Star Micronics LC-IOII User Manual

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LC-IOII

USERS MANUAL

NOT INTENDED FOR SALE

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Trademuk Acknowledgements

LC-10 II, NL-10, NP-10, NX-10/l& ND-10/l& NR-ltl’l5: Star Micmnics Co., Ltd. IBM PC, PC-AT, PC-XT, Proprinter X24/XL24, Proprinter II, PC-DOS: Intematiad Business

Machines Corp.

Microsoft BASIC MS-DOS: Microsoft Co LQ-800, LQ-1000, LQ-1050, LQ-1500: Sx$: Corp. WordSt8r: MicroPro Intemational Corporation

NOTICE

l All rights mserved. Reproduction of auy ptt of this manual in any fotm whatsoe-ver without

STAR’s expmss permission is forbidden.

l lhe ccntenis of this manual am subject to change without notice. l Au efforts have been made to ensure the aaxra of the contents of this manual at the time of

pttxs. However, should any crrotx be de@%4 S Y AR would greatly appreciate being informed ofthan.

l ‘Ihe above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors in this manual.

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HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL

This manual is organized into live chapters and four appendixes. To learn how to make the best use of your printer you are urged to read all of chapters 1 through 5. The appendixes can be referred to as necessary.

Chapter 1 explains how to get the printer unpacked and set up. Read this chapter before you do anything else.

Chapter 2 explains the control panel. After getting set up, read this chapter and try out the procedures in it to find out how the printer works.

Chapter 3 gives tips on using word-processing programs and other commercial software with this printer. Read this chapter in conjunction with your software manual.

Chapter 4 is addressed to do-it-yourself programmers. It shows simple programming examples using DOS commands and BASIC.

Chapter 5 covers maintenance and troubleshooting. Look through this chapter to see what it contains, then refer to it as necessary later.

Appendix A lists the printer’s technical specifications.

Appendix B details the functions of escape sequences and other printer

commands. Appendix C presents a BASIC program you can use to define and download

new characters. Appendix D presents tables of the printer’s character sets.

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FEATURES OF THE PRINTER

This printer is a compact, convenient, monochrome printer without frills but with a full complement of features, making it an excellent partner for a personal computer. It supports the IBM/Epson printer commands and character sets, enabling it to print just about anything your computer can generate, both text and graphics. Some of its main features are the following:

l Extensive software support

Since it is compatible with the Epson and IBM printers, it works with any software that supports those printers. That includes most word-processing and graphics programs, spreadsheets, and integrated software packages.

l Easy operation

Clearly understandable lamp displays and beep tones provide immediate feedback when you press the switches on the control panel. The four switches can operate in combinations to perform a surprising variety of functions, including margin setting and micro-alignment.

l Easy care and maintenance

The ribbon cartridge can be replaced in seconds; the print head in a few

minutes.

l Versatile paper handling

Single sheets, fanfold forms, and multi-copy forms (up to triple-ply) are all accepted, and you can use either tractor or friction feed. A special feature enables you to keep fanfold forms parked in readiness while printing on other paper.

l High-resolution near-letter-quality printing

When you select an NLQ type style, the printer slows down and employs a dense matrix of up to 18 by 23 dots to print clear, well-formed characters.

l Large variety of type styles and sizes

The printer has one draft style and four NLQ styles (Courier, Sanserif, and Orator with small capitals or lower case), plus italics for all styles, plus condensed print, bold print, double-sized print, quadruple-sized print - see

the samples on the next page:

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Type styles are:

? I.- ,.,

KI f.- a .f:: jy.

. . . ;>, (1: .k, e y .z

,_" I :;?. I

Courier characteks, Sansevif characters,

ORATOR wIni SMALL CAPITALS, OR

with lower case characters,

and I TA L Its for a 1 1 s t y.I iii).% II

Print pitches are:

Pica pitch, Elite pitch, Condensed pica pitch, Condensed elite pitch, proportional spacing for all pitches,

Various line and character spacings:

THE

SPACINGS

THE SPACINGS

Other features:

Emphasized, Double-strike, Underlininq, Dverlinlng,

f3UPERSCRIPT

BUBSCRIPT#

Download chkacters

Dot graphics:

ARE CHANGED ARE CHANGED

: ~~,,!:.~:,i:!.ti~,l~

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

SETTING UP THE PRINTER

Locating the printer Unpacking and inspection

Check the carton contents

Setting up

Mount the platen knob Remove the top cover Install the ribbon cartridge Replace the top cover Connect the printer to the computer Connect the printer’s power cord

Loading single sheets

Mount the paper guide Semiautomatic loading Manual loading

Loading and parking fanfold forms

Paper parking Paper unparking

Test printing

Short self test Long selft test Interface test

Adjusting the printing gap DIP switch settings

CONTROL PANEL OPERATIONS

Switches and indicators

Power indicator

On Line switch

Paper Feed switch

Print Pitch switch

NLQ Type Style switch

Power-up functions

Short test pattern

Long test pattern

Stay in panel pitch

Stay in panel style

Hexadecimal dump

Switch combination functions

Paper parking

Page feed

1 1 1

14 14

19 19

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Top of form Forward micro-feed Reverse micro-feed Left margin

Right margin

Clearing the buffer

Chapter 3

USING THE PRINTER WITH COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE

Installing your software

Printer menu Printer command options Type styles Page width

Initialization sequence Setting the DIP switches Using your software

Page alignment Type style and pitch selection

Other printer commands

Chapter 4

USING THE PRINTER WITH DOS AND BASIC

Hard-copying the screen Programming the printer with DOS commands Programming the printer with BASIC

Chapter 5

MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING 47

Cleaning the printer

Replacing the ribbon Replacing the print head

Troubleshooting

Appendix A TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Appendix B PRINTER CONTROL COMMANDS

Font control commands Character set commands Character size and pitch commands Vertical position commands

Horizontal position commands Graphics commands Download character commands Macro instruction commands Other printer control commands

31 31

33 33

37 37 38 40

47 47 47 50

53 59

59 63 66 70 76

80 82 85 86

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Appendix C DOWNLOAD CHARACTER GENERATOR

Draft character NLQ character

Appendix D CHARACTER SETS

Standard character set IBM character set #2 IBM character set #l Additiona! character set International character sets

INDEX REFERENCE CARD

Inside the cover

99 100 102 104 105 106

107

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SETTING UP THE PRINTER

L..

Subjects covered in Chapter 1 include -

. .._

l Locating the printer l Unpacking and inspection (names of parts)

0 Setting up

l Loading single sheets l Loading and parking fanfold forms l Test printing l Adjusting the printing gap l Setting the DIP switches

LOCATING THE PRINTER

Give some thought to the best place to put the printer. Both the printer and computer should be used in a normal indoor environment. For best performance, we recommend:

l Place the printer on a flat surface.

a Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from heat-producing appliances.

l Use it only in temperatures where you are comfortable. l Avoid locations with dust, grease, or high humidity. l Supply it “clean” electricity. Don’t connect it to the same circuit as a large,

noise-producing appliance such as a refrigerator.

l Make sure the line voltage is within 10% of the voltage specified on the

identitication plate.

l If you will be using fanfold forms, place the printer where the forms can

feed up to it from below, with at least a full page hanging free.

UNPACKING AND INSPECTION

Check the carton contents

Open the carton and check each item in the box against Figure l-l to

make sure that you have everything (there should be five items).

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Figure 7-i. Check to make sure you have all five items: 1) Prmter, 2) Paper gume, a) rlaten knob, 4) Ribbon cartridge, and 5) User’s manual.

Make an external inspection of the printer.

Note the locations of the

following parts:

Bail lever:

opens and closes the paper bail which holds the paper

against the platen.

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Figure 7-2. The printer’s external parts

Release lever:

releases the platen. This lever must be down for printing on single sheets, and up for fanfold forms.

Top cover: Rear cover: Entry slot: Control panel: Power switch: Connector:

protects the print head and other parts. protects the sprocket feed mechanism. for inserting single sheets of paper. controls various printer functions. switches power on and off. for connecting the computer to the printer.

SETTING UP Mount the platen knob

The platen knob is packed into a recess of the white foam packing

material which held your printer inside the packing box. Be careful to remove

the knob before disposing of the packing.

Mount the platen knob on its shaft on the right side of the printer. Turn

it until you can push it in all the way.

Power should always be off when you turn the platen knob.

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Figure T-3. Mounting the platen knob

Remove the top cover

Lift the front edge of the printer’s clear plastic top cover. Then disengage

the tabs at the back of the cover and remove the cover completely.

Figure 1-4. Removing the top cover

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install the ribbon cartridge

The top side of the ribbon cartridge has a handle for turning the ribbon.

Turn this handle in the direction of the arrow to tighten the ribbon.

Next place the ribbon cartridge on the print head carriage, guiding the ribbon between the print head and the platen. Press down firmly on the cartridge until it snaps into place.

Figure 7-5. Installing the ribbon cartridge

Replace the top cover

Hold the cover upright and engage the tabs at the back. Then swing

the front edge down until the cover is closed.

Leave the cover closed during normal operation. It keeps out dust and dirt and reduces the printer’s operating sounds. Open the cover only to change the ribbon or make an adjustment.

Connect the printer to the computer

Connect the printer end of the interface cable to the connector socket on the right side of the printer as shown in Figure 1-6.

Make sure the computer is turned OFF, then connect the other end of the cable to your computer as described in the computer manual.

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Connect the printer’s power cord.

Check that the printer’s power switch (located at the left front) is OFF.

Then plug the printer’s power cord into an AC wall outlet.

Never plug or unplug the power cord while the printer is turned on.

LOADING SINGLE SHEETS

This section will take you through the procedures for loading single

sheets of paper.

If you are using the optional automatic sheet feeder (ASF), read the

ASF instruction booklet.

Mount the paper guide

The paper guide fits into the two holes on top of the rear cover. Mount

the guide and raise it to the upright position.

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. I

.._

pure 1-7. Mountmg tne paper guise lor smgle sneew

Semiautomatic loading

Single sheets can be loaded manually with power off, or semiauto-

matically with power on. We will start the easy way with semiautomatic

. .

1. Check that the release lever is down and the bail lever back (bail closed), then switch power on. You will hear a short beep tone and the Power indicator on the control panel will flash. These are the printer’s paper-out signals.

2. Place a single sheet on the paper guide and insert it down into the entry slot. You will feel a slight resistance as the paper engages the paper detector lever. Work the paper past this resistance and insert it down as far as it will go.

3. Move the bail lever forward. When the bail opens, the printer feeds the paper automatically.

4. Move the bail lever back. The paper will feed slightly forward again, ending in position to print with a top margin of about one inch.

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lever

Manual loading

It is also possible to load paper manually while the printer’s power is

off. The procedure is:

1. Check that printer power is off and the release lever at the back of the printer is down.

2. Insert a single sheet of paper into the entry slot as far as it will go, the same way as for semiautomatic loading.

3. Move the bail lever on top of the printer forward to open the paper bail.

4. Turn the platen knob clockwise until the front edge of the paper comes out from under the top cover.

5. If the paper is not straight, move the release lever to the up position, straighten the paper by hand, then move the release lever back down.

6. Move the bail lever back to close the paper bail.

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LOADING AND PARKING FANFOLD FORMS

Fanfold forms have holes along the sides and perforations between the sheets. They are also called sprocket forms, punched forms, or just plain “computer paper”. This printer accepts forms up to 10” wide. Fanfold forms are loaded, parked, and unparked as explained next.

1. Place a stack of fanfold paper behind and at least one page-length below the printer.

2. Turn the printer’s power OFF.

3. Set the release lever to the up position. If there is paper in the printer, remove it. (Since the platen is released, you can just pull the paper out.)

4. Move the bail lever forward to open the bail.

5. Remove the paper guide and put it aside for the moment.

6. Remove the rear cover. Grip it by its front edge and lift upwards and backwards as in Figure l-9.

Figure i-9. Opening the rear cover

7. Open the sprocket covers on the right and left sprocket units, as shown

in Figure l-10.

8. Flip the clamp levers down. This allows the two sprocket units to move freely right and left so you can align them with the holes in the paper.

9. Insert the front edge of the paper over the paper detector lever and tuck it in under the platen.

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Figure I-10. Opening the sprocket covers to expose the sprocket teeth

lever

@we I-11. Closing the sprocket covers

10. Fit the holes in the paper over the sprocket pins. Check that the paper is even.

11. Close the sprocket covers (Figure l-l 1).

12. Raise one of the clamp levers to lock one sprocket unit in place.

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13. Turn the platen knob to feed the paper forward until it comes out from under the top cover.

14. Move the bail lever back to close the bail.

15. Check that the paper is feeding in flat, then raise the other clamp lever to lock the other sprocket unit.

16. Replace the rear cover. Hold it tilted upward and insert the two tabs at the bottom into their slots. Then rotate the cover forward, pressing down on the thumb pads on the left and right to snap it into place.

17. Mount the paper guide in the horizontal position shown in Figure 1-12, so that it will separate the printed from the unprinted paper.

Figure l-12. Mounting the paper guide for fanfold forms

Now you are ready to switch power on and print.

Paper parking

After loading fanfold paper, you do not have to unload it when you want to print on a single sheet. The printer will “park” it for you if you follow the procedure below.

1. Paper parking starts with power ON, fanfold paper loaded in printing

position, the release lever up, and the bail lever back.

2. Press the On Line switch on the control panel to set the printer off-line

(On Line indicator off).

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3. Tear off the printed form at the last perforation, leaving not more than about half a page showing above the top cover. If necessary, press the Paper Feed switch to feed paper forward until a perforation is located

just above the top cover, and tear there.

4. Press the Print Pitch switch on the control panel and hold it down.

5. Still holding the Print Pitch switch down, press the Paper Feed switch. The printer will automatically feed the fanfold form backward until the

paper is completely free of the platen.

6. Move the release lever to the down position.

7. Mount the paper guide in the upright position. Now you can load single sheets either semiautomatically or manually,

as explained previously. The fanfold paper remains parked at the back of the printer.

When you want to resume using fanfold paper, the procedure is as

follows.

Paper unparking

1. Remove all single sheets from the printer and close the paper bail.

2. Mount the paper guide in the horizontal position.

3. Move the release lever to the up position.

4. With power ON, move the bail lever forward. The printer will automatically feed the parked fanfold paper into position for printing.

5. Move the bail lever back to close the bail. Now you are ready to print.

TEST PRINTING

After loading paper, you can test the printer as described next.

Short self test

This procedure prints a six-line “barber-pole” test pattern. The lines

are eight inches wide, so the paper should be at least that wide.

1. Check that paper is in position for printing.

2. With power off, press the On Line switch on the control panel and hold it down.

3. Still holding the On Line switch down, turn the printer’s power on. The printer will automatically start printing its short test pattern. You

can release the On Line switch after printing starts. To remove the paper at the end of the test, switch power OFF, then turn the platen knob. (Don’t turn the platen knob while power is on.)

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Figure l-13. Short test pattern

Long self test

To see the printer’s variety of type styles, you can run the long version

of the printer’s self test.

