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 >

21

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

22

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.

I

COURIER 0

SANSERIF 0

ORATOR 0

/pYGF n

. NLQ

TYPE
STYLE

0 -POWER

ON LINE

7 /

I

Stay m panel style

Hexadecimal dump

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

Long test

Short test

Short test pattern: On Line switch

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

(shown in Chapter 1).

-I

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 pane/ 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 panel 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.

24

--

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.

Cm 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 cm OR cc CID OE OF *-*.*--------- -*

10 11 12 11: 14 15 16 17 18 19 1A 1B 1C 1D iE 1F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20 21 22 23 24 25 76 27 28 29 2A ZB 2C 2D 2E 2F ! "#Six&‘ () t+, -. /
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 7.7 38 39 3A 3H 3C 3D 3E 3F 0123456789:;<=>?
40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 40 4B 4C 4D 4E 4F @ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO

JO 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 5A 58 5C 5D 5E SF PQRSTUVWXYZC\l"­50 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 59 69 6A 68 6C 6D 6E 6F 'abcdefghijklmno
70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 79 79 7A 7B 7C 7D 7E 7F pqrstuvwxyzc:3-".

80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 8A 88 BC SD 8E SF . . . . . . . ...*.....

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 9cI 9B 9C 9D 9E 9F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A0 Al A2 A3 A4 A5 k6 A7

BO El B2 83 R4 B5 Bb 87 88 B9 BA BB BC ED BE BF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

co Cl c2 c3 c4 c'j Cb c7 C8 C9 CA CB CC CD CE CF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DO Dl D2 D3 D4 D5 Db D7 D8 D9 DA DB DC DD DE DF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

EO El E2 E3 E4 ES E6 E7 E8 E9 EA EB EC ED EE EF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FO Fl F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 FA FE FC FD FE FF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

OD OA . .

-. -me . . . . .

trgure z-5. sample nexaaeclmat aump

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

the IBM-PC prints the following.

A8 A9 ACI Al3 AC &D AE &F '-'*'-"--'-----

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 OA OB OC OD OP OE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

OF 10 11 12 13 14 15 lb 17 18 19 18 1C 1D 1E 1F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 2A 2B 2C 2D 2E 2F !"Y*%L'ot+,-./
30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 3A 38 3C JD 3E 3F 0123456789:;<=>?
40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 4FI 4B 4C 4D 4E 4F eABCDEFGHIJKLMN0
50 51 52 5'5 54 55 56 57 58 59 5A SH SC SD SE 5F PLlRSTUVWXYZC\l"­60 61 62 63 64 65 65 67 68 69 6FI 6B 6C 6D 6E 6F 'abcdefghijklmna
70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 7A 78 7C 7D 7E 7F pqrstuvwxyzCI>'.
80 81 82 83
90 91 92 93

A0 Al A2 A3 64 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 AFI AB AC AD 4E CIF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

BO 81 B2 B3 84 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 BPI BB BC BD BE BF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CO Cl C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 CA CB CC CD CE CF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DO Dl D2 D3 D4 DS D6 D7 D8 D9 DA DB DC DD DE DF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

EO El E2 E3

FO Fl F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 FA FB FC FD FE FF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

QD OA . .

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

84 85 86 87 88 89 80 8B SC SD SE SF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

94 95 96 97 98 99 9A 98 9C 9D 9E 9F . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

E4 ES E6 E7 ES E9 EA EB EC ED EE EF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

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 M378.1

:OUT &H37A,5

:OUT &H37A,4

120 RETURN

20 GOSUB 100

100 O=INP(&H3BD) :IF 0<128 THEN 100
110 OUT &H3BC,I

:OUT &H3BE,5

: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

Top of form

I

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 t.he current page.

Top Of for!??: 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 fine 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-fee& 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.

27

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

I

1
1
j

I
z

2. Press the On Line switch again andhold 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/10”). 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.

I

t
t

!
I

j

P

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 1 /lo”
steps. When it reaches the desired right margin position, release both
switches. The printer will beep to indicate that the margin has been set.

C/earing 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.

1

28

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.

29

MEMO

-.

-- Chapter 3 USING THE PRINTER

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 Epson LX-800
NP-10
NX-10/15
ND-lo/15
NR-lo/15 LX-80

FX-86e Proprinter
EX-800 Graphics Printer
LX-86

IBM Proprinter II

. . .

_..

L..

Some menus are less explicit about model names but offer general de­scriptions 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.

31

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 1 B). 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
(font,? during installation, by assigning them numbers for example. Read
your so&are 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

32

80 columns

96 columns

137 columns
160 columns (Standard mode only)

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

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

Initialization 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 l-2 (auto CR), l-7 (character set), 1-8 (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

1.

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

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 file and made on the
fly without a printing pause.

-

Other printer commands

If your software enables you to place the escape code in your files, 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.

34

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 Italic
<ESC>5 Upright

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>S print.

Printout:

PRINTER COIYIMANDS

can help you to use italic print.

You will probably not see the symbol <ESC > on the screen, but a

different symbol such as h E or * [, 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 will stop immediately. To resume

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.

MEMO

hapter 4

C

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 tile named GRAPHICS.COM, 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,

I.

L

the printer will hard-copy all text displayed. For example, try typing the
directory command:

A>DIR

You will obtain a printed directory.

