Star Micronics SR-10-I5 User Manual

SR-IO/I5

USER’S MANUAL

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NOT INTENDED FOR SALE

Federal Communications Commission

Radio Frequency Interference

Statement

The 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 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:

OReorient the receiving antenna
@Relocate the computer with respect to the receiver
*Move the computer away from the receiver
@Plug the computer into a different outlet so that computer and 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 Federal Noise Interference Standard, this equipment requires a shielded
cable.

A note about the programs in this manual:

This manual contains several programs that help to demonstrate the versatility of the
SR-lo/l5 printers. Star Mfg. Co., Ltd. has made every effort to insure that the programs
are functional and accurate. However, Star Mfg. Co., Ltd. cannot guarantee their accuracy
or suitability to any particular application.

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Trademark Acknowledgement

SR-10, SR-15: Star Mfg. Co., Ltd.
grafstar: Star Micronics
Apple, Apple II, Apple II + , Apple IIe, Applesoft: Apple computer Inc.

Commodore C-64: Commodore Business Machines, Inc.

Compaq: Compaq Computer corporation
CP/M: Digital Research
IBM Personal Computer, IBM PC: International Business Machines Corp.
Kaypro: Kaypro Computer Corporation
Microsoft BASIC: Microsoft Corporation

Osborne 1: Osborne Computer Corporation
TRS-IIO: Radio Shack, a division of Tandy Corporation

@Copyright 1984 Star Mfg. Co., Ltd.

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A Special Message

to the New Owner

You’re to be congratulated on selecting the printer of choice

for both the sophisticated as well as the first-time user/owner

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the new SR-lo/Is!

Right now, before you even start readying your SR-lo/15

for action, we’d like to impress you with these two thoughts:

1. In as few words as possible, we’ll highlight the several
special features that SR-lo/15 offers you, and

2. We’ll show you how this manual can help you get the
most from your SR-10/l& while saving you time, effort,
and money.

Taking up the special features first, so they’ll be fresh in your
mind as you ramble through this manual . . . specifically . . .

Speed - At 200 characters per second top printing speed, It’s

one of the fastest in its class. And SR-lo/15 is smart too: when
printing blank spaces, SR- 10/l 5 speeds up to a blistering 240
CPS!

634 Characters - Allows printing in no less than nine different

fonts of type faces, including a brand new face which we call .

. .

Near Letter Quality - A solid black dot-free, high-resolution type

face that looks more like typewriter than computer-generated

printing. Perfect for correspondence.

Faster Paper Handling - More economical, too. Automatic

feeding for both single sheets and sprocket paper. And the unique
built-in tractor design - behind the platen - avoids wasting a
sheet each time you start printing, as in conventional loading.
It also permits “reverse paper feed”, for multiple colunm printing

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or other special applications, with a neater appearance, too.

Graphics - If you’re designing your own, you’ll be delighted at

finding six different dot graphic densities with varying degrees
of resolution or sharpness. There’s even a quadruple density, with
240 dots per inch horizontal by 72 dots per inch vertical! And,
you can print double density graphics at double speed !

Macro Instruction - A real timesaver on the keyboard. This

feature allows you to define a sequence of codes and call (transmit)
that entire sequence with a single code.

Easy Everything. r - All the DIP switches are quickly accessible

for ease in connecting your computer and changing print pa­rameters; the ink ribbon comes in its own enclosed cartidge, ready
to snap into place; paper is machine-fed, not cranked into place
manually. Easy is the word for SR~l0/15!

We think you’ll also find this manual easy and pleasant to
use. We’ve gone to great lengths to make it so. As a first example,
look over the table of contents and you’ll see what we mean.
Whether greenhorn or wizard, everybody will find what they need
to know to fulfill their expectations. We suggest that each new
user/owner, before you even unpack the box, read or at least scan
Chapters 2 and 3 - “Getting to Know Your SR-10/15” and
“Getting Started with SR-10/15” - as well as Chapter 1, “Setting
Up SR-10/15.“iNow you can unpack the box and start putting
things together.