1. Check that paper is in position for printing.

2. With power off, press the Paper Feed switch on the control panel and hold it down.

3. Still holding the Paper Feed switch down, turn the printer’s power ON.

The printer will automatically start printing a test pattern of its full character set in various type styles. Watch the lights on the control panel; they indicate which type style is printing. The test pattern varies depending on the setting of DIP switch l-6 (ON - Standard mode, OFF - IBM mode), but more about that later.

This test repeats indefinitely in a cycle of 30 or 70 lines. To stop the test, switch power off.

lnterface test

After confirming that the printer works by itself, it is time to test the interface with the computer. The simplest way to do this is with a direct command. Power up both the printer and computer, load paper, then try a command like one of the following:

MS-DOS or PC-DOS command:

A>ECHO THE INTERFACE WORKS>PRN

Microsoft BASIC command:

LPRINT "THE INTERFACE WORKS"

Or you can try any other command understood by your computer to

print a line of text. Consult your computer manual if you need help. If you repeat the command a few times, the printout will come into view.

Next you may want to try a test printout with word-processing software, but for this to succeed you will have to set the printer’s DIP switches (see the end of this chapter) and install your software to support the printer correctly (see Chapter 3).

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ADJUSTING THE PRINTING GAP

The distance between the print head and the platen can be adjusted to accommodate different paper thicknesses. To make this adjustment, remove the top cover. The adjustment lever is located near the left end of the paper bail. Pulling the adjustment lever towards you widens the gap; pushing it away from you narrows the gap.

There are four positions; you can feel the lever clicking into each position. The first position (narrowest gap) is the one most commonly used for single sheets of paper. Try different positions until you get the best printing results.

When you remove the printer’s cover and look inside, you will see on the green board at the bottom of the printer two groups of small white

switches marked DSW 1 and DSW2. These are the printer’s DIP (Dual In-line

Package) switches. DSWl has eight switches, named l-1 to 1-8 from left

to right. DSW2 has four switches named 2-1 to 2-4.

For all switches, the ON position is towards the back of the printer and the OFF position is towards the front. To set a DIP switch, use a ballpoint pen or other small implement to move the switch to the ON or OFF position.

The printer’s power should be off when you set the DIP switches.

Settings made while power is on do not take effect until power is switched off, then on again, because the printer reads the DIP switches only at power-up.

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Figure I-15. DIP switches

The printer is delivered with all DIP switch set to the ON position. These are the standard settings. By changing the settings, you can alter various printer functions to match your requirements. The following questions will help you make the right settings.

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Switch l-l: Is the page length of your paper 11 inches or 12 inches?

Leave this switch ON if you will be using 1 l-inch forms. Move it to the OFF position if you will be using 12-inch forms.

Switch l-2: Do you want an automatic carriage return?

Leave this switch ON. The printer will automatically perform a carriage return by moving to the left margin at each line feed. Even if your software sends a separate carriage-return code, an extra carriage return does no harm because two consecutive carriage returns are the same as one. Very few programs require this switch to be OFF.

Switch l-3: When you select the Orator type style on the control panel,

do you want lower-case letters to print as lower case (OFF) or as small capitals (ON)?

Take your pick from the samples below. Note that lower-case Orator does not have descenders for the letters g, j, p, q, and y.

ORATOR PRINTS THIS WAY WITH SWITCH l-3 ON.

Orator Prints this way with switch l-3 OFF.

Switch l-4: Are you going to use the automatic sheet feeder (ASF)?

To use the automatic sheet feeder, move this switch to the OFF position. Otherwise leave it ON.

Switch 1-5:

Leave this switch ON except when you need to print very close to the end of the paper. When this switch is OFF the printer ignores the paper-out

detector and prints down to (and beyond) the bottom edge.

Switch l-6:

Select the mode compatible with your computer and software. In standard mode the printer operates like the Epson LX-800. In IBM mode it operates like the IBM Proprinter II. The ON position selects standard mode. The OFF position selects IBM mode.

Switch 1-7: The action of this switch depends on the mode chosen with

Do you want the printer to stop printing about an inch from the end of the paper, or to keep printing to the bottom?

Do you want to use the printer in standard mode or IBM mode?

switch l-6.

If you selected standard mode, do you want italics or graphic charactes?

Leave this switch ON to print italics in the standard character set. If you

set this switch to the OFF position, in place of italics you will get the graphic

characters, international characters, and mathematical symbols of IBM

character set #2. See Appendix D, character codes 128 to 254.

If you selected IBM mode, do you want IBM character set #l or #2?

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ON selects character set #2, which is for computers with an 8-bit interface (the most common kind). OFF selects character set #l, for computers with a 7-bit interface.

Switch l-8:

Do you want an automatic line feed?

If you leave this switch at the ON position, a separate line-feed code is required to obtain a line feed. If you move this switch to the OFF position, the printer performs both a carriage return and line feed each time it receives a carriage-return code.

Most computer systems send a line feed code, or both a carriage return and line feed, at the end of each line, so this switch should be left ON.

If you get double line spacing when you expect single spacing, or if lines overprint each other, try changing the setting of this switch.

Switch 2-1:

Does your software download new characters to the printer?

To download characters this switch must be OFF. The printer then uses its RAM memory for storing character patterns and provides only a one-line

print buffer. If you leave this switch ON the printer uses its RAM memory as an input buffer, allowing the computer to send data faster than the printer prints.

Switches 2-2 to 24:

Do you want an international character set?

International character sets differ in their assignment of 14 character codes. See the character tables at the back of this manual. With the DIP switches you can select one of eight character sets as follows:

Denmark/Norway when switch l-6 is OFF and switch 1-7 is ON.

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MEMO

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hapter 2

CONTROL PANEL OPERATlONS

This chapter explains how to use the control panel to:

0 Pause printing

l Feed paper (fast and slow, forward and reverse) l Select the print pitch

0 Select a type style 0 Print test patterns

l Prevent software from changing the panel pitch and style selections l Print a hexadecimal dump l Park fanfold forms

l Set the top-of-form position l Set the left and right margins l Clear the printer’s buffer

SWITCHES AND INDICATORS

The control panel has four switches marked:

0 On Line

l Paper Feed l Print Pitch l NLQ Type Style

The On Line, Print Pitch, and NLQ Type Style switches respond with a beep tone when pressed, and indicators beside them indicate their current status. There is also a Power indicator that lights when power is on.

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The control panel switches can be pressed singly to perform the operations indicated by their names. Other functions can be obtained by holding these switches down when you turn the printer’s power on. Still further functions can be executed by pressing the control panel switches in combination. This chapter explains all the switch and indicator functions.

Power indicator

The power indicator lights (yellow) when power is on. When paper is not present, the power indicator flashes. A beep tone

also alerts you to the need to load paper.

On Line switch

The On Line switch sets the printer on-line and off-line. The state changes each time you press the switch.

In the on-line state the printer receives data from the computer and prints the data. In the off-line state the printer stops printing and sends the computer a signal indicating that it cannot accept data.

The printer powers up in the on-line state if paper is present. If paper is not present, the printer powers up off-line with the Power indicator

flashing. When you load paper the Power indicator stops flashing, but the printer remains off-line. To start printing you must press the On Line switch go on-line.

The two main times when you will want to press the On Line switch

are:

l Before and after any other panel operation

The other panel switches operate only in the off-line state. First press the On Line switch to go off-line, then perform the panel operation, then press the On Line switch again to go back on-line.

l To pause during printing

If you press the On Line switch during printing, the printer stops printing and goes off-line, allowing you to check the printout or change a control panel setting. Printing resumes when you press the On Line switch again

to go back on-line.

Paper Feed switch

This switch operates only when the printer is off-line. If you press it

once the paper feeds forward by one line. If you hold this switch down, the

printer performs consecutive line feeds.

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While you are feeding lines, if you also press the On Line switch, the

paper will feed to the top of the next page. This is explained later.

When power is on, always use the Paper Feed switch instead of the platen

knob to feed paper. Turn the platen knob only when power is off.

Print Pitch switch

This switch operates off-line to select the print pitch: the spacing between characters. The indicators to the left light (green) to indicate the selected pitch.

The printer powers up in pica pitch. To change to another pitch, press

the On Line switch to go off-line, then press the Print Pitch switch repeatedly

until the indicators show the pitch you want.

In Standard mode (when DIP switch l-6 is ON), the pitch selections

cycle as follows:

Pica Elite Condensed pica (17 characters per inch) Condensed elite (20 characters per inch)

Proportional pica Proportional elite

(10 characters per inch) (12 characters per inch)

This is pica (10 characters per inch).

This is elite (12 characters per inch).

This is condensed pica (17 characters per Inch).

This is condensed elite (20 characters per inch).

This is proportional pica. This is proportional elite.

Figure 2-2. Print pitches selectable from the control panel

Samples of these pitches are shown in Figure 2-2. Note that with proportional pitch different letters occupy different widths. (For example, “i” and “1” are narrower than other letters.) Proportional pitch is attractive and space-efficient, though not always convenient when column alignment is required.

Note that you cannot select condensed proportional pitch on the control panel. You can make this selection by the printer commands < SI > “p” 1 ~ see Appendix B.

< ESC >

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In IBM mode (when DIP switch l-6 is OFF), the pitch selections cycle

as follows:

Pica Elite Condensed pica (17 characters per inch) Proportional pica Proportional elite

There is no condensed elite pitch in the IBM mode.

(10 characters per inch) (12 characters per inch)

NW Type Style switch

This switch selects the type style. Draft style is always selected at

power-up. To change to one of the NLQ (near letter quality) styles, set the

printer off-line, then press the NLQ Type Style switch repeatedly until the indicators beside the desired selection light. The selections cycle in the following order:

Draft (all indicators off) Courier (NLQ) Courier italic (NLQ) Sanserif (NLQ) Sanserif italic (NLQ) Orator (NLQ) Orator italic (NLQ)

Samples are shown in Figure 2-3.

“r 1 .i _j, L, j, <:::,

i.1 I_’ 3 .+ .I:;, i::i {,,J <.J :j, :j, -[;I, )I ,,

This is near-letter-quality Courier.

This is Courier italic.

This is Sanserif.

This is Sanserif italic.

THIS IS ORATOR WITH SMALL CAPITALS.

THIS IS ORATOR ITALIC WITH SMALL CAPITALS.

This is Orator with lower case.

This is Orator ita7ic with 7ower case.

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The Orator style is unique in two ways. First, it is a dot larger (higher) than the other styles. This makes it a good choice for labels and other text requiring high visibility. A little extra line spacing helps when Orator is used.

Second, there are two versions of the Orator type style: one prints small capitals in place of lower-case letters; the other prints lower-case letters, but without descenders. The version you get when you select Orator from the control panel depends on the DIP switches. If DIP switch l-3 is OFF, lower-case Orator will print as lower case. Otherwise it will print as small capitals.

The other type styles do not have a small-capitals option. Lower case always prints as lower case.

The type style can also be selected by printer commands given in Appendix B. Printer commands enable you to select both Orator styles, and

also draft italic, which cannot be selected from the control panel.

POWER-UP FUNCTIONS

In addition to their normal functions, all the control panel switches have

special functions that operate if you hold them down while switching power on.

COURIER 0

SANSERIF 0

ORATOR 0

---

IlTALlcl n

Figure 2-4. Power-up functions of control panel

NLQ TYPE STYLE

Stay m panel style

Long test

Hexadecimal dump

0 -POWER

QN LINE

7 ,

Short test

Short test pattern: On Line switch

If held down during power-up, this switch prints a short test pattern

(shown in Chapter I).

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Long test pattern: Paper Feed switch

If held down during power-up, this switch prints a long test pattern.

The test cycles endlessly. To stop the test you must switch power off.

Stay in panel pitch: Print Pitch switch

By holding this switch down during power-up, you can prevent software interference with the print pitch selected from the control panel. You will hear an acknowledging beep as power comes on. After the beep tone, you can set the printer off-line, select a print pitch, then return to on-line and start printing. The pitch you selected will not be reset or otherwise changed by any commands your software may issue.

Stay in pane/ style: NLQ Type Style switch

If held down during power-up, this switch prevents software interference with the type style selected from the control panel. There will be an acknowledging beep, after which you can set the printer off-line, select a type style, then return to the on-line state and start printing. The selected type style will not be changed by any commands sent by software.

If you want to protect both the Print Pitch and NLQ Type Style settings from software changes, press both switches during power-up. There will be two acknowledging beeps.

Pressing these switches during power-up does not prevent you from making any number of changes later from the control panel.

Hexadecimal dump: Paper Feed and Print Pitch switches

This feature is useful for programmers who are debugging printing programs and want to see the actual codes the printer is receiving. (Some computers change the codes the programmer intended.)

1. Holding both the Paper Feed and Print Pitch switches down, turn power ON. A beep tone will be heard.

2. Start printing. In place of the usual printout you will get a formatted dump showing exactly what data the printer receives. Each line presents sixteen characters, their hexadecimal codes to the left and printable characters printed on the right.

3. At the end of the hexadecimal dump, set the printer off-line with the On Line switch. This is necessary to print the last line.

Page 33

The following BASIC program is a simple test you can run in hexade-

cimal mode:

10 FOR I-O TO 255 20 LPRINT CHR$(I); 30 NEXT I 40 LPRINT 50 END

If your system passes the codes directly to the printer without changing

them, you will get a printout like Figure 2-5.

on 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 04 OR CC

10 11 12 11: 14 15 16 17

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

30 31 32 33 34 ;5 36 37

40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47

50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57

60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77

a0 81 82 83 a.: 85 86 87

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 AQ Al A2 A3 A4 A5 66 A7 BO El B-2 H3 H4 85 56 87 CO Cl C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 DO Di D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 EO El E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 FO Fl F2 F3 F4 FS F6 F7 OD OCI

18 19 1A 1R 1C 1D 1E 1F

28 29 20 2H 2C 2D 2E 2F 3 39 JA 3H 3C 3D ‘3E 3F

48 49 4A 4R 4C 4D 4E 4F 58 59 5A 58 SC 5D 5E SF 68 69 661 6H 4C 6D 6E 6F 78 79 70 7B 7C 7D 7E 7F 88 89 84 BH BC 8D BE 8F 98 99 9cI 9R 9C 9D 9E 9F A8 A9 FIA A0 AC AD FIE FIF B8 89 BA EIH BC BD HE BF CB C9 CPI CB CC CD CE CF DB D9 DA DB DC DD DE DF E8 E9 EA EB EC ED EE EF F8 F9 FA FEI FC FD FE FF

Figure 2-5. Sample hexadecimal dump

OD OE OF

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

!“%*%&‘ot+.-./

0123456789: ;<=>? BABCDEFGHIJKLMNO PORSTUVWXYZC\l--

‘abcdefghi jklmno

pqrstuvwxyzCl>‘.

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . ...*

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

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

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

. .

Most BASICS, however, are not quite that straightforward. For example,

the IBM-PC prints the following.