37

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 tiles
by using the PRN device name in COPY or TYPE commands such as the
following:

A >COPY README. DOC PRN
A >TYPE README. DOC > PRN

COPY and TYPE do not permit you to execute other commands while
the file is printing.

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 ad-

vantageous 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 >
< ESC > yp < 12 >

“!”

“1”

cl>

~92 >

< 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

L-

control code; < 92 > is the character “\“, as you can verify in Appendix
D.

L

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

L

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 file 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 “h”. This symbol means to
hold the CTRL key down while pressing the next key: for example, *V
means to type CTRL-V. ^C means to type CTRL-C, which indicates the
end of the input.

A>EDLIN NLQELITE.DAT

New file

*1

­1:*-V[xl^V

2:*-c

-

"E

-

“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 file

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 tile that will set up the
printer and print any specified file 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.

i!^VA-V[X^VL\

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

-2

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.

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).

40

whatever tile name you type after

1000
1010 E$=CHR$(27)
1020 D$-E$+"xO"
1030 N$=E$+"xl"

' Set control codes

1040 C$-E$+"kO"tN$

1050 S$-E$+"kl"+N$

1060 Ol$-E$+"kl"+N$

1070 02$-E$t"k3"+N$

1080 H$=CHR$(9)

1090 P$-E$+"P"

1100 (

Start printing

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

1110 WIDTH "LPT1:",255

1120 LPRINT E$;"D";CHR$(3);CHR$(13);CHR$(O) 'Set HT

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$;Ol$;

1180 LPRINT H$;02$;"

1190 LPRINT E$;"4";

"Orator with small capitals, or U

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-l 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

41

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$;E$;"-l";"Underlining";E$;"-O";", 'I;
1610 LPRINT E$;"~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$;C$;"Download characters: ";
1660 LPRINT D$:E$;"%l"; 'Select download character
1670 FOR I-l TO 5
1680 LPRINT CHR$(601;
1690 NEXT I
1700 LPRINT E$;"%O"; 'Select normal character
1710 GOSUB 2120
1720 LPRINT C$;E$;"%l";
1730 FOR I=1 TO 5
1740 LPRINT CHR$(60);
1750 NEXT I
1760 LPRINT E$;"%O"

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);
1870 FOR ROW=1 TO 4
1880 LPRINT H$;H$;
1890 LPRINT E$;"*";CHR$(O);
1900 LPRINT CHR$(lOO);CHR$(O);
1910 LPRINT LOGO$(ROW)
1920 NEXT ROW
1930 LPRINT E$;"@"

1940 END
2000 '
2010 ' SUBROUTINES
2020

' Define draft download character

'Print download character

'Select download character

'Print download character

'Select normal character

'Set 8/72"

'Select normal density

'Initialize printer

line spacing

42

2030

LPRINT D$;E$;":"
LPRINT E$;"&";CHR$(O);CHR$(6O);CHR$(60);

2040
2050

RESTORE 2520

2060

FOR M-O TO 11
READ MM

2070
2080

LPRINT CHR$(MM);

2090

NEXT M

2100

RETURN

2110

2120

2130

2140
2150
2160

2170
2180
2190
2200
2500
2510
2520
2530
2540
2550
2560

2570
2580
2590
2600
2610
2620
2630
2640

2650
2660
2670
2680
2690
2700
2710
2720
2730
2740
2750
2760
2770
2780
2790

2800

' Define NLQ download character

LPRINT C$;E$;":"
LPRINT E$;"&";CHR5(O);CHR$(60):CHR$o;

RESTORE 2560
FOR M-O TO 46
READ MM
LPRINT CHR$WM);
NEXT M
RETURN

' DATA
' Draft download character data

DATA 139,124,

DATA 12, 0

' NLQ download character data
DATA 128. 14, 16. 38,
DATA 0,
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.

' Dot graphics data

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

DATA 14, 14. 14. 14. 14. 7. 7. 3,
DATA 15, 15, 0. 0, 0. 0, 0. 0. 0. 0
DATA 0, 1, 3. 3, 7,
DATA 14, 15, 7. 7. 7. 3. 0. 0. 0. 0
DATA 0, 0, 0, 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0
DATA 0, 0, 0, 0. 0, 0. 0. 0, 0. 0
DATA 1, 3. 7, 7,
DATA 14, 7. 7. 3,
DATA 0, 0, 0. 0. 0, 0. 0. 0. 0. 0
DATA 0.
DATA 7, 7, 7. 7, 3, 3,
DATA 240,240, 0. 0. 0, 0, 0, 0, 0. 1
DATA 121,253,253,255.255.255,143, 7. 7. 7
DATA 31,253,252.248.248,240,192, 0.
DATA 31. 31, 15, 7. 3, 0. 0. 0, 0, 0
DATA 0, 0, 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.

0, 70. 0. 38. 0. 22, 9. 6. 9

0, 60,255,255,255,255,255,143. 15

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

;CHR$(O);CHR$(O);CHR$o;

0, 66,

0. 14.

4, 64, 36, 16,

1. 70.

0, 12, 0

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

1, 70.

