - Multi-part mode

When using multi-part forms, there are three settings you can make, depending on the number of sheets you are feeding through the printer at one time:

Normal mode (one sheet) Multi-part 1 (up to 3 sheets)

Multi-part 2 (upto 5 sheets)

Page58

Multi-part mode

\ B5 I B6 I

ON ON OFF

ON OFF ON

Cl and C2 - Print mode

You choose the default pitch and font settings with these

switches:

Print mode

10 cpI draft 17 cpi draft 10 cpi LQ

ON OFF OFF OFF

ON ON

Note: Anypitchandfontsettingsyouhavestoredin amacro(page

be erasedifyouchangetheseswitchsettings.

C3 through C5 - Page length

If you are using US letter paper or 1l-inch fanfold paper,

leave all these switches ON. You should set the switches

as follows for different sizes of paper:

PageLength

7.25 inches (sideways USexecutive)

8 inches

8.5 inches (sideways USletter)

C3 C4

OFF OFF OFF ON ON OFF

ON ON

OFF

10.5 inches (USexecutive) 11 inches (USletter) ON ON ON

11.7 inches (international A4) 12 inches

14 inches (USlegal)

ON OFF ON OFF OFF ON OFF ON OFF

OFF OFF

DI - Character table

In each emulation mode, the LC24-300 Colour can use one of two character tables. The character table which

Page59

you select with this switch depends on the emulation set at the time (“Al- Emulation” on page 56).

When the printer is in standard (Epson) emulation, set-

ting C1to ON selects the IBM Character Set #2 (confusing, but true). When OFF, this switch selects an italic character table.

When the printer is in IBM emulation, setting this

switch ON selects IBM Character set #2 (box-drawing graphic characters, international accented characters (for example “e”,

“n” and “U”), as well as common mathematical and technical symbols such as “Q” and “p”). Setting this switch to OFF selects a smaller set of characters for use if your computer only sends 7-bit data to the printer. If you’re not sure what this means,

you probably won’t need to use this setting.

D2 through D4 - character code tables

Again, these switches perform different functions,

depending on the emulation (“Al- Emulation” on page 56) and the character table selected (’<Dl– Charac-

ter table” on page 59). Use these switches to pick a char-

acter code table which contains the characters you need.

In all modes except Standard (Epson) emulation (Al ON) with the Italic character set selected (Dl OFF), the

switches select the following code pages (character tables):

Code page

#437 U.S.A. #850 Multi-l lngual #860 #861 #863 Canadian French #865

Portuguese ON Icelandic OFF OFF ON

Nordic OFF ON

Page60

D2 D3

ON ON OFF ON

OFF

ON ON

ON ON ON

OFF OFF

In the following mode ordg: Standard (Epson) emulation

(Al ON) with the Italic character set selected (DI OFF),

the switches select the following:

Country

U.S.A. France Germany

I England

Denmark I ON Sweden Italy ON

I Sp7ainI I OFF I OFF I OFF I

D2 D3 D4

ON ON ON OFF ON ON ON

/ OFF I OFF ION I

OFF

ON ON OFF

OFF OFF OFF

D5 -CR centering

With this switch OFF, when the printer feeds fanfold

paper past the perforations, the print head moves to the center of the paper. This will improve print quality. Obviously, for this function to work, you must set the page length to work with the actual length of each fanfold page (page 59).

When this switch is ON, the print head does not move

when fanfold paper is being fed.

El through E5 - LO Font selection

These switches allow you to set the default font used when you select LQ mode. Note that some of these fonts

(shaded boxes) are optional fonts which must be pur-

chased separately.

Font name El E2

Roman ON ON

Sanserlf OFF

E3 E4 E5

ON ON ON ON ON ON

Page61

Font name

El E2

E3 E4

Courier ON OFF Prestige Script

OFF OFF ON

ON OFF ON ON

ON ON

ON ON ON ON

] SLQ Roman

Note:

Ifyouhaveselectedanoptional(shaded)font,Romanwillbe

selectediftheselectedfont hasnotbeeninstalled,.

ION ION ION I OFF I OFF I

F1 - Electronic DIP switch settings

If you set this switch OFF, all switch settings will be set to factory settings (all ON except for A5).

