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Epson 1010 User Manual

Epson printer user's manual lq-510, 1010
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  • Page 2 ® EPSON L Q - 5 1 0 / 1 0 1 0 User’s Manual...
  • Page 3 Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. Epson America, Inc. shall not be liable against any damages arising from the use of any options other than those designated as Original Epson Products by Seiko Epson Corporation.

  • Page 4: Important Safety Instructions

    IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 1. Read all of these instructions and save them for later reference. 2. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product. 3. Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning, 4.
  • Page 5 10. If an extension cord is used with this product, make sure that the total of the ampere ratings on the products plugged into the extension cord do not exceed the extension cord ampere rating. Also, make sure that the total of all products plugged into the wall outlet does not exceed 15 amperes.

  • Page 6: Table Of Contents

    Assembling the Printer......Testing the Printer........
  • Page 7 Chapter 6 Maintenance Cleaning the Printer ....... . Replacing the Ribbon .......
  • Page 8 Chapter 9 Command Summary Using the Command Summary..... . . Commands in Numerical Order ..... . Commands Arranged by Topic.

  • Page 9: Introduction

    Features In addition to the high-quality printing and ease of operation you have come to expect from Epson printers, the LQ-510 and LQ-1010 offer the following features: Easy paper handling, featuring automatic single-sheet loading. Compatibility with the Epson ESC/P LQ-500, LQ-800, LQ-850, LQ-950, LQ-1000, LQ-1050, LQ-1500, LQ-2500, and LQ-2550.

  • Page 10: Options

    The ability to handle a wide range of paper types, including envelopes and labels. The LQ-510 and LQ-1010 are basically the same printer except for the width of their carriages. The LQ-510 has a standard width carriage that accommodates paper up to a width of 10 inches. The LQ-1010 has a wide carriage that accommodates paper up to a width of 14 inches.
  • Page 11 Single-bin Cut Sheet Feeder (C806122/C806242) The cut sheet feeder makes it possible to handle single-sheet paper more easily and more efficiently. Up to 150 sheets of standard bond paper can be automatically fed into the printer without reloading. Pull Tractor Unit (C800062/C800142) This option improves the performance of continuous paper handling.

  • Page 12: About This Manual

    Be sure to read and follow these instructions first. Inside the back cover of this manual are illustrations of the printer in which all of the major parts are identified. Chapters 2 and 3 cover paper handling and general printer operation.
  • Page 13 Chapter 4 shows you how to get the most from your printer. It includes advice on the use of software commands, graphics, and creating your own user-defined characters. See Chapter 9 for a useful summary of printer commands. If the printer does not operate properly or the printed results are not what you expect, see Chapter 7 for troubleshooting instructions.

  • Page 14: Where To Get Help

    Epson is confident that this policy will provide you with the assistance you need. Call the Epson Consumer Information Center at 1-213-782-2600 for the following: The location of the nearest Epson dealer The location of the nearest Customer Care Center.

  • Page 15: Chapter 1 Setting Up The Printer

    Attaching the Paper Guide......Testing the Printer........

  • Page 16: Unpacking The Printer

    This section describes how to unpack your printer. Checking the Parts When you unpack the printer, make sure that you have all the parts shown below and that none have been damaged. After removing the parts, save the packaging materials in case you ever need to transport your printer.

  • Page 17: Removing The Protective Materials

    Removing the Protective Materials The printer is protected during shipping by pieces of white packing material. Also, the wide carriage printer is protected by a locking clip, which must be removed before you turn on the printer. CAUTION: Before turning on the wide carriage printer, be absolutely sure you have removed the locking clip.
  • Page 18 Unpacking the printer 3. To remove the locking clip on the wide carriage printer, lift and remove the paper tension unit. 4. Remove the locking clip. Note: Store the clip with the other packing material in case you ever need to transport your printer.

  • Page 19: Choosing A Place For The Printer

    There are several important things to consider when selecting a place to set up your printer. Keep the following in mind: Place the printer on a flat, hard, stable surface. A soft surface, such as a padded counter or carpeted area, will block the ventilation slots and may cause overheating.
  • Page 20 The stand should be able to support at least twice the weight of the printer. Never use a stand that supports the printer at an angle of more than 15 degrees from horizontal. With a cut sheet feeder, your printer must be kept level.

  • Page 21: Assembling The Printer

    The platen knob is packed in an indentation in the printer’s white foam packing material. 1. Insert the knob into the hole on the printer’s side and rotate it slowly until it slips onto the shaft.

  • Page 22: Installing The Ribbon Cartridge

    2. Push firmly on the platen knob until it fits against the printer case. CAUTION: Do not use the platen knob to adjust the position of the paper. This interferes with the automatic paper loading system and may cause a paper jam.
  • Page 23 CAUTION: Never move the print head while the printer is turned on because this can damage the printer. Also, if you have been using the printer, the print head may be hot; let it cool for a few minutes before touching it.
  • Page 24 Assembling the Printer 3. On the standard width printer, open the paper tension unit cover. (On the wide carriage printer, you already removed the paper tension unit when you removed the locking clip.) 4. Hold the ribbon cartridge by its handle and push it firmly down into position, making sure the plastic hooks fit into the slots.
  • Page 25 Slide the print head from side to side to make sure it moves smoothly. Also check that the ribbon is not twisted or creased. Setting Up the Printer 1-11...
  • Page 26 7. On the standard width printer, close the paper tension unit cover. The standard width printer is now complete. 8. On the wide carriage printer, fit the rear notches of the paper tension unit over the pins of the printer; then lower the unit. 1-12...

  • Page 27: Attaching The Paper Guide

    Attaching the Paper Guide When you use single sheets, the paper guide helps to feed the paper smoothly and efficiently into the printer. Attach the paper guide using the following procedure. 1. Place the paper guide on the printer.
  • Page 28 3. Attach the printer cover by fitting the hooks on the cover into the notches at the front of the printer and tilting the cover back into place.

  • Page 29: Testing The Printer

    Testing the Printer Now that your printer is fully assembled, you can use its built-in self test function to see that the printer is working correctly before you connect it to a computer. You should perform this test to make sure that your printer was not damaged during shipping and that the ribbon is correctly installed.
  • Page 30 The self test is 8 inches wide on the standard width printer and 14 inches wide on the wide carriage printer. CAUTION: Never run the self test using paper that is narrower than 8¼ inches (210 mm) on the standard width printer or 14 inches (360 mm) on the wide carriage printer.
  • Page 31 3. While holding down the LINE FEED button (draft mode) or FORM FEED button (Letter Quality mode), turn on the printer. The printer beeps several times and POWER and PAPER OUT lights come on. 4. Move the left edge guide so that it locks in place next to the guide mark.
  • Page 32 Note: If the platen turns without loading the paper, press the ON LINE button to take the printer off line. Then remove the paper and reinsert it more firmly. A list of DIP switch settings is printed first, followed by a series of characters.
  • Page 33 7. When you wish to stop the test, press the ON LINE button. 8. If the paper is still loaded, press the LOAD/EJECT button or LINE FEED button to eject it. Then turn off the printer. CAUTION After turning the power off, always wait at least five seconds before turning it back on.
  • Page 34 Note: When using the optional cut sheet feeder, the first page of the self test printout is slightly different. For details, see The Cut Sheet Feeder in Chapter 5. 1-20 Setting Up the Printer SW1-1 1-2 1-3 on off on on off off...
  • Page 35 See Chapter 7, Troubleshooting, for other possible causes and solutions. If the printer still does not print the self test correctly, contact your dealer or call the Consumer Information number listed in Where to Get Help.