7, 15, 14, 14, 14

3.131.193.241

2, 16

0,126

7, 15
3, 15

7, 15

0, 60,255

43

2810 DATA
2820
2830
2840
2850 DATA
2860 DATA
2870

2880 DATA 252,255.255.255.127. 63. 31, 7. 7. 31
2890 DATA
2900

2910
2920
2930 DATA
2940
2950
2960 DATA
2970 DATA
2980
2990
3000
3010 DATA
3020
3030 DATA

255,255,255,255.143. 15, 7, 7, 7, 7
DATA
DATA
DATA

DATA

DATA
DATA
DATA

DATA
DATA

DATA
DATA
DATA 192,128, 0. 0. 0. 0, 0,248,248,240

DATA

3, 3, 3,131,193,241,240,240, 0. 0
0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

0, 31, 31, 3,129,128,192,192,192,192
192,224,224,224.224.24o,255.255,255.255
255,127. 0, 0, 0, 0, 63,127,255,255
255,255,193,128,128,128,128,192,224,240

254,252,248.224.128. 0. o. 3. 7. 7

7, 3. 0, 0. o, 0. 0, 31, 31, 3
129,128,192,192,192,192,192,224,224,224

224.240,255,255,255.255,255,127, 0, 0

0, 0, 0. o, 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, 0. 0. 0.192.224.240.240

240,248,248.248,12o.~2o, 56, 56. 56. 56

48,112,224,224,224,224,240,240,248,248

120,120. 56, 56, 56. 56.120.240.224.224

224,224,112,112. 56. 56. 56. 56. 56.120

120,240,240,224,224,192,128, 0, 0, 0

0, 0, 0. 0. 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).

44

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.

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 1-6 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$=CHR$(18)
1190 LE'RINT CHR$(28);"4";
1220 LPRINl- CHR$(28):"5"

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

1280

'Pica pitch

'Select italics
'Cancel italics

"Condensed elite pitch,";

1400 IPRINT CJiR$(28);"Q";CkfR$(47) 'Set right margin
1440 LPRINT E$;"A";CHR$(I);E$;"2"; 'Line spacing set

1450 ' LPRINT E$;" ";CHR§(I);

'Increase character space

1490 LPRINT ~;"A";CHR$(I);Eg;"2";

1500 ' LPRINr rn;" ";cHR$(I):
1860 IPRINT ~;"A";~(a);M;"2"; -'Set 8/72"

2030 G'RINT D$;~(28);":";cHR$(O);cHR$(O~;~~O~:
2130 LPRINT C$;CHR$(28);":";cwz$(O);~(O);~(O);

MEMO

-

Chapter 5

MAINTEIVANCE

AND TROU8LESHOOTING

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-I.

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,

47

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. - -

1.

Turn power OFF and unplug the power cord.

2.

Remove the top cover and ribbon cartridge.

3.

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.

4.

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

aside.

5.

Disengage the cable from the tabs holding it down, then remove the

print head.

6.

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

7.

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

8.

Thread the new cable the same way as the old, securing it under the

three tabs on the print head carriage.

9.

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

48

Screws

Qure 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.

49

TROUBLESHOOTING

n 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 a// text is printed on the same line:

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

n If line spacing is twice as wide as expected:

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

n 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.

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 l-7. Some international

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

n If some printer commands afe ignored of executed incof-

fectly:

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.

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.

n 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 l-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.

51

MEMO

TECHNICAL SPEClF/CAl/O/VS

n Printing Mechanism

Printing method
Printing speed

Printing direction

Serial impact dot matrix

120 characters per second (draft pica)

30 characters per second (NLQ pica)

Draft:

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

Print head

9 Pins
Life: 200 million dots

Ribbon

Black fabric ribbon cartridge
Life: 1 million draft characters

Paper feed

Friction and push-tractor feed
Semiautomatic sheet loading

Paper feed speed

n Interface and Emulation

.

L

Interface

Data buffer

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

*

Emulation modes

Epson LX-800 and IBM Proprinter II

H Switches and indicators

L.

Power switch
Control panel

L.

DIP switches

Rocker switch

4 Membrane switches, 10 LED indicators

12 pins

53

Special features

l Dot Matrix Size

Character matrix

Bit-image graphics

n Character Sets

Standard character set
IBM character set

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)

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, international

characters, symbols, block graphics)

Download characters

International character sets

n Type Styles and Pitches

Draft type styles
NLQ type styles

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

-

Extra-large characters

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

Print pitches

Line spacing

Column width

4 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/8, 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 EIectf ical Specifications

Line voltage

Line frequency
Power consumption

4.7 kg (10.3 pounds)

120 VAC + 10%
220 VAC + 10%
240 VAC + 10%
(varies according to the country of pur­chase)

50 or 60 Hz
Typ. 30 W, Max. 60 W

55

Insulation resistance

10 megohms between AC power line and

chassis

Dielectric strength

Withstands I kVAC rms at 50 or 60 Hz

between AC power line and chassis for
at least 1 minute

n Environmental Requirements

Operating temperature
Operating humidity
Storage temperature
Storage humidity

n Option

5 to 40°C (41 to 104°F)

10% to 80% (no condensation)

- 30 to 65°C (- 22 to 149°F)
10% to 95% (at 40°C) (no condensation)

Automatic sheet feeder

n interface Signals

13

SELECTED OUT
14-15 N/C
16 SIGNAL

GND
17

cGHNADssls

56

gna’

ame

I Direction Function

Goes from High to Low (for at least 0.5
microseconds) when data are valid.