Page62

Optional

Chapter 5

accessories

Accessories available

The LC24-300 Colour has two optional accessories

available for it: the SF-10DWAutomatic sheet feeder, and the SPC-8K Serial/Parallel converter.

T S

The SF-10DW allows you to load cut sheet paper, which will be automatically fed, one sheet at a time, for

printing.

Unpacking

Make sure that you have the following when you unpack the SF-1ODW:

●

Sheet feeder

●

Hopper attachment

●

Stacker attachment

●

Printer cover

●

SF-10DWUser’s manual

Page63

If any of these items is missing, contact your supplier. The SF-1ODW is protected by packing material and tape

when it is shipped from the factory. Make sure that you remove all packing material and tape before you start to use the SF-10DW.

Installing the SF-1ODWASF

●

Use the EDS function to set the Automatic sheet feeder to “Installed”. See the section on “Using the Electronic DIP switches” on page 53, especially “A6 –

Auto sheet feeder” on page 57.

●

Open and remove the front cover of the printer. Lift the cover from the rear using the grips on the sides. Lift up to remove the cover from the body of the printer (see page 10).

●

Remove the roller unit (see page 13).

●

Tip the SF-10DWforward slightly, and put it into place behind the printer platen roller (o).

●

Lower the back of the SF-1ODW, and attach it to the holder shaft (@j):

Page64

●

Make sure that the mounting brackets on both sides of the SF-10DWare properly mounted on the printer. If they have been properly mounted, you can use the platen knob to turn the ejection roller on the SF-

10DW.

●

Install the printer cover supplied with the SF-10DW .

●

Install the hopper attachment on top of the SF-10DW hopper support section.

●

Fit the stacker attachment into the fixing groove in the front of the sheet feeder. You may need to squeeze the stacker attachment a little to fit it.

●

Keep the printer’s front cover, mute cover, roller unit and paper guide together for possible future use.

Using the SF-70DW

If you have already loaded fanfold paper, park the

paper (page 31).

Page65

Push the paper release lever to the back position ( ~). Pull the SF-10DW paper loading lever forward

the hopper forward.

●

Adjust the left paper guide to the position at which you want the left edge of the paper.

●

Take about 50 sheets of paper (about 20 lb weight), fan them and square them off before putting them into the SF-10DW. By doing this, you separate the

sheets. This stops the sheets from sticking together andjamming as they are fed through the feeder into the printer.

to pull

Page66

●

Insert the paper into the SF-10DW.Do not attempt to force sheets into the feeder. If the stack of paper does not fit easily into the feeder, remove some sheets and

try again.

●

Adjust the right paper guide to allow the paper to go

through the feeder smoothly, without allowing it to

move from side to side. A gap of less than a millimeter

(0.04”) is ideal.

●

Push the paper loading lever towards the rear of the printer.

●

You are now ready to start printing with the SF-10DW

Automatic sheet feeder.

T S sec

The SPC-8K serial/parallel converter takes serial signals

from your computer, and converts them to parallel signals which can be understood by the printer.

The SPC-8K has one bank of eight DIP switches which must be set

beforeyou connect the SPC-8K to the

printer and computer.

Page67

These switches control the way in which the SPC-8K

expects the data to come from your computer, and will return data to your computer when necessary. You must also make sure your computer’s serial ports match the settings you make on the SPC-8K.

You will need a serial cable in addition to the SPC-8K

(see page 71).

Baud rate

You must “tell” the SPC-8K the baud rate of your com-

puter’s serial port (how fast it can expect to receive data from your computer).

Use switches

6 through 8 for this purpose. Set them as

described in the table below:

Baud rate Sw 6 I Sw 7

I I I

150 I OFF 300 600

1200 OFF 2400 ON 4800

9600.

19200

OFF OFF OFF

ON OFF ON ON ON ON

Number of bits in a word

I OFF

ON OFF ON OFF OFF

Sw 8

I OFF

~~Ì‡ON

OFF ON

Set switch 1to ON for 8 data bits in a serial word (this will be the most commonly-used setting). Set Switch 1to OFF for 7-bit use.