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

OF 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47

50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57

60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67

70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97

A0 Al A2 A3 A4 A5 46 A7 48 A9 CIA AR AC AD AE AF

HO 81 B2 B3 B4 B5 Bb 87 RB R9 BFI BB EC ED BE BF co Cl c2 c3 c4 c5 Cb c7

DO Dl D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 EO El E2 E3 E4 ES E6 E7 E8 E9 EA EB EC ED EE EF

FO Fi F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 FE F9 FFI FR FC FD FE FF QD OA

08 09 04 OB CC OD OA OE

17 18 19 1B 1C iD iE IF 28 29 2A 28 2C 2D 2E 2F 38 39 3A 3B 3C 3D 3E 3F 48 49 4A 4B 4C 4D 4E 4F 58 59 5A 5R SC SD SE SF 68 69 6A 6B 6C 6D 6E 6F 78 79 7A 7B 7C 7D 7E 7F 88 89 SfA 0B EC 8D BE 8F 98 99 90 90 9C 9D 9E 9F

CR C9 CA CB CC CD CE CF D8 D9 DA DH DC DD DE DF

Figure 2-S. Sample hexadecimal dump with IBM-PC

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

!“#$%&‘ot+,-./

0123456789: ;<=>? @CIBCDEFGHIJKLMNO

PQRSTUVWXYZC\l”-

‘abcdefqhijklmno pqrstuvwxyz~l>‘.

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

. .

Page 34

Notice that the printer receives decimal code 13 (hex OD) together with hex OA, which is really decimal 10. In addition, the printer does not receive decimal code 26 (hex 1A). To avoid this problem, change line 20, and add lines 100 to 120 as shown in either of the following lists.

20 GOSUB 100 100 O=INP(&H379) :IF 0<128 THEN 100

110 OUT 6H378,I :OUT &H37A,5

:OUT &H37A,4

120 RETURN

20 GOSUB 100

100 O=INP(&H3BD) 110 OUT &H3BC,I :OUT &H3BE,5

: IF 0<128

THEN 100

:OUT &H3BE,4

120 RETURN

SWITCH COMBINATION FUNCTIONS

Several additional functions can be obtained by pressing the control

panel switches in combinations.

Reverse micro-feed

r&D

IR PARK1

q -POWER

ON LINE

Top of form

Figure 2-7. Switch combination functions of control panel

Paper parking: Print Pitch and Paper Feed switches

This procedure feeds the paper backward. It parks the fanfold form at the back of the printer so that you can switch to single-sheet feeding (by moving the release lever to the down position).

Page 35

Before parking fanfold forms, tear off all but the last page, leaving less

(at least three inches less) than a full page showing above the top cover.

1. Press the On Line switch to set the printer off-line.

2. Press the Print Pitch switch and hold it down.

3. Press the Paper Feed switch. The paper will be fed out backward.

Page feed: Paper Feed and On Line switches

If you are using single sheets, this operation ejects the current page. If

you are using fanfold forms, it feeds to the top of the next page.

1. Press the On Line switch to set the printer off-line.

2. Press the Paper Feed switch and hold it down. The printer will start performing successive line feeds.

3. Still holding the Paper Feed switch down, press the On Line switch, then

release both switches. The printer will smoothly eject the current page.

TOp Of fOrm: NLQ Type Style and On Line switches

When you turn on printer power, the top-of-form position is auto-

matically set to the current position. If this is not where you want the top of the page to be, you can change the top-of-form position as follows.

1. Press the On Line switch to set the printer off-line.

2. Move the paper to the desired top-of-form position by pressing the Paper

Feed switch, or by performing a forward or reverse micro-feed.

3. Press the NLQ Type Style switch and hold it down.

4. Press the On Line switch. The printer will beep to indicate that the

top-of-form position has been set.

forward micro-feed: On Line and Paper Feed switches

For tine alignment, you can feed the paper forward in very small in-

crements as follows:

1. Press the On Line switch to set the printer off-line.

2. Press the On Line switch again and hold it down.

3. Press the Paper Feed switch. The paper will start advancing in a series

of small steps. When you want to stop, release both switches.

Reverse micro-feed: On Line and Print Pitch switches

You can also feed the paper in small increments in reverse, to return

to a higher position on the same page.

Note: With fanfold forms, do not try to return to a previous page. The

perforation may catch inside the printer.

Page 36

1. Press the On Line switch to set the printer off-line.

2. Press the On Line switch again and-hold it down.

3. Press the Print Pitch switch. The paper will start moving backwards in a series of small steps. When you want to stop, release both switches.

Left margin: NLQ Type Style and Print Pitch switches

Software almost always provides commands for controlling the margins,

so you will not usually have to set them from the control panel. When necessary, however, you can set the left margin as follows.

1. Press the On Line switch to set the printer off-line.

2. Press the NLQ Type Style switch and hold it down.

3. Press the Print Pitch switch. The print head will make a short excursion from the left end, then start advancing from left to right in a series of steps, each equal to one pica character width (l/lo”). When the print head reaches the desired left margin position, release both switches. The printer will beep to indicate that the margin has been set.

Right margin: NLQ Type Style and Paper Feed switches

You can also set the right margin.

1. Press the On Line switch to set the printer off-line.

2. Press the NLQ Type Style switch and hold it down.

3. Press the Paper Feed switch. The print head will travel to the right end

of the carriage, then start advancing from right to left in a series of l/10” steps. When it reaches the desired right margin position, release both switches. The printer will beep to indicate that the margin has been set.

Clearing the buffer: Print Pitch, On Line and Paper Feed switches

When DIP switch 2-1 is ON, the printer stores received data in a large memory buffer. This creates a problem when you want to abandon a printing job and restart: the printer may be holding much more data in its buffer

than it has actually printed, and this unprinted data must be cleared out before restarting. Turning power off is one way to clear the buffer, but there

is another way:

1. Halt the printing program on the computer. If printing stops immediately, the buffer is clear and the rest of this procedure is unnecessary. If printing does not stop, continue as follows:

2. Press the On Line switch to set the printer off-line. Printing will now stop, but there may be data remaining in the buffer.

3. Press the Print Pitch switch and hold it down.

4. Press the On Line switch and hold it down.

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5. Press the Paper Feed switch and hold it down. Continue holding all three switches down. In about three seconds you will hear a beep tone signaling that the buffer has been cleared.

6. Release all three switches, make any necessary control panel settings, then set the printer back on-line.

It is essential to halt the printing program on the computer before you

go off-line. Otherwise, when you go back on-line the computer will start

sending data again and the printer will continue printing, with missing data where the buffer was cleared.

Page 38

MEMO

Page 39

Chapter 3

USING THE PRlNTER

WITH COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE

There is an abundance of commercial software available: spreadsheet programs, word-processing programs, graphics programs, and more. This printer will work with any program that supports a Star, Epson or IBM dot-matrix printer. Before using the printer with commercial software, however, there are two things you must do:

l Install the software so that it supports the printer l Set the printer’s DIP switches to match the software

INSTALLING YOUR SOFTWARE

Most commercial software includes an installation program or routine that you can run. to customize the software to fit your hardware system. Start by reading the explanation of the installation program in your software manual.

Printer menu

The installation program usually offers a menu of printers from which to choose. If you find this printer on the menu, select it.

If this printer is not listed, look for the Epson LX-800 or IBM Proprinter II. If these are not listed, look for another Star, Epson or IBM printer. A few of the choices you may see are given below in order of preference:

Star

NL-10 NP-10 NX-10115 ND-lo/15 NR-IO/15 LX-80

Epson LX-800 IBM Proprinter II

FX-86e EX-800 LX-86

Proprinter Graphics Printer

Some menus are less explicit about model names but offer general de-

scriptions such as “Star printer”, “Epson printer”, “IBM dot-matrix printer”,

“dot-matrix ASCII printer”, “Centronics-type printer”, “Draft printer”, or “Standard printer”. Any of these selections should work. If you are not sure of the right selection, it does not hurt to experiment. If you choose wrong, you will get strange printing results, but don’t worry; just try a different selection. Don’t pick any printer described as a daisywheel printer or laser printer.

Page 40

A few installation programs may ask you not to select a printer but to describe what your printer can do. The answers to the most often asked questions are: Yes, this printer can do a backspace; and Yes, it can do a hardware form feed.

Selecting (or describing) a printer is the main step in the installation process and frequently the only step necessary. If you selected this printer or any Star, Epson or IBM printer you should be able to use software commands for all the standard printer functions, including bold or double-strike printing, underlining, subscripts, superscripts, margin control, line-spacing control, and graphics.

Printer command options

Besides the standard printer functions, however, your printer has some capabilities your software may not be aware of, including double- and quadruple-size printing and the printing of special characters assigned to control codes. Some software enables you to define these capabilities as user options in the installation process. Read your software manual to find out whether you,can do this and if so, how.

The most useful thing you can do is to define a way to enter the escape code < ESC > , which is the control character with decimal character code 27 (hexadecimal 1B). This code usually cannot be keyed in directly (pressing the ESC key will not work). As an installation option, however, you may be able to assign it to a function key or a special key combination. Doing so will put the full power of the printer at your disposal.

Type styles

Some word-processing software has commands that enable you to change type styles in the middle of a document without a printing pause. To use these commands you must generally define the printer’s type styles (fonts) during installation, by assigning them numbers for example. Read your software manual for details, and refer to Appendix B for the relevant printer commands.

Page width

Spreadsheet programs in particular may ask you to specify the printer’s column width. The column width of this printer depends on the character pitch used:

Pica Elite Condensed pica Condensed elite

80 columns 96 columns

137 columns 160 columns (Standard mode only)

Page 41

The character pitch can be selected from the control panel before you

start printing, or possibly by an initialization sequence as described next.

lnitializafion sequence

One of the installation options may be to specify the commands your

software sends at the beginning of each printing job. These commands are

called the “initialization sequence” or “setup string.” If necessary, you can

use the initialization sequence to adjust the margins to your paper size or select a particular type style or pitch. You can look up the commands you

want in Appendix B.

For example, if you selected 96-column width for a spreadsheet program, it would be convenient to add an elite pitch command to the initialization sequence. Appendix B indicates that this command consists of the two characters:

< ESC > “M”

which have decimal character codes 27 and 77 (hexadecimal 1B and 4D). Your software manual or an on-screen prompt will explain how to place these codes in the initialization sequence.

SETTING THE DIP SWITCHES

After completing the installation of your software, check the setting of the printer’s DIP switches, in particular DIP switch l-6. If you selected a Star or Epson printer on the installation menu, switch l-6 should be ON (the factory setting). If you selected an IBM printer, switch l-6 should be OFF.

DIP switches 1-2 (auto CR), l-7 (character set), l-8 (auto LF), and 2-l (RAM usage) are also related to your software. Read what your software manual has to say about carriage returns, line feeds, character sets, and downloading characters, and refer to the explanation at the end of Chapter

USING YOUR SOFTWARE

With the installation and DIP switch settings correctly completed, you are ready to entrust most of the control of your printer to your software. However, there will still be some things you have to do yourself.

Page alignment

If you are printing on fanfold forms, the first thing to do before you start printing is to align the top of the forms so that printing will start at

Page 42

the right position on the page, a short distance below the perforation. With power off, you can align the forms by turning the platen knob. When power is on, use the Paper Feed switch on the control panel.

Type style and pitch selection

If your software does not control the type style and pitch, you must make these selections on the control panel. The default selections are draft style and pica pitch. If you want a different style or pitch, proceed as follows:

1. Hold the NLQ Type Style or Print Pitch switch down when you turn the printer’s power on. Hold both switches down if you intend to make both settings. The printer will beep in acknowledgement as it powers

up.

2. Press the On Line switch to set the printer off-line.

3. To select a type style, press the NLQ Type Style switch one or more times.

4. To select a print pitch, press the Print Pitch switch one or more times.

5. Press the On Line switch to set the printer back on-line. Most programs begin each printing job by sending a command that resets

the printer. That is why you must press the NLQ Type Style and/or Print Pitch switches as you power up. If you do not press these switches during power-up, the reset command will reset your panel selections to draft style and pica pitch.

If you want to change the type style or pitch in the middle of a printing

job, one way to do this is to insert a printing pause command in your file

at the point of the change. When the printer pauses, press the On Line switch to go off-line. If the change occurs in the middle of a line, the printer will print the first part of the line. Now make the change with the control panel switches, set the printer back on-line, then command your software to resume printing.

If you were able to define software commands for print pitch and type

style, changes like these can be inserted in your text tile and made on the

fly without a printing pause.

Other printer commands

If your software enables you to place the escape code in your tiles, or if you were able to define this as a user option during installation, you are in a very powerful position: you can embed almost any printer command

in your files. The printer commands are explained in detail in Appendix B.

Page 43

Most printer commands consist of the escape code followed by one or

more letters or numbers. Some examples are:

< ESC > W 1 Double-width characters

< ESC > WO Normal width <ESC>4 <ESC>5 Upright

Italic

/ .

I ‘r /

Two lines with these commands embedded are shown below, together

with the printed result.

File:

<ESC>WlPRINTER COMMANDS<ESC>WO

can help you to use <ESC>4italic<ESC>5 print.

Printout:

PRINTER COIXMANDS

can help you to use italic print.

You will probably not see the symbol <ESC > on the screen, but a different symbol such as * E or h [, or perhaps no symbol at all. This depends on your software.

After printing the first page of a long job, you may want to pause to check that the printing is correctly formatted. Press the On Line switch, setting the printer off-line. printing, press the On Line switch again.

If you need to abandon a printing job before it is finished, your software should provide a command for this purpose. Another simple expedient is to switch the printer’s power off.

Printing will stop immediately. To resume

Page 44

MEMO

Page 45

Chapter 4 USING THE PRINTER

WITH DOS AND BASIC

Although you will probably do most of your printing with the aid of commercial software, at times you will want to employ direct commands or programs of your own. This chapter will give you some ideas. Three subjects are covered:

l Hard-copying the screen l Programming the printer with DOS commands l Programming the printer with BASIC

HARD-COPYING THE SCREEN (MS-DOS AND PC-DOS)

If your computer has a PRTSC (or PrtSc) key, there is an easy way to

get hard copy of the screen. Press the SHIFT and PRTSC keys. The printer

will print the current screen contents. The PRTSC key works both at the

system command level and while you are running application software.

Normally the PRTSC key prints only text data, but if your DOS system includes a file named GRAPHICSCOM, you can hard-copy graphics displays by first typing the command:

A>GRAPHICS

You will find that graphics printing takes considerably more time than

text printing. See your DOS manual for further information on the GRAPHICS command.

At the DOS command level, there is also a simple way to have the printer print hard copy continuously, instead of one screen at a time. Press the CTRL key, hold it down, then also press the PRTSC key. If your computer does not have a PRTSC key, press the CTRL and P keys. Nothing visible will happen, but you have just switched on the print-screen function. After this, the printer will hard-copy all text displayed. For example, try typing the directory command:

A>DIR

You will obtain a printed directory.

Page 46

To switch printer output off, press CTRL-PRTSC or CTRL-P again. Each time you press this key combination, hard copy toggles from on to off or from off to on.