Eight-bit character data. DATA8 is the

most significant bit; DATA1 is the least

significant bit. High is logic 1 and Low is
logic 0.

data.

OUT

rmanently by turning

High when the printer is on-line.
Unused

Signal ground.

I+$tezerassis ground, isolated from sig-

g

-

runs out of paper.

Pin No.

Signal

Name

18 + SVDC
19-30 GND

Dh

*ection

OUT

I
I

Function I

1 External supply of + SVDC.

MEMO

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

Both

ASCII

< ESC > ‘lx” “1”

<I>

<ESC>

Mode:

“X”

Indicates the mode in which the command is recognized.
Std.
IBM
Both

ASCII:

Indicates the ASCII coding of the command. Control

Decimal

27 120 49
27 120 I IB 78 01

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

Hexadeoimal

1B 78 31

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

Mode ASCII

Both

IBM

<ESC> ‘IX” “0” 27
< ESC > ‘lx” co> 27
< ESC > “I” “0” 27
< ESC > “I” co> 27

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

Decimal

120 48 IB 78 30
120 0 IB 78 00

73 48 IB 49 30
73 0 IB 49 00

Hexadecimal

Select draft elite characters

Mode ASCII

IBM

<ESC > “I” “ 73

< EfjC > “I”

1

<I>

Decimal

21 13 49
27 13 1

Hexadecimal

IB 49 31
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 MC? characters

IModel ASCII

Both

<ESC> “XI’ “ I ”
<ESC> -X” <I>

Changes from draft quality to near letter quality. Ignored if the NLQ

Type Style switch was pressed during power-up.

Decimal

I

27 120 49 1B 78 31
27 120 1 IB 78 01

1 Hexadecimal

Select NLQ type style

Mode

Both 1 <ESC> “k” n 127107 n IIB 6B n

ASCII

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 se-

lected by < ESC>

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

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

I

-

Select Sanserif characters

IModel ASCII

IBM

< ESC > “I” “2”

< ESC > “I” <2>

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

60

I Decimal

27 73 50 IB 49 32
27 73 2 1B 49 02

Hexadecimal I

I

-

Select Courier characters

hode t ASCII I

1 < ESC > “I” “3”

I

IBM

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

Decimal

I27 73 51

Hexadecimal

I

1 IB 49 33

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

Se/ect italic characters

Mode

Std. 1

IBM

ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

<ESC> “4”

<FS> “4”

1 27 52
1 28 52

IlB 34

1c 34

-I

Causes subsequent characters to be printed in italics. Ignored if the NLQ
Type Style switch was pressed during power-up.

Select upright characters

Mode 1 ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Std.
IBM

<ESC> ” ”

< FS > “ ”

5

5 28 53 1c 33

27 53

IB 35

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

Emphasized printing

I

I

I

A

Mode 1 ASCII

Both 1 <ESC>

“E”

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

Cancel emphasized printing

ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

<ESC>

Cancels emphasized printing.

“F”

Decimal Hexadecimal

1 27 69

1 27 70 IIB 46

IIB 45

I

61

Double-strike printing

Mode

Both <ESC> “G”

ASCII

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 ASCII

Both

<ESC’

“H”

Cancels double-strike printing.

Start underlining

Mode ASCII

Both

< EfjC > “-” *‘ 1” 27 45 49 IB 2D 31

< ESC > “-” <I> 27 45 1 1B 2D 01

Causes subsequent characters to be underlined. IBM block graphics

characters and spaces skipped by horizontal tabulation are not underlined.

Stop underlining

Decimal

27 71

Decimal

27 72

Decimal

Hexadecimal

1B 47

Hexadecimal

1B 48

Hexadecimal

Mode ASCII

Both

< ESC > “-”

< ESC > -‘-”

Stops underlining.

Start overlining

Mode ASCII

Both

62

< ESC > “p” “ 1” 27 95 49 1B 5F 31

< ESC > “p” Cl> 27 95 1 1B 5F 01

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

“0”

co>

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 45 48
27 45 0

Decimal

1B 2D 30
IB 2D 00

Hexadecimal

Stop overlining

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC> “ ”

<ESC> “p” <Cl> 27

“0” 21

-

Stops overlining.

Superscript

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> ‘3” “0” 27
<ESC> ‘3” co> 27

Causes subsequent characters to be printed as superscripts. Does not

change the character pitch.

Subscript

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “S” (‘ 1”
<ESC>

“S” <I>

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

Cancel superscript or subscript

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC>

Stops printing superscripts or subscripts and returns to normal printing.

“T”

Decimal

95 48 IB 5F 30
95 0 IB 5F 00

Decimal

83 48 IB 53 30
83 0 IB 53 00

Decimal

27 83 49 1B 53 31
27 83 1 IB 53 01

Decimal

2-l 84

Hexadecimal

Hexadecimal

Hexadecimal

Hexadecimal

1B 54

CHARACTER SET COMMANDS

Select standard character set

Mode ASCII

Std.

< ESC > “t”

< ESC > “t”

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.

“0”

co>

Decimal

27 116 48
27 116 0 1B 74 00

Hexadecimal

IB 74 30

63

Select IBM character set

Mode

Std.