Parity

A “parity bit” can be added to each word to make the total value of bits to be odd or even. This allows for error checking of the data as it is transmitted over the serial line. Use switches 2 and 5 to set this.

Page68

Set switch 2 ON if you don’t want parity checking, and set it to OFF if you want parity checking.

If you have set switch 2 to OFF, you must choose

whether you are going to use even or odd parity. IF

switch 5 is ON, the SPC-8K will use odd parity, and if this switch is OFF, the SPC-8K will use even parity. If switch 2 is ON, switch 5 will have no effect.

Handshaking

“Handshaking” is the term used to describe the way in which serial devices “say” to each other:

“Are you ready for me to give you more data?” “No, I’m not – wait a moment.” (thinks and processes

data) “OK – I’m ready now. More data, please.”

Obviously, computer devices don’t use these words – there are two ways in which they have these “conversations”. One way is by changing the voltage along one of the serial lines (hardware or DTR handshaking). The other way is by special codes which cannot be printed, but are interpreted by computer devices along the lines of the conversation above (software handshaking). An older, less frequently-used method is called ETX/ACK, and the other main method (more common than ETX/

ACK) is called XON/XOFF (sometimes called DC1/DC3).

Use switches

3 and 4 to set the handshaking method

(usually called “protocol”):

Protocol Sw 3

DTR(hardware) handshake XON/XOFF ETX/ACK

Connecting the SPC-8K converter

Turn the printer and the computer OFF using their

ON ON OFF

Sw 4

ON OFF ON

power switches.

Page69

. Disconnect the parallel interface cable from the

printer (if connected).

. Connect the parallel connector of the SPC-8K (the

connector on the cable) to the printer’s parallel conecctor. Move both clips on the printer connector inside the clips on the SPC-8K connector until they click into place.

“ Connect the 25-pin ‘D’ connector on the SPC-8K to

the 25-pin end of a suitable serial cable. See “The serial connector on the SPC-8K” on page 71 for details of the kind of cable you will need.

● Connect the other end of cable to the computer’s

serial port (often labeled COM1 or COM2).

Note:

Somecomputersusea9-pinratherthana25-pinserialconnector.Ifthisisthecasewithyourcomputer,you willhaveto makeor buya25-to-9-pinadaptor.Seepage71fordetails.

. Make sure that the main body of the SPC-8K is rest-

ing on a table or flat surface. If it is left hanging in mid-air, this will put strain on the cables, possibly resulting in damage.

c Make that the computer’s serial port settings match

the settings you have made with the SPC-8K’S DIP switches (see below).

Using the SPC-8K

When you use the SPC-8K with your computer and

printer, you must remember that you are printing through the serial, not the parallel port on your computer.

Page70

The only other thing to remember is the buffer memory. The LC24-300 Colour contains memory which can be used as a print buffer (page 57) which must be cleared

(“Clearing the buffer” on page 43) if a printjob is to be halted. The SPC-8K also contains a buffer, which must also be cleared if you are to halt a printjob successfully.

You clear the SPC-8K’S print buffer by pressing the but-

ton recessed in the body of the SPC-8K.

Buffer reset button

The serial connector on the SPC-8K

The following information is provided for use if your computer does not have a standard 25-pin serial connector. If you computer does have a standard 25-pin serial connector, you can use a “straight-through” 25pin cable.

If you need to use the SPC-8K with any other computer, you will either have to buy or make your own cable. If you are in doubt, show the chart below to your com-

puter supplier or to friends who have experience with

serial cables.

~in # Signal [n or

name

2 TXD 3 RXD IN Datato the printer

GND -

out

Printer chassis ground

OUT Datafrom the printer

Function

Page71

pin# Signal In or

name

out

Function

8-10 NC

11 RCH OUT

12 13 GND - Signal ground 14-19 NC

21-25 NC

RTS OUT Always space CTS

NC (3ND - Signal ground

DTR OUT

—

Spacewhen computer is readyto send data. The printer does not check this pin.

Unused

Unused Turned to Spacewhen printer ready to

receive (echoes DTR(20)). Unused

Unused Turnedto Spacewhen printer ready to

receive. Unused

Setting up an MS-DOS computer

If you are using an IBM PC or compatible running MS-DOS, edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to include a line that reads:

MODE LPT1: =COMn:

is the number of the serial port; either 1 or 2).