When you’re ready to connect your computer to your
SR-10/15, look at Appendix J for directions applying to your
make of computer.

For you who wish to design your own characters, do your
own plotting, your own infinite variety of dot graphic patterns
and densities, you’ll have a ball! For you, Chapters 5 through

10 are a must, and of course everybody should look at Chapter
11, which tells how to maintain your SR-lo/15 for a long and

carefree life.

In this manual there are plenty of example programs to de­monstrate and show off all of SR- 10/l 5’s features. Since many
SR-lO/ 15 users have IBM Personal Computers (or the equivalent)
all the example programs are written in Microsoft BASIC for
the IBM. But throughout the manual, users of other computers
will find hints on how to make SR-lo/15 work with their com­puter.

So, gentle reader, with this manual we hand you the key to
the wonderful world of SR-10/15. May you enjoy years of
handsome, fast, and carefree printing!

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Setting Up SR-lo/15

Where Shall We Put It?
What Have We Here?

Removing the printer covers
Removing packing and shipping screws
Installing the platen knob
Installing the ribbon cartridge

Connecting SR-lo/15 to Your Computer

Getting to Know Your SR-lo/15

Components and Controls
Paper Selection and Loading

Loading single sheets

Loading sprocket-feed paper
Ribbon Installation
Adjusting the Gap
Self-Test
Some Tips for Smoother Operation

Getting Started With SR-lo/15

Using Commercial Software

First, some terminology

The escape code

Using this book without learning BASIC

Controlling SR-10/l!! With BASIC

Some Basics About BASIC

Establishing communications
The CHR$ function
Control codes
The escape code

Some problem codes
Command Syntax Used in This Manual
Selecting The Right Software Mode

Printing Text With SR-lo/15

Some Special Kinds of Text

Near Letter Quality characters

Italic printing
Underlining

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Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Superscripts and subscripts

Changing the Print Pitch

Expanded print
Making SR-lo/15 Print Darker
Mixing Modes
Summary

Line Spacing and Forms Control

Starting New Lines

Reverse line feeds

Changing Line Spacing

Moving down the page without a carriage return

Forms Controls

Form feed
Reverse form feed

Changing the Page Length

Top and Bottom Margins

Summary

Formatting Your Output

Using Horizontal Tabs

A one-shot tab command

Setting Left and Right tiargins

Using Vertical Tabs

A one-shot vertical tab command

Summary

Special Features of the SR-lo/15

Now hear this
Initializing SR- 1 O/ 15

Putting SR-lo/15 to sleep
Printing to the bottom of the sheet
Backspace, delete, and cancel text
“Zero” printing
Unidirectional printing
The seven bit dilemma
Block graphics characters and special symbols
International character sets
The macro control code

Summary

Creating Your Own Characters

Dot Matrix Printing
The Print Matrix
Defining Your Own Characters

Rule 1: Download chamcters are eight dots high
Rule 2: Dots cannot overlap
Add up each column of dots
Assigning a value to your character
Download character definition command

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81

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Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C
Appendix D

Appendix E

Appendix F

Printing Download Characters

Erasing Download Character Definitions
Defining Proportional Characters

Connecting characters

Summary

Printing With Dot Graphics

Comparing Dot Grapphics With Download
Characters

Using the Dot Graphics Commands

Specifying the number of columns of dots
Specifying the graphics data

Combining text and graphics
Printing a Design or Logo
Plotting With SR-lo/15

How the program works

High Resolution Graphics
If You Have Problems With BASIC
Summary

Basic Maintenance

Cleaning SR- 1 O/ 15
Replacing the Ink Ribbon
Replacing a Fuse
Replacing the Print Head

DIP Switch Settings

Switch Functions

ASCII Codes

Character Style Charts

Function Code Reference

Commands to Control Print Style

Front style controls
Font pitch controls

Special print modes
Commands to Control Vertical Position of
Print Head

Line feed controls
Form feed controls

Vertical tabs
Commands to Control Horizontal Position of

Print Head
Download Character Commands
Commands to Control Graphics
Macro Instruction Commands
Other Commands