  • Page 36: Connecting The Printer To Your Computer

    If you are not sure which type of interface cable is required, see your computer manual. The Parallel Interface Connect the parallel interface cable as described below: 1. Make sure that both your printer and computer are turned off. 2. Plug the cable connector securely into the printer. 1-22 Setting Up the Printer...
  • Page 37 3. Squeeze the wire clips together until they lock in place on either side of the connector. 4. If your cable has a ground wire, connect it to the ground screw beneath the interface connector. 1-23 Setting Up the Printer...
  • Page 38 Connecting the Printer to your Computer 5. Plug the other end of the cable into the computer. If there is a ground wire at the computer end of the cable, attach it to the ground connector at the back of the computer.

  • Page 39: Setting Up Your Application Software

    LQ-1500 If none of the above printers is listed, select the first one available on the following list: LQ, EX, FX, LX, RX, MX, Epson printer, Standard printer, Draft printer. To use all of the features of the printer, however, it is best to use a program with your printer on its menu.

  • Page 40: Chapter 2 Paper Handling

    Chapter 2 Paper Handling Selecting a Paper Feeding Method ....Using Single Sheets ....... . . Loading Paper .

  • Page 41: Selecting A Paper Feeding Method

    Selecting a Paper Feeding Method The paper release lever on the standard width printer has two positions and on the wide carriage printer has three positions for use with the various methods of paper feeding. Make sure the paper release lever is set to match the desired paper feeding method.
  • Page 42 Only select this position if you are using the optional pull tractor. Note: On the standard width printer, the paper release lever is in the forward position for continuous paper whether the paper is loaded from the built-in push tractor or the optional pull tractor.

  • Page 43: Using Single Sheets

    Chapter 5. Loading Paper 1. Push the paper release lever back to the single sheet position. 2. Turn on the printer. (The green POWER light should come on.) Note: Do not insert paper before turning on the printer. Paper...
  • Page 44 3. Move the left edge guide so that it locks in place next to the guide mark. (You may want to change this position later, depending on the margin settings of your application program.) 4. Adjust the right edge guide to match the width of your paper. Paper Handling 2 - 5...
  • Page 45 CAUTION: Never advance the paper using the platen knob while the printer is turned on. If the platen turns without loading the paper, press the ON LINE button to set the printer off line. Then remove the paper and reinsert it more firmly.

  • Page 46: Reloading During Printing

    If the ON LINE light remains on, the first thing you should do is press the ON LINE button to take the printer off line. Once the ON Line light is off, remove the sheet that has just been printed (if necessary, press the LOAD/EJECT button to eject the page) and load a new sheet.

  • Page 47: Using Continuous Paper

    Its low-profile design takes up little space and can handle paper up to 10 inches (254 mm) wide on the standard width printer and up to 16 inches (406 mm) wide on the wide carriage printer. Positioning Your Continuous Paper Supply An important consideration for achieving smooth and trouble-free paper feeding is the position of your paper supply.
  • Page 48 2. Set the paper release lever to the continuous paper position. On the standard width printer, this is the forward position. On the wide carriage printer, this is the center position. Paper Handling 2-9...
  • Page 49 Using Continuous Paper 3. Release the sprocket units by pulling the sprocket lock levers forward as shown below. 4. Slide the left sprocket unit until it is one-half inch from the farthest left position. Press the lever back to lock it in place. 2-10 Paper Handling...
  • Page 50 Using Continuous Paper 5. Slide the right sprocket unit so that it roughly matches the width of your paper, but do not lock it. 6. Move the paper support midway between the two sprocket units. 2-11 Paper Handling...
  • Page 51 7. Open both sprocket covers. Note: Make sure that your paper has a clean, straight edge before inserting it into the printer. 2-12 Paper Handling...
  • Page 52 8. Fit the first three holes in the paper over the pins of both sprockets. 9. Close the sprocket covers. 2-13 Paper Handling...
  • Page 53 Using Continuous Paper 10. Slide the right sprocket unit to a position where the paper is straight and has no wrinkles. Then lock it in place. 11. Reattach the paper guide. Then slide the edge guides apart to the sides of the paper guide as shown. 2-14 Paper Handling...
  • Page 54 Then press the LOAD/EJECT button to feed paper to the loading position. 13. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line so that it can accept data. The printer remembers the loading position and advances each page to the same position.

  • Page 55: Switching Between Continuous And Single Sheets

    Follow the steps below. 1. If the printer is on line, press the ON LINE button to set the printer off line. 2. Tear off any outgoing sheets. If the end of the last printed...
  • Page 56 (less than 6 inches or 150 mm wide). 3. Press the LOAD/EJECT button to feed the continuous paper backward out of the printer and into the standby position. The paper is still attached to the tractor but no longer in the paper path.
  • Page 57 Switching Between Continuous and Single Sheets CAUTION: Never feed labels backward through the printer. Labels can easily come off the backing sheet and jam the printer. 4. Push the paper release lever back to the single sheet position. 5. Stand the paper guide upright and adjust the edge guides to roughly match the width of your paper.

  • Page 58: Switching Back To Continuous Paper

    ON LINE so that is can accept data from your computer. Note: If the platen turns without loading the paper, press the ON LINE button to take the printer off line. Then remove the paper and reinsert it more firmly. Switching Back to Continuous Paper It is easy to switch back to printing with continuous paper.
  • Page 59 1. Slide the edge guides apart so they do not interfere with continuous paper feeding. 2. Lower the paper guide onto the printer. 2-20 Paper Handling...
  • Page 60 3. On the standard width printer, pull the paper release lever forward to the continuous paper position. On the wide carriage printer, set the paper release lever to the middle position for continuous paper feeding. Paper Handling 2-21...
  • Page 61 Switching Between Continuous and Single Sheets 4. Press the LOAD/EJECT button to feed the continuous paper to the loading position. 5. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line so that it can accept data. 2-22 Paper Handling...

  • Page 62: Printing On Special Paper

    These positions are identified by a scale on the printer next to the lever. To change the paper thickness setting, follow these steps. 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. Then remove the printer cover. WARNING: If the printer has just been in use, the print head may be hot.
  • Page 63 2. Slide the print head to the middle of the printer. 3. Select the paper thickness you want according to the table on the next page. For normal use, the lever should always be set to position 2 on the scale.
  • Page 64 Labels Envelopes Air mail Plain Bond (20 lb) Bond (24 lb) Note: When the lever is set to position 4 or higher, the printing speed is reduced. 4. Reattach the printer cover. Lever Position 4 or 5 Paper Handling 2-25...

  • Page 65: Multi-Part Forms

    Multi-part Forms With the built-in tractor unit, your printer can print on continuous multi-part forms. You can use multi-part forms that have up to three parts including the original. Make sure you set the paper thickness lever to the proper position.

  • Page 66: Labels

    CAUTION: Do not use multi-part forms with the single- sheet feeding system or the optional cut sheet feeder. Labels If you need to print labels, always use labels mounted on a continuous backing sheet with sprocket holes for use with a tractor. Do not try to print labels as single sheets because labels on a shiny backing sheet almost always slip a little.

  • Page 67: Envelopes

    CAUTION: Never feed labels backward through the printer. Labels can easily peel off the backing and jam the printer. Therefore, never use the LOAD/EJECT button to eject labels. Also, never use the short tear-off function with labels. (Be sure to set DIP switch 2-2 to off.) If a label does...
  • Page 68 When manually feeding an envelope, you may have to push it down slightly while pressing the LOAD/EJECT button to get it to feed properly. CAUTION: The printable area for envelopes is shown on the next page. The print head must not go past the left or right edge of the envelope or other thick paper.
  • Page 69 0.12 inch (3 mm) minimum Note: Envelope printing is only available at normal temperature (40°F to 95°F or 5°C to 35°C). To make sure that the printing fits within the printable area, always print a test sample using a normal sheet of paper before printing on envelopes.