The line above will send printer output to the COMn

serial port. Next, include the line:

MODE COMn: baud,pari ty,data length,stopbits,p

to set up the COMn port to match the DIP switch settings on the serial-to-parallel converter. For example

MODE COM2:9600,N,8, l,p

will set up COM2 to run at 9600 baud, with no parity, a

data length of 8 bits, and 1stop bit (an MS-DOS byteterminating convention). The ‘p’ indicates that the printer will continually try to re-transmit data, should an error occur.

Setting up a Windows computer

●

Double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main window.

●

Double-click the Printers icon

●

Make sure that LC24-300 C is selected in the hstaUed Printers list.

Click on Connect Click on the serial port (COMn) to which the serial-

to-parallel converter is connected.

●

Click OK to return to the Printers window.

●

Click Close to return to the Con@ol PaneZwindow.

●

Double-click on Ports. The Ports dialog box appears.

●

Click on the name of the port to which the serial-to-

parallel converter is connected.

●

Click on Settings.

●

For each setting (Baud Rate, Data Bits, Paritg, Stop Bits and Flow ControZ(protocol)) select the appropri-

ate setting from the pull-down menu (alternatively,

you can fie in your selections directly). Click OK to return to the Ports window. Click Close to return to the ControZPanel

window.

Page73

Page74

Chapter 6

Your LC24-300 Colour printer should perform without

any problem most of the time. However, things will go

wrong from time to time. A list of common problems and

corresponding suggestions for solving them is given

below. A further section, Checking sgstem software settings,

suggests ways for you to check whether your system software (MS-DOS or Windows) is correctly set up for printing.

If the suggested remedies do not cure the problem, consult the store where you purchased your printer for assistance.

Troubleshooting

Note:

Theprintercontainshighvoltages.Do nottryanyrepairoperationotherthanthosedescribedinthischapter.Youcould receiveanelectricshockorceusedamageto theprinter.This willalsoinvalidatethe’warranty.

Page75

Common problems and solutions

Possible cause

Printer is not receiving power.

Possible causes

The ribbon is jammed,

twisted or not set properly between the print head and

the print head shield. ~

Action

Check whether the power cord is correctly connected. If it is, try a different power cord.

Check whether the power source is working by unplugging the printer and

plugging in another device.

Action

I Make sure that the ribbon

cartridge is correctly installed. See “Installing the ribbon cartridge” on page 10.

The print gap is not set

correctly.

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Use the adjustment lever to set the print gap. Move the lever to a lower (darker) setting. See “Adjusting the print gap” on page 24.

Possible causes

Action

The wrong emulation is

selected.

The wrong printer has been selected by your application program or system software.

The computer system software is not set up properly for the printer or for the type of interface cable that you are using.

The interface cable is incorrectly connected, or damaged.

Check the emulation selection. See “AlEmulation” on page 56. Change it if necessary.

Check the printer selection in your application or system software. See “Checking system software settings” on page 89.

Check the system software settings. See “Checking system software settings” on page 89.

Check that the printer

interface cable is correctly connected. If it is, try a

different cable.

P c

Your application software Use the control panel to is overriding the control panel font selection. This does not apply to systems

lock font selection by application software. See “Font lock” on page 45.

running Windows.

Page77

P c

The release lever is in the wrong position.

r--

The print gap is not set

correctly.

P c

A monochrome ribbon

cartridge is installed.

Make sure that the lever is pushed back if you are

printing on single sheets, or pulled forward if you are using fanfold stationery.

Remove paper from the printer. Reload paper. Refer to page 26 and page 27.

Check the print gap. If necessary, use the adjustment lever to set the print gap. See “Adjusting the print gap” on page 24.

Install a color ribbon cartridge.

A printer that does not .

support color has been

selected (either in Windows or in your application program).

Electronic DIP Switch

settings prevent use of

color.

Page78

Select a different printer driver. See “Setting up the printer in Windows” on page 19.

Check the settings. See “A4 – Color and zoom” on page 57.

P c

Paper is jamming.

The wrong line spacing or

leading has been selected from your application program.

Auto line feed with carriage Th= CR/LF setting is

return is selected.