Command Summary in Numeric Order
ASCII Code Conversion Chart

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121

129

133
141

159

203
207

Appendix G Technical Specifications
Appendix H The Parallel Interface

Functions of the Connector Signals

Appendix I

Serial Interface Specifications

Configuring the Serial Interface
SR-10/15’s Serial Protocols

Serial busy protocols
XON/XOFF protocol
ACK protocol

Appendix J

Connecting With Computer

Connecting with IBM-PC and Compaq

BASIC programming

Listing programs

Connecting with Apple II computers

Applesoft BASIC

Listing programs

Connecting with TRS-80 computers

TRS-80 BASIC

Listing programs

Connecting with Kaypro, Osborne, and
other CP/M computers

Using MBASIC

Listing programs

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DIP Switch Quick Reference
Command Quick Reference
Consumer Response

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242

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Table of Tables

Table 2-1 Left margin on the single sheet guide
Table 5-l Near letter quality commands
Table 5-2 Italic commands
Table 5-3 Underline commands
Table 5-4 Superscript and subscript commands
Table 5-5 Print pitch commands
Table 5-6 Expanded print commands
Table 5-7 Print emphasis commands
Table 5-8 Master select and the 256 ASCII codes
Table 6-1 Line feed commands
Table 6-2 Line spacing commands
Table 6-3 Form feed commands
Table 6-4 Form length commands
Table 6-5 Top and bottom margin commands
Table 7-1 Horizontal tab commands
Table 7-2 Left and right margin commands
Table 7-3 Vertical tab commands
Table 8-1 Bell commands
Table 8-2 Some miscellaneous commands
Table 8-3 Printing direction commands
Table 8-4 Eight bit control commands
Table 8-5 International character set commands
Table 8-6 International character sets
Table 8-7 Macro instruction commands
Table 9-l Download character commands
Table 10-l Calculating nl and n2
Table 10-2 Dot graphics commands
Table A-l DIP switch settings
Table A-2 International character sets
Table H-l Parallel interface pin functions
Table I-l Serial interface pin functions
Table I-2 DIP switch 3
Table I-3 Handshaking protocols
Table I-4 Data transfer rates
Table J-l IBM-PC parallel cable
Table J-2 Apple parallel cable
Table J-3 TRS-80 Model I parallel cable
Table J-4 TRS-80 Model II parallel cable
Table J-5 Kaypro parallel cable
Table J-6 Osborne 1 parallel cable

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105
116
130
132

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224
225
225
225
229
231
233
233
235
235

CHAPTER 1

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SETTING UP SR- 1 O/ 15

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In this chapter, we’ll show you how to unpack your new
SR-lo/15 printer, set it up in the right location, and get it ready
for you to load it with paper and start printing. But first . . .

WHERE SHALL WE PUT IT?

Before you do anything else, give some thought to where you’ll

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be using your printer. Obviously, it will be somewhere near your
computer. And both printer and computer will lead longer,
healthier lives if they like their environment. For a congenial
environment, we recommend . . .

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l Placing the printer on a flat surface
l Keeping it out of direct sunlight and away from

heat-producing appliances

l Using it only in temperatures where you are comfortable
l Avoiding areas with a lot of dust, grease, or humidity

l Giving it “clean” electricity. Don’t connect it to the same

circuit as large, noise-producing motors

l Power supply voltage should be the same voltage that’s

specified on the identification plate - not over 10% more
or less than the recommended AC voltage.

Warning: Extremely high or low voltage can damage your

printer.

WHAT HAVE WE HERE?

Now let’s take a look at what’s in the carton. Take it slow and

easy, and check each item in the box against Figure l-l. There
should be exactly 8 items.

Figure l-l. Inside the carton you should have received: 1) SR-lo/15

printer, 2) cut sheet guide, 3) continuous paper guide, 4) power cord, 5)
platen knob, 6) spare fuse, 7) ribbon cartridge, and 8) this user’s manual.

