Star Micronics NX-2410 User Manual

MULTI-FONT

USERS MANUAL

NOT INTENDED FOR SALE

Federal Communications Commission

Radio Frequency Interference Statement

‘his equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly. that
is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to radio and

is no guarantee that interfemnce wilJ not occur in a particular instaUation. 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

l Reorient the receiving antenna
l Relocate the computer or printer with respect to the mceiver
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 ate on different branch

circuits.
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for
additional suggestions. ‘Ibe user may find the following
ticns caMlis
Wet is available from the U.S. Government printing office. Washington, D.C.. 20402, Stock No.

sion helpful: “How to Identity and Resolve Ra

correct the interference by one or more of the followmg measures:

004-oooxlo345-4.
For compliance with the Federal Noise Interference Standard, this equipment requires a shielded cable.

The above statement applies only to printers marketed in the USA.

The Canadian Department of Communications

Radio Interference Regulations

Ibis digital a aratus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus

setoutinthe%a
Lz pr&sent appareiI numCrique n’6met pas de bruits radioelecttiques d6passant les limites applicables aux
aIpate.ils numCri ues de la classe B prescrites dam le Reglement sur le brouillage radiotlectrique edict6
par le minisdm 1 es Communications du Canada.

dto Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

Statement of

The above statement applies only to printers marketed in CaMda.

Trademark Acknowledgements

NX-2410, NB-15, NB24-10, XB24-15: Star Mictics Co., Ltd.

IBM PC, Proprinter X24, Proprinter II, PC-ES: International Business Machines Corp.

Microsoft BASIC, MS-DOS: Microsoft Co

LQ-800, LQ-1000, LQ-1500: S&o Epson rhm rp.

NOTICE

l All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this manual in any form whatsoever without

STAR’s express

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

gxmission is forbidden.

s manual are SubJect to change without notice.

0 Copyright 1989 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 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 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 letter-quality printing

When you select an LQ type style, the printer slows down and employs
a dense matrix of up to 24 by 35 dots to print clear, well-formed characters.

l Large variety of type styles and sizes

The printer has one draft style and four LQ styles (Courier, Prestige,
Orator, and Script), 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:

Draft characters,

Prestige characters, ORATOR CHARACTERS,

Sdp~ w,

sfm' italics for ALL 4t.y&4.

Print pitches are:

Pica pitch (10 CPI),

Semi-condensed pitch (15 CPI),

Condensed elite pitch (10 CPI),

Normal proportional,

Courier characters,

Elite pitch (12 CPI),

Condensed pica pitch (17 CPI),

and condensed proportional.

Double-height,

Double

=rripILez=

Double-sized,

Width,

Wid-kkl,

Quad-sized.

Various line and character spacings:

Other features:

tlvm&%

Emphasized,

Underlininq, Overlinlng,

SUPERSCRIPT,

Download characters: f*ffftt8ttttttt

Dot graphics:

, altlADmIrn, o%p%gaxm wxm

Double-strike,

SUBSCRIPT,

..,.. ix::.. i:: ..::::.:...

,,i; i .-.::Y,;,i ,("'i"":i,i,,

.?: "/ :////: ;/j:/ ,. j/jjii, './(:

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,: .'..iiFkj yg ‘:;:;::i:..;,~ii' :/

L!..

B:' .:::/i/::::.'

y,;&$;;;: :liB; ',;i!i!i!'i!ill-,

.:;:+ 'iE!ii;,,

y;j+x, ;i:p vi,.

.::~ ,::::.::: ~.~ ::::,:::. ~ .ij:i:/::: .::: //::

,diil::::.:/::i;ii

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..:::::::

:.:~,

.,,.,..