P c

Auto line feed with carriage return is not selected.

Check the print gap. If necessary, use the adjustment lever to set the print gap. See “Adjusting the print gap” on page 24.

Choose a different setting in your application.

wrong. See “A5 – Auto LF with CR” on page 57.

The CR/LF setting is

wrong. See “A5 – Auto LF with CR” on page 57.

Paper is jamming.

Check the print gap. If necessa~, use the adjustment lever to set the print gap. See “Adjusting the print gap” on page 24.

Page79

I P c

I A

Printing is starting from the

wrong place on the page.

Auto line feed with carriage

return is selected.

The wrong line spacing or leading has been selected from your application program.

P c

The print gap is not set

correctly.

Adjust the auto load

position. See “Setting the top of a form” on page 35.

The CR/LF setting is

wrong. See “A5 – Auto LF with CR” on page 57.

Choose a different setting in your application.

Use the adjustment lever to alter the print gap. See “Adjusting the print gap” on page 24.

The print head is damaged.

Page80

Return the printer to your dealer for repair.

Possible causes

Action

The print gap is not set

correctly.

The ribbon is jammed,

twisted or not set properly

between the print head and

the print head shield.

Print head shield is damaged or missing.

Use the adjustment lever to

set the print gap. Move the

lever to a higher (lighter)

setting. See “Adjusting the

print gap” on page 24. Make sure that the ribbon

cartridge is correctly installed. See “Installing the ribbon cartridge” on page 10.

Return the printer to your dealer for repair.

Switch off the printer and allow it to cool down. Check the air vents on the underside of the printer to

see if they are clogged or obstructed in any way. Remove the obstruction or clogging material if possible. If the problem persists, return the printer to your dealer for repair.

Page81

Possiblecauses Action

The front cover and mute I Replace the covers.

covers are off.

The printer is vibrating. Move any unrelated objects

Possiblecauses

The paper guides are

positioned incorrectly.

The ribbon isjammed, causing the print head to

jam.

that are touching the printer. Make sure that the printer is on a level, steady surface.

Action

Remove the paper, adjust the position of the paper guides. Reload the paper.

Make sure that the ribbon cartridge is correctly installed. See “Installing the ribbon cartridge” on page 10.

Page82

“ .$ ,..

. .

“ ‘ ~ ,’ . .. ~~. “~ “, “ ‘

<, .,,

The paper is jamming, causing the print head to

jam.

,>,,,:;

” ,,

H :;:,:;,;;;,’j:e;.:;::;;;;{

Remove all paper from the printer, Reload paper.

Check the print gap. If necessary, use the

adjustment lever to set the print gap. See “Adjusting

the print gap” on page 24.

Inappropriate margin settings have been selected from your application program.

P c

The ribbon cartridge is

incorrectly installed, causing the print head to

jam.

The paper is not loaded

properly, causing the print head to jam.

The print gap is not set correctly.

Choose different margin

settings in your

application.

Make sure that the ribbon cartridge is correctly installed. See “Installing the ribbon cartridge” on page 10.

Remove all paper from the printer. Reload paper.

Use the adjustment lever to set the print gap. See “Adjusting the print gap” on page 24.

Page83

interference from nearby electrical devices or by a low level of humidity is affecting the printer’s operation.

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

Inappropriate settings have been selected from your application program.

P c

The wrong emulation is

selected.

The wrong character table,

code page or international character set is selected.

Static electricity caused by interference from nearby electrical devices or by a low level of humidity is affecting the printer’s

operation.

Choose different settings in

your application.

Action

Check the emulation selection. See “AIL Emulation” on page 56.

Check Electronic DIP Switch settings. See “D2 through D4 – character code tables” on page 60.

Make sure”~hatthe printer is not too close to any

devices with electric motors, or raise the humidity level.

Inappropriate settings have been selected from your application program.

There are wires missing

from the print head.

Page84

Choose different settings in

your application.

Return the printer to your dealer for repair.

Possible causes

Action

The interface cable is

incorrectly connected, or damaged

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

Static electricity caused by interference from nearby electrical devices or by a low level of humidity is affecting the printer’s

Make sure that the printer is not too close to any

devices with electric motors, or raise the humidity level.

operation.