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Let’s move on the next step . . .

m Removing the printer covers

What are covers for, really? Primarily, for two reasons: one,
to keep dust and dirt away from the delicate “innards,” and two,
to keep the noise level down. The front cover must be on or
SR-lo/15 will not print. So, you should keep the covers on all
the time, except when setting the ink ribbon cartridge in place,
loading paper, or making other adjustments when the cover might
be in the way.

SR-lo/15 has ~WU covers, front and back. Both operate in the

same way. To remove them, lift up the free end (nearest the center

of the printer) so that the cover makes approximately a 45” angle

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with the printer frame, then with a slight rocking motion, lift it
straight up and off the machine. To replace, just reverse the
procedure.

Figure l-2 illustrates the proper position and

movement for both removal and replacement of the covers.

R/ear cover

Figure l-2. Remove the printer covers by tilting them up to about 45”,

then lifting straight up.

n Removing packing and shipping screws

There are three (on an SR-10 ) or four (on an SR-15 ) shipping
screws on the bottom of the printer, used to hold the internal
chassis securely to the external frame during shipping. To get
at these, carefully place the printer upside down on a soft surface
like a foam cushion. Remove the screws with a Phillips screwdriver
as shown in Figure l-3.

Next, remove the front cover, and remove the spiral tube on
the carriage stay which protects the print head, per Figure 1-4.

You’ll be smart to save these screws, along with the rest of the
packing material and the shipping carton, in case you ever have
to ship the printer. Tape the screws somewhere on the carton
or packing.

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Figure l-3. SR-10 has three screws which secure the chassis during

shipping; SR-15 has four. They should be removed before use.

n Installing the platen knob

This is the knob that turns the rubber platen cylinder. It fits
into the hole on the right side of the printer case. Just match the
odd-shaped hole in the knob with the same shape on the shaft
you’ll see inside the hole in the case, and press it on firmly. Give

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Figure 14. Remove the spiral tube on the carriage stay that protects

SR-10/15’s print head.

the knob a few turns to see that it’s turning the platen easily and
smoothly.

n Installing the ribbon cartridge

The ribbon cartridge greatly simplifies installing the ink ribbon.
For easy installation, though, it’s wise to follow the sequence
and diagrams shown here.

1. Turn the power switch off, and remove the front cover
(as explained earlier.)

2. Slide the print head gently with your fingers to the ap­proximate center of its pathway.

3. Note the position of the guide pins on the cartridge as
shown in Figure l-5. Then hold the cartridge at each end,
with the ribbon facing away from you, and insert the guide
pins into the cut-out hooks of the printer frame. You’ll
find this easier if you tilt the cartridge forward as you
do this, as Figure l-6 shows.

4. Using the guide pins as a fulcrum, lightly press the car-

tridge down until the two holder springs snap shut to

hold the cartridge firmly in place.

Guide pin

Figure l-5.

A guide pin on each side of the ribbon cartridge helps to

align the cartridge during installation.

Guide pin

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Figure l-6. Tilt the ribbon cartridge in until the guide pins meet the hooks

in the printer frame, then lower the front edge until the holder springs
hold it-in place.

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5. Now thread the ribbon carefully between the print head
and the ribbon guide next to the platen. (Take a good
look at Figure l-7.) You might want to use a ball point
pen to lightly press the ribbon guide against the platen
(runbber roller) while you insert the ribbon into the thin
space between the print head and ribbon guide. Zmporiant:
Center the ribbon vertically in the middle of the print
head to avoid misprints or the ribbon coming off during
printing.

6. Turn the spool gear knob in the direction of the arrow
printed on the top left side of the cartridge to take up
the slack in the ribbon; continue turning the spool gear
four or five times to verify that everything is properly set
and ready to roll.

7. As a final step, replace the front cover. As you’ll learn
in Chapter 2, SR-lo/15 refuses to print unless the front
cover is securely in place! A glowing, “pause” lamp warns
of a loose cover. When this occurs, do the obvious thing:
fasten the cover securely, press the pause button to douse
the green light, and you’re back in business!

Figure 1-7. Use a ball point pen to place the ribbon between the print

head and the ribbon guide. It’s important that the ribbon is centered
vertically between the print head and the ribbon guide.

