Star Micronics NX-1000 User Manual

NOT INTENDED FOR SALE

PN 80820202

Federal Communications Commission

Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and ifnot installed and used properly,
that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to radio
and television reception. It has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B computing device in accordance with the specifications in Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules,
which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential
installation. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television reception, which
can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct
the interference by one or more of the following measures:

l Reorient the receiving antenna
l Relocate the computer or printer with respect to the receiver
l Move the computer or printer away from the receiver
l Plug the computer or printer into a different outlet so that it and the receiver are on

different branch circuits.
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced redio/television technician
for additional suggestions. The user may find the following booklet, prepared by the Federal
Communications Commission helpful:

“How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference
Problems.” This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D.C., 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.

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

cable.

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

Trademark Acknowledgements

NX-1000, NL-10, NP-10, NX-lO/lS, ND-IO/IS, NR-10/15: Star Micronics Co., Ltd
IBM PC, IBM Proprinter II, PC-DOS: International Business Machines Corp.
Microsoft BASIC, MS-DOS: Microsoft Corporation

LX-800, FX-%e, EX-800, LX-80/W Seiko Epson Corp.

NOTICE

l All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this manual in any form whatsoever

without STAR’s express permission is forbidden.

l The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.
l Ail efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this manual at the

time of press. However, should any errors be detected, STAR would greatly appreciate
being informed of them.

l The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors in this

manual.

@Copyright 1987 Star Micronics Co., Ltd.

HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL

This manual is organized into five 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.

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:

-

Type styles are:

D!.-a.f:.k Cl I-, 3. I'" FL, (-1 ,t $> ] " (=, p
Courier characters,

Sanserif characters,
ORATOR WITH SMALL CAPITALS, OR

and J-TALICS for all ~+yt,p.j'a,~a

Print pitches are:

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

with lower case characters,

Quad- sized.

Various line and character spacings:

THE SPACINGS ARE CHANGED

Other features:

Emphasized, Double-strike.
Underlininq Werlinlng.

BUPERSCRIPT'
Download ch:racters

Dot graphics:

sUBeCRIPT0

: ~~~;~.,i:.!:,':~~i~,,~

TABLEOFCONTENTS

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

3

6

9

12

14
14

19
19

23

26

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
31
38
40

47
47
47

50
53
59

59
63
66

70

76

80

82

85

86

Appendix C DOWNLOAD CHARACTER GENERATOR

Draft character
NLQ character

Appendix D CHARACTER SETS

Standard character set
IBM character set #2
IBM character set #l
Additional character set
International character sets

INDEX
REFERENCE CARD

Inside the cover

91

99
100
102
104
105
106

107

SETTING UP THE PRllVTER

Subjects covered in Chapter 1 include -

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

l 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

identification 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).

FIgwe 1-l. Check to make sure you have all five items: 1) Printer, 2) Paper guide, 3) Platen
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.

2

-

igure i-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. Turning
the platen by hand while power is on can damage the printer’s gears.

lgure I-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.

lgure 1-4. Removing the top cover

4

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.

lgure 1-5. 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.

Figure 1-6. Connecting the interface cable

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 tits into the two holes on top of the rear cover. Mount

the guide and raise it to the upright position.

-

6

I

Figure l-7. Mounting the paper guide for single sheets

Semiautomatic loading

Single sheets can be loaded manually with power off, or semiauto­matically with power on. We will start the easy way with semiautomatic
loading.

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.

lever

wgure 1-e. Loaatng a smgle meet

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.

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 1-9.

Figure 1-9. 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.

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

r

lever

-.

Figure 7-11. 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.

10

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 7-12. 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.

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

1.
position, the release lever up, and the bail lever back.
Press the On Line switch on the control panel to set the printer off-line

2.
(On Line indicator off).

11

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 auto-

matically 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.)

12

4 "**%t<‘ t, t+. -. /012345*7s9:, 1
'"#*m‘ 0*+.-. /0125456783r i. =>?*PIBCDEFGHIJC.LHNOPORSTUVWXYZI\:
"#8%!<‘ 0 *+. -_ ,~:1,2,456789:. .- =-~~e~BCMFGC(IJC'LHNoPo~sTu"wx"z~, I

%b‘!)t+.-./~~,131456789:;~=;

Figure I-13. Short test pattern

~~-~~ePIBCDEFG"IJkLHNDPo~sTu"wxvzC\J

-,?BPISCDEFGHIJKL~OPORSTUVWXYZC\I
?@~BCMFGHIJY.LHNOPDRSTUVWXYZ[\l

~BCIBCDEfGHIJ~LHNOPO~STUVWXVZC\l -.abcdeFqhl ,I Imnopqr-st

Long se/f 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 1-6 (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.

interface 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).

13

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.

Adjustment lever

I

Figure l-14. Adjusting for different thicknesses of paper

DIP SWITCH SETTINGS

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 DSWl and DSW2. These are the printer’s DIP (Dual In-line
Package) switches. DSWl has eight switches, named l-l to l-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.

14

-

trgure 1-13. uw swmcnes

Switch 1 Function

1 l-l 1 Paee length

1 1-6 1 Printer mode

Characm set (Std. Mode) Italics

1-7

Character set (IBM Mode)

1-8 Auto LF No

I 2-l I Usaee of RAM I Buffer

1 ON 1 OFF 1

1 11 inches 1 12 inches I

1 Standard 1 IBM I

Graphics

Set #2 Set #I

Yes

I Download I

International character set (See below)

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.

15

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 1-2: 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 1-3: 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 1-4: 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: Do you want the printer to stop printing about an inch from

the end of the paper, or to keep printing to the bottom?

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 1-6: Do you want to use the printer in standard mode or IBM

mode?

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 l-6.

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

-

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?

16

ON selects character set #2, which is for computers with an 8-bit interface
(the most common kind). OFF selects character set #I, 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 2-4:

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 1-6 is OFF and switch 1-7 is ON.

MEMO

18

CONTROL PANEL OPERATlONS

This chapter explains how to use the control panel to:

l 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.

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.

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 1-6 is ON), the pitch selections
cycle as follows:

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

This is elite (12 characters per inch)

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

(20 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

(10 characters per inch)

(12 characters per inch)
Condensed pica (17 characters per inchj
Proportional pica
Proportional elite

There is no condensed elite pitch in the IBM mode.

NLQ 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.

T’ p, _j. i:::. j_ ii:..

This is near-letter-quality Courier.

;;,I y. <, .+ .k

,,_

i::i Li 3 I. :i. -t:. ‘y ,,

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 italic with rower case.

Figure 23. Type styles selectable from the control panel

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