  • Page 70: Chapter 3 Using The Printer

    Chapter 3 Using the Printer Operating the Control Panel ......3-2 Selecting Typestyles ....... .

  • Page 71: Operating The Control Panel

    Operating the Control Panel The indicator lights give you the current status of the printer. The buttons and paper handling functions let you control many of the printer settings. Lights Using the Printer MULTI-PART (orange) On when the paper thickness lever is set to position 4 or higher.
  • Page 72 Press this button to put the printer on line or to take it off line. When the printer is on line, the ON LINE light is on and the printer can receive and print data from the computer.
  • Page 73 CONDENSED Press this button to turn the condensed mode on and off. The orange indicator light is on when the printer is in the condensed mode. In the condensed mode, all characters are printed at approximately 60 percent of their...

  • Page 74: The Control Panel

    Other Control Panel Features The control panel of your printer also gives you access to several special functions. Self test: Both a draft and Letter Quality self test function are built into the printer. The self test printout lets you check the current DIP switch settings and operating status of the printer.

  • Page 75: Selecting Typestyles

    Character Fonts Your printer has ten built-in fonts: draft, Epson Roman, Epson Sans Serif, Epson Courier, Epson Prestige, Epson Script, OCR-A, OCR-B, Epson Orator, and Epson Orator-S. Eight of the fonts are selectable from the SelecType feature of the front panel.
  • Page 76 When you press the FONT button, the printer scrolls through eight of the ten built-in fonts. The indicator lights show the selected font. indicates the light is off. indicates the light is on. indicates the light is blinking. You use the software command ESC k to select the other two built-in...
  • Page 77 The following samples show the character set available for each font. DRAFT Epson Roman Epson Sans Serif Epson Courier Epson Prestige Using the Printer...
  • Page 78 Epson Script OCR-B OCR-A Note: The OCR-B and OCR-A fonts can be read by an optical character reader (also known as a document reader or image scanner) for input into another computer. Print enhancements, such as bold and underlining, cannot be read by an actual character reader.

  • Page 79: Condensed Mode

    Epson Orator-S The draft mode uses fewer dots per character for high-speed printing, which makes it ideal for rough drafts and editing work. The other fonts are Letter Quality (LQ) fonts. Letter Quality takes a little longer to print, but produces nicely formed characters suitable for most documentation requirements.

  • Page 80: Setting The Dip Switches

    Setting the DIP Switches The printer has two sets of DIP switches located under a small cover above the control panel. By changing the settings of these switches, you can control various printer features, such as the character set and page length. The new settings become effective when the printer is turned on, reset, or initialized.

  • Page 81: The Dip Switch Tables

    1-inch skip over perforation Auto line feed Input buffer capacity Graphics print direction Character spacing * Required for use of user-defined (download) characters. 3-12 Using the Printer See tables 1 and 2 See table 3 Condensed Normal Graphics Italics 1 KB* 8 KB Unidirect.
  • Page 82 Sweden Italy Spain Table 2 Graphics character sets Graphics character sets PC 437 (United States) Epson Extended Graphics PC 850 (Multilingual) PC 860 (Portugal) PC 863 (Canada-French) PC 865 (Norway) The graphics character sets are also called code page tables.

  • Page 83: The Dip Switch Functions

    Input buffer capacity The input buffer stores data from your computer. If you want to free your computer for other tasks while the printer prints, change the setting of switch 2-5 to 8 KB (on). Before using user-defined characters, however, be sure to set the input buffer to 1 KB (off).

  • Page 84: Page Length

    ESC C 0. See the Command Summary in Chapter 9 for details. Note: If you are using the cut sheet feeder, the page length is automatically set when you run the self test. See The Cut Sheet Feeder in Chapter 5 for details. SW 1-4 SW 1-5 Using the Printer 3-15...

  • Page 85: Skip Over Perforation

    Use skip over perforation only if your program does not provide these margins. The skip over perforation setting can be set to values other than one inch by using the ESC N command. See the Command Summary in Chapter 9 for details. 3-16 Using the Printer...

  • Page 86: Adjusting The Loading Position

    When the power is turned back on, the loading position returns to its factory setting. Using Micro-adjustment 1. Make sure that the printer is turned on and that either a single sheet or continuous paper is loaded. Using the Printer...
  • Page 87 You can use this factory setting as a reference point when adjusting the printer’s loading position. When the paper reaches either the minimum or maximum top margin, the printer beeps and the paper stops moving. 3-18 Using the Printer...

  • Page 88: Using Short Tear-Off

    When you are finished printing, the short tear-off feature automatically feeds the perforation of the continuous paper to the tear-off edge of the printer cover so that you can tear off the last sheet. When you resume printing, the paper feeds backward to the loading position.

  • Page 89: Adjusting The Tear-Off Position

    Adjusting the Tear-off Position If the paper’s perforation does not meet the tear-off edge, follow these steps to adjust the tear-off position. 1. Make sure the printer feeds the paper to the tear-off position after printing the document. 3-20 Using the Printer...
  • Page 90 FORM FEED button to feed the paper forward or the LINE FEED button to feed it backward. You can now tear off your document from the perforation and resume printing. The printer remembers this new tear-off position even after the printer is turned off. Using the Printer...

  • Page 91: Selecting An International Character Set

    You can select one of eight international character sets by changing the DIP switch settings. Whenever the printer is turned on, reset, or initialized, the character set selected by the DIP switches becomes the default character set.
  • Page 92 Command Summary in Chapter 9. Country 23 24 40 5B 5C 5D 5E 60 7B 7C 7D 7E 8 Japan 9 Norway 10 Denmark II 11 Spain II 12 Latin America 13 Korea 64 Legal ASCII code hex Using the Printer 3-23...

  • Page 93: Choosing A Character Set

    Graphics Note: To change the setting of a DIP switch, first turn off the printer, change the DIP switch, and then turn the printer back on. You can also select the italics character set or a graphics character set using the ESC t command. See the Command Summary in Chapter 9.
  • Page 94 When DIP switch 1-7 is on, the graphics character set is determined by the settings of DIP switches, 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3. Character set PC 437 (United States) Epson Extended PC 850 (Multilingual) PC 860 (Portugal) PC 863 (Canada-French) PC 865 (Norway) The graphics character sets are also called code page tables.

  • Page 95: Using The Data Dump Mode

    Note: Use paper at least 7.2 inches (182 mm) wide. 2. If the printer is on, switch it off, then hold down the FORM FEED and LINE FEED buttons at the same time you turn on the printer.
  • Page 96 4. To turn off the data dump mode after you have taken the printer off line, turn off the printer. By comparing the characters printed in the text field on the right side of the data dump printout with the printout of hex codes, you can check which codes are being sent to the printer.

  • Page 97: Chapter 4 Software And Graphics

    Defining Your Characters ......Sending Information to Your Printer ....4-21 Printing User-defined Characters .

  • Page 98: Enhancing Your Printing

    Enhancing Your Printing You can obtain a wide variety of printing effects with your printer, from changing the number of characters per inch to using special effects on selected words and phrases. This section gives you a sampling of the features you may select with your software.

  • Page 99: Character Size

    See the Print Size and Character Width commands in Chapter 9. Character Size In addition to the basic cpi spacings and proportional spacing, the printer offers three other modes that can change the size of your printing. These modes are double-width, double-height, and condensed.