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CONNECTING SR-lo/15 TO YOUR COMPUTER

To complete the installation, you’ll need to connect SR-lo/15
to your computer. Figure l-8 shows where the cable connects,
but there’s more that you need to know. Find the appendix and
follow the guidelines for making connections (“interfacing”) and
for setting the DIP switches.

If you cannot connect to your
computer, then your Star dealer will give you advice on connecting
SR-lo/15 to your computer.

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Figure 1-8. SR-lo/15 has parallel interface as standard.

Then, in Chapter 2, you’ll learn how to load paper (here’s where

you’ll use the paper guides) and operate SR-10/15.

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CHAPTER 2

GETTING TO KNOW

YOUR SR-lo/15

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The more you learn about SR-lo/15 and its sophisticated

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features, old and new, the better SR-lo/15 is going to perform
for you. Remember, it’s not just what you know - it’s what
you know how to use! So, let’s start getting acquainted!

Subjects we’ll cover in this chapter include:

l Components and controls
l Paper-out and front-cover-open detectors

l Paper selection and loading
l Adjusting the gap -
l Self-test - printout of available characters
l Some tips for smoother operation

for different paper thickness

COMPONENTS AND CONTROLS

First, the components. You saw most of these when you un­packed you printer. Now we’ll give you a condensed rundown
on what they do. (For details on your initial set-up of
SR-10/15, with all components in place, see Chapter 1.)

PRINTER COVERS - There are two, front and rear. Their

function is to protect the ribbon and print head from dust and
dirt, and also to reduce the sound level.

SINGLE SHEET GUIDE - As you’ve guessed, this plastic rack

is used to support and guide the single sheets during printing.

SPROCKET PAPER GUIDE - This wire rack serves the same

function, but for sprocket paper.

INK RIBBON CARTRIDGE - A neat and tidy timesaver, which

snaps into place within a few seconds.

POWER CORD - Connects the printer to its power source,

usually a wall outlet. It’s located at the right rear.

PRINT HEAD - This is the unit which does the actual printing.

Ground terminal

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Power cord connector

Figure 2-1. Front and rear views of SR-IO.

Like a typewriter, the print head prints through an ink ribbon.

TRACTOR - This built-in unit sits in the rear of your printer,

under the rear cover. Its sprocket wheels carry the sprocket-feed
paper on its pathway through the printer.

PLATEN - This is the rubber cylinder that carries paper to the

print head.

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Control ,Ll W

.Bail lever

Power cord conndr ‘\

Figure 2-2. Front and rear views of SR-15.

INTERFACE CONNECTOR - Around on the back, this is the

place where you connect your computer to SR-10/15, so that they

are able to communicate with each other.

Now let’s take a tour around the controls, starting with the
control panel board, located at the right front. There are 5 lamps
and 5 buttons on the panel:

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Figure 2-3. SR-10/15’s controls.

POWER LAMP - Glows green when the power is on.
READY LAMP - Glows green when the printer is ready to accept

data. This light flickers during transmission. Don’t worry about

the flicker; it’s normal!

ON LINE LAMP - Glows green when the communication lines

to your computer are open.

PAPER-OUT LAMP - Glows red when the printer is out of

paper and stops printing. It works only when you’re using

sprocket paper.

PAUSE LAMP - A very important control! It glows green when

the pause button has been pressed or when the front cover has
been opened. When the pause lamp is on, you can feed paper
with the LF, FF, or Feed buttons - but there’s no printing
possible. When the pause lamp is off, the printer will print ­but you can’t feed paper.

PAUSE BUTTON - Basically, this button allows you to change

the printer status from “printing” to “not printing” or vice versa,
with the results stated above under the Pause Lamp heading.
This allows you to stop printing to advance the paper - a few
lines or to the top of the next page.

FEED BUTTON - This is used for automatic feeding of single

sheets, which is described in detail later in this chapter.

LF BUTTON - Stands for “Line Feed,” and allows you to

advance the paper one line at a time when the pause lamp is on.
If you hold the button down, you’ll get consecutive line feeds,
one after the other.