PROGRAMMING THE PRINTER WITH DOS COMMANDS

If your system includes the file PRINT.COM you can use the main DOS printing command. Simply type the word PRINT followed by the name of the file you want to print. To print a file named README.DOC, for

example, type:

A>PRINT README.DOC

The computer may respond with the following message, asking which printer to use:

Name of list device [PRNI:

If your computer is connected to only one printer, press RETURN to select the default choice (PRN). Printing will begin and the A> prompt will reappear. You can execute other commands or programs while the file is being printed.

A single PRINT command can print two or more tiles. List the file names

consecutively on the same line, or use wild-card characters (* and ?). Each file will be printed starting on a new page. The PRINT command also has control options. For example, you can terminate a printing job in progress with the /T option. (The printer may not stop printing immediately; it may have considerable data stored ahead in its buffer.) For the /T option, type:

A>PRINT/T

See your DOS manual for further information about the PRINT

command. If your system does not include PRINT.COM, you can print files by using the PRN device name in COPY or TYPE commands such as the following:

A>COPY README.DOC PRN AXYPE README.DOC > PRN

COPY and TYPE do not permit you to execute other commands while

the tile is printing.

Page 47

If you want a particular type style, print pitch, or right or left margin, you can make these settings from the control panel before you start printing. See Chapter 2.

If you print from the DOS command level very often, it will be advantageous to create a printer setup file. Then instead of setting margins etc. manually each time, you can complete the setup with a single command from your computer. For example, you can create a file containing printer commands to set the right and left margins, select near letter quality, and select elite pitch. You can find the commands in Appendix B. We suggest the following:

l Near letter quality l Elite pitch l Left and right margins

< ESC > “x” < ESC > “1” <ESC> “x” <12> <92>

“1”

cl>

< ESC > “!” < 1 > is a powerful command that, in addition to selecting

elite pitch, cancels unwanted features such as underlining which might be

left from previous commands. The angle brackets around the < 1 > indicate

character code 1, which is a control code, not the printable digit “1”.

< ESC > “X” < 12 > < 92 > sets the left margin in column 12 and the right margin in column 92. This will give a 6.7-inch, 80-column printed line with a one-inch left margin. (Elite has 12 characters per inch). < 12 > is a control code; < 92 > is the character “\“, as you can verify in Appendix D.

You may want to place additional commands in this file, such as line spacing and bottom margin commands. Or you may want to create a variety of setup files with a different set of commands in each.

To avoid excess line feeds, you should place the commands on one line

in the setup file. You may or may not be able to generate a setup tile with

word-processing software; it depends on whether your software lets you enter

control codes. If your system includes the file EDLIN.COM, however, you can easily create a setup file with the DOS line editor.

An appropriate name for this setup file would be NLQELITE.DAT. To use the DOS line editor, type the command EDLIN NLQELITE.DAT, then type the underlined parts of the following display. Press RETURN at the end of each line. Don’t type the symbol ‘lnr’. This symbol means to hold the CTRL key down while pressing the next key: for example, *V means to type CTRL-V. h C means to type CTRL-C, which indicates the end of the input.

A>EDLIN NLQELITE. DAT

New file

Page 48

~:*-V[X~*V[!~VA-V[X~VL\

2:*-c

“V indicates that the following character is a control code. “V[ enters the < ESC> code. < ESC > has character code 27, and “[” is the 27th character in ASCII sequence from A. Similarly, “VA enters the control code < 1 > and “VL enters the control code < 12 > . See your DOS manual if you need further information about EDLIN.

You can now set up the printer by sending it the file NLQELITE.DAT. To avoid unnecessary logging of commands, switch hard-copy output off (by pressing CTRL-PRTSC if hard copy is on). To print the tile README.DOC in NLQ elite type, give the following two commands:

A>COPY NLQELITE.DAT PRN A>PRINT README. DOC

For greater convenience you can make a batch file that will set up the

printer and print any specified tile with a single command. To create such

a batch file with the name NLQPRINT.BAT, type in the first four lines shown next. *Z means to press the CTRL and Z keys simultaneously. To use this file to print README.DOC, type the fifth line.

A>COPY CON NLQPRINT.BAT COPY NLQELITE.DAT PRN PRINT %1

A>NLQPRINT README.DOC

The first above line is a copy command from the CONsole screen to a tile named NLQPRINT.BAT. The next two lines are the contents of this file. The %l is a dummy parameter: NLQPRINT will be substituted for %l and printed.

whatever file name you type after

PROGRAMMING THE PRINTER WITH BASIC

As an example of programming the printer in Microsoft BASIC, we have listed the program for the IBM-PC that printed the sample of features shown at the beginning of this manual. This program runs in the printer’s Standard mode (DIP switch l-6 ON).

Page 49

1000 1010 E$-CHR$(27) 1020 D$-E$+"xO" 1030 N$=E$+"xl" 1040 C$=E$+"kO"+N$ 1050 S$=E$+"kl"+N$ 1060 Ol$-E$+"kl"+N$ 1070 02$=E$+"k3"+N$ 1080 H$=CHR$(9) 1090 P$-E$+"P"

' Set control codes

'Escape code 'Draft quality 'Near letter quality 'Courier characters 'Sanserif characters 'Orator with small capital 'Orator with lower case 'Horizontal tab 'Pica pitch

1100 ' Start printing

1110 WIDTH "LPT1:",255 1120 LPRINT E$;"D";CHR$(3);CHR$(l3);CHR$(O) 'Set I-IT 1130 LPRINT C$;"Type styles are:" 1140 LPRINT H$;D$;"Draft characters, U 1150 LPRINT H$;C$;

"Courier characters," 1160 LPRINT H$;S$;"Sanserif characters," 1170 LPRINT H$;Ol$;"Orator with small capitals, or 11 1180 LPRINT H$;02$;" 1190 LPRINT E$;"4";

with lower case characters,"

'Select italics 1200 LPRINT H$;02$;"and ";Ol$;"italics ";S$;"for 'I; 1210 LPRINT C$;"all ";D$;"styles." 1220 LPRINT E$;"5"

'Cancel italics 1230 LPRINT C$;"Print pitches are:" 1240 LPRINT H$;P$;"Pica pitch," 1250 LPRINT H$;E$;"M";"Elite pitch," 1260 LPRINT H$;CHR$(15); 'Condensed pitch 1270 LPRINT P$;"Condensed pica pitch," 1280 LPRINT H$;E$;"M"; 1290 LPRINT P$; 1300 LPRINT CHR$(18) 1310 LPRINT H$;E$;"pl";

"Condensed elite pitch,";

'Pica pitch

'Cancel condensed print

'Select proportional spacing

1320 LPRINT "proportional spacing for all pitches,"

1330 LPRINT E$;"pO"

'Cancel proportional spacing 1340 LPRINT H$;E$;"Wl";"Expanded, ";E$;"WO"; 1350 LPRINT E$;"wl";"Double-height, ";E$;"wO" 1360 LPRINT H$;E$;"h";CHR$(l);"Double-sized," 1370 LPRINT H$;E$;"h";CHR$(2);"Quad-sized."; 1380 LPRINT E$;"h";CHR$(O) 1390 LPRINT :LPRINT 1400 LPRINT E$;"Q";CHR$(47) 'Set right margin 1410 LPRINT C$;"Various line and character spacings:” 1420 LPRINT E$;"al"

'Center text 1430 FOR I-1 TO 10 1440 LPRINT E$;"A";CHR$(I); 'Set line spacing

1450 LPRINT E$;" ";CHR$(I); 'Increase character space 1460 LPRINT "THE SPACINGS ARE CHANGED" 1470 NEXT I 1480 FOR I=10 TO 1 STEP -1

Page 50

1490 LPRINT E$;"A":CHR$(I);

1500 LPRINT E$;" ";CHR$(I): 1510 LPRINT "THE SPACINGS ARE CHANGED" 1520 NEXT I 1530 LPRINT E$;"aO"

'Left justify 1540 LPRINT E$;"3";CHR$(36); 'Set l/6" line spacing 1550 LPRINT E$;" ";CHR$(O);

'Normal character space 1560 LPRINT :LPRINT 1570 LPRINT C$;

"Other features:" 1580 LPRINT H$;E$;"E";"Emphasized";E$;"F":". I'; 1590 LPRINT E$;"G";"Double-strike";E$;"H";"," 1600 LPRINT H$;E$;"-1";"Underlining";E$;"-0":". "; 1610 LPRINT E$;"~l";"Overlining";E$;"~O";"." 1620 LPRINT H$;E$;"SO";"SUPERSCRIPT";E$;"T":". 'I; 1630 LPRINT E$;"S1";"SUBSCRIPT";E$;"T";"." 1640 GOSUB 2020 1650 LPRINT H$;C$; 1660 LPRINT D$;E$;"%l";

"Download characters: 'I;

'Select download character 1670 FOR I-l TO 5 1680 LPRINT CHR$(60):

'Print download character 1690 NEXT I 1700 LPRINT E$;"%O";

'Select normal character

1710 GOSUB 2120 1720 LPRINT C$:E$;"%l";

'Select download character

1730 FOR I=1 TO 5 1740 LPRINT CHR$(60);

'Print download character

1750 NEXT I 1760 LPRINT E$;"%O"

'Select normal character 1770 LPRINT H$;C$;"Dot graphics:" 1780 DIM LOG0$(4)

1790 RESTORE 2630 1800 FOR ROW-1 TO 4 1810 FOR COL=l'TO 100 1820 READ DG 1830 LOGO$(ROW)=LOGO$(ROW)+CHR$(DG) 1840 NEXT COL 1850 NEXT ROW 1860 LPRINT E$;"A";CHR$(8);

'Set 8/72" line spacing 1870 FOR ROW=1 TO 4 1880 LPRINT H$;H$; 1890 LPRINT E$;"*":CHR$(O);

'Select normal density

1900 LPRINT CHR$(lOO);CHR$(O);

1910 LPRINT LOGO$(ROW)

1920 NEXT ROW 1930 LPRINT E$;"@"

'Initialize printer

1940 END 2000 ' 2010 ' SUBROUTINES 2020

' Define draft download character

Page 51

2030 LPRINT D$;E$; ":";

CHR$(O);CHR$(O);CHR$(O)z

2040 LPRINT E$;"&";CHR$(O);CHR$(~~):CHR$O; 2050 RESTORE 2520 2060 FOR M-O TO 11 2070 READ MM

2080 LPRINT CHR$(MM); 2090 NEXT M 2100 RETURN 2110 ' 2120

' Define NLQ download character

2130 LPRINT C$;E$;":" ;CHR$(O);CHR$(O);CHR$(O); 2140 LPRINT E$;"&";CHR$(O);CHR$(~~);CHR$O;

2150 RESTORE 2560 2160 FOR M-O TO 46 2170 READ MM 2180 LPRINT CHR$(MM);

2190 NEXT M 2200 RETURN 2500 ' 2510 ' DATA 2520

2530

* Draft download character data

DATA 139,124, 0. 66, 4, 64, 36, 16, 2, 16

2540 DATA 12. 0 2550 ' 2560

2570 2580

2590 2600 2610

I NLQ download character data

DATA 128. 14. 16. 38, 1, 70. 1, 70, 0,126 DATA 0. 0, 70, 0. 38, 0, 22, 9. 6, 9

DATA 6. 8, 6. 0, 28, 32. 14, 64, 14. 0 DATA 14, 0,124. 0. 0, 12, 64, 12, 32, 14

DATA 16, 14. 0. 14, 0, 12, 0 2620 ' 2630 '

2640

2650

2660 2670

2680

Dot graphics data

DATA 0, 0, 0. 0. 1. 3. 7, 7, 7. 15

DATA 14, 14, 14. 14. 14, 7, 7. 3, 3, 15

DATA 15, 15. 0. 0. 0, 0. 0, 0, 0, 0

DATA 0, 1, 3. 3. 7, 7, 15, 14, 14. 14

DATA 14, 15, 7, 7. 7, 3. 0, 0, 0, 0

2690 DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0

2700

DATA 0, 0, 0. 0. 0. 0. 0, 0, 0. 0 2710

DATA 1. 3, 7. 7. 7, 15, 14, 14, 14. 14

2720

DATA 14. 7, 7. 3. 3, 15, 15, 15, 0. 0

2730

DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0. 0, 0. 0

2740

DATA 0. o, 60,255,255,255.255,255,143, 15

2750

DATA 7. 7. 7. 7. 3, 3, 3,131,193.241

2760

DATA 240,240, 0. 0. 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1

2770

DATA 121,253,253.255.255.255.143. 7. 7. 7

2780

DATA 31,253,252.248.248,240.192, 0, 7, 15

2790

DATA 31, 31, 15, 7. 3, 0. 0, 0, 0. 0

2800

DATA 0, 0, 0. 0. 0, 0, 0. 0, 60.255

Page 52

2810 DATA 2820 DATA 2830 DATA 2840 DATA

28.50 DATA

2860 DATA 2870 DATA

2880 DATA

2890 DATA 2900 DATA

2910 DATA 2920 DATA 2930 DATA 2940 DATA 2950 DATA 2960 DATA 2970 DATA 2980 DATA 2990 DATA 3000 DATA 3010 DATA

255,255,255.255,143. 15, 7. 7. 7. 7

3. 3. 3,131,193,241,240.240, 0. 0

0. 0. 0, o, o, o, o, o, o. o

0, 31, 31, 3,129,128,192,192,192,192 192,224,224,224,224,24o.255,255.255.255,255,255 255,127, 0, 0, o, 0, 63,127,255,255 255,255,193,128,128,128,128,192,224~24o

252,255,255,255,127. 63, 31. 7, 7. 31

254,252,248,224,128. 0. 0. 3, 7. 7

7, 3, 0, 0. o, o, 0, 31, 31, 3

129,128,192,192,192,192.224,224.224~224

224.240,255,255,255,255.255,127, 0. o 0, 0, o. 0. o. o. o. o, o. o 0,248,248,240,224.224,112,112, 56. 56

56, 56, 56,120,120,240,240,224.224.192

128, 0. 0, o, o, 0,192,224,240,240

240,248,248,248,120.120, 56, 56, 56, 56

48,112,224,224,224.224.240,240,240,248,248 120,120. 56. 56, 56. 56,120,240,224,224 192,128, 0, 0. o, o. 0,248,248,240

224,224,112,112, 56. 56. 56, 56. 56,120 3020 DATA l2o,240,240,224,224,192,128, o. o, o 3030 DATA 0, 0, o, o, o. o. o, o. o, o

How the program works

This program begins by assigning a number of printer commands to

BASIC string variables (lines 1000 to 1090). You can find most of these

commands near the beginning of Appendix B.

The WIDTH “LPTl:” 255 statement in line 1110 means infinite line width. It prevents the IBM-PC from inserting unwanted carriage returns and line feeds in graphics data.

Actual printing begins in line 1120. Using the preassigned commands, the program prints samples of its different type styles, including a line showing all styles in italics, followed by samples of the print pitches, then some double and quadruple-sized printing.