  • Page 100: Special Effects And Emphasis

    Special and Emphasis Effects The printer offers two ways of emphasizing text and also allows you to use underlining, superscripts, subscripts, and italics. These features can be controlled directly by software commands. Many application programs can also produce some of these effects. See your application program manual for details.
  • Page 101 In double-strike mode, the print head prints each line twice, making the text bolder. For even greater boldness, emphasized and double- strike can be combined. The following samples show the different effects you can achieve using these modes alone and in combination. This is ROMAN printing.
  • Page 102 Superscripts and subscripts Superscripts and subscripts can be used for printing footnote numbers and mathematical formulas. The example below shows underlining and subscripts combined in a mathematical formula. average See the ESC S0 and ESC S1 commands in Chapter 9. Outline and shadow The outline and shadow features are useful for adding variation and emphasis to text that you wish to stand out, such as headings.

  • Page 103: Graphics

    The dot graphics mode allows your printer to produce pictures, graphs, charts, or almost any other pictorial image you can create. The quickest and easiest way to print graphics on your printer is to use a commercial graphics program. With such programs you may be able to print pictures and graphs like the ones on this page and the next by simply giving your software a few instructions.

  • Page 104: The Print Head

    Dot patterns The print head is able to print graphics, as well as text because graphic images are formed on the printer in about the same way that pictures in newspapers and magazines are printed. If you look Software and Graphics...
  • Page 105 Pin labels To tell the printer which pins to fire in each column, you first divide each of the vertical columns into three sections of eight pins each and consider each section separately. Because there are 256 possible...
  • Page 106 To fire any one pin, you send its number to the printer. To fire more than one pin at the same time, add up the numbers of the pins and send the total. Using these labels for the pins, you fire the top pin by sending 128.

  • Page 107: The Graphics Command

    Your printer has one command that allows you to use any of the 11 graphics options. The format of the command is: In this command, m selects the graphics option and n1 and n2 specify the number of columns to reserve for graphics.

  • Page 108: Column Reservation Numbers

    96 and n2 should be 6 because 1632 = 96 + (6 x 256). The printer interprets the number of bytes specified by n1 and n2 as graphics data, no matter what codes they are. This means that you must be sure to supply enough bytes of graphics data or the printer stops and waits for more data and seems to be locked.

  • Page 109: Designing Your Own Graphics

    Type in and run the following program. Be especially careful to include both semicolons. The program produces the printout you see below. 10 WIDTH "LPT1:",255 20 LPRINT CHR$(27)"*"CHR$(32)CHR$(40)CHR$(0); 30 FOR X=1 TO 120 40 LPRINT CHR$(170); NEXT X Line 20 selects single-density 24-pin graphics mode (mode 32) and also reserves 40 columns for graphics.
  • Page 110 1/8th of an inch high and less than 1/4th of an inch wide. The actual pattern that the printer prints on the paper is, of course, made up of dots that overlap each other both vertically and horizontally.
  • Page 111 Below is the same grid divided into three sections to make the data calculation easier. At the bottom of each section of each column is the total of the pin numbers for that section. This gives you the total of 126 data numbers necessary to print this small figure. 0 0 0 0 1 7 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 2 8 3 0 1 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 5 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 2 8 2 8 3 1 7 1 0 0 0 0 The BASIC program that prints the above design is shown on the...
  • Page 112 10 WIDTH "LPT1:",255 20 LPRINT CHR$(27)"*"CHR$(39)CHR$(42)CHR$(0); 30 FOR X=1 TO 126 40 READ IN 50 LPRINT CHR$(N); 60 NEXT X 70 LPRINT 60 DATA 0,0,63,0,0,127,0,0,255,0,3,255,0,15,255,0,31,255 90 DATA 0,127,255,0,255,255,1,255,255,3,255,255,7,255,255,15), 255,255 100 DATA 31,255,254,31,255,252,31,255,240,31,255, 224,31,255,192 110 DATA 31,255,0,31,252,0,31,240,0,31,224,0,31,120,0,31,240,0 120 DATA 31,255,192,28,255,224,28,127,240,28,15,248,30,0,252, 31,0,126 130 DATA 15,128,15,7,192,7,3,240,7,1,254,7,0,255,7,0,127,135 140 DATA 0,31,199,0,7,231,0,1,247,0,0,255,0,0,127,0,0,63 In this program, line 20 assigns the graphics option (24-pin triple-...

  • Page 113: User-Defined Characters

    User-defined Characters With this printer, it is possible to define and print characters of your own design. You can design an entirely new alphabet or typeface, create special characters for use as mathematical or scientific symbols, or create graphic patterns with user-defined characters to serve as building blocks for larger designs.
  • Page 114 Design grids To design a character you use a grid that is 24 dots high—one dot for each pin on the printer’s print head. The width of the character matrix depends on the character set in use. For draft characters, the grid is nine dots wide, for Letter Quality it is 29 dots wide, and for proportional characters it is 37 dots wide.

  • Page 115: Defining Your Characters

    Now you translate the dot pattern you’ve created on paper to a numeric format so you can send the data to your printer. Every dot has an assigned value. Each vertical column (which has a maximum of 24 dots) is first divided into three groups of eight dots.
  • Page 116 This manual uses decimal numbers because the program examples are written in BASIC and everyone is familiar with decimals. The data you send to your printer, however, must be in the form (binary, decimal, hexadecimal) that you can use with your programming language.

  • Page 117: Sending Information To Your Printer

    The command your printer uses to define characters is one of the most complex in its repertoire. The format of the command is this: ESC &...
  • Page 118 The last part of the command to define your characters is the actual data that defines the dot patterns for each character. Because it takes three bytes to specify all the dots in one vertical column, your printer expects d1 x 3 bytes of data to follow d2.
  • Page 119 The information about the actual character design (which is contained in the DATA statements at the end of the program) is sent to the printer in the loop between lines 50 and 70. Note: When defining Letter Quality or proportional characters, put a WIDTH statement in your program to prevent carriage return and line feed codes from interfering with your definitions.

  • Page 120: Printing User-Defined Characters

    Run the program to see the printout below. As you can see, both sets of characters (the @ from the original characters in ROM that the printer normally uses and the alternative character you defined) remain in the printer available for your use.

  • Page 121: Copying Rom Characters To Ram

    Because no other characters are in the printer’s user- defined RAM, there is nothing else to print. Other characters sent to the printer do not even print as spaces; it’s as if they were not sent at all.

  • Page 122: Letter Quality Characters

    Letter Quality Characters If you select Letter Quality printing with the ESC x1 command, you can design user-defined characters using up to 29 columns of the Letter Quality/Proportional grid. The dot columns are spaced closer together horizontally than draft dot columns (the horizontal dot spacing is 1/360th of an inch as opposed to 1/120th of an inch for draft characters).

  • Page 123: Mixing Print Styles

    Each of the three user-defined character modes (draft, Letter Quality, and proportional) can be used in combination with most of your printer’s various print styles. For instance, emphasized mode works with user-defined characters. The characters you design are enhanced to give this printing effect.
  • Page 124 Keep in mind that user-defined characters are stored in RAM, which is not permanent memory. When the printer power is turned off or the printer is initialized with the INIT signal, the user-defined characters are lost. (Some computers do this each time BASIC is loaded.)

  • Page 125: Chapter 5 Using The Printer Options

    Paper Handling ........Testing the Printer in the Cut Sheet Feeder Mode ..5-9 Operating the Cut Sheet Feeder .

  • Page 126: The Cut Sheet Feeder

    Installation 1. Assemble the cut sheet feeder by following the instructions provided in its accompanying manual. 2. Make sure that the printer is turned off. guide and printer cover. Using the Printer Options Then remove the paper...
  • Page 127 3. Separate the clear plastic part of the printer cover from the printer cover by pressing on the tabs on each side. 4. Attach the clear plastic part included with the cut sheet feeder to the printer cover. Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 128 6. Tilt the cut sheet feeder slightly forward to fit the notches at the base of the unit over the black pins inside the printer. Tilt the feeder back until it rests on top of the printer. Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 129 The Cut Sheet Feeder 7. Attach the printer cover. Turn on the cut sheet feeder mode by setting DIP switch 1-8 to 9. Turn on the printer. Using the Printer Options...