ASCII

< ESC >

< ESC >

“t” “ 1”

“t” <I>

Decimal

27 116 49
27 116 1

Hexadecimal

IB 74 31
IB 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 IB 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.

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Select IBM character set #2

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both 1 <ESC>

“6” i 27 54 11B 36

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

.-

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Std. <ESC>
IBM IFS>

“R” n
“R” II

27 82 n 1B 52
28 82 n 1C 52

n
n

Selects an international character set according to the value of 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 II

7 Spain I
8 Japan
9 Norway
10 Denmark II

12 Latin America
13 Denmark/Norway

64

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 all character codes

Mode ASCII Decimal

IBM

<ESC> “\” nl n2

27 92 nl n2 IB 5C nl n2

Hexadecimal

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 + n.2 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 1 ASCII Decimal

IBM 1

< ESC > ‘Ln”

I 21 94 tlB 5E

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

Hexadecimal

Select slash zero

Mode ASCII Decimal

Both

<ESC> “ 3. “ _ 1” 1 27 126 49 IlB 7E 31
<ESC>

“N ” < 1 >

I27 126 I 1B 7E 01

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

Hexadecimal

Select normal zero

Mode

Both

ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

<ESC> b‘ N ” “0” 21 126 48 IB 7E 30

<ESC> “W” <o> 27 126 0 IB 7E 00

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

65

CHARACTER SIZE AND PITCH COMMANDS

Pica pitch

Mode

Std.
IBM <DC2>

ASCII

<ESC>

“P” 27 80 1B 50

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

Mode ASCII

Both <ESC>
IBM

< ESC >

“M” 27 77 1B 4D

“.”

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 1B OF

In Standard mode, changes from pica to condensed pica (17 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 Hexadecimal

18 12

--

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 58 1B 3A

Decimal Hexadecimal

15 OF

Cancel condensed printing

Mode

Both <DC2>

66

ASCII

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

18 12

Expanded printing

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC>
<ESC>

“w” “1”
“w” <I>

Decimal Hexadecimal

27
27

87 49
87 1

1B 57 31

1B 57 01

Causes subsequent characters to be expanded to double width.

Cancel expanded printing

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

1B

Both

<ESC>
cESC>

“w” “0”
“W” co>

27 87
27 87

48

0

57 30

1B 57 00

Stops expanded printing and returns to normal width.

Expanded printing for one line

Mode ASCII

Both

<so> 14

<ESC> <so> 27 14 IB OE

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.

Decimal Hexadecimal

OE

Cancel one-line expanded printing

c

L.

L

Mode

Both <DC4>

Select proportional spacing

ASCII

Decimal Hexadecimal

20 14

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

L..

c

L.

Mode

Both

IBM

ASCII Decimal

< ESC >

<ESC>
<ESCz

‘1 n P “117

“ ”

P Cl>

“P” cl>

27 112
27 112
27 80

49

1 IB
I IB

Hexadecimal

70 31

1B

70 01
50 01

Causes subsequent characters to be proportionally spaced. Ignored if
the Print Pitch switch was pressed during power-up.

67

Select fixed spacing

Mode 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

Decimal

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 <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.

[*I] Ignored if the NLQ Type Style switch was pressed during

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

“,W

power-up.

power-up.

n 27 33 n 1B 21 n

Function n value

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

Decimal Hexadecimal

128

4
2

1

Increase character spacing

Mode 1 ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Std. 1

68

<ESC> “” n

1 27 32 n IlB 20 n

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

I

I

Select double or quadruple size

Mode ASCII

Both <ESC>

“h” n 27 104 n 1B 68 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 24/2 16 (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

1 Mode 1 ASCII I

Both

<ESC>
<ESC>

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.

(‘W” “ 1”
(‘W’, <I>

Decimal Hexadecimal

Decimal I Hexadecimal

27 119
27 119

49 1B 77

1 1B 77

I

31
01

Return to normal height

I Mode I ASCII

Both

<ESC>
<ESC>

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.

“W” “0”

-W” co>

I

27 119
27 119

Decimal

48 1B 77

0 1B 77

Hexadecimal I

I

30
00

69

Select character height, width, and line spacing

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “[”

<o> <o> <o> n

<4> 27 91 64 4 1B 5B 40 04

“@”

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.

Unchanged
Unchanged

Double

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

0 0 0 n

00 00 00 n

m m

Character height

Unchanged
Single height
Double height
Unchanged
Single height
Double height
Unchanged

Set line spacing to l/8 inch

Mode

Both t <ESC>

ASCII

“0”

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

to l/8 inch.

Decimal Hexadecimal

1 27 48 IlB 30

-

Set line spacing to 7172 inch

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both 1

<ESC> “ ”

1 I 27 49 IlB 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. <ESCb “2” 21 50 1B 32

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Sets the distance the paper advances or reverses in subsequent line feeds
to l/6 inch.

Set line spacing to n/216 inch

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both < ESC > “3” n 27 51 n 1B 33 n

Sets the distance the paper advances or reverses in subsequent line feeds
to n/21 6 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.

Set line spacing to n/72 inch

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both <ESC>

“A” n

27 65 n

IB 41 n

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.

Execute < ESC > “A”

1 Mode 1 ASCII

I

IBM 1 <ESC> “2”

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.