Next comes the central attraction of the program: a line of text printed

twenty times in expanding and contracting loops to give a barrel effect. The work is done by four printer commands: a command setting the right margin (line 1400); a centering command (line 1420); a command to vary the line spacing (lines 1440 and 1490); and a command to micro-adjust the space between characters (lines 1450 and 1500).

Page 53

Next the program returns to normal spacing and gives a demonstration of the printer’s word-processing abilities: bold printing, underlining, subscripts, etc.

The row of automobiles in the next printed line is created by downloading two new character patterns, which are printed in place of the character “ < ” (character 60). Details can be found in Appendix C.

L-

Ir..

b..

6..

The final part of the program uses dot graphics to print an “S&S” logo. The dot pattern of the logo was originally laid out on graph paper, then converted to the data in lines 2640 to 3030 with the help of a calculator. Each number represents eight vertical dots. (See “Graphics commands” in Appendix B for details. See also Figure C-l in Appendix C.)

The pattern is printed in four rows, each eight dots high and 100 dots wide. Lines 1800 to 1850 read the dot data into a string array variable named LOGO$. Line 1860 sets the line spacing to 8/72 inch so that the rows will connect vertically. The loop in lines 1870 to 1940 does the printing in four passes of the print head.

This program can also be run in IBM mode (DIP switch l-6 OFF) if you change a few of the lines as shown below to allow for difference in some of the commands. You will get a cylinder instead of a barrel effect, becuase the IBM mode does not have any command to micro-adjust the character spacing.

Modifications for IBM mode:

1090 P$=CHR$ (181

1190 LPRINT CHR$(28) ;"4";

1220 IPR1N-f CHR$(28):"5"

' LPRINT H$;E$;"M";

1280

'Pica pitch

'Select italics 'Cancel italics

"Condensed elite pitch,"; 1400 LPRINT CHR$(28);"Q";CHR!$(47) 'Set right margin 1440 LPRINT E$;"A";CIIR$(I);Eg;"2"; 'Line spacing set

' LPRINr E$;" ";CHR$u);

1450

'Increase character space 1490 LPRINT E$;"A";CWZ$(I);E$;"2": 1500 '

IPRINT E$;” “;cHR$(I):

1860 LPRINT E$;"A";~(8);E$;"2"; )Set 8/72" 2030 LPRINT D$;cwz$(28);":";cHR$(O);cHR$(O);cHR$~O~: 2130 LPRINT C$;CHR$(28);":";CHR$(O):CHR$(O);CHR$(O);

Page 54

MEMO

Page 55

Chapter 5

MAINTENANCE

AND TROUBLESHOOTlNG

Subjects covered in Chapter 5 include -

l Cleaning the printer

l Replacing the ribbon l Replacing the print head l Troubleshooting

Dust and heat will make any mechanism wear more quickly. The best maintenance is preventive, and the first step is correct location of the printer. This is covered in greater detail in Chapter 1, but in general an environment comfortable for humans is best for both the computer and the printer.

CLEANING THE PRINTER

Cleaning the printer regularly will prolong its service life. Use a damp

cloth on the exterior every week or so. For stubborn dirt, you may moisten

the cloth with alcohol or water containing a mild detergent, but be careful not to spill any liquid into the interior of the printer.

Use a soft brush to remove paper dust and lint from the interior. A small vacuum cleaner can also make this task easier, but be very careful not to bend or injure any electronic parts or wiring. The printer contains delicate electronic parts, so only clean those places where you have easy access.

REPLACING THE RIBBON

The printer uses an endless-type ribbon cartridge in which the ribbon is recycled automatically. When the print becomes faint, it is time to replace

the ribbon cartridge.

To remove the old cartridge, take off the top cover, grasp the ribbon cartridge by the two arms at the front and lift straight up. To tit the new cartridge, guide the ribbon between the print head and platen, then press down until the cartridge snaps into place. See Figure 5-l.

REPLACING THE PRINT HEAD

The dot matrix print head has a life of about 200 million dots, or years

of normal use. When printing is too light even after replacing the ribbon,

Page 56

Figure 5-I. Replacing the ribbon cartridge

you’ll know that the print head has reached the end of its service life. To replace the print head, follow the procedure below.

As you remove the old print head, note carefully how the cable is

threaded, so that you can thread the new cable in the same way.

Warning:

The print head becomes hot during operation. If you have been using the printer, wait awhile so that the print head can cool

off.- -

Turn power OFF and unplug the power cord.

Remove the top cover and ribbon cartridge.

Move the print head carriage toward the right until you can see the connector cover. Remove the connector cover and pull the cable free from the connector.

Unscrew the two screws that hold the print head in place and set them aside.

Disengage the cable from the tabs holding it down, then remove the print head.

For easy installation of the new print head, move the carriage toward the left end of the rail.

Place the new print head on its support, seating it on the two pins.

Thread the new cable the same way as the old, securing it under the three tabs on the print head carriage.

Plug the cable into the connector, inserting it as far as it will go.

Page 57

Connector cover

Screws

Figure 5-2. Replacing the print head

10. Fasten the print head down with the two screws.

11.

Move the carriage back toward the right and replace the connector cover. Slide the connector cover to the left until it locks into place.

12. Replace the ribbon cartridge and top cover, and plug the power cord back in.

Page 58

TROUBLESHOOTING

H If the printer doesn’t print:

l Check the Power and On Line indicators. Both must be on. l Check that the interface cable is securely plugged in at the computer and

printer ends.

l Make a test print. (Turn power OFF, hold the On Line or Paper Feed

switch down, then turn power ON.) If the test print succeeds, the problem is not with the printer; try a different printing command, or try using a different cable. If the test print fails, have the printer checked by a qualified serviceman.

n If fanfold paper becomes stuck

l Turn power off, take off the rear cover, remove the paper, and reload

the paper as described in Chapter 1.

l Make sure the paper is placed so that it feeds into the printer straight.

n If label paper becomes stuck:

l Have a qualified serviceman remove any label paper that adheres inside

the printer. Do not attempt to remove it yourself.

l Avoid using label paper with any exposed adhesive areas,

n If printing is faint, incomplete, or unclear:

l Check that the ribbon cartridge is installed correctly. If the ribbon

cartridge is old, replace it.

l Adjust the printing gap. See Chapter 1. l If ribbon replacement or gap adjustment does not solve the problem,

replace the print head.

n If all text is printed on the same line:

l Set DIP switch 1-8 to the OFF (front) position.

n If /he spacing is twice as wide as expected:

l Set DIP switch 1-8 to the ON (back) position.

w If you can’t print to the end of the page:

l This is normal. The printer’s paper-out detector detects the end of the

paper and stops printing about an inch above the end.

l You can make the printer ignore the paper-out detector by setting DIP

switch l-5 to the OFF (front) position, or by using the < ESC > “8” printer command.

Page 59

n If the printed characters don’t match the characters on the

screen:

l Check DIP switches 2-2 to 2-4. When these switches are not all ON (back),

an international character set is selected and some ASCII symbols are

changed to other characters. See Appendix D.

l Some software is not able to display international characters on the screen.

If you use an international character set you may want to paste labels on the keyboard.

l If you are using the IBM mode, check DIP switch 1-7. Some international

characters and symbols do not print when this switch is OFF (front).

n If some printer commands are ignored of executed incor-

rectly:

l Check that the setting of DIP switch 1-6 matches the type of printer your

software supports: ON (back) for Star or Epson; OFF (front) for IBM.

l A few commands are mutually exclusive. For example, you cannot get

emphasized condensed printing.

L”

I..

n If you have problems with horizontal tabulation:

l Don’t change the margins after setting tabs. l Don’t change the print pitch after setting tabs. The physical positions

of the tab stops do not adjust to the new print pitch.

H If you have problems with graphics:

l If you are using commercial software, check that it supports this printer,

or a Star, Epson or IBM printer, and that DIP switch 1-6 is set correctly: ON (back) for Star or Epson; OFF (front) for IBM.

l Use a hex dump to verify the codes the printer is receiving. See the graphics

command descriptions in Appendix B. Some computers insert unwanted commands (such as carriage returns and line feeds) in graphics data, or change the values of certain codes.

l BASIC programs may require a WIDTH statement. Check your BASIC

manual.

n If you have problems with download characters:

l Check that DIP switch 2-1 is OFF (front). l Make the same checks as for graphics problems.

Page 60

MEMO

Page 61

TECHNICAL SPECIFlCATIOlVS

a Printing Mechanism

Printing method Printing speed

Printing direction

Serial impact dot matrix

150 characters per second (draft pica)

38 characters per second (NLQ pica) Draft:

(selectable), logic seeking NLQ and graphics: unidirectional, logic seeking

b&directional or unidirectional

Print head

Ribbon

Paper feed

Paper feed speed

n interface and Emulation

Interface

Data buffer

Emulation modes

w Switches and Indicators

Power switch Control panel

DIP switches

9 Pins Life: 200 million dots

Black fabric ribbon cartridge

Life: 1 million draft characters Friction and push-tractor feed

Semiautomatic sheet loading

2.7 inches/second (during page feed)

Centronics-compatible, 7 or 8 bit, TTL-level

4K bytes when not used for download characters

l-Line buffer when using download

Epson LX-800 and IBM Proprinter II

Rocker switch

4 Membrane switches, 10 LED indicators

12 pins

Page 62

Special features

W Dot Matrix Size

Character matrix

Panel pitch/style lock-in Forward and reverse micro-feed Paper parking Hexadecimal dump

9 x 9 dots (Draft pica)

18 x 23 dots (Courier and Orator pica) 18 x 18 dots (Sanserif pica, elite) 12 x 11 dots (IBM block graphics, pica) 18 x 19 dots (Courier and Orator elite) 18 x 12 dots (Condensed pica) 18 x 10 dots (Condensed elite)

Bit-image

graphics

w Character Sets

Standard character set IBM character set

Download characters

International character sets

n Type Styles and Pitches

Draft type styles

NLQ type styles

8 x 480 dots at 60 dpi (Single density) 9 x 480 dots at 60 dpi (Single density) 8 x 576 dots at 72 dpi (Plotter mode) 8 x 640 dots at 80 dpi (CRT I) 8 x 720 dots at 90 dpi (CRT II) 8 x 960 dots at 120 dpi (Double density) 9 x 960 dots at 120 dpi (Double density) 8 x 960 dots at 120 dpi (High speed) 8 x 1920 dots at 240 dpi (Quadruple density)

96 ASCII characters 244 characters (ASCII, iutemational

characters, symbols, block graphics) Max. 192 (draft) or 78 (NLQ)

14 sets (USA, France, Germany, England, Denmark I, Denmark II, Sweden, Italy, Spain I, Spain II, Japan, Norway, Latin America, Denmark/Norway)

Draft, draft italic Courier, Sanserif, Orator (with lower case

or small capitals), and italic versions of these

Page 63

Extra-large characters

Double width, double height, double width and height, quadruple width and height

Print pitches

Line spacing

Column width

W Paper Specifications

Single sheets

Fanfold paper

Number of copies

n Dimensions and Weight

Dimensions

Pica (10 cpi) Elite (12 cpi) Condensed pica (17 cpi) Condensed elite (20 cpi) (Standard mode

only) Proportional spacing can be selected for

each of the above

l/6 inch (standard) l/S, n/72, or n/216 inch (programmable)

8 inches Pica: 80 characters

Elite: 96 characters Condensed pica: 137 characters Condensed elite: 160 characters

140 to 216 mm (5.5 to 8.5 inches) wide,

0.07 to 0.10 mm thick 102 to 254 mm (4 to 10 inches) wide

0.07 to 0.10 mm thick (single-ply)

Max. 0.28 mm thick (3-ply)

Max. 3 (original + 2 copies)

Width 384 mm (15.1 inches) Depth 287.5 mm (11.3 inches) Height 108 mm (4.3 inches)

Weight

n Electrical Specifications

Line voltage

Line frequency Power consumption

4.7 kg (10.3 pounds)

120 VAC ? iO% 220 VAC f lo”/0 240 \/AC + 10% (varies according to the country of purchase)

50 or 60 Hz Typ. 36 W, Max. 80 W

Page 64

Insulation resistance

10 megohms between AC power line and

chassis

Dielectric strength

Withstands 1 kVAC rms at 50 or 60 Hz

between AC power line and chassis for at least 1 minute

n Environmental Requirements

Operating temperature 5 to 40°C (41 to 104°F) Operating humidity Storage temperature Storage humidity

n Option

10% to 80% (no condensation)

- 30 to 65°C (- 22 to 149°F)

10% to 95% (at 40°C) (no condensation)

Automatic sheet feeder

w interface Signals

‘n No. ,,

b I

1 In*r* 1

t3 lDATA2 1 IN’

c ‘DATA3h most significant bit: InA-rAA

7 8

iignal

, ,Yame

IsTf‘agE IN Goes from High to Low (for at least 0.5

I I

-------

UfiL&-l-r II.

DATA5 IN DATA6 IN DATA7 IN

9 DATA8 IN

10 xx OUT 11

BUSY

Direction Function

microseconds) when data are valid.

I TNT I

*I-_ -1--

NI Eight-bit character data. DATA8 is the

sign&&t bit. High is logic 1 and Low is logic 0.

5-Microsecond Low pulse acknowledges

receipt of data.

OUT

;;o;aw when the printer is ready to accept

DATA1 is the least

PAPER OUT

1 13 1 SELEC

14-15 IN/C

1 SIGNAL

1 GND

%~ssls

OUT .

TED OUT

Goes Hi Can be eld Low>rmanently by turnmg

nm . . . ..+.1. 1 c -

IdIT JWILbII 1-J “II.

if the printer runs out of paper.

High when the printer is on-line. Unused Signal ground.

I+$rte;;iassis ground, isolated from sig-

Page 65

ignal

Pin No.

18 + 5VDC

Name

--p-

1’ 9-30 IGND

31 RESET IN 32 ERROR

33 EXT GND 34, 35 N/C 36 SELEC

Lt > INjIN 1 Always High.

DiWtiOO

Function

External supply of + SVDC. Twisted pair return signal ground level. Low input resets the printer to its power-up

condition.

OUT Goes Low to signal that the printer cannot

print due to an error condition. External ground. Unused.

Page 66

MEMO

Page 67

PRINTER CONTROL COMMANDS

This appendix describes the printer’s control commands. The commands are arranged by function. The name of each command is followed by a table like the one below:

..,

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “X” “ 1”

Decimal

27 120 49 27 120 1

Hexadecimal

IB 78 31 IB 78 01

Mode: Indicates the mode in which the command is recognized.

Std. IBM Both

Standard mode (DIP switch l-6 on) IBM mode (DIP switch 1-6 off) Both standard and IBM modes

ASCII: Indicates the ASCII coding of the command. Control

characters are enclosed in pointed brackets: For example,

< 0 > means character code 0.

Decimal:

Gives the command in decimal character codes.

Hexadecimal: Gives the command in hexadecimal character codes.

Parameters for which values must be supplied are indicated by italic letters such as n.