  • Page 130: Paper Handling

    Make sure that the cut sheet feeder mode is turned on with DIP switch 1-8. Pull the paper set levers all the way forward until the paper supports retract and lock open to allow for paper loading. Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 131 4. Take a stack of paper and fan it as shown. This keeps the paper from sticking and ensures that only one sheet feeds at a time. Tap the side and bottom of the paper on a flat surface to even the stack. Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 132 Make sure the paper can move up and down freely. 6. Push the paper set levers back until they click into place and clamp the paper against the guide rollers. Using the Printer Options...

  • Page 133: Testing The Printer In The Cut Sheet Feeder Mode

    Testing the Printer in the Cut Sheet Feeder Mode When you perform the cut sheet feeder self test, the printer counts the number of lines on the page. As shown on the following page, the number of lines counted is printed out at the bottom of the first test page.
  • Page 134 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off and a stack of paper is in the bin. Check that the cut sheet feeder mode is selected and the paper release lever is set to the back position. 2. While holding down the LINE FEED button, turn on the printer.

  • Page 135: Operating The Cut Sheet Feeder

    Operating the Cut Sheet Feeder After stacking paper in the cut sheet feeder, turn on the printer and make sure that the ON LINE light is on. When the printer is on line, a new sheet of paper loads automatically whenever a printable character or line feed command is sent to the printer.
  • Page 136 The Cut Sheet Feeder Paper out condition When the printer is on line and receives print data from the computer, the first sheet loads automatically. Subsequent sheets load automatically as necessary. In the cut sheet feeder mode, the PAPER OUT light goes on while a sheet of paper is being fed, but the printer remains on line.
  • Page 137 The Cut Sheet Feeder 3. Press the LOAD/EJECT button to load the sheet. Using the Printer Options 5-13...
  • Page 138 Using the control panel To operate the cut sheet feeder manually from the control panel when the printer is in the cut sheet feeder mode, first make sure that the printer is off line. LINE FEED When there is paper in the printer, press this button to feed the paper one line or hold it down to feed the paper continuously.

  • Page 139: Switching Between The Cut Sheet Feeder And Pushtractor

    Line feed; advances the paper n/180th of an inch Software is not effective while the printer is off line. Make sure that the printer is on line if you wish to control the cut sheet feeder using software commands. Switching Between the Cut Sheet Feeder and Push Tractor...
  • Page 140 The Cut Sheet Feeder If any single sheets are still in the printer, press the LOAD/EJECT button to eject the paper. Pull the paper release lever forward to the continuous paper position. You do not need to change the DIP switch 1-8 setting.
  • Page 141 The Cut Sheet Feeder On the wide carriage printer, set the paper release lever to the center continuous paper position. 4. Press the LOAD/EJECT button to load continuous paper. 5-17 Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 142 5. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line so that it can accept data. 6. After the first printed page passes the printer cover edge, fold at the perforation so the page lies on the printer cover.
  • Page 143 The Cut Sheet Feeder Note: It is important to keep the printed continuous paper aligned with the tractor so that the paper feeds smoothly into the printer. Switching back to the cut sheet feeder It is easy to switch back to using the cut sheet feeder.
  • Page 144 2. Press the FORM FEED button to eject any printed continuous paper. Tear off all printed sheets. CAUTION: To feed printed continuous paper forward, use the FORM FEED button only. Never press the LOAD/EJECT this will feed the continuous paper backward. button; 5-20 Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 145 3. Press the LOAD/EJECT button until you feed the continuous paper backward out of the paper path and into the standby position. CAUTION: Never press the LOAD/EJECT button more than twice. This may cause a paper jam. 5-21 Using the Printer Options...

  • Page 146: Removing The Cut Sheet Feeder

    4. Push the paper release lever back to the single sheet position. 5. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line. Removing the Cut Sheet Feeder 1. Turn off the printer and remove any paper remaining in the bin and printer. 2. Remove the printer cover.
  • Page 147 3. Tilt the cut sheet feeder back. Release its notches from the printer’s pins, and then lift up and remove the cut sheet feeder. 4. Set DIP switch 1-8 to off (to turn off the cut sheet feeder mode). 5. Replace the clear plastic part of the cut sheet feeder cover with the clear plastic part that was originally on the printer cover.

  • Page 148: The Pull Tractor

    For best results, use the pull tractor along with the built-in push tractor as described in this section. Installation 1. Turn off the printer and remove the printer cover and paper guide. 2. On the standard width printer, remove the paper tension unit cover.
  • Page 149 3. Fit the rear notches on the tractor over the rear mounting pins in the printer. Then tilt the tractor unit toward you until the front latches click in place over the black front mounting pins. Push down on the front latches to be sure they are firmly seated.
  • Page 150 4. Pull the paper release lever forward to the continuous paper position. 5. Set DIP switch 2-2 to off. Note: You cannot use the short tear-off function with the pull tractor. 6. Turn on the printer. Using the Printer Options 5-26...

  • Page 151: Paper Handling

    Paper Handling 1. Make sure that the printer is turned on and that the paper release lever is set forward to the continuous paper position. Note: For both the standard width printer and wide carriage printer, this is the forward continuous feed position.
  • Page 152 Note: After you press the FORM FEED button, be careful not to touch any of the buttons on the control panel until step 10. CAUTION: Never use the platen knob while the printer is turned on. To adjust the loading position, use the micro- adjustment feature described in Chapter 3.
  • Page 153 5. Adjust the sprocket units to match the width of the paper. Then adjust the paper support so that it is halfway between the sprocket units. 6. Fit the holes in the paper over the tractor pins on the sprocket units and close the sprocket covers. 5-29 Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 154 8. See that the paper is not crooked or wrinkled and lock the sprocket units in place. 5-30 Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 155 The Pull Tractor 9. Install the paper guide. Slide the edge guides all the way apart. 10. Separate the clear plastic part of the printer cover from the printer cover by pressing on the tabs on each side. Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 156 The Pull Tractor 11. Attach the clear plastic part included with the pull tractor to the printer cover. 12. Attach the pull tractor cover and press the ON LINE button the printer on line. 5-32 Using the Printer Options...

  • Page 157: Removing The Pull Tractor

    1. Make sure to tear off the printed document and remove the tractor cover and paper guide. Then turn on the printer. 2. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer off line. Then, press the LOAD/EJECT button until the continuous paper feeds backward out of the paper path to the standby position.
  • Page 158 4. Place your thumbs beside the front latches on each end of the tractor unit and gently push up on them, slowly tilting the unit back Push the paper release lever to the back position. 5-34 Using the Printer Options...
  • Page 159 5. On the standard width printer, replace the paper tension unit cover. On the wide carriage printer, replace the paper tension unit. Using the Printer Options 5-35...
  • Page 160 The Pull Tractor 6. Remove the tractor cover from the printer cover and reassemble the printer cover. 7. Install the paper guide and printer cover. 5-36 Using the Printer Options...

  • Page 161: The Interface Boards

    Third-party interfaces, such as Coax and Twinax, allow Epson printers to function as local IBM printers without the addition of any other circuitry or components.

