Star Micronics XB24-250 II User Manual

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USER’S MANUAL

XB24-250

DOT MATRIX PRINTERS

ZB15

80825140

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

Trademark acknowledgments

IP-128XL, IS-8XL, LC-4511, LC-4521, PT-15XM, SF-15DM

Star Micronics Co. Ltd.

LQ-850, LQ-860, LQ-1050, LQ-1060 : Seiko Epson Corporation IBM PC, IBM Proprinter X24E, IBM Proprinter XL24E, IBM Proprinter X24, IBM Proprinter XL24 :

International Business Machines Corporation.

MS-DOS : Microsoft Corporation

, SPC-8K, XB-2425, XB24-250, XB24-250

Notice

• The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.

• All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this manual at the time of printing. However, should any errors be found, STAR would greatly appreciate being informed of them.

• The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors in this manual.

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About this manual

This manual describes how to set up, use, and care for the Star XB24-250 printer. The following is a list of what you can expect to find in each chapter.

Chapter 1 Choosing a place for your printer, unpacking and setup,

ribbon cassette installation, loading paper, connecting to your computer

Chapter 2 How to use the control panel Chapter 3 How to use the printer’s Electronic DIP Switch (EDS)

Mode to set up the printer to match the needs of your system and software

Chapter 4 How to set up for printing with MS-DOS Chapter 5 Selecting the best type of paper, adjusting for paper

thickness, manual sheet feeding, clearing paper jams

Chapter 6 Optional accessories that are available for your printer Appendix A How to deal with printing problems Appendix B Speciﬁcations Appendix C Interface information Appendix D Character sets

Appendix E Printer control codes Appendix F Control panel operation guide

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Chapter 1: Printer Setup ... 1

Choosing a place for the printer ... 1 Unpacking the printer ... 2 General guide ... 3 Installing the platen knob ... 4 Opening the front cover ... 4 Removing the front cover ... 5 Installing the ribbon cartridge ... 5 Removing the ribbon cartridge ... 7 Installing the paper guide ... 7 Adjusting the paper guide position ... 8 Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off ... 8 Loading fanfold paper ... 9 Printing on fanfold paper ... 12 Parking fanfold paper ... 13 Unparking fanfold paper ... 13 Using the tear-off function ... 13 Connecting to your computer ... 14

Chapter 2: Control Panel Operations ... 16

Switching between on-line and off-line ... 16 Selecting a font ... 17 Entering the Font Lock Mode ... 17 Setting the character pitch ... 18 Entering the Pitch Lock Mode ... 18 Line feed ... 19 Paper eject (cut-sheet paper) ... 19 Form feed (fanfold paper) ... 19 Parking fanfold paper ... 19 Micro feed ... 19 Setting the top of form position ... 20 Tear-off function (fanfold paper) ... 20 Selecting the Quiet Print Mode ... 20 Changing the auto load position ... 21 Saving a macro ... 22 Clearing the printer’s buffer ... 22 Initializing the printer ... 23 Entering the Multi-part Mode ... 23

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Chapter 3: Using the EDS Mode ... 24

About EDS Mode settings ... 24 Entering the EDS Mode ... 24 Selecting a bank ... 25 Selecting a switch ... 25 Changing a switch setting ... 25 Printing the current switch settings ... 26 Checking the settings of switches in a bank ... 26 Exiting the EDS Mode ... 26 EDS Mode Settings ... 27

Chapter 4: Using the Printer with MS-DOS ... 37

Setting up for printing with MS-DOS ... 37

Chapter 5: Paper Handling ... 38

Selecting paper types ... 38 Adjusting for paper thickness ... 39 Automatic fanfold feeding ... 40 Manual sheet feeding ... 40 Clearing paper jams ... 41

Chapter 6: Optional Accessories ... 42

Automatic Sheet Feeder (SF-15DM Pull Tractor Unit (PT-15XM) ... 43 Serial Interface Cartridge (IS-8XL) ... 43 Buffered Parallel Interface Cartridge (IP-128XL) ... 44 Serial-to-Parallel Converter (SPC-8K) ... 44

) ... 42

Appendix A: Troubleshooting ... 46

Appendix B: Speciﬁcations ... 53

Appendix C: Interface Pin Outs ... 56

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Appendix D: Character Sets ... 57

Appendix E: Printer Control Codes ... 69

Appendix F: Control Panel Operation Guide ... 79

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Chapter 1: Printer Setup

This chapter contains important information on setting up your printer. Be sure to read this chapter carefully before using the printer for the first time. In this chapter you will learn about:

Choosing a place for the printer

❏

Unpacking and setting up the printer

❏

Installing the platen knob

❏

Installing the ribbon cassette

❏

Loading paper

❏

Connecting to your computer

❏

Choosing a place for the printer

Before actually unpacking the printer, you should take a few minutes to think about where you plan to use it. Remember the following points when doing this.

Choose a ﬁrm, level surface where the printer will not be exposed to

✓

vibration. The power outlet you plan to connect to for power should be nearby and

✓

unobstructed. Make sure that the printer is close enough to your computer for you to

✓

connect the two with your printer cable. Allow six inches (15 centimeters) of free space on either side of the printer.

✓

If you are going to use fanfold paper, make sure that there is adequate space for paper behind the printer.

Make sure that the printer is not exposed to direct sunlight.

✓

Make sure that the printer is well away from heaters.

✓

Make sure that the surrounding area is clean, dry, and free of dust.

✓

Make sure that the printer is connected to a reliable power outlet. It should

✓

not be on the same electric circuit as copiers, refrigerators, or other appliances that cause power spikes.

Use a power outlet that matches the power rating noted on the label afﬁxed

✓

to the bottom of your printer. Make sure that the room where you are using the printer is not too humid.

✓

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2 Printer Setup

Unpacking the printer

Check to make sure that the carton contains each of the items shown in the following illustration.

If anything is missing, contact the store where you bought the printer and ask them to supply the missing part. Note that it is a good idea to keep the original box and all the packing materials just in case you need to pack the printer up again and send it somewhere at a later date.

A serial-to-parallel interface converter (SPC-8K), a parallel interface unit (IP128XL), a serial interface unit (IS-8XL), a pull tractor (PT-15XM), and an Automatic Sheet Feeder (SF-15DM your dealer for details.

Important!

There are several versions of this printer designed for different voltages. It is not possible to change the voltage of a printer. If the voltage shown on the label on the bottom of your printer does not match the voltage for your ar ea, contact your dealer immediately.

) are also available as options. Consult

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General guide

The following illustrations show the major components of the your printer.

General guide 3

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4 Printer Setup

Installing the platen knob

You can find the platen knob in the box of items that contains this manual.

Install the knob on the shaft located inside the large hole on the right side of

❏

the printer. Make sure that the two metal pins on the platen shaft fit into the slots inside the knob’s spindle. Press the knob carefully but firmly into place as far as it will go.

Opening the front cover

Lift up on the front cover and swing it open until it stops.

❏

To close the front cover, simply lower it back into place.

Caution!

The tear assist edge is rather sharp. Take care to avoid injuring your hands.

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Removing the front cover

Normally, you should leave the front cover connected to the printer, using the procedure described above to open and close it as required. You can also completely remove the front cover using the steps described below.

Lift up on the front cover and swing it up until it is a little more than half

❏

way open. Carefully pull the front cover towards the back of the printer, moving it

❏

slightly up and down to work it free from the printer body. To replace the front cover, reverse the two steps described above.

❏

Installing the ribbon cartridge

Make sure that the printer is unplugged from its power outlet.

❏

Caution!

Never touch the print head while the printer is turned on. Doing so can damage the printer. If you have just ﬁnished printing, let the print head cool for a few minutes before you touch it.

Removing the front cover 5

❏

Open the front cover of the printer.

❏

Remove the ribbon cartridge from its package.

❏

Rotate the knob on the ribbon cartridge clockwise to take up any slack in the ribbon.