FF BUTTON - Stands for “Form Feed.” When you tap this

button while the pause lamp is on, you advance the paper to the
top of a new page or “form.”

ON LINE BUTTON - Lets you change the printer status between

“off line,” and “on line”. When it’s on line, the printer can receive

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data from the computer. When it’s off line, the printer sends a

signal to the computer indicating that it cannot accept data.
When you turn the power switch on, you are automatically on
line.

There are other kinds of controls, not connected to the control

panel board. Some of the more important ones are:

POWER SWITCH - Towards the back on the right side. This

turns on the electricity to your machine.

PLATEN KNOB - Middle, right side. Lets you manually turn

the platen, just like a typewriter. CAUTION: Turn this knob

only with power switch c$J Turning it with the power on could

damage the platen drive gears.

RELEASE LEVER - On top, near the left rear corner. You’ll

be using this particular control often. What it does is control the

pressure of the paper against the platen. Its position is crucial

to feeding the different paper types - sprocket and single sheets.

It has three settings: “Friction,

two are used for single sheet printing, and the Tractor position

for sprocket paper. This will be fully explained in the section

describing paper loading procedures.

BAIL LEVER - The bail is the movable bar that presses the

paper against the platen during printing, and when moved away

from the platen, allows the paper to reach its proper position

during the loading operation. The lever which controls it is on

the right side of the platen.

PAPER-OUT DETECTOR - This sensor automatically stops

printing and tells you when the printer runs out of sprocket paper.

The paper-out lamp glows red and a beep tone alerts you when
the printer runs out of paper. The pause lamp also glows, so you
are ready to load more paper. The lamp also glows if the release
lever is not set in the tractor position for sprocket paper loading.
FRONT-COVER-OPEN DETECTOR - When the front cover
is not fully closed, this magnetic detector causes the pause lamp
to glow, and printing is interrupted (or won’t begin). If this
happens, printing may be re-started by securely closing the cover
and pressing the pause button.
DIP SWITCHES - Primarily, these switches are used in inter-

facing SR- 10/l 5 to your particular brand of computer. But there

are also switches to set the power-on default settings for print

style, and page size. See the appendix for a complete explanation.

” “Set,” and “Tractor.” The first

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PAPER SELECTION AND LOADING

Now we’ll look at paper. Your SR-lo/15 can handle single

sheets - standard-size stationery, multi-part carbonless business
forms, or almost any other kind of cut sheet. You can also print
on “computer paper” with the holes along the sides, which is
also called sprocket, punched, or perforated fan-fold. The loading
procedures are quite different for single sheet and sprocket paper.
We’ll try to keep it short and sweet, but without sacrificing clarity
and preciseness in our explanations.

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H Loading single sheets

Start with the proper paper. Paper width must be between 5%
and 8 ‘/z inches (5 l/z and 14 % inches for the SR- 15) and paper
thickness between .07 mm and .lOmm (16 pound to 24 pound

bond falls in this range). Loading is done automatically and
instantly by pushing the Feed button. Here’s the correct sequence.

1. Attach the single sheet guide to the printer (Figure 2-4).

2. To set the margin, use the little metal guide (shown in
Figure 2-5) in one of its 3 positions.

3. Put the release lever in the “set” position. This step is

very important for proper sheet alignment.

4. Putting the left edge of the sheet against the metal guide,

insert a sheet into the paper chute until the bottom edge
of the paper touches the paper stopper. (The set position
of the release lever permits you to get the paper in straight.)

5. Now, push the release lever away from you to the

“friction” position. This grips the paper securely for
proper feeding.

6. Make sure that the bail is resting against the platen (you

should push the bail lever away from the front of the
printer). SR-lo/15 will automatically lift it out of the
way at the proper time!

7. With the power on, press the Feed button, and the paper

automatically moves around the platen to the correct

position to start printing, just one inch from the top edge

of the sheet!
Note: If you’d like to start the first line of printing lower
down on the sheet, as for letter correspondence for example,

just press the Pause, then the LF (line feed) button to move

the paper to the desired starting point. Hold down the LF
button for multiple line feeds.