  • Page 162: Compatible Interfaces

    Compatible Interfaces The following is a list of Epson interfaces that are compatible with your printer. Interface number #8143 #8148 #8185 C823032 C823021 All Epson interfaces have the Epson name printed on them. If the board has an identification code printed number beginning with 8 and should correspond to one of the numbers listed in the table above.
  • Page 163 WARNING: High voltages are present inside the printer when the power is on. Do not attempt to remove the upper case unless the printer is turned off and the power cord is unplugged. Also, try not to touch contacts on the circuit board of the printer because many of the components can be destroyed by the static electricity present in your body.
  • Page 164 There are two basic interface board designs-one with the FG wire not attached and one with the FG wire attached. This slight difference changes the way the boards are installed in the printer but does not affect the operation of the interface in any way. Check to see which type of interface board you have.
  • Page 165 2. Carefully insert the pins on the optional interface board into the mating connector on the main board; then secure the board with the screws provided. Using the Printer Options 5-41...
  • Page 166 If the FG wire is attached, follow these steps: 1. Carefully place the interface board next to the printer. Use the CG screw to connect the round end of the FG (frame ground) wire to the main board.
  • Page 167 2. Holding the interface board level, rotate it into position and attach it to the main board. Make sure that the connector pins are properly inserted into the mating connector. Using the Printer Options 5-43...
  • Page 168 If you have the #8143 board, see the next section. Attaching the interface board cover 1. Bend back the hinge plate on the interface board cover. 5-44 Using the Printer Options the interface board according to the...
  • Page 169 2. Reattach the board cover. CAUTION: When an optional interface board is installed, be sure to disconnect the printer cable from the printer’s built-in parallel interface. Two interface cables must not be connected at the same time.

  • Page 170: 8143 New Serial Interface

    Setting the DIP Switches in Chapter 3 of this manual. Handshaking timing When the vacant area for data in the input buffer drops to 256 bytes, the printer outputs an X-OFF code or sets the DTR flag to 1 (MARK) indicating that it cannot receive data. Error handling When a parity error is detected, your printer prints an asterisk (*).

  • Page 171: Chapter 6 Maintenance

    Maintenance Cleaning the Printer ....... . Replacing the Ribbon .......

  • Page 172: Cleaning The Printer

    To keep your printer operating at its best, you should clean it thoroughly several times a year. Follow the steps below. 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. Then remove the paper guide or the cut sheet feeder.
  • Page 173 Never use alcohols or thinners to clean the printer because these chemicals can damage the components as well as the case. Be careful not to get water on the printer mechanism or electronic components. Do not use a hard or abrasive brush.

  • Page 174: Replacing The Ribbon

    For everyday operations, use the standard ribbon. Do not use ribbons designed for nine-pin printers. 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. Then remove the printer cover. 2. On the standard width printer, open the paper tension unit cover.
  • Page 175 On the wide carriage printer, remove the paper tension unit. 3. To remove the ribbon cartridge, grip it by the black plastic tab and lift the cartridge straight up and out of the printer. WARNING: If the printer has just been used, the print head may be hot.
  • Page 176 Replacing the Ribbon 4. Slide the print head to the middle of the printer. 5. To remove slack in the new ribbon, turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow. 6. Push the new ribbon cartridge firmly into position, making sure the plastic hooks fit into the slots.
  • Page 177 Note: Press lightly on both sides of the cartridge to make sure the hooks are properly inserted. 7. Use a pointed object, such as a ball point pen, to guide the ribbon between the print head and ribbon guide while you turn the ribbon-tightening knob to help feed the ribbon into place.
  • Page 178 8. Slide the print head from side to side to make sure it moves smoothly. Also see that the ribbon is not twisted or creased. 9. On the standard width printer, close the paper tension unit cover. Maintenance...
  • Page 179 On the wide carriage printer, attach the paper tension unit. 10. Insert the hooks on the printer cover unit into the printer, and then tilt the printer cover back into place. Maintenance 6-9...

  • Page 180: Transporting The Printer

    Before you transport your printer some distance, carefully repack it in the original box and packing materials according to the following instructions. 1. Make sure the printer is turned off. Then remove any installed options, as well as the paper guide and printer cover. CAUTION: power cable from the AC outlet.
  • Page 181 4. On the wide carriage printer, you need to replace the locking clip. Remove the paper tension unit. Then attach the locking clip. Then replace the paper tension unit. 5. Reattach the printer cover. 6. Replace the packing materials and put the printer in its box.

  • Page 182: Chapter 7 Troubleshooting

    Chapter 7 Troubleshooting Printing ......... . . Paper Handling .

  • Page 183: Printing

    The printer does not print. The ON LINE light is off. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line. The ON LINE light is on but nothing is printed. Check both ends of the interface cable between the printer and the computer.
  • Page 184 Consumer Information number listed in Where to Get Help. The ON LINE light is flickering but the printer does not print, or it stops printing abruptly. The print head is overheated. Wait a few minutes; the printer resumes printing automatically when the print head cools.
  • Page 185 The typestyle characters that are set by printed. Check that the software is correctly installed for your printer. You selected a font using SelecType, but the characters are printed in a different font. Your software may be overriding your SelecType setting. Check the font selected by your software.
  • Page 186 All the text is printed on the same line. Set DIP switch 2-4 on so the printer automatically adds a line feed code to each carriage return. The text is printed with an extra blank line in between.
  • Page 187 You can also select unidirectional printing by setting DIP switch 2-6 to off. Unidirectional printing is slightly slower. If the printer still does not print, disconnect the printer from your computer and try the self test described in Chapter 1. If the self test works properly, the printer is working, and the problem probably lies in the computer, the software, or the cable.

  • Page 188: Paper Handling

    Paper Handling The following section guides you through problems in handling single sheets of paper and continuous paper. If you are having problems using the optional cut-sheet feeder or pull tractor, see Options later in this chapter. Single sheets do not feed properly. Paper was inserted in the sheet guide, but the platen did not move and paper was not fed.
  • Page 189 You may be trying to feed paper using the control panel buttons while the printer is on line (ON LINE light on). Press the ON LINE button once to set the printer off line; then try feeding paper.
  • Page 190 The paper feed is crooked or the paper jams. Make sure the paper supply is not obstructed by a cable or some other object, and that the paper feeds smoothly into the printer. Check that the holes on the sides of the paper are aligned with each other.

  • Page 191: Options

    Make sure DIP switch 1-8 is on. Make sure the cut sheet feeder is correctly installed on the printer. Check that the paper release lever is pushed back to the single sheet position. Make sure paper is loaded in the cut sheet feeder’s bin. If only one sheet is left in the bin, add more paper.
  • Page 192 With an optional interface, the printer does not operate properly. The printer does not print or the printout is not what you expected. Check that the interface board is correctly inserted into the connector on the main board. Check the specifications to make sure that you can use the interface with this printer.

  • Page 193: Chapter 8 Technical Specifications

    Technical Specifications Printer Specifications ....... Printing .........

  • Page 194: Printer Specifications

    DIP switch 2-6 is on). 1/6 inch or programmable in increments of 1/360th of an inch 2.2 inches per sec (100 ms/line) Maximum printed characters Standard width printer Wide carriage printer...

  • Page 195: Paper

    Input buffer: Character fonts: Font Draft Epson Roman Epson Sans Serif Epson Courier Epson Prestige Epson Script OCR-B OCR-A Epson Orator Epson Orator-S Characters: Paper Paper feeding methods: Friction 8 KB/1 KB (DIP switch selectable) A v a i l a b l e...

  • Page 196: Printable Area

    Paper width and length: Paper Single sheet width length Continuous paper width Envelopes Labels Printable area: 8-4 Technical Specifications Standard width printer 7.2 to 10.1 inches (182 to 257 mm) 7.2 to 14.3 inches (182 to 364 mm) 4.0 to 10.0...
  • Page 197 Note: For the standard width printer, printing on paper from 9 to 10 inches wide increases the minimum right and left margins to 0.9 inch (24 mm). 0.51 inch (13mm) minimum Note: The minimum for the right and left margins increases to 0.98 inch (25 mm) when printing on 10-inch wide paper on the...
  • Page 198 Note: Envelope printing is only available at normal operating conditions. Load the envelope with its long side horizontal. Paper weight: Paper thickness: Number copies: 8-6 Technical Specifications Envelope Single Sheet 14 lb to 24 lb 14 lb to 22 lb Continuous Multi-part 12 lb to 15 lb per sheet.