❏

Carefully place the cartridge onto the cartridge holder making sure that the spindle of the holder ﬁts into the socket on the bottom of the cartridge. Also

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6 Printer Setup

make sure that the side tabs ﬁt into the grooves on the sides of the cartridge holder.

❏

❏ ❏

Important!

Printing that is poor quality or too light is almost always due to a ribbon that is simply worn out or “used up.” If you experience problems with print quality, check the conditio of the ribbon. If the black part looks gray and well-worn, replace the ribbon with a new one.

While guiding the ribbon between the print head and print head shield, press down gently on the cartridge until the side tabs snap securely into place.

Rotate the knob on the cartridge again to take up any slack. Close the front cover of the printer.

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Removing the ribbon cartridge

Use the following procedure to remove the ribbon cartridge from the printer when you want to replace it with a new one.

Make sure that the printer is unplugged from its power outlet.

❏

Caution!

Never touch the print head while the printer is turned on. Doing so can damage the printer. If you have just ﬁnished printing, let the print head cool for a few minutes before you touch it.

❏

Open the front cover of the printer.

❏

Using your thumb and foreﬁnger to squeeze the two tabs on the ribbon cartridge towards the center, carefully remove the cartridge from the holder.

❏

Use the procedure under “Installing the ribbon cartridge” on page 5 to install a new cartridge.

Removing the ribbon cartridge 7

Installing the paper guide

You can find the platen knob in the box of items that contains this manual. Insert the two pointed tabs on the bottom of the paper guide straight down into

the holes provided on the top back of the printer, and then lay the paper guide down so the tabs inside the holes slip into the grooves on the paper guide tabs.

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8 Printer Setup

T o remove the paper guide from the printer , stand it up while gently pulling

❏

it towards the front of the printer, Next carefully lift the paper guide straight up.

Adjusting the paper guide position

The paper guide has two positions: raised and lowered. You can use either

❏

position for printing. To lower the paper guide, stand it up while gently pressing towards the

❏

back of the printer. Next, lift up slightly until the paper guide stops and then lay it down towards the back of the printer.

To raise the paper guide, slowly stand it up until you feel it slide into a

❏

locked position.

Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off

Plug the power cord of the printer into a standard power outlet whose

❏

voltage matches the power rating noted on the label afﬁxed to the bottom of your printer.

Caution!

If the voltage marked on the bottom of your printer does not match the voltage from the outlet you are using, do not plug in the power cord. Contact your dealer for assistance.

❏

Important!

Whenever you turn off the power, wait for at least ﬁve seconds befor e turning it back on. Otherwise you may damage the printer. We also recommend that you unplug the printer from the power outlet whenever you do not plan to use it for long periods. Because of the this, you should locate the printer so that the power outlet it is plugged into is nearby and easy to access.

At this point you may want to perform a test of the printer to make sure it is working properly. See “Testing the printer” on page 46 for details on how to perform tests.

Set the switch on the front of the printer to ON to turn power on, and to OFF to turn power off.

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Loading fanfold paper

This section tells you how to load fanfold paper. Note that you can also use cutsheet paper and multi-part form paper. For details on using other types of paper, see “Paper Handling” on page 38 of this manual.

Remove the paper guide from the printer.

❏

Position the stack of paper behind the printer.

❏

Make sure printer power is turned off.

❏ ❏ Set the release lever to the fanfold position.

Loading fanfold paper 9

❏ Grasping the two back corners of the printer with the palms of your hands,

Important!

You can also completely remove the rear co ver by lifting it straight up from the printer while the cover is just past half way open.

lift up with your thumbs at the two thumb holds on either side of the rear cover until it opens. Allow the rear over to swing open as far as it will go.

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10 Printer Setup

❏ Pass the fanfold paper through the space between the printer case and the

rear cover, with the side you want to print on facing down.

❏ Unlock the two tractors by pulling up their gray levers, and slide the

tractors so they are aligned approximately with the holes on the sides of the paper. Press the gray levers back down to lock the tractors into place.

❏ Slide the center paper support into position so that it is approximately

halfway between the two tractors.

❏ Open the covers of both tractors and insert the paper so the tractor pins ﬁt. ❏ Close the tractor covers. At this point you can make ﬁnal adjustments to the

paper position by releasing the gray levers and sliding the tractors left and right. The paper should lie ﬂat with no buckling or bulging (tractors too close) or no stretching or undue pulling on the holes (tractors too far apart). After making these adjustments, be sure that you re-lock the tractors by pressing the gray levers back into their original positions.

❏ Close the rear cover and press down gently on it until it locks into place

with a click.

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Loading fanfold paper 11

❏ Install the paper guide so that it is standing up. In this position, the paper

guide keeps the printed paper separate from the unprinted paper.

❏ Turn on the printer.

The printer will beep a number of times if paper is not loaded properly. Also, the control panel’s POWER indicator flashes whenever paper is not loaded.

❏ Press the SET/EJECT/PARK button to feed the paper to the starting

position.

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12 Printer Setup

Printing on fanfold paper

When printing on fanfold paper, take care not to print too close to the perforations that separate each sheet. The following shows the recommended print area for fanfold paper and cut-sheet paper.

Fanfold forms Single sheets

(*80 mm for Push Feed)

Perforation

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Parking fanfold paper

It is not necessary to remove fanfold paper currently loaded in the printer in order to print on cut-sheet paper. Instead, simply use the following procedure to park the fanfold paper.

❏ Tear off the paper at a perforation so there is no more than half a page

sticking out of the front cover of the printer. If necessary, you can press the control panel’s ON LINE button to put the

printer off-line. and then use the LINE FEED button to feed the paper until a perforation is just past the front cover.

❏ Press the control panel’s ON LINE button to put the printer off-line. ❏ Press the control panel’s SET/EJECT/PARK button. The printer

automatically reverse feeds the fanfold paper until it is no longer in contact with the platen, which is indicated by the printer beeping a number of times. Also, the control panel’s POWER indicator starts to ﬂash because paper is not loaded.

❏ Move the release lever to the cut-sheet position. ❏ Change the paper guide to its upright position.

You can now load cut-sheet paper into the printer using the procedures under “Manual sheet feeding” on page 40.

Parking fanfold paper 13

Unparking fanfold paper

After you are finished printing on cut-sheet paper, use the following procedure to unpark fanfold paper and make it available for printing.

❏ Remove all cut-sheet paper from the printer. ❏ Change the paper guide position so it is laying down ﬂat. ❏ Move the release lever to the fanfold position. ❏ Press the SET/EJECT/PARK button to feed the paper to the starting

position. The printer automatically goes back on-line at this time.

Using the tear-off function

The following procedure makes it easy to tear off fanfold paper.

❏ Check to make sure that the printer is on-line. ❏ Press the FORM FEED button to perform the long tear-off operation, or

press the LINE FEED button to perform the short tear-off operation. The long tear-off operation causes the paper to be fed automatically so the

tear assist edge of the printer cover is aligned with the paper’s next perforation.

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14 Printer Setup

The short tear-off operation causes the paper to be fed automatically so the tear assist edge of the printer cover is located just below the last line printed on the paper.

❏ Pull the paper against the tear assist edge to tear it off.

Connecting to your computer

The computer sends data to the printer through a cable. This printer does not come with a cable, so it is up to you to provide one. You will probably want to use a standard parallel cable for connection, but note that you can also use an optional serial-to-parallel interface converter (SPC-8K) or an optional interface cartridge (IS-8XL or IP-128XL).

Important!

The following instructions apply to the Centronics parallel cable that is used with an IBM-compatible personal computer. Note that they do not apply to all types of computers and cables. If you are unsure about what type of cable you should use to connect with your computer, consult your dealer.

For an IBM-compatible personal computer:

✓ Use a standard 36-pin Centronics parallel cable. ✓ The parallel cable should be no longer than six feet (two meters). Longer

cables can result in poor transfer of information.

Important!