1 Decimal 1 Hexadecimal I

I

I

I 27 50 IlB 32

Line feed

Mode ASCII
Both

<LF>

Decimal Hexadecimal

10

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

ASCII

<ESC>

<LF> 27 10

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.

Decimal Hexadecimal

Perform one n/2164nch 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

27 14 n 1B4A n

Perform one nl2164nch reverse line feed

OA

1B OA

Hexadecimal

Mode ASCII

Both

c ESC > “‘j” 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 lines

Mode ASCII

Both

72

<ESC> “f’
<ESC> “f

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

127.

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 106 n 1B6A n

Decimal Hexadecimal

“1” n 27 102

<I> n 27 102

49 n 1B 66 31 n

1 n 1B 66 01 n

Set top of page at current position

Model ASCII

IBM 1 <ESC>

Decimal

“4” 27 52 IlB 34

Hexadecimal

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

Both <ESC>

ASCII

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.

“C” n

Decimal

27 67 n

Hexadecimal

1B 43 n

Set page length to n inches

IModel ASCII I

I

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

Decimal

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.

Hexadecimal I

I

Set top margin

ASCII

< ESC > “c” n

Decimal

I 27 99 n

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.

Hexadecimal

IlB 63 n

I

I

Set bottom margin

Mode

Both 1 <ESC>

ASCII

“IV n 1 27 78 n

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.

Decimal Hexadecimal

IlB 4E n

Cancel top and bottom margins

Mode 1 ASCII
Both 1 <ESC> “0” 1 27 79 IIB 4F

Decimal Hexadecimal

Cancels both the top margin and the bottom margin.

Form feed

Mode ASCII

Both

<FF> 12 oc

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 corn- ­mand ejects the current page.

Decimal Hexadecimal

Return to top of current page

Mode 1 ASCII

Both 1 <ESC>

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

<FF> 127 :2 IIB OC

Decimal Hexadecimal

Disable paper-out detector

Mode ASCII

Both <ESC> “8”

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 1-5.

Decimal Hexadecimal

21 56 IB 38

Enable paper-out detector

Mode 1 ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

Both I <ESC> “9” I 21 57

IIB 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

IModel ASCII

Both <ESC>

“B” nl n2 . ..<O 27 66 nl n2 . ..O 1B 42 nl nZ...OO

I I I

Cancels all current vertical tab stops and sets new vertical tab stops at
lines nl, n2, 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 r 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 II lines

IModel ASCII

Both

< ESC > “e” “ 1” n 27 101 49 n IB 65 31 n

< ESC > “e” <I> n 27 101 1 n 1B 65 01 n

I Decimal I Hexadecimal

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

Both

ASCII Decimal

<ESC>

“b” nO nl 27 98 n0 nl 1B 62 n0 nl

n2 . ..<O> n2 0 n2 00

Cancels all current vertical tab stops in channel no, (where no 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 > .

Select vertical tab channel

Mode ASCII

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”.

Decimal Hexadecimal

Vertical tab

Mode

Both

ASCII

<VT> 11 OB

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

I

Hexadecimal

1B 2F n0

75

HORIZONTAL POSITION COMMANDS

Set left margin

Mode ASCII

Both < ESC > “1” 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:

Pica
Elite
Condensed pica 0 5 n s 130
Condensed elite
Expanded pica Osns38

Expanded elite
Expanded condensed pica Osns64
Expanded condensed elite Osns76

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

Set fight margin

Mode ASCII

Std. <ESC>
IBM <FS>

Sets the right margin at cohtmn 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:

“Q” n
“Q” n

Decimal

27 108 n

Hexadecimal

1B6C n

01nr;76
O<n191

0 5 n I 152

Osns45

Decimal

27 81 n 1B 51 n
28 81 n 1C 51 n

Hexadecimal

76

Pica 4sns80
Elite 5sns96
Condensed pica

7 sn I; 137
Condensed elite 8 I n I 160
Expanded pica 2sn540
Expanded elite

3<n<48

Expanded condensed pica 4sns68
Expanded condensed elite 4sns80

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

Set left and right margins

Mode ASCII

Both 1 <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 n2. See
the preceding commands for margin restrictions and other notes.

Carriage return

Mode ASCII

Both i <CR>

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.

Decimal Hexadecimal

I 13

1 OD

Set automatic fine feed

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

IBM I <ESC> ‘6 5 ” <I>

t 27 53 1

i 1B 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.

Cancel automatic line feed

Mode ASCII

IBM

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

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

< CR > code. This command takes priority over DIP switch 1-8.

Decimal Hexadecimal

I

Backspace

Mode ASCII Decimal

Both I CBS> 1 8 1 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.

Hexadecimal

77

Left justify

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “a” “0” 27 97 48 1B 61 30

< ESC > “a” <o> 21 97 0 1B 61 00

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

Center text

I Mode I ASCII

Both

<ESC> “a” “ 1” 27 97 49 1B 61 31
<ESC> “a” <I> 27 97 I 1B 61 01

Centers subsequent text between the left and right margins.

Right justify

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC> “a” “2” 27 97 50 1B 61 32

<ESC> “a” c2> 27 97 2 1B 61 02

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

ragged.

Set horizonfal tab stops

IModel ASCII I

I

Both I <ESC>

Cancels all current horizontal tab stops and sets new tab stops at columns
nl, n..?, 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” < 0 > .