  • Page 199: Mechanical

    Life expectancy (in Letter Quality characters, at 48 dots/character) 0.2 million characters For all components excluding print head: 3,000,000 lines Standard width printer: 4000 power-on hours (at 25% duty) Wide carriage printer: 6000 power-on hours (at 25% duty) 200 million strokes per wire...

  • Page 200: Electrical

    Dimensions and weight: Standard width printer (80) Height 5.51 inches (139.9 mm) Width 16.46 inches (418 mm) Depth 13.66 inches (347 mm) Weight approx. 13.2 lb (6 kg) Electrical Voltage: Power consumption: Frequency: Insulation resistance: Dielectric strength (between AC line and...

  • Page 201: Interface Specifications

    I n t e r f a c e S p e c i f i c a t i o n s Your printer is equipped with an 8-bit parallel interface. For specifications on optional interfaces, refer to their manuals.
  • Page 202 Not used. Twisted-pair return signal ground level. When this level becomes LOW, the printer controller is reset to its power-up state and the print buffer is cleared. This level is normally HIGH; its pulse width must be more than 50 microseconds at the receiving terminal.

  • Page 203: Interface Timing

    0.2 microseconds. Data transfer must be carried out by observing the ACKNLG or BUSY signal. Data transfer to this printer can be carried out only after receipt of the ACKNLG signal or when the level of the BUSY signal is LOW.

  • Page 204: Printing Enabled/Disabled Signals And Control Conditions

    High Off line High/Low (no effect) While printing is disabled, character data is being received and acknowledged so that the printer can look for another DC1 character, which would allow it to resume printing. 8-12 Technical Specifications DC1/DC3 ERROR BUSY...

  • Page 205: Option Specifications

    Option Specifications Cut Sheet Feeder Dimensions and weight: Option no. Height C806 122 16.7 inches (423 mm) C806242 16.4 inches (416 mm) Dimensions: mounted on printer. Bin and Stacker capacity: MCBF: Environmental condition: Width Depth 17.5 inches 17.1 inches (434 mm) (444 mm) 24.3 inches...
  • Page 206 Paper: C806122 Width 7.17 to 8.5 inches (182 to 216 mm) Length 8.27 to 14.3 inches (210 to 364 mm) Thickness 0.0028 to 0.005 inches (0.07 to 0.14 mm) Weight 17 to 24 lb (64 to 90 g/m*) Note: The use of 24 lb paper is available only at normal temperature.

  • Page 207: Initialization

    Initialization There are two ways that the printer can be initialized (returned to the default settings) through the hardware and one way through the software. These are described in the following table. Hardware initialization Software initialization Default Settings The table below shows the default conditions that become valid when the printer is initialized.
  • Page 208 Also, the data buffer is cleared when the printer is initialized by turning on the power or by an INIT signal. Note: The user-defined character set is not cleared when the printer is initialized with the software command (ESC @).

  • Page 209: Chapter 9 Command Summary

    Commands Arranged by Topic..... . . Printer Operation....... . .

  • Page 210: Using The Command Summary

    The second part of this chapter lists and describes each command separately; the commands are divided into the following subjects: Printer operation MSB control Data control Vertical motion Horizontal motion...
  • Page 211 The simplest type of command consists of a single character to be sent to the printer. For instance, to print in condensed mode, the code format is: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: OF This code can be sent from a program by sending the code 15 directly.

  • Page 212: Control Key Chart

    Control Key Chart Some application programs use control key codes for decimal values 0-27. The table below gives you the proper values. The Control Key column indicates that you press the control key at the same time you press the key for the letter or symbol in that column. For example, you press the control key and A at the same time to send the value 1.

  • Page 213: Commands In Numerical Order

    (one line) ....Select Condensed Mode ..9-25 Select Printer....Cancel Condensed Mode ..9-26 Deselect Printer.
  • Page 214 Set MSB to 1....9-11 Reassign Graphics Mode..9-40 Initialize Printer ....9-8 Set n/60-inch Line Spacing..9-16 Set Vertical Tabs .
  • Page 215 ASCII Dec. ESC N ESC O ESC P ESC Q ESC R ESC S 0 ESC S 1 ESC T ESC U ESC W ESC Y ESC Z ESC \ ESC a ESC b ESC g ESC k ESC 1 ESC p ESC q ESC t...

  • Page 216: Commands Arranged By Topic

    H e x a d e c i m a l : 1 1 Comments: Returns the printer to the selected state if it has been deselected by the printer deselect code (DC3). It does not select the printer if it has been switched off line by the ON LINE button.
  • Page 217 H e x a d e c i m a l : 1 3 Comments: Puts the printer into the deselected state until the select printer code (DC1) is received. The printer cannot be reselected with the ON LINE button.
  • Page 218 ESC U Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns the mode on 0: Turns the mode off Printing is normally bidirectional. This command selects unidirectional printing for more accurate positioning. ESC EM Format: ASCII code: Decimal:...

  • Page 219: Msb Control

    MSB Control MSB means the Most Significant Bit. MSB control (ESC =, ESC >, and ESC #) does not work for graphics or user-defined characters. ESC = Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Sets the MSB of all incoming data to 0. Some computers always send data with the MSB set to 1, which means that italics or character graphics are always printed.

  • Page 220: Data Control

    Format: ASCII code: Decimal: H e x a d e c i m a l : 0 7 Comments: Sounds the printer’s beeper. Data Control Format: ASCII code: Decimal: H e x a d e c i m a l : 0 D...

  • Page 221: Vertical Motion

    Vertical Motion Format: ASCII code: Decimal: H e x a d e c i m a l : 0 C Comments: Prints the data in the print buffer and advances the paper to the top of the next form according to the current page length. When using a cut sheet feeder, FF ejects the sheet into the stacker.
  • Page 222 Commands Arranged by Topic ESC N Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: The variable n is the number of lines skipped between the last line printed on one page and the first line to print on the next page. For example, with the standard setting for line spacing (1/6-inch), and page length (66 lines), ESC N 6 prints 60 lines and then skips 6.
  • Page 223 ESC 0 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Sets the line spacing to 1/8 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands. ESC 2 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Sets the line spacing to 1/6 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands.
  • Page 224 ESC 3 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Sets the line spacing to n/180 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands. The value of n must be from 0 to 255. ESC A Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Sets the line spacing to n/60 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands.
  • Page 225 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: H e x a d e c i m a l : 0 B Comments: Advances the paper to the next vertical tab position in the channel selected by ESC /. If no channel has been selected, channel 0 is used.
  • Page 226 Commands Arranged by Topic ESC b Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Functions the same as ESC B, except that the variable c selects a channel for the vertical tabs, which must be from 0 to 7. Therefore, up to eight sets of vertical tabs can be set. The channels are selected by ESC /.

  • Page 227: Horizontal Motion

    Horizontal Motion ESC 1 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Sets the left margin to n columns in the current character size. Settings made in the proportional mode are treated as 10 cpi. This command clears previous tab settings and all previous characters in the print line.
  • Page 228 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: H e x a d e c i m a l : 0 8 Comments: Prints out data in the print buffer, then moves the print position one space to the left. Backspacing is possible up to, but not beyond, the left margin setting.
  • Page 229 ESC \ Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Determines the position (relative to the current position) at which printing of subsequent data will start. To find n1 and n2, first calculate the displacement required in dots. If the displacement is to the left, subtract it from 65536.