Make sure that the printer and the computer are turned off before connecting them.

❏ Plug one end of the parallel cable into the parallel port of your computer.

The parallel port should be labeled “Printer,” “Parallel,” “PRN,” “LPT1,” or something similar.

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Note:

Connecting to your computer 15

❏ Plug the other end of the parallel cable into the socket on the back of the

printer and secure it in place with the clips.

Consult your dealer for details on how to set up your computer when using the optional SPC-8K serial-to-parallel interface converter, the IP-128XL parallel interface unit or the IS-8XL serial interface unit.

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Chapter 2: Control Panel Operations

The control panel gives you push-button control over the printer’s operations. It includes indicator lights, which tell you the current status of the printer at a glance.

SANSERIFA COURIERB PRESTIGEC ORATOR

ROMAND LQE DRAFTF HS-DRAFT

FONT PITCH

EDS BANK SWITCH STATUS ON/OFF PRINT EXIT

10 CPI1 12 CPI2 15 CPI3

COND4 PROP5 QUIET6

SET/EJECT

PARK FORM FEED LINE FEED

This chapter describes control panel functions that can be performed while the printer is turned on and either on-line or off-line. The buttons perform different functions in the EDS and Dot Adjustment Modes. Functions of control panel buttons in these modes are described in the relevant sections covering them.

Switching between on-line and off-line

Press ON LINE to switch the printer between being on-line and off-line.

❏ ❏ When the printer is on-line, the ON LINE indicator is lit and the printer can

receive data from the computer. Y ou should make sure that the printer is online whenever you are trying to print.

❏ When the printer is in off-line, the ON LINE indicator goes out, which

means that the printer cannot receive any data.

❏ Note that you can also press ON LINE while a printing operation is in

progress to stop the printing.

POWER

MICRO FEED

ON LINE

Important!

Make sure that the on-line/off-line setting of the printer is correct before performing a control panel operation.

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Selecting a font

Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit).

❏ ❏ Press FONT to change the font selection. An indicator lights to the left of

the name of the font that is currently selected.

Lit Indicator Font

LQ + ROMAN Roman

LQ + SANSERIF Sanserif

LQ + COURIER Courier

LQ + PRESTIGE Prestige

LQ + ORATOR Orator

HS-DRAFT HS-Draft

DRAFT Draft

Note:

The font setting you make with the above procedure can be changed if the software you are using overrides the setting on the control panel. You can prevent this by using the following procedure to put the printer into the Font Lock Mode when you turn it on.

Selecting a font 17

LQ OCR-B

Entering the Font Lock Mode

When the printer is in the Font Lock Mode, the font settings you make on the control panel are used even if your software tries to override the font. Use the following procedure to enter the Font Lock Mode.

❏ Turn off the printer. ❏ While holding down FONT, turn printer power on.

The printer is now in the Font Lock Mode. You could enter the Font Lock Mode and Pitch Lock Mode (page 18) at the same time by holding down both FONT and PITCH when you turn on printer power.

To exit the Font Lock Mode, simply turn the printer off.

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18 Control Panel Operations

Setting the character pitch

The character pitch setting controls how many characters are printed per inch. Use the following procedure to select the pitch you want.

❏ Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Press PITCH to change the pitch selection.

The following shows the meanings of the indicators that light on the control panel when you press PITCH.

Lit Indicators Meaning

10CPI 10 characters per inch (Pica) 12CPI 12 characters per inch (Elite)

15CPI 15 characters per inch 10CPI + COND 17 characters per inch (Condensed Pica) 12CPI + COND 20 characters per inch (Condensed Elite)

PROP Proportional

COND+PROP Condensed proportional

Note:

The pitch setting you make with the above procedure can be changed if the software you are using overrides the setting from the control panel. You can prevent this by using the following procedure to put the printer into the Pitch Lock Mode when you turn it on.

Entering the Pitch Lock Mode

When the printer is in the Pitch Lock Mode, the pitch settings you make on the control panel are used even if your software tries to override the pitch. Use the following procedure to enter the Pitch Lock Mode.

❏ Turn off the printer. ❏ While holding down PITCH, turn printer power on.

The printer is now in the Pitch Lock Mode. You could enter the Pitch Lock Mode and Font Lock Mode (page 17) at the same time by holding down both FONT and PITCH when you turn on printer power.

To exit the Pitch Lock Mode, simply turn the printer off.

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Line feed

Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit).

❏ ❏ Press LINE FEED once to feed paper one line. Holding down LINE FEED

continually feeds paper, one line at a time, until you release the button.

Paper eject (cut-sheet paper)

Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit).

❏ ❏ Press SET/EJECT/PARK to eject the paper. ❏ After the paper is ejected, the printer will beep and the POWER indicator

will ﬂash to indicate there is no paper in the printer.

Form feed (fanfold paper)

Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit).

❏ ❏ Press FORM FEED and the printer will automatically feed the paper to the

top of the next page.

Line feed 19

Parking fanfold paper

Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit).

❏ ❏ Press the control panel’s SET/EJECT/PARK button. ❏ The printer automatically reverse feeds the fanfold paper until it is no

longer in contact with the platen.

Micro feed

Use the following operation to feed the paper in very small increments. This makes it possible to align the print head exactly where you want it.

❏ Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ While holding down ON LINE, press LINE FEED to feed the paper

forward or FORM FEED to feed the paper backward.

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20 Control Panel Operations

Setting the top of form position

The current position of paper loaded in the printer is automatically set as the top of the page whenever you turn power on. You can also use the following procedure at any time to specify a different position as the top of the page.

❏ Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Use the micro feed operations (see above) to move the paper so that the

print head is located where you want the new top of form position to be.

❏ While holding down FONT, press SET/EJECT/PARK.

The printer will beep once to indicate that a new top of form position has been set.

Tear-off function (fanfold paper)

This procedure feeds fanfold paper to a position where it can be torn off easily.

❏ Check to make sure that the printer is on-line. ❏ Press the FORM FEED button to perform the long tear-off operation, or

press the LINE FEED button to perform the short tear-off operation. The long tear-off operation causes the paper to be fed automatically so the

tear assist edge of the printer cover is aligned with the paper’s next perforation.

The short tear-off operation causes the paper to be fed automatically so the tear assist edge of the printer cover is located just below the last line printed on the paper.

❏ Pull the paper against the tear assist edge to tear it off. ❏ When you resume printing, the printer reverse feeds the paper to its former

position.

Selecting the Quiet Print Mode

The Quiet Print Mode lets you print with less noise than that produced with normal printing. Use the following procedure to enter and exit the Quiet Print Mode.

Important!

Though the Quiet Print Mode prints more quietly, it also causes printing to take considerably longer than normal printing.

Page 27

❏ Make sure the printer is on-line (ON LINE indicator is lit). ❏ Press SET/EJECT/PARK, to toggle between the Quiet Print Mode and

normal printing. The printer emits one short beeps when the Quiet Print Mode is selected, and

two short beep when normal printing is selected.

Changing the auto load position

Normally the printer automatically feeds paper to a standard position (1/6-inch from the top of the paper). This is called the auto load position. You can use the following procedure to specify a different auto load position.

❏ Make sure the printer is off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ While holding down ON LINE, press SET/EJECT/PARK and then

release the two buttons. The printer will automatically eject the cut-sheet that is in the printer, or

reverse feed fanfold paper until it is no longer in contact with the platen. Also, all the font and pitch indicators on the control panel will light.

❏ Press SET/EJECT/PARK to feed the paper to the starting position. ❏ Feed the paper so the print head is located where you want the new auto

load position to be. Press LINE FEED to feed the paper forward and FORM FEED to feed the

paper backward. This is the micro feed operation.

❏ After you have the paper at the position you want, hold down ON LINE

and press LINE FEED to make the current print head position the new auto load position. The printer will beep twice to indicate that the new auto load position is set.