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Figure 2-4. Use the single sheet guide for loading cut paper.

Table 2-1

Left margin on the single sheet guide

Position of

Guide

Left
Middle
Right

Distance from Left-Hand Edge of Paper
For SR-10

Approx. .6 inch
Approx. .3 inch
Approx. .l inch

For SR-15

Approx. .8 inch
Approx. .5 inch

Approx. .3 inch

a Loading sprocket-feed paper

Continuous paper feeds into the printer from the rear. So, the

paper should be stacked directly back of the printer, either on
the same surface, if there’s room, or on the floor.

Figure 2-5. The metal guide is used to align the left margin.

Here’s the proper sequence for loading:

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1. Turn off the power and remove the rear cover. (After
you’ve practiced a few times, you’ll find it easy to load
paper by just opening the cover.)

2. Attach the wire paper guide to the rear of the upper case,
as shown in Figure 2-6.

3. Pull the release lever towards you to put it in the “tractor”
position.

4. Pull the bail lever towards you to the open position.

5. Open the tractor covers, located on top of the left- and
right-hand sprocket units (Figure 2-7).

6. Flip the sprocket clamp levers towards the rear. This
unlocks the sprocket wheels to move left and right so you
can align them with the holes in the paper.

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Figure 2-6. The wire paper guide keeps continuous paper away from the

cables.

Figure 2-7. The tractors, which guide the paper, are underneath the rear

cover.

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Figure 2-8. With the tractors in place, you’re ready to close the covers

and advance the paper.

7. Bring the paper up from the back, over the wire guide,
and into the back of the printer. When the holes in the
paper fit snugly over the nubby teeth in both sprockets,
close the tractor covers and snap the clamp levers back
into their locked positions (Figure 2-8).

8. Now we’ll feed the paper around the platen automatically.
To do this, close the rear cover, turn on the power, then
push the Pause button and hold down the LF button until
the paper moves smoothly into position.

9. Close the bail lever (push away from you). The top edge
of the paper should line up with the cutter edge of the
front cover so that printing will start one inch from the
top edge.

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RIBBON INSTALLATION

This is described in two places: installation of the ribbon car­tridge is explained in Chapter 1; replacing the ink ribbon inside
the ribbon cartridge casing is described in Chapter 11
(“Maintenance”).

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ADJUSTING THE GAP

The gap is the space between the print head and the platen.
Adjusting the gap is simply adjusting the printer to accommodate
different thicknesses of paper.

To make this adjustment, move the adjustment lever which is
under the front cover, immediately in front of the release lever

shown in Figure 2-9. Pulling the adjustment lever towards you

will widen the’ gap; pushing it away from you will narrow the

gap.

Figure 2-9. The adjustment lever allows for different thicknesses of paper.

Five positions are available; you can feel the lever clicking into
the various notches. The second step (illustrated) is the one most
commonly used for single sheets of paper. The lever is nearly

straight up in this position.

You shouldn’t encounter any difficulty in finding the right gap
setting to fit your paper. If necessary, experiment; you’ll soon
find the best position for the paper you’re using.

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SELF-TEST

The “self-test” is a trial run of your beautiful new machine.
SR-lo/15 carries a built-in program that prints out sample lines
of letters, numbers, and other characters - to show you that

everything’s in good working order. It also serves as a display

of the characters available in the SR-10/15. And finally, it’s a
“warm-up” that permits you to check your installation of ribbon
and paper, and the adjustment of the print head gap.

Best of all, you don’t have to wait another minute - you can

print the self-test without hooking up the SR-lo/15 to your
computer! It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3...

1. Plug the printer’s power cord into an electrical outlet.

2. Insert a sheet of paper (or sprocket paper, either one).

3. While holding down the LF button, turn the power switch
on.

Were you surprised? It’s speedy, isn’t it? 200 characters a second,

to be exact (when printing normal pica type).

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Figure 2-10. SR-10/15’s self-test gives a preview of its capabilities.