.r*y,.,:

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
Install the optional IC card
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 self test

Interface test

Adjusting the printing gap
DIP switch settings

CONTROL PANEL OPERATIONS

Switches and indicators

Power indicator

On Line switch

Paper Feed switch

Quiet Mode switch

Style/Pitch 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

1
1

3

6

9

12

14
14

19
19

22

25

Page feed
Top of form
Forward micro-feed

Reverse micro-feed
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

How the program works

Chapter 5

MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING 45

Cleaning the printer
Replacing the ribbon
Replacing the print head
Replacing the battery in the RAM card
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
Other printer control commands

29
29

31
31

35
35
36
38

45

45
46
48
49

51
57

57
61
63
68
74
79
81
83

Appendix C DOWNLOAD CHARACTER GENERATOR

Draft character

LQ character

Appendix D CHARACTER SETS

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

INDEX
COMMAND SUMMARY

89

97

105
108

Chapter 7

SET7NVG UP THE PRINTER

Subjects covered in Chapter 1 include -

l Locating the printer

l Unpacking and inspection (names of parts)

0 Setting up

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

LOCATING THE PRINTER

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

l Place the printer on a flat surface.
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.

a , 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).

1

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

knob, 4) Ribbon cartridge, and 5) User’s mantial.

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

Power

-

Entrv slot

Rear ‘Over \/ Bail lever

x\v,Release

Platen knob

1

Connector

Figure I-2. The printer’s external parts

Release lever:

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

SETTING UP

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.

Remove the top cower

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.

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

1

3

trgure nemovmg me rop cgver

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.

&we T-4. Installing the ribbon cartridge

4

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.

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.

lnsfall the optional IC card

This printer has five built-in character styles (fonts), and a 7 K-byte

data buffer.

You can add more fonts or expand the data buffer by installing optional

IC cards (Font card or RAM card).

To install or change an IC card, first turn off the power switch. Then,
insert the IC card into the slot at the bottom right front of the printer and
slide it all the way in.

I

figure 1-5. Slide the IC card into the front slot with the power switch off.

5

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.

terface

Figure I-6. Connecting the interface cable

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

guide

I
Figure i-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.

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.

Place a single sheet on the paper guide and insert it down into the entry

slot as far as it will go.

Move the bail lever forward. When the bail opens, the printer feeds the

paper automatically.

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.

I

Figure l-8. Loading a single sheet

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.

MQve the bail lever on top of the printer forward to open the paper

3.
bail.

4.

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

If the paper is not straight, move the release lever to the up position,

5.
straighten the paper by hand, then move the release lever back down.

Move the bail lever back to close the paper bail.

6.

lever

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 and tuck it in under the platen.

, ,YYrF ,-,“. vv’c,,r,ry L,lr irv,vrnrc bu.Tra Iv rnrose tne sprocltet teetn

Clamp

lever

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 l-72. Mounting the paper guide for fanfold forms

Now you are ready to switch power on and print.

Paper parking

After loading fanfold paper, you do not have to unload it when you

want to print on a single sheet. The printer will “park” it for you if you follow
the procedure below.

1. Paper parking starts with power ON, fanfold paper loaded in printing
position, the release lever up, and the bail lever back.

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

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 Quiet Mode switch on the control panel and hold it down.

5. Still holding the Quiet Mode 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.

Paper unparking

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

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 se/f 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

I
Figure l-73. Short test pattern

Long self test

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

of the printer’s self test.

1. Check that paper is in position for printing.

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

3. Still holding the Paper Feed switch down, turn the printer’s power ON.
The printer will automatically start printing a test pattern of its full

character set in various type styles. Watch the lights on the control panel;
they indicate which type style is printing.

This test repeats indefinitely in a long cycle. 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, open
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.

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 switches
marked DSWl and DSW2. These are the printer’s DIP (Dual In-line
Package) switches. DSWl has eight switches, named l-l to 1-8 from left

to right. DSW2 has eight switches named 2-l to 2-8.

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.

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

Settings

Figure l-15. DIP switches

Switch 1 Function

l-l

Page length
l-2 Auto CR
l-3 Bottom margin

1 1-4 1 Auto sheet feeder

l-5 Paper-out detector

Printer mode

l-6

Chamcter set (Std. Mode)

I ‘-’ I Character set (IBM Mode) I Set #2

Print style and pitch selection

1 ON 1 OFF 1

11 inches
Yes
None

1 Inactive 1 Active 1

Enabled
Standard IBM
Italics

12 inches

No

1 inch

Disabled

Graphics

I Set #l

I

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.