❏ To clear the new auto load position and return to the one that you set

previously (using the above procedure), press ON LINE. To clear the currently set auto load position and return to the standard position (1/6-inch from the top of the paper), hold down ON LINE and press SET/EJECT/ PARK.

Changing the auto load position 21

Note:

The auto load position you set remains in effect until you turn the printer of f . If you want to save the auto load position in memory, pr ess FORM FEED instead of LINE FEED while holding down ON LINE in the above step.

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22 Control Panel Operations

Saving a macro

Normally, any settings you make on the control panel are cleared when you turn the printer off. Use the following procedure to save the current control panel settings so that they are used whenever you turn the printer on.

❏ Make the control panel settings you want. ❏ Use ON LINE to put the printer off-line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Hold down FONT and then PITCH. Keep both buttons held down until the

printer beeps twice. Pressing FONT normally changes the font setting, so when you press it in

the above step the indicator for the next font lights. Pressing PITCH, however, returns the font setting to what it was before you pressed FONT.

This procedure saves the following settings.

• Current font and pitch settings

• Quiet Print Mode status These items can be set separately for the Standard mode and the IBM mode.

❏ To clear saved control panel settings repeat the above procedure, but keep

FONT and PITCH depressed after the printer beeps twice. Soon the printer will beep again three times to indicate that the saved control panel settings have been cleared.

Clearing the printer’s buffer

When the printer receives data from a computer, it temporarily stores it in a memory called a buffer. If you stop a printing job partway through, there is the chance that some data will remain in the buffer. The following procedure clears the printer’s buffer by deleting any data that might be there.

❏ Execute the necessary command in the program you are using to stop the

print job.

Important!

Be sure to stop the print job before taking the printer off line. Otherwise, the print job will resume from where you interrupted it when you put the printer back on-line.

❏ Use ON LINE to take the printer off line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Hold down FONT and then FORM FEED. Keep both buttons held down

until the printer beeps once, which indicates that the buffer is cleared.

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Initializing the printer

The following procedure initializes the printer to its power-on settings. If you have control panel settings stored in memory, this procedure sets up the printer using them.

❏ Use ON LINE to take the printer off line (ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Hold down FONT and then FORM FEED. Keep both buttons held down

until the printer beeps once (indicating the printer buffer is cleared) and then beeps again three times, which indicates that the printer is reset.

Entering the Multi-part Mode

When the printer is in the Multi-part Mode, the print head prints with greater impact. It should be noted, however, that printing in the Multi-part Mode also reduces the life of the print head. Because of this, you should use the Multi-part Mode only for printing on four or five-ply paper. Return to the normal mode for printing on one to three-ply paper.

Use the following procedure to enter the Multi-part Mode

❏ Turn off the printer. ❏ While holding down the control panel’s SET/EJECT/PARK button, turn

the printer back on.

❏ To exit the Multi-part Mode, Simply turn the printer off and back on again.

Initializing the printer 23

Page 30

Chapter 3: Using the EDS Mode

The letters “EDS” stand for “Electronic DIP Switches.” Just like the small DIP switches that are used by many computers, printers, and other devices, the EDS mode lets you configure the printer so that it matches your system and software needs. This chapter describes how to enter the printer’s EDS Mode and provides details about available settings and how to change them.

All switch settings are ON when the printer is shipped from the factory.

About EDS Mode settings

EDS Mode settings are grouped among six “banks” (representing banks of switches) that are identified by the letters A through F. Each bank contains a number of “switches” numbered 1 through 6 that you can turn on and off to configure the printer.

Entering the EDS Mode

Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer.

❏ ❏ Turn off the printer. ❏ While holding down the control panel’s ON LINE, LINE FEED, and

FORM FEED buttons, turn the printer back on. This causes the following message to be printed, which indicates the printer

is in the EDS Mode.

Page 31

Selecting a bank

While in the EDS Mode, use the control panel’s BANK button to select a

❏

bank. When the BANK indicator flashes it indicates the current bank selected.

Lit Indicator Selected Bank

A (SANSERIF) A B (COURIER) B C (PRESTAGE) C D (ROMAN) D E (LQ) E F (DRAFT) F

Selecting a switch

While in the EDS Mode, use the control panel’s SWITCH button to select a

❏

bank switch. When the SW indicator ﬂashes it indicates the current switch selected.

Selecting a bank 25

Lit Indicator Selected Switch

1 (10CPI) 1 2 (12CPI) 2 3 (15CPI) 3 4 (COND) 4 5 (PROP) 5

6 (QUIET) 6

Changing a switch setting

After selecting a bank and switch, press the control panel’s ON/OFF

❏

button to turn the switch on and off. The current setting of the switch is indicated by the ON LINE indicator: the indicator is lit when the switch is on, and is not lit when the switch is off.

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26 Using the EDS Mode

Printing the current switch settings

In the EDS Mode, press the control panel’s PRINT button to print out the

❏

current switch settings. Asterisks on the printout show whether a switch is turned on or off.

Checking the settings of switches in a bank

After selecting a bank, press the control panel’s STATUS button to view

❏

the status of each switch in that bank. The control panel’s font indicator is lit when the switch is on, and is not lit when the switch is off.

Lit Indicator Selected Switch

1 (10CPI) 1 2 (12CPI) 2 3 (15CPI) 3

4 (COND) 4

5 (PROP) 5

6 (QUIET) 6

Exiting the EDS Mode

Press the control panels EXIT button to exit the EDS Mode.

❏

Page 33

EDS Mode Settings

The following details all of the settings you can program in the EDS Mode. You can print out a detailed overview of all the settings by performing a test of the printer (page 46).

BANK A

Switch 1: Emulation

Selects Standard emulation (ON) or IBM emulation (OFF). Standard emulation causes the printer to act like the Epson ESC/P (24-pin), while IBM emulation makes it act like the IBM Proprinter XL24E.

Switch 2: Character Table

The function of this switch depends on whether you are using IBM or Standard emulation.

EDS Mode Settings 27

Emulation

Standard

IBM

Switch 2

Setting

ON Graphics: IBM Character Set #2

OFF Italics: Italic character table used

ON IBM Character Set #2

OFF IBM Character Set #1

Description

Switch 3: RAM Usage

Specifies whether RAM should be used as an input buffer (ON) or as a download buffer (OFF). Selecting input buffer (ON) tells the printer to use available RAM to store data it receives from the computer, which speeds up the printing. Selecting download buffer (OFF) tells the printer to use available RAM to store character patterns.

Switch 4: Automatic Sheet Feeder

Specifies whether the optional SF-15DM2 Automatic Sheet Feeder is installed (OFF) or not installed (ON).

Switch 5: Paper Out Detector

Specifies whether the printer’s paper out detector is enabled (ON) or disabled (OFF). When the paper out detector is enabled (ON), the printer automatically stops printing whenever it senses there is no more paper. When it is disabled (OFF), the printer continues printing as long as there is data. Selecting disabled (OFF) makes it possible to print right up to the bottom of a page, but it also creates the danger of printing when there is no paper loaded in the printer, which can damage the print head and platen.

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28 Using the EDS Mode

Switch 6: Multi-Part Mode

Specifies whether the printer’s Multi-Part Mode is enabled (OFF) or disabled (ON). When the Multi-Part Mode is enabled (OFF), the impact of the print head is increased, but head life is decreased. Enable the Multi-Part Mode when printing on four to five-ply paper. Disable the Multi-Part Mode when printing on 1 to 3-ply paper.

BANK B

Switch 1: Graphics Direction

Selects uni-directional (OFF) or bi-directional (ON) printing for graphics. Bidirectional printing (ON) is faster, while uni-directional (OFF) printing generally provides better print quality in the graphics mode.

Switch 2: Auto Tear-off (Long)

Specifies whether the printer’s auto tear-off (long) feature (page 20) is enabled (OFF) or disabled (ON). Note that this setting controls the application software’s tear-off function only. It does not affect the manual tear-off function that is performed using the control panel buttons as described on page 13. The manual tear-off function is always enabled.