Many commands have alternative forms. Some commands use < ESC> (character code 27) in Standard mode and < FS > (character code 28) in IBM mode. Other commands have parameters that can be specified as either character codes or digit characters, like the parameter 1 in the sample command above.

FONT CONTROL COMMANDS Select draft quality characters

Changes from near letter quality to draft quality. Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during power-up.

Page 68

Select draft elite characters

Mode

IBM

ASCII

< ESC > “1” “ 1” 21 73 49 IB 49 31

< ESC > “I” Cl> 27 13 1 IB 49 01

Changes to draft quality characters with elite pitch (12 cpi). Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during power-up.

Select NLQ characters

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC> .‘X” “ 1” 27 120 49 1B 78 31

< ESC > “x” Cl> 27 120 1 1B 78 01

Changes from draft quality to near letter quality. Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during power-up.

Select NLG type sty/e

Mode Both

ASCII

<ESCz “k” n

Selects an NLQ type style according to the value of n. In draft mode, this command remains dormant and takes effect later when NLQ is selected by < ESC > pressed during power-up.

n Type style 0 Courier (initial value)

1 Sanserif 2 Orator with small capitals 3 Orator with lower case

Decimal Hexadecimal

Decimal

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 107 n IB 6B n

Hexadecimal

“x” 1. Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was

Select Sanserif characters

Mode ASCII

IBM

< ESC > “I” “2” 21 73 50 1B 49 32

< ESC > “I” <2> 21 73 2 1B 49 02

Changes to the Sanserif NLQ font. Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during power-up.

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Page 69

Select Courier characters

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

< ESC > “I” “3” 21 13 51 1B 49 33

IBM

< ESC > “I” <3> 21 13 3 IB 49 03 < ESC > “I” “7” 21 73 55 1B 49 37 < ESC > “I” 27 13 7 1B 49 07

Changes to the Courier NLQ font. Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during power-up.

Select italic characters

Mode ASCII

Std. <ESC> “4” 21 52 IB 34 IBM <FS> “4” 28 52 IC 34

Decimal Hexadecimal

Causes subsequent characters to be printed in italics. Ignored if the NLQ

Type Style switch was pressed during power-up.

Select upright characters

Mode ASCII Std.

IBM

<ESC> “ ”

< Ffj > “ ”

Stops italic printing and causes subsequent characters to be printed upright. Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during power-up.

Decimal

5 5 28 53

21 53 1B 35

Hexadecimal

1c 35

Emphasized printing

Mode ASCII Both <ESC’ “E”

Causes subsequent draft characters to be emphasized by adding extra thickness to vertical strokes.

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 69 1B 45

Cancel emphasized printing

Mode ASCII Both <ESC>

Cancels emphasized printing.

Decimal

“F” 21 70

Hexadecimal

IB 46

Page 70

Double-strike printing

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC> “G”

Causes subsequent characters to be printed in double-strike mode with a slight vertical paper motion in between, causing a thickening of horizontal strokes. For bold print, use of double-strike is recommended in NLQ mode, and combined use of emphasized and double-strike is recommended in draft mode. Double-strike cannot be used with superscripts or subscripts.

Cancel double-strike printing

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC>

“H”

Cancels double-strike printing.

Start underlining

Mode

Both

ASCII

< ESC

> “-” “ 1”

< ESC

> “-I’ <l>

Causes subsequent characters to be underlined. IBM block graphics

characters and spaces skipped by horizontal tabulation are not underlined.

Stop underlining

Decimal Hexadecimal

21 71

Decimal

27 12 1B 48

Decimal

27 45 27 45

49 1B 2D

1 1B 2D

1B 47

Hexadecimal

31 01

Mode

Both

ASCII

EfjC > “-” “0”

ESC > “-” co>

Stops underlining.

Start overlining

Mode ASCII

Both

ESC > “_” “ 1”

EfjC > “-” <l>

Causes subsequent characters to be overlined. Spaces skipped by horizontal tabulation are not overlined.

Decimal

27 45 27 45

Decimal

27 95

Hexadecimal

48 IB 2D

0 1B 2D

Hexadecimal

49 1B SF

I 1B 5F

31 01

Page 71

Stop overlining

Mode ASCII

Both -

<ESC> “ ”

< ESC > “p” co> 21 95 0 IB SF 00

“0” 27 95 48 IB 5F 30

Stops overlining.

Super script

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “S” “0” 27 83 48 IB 53 30

<ESC> 5” co> 27 83 0 IB 53 00

Causes subsequent characters to be printed as superscripts. Does not

change the character pitch.

Subscript

Mode 1 ASCII

<ESC> 23” “1” 27 83 49 Both 1 IB 53 31 <ESC> “S” 27 83 1 1B 53 01

Causes subsequent characters to be printed as subscripts. Does not change the character pitch.

Cancel superscript or subscript

Mode ASCII

Both 1 <ESC> “T”

Stops printing superscripts or subscripts and returns to normal printing.

Decimal Hexadecimal

1 27 84 t1B 54

CHARACTER SET COMMANDS

Select standard character set

Mode ASCII

Std.

< ESC > “t” “0”

< ESC > “t”

-=o>

Selects the standard character set. This is the power-up default in Standard mode if DIP switch l-7 is ON. The standard character set cannot be selected in IBM mode.

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 116 48 1B 74 30 27 116 0 IB 74 00

Page 72

Select IBM character set

Mode

Std.

ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

< ESC >

“t”

“1” 27 116 49 1B 14 31

“t”

<l> 27 116 1 1B 74 01

Selects an IBM character set (character set #2 unless an < ESC > “7” command has been received). Ignored in IBM mode, since the IBM character set is selected automatically.

Select IBM character set #7

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC> “7” 27 55 1B 37

Selects IBM character set #l. If the standard character set is currently selected, this command remains dormant and takes effect at the next

< ESC > “t” 1 command. In IBM mode, character set #l is the power-up

default if DIP switch l-7 is OFF.

Select IBM character set #2

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “6”

Selects IBM character set #2. If the standard character set is currently selected, this command remains dormant and takes effect at the next

< ESC > “t” 1 command, In IBM mode, character set #2 is the power-up

default if DIP switch l-7 is ON.

Select international character set

Decimal Hexadecimal

Decimal

27 54

Hexadecimal

1B 36

Mode

Std. IBM

ASCII

<ESC> “R” n

<FS> “R” n 28 82 n 1C 52 n

Selects an international character set according to the value of n.

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 82 n 1B 52 n

n Character set n Character set 0 U.S.A

1 France 2 Germany 3 England 4 Denmark 5 Sweden 6 Italy

I 11

Spain I

Japan

Norway

Denmark II Spain II

Latin America

Denmark/Norway

Page 73

The first eight of these character sets (from U.S.A. to Spain I) can be selected as power-up defaults by DIP switches 2-2 to 2-4.

Enable printing of a// character codes

Mode ASCII

IBM

<ESC> “\” nl n2

Decimal

27 92 nl n2

Hexadecimal

IB 5C nl n2

Enables printing of all characters in the IBM character set, including those assigned to character codes which are normally considered control codes. This command remains in effect for the next nl + n2 x 256 characters, where nl and n2 are numbers between 0 and 255. During this interval no control functions are executed. If a code with no assigned character is received, the printer prints a space.

Enable printing of a// character codes on next character

Mode ASCII

IBM

<ESC> ‘LA”

This command operates like < ESC > “\” except that it remains in effect for only one character.

Decimal

21 94

Hexadecimal

1B 5E

Select slash zero

IModel ASCII I

Both

<ESC> “ -” “1” 27 <ESC> “ Y ” < 1 > 27

Causes subsequent zero characters to be overprinted with a slash (0).

Select normal zero

Mode

Both

ASCII

cESC> “ N ” “0” 27

<ESC> “W” < 0 > 27

Causes subsequent zero characters to be printed normally (0), without a slash.

Decimal

126 49 IB 7E 31 126 1 IB 7E 01

Decimal Hexadecimal

126 48 1B 7E 30 126 0 1B 7E 00

Hexadecimal I

Page 74

CHARACTER SIZE AND PITCH COMMANDS

Pica pitch

Mode

Std. IBM <DC2>

ASCII

<ESC> “P”

In Standard mode, changes from elite to pica pitch (10 cpi) or from condensed elite to condensed pica (17 cpi). In IBM mode, changes from either elite or condensed to pica (10 cpi). Ignored if the Print Pitch switch was pressed during power-up.

Elite pitch

ASCII

<ESC>

“M” I 21 71

In Standard mode, changes from pica to elite pitch (12 cpi) or from

condensed pica to condensed elite (20 cpi). In IBM mode, changes from

either pica or condensed to elite (12 cpi). Ignored if the Print Pitch switch was pressed during power-up.

Condensed printing

Mode ASCII

Both

<SI>

<ESC>

<SI > 27 15

In Standard mode, changes from pica to condensed pica (I 7 cpi) or from elite to condensed elite (20 cpi). In IBM mode, changes from either pica or elite to condensed (17 cpi). Ignored if the Print Pitch switch was pressed during power-up.

Decimal

21 80

Decimal Hexadecimal

1 27 58

Decimal

15 OF

Hexadecimal

1B 50

IIB 4D IIB 3A

Hexadecimal

IB OF

Cancel condensed printing

Mode ASCII

Both i <DC2>

In Standard mode, changes from condensed pica to normal pica or from condensed elite to normal elite. In IBM mode, always changes to normal

pica. Ignored if the Print Pitch switch was pressed during power-up.

Decimal Hexadecimal

1 18

I 12

Page 75

Expanded printing

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC> “w” “1”

<ESC> “w”

21 87 49 1B 57 31 27 87 1 IB 57 01

Causes subsequent characters to be expanded to double width.

Cancel expanded printing

Mode

Both ’

ASCII

27 87 48 1B 57 30 27 87 0 1B 57 00

Stops expanded printing and returns to normal width.

Expanded printing for one fine

Mode

Both

ASCII

<so>

27 14

Causes subsequent characters in the current line to be expanded to double width. Characters return to normal width after the next line feed ( < LF > ). The <DC4>, <VT>,

< FF > , and < ESC > “W” 0 commands also

cancel expanded printing.

Cancel one-line expanded printing

Mode

Both

ASCII Decimal

<DC4>

Stops one-line expanded printing set with < SO > or < ESC > < SO > . Does not cancel < ESC > “W” 1.

Decimal

20 14

IB OE

Hexadecimal

Select proportional spacing

Mode

Both

IBM <ESC>

ASCII

< ESC >

<ESC>

Causes subsequent characters to be proportionally spaced. Ignored if

“ w

P “199

P Cl>

“ ” “P” Cl>

the Print Pitch switch was pressed during power-up.

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 27 27

112 49 112 1

80 1

1B 70 31 1B 70 01

IB 50 01

Page 76

Select fixed spacing

IModel ASCII

Both

IBM <ESC> “P” co> 27 80 0 1B 50 00

<ESC> “ "

<ESC> “ ”

P “0" 27 112 48 1B 70 30

P co> 27 112 0 1B 70 00

1 Decimal 1 Hexadecimal

Causes subsequent characters to be printed with fixed character spacing. Ignored if the Print Pitch switch was pressed during power-up.

Select master print mode

Mode ASCII

Both 1 <ESC>

Selects a combined print mode according to the value of n. The value of n is the sum of the values given below for the desired characteristics.

Examples: n = 1 gives elite; n = 9 (1 + 8) gives emphasized elite; n

= 137 (1 + 8 + 128) gives underlined emphasized elite.

[*l] Ignored if the JVLQ Type Style switch was pressed during

[*2] Ignored if the Print Pitch switch was pressed during

“p

power-up.

n I21 33 n

Function n value Underline

Italic [*l] 64 Expanded 32 Double strike 16 Emphasized 8 Condensed [*2] Proportional [*2] Elite [*2]

Decimal Hexadecimal

IlB 21 n

128

4 2

Increase character spacing

Mode 1 ASCII

Std. I

<ESC> I“’ n

Increases the space between characters by n/240 inches, where n is a number from 0 to 127. Used in microjustification.

Decimal

I27 32 n

Hexadecimal

IlB 20 n

Page 77

Select double or quadruple size

Mode ASCII

Both <ESC> “h” n

Selects the size of subsequent characters as shown below. Extra-high

characters align along the cap-line of normal characters, with the base

line temporarily moving down. Line spacing is temporarily doubled when n = 1, 5 or 6 and quadrupled when n = 2. To print correctly when n

= 3,4,5 or 6, set the line spacing to 24/216 (l/9) of an inch with < ESC > “3” < 24 > , and print the same characters twice, upper half on one line, lower half on the next. For accurate alignment of the two halves, select unidirectional printing with < ESC > “u” < 1 > .

n Effect 0 Normal size

1 Double-high, double-wide 2 Quadruple-high, quadruple-wide 3 Double-high, double-wide (Lower half only) 4 Double-high, double-wide (Upper half only) 5 Quadruple-high, quadruple-wide (Lower half only) 6 Quadruple-high, quadruple-wide (Upper half only)

Print double-height characters

IModel ASCII

Both

Prints subsequent characters at double height without moving the base line, and without changing the line spacing. Temporarily cancels super/subscript and condensed printing modes.

Decimal Hexadecimal

127104 n IIB 68 n

Decimal

27 119 49 1B 77 31

27 119 1 IB 77 01

Hexadecimal I

Return to normal height

Model ASCII

Both -

Terminates double-height printing and prints subsequent characters at normal height. Resumes super/subscript and condensed printing if these modes were in effect before double height was selected.

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 119 48 1B 77 30 27 119 0 1B 77 00

Page 78

Select character height, width, and line spacing

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “[”

co> co> -co> n

‘x3”

<4>

27 91 64 4

m m

Selects a combination of character height, width, and line spacing according to the value of n and m, as below. Does not move the base line.

n Line spacing Character height

Unchanged Unchanged

Unchanged

Unchanged Double height 16 Single Unchanged 17 Single 18 Single 32 Double Unchanged 33 Double Single height 34 Double

Character width

1 Single width (same as < ESC > “W” 0)

2 Double width (same as < ESC> “W” 1)

Double-height characters are always printed at near letter quality. Double height printing temporarily cancels the super/subscript and condensed printing modes, but these modes resume when the printer returns to normal height.

VERTICAL POSITION COMMANDS

Decimal

0 0 0 n

Single height

Single height Double height

Double height

Hexadecimal

1B 5B 40 04

00 00 00 n

Set line spacing to 118 inch

Mode ASCII

Both

< ESC > “0”

Sets the distance the paper advances or reverses in subsequent line feeds

to l/8 inch.

Decimal

27 48

Hexadecimal

1B 30

Page 79

Set line spacing to 7172 inch

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC> “1”

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 49 1B 31

Sets the distance the paper advances or reverses in subsequent line feeds to 7172 inch.

Set line spacing to l/6 inch

Mode ASCII Std.

<ESC>

Sets the distance the paper advances or reverses in subsequent line feeds

to l/6 inch.