D m (n

The following messages do not indicate an error in the

printer, but this table provides a quick lookup to determine the meaning of messages:

Message

I~Romin;

IRoman

~Sanserif~ Saris-serif LQ font hasbeen selected

Draft mode hasbeen selected. Youcannot select proportional pitch

Roman LClfonthas been selected Roman SLQfont hasbeen selected

p-izJ

Meaning

/Courier ] Courier LO font hasbeen selected [Prestige ~ Prestige LO font has been selected

1:.s(Apt :

/ORATOR

IOratar-2[

I Script LQfonttms been selected

Orator LQ font has been selected Orator-2 LQ font has been selected

Page85

Message

I H-Gothic LO fonlhasbeenselecled

Meaning

; The optional cartridge LQ font has been selected

The zoom mode has been selected. The message

below indicates the current size.

OFF

El!IEa

PI?

lid

The current pitch size.The message below indicates the current size.

The electronic DIP switch mode is selected (see page 53)

Font changes cannot be made from application pro-

grams. See “Font lock” on page 45. Changes to the font pitch cannot be made from applica-

tion programs. See “ Pitch lock” on page 45.

Displayed in Electronic DIPSwitch mode to show the status of the currently-selected switch. See “Changing a switch’s value” on page 54.

The quiet print mode is selected. See “Quiet printing” on page 37.

The front panel settings have been saved asa macro. See “Saving Macros” on page 42.

The short test mode has been selected. See “Short test” on page 47..

The long test mode has been selected. See “Long test” on page 47.

The print area test mode has been selected. See “Print

area test mode” on page 48. The hexadecimal test dump mode has been selected.

See “Hexadecimal dump mode” on page 49. Topof form is being set manually with the control

panel. See “Setting the top of a form” on page 35.

d&!

Page86

The buffer has been cleared manually wilh the control

panel. See “Clearing the buffer” on page 43.

Dot adjustment mode has been selected. See “Adjust-

ing the dot alignment” on page 50.

D m (

The following messages all show that some error has

occurred in the printer

Message

El-

El.

Ei’

Meaning

No paper loaded in the printer. Load paper (“Loading cut sheet paper” on page 26 and “ Loading and parking fanfold paper” on page 27)

The release lever hasbeen moved while the paper is in printing position. Parkthe paper and try again (“Parking paper” on page 31)

The amount of memory available for Electronic DIP Switch settings has been exceeded. Reset to factory

s ( F –E DIP switch settings” on

page 62) and try again. Print head error.Turn off the printer, wait afew seconds

and try printing again. Carriagehome position error.Turnoff the printer, wait a

few seconds and try printing again

Paper handling error. Turnoff the printer, wait a few

seconds and try printing again S.W.I error.Turnoff the printer, wait afew seconds and

try printing again EEPROMor RAM (memory) error. Turn off the printer,

wait a few seconds and try printing again

“Watchdog” (internal software error). Turn off the

printer, wait a few seconds and try printing again

If any of these errors persist, consult your supplier.

Page87

Beeptones

In addition to the display, the printer also uses its internal beeper to alert you of problems and internal conditions. Here’s a summary of the different tones:

Beeptones

2-second tone

One long tone

Four short tones, repeated twice

One short tone

Two short tones

Three short tones

Meaning

The printer has detected an error condition. Turn off the printer, wait afew seconds and try printing again.

The printer has detected an error Gondition. Turn off the printer, wait afew sec ends and try printing again.

The printer is out of paper, The buffer hasbeen cleared. See “Clear-

ing the buffer” on page 43. The top of form has been set. See “Setting the top of a form” on page 35. The quiet mode hasbeen selected, See

“Quiet printing” on page 37.

The zoom size has been changed. See

“Changing the zoom size” on page 40. The Electronic DIPSwitch mode hasbeen selected. See “Using the Electronic DIP switches” on page 53.

The macro definition has been selected, See“’Saving Macros” on page 42. The quiet mode hasbeen cancelled. See “Quiet printing” on page 37.

The macro definition has been cancelled. See “Removing the macro” on page 43. The printer has been reset. See “Setting the printer backto default settings” on page 44.