“D” nl n2 . ..<O> 27 68 nl nZ...O 1B 44 nl n,Z..OO

Decimal Hexadecimal

I Decimal

Decimal Hexadecimal

Decimal

Hexadecimal I

I

Hexadecimal

I

I

I

Set horizontal tab stop every n columns

IModel ASCII

Both

< ESC > “e” “0" n 27 101 48 n 1B 65 30 n

< ESC > “e” co> n 27 101 0 n 1B 65 00 n

1 Decimal

1 Hexadecimal

I

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

Reset all tab stops

Mode

IBM cESC> “R”

ASCII

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

Both <HT>

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 un­derlining is selected, spaces skipped by horizontal tabulation are not
underlined.

Relative horizontal tab

Mode

Std.

IBM

ASCII

< ESC > “r nl n2 27 92 nl n2 1B 5C nl n2

c FS > “\” nl n2 28 92 nl n2 1C 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 (nr + 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

Decimal

Hexadecimal

27 82 1B 52

Decimal Hexadecimal

9

Decimal Hexadecimal

09

Absolute horizontal tab in inches

c

c

Mode ASCII

Both I <ESC> “$” nl n2 12736nln2 llB24nln2

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

I

margin. The maximum position is 8 inches.

/
i

i

t

Decimal

Hexadecimal

Absolute horizontal tab in columns

Mode 1 ASCII

Both

<ESC> “f’ “0” n 27 IO? 48 n 1B 66 30 n

<ESC> “f CO> n 27 102 0 n 1B 66 00 n

Decimal

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 &bit graphics

Modt

?I ASCII

Both

t

<ESC>

“K” nl n2 27 15 nl n2 1B 4B 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.

Print double-density &bit graphics

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “L” nl n2

ml m2

Prints bit-image graphics at 120 dots per inch horizontally (maximum

960 dots wide). See < ESC > “K” for other information.

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

Decimal

I

ml m2 ml m2

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 76 nl n2 1B 4C nl n2

ml m2 . .

I

ml m2

Hexadecimal

Hexadecimal I - -

-

Mode ASCII

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 > “K” for other information.

80

Decimal

“Y” nl n2 21 89 nl n2

ml m2

ml m2 . ml m2

Hexadecimal

1B 59 nl n2

Print quadruple-density b-bit graphics

Mode ASCII

Both

<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 ASCII

Both

<ESC > “*” 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 Gravhics 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

1 Decimal Hexadecimal

21 90 nl n2 IB 5A nl n2

ml m2 ml m2

Decimal Hexadecimal

21 42 n0 nl 1B 2A n0 nl

n2 ml m2 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)

1

1 Mode 1 ASCII I

IBoth I

< > “?”

m 21 63 m IlB3F m I

n

Decimal

Hexadecimal I

I

graphics defined subsequent < > “K”, ESC >

< ESC “Y” or ESC > commands to density mode

by <ESC>

n is “L”,

“Y” “Z”, indicating mode to

converted. m a code < 0 to < > indicating of the

of <ESC>

.

L

Print O-pin graphics

IModel ASCII

Std.

<ESC > “n” nO nl 27 94 nO nl 1B 5E n0 nl

n2 ml m2 n2 ml m2 .__ n2 ml m2 ___

I Decimal 1 Hexadecimal

Prints bit-image graphics at 60 dots per inch if n0 = 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, m2, . 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 (nr

+ n2 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. < ESC >

IBM < FS >

Copies all the standard characters to the corresponding download char­acter RAM area, overwriting any download data already present. Ignored
when DIP switch 2-1 is ON.

“:”
“:‘I

CO> <O>
CO> <O>

<O> 27 58 0
<O> 28 58 0

Decimal

0 0 lB3A 00 0000
0 0 IC 3A 00 00 00

Define draft download characters

I

Hexadecimal

Mode

Both n2 m0 ml m2 n2 m0 ml m2 n2 m0 ml m2

I

I

ASCII

<ESC>

“SC” CO> nl 27 38 0 nl

m3... ml1 m3...mll m3...mll

Decimal Hexadecimal

IB 26 00 nl

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 (m0) and 11 data bytes

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

I .

The most significan 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 MSB being the top
dot and the LSB the bottom dot. These correspond to pins 1 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

IModel ASCII I Decimal I Hexadecimal I

Both

<ESCs “&” co> nl 21 38 0 nl 1B 26 00 nl

n2 m0 ml m2

m3... m46

n2 m0 ml m2 n2 m0 ml m2

m3... m46

m3...m46

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.

Define download characters

1 Mode I ASCII

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

IBM

tl-

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 follow.
a0 is the character code of the first character defined. al and a2 are at­tributes bytes. ml to ml1 are the character data, and are the same as in

< ESC > “&.”
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.

<DC4> a0 al a2

m2 .-ml1 ml m2 . ..mll ml m2 . ..mll

ml

The attribute byte al indicates whether the character is

I Decimal I Hexadecimal I

20 a0 al a.2 14 a0 al a2

Select download character set

Mode ASCII

Both L

<ESC> ‘. y. 7. “ 1”
<ESC> “o/o” <I >

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

Decimal Hexadecimal

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

Select draft download character set

-.