“2” 27 50

Decimal Hexadecimal

Set line spacing to n/216 inch

Mode

1 ASCII

Both I < ESC > “3” n 127 51 n

Sets the distance the paper advances or reverses in subsequent line feeds to n/216 inch, where n is between 0 and 255. If n = 0, in Standard mode the line-feed distance is set to 0, but in IBM mode this command is ignored.

Decimal Hexadecimal

Set line spacing to n/72 inch

Mode ASCII

Both <ESC>

In Standard mode, sets the distance the paper advances or reverses in

subsequent line feeds to n/72 inch, where n is between 0 and 85. If n

=O, the line spacing is set to 0. In IBM mode this command does the same except that (1) the new line spacing does not take effect until the next < ESC > “2” command, and (2) if n = 0, the < ESC > “A” command is ignored.

“A” n 27 65 n

Decimal Hexadecimal

IB 32

IlB 33 n

1B 41 n

Execute < ESC> “A”

Mode ASCII Decimal

IBM

< ESC >

Sets the line spacing to the value defined by the last preceding < ESC > “A” command. Sets the line spacing to l/6 inch if there is no preceding

< ESC > “A” command.

“2”

27 50

Hexadecimal

1B 32

Page 80

Line feed

Mode ASCII

Both

<LF>

Decimal

Prints the current line and feeds the paper to the next line. If DIP switch

l-2 is ON, also moves the next print position to the left margin. See the

preceding commands for the line spacing.

Reverse line feed

Mode

Both <ESC>

ASCII

Prints the current line and feeds the paper in the reverse direction to the preceding line. If DIP switch l-2 is ON, also moves the next print position

to the left margin. See the preceding commands for the line spacing. Ignored when friction feed is used.

<LF>

Decimal

27 10

Perform one n/216-inch line feed

Mode ASCII

Both

< ESC > “J” n

Feeds the paper once by n/216 inches, where n is between 1 and 255. Does not move the print position right or left when DIP switch l-2 is OFF. Does not change the line-spacing setting. Ignored when friction feed is used.

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 74 n

Perform one nl2164nch reverse line feed

Hexadecimal

1B OA

lB4A n

Mode ASCII

Both

< ESC > ‘j” n

Decimal

27 106 n

Hexadecimal

lB6A n

Feeds the paper once by n/216 inches in the reverse direction, where n is between 1 and 255. Does not move the print position right or left when DIP switch l-2 is OFF. Does not change the line-spacing setting. Ignored _ when friction feed is used.

feed paper n fines

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> <ESC> ” f

“f’ “1” n 27 102 49 n 1B 66 31 n

cl> n 27 102 1 n

Decimal

Feeds the paper n lines from the current line, where n is between 0 and

127.

Hexadecimal

1B 66 01 n

Page 81

Set top of page at current position

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

IBM 1 <ESC>

“4”

1 27 52 IlB 34

Sets the current position as the top-of-page position. Note that this can also be done from the control panel.

Set page length to n lines

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both I <ESC> “C” n I 27 67 n

IlB 43 n

Sets the page length ton lines in the current line spacing, where n is between

1 and 127 in Standard mode or between 1 and 255 in IBM mode. Changing the line spacing later does not alter the physical page length. The current line becomes the top of the page.

Set page length to n inches

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both <ESC> “C” CO> n 27 67 0 n 1B 43 00 n

Sets the page length to n inches, where n is between 1 and 22 in Standard

mode or between 1 and 127 in IBM mode. The current line becomes the

top of the page.

Set top margin

Mode

Both < ESC > “c” n 27 99 n

ASCII

Decimal

Sets the top margin to (n - 1) lines, where n is between 1 and 255. Printing

begins on the nth line on the page. The power-up default is n = 1, giving

no top margin.

Set bottom margin

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC>

Sets the bottom margin to n lines, where n is between 0 and 127 in Standard

mode or between 0 and 255 in IBM mode. The bottom margin is reset

when you change the page length.

“IV n 27 78 n lB4E n

Decimal Hexadecimal

Hexadecimal

1B 63 n

Page 82

Cancel top and bottom margins

Mode

Both <ESC> “0”

ASCII

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 79

1B 4F

Cancels both the top margin and the bottom margin.

form feed

Mode

Both I

ASCII

<FF>

Decimal Hexadecimal

I 12 lot

Feeds the paper to the top of the next page according to the current page length, and moves the print position to the left margin. When the automatic sheet feeder (ASF) is selected (DIP switch l-4 is OFF), this command ejects the current page.

Return to top of current page

Mode Both

ASCII

Feeds the paper backward to the top of the current page. Ignored when friction feed is used.

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 12 1B OC

Disable paper-out detector

ASCII

<ESC> “ ”

Decimal

1 27 56 IlB 38

Causes the printer to disregard the signal sent by the paper-out detector, enabling printing to the bottom of the paper. Overrides the setting of

DIP switch l-5.

Hexadecimal

Enable paper-out detector

ASCII Decimal

<ESC>

“9” 1 27 57 IlB 39

Causes the printer to stop printing about an inch before the end of the

paper. Overrides the setting of DIP switch 1-5.

Set vertical tab stops

Mode Both I <ESC>

ASCII

“B” nl n2 . ..<o

Hexadecimal

Decimal

4 27 66 nl n2 . ..O 1 1B 42 nl nZ...OO

Hexadecimal

Page 83

Cancels all current vertical tab stops and sets new vertical tab stops at lines nl, n,?. etc., where nl, n2, etc. are numbers between 1 and 255. A maximum of 16 vertical tab stops can be set. The tab stops must be specified in ascending order; any violation of ascending order terminates the tab stop list. Standard termination is by the < 0 > control code. The vertical tab stops are set in terms of the current line spacing and do not move if the line spacing is changed later.

Set vertical tab stops every n lines

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC>

< ESC >

“e” “1”

“e” cl>

n 27 101

Decimal

Cancels all current vertical tab stops and sets new tab stops every n lines, where n is between 1 and 127.

Set vertical tab stops in channel

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC>

Cancels all current vertical tab stops in channel no, (where n0 is between 0 and 7) and sets new vertical tab stops in this channel. (A channel is a set of vertical tab stops selected by the < ESC > “/” command.) See

< ESC > “B” for parameters nl, n2, . . . < 0 > .

“h” n0 nl 27 98 n0 nl 1B 62 n0 nl

n2 . ..<O>

Decimal Hexadecimal

n2 __. 0 n2 00

Select vertical tab channel

Mode ASCII Decimal

Both <ESC> “/” n0 27 47 n0

Selects a set of vertical tab stops designated by a channel number (no) from 0 to 7. The tab stops in each channel are set by < ESC > “b”.

Vertical tab

Mode

Both

ASCII

<VT>

Feeds the paper to the next vertical tab stop and moves the print position to the left margin. Performs a line feed if no vertical tabs are set, as at power-up. Feeds to the top of the next page if vertical tabs are set but the current line is at or below the last vertical tab stop.

Decimal Hexadecimal

11 OB

Hexadecimal

49 n 1B 65

1 n 1B 65

Hexadecimal

1B 2F n0

31 n 01 n

Page 84

HORIZONTAL POSITION COMMANDS

Set left margin

Mode ASCII Both

< ESC > “1” n 27 108 n lB6C n

Sets the left margin at column n (where n is between 0 and 255) in the current character pitch (pica pitch if proportional spacing is selected). The left margin does not move if the character pitch is changed later. The left margin must be at least two columns to the left of the right margin and within the limits below:

The left margin can also be set from the control panel.

Set right margin

Mode ASCII

Std. <ESC> IBM

<FS>

Sets the right margin at column n in the current character pitch (pica pitch if proportional spacing is currently selected). Column n becomes

the last character position in the line. The right margin does not move if the character pitch is changed later. The right margin must be within

the limits below:

Pica Elite Condensed pica Condensed elite Expanded pica

Expanded elite Expanded condensed pica Expanded condensed elite

“Q” n

Decimal Hexadecimal

Osns76

OIn<91

0 s n s 130 Osn< 152

O<n_<38 Osn145 Osns64

Osns76

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 81 n 28 81 n 1C 51 n

1B 51 n

Pica Elite Condensed pica Condensed elite Expanded pica Expanded elite Expanded condensed pica Expanded condensed elite

4sns80 5sns96

7 s n I 137 8 s n 5 160 2rn140 3sn148

4sns68 4snn80

The right margin can also be set from the control panel.

Page 85

Set left and right margins

Mode ASCII

Both I <ESC>

“x” nl n2 I27 88 nl n2 IlB 58 nl n2

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Sets the left margin at column nl and the right margin at column n.?. See the preceding commands for margin restrictions and other notes.

Carriage return

Mode 1 ASCII Decimal

Both I <CR> I 13

Prints the current line and returns the next print position to the left margin. If DIP switch l-8 is ON, also performs a line feed.

Hexadecimal

1 OD

Set automatic line feed

Mode ASCII

IBM I <ESC> ‘I 5 ” <lb 1 27 53 1 IlB 35 01

Causes the printer to perform both a carriage return and line feed each time it receives a < CR > code. This command takes priority over DIP switch l-8.

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Cancel automatic line feed

Mode 1 ASCII

IBM I <ESC> “5” co> 1 27 53 0 IlB 35 00

Causes the printer to perform only a carriage return when it receives a

< CR > code. This command takes priority over DIP switch l-8.

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Backspace

IModel ASCII

Both CBS> 8 08

Moves the print position one column to the left. Ignored if the print position is at the left margin. This command can be used to overstrike or combine characters.

Decimal I Hexadecimal I

Page 86

Left justify

Mode ASCII

Both

< ESC > “a” “0” 27 97

< ESC > “a” co> 27 97

Aligns subsequent text with the left margin, leaving the right margin

ragged.

Center text

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “a” “1” 27 97

<ESC> “a” 27 97

Centers subsequent text between the left and right margins.

Right justify

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “a” “2” 27 97 <ESCb “a” <2> 27 97

Aligns subsequent text with the right margin, leaving the left margin ragged.

Set horizontal tab stops

Mode ASCII

Both <ESC>

Cancels all current horizontal tab stops and sets new tab stops at columns nl, n2, etc. in the current character pitch (pica pitch if proportional spacing is currently selected), where nl, a?, etc. are numbers between 1 and 255. The maximum number of horizontal tab stops allowed is 32 in Standard mode and 28 in IBM mode. The tab stops must be specified in ascending order; any violation of ascending order terminates the tab stop list.

Standard termination is by the < 0 > control code. To clear all tab stops,

specify <ESC> “D” CO>.

“D” nl

Decimal

Hexadecimal

48 1B 61 30

0 1B 61 00

Decimal Hexadecimal

49 IB 61 31

1 1B 61 01

Decimal Hexadecimal

50 1B 61 32

2 1B 61 02

Decimal Hexadecimal

n2 . ..<O> 27 68 nl nt...O 1B 44 nl n2...00

Set horizontal tab stop every n columns

Mode ASCII

Both

< ESC > “e”

“0” n

CO> n

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 101 48 n 1B 65 30 n 27 101 0 n 1B 65 00 n

Page 87

Cancels all current horizontal tab stops and sets new tab stops every n columns, where n is between 1 and 127.

Reset a// tab stops

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

IBM <ESC>

“R” 21 82 1B 52

Resets the horizontal tab stops to their power-up values in which a tab stop is set every 8 column starting at column 9. Also clears all vertical tab stops.

Horizontal tab

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both <HT> 9 09

Moves the print position to the next horizontal tab stop. Ignored if there

is no next horizontal tab stop in the current line. Note that when un-

derlining is selected, spaces skipped by horizontal tabulation are not

underlired.

Relative horizontal tab

Mode ASCII Std. < ESC > “\” nl n2

IBM

< FS > “\” nl n2

Decimal

21 92 nl n2

Hexadecimal

IB SC nl n2

28 92 nl n2 IC SC nl n2

Moves the print position right or left a specified distance (maximum 6 inches). Ignored if the resulting position is beyond the right or left margin. The formulas for the distance and direction are as follows:

If n2 is between 0 and 63, the print head moves right by (nl + n2 x 256)/120 inches

If n2 is between 64 and 127, the print head moves left by (nl +

[n2 - 641 x 256)/ 120 inches

Absolute horizontal tab in inches

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both <ESC> ‘3” nl n2 21 36 nl n2 IB 24 nl n2

Sets the next print position to (nl + n2 x 256)/60 inches from the left

margin on the current line. Ignored if this position is beyond the right

margin. The maximum position is 8 inches.

Page 88

Absolute horizontal tab in columns

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “f’ “0” n

“I-

<ESC>

CO> n 27 102 0 n IB 66 00 n

27 102 48 n IB 66 30 n

Moves the next print position to column n from the left margin, where

n is between 0 and 127.

GRAPHICS COMMANDS

Print sing/e-density 8-bit graphics

Mode

Both

Print double-density I-bit graphics

Mode ASCII

Both

ASCII

<ESC>

“K” nl n2 27 75 nl n2

ml m2 .

Prints bit-image graphics at 60 dots per inch horizontally. The graphic image is 8 dots high and nl + n2 x 256 dots wide. Maximum width is 8 inches (480 dots). ml, m2, . . . are the dot data, each a l-byte value from

0 to 255 representing 8 vertical dots, with the most significant bit at the

top and the least significant bit at the bottom. The number of data bytes must be nl + n? x 256. Dots beyond the right margin are ignored. At the end of bit-image printing the printer returns automatically to character mode.

<ESC>

“L” nl n2 27 76 nl n2

ml m2

Prints bit-image graphics at 120 dots per inch horizontally (maximum 960 dots wide). See < ESC > “K” for other information.

Decimal Hexadecimal

IB 4B nl n2

ml m2

Decimal

ml m2

Hexadecimal

IB 4C nl n2

ml m2 ___ ml m2

Print double-density, double-speed 8-M graphics

!Mooz 1 ASC!!

Both

<ESC>

Prints bit-image graphics at 120 dots per inch horizontally (maximum 960 dots wide), skipping every second dot in the horizontal direction. See < ESC 1 “K” for other information.

“Y” nl n2 21 89 nl n2 IB 59 nl n2

ml m2

Decimal

ml m2 . . ml m2

Hexadecimal 1

Page 89

Print quadruple-density 8-M graphics

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC>

“z” nl n2

ml m2

Prints bit-image graphics at 240 dots per inch horizontally (maximum 1920 dots wide), skipping every second dot in the horizontal direction. See < ESC > “K” for other information.

Select graphics mode

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC> “*” n0 nl 27 42 n0 nl 1B 2A n0 nl

n2 ml m2

Selects one of seven graphics modes depending on the value of n0 and prints bit-image graphics in this mode. See < ESC > “K” for information on nl, n2, ml, m2, . . .

n0 Graphics mode 0 Normal-density

1 Double-density 2 Double-density, double-speed 3 Quadruple-density 4 CRT graphics, mode I 5 Plotter graphics 6 CRT graphics, mode II

Convert graphics density

Decimal

21 90 nl n2 IB 5A nl n2

ml m2

Decimal

n2 ml m2

Hexadecimal

ml m2

Hexadecimal

n2 ml m2

(60 dots per inch) (120 dots per inch)

(240 dots per inch) (80 dots per inch) (72 dots per inch) (90 dots per inch)

Mode

Both

ASCII

< ESC z “?” n

Decimal

I27 63 n m 1 IB 3F n m 1

Hexadecimal

Converts graphics defined by subsequent < ESC > “K”, < ESC > “I-“,

< ESC > “Y” or < ESC > “Z” commands to a density mode defined

by <ESC>

“*,,, n is “K”, “L”,

“Y” or “Z”, indicating the mode to be converted. m is a code from < 0 > to < 6 > indicating one of the modes of <ESC> “*“.