Switch 3: Line Spacing

Selects 1/6-inch (ON) or 1/8-inch (OFF) spacing between lines.

Switch 4: Auto LF with CR

Specifies whether auto LF with CR is enabled (OFF) or disabled (ON). When auto LF with CR is enabled (OFF), the printer automatically performs a line feed whenever it receives a carriage return from the computer. When it is disabled (ON), the computer must send both a line feed code and a carriage return code at the end of each line. Most applications do this automatically. Note the following check points when trying to figure out which setting to use here:

✓ If you ﬁnd that your output is double-spaced when it should not be, turn

this switch ON (Disabled).

✓ If you ﬁnd that lines are printing over each other, turn this switch OFF

(Enabled).

Switch 5: Zero Style

Specifies whether a normal zero (ON) or a slashed zero (OFF) will be used. Selecting Normal (ON) prints zeros without lines running through them, while Slashed (OFF) prints zeros with a diagonal slash running through them.

Switch 6: Reserved

Page 35

BANK C

EDS Mode Settings 29

Switches 1, 2: Print Mode

Turn these switches on or off to select the print mode you want to use.

Print Mode SW1 SW2

LQ ON ON

Draft OFF ON

HS-Draft ON OFF

Switches 3, 4, 5: Print Pitch

Turn these switches on or off to form the pattern that matches the print pitch setting you want to make.

Print Pitch SW3 SW4 SW5

10cpi ON ON ON 12cpi OFF ON ON 15cpi ON OFF ON 17cpi OFF OFF ON 20cpi ON ON OFF

Proportional OFF ON OFF

Switch 6: Quiet

When the Quiet Mode is enabled (OFF), the printer prints with less noise than normal printing. Though the Quiet Mode prints more quietly, it also takes considerably longer than normal printing.

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30 Using the EDS Mode

BANK D

Switches 1, 2, 3, 4: Page Length

Turn these switches on or off to form the pattern that matches the Page Length setting you want to use.

Page Length SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4

11”/Letter ON ON ON ON

8” OFF ON ON ON

11.7”/A4 ON OFF ON ON 12” OFF OFF ON ON

8.5”/Letter ON ON OFF ON 14”/Legal OFF ON OFF ON

10.5”/Executive ON OFF OFF ON

7.25”/Executive OFF OFF OFF ON

3.5” ON ON ON OFF

5.5” OFF ON ON OFF

BANK E

Switch 5: CR Centering Position

If you set this switch OFF, the carriage moves to the center each time to feed paper near the perforation. This way, you can get better quality of printing around the perforations. It is recommended to match the page length setting to your fanfold paper, otherwise, this function does not work properly at the perforations. If you leave this switch ON, the carriage does not move when feeding paper.

Switch 6 : Not used

Switches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: Code Page/International Character Set

If your EDS settings specify IBM emulation (Bank A, Switch 1 OFF) with either character table (Bank A, Switch 2), or Standard emulation (Bank A, Switch 1 ON) with the graphics character table (Bank A, Switch 2 ON), use the Bank E switches to select the default character code page you want to use.

Page 37

EDS Mode Settings 31

Code Page SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6

#437 IBM-PC ON ON ON ON ON ON #850 Multi-lingual OFF ON ON ON ON ON #860 Portuguese ON OFF ON ON ON ON #861 Icelandic OFF OFF ON ON ON ON #863 Canadian French ON ON OFF ON ON ON #865 Nordic OFF ON OFF ON ON ON

#866 Russian ON OFF OFF ON ON ON #3840 IBM-Russian OFF OFF OFF ON ON ON #3841 Gost-Russian ON ON ON OFF ON ON #3843 Polish OFF ON ON OFF ON ON #3844 CS2 ON OFF ON OFF ON ON #3845 Hungarian OFF OFF ON OFF ON ON #3846 Turkish ON ON OFF OFF ON ON #3847 Brazil-ABNT OFF ON OFF OFF ON ON #3848 Brazil-ABICOMP ON OFF OFF OFF ON ON

#852 Latin-2 OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON #1001 Arabic ON ON ON ON OFF ON

#737 Greek OFF ON ON ON OFF ON

#851 Greek ON OFF ON ON OFF ON

#869 Greek OFF OFF ON ON OFF ON

#928 Greek ON ON OFF ON OFF ON #2001 Lithuanian-KBL OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON

#772 Lithuanian ON OFF OFF ON OFF ON

#774 Lithuanian OFF OFF OFF ON OFF ON #3001 Estonian-1 ON ON ON OFF OFF ON #3002 Estonian-2 OFF ON ON OFF OFF ON #3011 Latvian-1 ON OFF ON OFF OFF ON #3012 Latvian-2 OFF OFF ON OFF OFF ON #3021 Bulgarian ON ON OFF OFF OFF ON #3031 Hebrew OFF ON OFF OFF OFF ON #3041 Maltese ON OFF OFF OFF OFF ON

Page 38

32 Using the EDS Mode

Code Page SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6

#3850 Standard KU OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF ON #3860 Rajvitee KU ON ON ON ON ON OFF #3861 Microwiz KU OFF ON ON ON ON OFF #3863 STD 988 TIS ON OFF ON ON ON OFF #3864 Popular TIS OFF OFF ON ON ON OFF #3865 Newsic TIS ON ON OFF ON ON OFF

Page 39

EDS Mode Settings 33

A code page is the set of symbols and characters that your printer can print. Your printer converts ASCII hexadecimal data according to a code page to print symbols and characters. By supporting different code pages, the printer can print in a variety of different languages. The following table shows detailed information about code pages.

Code Page Name Country Remarks

#437 IBM PC

#850 Multi-Lingual

#860 Portuguese Portugal #861 Icelandic Iceland

#863

#865 Nordic Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden Preferred by Microsoft

#866 Russian Russia Preferred by Microsoft #3840 IBM-Russian Russia, Bulgaria #3841 Gost-Russian Russia Gost: government standard #3843 Polish Poland Also called “Mazowia” #3844 CS2 Czech Republic Also called “Kamenicky” #3845 Hungarian Hungary #3846 Turkish Turkey #3847 Brazil-ABNT #3848 Brazil-ABICOMP

Canadian

French

United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, United States, Spain

Canada

Preferred by Microsoft

Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary,

#852 Latin-2

#1001 Arabic

#737 Greek Greece Almost 80%

#851 Greek Greece

Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia

Egypt, Saudi Arabia Mainly in Arabic speaking

Preferred by Microsoft

countries

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34 Using the EDS Mode

Code Page Name Country Remarks

#869 Greek Greece

#928 Greek Greece For UNIX #2001 Lithuanian-KBL Lithuania Commonly used for DOS

#772 Lithuanian Lithuania New standard

#774 Lithuanian Lithuania #3001 Estonian-1 Estonia #3002 Estonian-2 Estonia Most often used #3011 Latvian-1 Latvia #3012 Latvian-2 Latvia Government standard #3021 Bulgarian Bulgaria #3031 Hebrew Israel #3041 Maltese Malta #3850 Standard KU Thailand #3860 Rajvitee KU Thailand #3861 Microwiz KU Thailand #3863 STD988 TIS Thailand #3864 Popular TIS Thailand #3865 Newsic TIS Thailand

Page 41

EDS Mode Settings 35

If your EDS settings specify Standard emulation (Bank A, Switch 1 ON) with the italic character table (Bank A, Switch 2 OFF), use the Bank E switches to select the international character set you want to use. This setting determines the assignment of 14 character codes in the Standard Italic character set.

International

Character Set

U.S.A. ON ON ON ON ON ON France OFF ON ON ON ON ON Germany ON OFF ON ON ON ON England OFF OFF ON ON ON ON Denmark-1 ON ON OFF ON ON ON Sweden OFF ON OFF ON ON ON Italy ON OFF OFF ON ON ON Spain-1 OFF OFF OFF ON ON ON Japan ON ON ON OFF ON ON Norway OFF ON ON OFF ON ON Denmark-2 ON OFF ON OFF ON ON Spain-2 OFF OFF ON OFF ON ON Latin America ON ON OFF OFF ON ON Korea OFF ON OFF OFF ON ON Ireland ON OFF OFF OFF ON ON

SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6

Legal OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON

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36 Using the EDS Mode

BANK F

Switches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: LQ Font Selection

Turn these switches on or off to form the pattern that identifies the font you want to use for LQ printing.

Font SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5

Roman ON ON ON ON ON

Sanserif OFF ON ON ON ON

Courier ON OFF ON ON ON

Prestige OFF OFF ON ON ON

OCR-B OFF ON OFF ON ON

Orator OFF OFF OFF ON ON

Note:

Bank C switches 1 and 2 need to be in the correct positions before the above setting will have any effect.

Switch 6: Not used

Page 43

Chapter 4: Using the Printer with MS-DOS

This chapter contains information about how to use the printer with applications software running under MS-DOS. In this chapter, you will learn about:

❏ How to set up for printing with MS-DOS

Setting up for printing with MS-DOS

To print from an application running under MS-DOS, you must first select the printer from within the application. Typically, the program will feature an INSTALL or SETUP command for selection of printers. Refer to the manual for the application you are using for details on how to select a printer for it.

❏ Start up the application and use the correct procedure for that application to

select a printer. The following is a list of printers that can be used. If your application lists more than one of these, select the printer that is nearest to the top of this list. You should also use the EDS mode or User Setup Utility to select Standard emulation (page 27).

Star XB24-250

Star XB24-250/XB-2425

Star LC-4511/4521 Epson LQ-860/1060 Epson LQ-850/1050

If none of the printers listed above are available in the application, choose one of the printers listed below. Once again, you should choose the printer that is nearest to the top in the following list. For these printers, you should use the EDS Mode or User Setup Utility to select IBM emulation (page 27).

IBM Proprinter X24E/XL24E

IBM Proprinter X24/XL24

❏ To print, follow the instructions given in the manual of the application you

are using. Typically, you would select the application’s PRINT command, make any necessary changes in the window that appears (such as the number of copies to be printed), and then press the Enter key to start printing.

Page 44

Chapter 5: Paper Handling

Your printer is designed to print on a variety of paper types. This chapter tells you everything you need to know about paper, and how to set the printer up for manual paper feed. In this chapter, you will learn about:

❏ Selecting the best type of paper ❏ Adjusting for paper thickness ❏ Manual sheet feeding ❏ Clearing paper jams

Selecting paper types

Use the following information when selecting paper. Note that printing is supported for both portrait and landscape orientation unless specifically noted otherwise.

Cut-Sheet Paper (Manual Feed)

Width: 7.2″ to 16.5″ / 183 to 420mm Length: 5.5″ to 14.3″ / 140 to 364mm Size: B5, A4, Letter, Legal, B4 (Landscape), A3 (Landscape) Thickness: 0.00276″ to 0.00472″ / 0.07 to 0.12mm (1-ply only) Weight: 14 to 24 lbs / 52 to 90g/m2 / 45 to 77 kg

Cut-Sheet Paper (with Optional Automatic Sheet Feeder)

Width: 7.2″ to 16.5″ / 183 to 420mm Length: 7.2″ to 14″ / 183 to 356mm Size: B5, A4, Letter, Legal, B4 (Landscape), A3 (Landscape) Thickness: 0.00315″ to 0.00472″ / 0.08 to 0.12mm (1-ply only) Weight: 16 to 24 lbs / 60 to 90g/m2 / 52 to 77 kg Hopper: 50 sheets of 64g/m2, 30 sheets of 80g/m Stacker: 10 sheets

Fanfold Paper

Width (push feed): 4″ to 16.0″ / 101.6 to 406mm Width (pull feed): 4″ to 16.0″ / 101.6 to 406mm Thickness: 0.00276″ to 0.00433″ / 0.07 to 0.11mm (1-ply)

0.01378″ / 0.35mm max. (total thickness of multi-ply, noncarbon)

Weight: 14 to 22 lbs / 52 to 81g/m2 / 45 to 70 kg (1-ply)

11 to 14 lbs / 40 to 52g/m2 / 34 to 45 kg (multi-ply)

Copies: Original + 1 or 2 (Normal Mode)

Page 45

Original + 3 to 4 (Multi-Part Mode) Multi-part Mode and an optional pull tractor are

recommended when printing on 4 or 5-ply paper.

Adjusting for paper thickness

Paper comes in different weights, normally expressed as gsm (grams per square meter) or lbs (pounds). Some form paper also has multiple pages that make them quite thick. Use the following procedure to change the gap between the print head and the platen and adjust for paper thickness.

Adjusting for paper thickness 39

❏ Move the adjustment lever to one of its settings. Position 2 or 3 is most

suitable for single-sheet paper.

Page 46

40 Paper Handling

The following table provides a general guide for setting the adjustment lever. Experiment with different settings until you find the one that gives you the print quality you want.

Paper Type Weight Per Sheet Thickness

Cut-sheet 52 to 90 g/m20.07 to 0.12mm 2 or 3

1-ply 52 to 90 g/m20.07 to 0.12mm 2 or 3 2-ply 40 to 52 g/m20.12 to 0.16mm 2 or 3

Fanfold

3-ply 40 to 52 g/m20.18 to 0.25mm 3 or 4 4-ply 40 to 52 g/m20.24 to 0.30mm 4 or 5 5-ply 40 to 52 g/m20.30 to 0.35mm 5 or 6

Important!

Continuous use of the wrong adjustment lever setting can drastically reduce print head life! The Multi-part Mode is recommended when printing on 4 or 5ply paper.

Automatic fanfold feeding

See “Loading fanfold paper” on page 9 for details on using fanfold paper.

❏

Recommended

Position

Manual sheet feeding

You can use the following procedure to manually feed single sheets of paper into the printer.

❏ Make sure that there is no fanfold paper in the printer. If there is, use the

procedure under “Parking fanfold paper” on page 13 to park the fanfold paper and prepare for manual sheet feeding.

❏ Set the release lever to the cut-sheet position. ❏ Stand up the paper guide (page 8). ❏ Align the left paper guide with the scale mark that matches the size of the

paper you are using. For any paper size other than A3 landscape (horizontal), align the paper

guide with scale 0 (zero). For A3 landscape paper, align the paper guide with the far left mark.

▲

❏ Adjust the right paper guide so there is enough space to insert the paper.

Page 47

Clearing paper jams 41

Insert a sheet of paper into the paper guide, with the side you want to print on facing the back of the printer. Gently lower the paper down into the printer until you feel it stop.

❏ Press the SET/EJECT/PARK button to feed the paper to the starting

position.

❏ If you want to move the paper to another position, use the micro feed

function described under “Micro feed” on page 19.

❏ Start the printing operation from your software application.

Clearing paper jams

Use the following procedure to clear paper jams from the printer.

❏ Unplug the printer from its AC power outlet. ❏ Open the front cover of the printer. ❏ Carefully try to pull the jammed paper from the printer.

If necessary, change the release lever position or rotate the platen knob to remove the paper.

Page 48

Chapter 6: Optional Accessories

This chapter introduces the following optional accessories that are available for this printer:

❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏

Important!

Always make sure that printer power is turned off whenever installing or removing optional accessories.

Automatic Sheet Feeder (SF-15DM Pull Tractor Unit (PT-15XM) Serial Interface Cartridge (IS-8XL) Baffered Parallel Interface Cartridge (IP-128XL) Serial-to-Parallel Converter (SPC-8K)

)

Automatic Sheet Feeder (SF-15DM

The automatic sheet feeder automatically feeds cut sheet paper into the printer.

Preparing the printer

❏

Use the printer’s EDS Mode to change the setting of Bank A Switch 4 to OFF (page 27), which tells the printer that the automatic sheet feeder is installed.

Refer to the manual that comes with the automatic sheet feeder for further details on installation and operation.

)

Page 49

Pull Tractor Unit (PT-15XM)

The pull tractor unit is recommended when printing with multi-part continuous forms.

Refer to the manual that comes with the pull tractor unit for further details on installation and operation.

Serial Interface Cartridge (IS-8XL)

Pull Tractor Unit (PT-15XM) 43

Installing the serial interface cartridge provides serial data communications capabilities between the printer and your computer.

Refer to the manual that comes with the serial interface cartridge for further details on installation and operation.

Page 50

44 Optional Accessories

Buffered Parallel Interface Cartridge (IP-128XL)

Installing the parallel interface cartridge provides parallel data communications capabilities between the printer and your computer.

Refer to the manual that comes with the buffered parallel interface cartridge for further details on installation and operation.

Serial-to-Parallel Converter (SPC-8K)

Connecting the serial-to-parallel converter to the printer’s parallel connector provides serial data communications capabilities between the printer and your computer.

Serial connector

Clear button

Parallel connector

Dip switch

Page 51

Speciﬁcations

Interface RS-232C-level Synchronization Asynchronous Baud rate 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200 BPS (selectable) Word length

Start bit 1 Data bits 7 or 8 (selectable) Parity bit Odd, even, none (selectable) Stop bits One or more

Signal polarity

Mark Logical 1 (-3V to -15V) Space Logical 0 (+3V to +15V) Handshaking DTR, XON/XOFF, ETX/ACK Data buffer 8 kbytes (standard)

Refer to the manual that comes with the serial-to-parallel converter for further details on installation and operation.

Serial-to-Parallel Converter (SPC-8K) 45

Page 52

Appendix A: Troubleshooting

This appendix will help you if you experience problems with your printer. It tells you how to test the printer, how to check system software settings, and how to adjust the vertical alignment. In addition, there is information on actions to take for specific problems.

Warning!

The printer uses high voltage. Do not attempt any other r epair or maintenance except as expressly recommended in this appendix. Unauthorized repair and maintenance not only exposes you to the danger of electrical shock, it also may damage your printer and void your warranty.

Testing the printer

There are two different tests you can use: a self test and a hexadecimal dump.

Self test

❏ Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer. ❏ Turn the printer off. ❏ While holding down the control panel’s ON LINE button or LINE FEED

button, turn the printer on.

❏ To stop demo printing, turn the printer off.

Note:

● The self test prints across the entire width of the carriage. Make sure that

the printer is loaded with the widest paper available in order to avoid damage to the print head and platen.

● Since this test can generate many lines of text and gr aphics, it is a good idea

to perform this test only when using continuous fanfold paper rather than single sheets.

Page 53

Hexadecimal dump

This procedure prints in hexadecimal format all codes (character codes and control codes) that are sent to the printer by the computer. The printer does not execute any control codes (such as 0A - linefeed), it just prints them out. The hexadecimal dump is useful when you are writing programs for printer control.

❏ Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer. ❏ Turn off the printer. ❏ While holding down the control panel’s FORM FEED button, turn the

printer back on to enter the Hex Dump Mode.

❏ The printer will now print out the hexadecimal values of any data that is

subsequently sent to it from your computer.

❏ T o exit the Hex Dump Mode, ﬁrst press ON LINE to set the printer off-line,

and then turn the printer off.

Adjusting the dot alignment

You may never have to use the procedure described in this section, but after you have been using your printer for some time you may find that the dots of some graphics do not align correctly. For example, what should look like:

Hexadecimal dump 47

may come out looking like one of the following:

or like this

This is caused when mechanical parts of the printer get out of alignment. This happens only rarely and you may never experience it at all throughout the life of the printer. If you do have problems, use the following procedure to correct it.

❏ Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer. ❏ Turn off the printer.

Page 54

48 Troubleshooting

❏ While holding down the control panel’s FORM FEED and ON LINE

buttons, turn the printer back on to enter the Dot Adjustment Mode. The printer will print something like the following.

*** DOT ADJUSTMENT SETTING

***



Normal-density

Note that the printer will feed the paper forward and back each time during this operation so you can view the printout.

❏ If the two lines do not align properly, use FONT to move the middle line to

the left or PITCH to move it to the right. The above step performs alignment for Normal-density mode only. You

must make separate adjustments for the HS-DRAFT, CRT graphics mode I, DRAFT Graphics, DRAFT Graphics Speed Down, Double-density, CRT graphics mode II, CRT graphics mode2 SD, Triple-density, Quadrupledensity, LQ Graphics, LQ Graphics Speed Down modes as well.

❏ Press SET/EJECT/PARK to change to another printing mode. ❏ Repeat the above steps for each printing mode, if necessary. ❏ After making changes to adjustments in all the printing modes you want,

press ON LINE to exit the Dot Adjustment Mode and register your adjustments.

Page 55

Troubleshooting guide

Use the following table to help track down the causes of problems and to determine the best solution to deal with them.

Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action

The ON LINE indicator does not light.

Printer sounds like it is printing, but it is not.

Printing is weak.

Printer test works, but printer will not print out data from the attached computer.

The printer is not receiving power.

The ribbon is jammed, twisted, or not set correctly between the print head and the print head shield.

The printer is not set up correctly for the thickness of paper you are using.

The ribbon is worn out or “used up.”

Your application program’s or system software’s printer selection is wrong.

Check whether the power cord is correctly plugged into the power outlet.

Check whether the power outlet is working by unplugging the printer and plugging in another device.

Make sure that the ribbon cassette is installed correctly.

Set up the printer for the paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 39.

Replace the ribbon with a new one.

Check the printer selection of your application software.

The computer’s system software is not set up properly for the printer or for the port you are using.

The interface cable is connected incorrectly or damaged.

Check the system software settings. Check the settings for LPT1, COM 1, or COM 2 if you are using the optional serial interface unit.

Check to make sure that the printer interface cable is connected correctly. If it is, try a different cable.

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50 Troubleshooting

Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action

Printer case is hot. The printer’s air vents are

blocked or obstructed.

Printer makes excessive noise.

Printer prints past the edge of the paper.

The front cover is removed. Replace the front cover. The printer is vibrating. Move any objects that are

Incorrect margin settings are selected by your application program.

The paper guide is not positioned correctly.

The ribbon is jammed, causing the print head to jam.

Switch off the printer and let it cool. Check the air vents on the bottom of the printer to see if they are blocked. Remove the obstruction if possible. If the problem persists, return the printer to your dealer for repair.

touching the printer. Make sure that the printer is

on a level steady surface. Choose different margin

settings from your application program.

Remove the paper and adjust the position of the paper guide. Reload the paper and try printing again.

Make sure that the ribbon cassette is installed correctly. See “Installing the ribbon cartridge” on page 5.

Paper is jamming, causing the print head to jam.

Remove all paper from the printer and reload it. Try printing again.

Set up the printer for the paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 39.

Page 57

Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action

Left margin moves to the right during printing.

Some characters are printed incorrectly .

The paper is not loaded correctly, causing the print head to jam.

The ribbon cassette is not installed correctly, causing the print head to jam.

The printer is not set up correctly for the thickness of paper being used.

Inappropriate settings are selected by your application program.

Static electricity caused by interference from nearby electrical devices or by lowlevel humidity is affecting printer operation.

Remove all paper from the printer and reload it. Try printing again.

Make sure that the ribbon cassette is installed correctly. See “Installing the ribbon cartridge” on page 5.

Set up the printer for the paper thickness you are using. See “Adjusting for paper thickness” on page 39.

Choose different settings in your application.

Make sure that the printer is not too close to any devices with electric motors or try to raise the humidity level.

Inappropriate settings are selected by your application program.

Wires are missing from the print head.

Choose different settings in your application.

Return the printer to your dealer for repair.

Page 58

Checking system software settings in MS-DOS

If you are using a parallel cable and cannot print a text file using the MS-DOS PRINT command, you may have a problem with your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Open the file and look for the following line:

MODE LPT1:=COM1 or MODE LPT1:=COM2 These lines indicate you are using a serial cable connection, and so you should

delete them, save the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, reboot and try printing again. Of course, if you are having problems printing with the optional serial-to-

parallel converter or optional serial interface unit, you should conversely check to make sure that one of the above lines is included in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The file must also contain information on parameter settings. For details, see the user’s manual that comes with the optional serial-to-parallel interface converter or optional serial interface unit.

If the above is not the problem or if you make the above changes and still experience problems printing using the MS-DOS PRINT command, refer to your MS-DOS Users’ Guide or consult your software dealer.

If you are successful in printing using the MS-DOS PRINT command but cannot print from an application, check to see what printer driver is selected in the application. See “Setting up for printing with MS-DOS” on page 36. If this does not help, consult your software dealer.

Page 59

Appendix B: Speciﬁcations

Printing System Serial Impact Dot-Matrix Printing Speed Pitch Draft (cps/dpi) LQ (cps/dpi)

Pica (10 cpi)

Elite (12 cpi) 340/120H 113/360H Semi-condensed (15 cpi (S)) 425/120H 141/360H Semi-condensed (15 cpi (I)) 212/240H 141/360H

Condensed pica (17 cpi) 242/240H 161/360H Condensed elite (20 cpi) 283/240H 188/360H

24 cpi (I) 340/240H 226/360H

H: half-dot (S): Standard mode only (I): IBM mode only

Print Direction Draft: Uni-directional/ bi-directional logic seeking (selectable)

LQ: Uni-directional/ bi-directional logic seeking (selectable) Bit-Image: Uni-directional/ bi-directional logic seeking (selectable)

Print Head Number of pins: 24

Life: 200 million dots/pin (Normal Mode)

″

, 1/8

″,

7/60

″, n/

Line Spacing 1/6

7/72″, n/72″, n/216″: software

Character Matrix Pitch Draft LQ

Pica (10 cpi)

Elite (12 cpi) 24 × 9H 24 × 27H

Semi-condensed (15 cpi(S)) 16 × 7H 16 × 21H

Semi-condensed (15 cpi(I)) 24 × 9H 24 × 16H

Condensed pica (17 cpi) 24 × 9H 24 × 16H Condensed pica (20 cpi) 24 × 9H 24 × 16H

24 cpi (I) 24 × 9H 24 × 14H

H: half-dot (S): Standard mode only (I): IBM mode only

180

283/120H (Normal)

350/80H (HS)

100 million dots/pin (Multi-Part Mode)

″, n/

360

″

24 × 9H (Normal)

24 × 7H (HS)

94/360H

24 × 31H

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54 Specifications

Environment Operating temperature: 41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C)

Storage temperature: –22°F to 149°F (–30°C to 65°C) Operating humidity: 30% to 80% (non-condensing) Storage humidity: 20% to 90% (non-condensing)

Paper Cut-sheet (manual feeding)

Paper width: 7.2″ to 16.5″ / 183 to 420 mm Paper length: 5.5″ to 14.3″ / 140 to 364 mm Paper thickness: 0.00276″ to 0.00472″ / 0.07 to 0.12 mm Paper weight: 14 to 24 lbs. / 52 to 90 g/m2 / 45 to 77 kg

Cut-sheet (with optional automatic sheet feeder)

Paper size: B5, A4, LT, B4, A3, Legal Paper thickness: 0.00315″ to 0.00472″ / 0.08 to 0.12 mm Paper weight: 16 to 24 lbs. / 60 to 90 g/m2 / 52 to 77 kg Hopper: 50 sheets of 64 g/m

30 sheets of 80 g/m

Stacker: 10 sheets

Fanfold (with push tractor feeder)

Paper width: 4″ to 16.0″ / 101.6 to 406 mm Paper thickness: 0.00276″ to 0.00433″ / 0.07 to 0.11 mm (one-ply)

0.01378″ / 0.35 mm maximum (total thickness of multiply paper, non-carbon)

Paper weight: 14 to 22 lbs. / 52 to 82 g/m2 / 45 to 70 kg (one-ply)

11 to 14 lbs. / 40 to 52 g/m2 / 34 to 45 kg (multi-ply)

Copies: Original + 1 or 2 (Normal Mode)

Original + 3 or 4 (Multi-Part Mode) * Multi-Part Mode is recommended when using optional pull tractor unit.

Fanfold (with optional pull tractor feeder)

Paper width: 4″ to 16.0″ / 101.6 to 406 mm Paper thickness: 0.00276″ to 0.00433″ / 0.07 to 0.11 mm (one-ply)

0.01378″ / 0.35 mm maximum (total thickness of multiply paper, non-carbon)

Paper weight: 14 to 22 lbs. / 52 to 82 g/m2 / 45 to 70 kg (one-ply)

11 to 14 lbs. / 40 to 52 g/m2 / 34 to 45 kg (multi-ply)

Copies: Original + 1 or 2 (Normal Mode)

Original + 3 or 4 (Multi-Part Mode)

Emulation Standard Mode: EPSON ESC/P (24-pin)

NEC Graphic compatible

IBM Mode: Proprinter XL24E

Interface Standard: Centronics parallel

Option: RS-232C serial

Ribbon Type On-carriage, dedicated

Fabric monochrome ribbon Color ribbon

2 2

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Ribbon Life Fabric monochrome ribbon (LZ24HD): 4.0 million characters (draft pica)

Dimensions and weight Width: 23.9″ / 608 mm

Power Supply 230V AC +14%/–13%; 50/60Hz Power Consumption

Options PT-15XM Pull Tractor Unit

Color ribbon (X24CL): 1.0 million characters

Depth: 15.8″ / 400 mm Height: 6.2″ / 157 mm Weight: 27.2 lbs. / 12.3 kg

15W during standby / 70W during ASCII draft printing

SF-15DM2 Single-Bin Automatic Sheet Feeder IS-8XL Serial Interface Unit IP-128XL Parallel Interface Unit SPC-8K Serial-To-Parallel Converter

Page 62

Appendix C: Interface Pin Outs

Parallel Interface

Pin Name Function

1 STROBE Goes low for ≥0.5µs when active. 2 DATA0 These signals represent information for the 1st through 8th bit of parallel data, 3 DATA1 4 DATA2 5 DATA3 6 DATA4 7 DATA5 8 DATA6

9 DATA7 10 ACK 11 BUSY Printer sets line low when ready to receive data. 12 PAPER High when paper runs out. 13 SELECT High when printer is on-line. 14 AFXT Printer ignores this signal 15 Not used. 16 SIGNAL GND Signal ground 17 CHASSIS Chassis ground (isolated from signal ground) 18 +5V +5V DC output from printer

19 - 30 GND Twisted pair ground return

31 RESET Printer is reset when this signal goes low. 32 ERROR Low when printing cannot continue due to error. 33 EXT GND External ground

34 - 35 Not used

36 SELECT IN Printer ignores this signal

respectively. Each signal is HIGH when data is logical 1, and LOW when logical

10µs low to acknowledge receipt of data.

Optional Serial Interface

Pin Name Function

1 GND Printer chassis ground

2 TXD Data from printer

3 RXD Data to printer

4 RTS Always space

5 CTS Space when computer is ready to send data. Printer ignores this signal.

6 Not used.

7 GND Signal ground

8 - 10 Not used.

11 RCH Printer sets line to space when ready to receive data. Same signal as Pin 20.

12 - 19 Not used.

20 DTR Printer sets line to space when ready to receive data.

21 - 25 Not used.

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Appendix D: Character Sets

Standard Italic Character Set

International Character Set

The character codes shown in the table are hexadecimal.

Page 64

58 Character Sets

IBM Character Set #2 Code Page #437 (IBM-PC)

Character Set #1

Other characters are the same as those for Character Set #2.

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