IModel

IBM

84

ASCII I

< ESC > “1” “4”

< 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 IB 49 34
27 73 4 1B 49 04

Hexadecimal I

I

Select draft elite download character set

Mode

IBM

ASCII

< ESC > “I” “5”

< ESC >

“I”

<.5>

Decimal Hexadecimal

21 13 53 1B 49 35
27 13 5

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 2-1 is ON.

Select NLO download character set

Mode

IBM

ASCII

<ESC> “I” “6”

< ESC >

“I”

<6>

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

Decimal Hexadecimal

21 13 54 1B 49 36
21 73 6 1B 49 06

Select ROM character set

Mode ASCII

Both ’

<ESC>
<ESC>

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

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

“% 77 “0” 21

“yo” co> 21

Decimal Hexadecimal

MACRO INSTRUCTION COMMANDS

IB 49 05

Ignored if the

31 48 1B 25 30
31 0 1B 25 00

Define macro instruction

Mode

Both <ESC>

ASCII

“ + ” ._._ <RSa 27

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

Execute macro instruction

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC>

“ + ” < 1 >

Executes a previously defined macro instruction.

Decimal Hexadecimal

43 . . . 30 1B 2B 1E

Decimal Hexadecimal

21 43 1

1B 2B 01

OTHER PRINTER CONTROL COMMANDS

Set MSB to 7

Mode ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal
Both <ESC>

“ > ”

27 62 1B 3E

Sets the most significant bit of each subsequent byte received to 1, allowing
users with a 7-bit interface to access characters with ASCII codes greater
than 127.

Set MSB to 0

Mode
Std.

IBM

ASCII Decimal Hexadecimal

<ESC> “=”

<FS> “c”

27 61 1B 3D
28 61 IC 3D

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

Accept MSB as is

Mode

1 ASCII 1 Decimal Hexadecimal

Both I

<ESC>

“#”

127 35 IlB 23

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

Delete last character sent

Mode 1 ASCII I Decimal Hexadecimal
Both

<DEL> 127 7F

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.

Cancel last line

Model ASCII

Both I <CAN> 1 24

Deletes the last line currently present in the print buffer.

I Decimal

I Hexadecimal

1 18

-

86

hrmediate print

Mode ASCII

< ESC > “i”

Both

< ESC > “i”

“ 1” 27 105 49

<I>

Decimal Hexadecimal

1B 69 31

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

IModel ASCII I

Both

< ESC > ‘5”

< ESC > “i”

“0”

co>

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

27 105 48
27 105 0

Hexadecimal I

I

1B 69 30
1B 69 00

Set prinfer off-line

Model ASCII

Decimal

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 i DC1 >, which returns it to the on-line state.
The printer’s On Line indicator does not go off.

Hexadecimal

1

Set printer on-line

Mode ASCII

Both <DCl>

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.

Decimal

17

Hexadecimal

11

Be//

Mode ASCII

Both <BEL>

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

Bidirectional printing

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “U” “0”

CESC> “U” co>

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

Unidirectional printing

Mode ASCII

Both

<ESC> “u” “1”
<ESC> “U” Cl>

Causes subsequent printing to be done unidirectionally, ensuring maxi­mum vertical alignment precision.

One-line unidirectional printing

Mode

Both cESC>

ASCII

‘C < ”

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

Hexadecimal

1 7 07

Decimal

27 85 48
27 85 0 1B 55 00

Decimal Hexadecimal

27 85 49 1B 55 31
27 85 1 1B 55 01

Decimal

27 60 1B 3C

Hexadecimal

1B 55 30

Hexadecimal

_

Manual feed

Mode ASCII

Both

88

<ESC> <EM> CO>

‘1 ( 1, “ ( 7, “0” “ 1 w

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

Decimal

27 25 0 1B 19 00

“)” 40 40 48 41 41 28 28 30 29 29

Hexadecimal

Auto

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC>

‘I ( 12

<EM> <4>

“ ( 7. “4”

“)” L‘ 1 ., 40

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

Eject paper from ASF

Mode ASCII

“(”

<EM> “R”

“(” “R”

‘7” “)” 40

Both

<ESC>

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

Set print start position on ASF

Mode

Both

ASCII

<ESC>

“(W

<EM, “T”

“(” “T”

n 21

“)” “)” n 40

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

Mode 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

25 4

21

40 52 41 41

Decimal

25 82

21

40 82 41 41

Decimal Hexadecimal

25 84 n
40 84 41 41 n

Decimal

21 64

Hexadecimal

1B I9 04

28 28 34 29

Hexadecimal

1B 19 52

28 28 52 29

1B 19 54 n

28 28 54 29 29

Hexadecimal

1B 40

29

29

n

89

MEMO

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 throughcomplex 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.
disk files of character data for downloading when required.

The creation of a car-shaped symbol as a draft character ( r> ) and

near-letter-quality character ( & ) is explained below.
Draft character

ml m? m3 m4 m5 m6 m7 m8 m9mlOmll

It also enables you to maintain

ASCII Code 33
Descender
Start column 0
End column

I

I I

I

Dot

124 0 66 4 64 36 16 2 16 12 0

data

,

Figure C-1. Car symbol, drafl quality

mO = Descender x 128

+ (Start x 16)
f End

91

t

;
1

j

/

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 i ESC > “8~” < 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?

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.

Descender Cal?