Page 90

Print g-pin graphics

Mode

Std.

ASCII

cESC> “A” n0 nl

n2 ml m2 .

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 94 no nl 1B 5E n0 nl

n2 ml m2 . . . n2 ml m2

Prints bit-image graphics at 60 dots per inch if no = 0 or 120 dots per inch if no = 1. The graphics image is 9 dots high and nl + n2 x 256 dots wide. Maximum width is 8 inches. Dots beyond the right margin are ignored. ml, m.?, . . .

are byte pairs representing 9 vertical dots each. In the leftmost position, the most significant bit of ml is the top dot; the least significant bit of ml is the second dot from the bottom; the most

significant bit of m2 is the bottom dot; and the other bits of m2 are ignored.

Other byte pairs are similar. The number of data bytes must be 2 x (nl

+ n,? x 256). At the end of bit-image printing the printer returns auto-

matically to character mode.

DOWNLOAD CHARACTER COMMANDS

Copy standard characters from ROM into RAM

Mode ASCII

Std. IBM

< ESC > ‘I:”

< FS > “:”

Copies all the standard characters to the corresponding download character RAM area, overwriting any download data already present. Ignored when DIP switch 2-l is ON.

<O> <O> <O> 27 58 <O> <O> <O> 28 58

Decimal Hexadecimal

0 0 0 lB3A 00 0000 0 0 OlC3A 00 0000

Define draft download characters

Mode ASCII

<ESC> “&” CO> nl

Both

Defines one or more new draft characters and stores them in RAM for later use. DIP switch 2-l must be OFF; otherwise RAM is used as an input buffer, not for downloading characters, and this command is ignored. Draft mode must be selected before this command is executed. nl is the character code of the first character defined and n2 is the character

code of the last character defined. nl and n2 must both be between 32

and 127 or both be between 160 and 255. nl must be equal to or less than

n2. Use of character codes 32 (space) and 127 (delete code) should be

avoided if possible. Each character is defined by an attribute byte (mo) and 11 data bytes

(ml, m2 ,..... mll).

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 38 0 nl IB 26 00 nl

n2 m0 ml m2 n2 m0 ml m2

n2 m0 ml m2

m3... ml1 m3...mlI m3...mII

Page 91

The most significant bit of the attribute byte is 1 if the character is an ascender (positioned entirely above the baseline) or 0 if it is a descender (descending below the baseline). The attribute byte also indicates the amount of white space to the left of the character (0 to 7 dots, specified by bits 4 to 6), and the width of the character cell, including this space (4 to 15 dots, specified by bits 0 to 3). The left space and cell width attributes are used only in proportional spacing.

Each data byte indicates eight vertical dots, with the MS9 being the top

dot and the LSB the bottom dot. These correspond to pins I to 8 or 2

to 9 of the print head, depending on whether the character is an ascender or descender. For further details, please refer to the Appendix C.

Define NLQ download characters

Mode ASCII

<ESC> “&”

Both

Defines one or more new NLQ characters and stores them in RAM for later use. DIP switch 2-l must be OFF. NLQ mode must be selected before this command is executed. The parameters are the same as for the draft download character command except that the attribute byte specifies right space instead of character width and the dot density is doubled in each direction, so each character consists of 16 dots vertically and 23 dots horizontally and requires 46 data bytes. Dots defined by ml to m23 are printed on the first pass of the head. Dots defined by m24 to m46 are printed on the second pass. the paper being scrolled up half a dot between the two passes. For further details, please refer to the Appendix C.

Decimal Hexadecimal

CO> nl

27 38

0 nl 1B 26 00 nl

n2 m0 ml m2 n2 m0 ml m2 n2 mO ml m2

m3... m46 m3... m46 m3... m46

Page 92

Define download characters

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

IBM <DC4> a0 al a2 20 a0 al a2 14 a0 al a2

<ESC> “=” nl n2 27 38 nl n2 1B 26 nl n2

ml m2 . ..mll

Defines one or more new draft characters and stores them in RAM for later use. Draft mode must be selected before this command is executed.

nl and n2 give the number of bytes of character data that will foliow. a0 is the character code of the first character defined. aI and a2 are at-

tributes bytes. ml to ml1 are the character data, and are the same as in

< ESC > “&.”

The attribute byte al indicates whether the character is an ascender (not using the lowest of the nine vertical dots) or a descender (not using the highest dot) and whether it has a downward extension to

12 dots.

The attribute byte a2 gives proportional-spacing information. Bit 7 is ignored. Bits 4 to 6 specify the offset to the first byte printed (0 to 7), enabling leading spaces in the character to be ignored. Bits 0 to 3 specify the width of the character cell (maximum 11 dots). The character will be followed by a mandatory blank dot column which is not included in this width. ’

Characters defined by this command can be selected by < ESC > “%”

1, < ESC > “I” 4, < ESC > “I” 5, or < ESC > “I” 6. This command is

ignored when DIP switch 2-l is ON.

Select download character set

IModel ASCII

Both

1 Decimal

27 37 49 1B 25 31 21 37 1 1B 25 01

Selects the download character set. Ignored when DIP switch 2-l is ON.

Select draft download character set

Mode ASCII

IBM

<ESC> “” I “4”

Selects the download character set and draft quality. Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during power-up or if DIP switch 2-l is ON.

Decimal

27 73 52 1B 49 34 27 73 4 1B 49 04

1 Hexadecimal 1

Hexadecimal

Page 93

Select draft elite download character set

Mode

IBM

ASCII

< ESC > “1” < ESC > “I” <5>

“5” 27

Decimal Hexadecimal

Selects the download character set, draft quality, and elite pitch (12 cpi). Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during power-up or if DIP switch 2-l is ON.

Select NLQ download character set

Mode ASCII

IBM

< ESC > “I”

< ESC > “I” <6>

Selects the download character set and near letter quality. Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during power-up or if DIP switch 2-l is ON.

“6” 21

Decimal Hexadecimal

Select ROM character set

Mode ASCII

Both

Stops using the download character set and returns to the built-in ROM

character set. Ignored when DIP switch 2-1 is ON.

“%” ‘so,o”

“0”

co>

Decimal

21 37 48 1B 25 30 27 37 0 1B 25 00

MACRO INSTRUCTION COMMANDS

73 53 1B 73 5 1B

73 54 1B 13 6 1B

49 35 49 05

49 36

49 06

Hexadecimal

Define macro instruction

Mode

Both <ESC>

ASCII

“+” ,,._ <RS>

Cancels any existing macro instruction and replaces it with the defined instruction. The defined macro instruction consists of the characters between the “ + ” and < RS > . These can be any printable characters or control characters except < RS >, up to a maximum of 16 characters.

Execute macro instruction

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “+”

<l> 21

Executes a previously defined macro instruction.

Decimal

27 43 30 1B 2B . . . 1E

Decimal

43 1 1B

Hexadecimal

2B 01

Page 94

OTHER PRINTER CONTROL COMMANDS Set MS6 to 1

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC>

Sets the most significant bit of each subsequent byte received to 1, allowing

“ > ”

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 62

users with a 7-bit interface to access characters with ASCII codes greater

than 127.

Set MSB to 0

Mode Std. <ESC> “=” 27 61

IBM <FS> “c” 28 61

ASCII

Sets the most significant bit of each subsequent byte received to 0.

Decimal

Accept MSB as is

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC>

Cancels the preceding commands and accepts the most significant bit as it is sent to the printer.

“#”

Decimal

21 35 1B 23

Delete last character sent

Mode

Both

ASCII

<DEL>

Deletes the last character received. Ignored if the last character received has already been printed, or if the last character received was all or part of a command.

Decimal

127 IF

1B 3E

Hexadecimal

1B 3D 1C 3D

Hexadecimal

Cancel last line

Mode ASCII

<CAN>

Both

Deletes the last line currently present in the print buffer.

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Page 95

lmmedia te print

Mode

Both

ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

< ESC > “i” “1” 27 105 49 1B 69 31

< ESC > “i” Cl> 27 105 1 1B 69 01

Selects the immediate print mode, in which the printer prints each character as soon as received. At every pause in the incoming data stream the printer scrolls the paper up about 2 inches so that the current line can be seen. When the next character is received the paper is scrolled back down and printing continues. This command is ignored when friction feed is used.

Cancel immediate print

Mode

Both -

ASCII

< ESC > “i” “0” 27 105 48 1B 69 30

< ESC > “i” co> 27 105 0 1B 69 00

Cancels the immediate print mode. The printer waits for each line to be completed before printing it, and does not scroll the paper up and down. This command is ignored when friction feed is used.

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Set printer off-line

Model ASCII

Std. <DC3> 19 13 IBM <ESC> “Q” <3> 27 81 3 1B 51 03

Sets the printer off-line. The printer disregards all subsequent characters and commands except < DC1 >, which returns it to the on-line state. The printer’s On Line indicator does not go off.

1 Decimal Hexadecimal

Set printer on-line

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both 1 <DCl> I 17

Returns the printer to the on-line state, allowing it to receive and process

all subsequent characters and commands. This command is ignored if

the printer was set off-line by pressing the On Line switch on the control

panel.

I 11

Page 96

Bell

Mode ASCII

Both

<BEL>

Sounds a brief beep tone from the printer’s beeper.

Bidirectional printing

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “U” “0” 27 85 <ESC> “U” co> 27 85

Causes subsequent printing to be done in the normal bidirectional mode, which is faster than unidirectional printing.

Unidirectional printing

Mode 1 ASCII

Both

<ESC> “U” “1” 27 85 <ESC> “U” <l> 27 85

Causes subsequent printing to be done unidirectionally, ensuring maxi-

mum vertical alignment precision.

One-line unidirectional printing

Mode

Both 1 <ESC>

ASCII

“ < >T

Immediately returns the print head to the left margin, then prints the remainder of the line from left to right. Normal bidirectional printing resumes on the next line.

Decimal

I 07

Decimal

48 1B 55 30

0 1B SS 00

Decimal

49 55 31

1 1B SS 01

Decimal

i 27 60 IlB 3C

Hexadecimal

IlB

Hexadecimal

Manual feed

Mode ASCII

Bo*

<ESC> <O> 27 25

s‘(” ur l o” ‘6)” ‘9” 40 40

Selects manual sheet feeding even when the optional automatic sheet feeder is mounted. Ignored if DIP switch l-4 is ON (ASF inactive).

Decimal

0 1B 19 00

48 41 41 28 28 30 29 29

Hexadecimal

Page 97

Auto feed

Mode ASCII

1 “(” “(” “4” “)”

Decimal Hexadecimal

I27 25 4 IlB 19 04

“)” I40 40 52 41 41 I28 28 34 29 29 1

Selects the automatic sheet feeder. Ignored if DIP switch l-4 is ON (ASF inactive).

Eject paper from ASF

Mode ASCII Decimal

Both I

<ESC> “R” 27 25 82 1B 19 52

ar u(,, “R” “)” “)” 40 40 82 41 41 28 28 52 29 29

Ejects the current page. Ignored if DIP switch l-4 is ON (ASF inactive).

Set print start position on ASF

Mode ASCII Decimal

Both “(” “(3,

<ESC>

“T” n

“T” “)” “)” n

21 25 84 n IB 19 54 n 40 40 84 41 41 n 28 28 54 29 29 n

Skips n/6 inches at the top of the page, where n is equal to or greater than

1. Ignored if DIP switch l-4 is ON (ASF inactive).

Reset printer

IModel ASCII

Both

<ESC>

Reinitializes the printer. Clears the print buffer and returns settings to their power-up values. Does not clear the input buffer or change ASF selections.

“@”

Decimal

1 27 64 1B 40

Hexadecimal

Page 98

MEMO

Page 99

Appendix c

DO W/i/LOAD

CHARACTER GENERATOR

With this printer you can create new characters and symbols, download their dot data, and have them printed in place of selected characters in the regular character set. Characters that can be generated in this way range from simple but useful symbols like the check mark through complex Chinese or Japanese characters.

The process of designing new characters with paper and pencil is somewhat time-consuming. The program listed in this appendix enables you to do everything on the computer screen. It also enables you to maintain disk files of character data for downloading when required.

The creation of a car-shaped symbol as a draft character ( oh ) and near-letter-quality character ( o) ) is explained below.

Draft character

ml m2 m3 m4 m5 m6 m7 m8 m9mlO mll

128

ASCII Code 33

Descender

Start column 0

End column

m0 = Descender x 128

+ (Start x 16) + End

I I

I I I I I II I I I

‘I

Dot

data 124 0 66 4 64 36 16 2 I6 12

Figure C-1. Car symbol, draft quality

Page 100

The dot matrix for a draft-quality character is 8 cells high and 11 cells wide. Figure C-l shows the matrix with the car symbol filled in. Note that there are no pairs of horizontally adjacent dots. The pins in the print head

cannot fire fast enough to print adjacent dots in the horizontal direction.

To the printer, a draft character is represented by 11 bytes of dot data, one byte for each column. If you are working by hand, you can calculate the data as shown in Figure C-l and enter them via the < ESC > “&” < 0 >

printer command. If you use the program in this appendix, proceed as

follows.

The program starts by asking whether you want to read characters from an existing file. If you are going to add the car symbol to a file of download

characters you have already generated, answer yes; if you are going to create a new file, answer no. The arrow on the screen toggles between Yes and No when any key except Return is pressed. The Return key enters your choice.

In the same way the program asks you to select Standard or IBM mode and draft or near letter quality, then to confirm whether to continue or start over. Continuing, on the next screen the program asks what character you want to redefine, offering the exclamation mark (!) as a suggestion. If you want to print the car symbol in place of the exclamation mark, press Return. If you want to assign the car symbol to another character, press the key of that character.

Next you must choose whether to make the car symbol an ascender

or a descender. This determines how the character is seated on the line:

Ascender Cal? Descender CuJ?

After you press Return for the ascender/descender choice, the cursor enters the character box. You can move the cursor with the numeric keypad. For example, pressing the “6” key moves to the right; pressing the “3” key moves diagonally down to the right. The function keys control the setting and clearing of dots. After Fl is pressed the cursor clears the dot in each position it is moved to. F3 causes the cursor to set dots. F2 allows the cursor to pass over dots without either setting or clearing them.

In draft mode a dot position is a 2x2 character block with the cursor located in the upper left corner of the block. When a dot is set, a 2x3 block of sharp signs is displayed, partly overlapping the dot position to the right. This reflects the fact that the printer cannot print horizontally adjacent dots. The program automatically censors adjacent dots.

Star Micronics LC-IOII User Manual

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