One shorter tone

Page8

Hexadecimal dump mode has been selected. See “Hexadecimal dump mode” on page49. Pitch lock mode has been selected, See “ Pitch lock” on page 45. Font lock mode hasbeen selected. See “Font lock” on page 45,

Meanin

Beeptones

Pitch and font lock have been selected

Two shorter tones

Intermittent tone the fanfold paper is not parked. See “Park-

together. See “Pitchandfont lock” on page 46.

The release lever has been moved while

ing paper” on page 31.

Checking system software settings

InWindows

If you cannot print from your Windows application, there are three things that you can check. You may also

wish to refer to the Microso$ Windows User’s Guide.

Firstly, check that the printer has been set as the

Default Printer.

●

Double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main window.

●

Double-click the Printers icon

●

Click on LC24-300 C in the list of installed printers.

●

Make sure that SetAs Default Printer is checked. If it is not, click on the check box, and try printing from

your application again.

●

Click on Close to return to the Control Panel window.

Secondly, check that the printer is correctly selected in

your application.

●

Select Print from the application’s File menu. A dialog box appears listing available printers.

●

Make sure that LC24-300 C is highlighted. If it is not, click on it and try printing again.

Thirdly, check that the correct port is selected.

●

Double-clickthe ControZPaneliconin the Mainwindow.

●

Double-click the Printers icon

PageW

●

Click on LC24-300 C in the list of installed

printers.

●

Click Connect.

●

Make sure that your.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 SPC-8K serial-to-parallel converter, you will be using COM1 or COM2. Click on

the appropriate port name.

●

Click OK.

●

Click on Close to return to the ControZPaneZwin-

dow.

If you still cannot print successfully, consult your soft-

ware dealer for assistance.

MS-DOS

If you cannot print a text file using the MS-DOS PRINT command, check the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to see whether it contains any of the following statements:

MODELPT1:=COM1: or MODELPT1:=COM2:

These indicate that the computer is set up to print to a

printer via a serial cable, not a parallel cable. So, if you are using a parallel cable, delete the line from AUTOEXEC.BAT. Resave AUTOEXEC.BAT, and restart your computer. Try printing again.

Conversely, if you are using the SPC-8K serial-to-parallel converter, make sure that a statement is included in AUTOEXEC.BAT. See “Setting up an MS-DOS computer” on page 72.If you still cannot print, refer to the

MS-DOS User’s Guide, or consult your software dealer.

If you can print from MS-DOS but cannot print from your application, check to see which printer driver is

selected in the application. Check the application’s manual for details of printer selection.

If you still cannot print, consult your software dealer.

Page9

Chapter 7

.Hexadec

Softwarecommands

Introduction

The LC24-300 Colour has two emulation modes:

Standard/Epson mode and IBM mode.

In the Standard/Epson mode, the printer emulates the Epson LQ-860/850, and can also recognize the graphics commands of NEC 24-wire printers. In IBM mode, the printer emulates the IBM Proprinter X24E. Some additional command codes, which are a superset of these emulations, are also supported.

The emulation can be changed by changing Electronic

DIP Switch (EDS) setting Al. When Al is ON, the printer is in Standard/Epson mode; when it is OFF, the printer is in IBM mode (see Chapter 4).

In addition, when EDS switch A2 is ON, the printer can automatically sense which emulation is required and

will change emulation as necessary. This chapter describes the printer’s control commands.

Some commands are common to both Standard and IBM modes. All commands will grouped by function. The name of each command is followed by a table like the one below:

MODE ASCIIDecima

Std.

MODE: Indicates the mode in which the command is

Std. Standard/Epson mode (EDS switch Al is ON) IBM IBM mode (EDS switch Al is OFF)

<ESC> 27 120 1 IB 78 01

recognized.

Page91

Both Both Standard/Epson and IBM modes ASCII: Indicates the ASCII coding of the command.

Control characters are enclosed in angle

brackets: For example, <1> means character

code 1.

Decimal: Gives the command in decimal character

codes.

Hexadecimal: Gives the command in hexadecimal char-

acter codes.

Parameters for which values must be supplied are indicated by letters such as n, m or d.

Page92

Star Micronics LC24-300 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual