Tally Genicom 2900 User Manual

2900

Operator Manual

Serial - Parallel - LAN

Operator Manual 1

This Manual is published by TallyGenicom for use with the computer printer described herein. Translations,
reprinting or copying by any means of this manual, complete or in part, in any different form requires our
explicit approval. TallyGenicom reserves the right to revise this manual without notice, for any reason. This
includes, but is not limited to, utilization of advances in the state-of-the-art and changes in the equipment or
configuration thereof. Liability for difficulties arising from unknown or unforeseen technical limitations is
disclaimed.

FCC Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to
Part 15, Subpart B of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harm­ful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates,
uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction
manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential
area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference
at his own expense.

WARNING

Only trained qualified personnel may open covers or remove parts that are not explicitly shown and described
in the Operator’s Manual as being accessible to the operator.

Please Note:

Printer drivers for various operating systems are available on the Internet at our Web Page
http://www.tallygenicom.com or http://www.tallygenicom.com/worldwide or at your
TallyGenicom distributor.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

“IBM” and “Proprinter” are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
“Epson” is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corp.

2900 Series Operator Manual
© October 2007
All rights reserved

TallyGenicom
6020 South 190th Street
Kent, Washington 98032

2 Operator Manual

Contents

Preface ......................................................................................................... 3–9

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3–9

About This Manual ................................................................................................................... 3–10

Chapter 1 .................................................................................................... 3–11

Site Preparation ........................................................................................................................ 3–11

Figure 1 - 1. Shipping Screw Locations ............................................................................ 3–12

Unpacking your printer ........................................................................................................... 3–12

Repacking ................................................................................................................................. 3–12

Removing the Shipping Hardware.......................................................................................... 3–12

Figure 1 - 3. Rear view, showing Serial, Parallel and Power Plugs .................................. 3–13

Connecting the I/O ................................................................................................................. 3–13

Interface Connections and Powering Up ............................................................................... 3–13

................................................................................................................................................... 3–13

Interface Connectors ............................................................................................................... 3–13

Powering Up ............................................................................................................................. 3–14

Figure 1 - 4. Power plug and on/off switch ..................................................................... 3–14

Figure 1 - 5. Inside the Lid ................................................................................................ 3–15

Paper System ............................................................................................................................. 3–15

Paper System Components ...................................................................................................... 3–15

Print Gap ................................................................................................................................... 3–16

Paper Tension ........................................................................................................................... 3–16

Tractors ..................................................................................................................................... 3–16

Figure 1 - 6. Left and Right Paper Tractors ..................................................................... 3–16

Installing the Ribbon Cartridge .............................................................................................. 3–17

Figure 1 - 8. Installing the Ribbon Cartridge................................................................... 3–17

Figure 1 - 7. Ribbon Cartridge .......................................................................................... 3–17

Figure 1 - 9. Ribbon Shield Panels.................................................................................... 3–18

Figure 1 - 10. Control Panel .............................................................................................. 3–19

LED Indicators ......................................................................................................................... 3–19

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) .................................................................................................. 3–19

Control Panel Components ..................................................................................................... 3–19

Operator Manual 3

Chapter 2 .................................................................................................... 3–21

Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 3–21

Loading Paper for Standard Printing Mode .......................................................................... 3–22

Figure 2 - 1. Inside Paper Inlet, visible when looking inside the printer cabinet. ........ 3–22

Figure 2 - 2. Paper path past the lid. ................................................................................. 3–22

Figure 2 - 4. Column Alignment Scale ............................................................................. 3–23

Figure 2 - 5. Horizontal Vernier Wheel ............................................................................. 3–23

Figure 2 - 6. Top of Form Nubbin ..................................................................................... 3–24

Print Gap Adjustment .............................................................................................................. 3–25

Gap Zone .................................................................................................................................. 3–25

Print Gap Profile Mode ............................................................................................................ 3–25

Creating a Gap Zone Profile .................................................................................................... 3–25

Using a Saved Gap Zone Profile .............................................................................................. 3–26

Fine-tuning the Automatic Print Gap Setting ........................................................................ 3–26

Set Print Gap Detect Mode to Manual .................................................................................... 3–27

Figure 2 - 7. Typical Display when Print Gap Mode is set to “Auto” ............................... 3–27

Setting Up Configurations ....................................................................................................... 3–28

Figure 2 - 8. Typical display when adjusting Print Gap .................................................... 3–28

Chapter 3 .................................................................................................... 3–29

Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 3–29

Control Panel Display .............................................................................................................. 3–29

The Display During Normal Operation.................................................................................. 3–30

Figure 3 - 1. Control Panel Display for Normal Operation ............................................ 3–30

Current State ............................................................................................................................ 3–30

Current Configuration ............................................................................................................. 3–30

Paper Weight & Hammer Impact ........................................................................................... 3–30

The Display When In A Menu ................................................................................................. 3–31

Figure 3 - 2. Control Panel Display for Menus ................................................................. 3–31

Table 3 - 1 Paper Weight & Hammer Impact Indicator ................................................... 3–31

Control Panel Key Functions ................................................................................................... 3–32

Online Key ................................................................................................................................ 3–32

LF Key (Line Feed) .................................................................................................................. 3–32

FF Key (Form Feed) ................................................................................................................. 3–32

Figure 3 - 3. Control Panel ................................................................................................. 3–32

FF Key (Form Feed) continued ............................................................................................... 3–33

TOF Key (Top of Form)........................................................................................................... 3–33

View Key .................................................................................................................................... 3–33

PRINT GAP + and - Keys .......................................................................................................... 3–33

Up and Down Arrow Keys ........................................................................................................ 3–33

Menu Key .................................................................................................................................. 3–33

Enter Key................................................................................................................................... 3–34

Clear Key ................................................................................................................................... 3–34

Clear Key continued ................................................................................................................. 3–35

4 Operator Manual

Config Key................................................................................................................................. 3–35

Control Panel Menus ............................................................................................................... 3–36

Categories, Parameters and Selections ................................................................................... 3–36

Using Menus ............................................................................................................................. 3–36

Example: Changing Form Length Using the Menu System ................................................ 3–38

How to Print a Control Panel Selected Options Report........................................................ 3–39

Operator Menu......................................................................................................................... 3–40

Font Category ........................................................................................................................... 3–40

Ser/Par Language .................................................................................................................... 3–40

Ser/Par Character Set .............................................................................................................. 3–41

Matrix ........................................................................................................................................ 3–41

OCRA Density ........................................................................................................................... 3–41

Ser/Par Style ............................................................................................................................. 3–42

CPI (Characters Per Inch) ....................................................................................................... 3–42

Panel Language ........................................................................................................................ 3–42

OCR Standards ......................................................................................................................... 3–42

Zero ........................................................................................................................................... 3–42

Compressed 8 ........................................................................................................................... 3–42

Forms Category ........................................................................................................................ 3–43

Length (lines) ........................................................................................................................... 3–43

Length (inches)........................................................................................................................ 3–43

LPI (Lines Per Inch) ................................................................................................................ 3–43

Top Margin ............................................................................................................................... 3–43

Bottom Margin ......................................................................................................................... 3–43

Left Margin ............................................................................................................................... 3–44

Right Margin ............................................................................................................................. 3–44

Horz Adjust ............................................................................................................................... 3–44

Vert Adjust................................................................................................................................. 3–44

Print to EOF (End Of Form) ................................................................................................... 3–44

Print to EOF (End Of Form) Continued ............................................................................... 3–45

Quick Access ............................................................................................................................. 3–45

Eject Distance ........................................................................................................................... 3–45

Eject Delay ................................................................................................................................ 3–46

Impact ....................................................................................................................................... 3–46

Paper Weight ............................................................................................................................ 3–46

Fast Slew .................................................................................................................................... 3–46

Double Strike ............................................................................................................................ 3–46

RibbonMonitor ......................................................................................................................... 3–46

RibnMon Thresh ...................................................................................................................... 3–47

Perf Skip .................................................................................................................................... 3–48

Print Gap Category ................................................................................................................... 3–48

Detect ........................................................................................................................................ 3–48

Adjust......................................................................................................................................... 3–48

Reset .......................................................................................................................................... 3–49

Mode ......................................................................................................................................... 3–49

Creating a Gap Zone Profile .................................................................................................... 3–50

Operator Manual 5

Detect Distance ......................................................................................................................... 3–50

VFU Category (Vertical Format Units) ................................................................................... 3–51

VFU Enable ............................................................................................................................... 3–51

VT Channel (Vertical Tab Channel) ....................................................................................... 3–51

Skip When ................................................................................................................................. 3–51

Config Menu ............................................................................................................................. 3–52

Printer Category ....................................................................................................................... 3–52

Powerup .................................................................................................................................... 3–52

Ser/Par Emulation ................................................................................................................... 3–52

LAN Emulation (LAN Interface only) .................................................................................... 3–52

Dump Mode .............................................................................................................................. 3–52

IO Hold ..................................................................................................................................... 3–53

Report ....................................................................................................................................... 3–53

Beeper Mode ............................................................................................................................ 3–54

Beeper Volume ......................................................................................................................... 3–54

Codes Category ......................................................................................................................... 3–55

Auto LF (Line Feed) ................................................................................................................ 3–55

Auto CR (Carriage Return) ..................................................................................................... 3–55

Line Wrap ................................................................................................................................. 3–55

Wrap Line Feed ........................................................................................................................ 3–55

Print on CR ............................................................................................................................... 3–56

Form Feed at TOF .................................................................................................................... 3–56

ESC ............................................................................................................................................ 3–56

Alt ESC (Alternate Escape)..................................................................................................... 3–56

Upper Only ............................................................................................................................... 3–56

Code 7F ..................................................................................................................................... 3–57

Print 80 - 9F Hex ...................................................................................................................... 3–57

Ignore Char .............................................................................................................................. 3–57

Sub Char From ......................................................................................................................... 3–57

Sub Char To .............................................................................................................................. 3–57

Configurations Category .......................................................................................................... 3–58

Save ............................................................................................................................................ 3–58

Load........................................................................................................................................... 3–58

Powerup Config ........................................................................................................................ 3–58

Config n Label - (where n = 1 to 10)....................................................................................... 3–58

Serial I/O Category .................................................................................................................. 3–60

Baud .......................................................................................................................................... 3–60

Data Bits .................................................................................................................................... 3–60

Stop Bits .................................................................................................................................... 3–60

Parity.......................................................................................................................................... 3–60

8th Bit ........................................................................................................................................ 3–60

Protocol ..................................................................................................................................... 3–60

Status Enquiry ........................................................................................................................... 3–61

DTR Function ........................................................................................................................... 3–61

DTR Function continued......................................................................................................... 3–62

DTR Polarity ............................................................................................................................. 3–62

6 Operator Manual

Busy Polarity.............................................................................................................................. 3–62

RTS Function ............................................................................................................................ 3–62

Robust Xon ............................................................................................................................... 3–62

Parallel I/O Category............................................................................................................... 3–63

POPC (Print On Paper Command) ........................................................................................ 3–63

8th Bit ........................................................................................................................................ 3–63

Bi-Directional ............................................................................................................................ 3–63

Intellifilter Category ................................................................................................................. 3–64

Serial.......................................................................................................................................... 3–64

Parallel ...................................................................................................................................... 3–64

Twinax/Coax ............................................................................................................................ 3–64

LAN ........................................................................................................................................... 3–64

File Management ...................................................................................................................... 3–64

TCP/IP Menu (LAN Interface Only) ..................................................................................... 3–65

IP Addr Category ...................................................................................................................... 3–65

Gateway Category ..................................................................................................................... 3–65

Subnet Category ....................................................................................................................... 3–66

Test Menu.................................................................................................................................. 3–67

Pattern Category ....................................................................................................................... 3–67

Print ........................................................................................................................................... 3–67

Fault Override Category .......................................................................................................... 3–68

Paper Motion ............................................................................................................................ 3–68

Diag Category ........................................................................................................................... 3–68

Cal-Paper (Calibrate Paper Out)............................................................................................. 3–68

Help Menu ................................................................................................................................ 3–69

Figure 3 - 5. Control Panel Navigation............................................................................. 3–69

Appendix A: Troubleshooting ..................................................................... 3–71

Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 3–71

Messages .................................................................................................................................... 3–71

Faults ......................................................................................................................................... 3–71

Fault Correction Procedure..................................................................................................... 3–71

Table A - 1. Display Messages ............................................................................................ 3–72

Table A - 2. Paper/Printing Corrective Action ................................................................ 3–76

Operator Manual 7

Appendix B: Specifications ......................................................................... 3–77

Industry and Agency Standards ............................................................................................... 3–77

Electro-Magnetic Emissions ..................................................................................................... 3–77

Electro-Magnetic Immunity ..................................................................................................... 3–77

Energy Conservation ................................................................................................................ 3–77

Safety ......................................................................................................................................... 3–77

Acoustic ..................................................................................................................................... 3–77

Marking ..................................................................................................................................... 3–77

Physical Configurations ........................................................................................................... 3–78

Weight ....................................................................................................................................... 3–78

Dimensions ............................................................................................................................... 3–78

Preventive Maintenance........................................................................................................... 3–78

Environment ............................................................................................................................. 3–78

Operating .................................................................................................................................. 3–78

Nonoperating ........................................................................................................................... 3–78

Safety ......................................................................................................................................... 3–78

Cooling System ......................................................................................................................... 3–79

Acoustics.................................................................................................................................... 3–79

Power Supply ............................................................................................................................ 3–79

Heat Load Contribution .......................................................................................................... 3–79

Emulations ................................................................................................................................ 3–80

Characters Per Inch.................................................................................................................. 3–80

Lines Per Inch........................................................................................................................... 3–80

Type Styles ................................................................................................................................. 3–80

Draft and Data Processing ....................................................................................................... 3–80

Gothic and Courier .................................................................................................................. 3–80

OCR–A and OCR–B ................................................................................................................. 3–80

Large Character Printing ......................................................................................................... 3–80

Standard Languages and Character Sets ................................................................................ 3–81

Nonvolatile Memory................................................................................................................. 3–82

Paper Description ..................................................................................................................... 3–82

Paper Movement Speed ........................................................................................................... 3–82

Throughput .............................................................................................................................. 3–82

8 Operator Manual

Preface

Introduction

The 2900 Impact Printers are designed to handle heavy duty, high volume
workloads, with a straight paper path that provides unattended, jam-free print­ing of continuous forms, at high speeds. They have a wide range of printer
emulations, network printer management ability, popular graphics languages
and web administration utilities.

The 2900 Series offers the following I/O configurations (Modules):

• Standard Serial/Parallel

• LANPlex (Standard plus Ethernet 10/100 BASE-T)

In less than five minutes you can add other configurations by inserting a new
module. Installation instructions come with the module.

All interface configurations and printer
setups are performed through the control
panel on the top right of the unit. And
since the printer’s operational configura­tion is stored in nonvolatile memory;
you’ll never have to reconfigure your
printer because of a power loss.

Operator Manual Preface–9

About This Manual

Conventions

We use the following conventions throughout this manual:

Text that is placed in italics draws your attention to additional helpful
information.

Sometimes your attention is more particularly drawn by the use of this
symbol.

CAREFUL!

This symbol marks information about actions
that may damage the equipment or injure the
user.

Preface–10 Operator Manual

Chapter 1

Site Preparation

Choosing a site for your printer is important because the environment affects
your print quality. The best site for your printer is one that is protected from
dirt and heavy dust, and has a moderate temperature and humidity range. In
addition, the power source should be adequate for printer operation and
protected from power surges.

Keep the following factors in mind when choosing a printer location:

• Keep the operating environment temperature between 50°F and 104°F

• Do not locate your printer near air conditioners, open windows,

• The relative humidity should be between 10% and 90%

• The heat load contribution to the environment is 188 BTUs per hour

(10°C and 40°C).

heaters, nor in other areas where the temperature changes abruptly.

(noncondensing). Be sure to locate the printer away from any sources
of moisture, such as water faucets, refrigerators, and humidifiers.

at idle and can go as high as 2050 BTUs per hour under continuous
full-load printing conditions.

• Keep your printer away from dust, dirt, and open flames.

• Plug your printer into a grounded outlet.

• Minimum floor space recommended for your printer is 36" wide x 36"
deep (91.4 cm x 91.4 cm) to allow air movement around the printer.
Allow space to open printer doors as well. When the doors are fully
opened, the printer takes up 6.5 feet (2.0 m) of floor space.

Chapter 1: Setting Up Your Printer 1–11

Unpacking the Printer

Unpacking your printer

Instructions for unpacking your printer are located on the outside of the
shipping container. After you have removed your printer from its container,
store the shipping materials for possible later use.

Repacking

Repacking your printer for storage or shipping is the reverse order of
unpacking. If shipping materials are needed, you can reorder them from your
dealer.

Removing the Shipping Hardware

The Shipping Hardware consists of 4 screws, identified by red tags, that secure
the printer base to the inside mechanism, and tie restraints that secure the
Paper Stacking Chains. The shipping screws fasten from underneath, 2 near the
front of the print cabinet and 2 near the rear of the cabinet.

CAREFUL!

DO NOT power up your printer before removing the shipping
hardware.

Arrows point to shipping

screw locations

1–12 Operator Manual

Figure 1 - 1. Shipping Screw Locations

Interface Connections and Powering Up

Interface Connectors

Properly secure the cable to the printer interface using the correct connectors.

Interface Connections

CAREFUL!

Connecting the I/O

Shielded I/O cables must be used on all installations to
comply with regulatory requirements.

After connecting each interface to your printer, run a print job from the Host
Computer to verify proper function of the printer.

Serial/Parallel Interfaces

To connect the Serial or Parallel I/O cable, plug in the cable to the proper
connector on the I/O panel.

The serial interface operates up to 38.4 kBaud and uses a standard DB 25 serial
cable connector and standard RS-232-C signals. Serial interface cables should
be no longer than 50 feet (15.2 meters).

The Centronics parallel port is IEEE-1284 compliant and uses a 36-pin 1284-B
type connector (AMP 555119-1 or equivalent). Parallel interface cables should
be no longer than 6 feet (2 meters)

Serial Interface Port

Parallel Interface Port

Figure 1 - 3. Rear view, showing Serial, Parallel and Power Plugs

Power Plug

Chapter 1: Setting Up Your Printer 1–13

Powering Up

Powering Up

The power switch is located on the back of the printer, just above the 3-prong
power plug connector.

Figure 1 - 4. Power plug and on/off switch

Step 1.

Make sure the power is off by depressing the "0" side of the rocker power
switch. Connect the power cord. Plug the power cord into a proper power
outlet.

Step 2.

Turn the power on.

The printer runs a self-test each time it is powered up to check the main
processor and buffers for errors. Note that when you turn the printer on this
time, the Paper Out error displays. If any error message appears in the display,
check Appendix A for a description of the error and what actions are necessary
to clear the error.

1–14 Operator Manual

Paper System

Paper System Components

The Tractors, Ribbon Cartridge, Platen and Paper Iron are all parts of the
paper system. The first two can be seen when the lid is raised. The Platen and
Paper Iron are hidden inside the housing.

Paper System Components

Tractors

Ribbon
support
platform

shaft for
tractors

Ribbon Cartridge

Figure 1 - 5. Inside the Lid

Chapter 1: Setting Up Your Printer 1–15

Paper System Components

Tractors

The 2900 has two tractors to control paper movement, located on the left and
right.

A lever on each tractor keeps it locked in place on a horizontal shaft. To reposi­tion a tractor, unlock the tractor and move it to the left or the right along the
shaft. Repositioning is generally needed only when inserting a new form or size
of paper.

Tractors
Open

Print Gap

locking

lever

Figure 1 - 6. Left and Right Paper Tractors

The 2900 printers offer Auto-Gap which simplifies operator set-up and printer
use by setting the optimum print gap based on the form thickness. The print
gap is automatically opened to its widest position when the printer is not
printing. To accommodate various thicknesses of paper, the print gap is
adjusted either automatically or manually. (See Chapter 2 pages 2-30 to 2-33
and Chapter 3 pages 3-56 to 3-58). If the Print Gap Detect Mode has been set to
"Auto," the auto gap sensing operation will take place the first time the power is
turned on, immediately after a "paper out" fault, when the TOF key is pressed,
and when printing is attempted without setting the Top Of Form. Dedicated
control panel keys also allow the print gap to be adjusted based on operator
preference.

Paper Tension

Vertical tension on the paper is pre-set. It is not controlled by the user.

1–16 Operator Manual

Installing the Ribbon Cartridge

Step 1.

Make sure the printer is Offline or power is off. Open the printer lid and
remove the old ribbon by lifting it straight up off of the Ribbon Platform.

Figure 1 - 7. Ribbon Cartridge

Installing Ribbon Cartridge

Step 2.

Remove slack in the new ribbon by turning the knob on the ribbon cartridge as
indicated by the arrow printed next to the knob, then slip the ribbon, left side
first, over the two ribbon guides and between the front and rear panels of the
ribbon shield on the printer.

Step 3.

Press down lightly on the cartridge while turning the ribbon knob as before
until it seats on first the left, (as shown), and then the right cartridge drive
posts. Make sure that the ribbon does not twist or fold over.

Figure 1 - 8. Installing the Ribbon Cartridge

Chapter 1: Setting Up Your Printer 1–17

Installing Ribbon Cartridge

The front and rear
panels of the ribbon
shield

Figure 1 - 9. Ribbon Shield Panels

1–18 Operator Manual

The ribbon has been carefully positioned
between the two panels of the ribbon shield.

Control Panel Components

The Control Panel is located on the right front top of the printer housing. It is
used to program and direct most printer functions.

Red LED Indicator

Green LED Indica-

Control Panel Components

beeper

32-character

}

Figure 1 - 10. Control Panel

LED Indicators

The green ONLINE indicator illuminates whenever there is power to the
printer, and the printer is Online.

The red FAULT Indicator illuminates whenever an error or fault is detected. A
message also appears on the display to indicate what kind of fault is present (see
Appendix A for explanations of all error and fault messages).

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

The 32-character, 2-line Liquid Crystal Display shows printer status, menu
selections, normal, fault and error messages. It is divided into four main areas.
The displayed information will vary with menu selection and the configuration
of the printer.

Once the printer has been unpacked, the cables connected, the ribbon car­tridge installed, and a box of paper (whether plain paper or pre-printed forms)
placed nearby, you are ready to load the paper and set the various parameters
via the Control Panel that will ensure that the 6300 Series printer performs
exactly as you need. This is covered in the next chapter.

Chapter 1: Setting Up Your Printer 1–19

Blank

Page

1–20 Operator Manual

Chapter 2

Introduction

This chapter covers how to load the paper and to set the print gap. It also covers
how to create saveable configuration settings for your own pre-printed forms.

Your printer is designed to use a continuous sheet, sprocket-fed paper. It can
handle:

• Six-part forms (1 original and 5 copies) with a maximum thickness of

• Page widths of 2.5" to 18" (6.4 cm to 45.7 cm).

Specific requirements for pre-printed forms are in Appendix C: Specifications.

.025" (0.6 mm).

Chapter 2: Loading Paper and Printing 2–21

Standard Printing Mode

Loading Paper for Standard Printing Mode

Step 1.

Turn off the printer using the power switch on the back, or toggle the "Online"
button on the Control Panel until the LCD shows "Offline".

Step 2.

Raise the printer lid and open the doors on both tractors.

Figure 2 - 1. Inside Paper Inlet, visible when looking inside the printer cabinet.

Step 3.

Step 4.

Step 5.

Open the new box of paper. Remove the box top so that the paper can be
pulled out freely. Open the front of the printer cabinet and place the new box
of paper inside.

Feed the paper up through the paper inlet, as shown in figure 2-1, a little ways
past the tractors and through the gap between the top back of the printer and
the lid (Figure 2-2). It will flow out between the paper chains and fold into the
wire rack near the floor (Figure 2-3).

Place the left-side paper holes onto the left tractor pins and close the tractor
door.

Feed paper
between the
lid and the
top of the
printer.

2–22 Operator Manual

Figure 2 - 2. Paper path past the lid.

Step 6.

Standard Printing Mode

Figure 2 - 4. Column Alignment Scale

The Column Alignment Scale is on the top of the ribbon support platform. It is
to be used for general guidance in horizontally aligning the form for each
print job. The leftmost mark on the scale indicates the location of the first, or
leftmost, printable character. Each successive tick mark indicates the location
of additional 10 CPI characters.

Unlock the right tractor and move it so that the paper's holes align directly
over the tractor pins, making sure that the paper is straight, then close the
tractor door. Gently push the tractor to the right until the paper is smooth.
Unlock the left tractor and, keeping the paper reasonably taut, holding onto
both tractors, move the paper to the left or the right until it is roughly aligned
with the desired mark on the Column Alignment Scale. Lock both tractors.

Horizontal Vernier Wheel

Figure 2 - 5. Horizontal Vernier Wheel

Chapter 2: Loading Paper and Printing 2–23

Standard Printing Mode

Fine-tuning the Column Alignment can be done in two ways:

(1) Rotate the Horizontal Vernier Wheel, which is located on the right end of
the shaft on which the tractors ride. Depending upon the direction the paper
needs to move, you will rotate the wheel either upwards or downwards.

(2) Use the Control Panel. Go Offline, choose Menu, then use the arrow keys to
get to the Operator Menu. Press Enter. Use the arrow keys to get to Forms.
Press Enter. Use the arrow keys to get to Horz Adjust. Press Enter. Use the arrow
keys to increase or decrease the number that appears in the lower right of the
LCD. This will shift the position of Column 1.

Step 7.

Set the Top of the Form (TOF). This is done from the Control Panel. If the
printer is not on, turn it on now. If necessary, press the Online key until
“Offline” is displayed. Use the up or down arrow keys to move the perforation
line on the paper so that it is aligned with the nubbin on the tractor door. Once
the paper is positioned, press the TOF key. The paper will move downward to
the “ready to print” position and the correct print gap will be set based on the
form thickness.

2–24 Operator Manual

Nubbin

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

-

Figure 2 - 6. Top of Form Nubbin

Print Gap Adjustment

The 2900 Auto-Gap feature automatically sets the correct print gap based on
form thickness. Dedicated control panel keys also allow the print gap to be
adjusted for darker or lighter print based on user preference. For ease of paper
loading, the print gap is set to its widest position while the printer is not
printing. The Auto-Gap feature is automatically initiated under the following
conditions:

1. The Print Gap Mode is Auto, the printer has been off but is now turned on,
and a TOF is set before any printing has begun.

2. The Print Gap Mode is Auto, the printer has been off but is now turned on,
and a print run is started before TOF is set.

3. The Print Gap Mode is Auto, a Paper Out Fault has been cleared, and either
the TOF is set or a print run is resumed.

4. The Print Gap Mode is Auto, the printer has been off but is now turned on,
and an adjustment is made using the “-” or “+” Print Gap keys on the Control
Panel.

Print Gap

Even though the print gap value has been automatically determined, there
might be times when it needs to be further fine-tuned using the Control Panel
as described below under Manually Adjust Print Gap on Control Panel.

Gap Zone

The Gap Zone feature is used to set up a variable print gap for forms that
contain areas of varying thickness. This is done by creating a Gap Zone Profile
for the form, saving it in one of the ten saved configurations, then loading that
configuration whenever the particular form is used.

Print Gap Profile Mode

As previously described, the Print Gap Mode is set up in the Print Gap Category
of the Operator Menu. There are three Print Gap Modes. In Manual Mode, the
print gap is set manually using the Print Gap keys on the control panel. In Auto
Mode (default), the print gap is automatically detected whenever a new form is
loaded, and when the printer is powered on. Profile Mode is the mode that
must be set when using the Gap Zone feature, as described below.

Creating a Gap Zone Profile

A Gap Zone Profile is created automatically in four simple steps:

Step 1 – Load the Form

Load the form for which the profile will be generated. Be sure to set the
Top of Form position, and be sure that the Form Length is set properly.

Step 2 – Set Profile Mode

The Print Gap Mode is set up in the Print Gap Category of the Operator Menu.
Set the Mode Parameter to Profile. Press Operator Menu => PrintGap =>
Mode => Profile => Enter.

Chapter 2: Loading Paper and Printing 2–25

Print Gap

Step 3 – Create the Profile

Select the Detect Parameter in the Print Gap Category of the Operator Menu.
Press Menu => up arrow until Detect shows => Enter. This will cause the
printer to move down the form in 1/6 inch increments, performing a print
gap detection operation at each increment. Note that this operation will
take approximately five to six minutes for an 11 inch form. Also note that
the print gap detection operation will leave small dots imprinted on the
form, so the sample form will have to be discarded.

If the printer is placed Online while in Print Gap Profile Mode, and a
profile does not exist (i.e. the Detect function was not performed), then a

Profile Error message will be displayed on the control panel.

Step 4 – Save the Profile

Once the Gap Zone Profile is created, you will probably want to save it for
future use. By saving the Current Configuration into any of the ten saved
printer configurations, the Gap Zone Profile is automatically saved along
with the other configuration parameters. If the Current Configuration is
not saved, the Gap Zone Profile just created will be lost when the printer is
turned off. See page 3-71 for directions in how to save a configuration.

Using a Saved Gap Zone Profile

Whenever a configuration with the Print Gap Mode set to Profile is loaded, the
Gap Zone Profile is automatically used when printing forms.

The Gap Zone Profile can be inhibited by changing the Print Gap Mode from
Profile to either Manual or Auto.

If the Form Length is changed to a value other than the one used to create the
Gap Zone Profile, the profile will be automatically disabled. If the printer is
then placed Online while still in Print Gap Profile Mode, a Profile Error mes­sage will be displayed on the control panel.

Fine-tuning the Automatic Print Gap Setting

When in Auto Gap mode, even though the print gap is automatically deter­mined, you may need to further fine-tune it using the Control Panel. If your
print is not crisp and dark, you can adjust the print gap until all dots in the
printed characters are uniformly dark; be careful not to adjust the gap too tight,
to prevent paper jams.

The “-” and “+” Print Gap keys are normally locked to prevent accidental print
gap changes. These keys can be unlocked by holding down both keys simulta­neously for approximately 3 seconds until the print gap adjustment display
appears. These keys will remain unlocked for approximately 1 minute after the
last key is pressed, after which they will once again be locked.

2–26 Operator Manual