Switch l-l:

Is the page length of your paper 11 inches or 12 inches?

Leave this switch ON if you will be using 11-inch forms. Move it to the

OFF position if you will be using 12-inch forms.

Switch l-2:

Do you want an automatic carriage return?

Normally you should 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. Set this switch to the OFF position only if you have a program that
needs to move the paper vertically without a carriage return, which is fairly
unusual.

Switch 1-3:

Do you want a bottom margin?

Leave this switch ON if you do not want to set the bottom margin. Move
it to the OFF position if you want to set the bottom margin to the l-inch.

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 l-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 e.dge.

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 LQ-800. In IBM mode it operates
like the’IBM Proprinter X24. The ON position selects standard mode. The

OFF position selects IBM mode.

Switch 1-7:

The action of this switch depends on the mode chosen with
switch l-6.

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

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

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

characters, international characters, and mathematical symbols of IBM

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

16

If selected mode, you IBM set or

ON character #2, is computers an interface

most kind). selects set for with

7-bit

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 in Appendix D. With the DIP switches you can
select one of eight character sets as ‘follows:

* Denmark/Norway when IBM character set #2 is selected.

Switches 2-5 to 2-8:

What type style and print pitch do you want?

You can select the default type style and print pitch by setting these switches
as shown next.

Option *

Option *

* If there is no Font Card in the slot, Courier style is selected.

18

10 CPI OFF
12 CPI OFF

OFF OFF ON
OFF OFF OFF

Chapter 2

CONTROL PANEL OPERATIONS

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.

SWITCHES AND INDICATORS

The control panel has four switches marked:

0 On Line

l Paper Feed
l Quiet Mode
l Style/Pitch

The Quiet Mode, and Style/Pitch 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.

I

Figure 2-7. Control panel

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.

19

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 three 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.

l To cut fanfold forms at the end of printing

When using fanfold forms, if you hold the On Line switch down for 2

seconds, in addition to going off-line the printer feeds the paper about two

inches forward, allowing you to cut it off just below the last line printed.
When you press the On Line switch again to go back on-line, the paper feeds

backward about one inch, stopping in the right place to resume printing.

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.

Quiet Mode switch

This switch operates off-line to select the printing mode. The printer

powers up in normal printing mode. To select the quiet mode, press the

On Line switch to go off-line, then press the Quiet Mode switch. The printer
will make two passes for each line, resulting in reduced sound (and slower
printing). To switch the quiet mode off, press this switch again. Each time
you press this switch, quiet mode toggles from on to off or from off to on.

Sty/e/Pitch switch

This switch selects the type style and the print pitch.

To change the type style, press the On Line switch to go off-line, then
press this switch once. You will hear two acknowledging beep tones. After
the beep tones, you can set the type style using the Quiet Mode switch or
the Paper Feed switch. While in this mode, these switchs works to select
the type style, instead of their normal functions.

The selections cycle in the following order when using the Quiet Mode

switch:

Draft
Courier
Courier italic
Prestige
Prestige italic
Orator
Orator italic
script

Script italic

Option

When using the Paper Feed switch, the selections cycle in the reverse

order.

To change the print pitch, press the On Line switch to go off-line, then
press this switch twice. You will hear three acknowledging beep tones. After
the beep tones, you can set the print pitch using the Quiet Mode switch or
the Paper Feed switch. While in this mode, these switchs works to select
the print pitch, instead of their’normal functions.

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The selections cycle in the following order when using the Quiet Mode

switch:

Pica
Elite

Semi-condensed (15 characters per inch)
Condensed pica (17 characters per inch)
Condensed elite (20 characters per inch)
Proportional
Condensed proportional

When using the Paper Feed switch, the selections cycle in the reverse

order.

The type style and the print pitch can also be selected by printer com-

mands given in Appendix B.

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

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.

Stay in Panel style

and pitch

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

pZ?SgS~T

Stay in Panel pitch

Long test

Short test pattern: On Line switch

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

(shown in Chapter 1).
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.

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