  • Page 230: Overall Printing Style

    Commands Arranged by Topic ESC D Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: This command allows setting of up to 32 horizontal tabs, which are entered as n1, n2, n3, etc. (from 1 to 255), with the number 0 terminating the command. The tab settings must be entered in ascending order.
  • Page 231 Comments: This command affects only the Letter Quality typestyle, not draft. If n = 0, typestyle in the printer is used. To select one of the other typestyles, use the family number of the font as shown below. For example, to choose the Prestige font, use 3 for the value of n. The...

  • Page 232: Print Size And Character Width

    Print Size and Character Width ESC P Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Selects 10 character per inch printing. This command is normally used to cancel 12 or 15 cpi. ESC M Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Selects 12 character per inch printing. ESC g Format: ASCII code:...
  • Page 233 ESC p Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Turns proportional mode on and off. The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns mode on. 0: Turns mode off. The width of proportional characters varies from character to character. Therefore, a narrow letter like i receives less space than a wide letter like W.
  • Page 234 ESC SI Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Duplicates the SI command and the function of the CONDENSED button on the control panel. Format: A S C I I c o d e : D C 2 Decimal: H e x a d e c i m a l : 1 2 Comments: Cancels condensed mode set by SI, ESC SI, or SelecType and returns printing to normal.
  • Page 235 ESC SO Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Duplicates the SO command. ESC W Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Doubles the width of all characters. The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns mode on. 0: Turns mode off. Format: ASCII code: Decimal:...

  • Page 236: Print Enhancement

    ESC w Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Doubles the height of all characters. The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns mode on. 0: Turns mode off. Doubles the height of all characters. You may need to adjust line spacing to compensate for the height of these characters.
  • Page 237 ESC G Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Makes text bolder by printing each line twice. ESC H Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Cancels the double-strike mode selected by ESC G. ESC S0 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Prints characters about two-thirds of the normal character height in the upper part of the character space.
  • Page 238 ESC S1 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Prints characters about two-thirds of the normal character height in the lower part of the character space. ESC T Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Cancels either superscript or subscript. 9-30 Command Summary Select Subscript Mode Cancel Superscript/Subscript Mode...
  • Page 239 ESC (- Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Use decimal or hexadecimal values for all variables, not ASCII characters. Use the following values for the first 3 variables: n1 must be 3. n2 must be 0. m must be 1. The value of d1 determines the location of the score: d1 = 1 for underline.
  • Page 240 ESC - Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: This mode provides continuous underlining including spaces. The following values can be used for n: 1: Turns mode on. 0: Turns mode off. Areas skipped with HT or ESC $ are not underlined. ESC q Format: ASCII code:...

  • Page 241: Word Processing

    Word Processing Format: A S C I I c o d e : E S C Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Sets the type of justification. The following values can be used for n: 0: Selects left justification. 1: Selects centering. 2: Selects right justification. 3: Selects full justification.

  • Page 242: Character Sets

    Character Sets ESC t Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Selects the character table used by codes 128 to 255. Selecting a graphics character set does not disable italic printing. Italic printing can still be selected by ESC 4. The following values can be used for n: 0: Selects the italics character set.
  • Page 243 ESC 5 Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Cancels the mode selected by ESC 4. ESC R Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Selects one of the international character sets. The following values can be used for n: 0 = USA 1 = France 2 = Germany 3 = England...

  • Page 244: User-Defined Characters

    User-defined Characters See Chapter 4 for sample programs and full information on this topic. ESC & Format: ASCII code: Decimal: H e x a d e c i m a l : 1 B Comments: This command allows characters to be redefined in the currently selected mode.
  • Page 245 ESC % Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: This sequence is used to print the user-defined (download) character set. ESC & is required to define the character set. The following values can be used for n: 0: Selects the normal set. 1: Selects the user-defined set.
  • Page 246 Commands Arranged by Topic Graphics See Chapter 4 for sample graphics programs. See the table under ESC* for graphics modes. ESC K Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Turns on 8-pin, single-density graphics mode. The total number of columns = n1 + (n2 x 256). ESC L Format: ASCII code:...
  • Page 247 ESC Z Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Turns 8-pin, quadruple-density graphics mode. The total number of columns = n1 + (n2 x 256). ESC* Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Turns on graphics mode m. See the following table for details on the available modes.
  • Page 248 ESC ? Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Comments: Changes from one graphics mode to another. The variable s is a character (K, L, Y or Z). The variable m corresponds to the mode m in the ESC * command. 9-40 Command Summary Reassign Graphics Mode...

  • Page 249: Appendix

    Appendix Proportional Width Table ......Character Sets........

  • Page 250: Proportional Width Table

    Proportional Width Table This table lists the widths of your printer’s proportional characters. The values given are in 360ths of an inch. (For example, a value of 36 is 36/360ths of an inch.) You special table for your processing program so it can calculate the number of proportional characters that will fit on a line.
  • Page 251 Code Width 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 24/16 30/20 36/24 36/24 42/28 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 42/28 36/24 42/28 36/24 36/24 30/20 24/16 30/20 24/16 30/20 30/20 18/12 30/20 36/24 30/20 Width Code 36/24 30/20 24/16...
  • Page 252 Code Code Width 30/20 30/20 18/12 18/12 18/12 36/24 36/24 36/24 42/28 42/28 3O/20 30/20 3O/20 36/24 36/24 36/24 36/24 42/28 3O/20 30/20 36/24 42/28 30/20 30/20 18/12 30/20 36/24 36/24 36/24 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 Width 30/20 30/20...
  • Page 253 Code Width 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 30/20 Code Proportional Width Table Width 24/16 30/20 36/24 36/24 30/20 30/20 30/20 42/28 18/12 30/20 30/20 36/24 36/24 30/20 36/24...

  • Page 254: Character Sets

    Character Sets The italics character set or a graphics character set is selected by DIP switch 1-7 or the ESC t software command. The graphics character sets are selected by DIP switches 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 when DIP switch 1-7 is on. For the graphics character sets, the ESC 6 or ESC 7 software command lets you select whether to print hex codes 80 to 9F as characters (ESC 6) or control codes (ESC 7).
  • Page 255 Graphics Character Sets PC 437 (United States&Epson Extended Graphics code PC 850 (Multilingual) CODE...
  • Page 256 Character Sets PC 860 (Portugal) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F CODE PC 863 (Canada-French) CODE...
  • Page 257 PC 865 (Norway) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F CODE...

  • Page 258: Glossary

    When this feature is enabled using a DIP switch or external control through the parallel connector, the printer will automatically feed the paper one line after receiving a CR code. baud rate A measure of the speed of data transmission.
  • Page 259 33 other codes which are called control codes. These control codes perform such functions as sounding the beeper and performing a carriage return or line feed. cut sheet feeder (CSF) An optional, detachable device which automatically feeds single sheets of paper into the printer. Glossary...
  • Page 260 DIP switches Small switches in a printer that control various printer functions and set the default status of the printer when it is turned on or initialized. DIP stands for Dual In-line Package. dot graphics A graphic design formed by patterns of dots. Also called bit image graphics.
  • Page 261 ESC/P Abbreviation for Epson Standard Code for Printers. The system of commands lets you perform software control of your printer from your computer. It is standard for all Epson printers and supported by most application software for personal computers. font A font is a style of type designated by a family name.
  • Page 262 The printer, like a computer, has a memory. When you print a file from a computer, the contents of the file are transferred quickly from the computer’s memory to the printer’s memory. The printer then prints information from its own memory at a much slower rate.
  • Page 263 Any decimal number between 0 and 255 can be expressed by a two-digit hex number. on line When the printer is on line, it is able to communicate with the computer connected to it. paper-out sensor A small switch behind the platen that sends a signal when it is not in contact with paper, informing the printer and remote computer that there is no paper loaded, and causing the PAPER OUT light to go on.
  • Page 264 A built-in device that feeds continuous paper through the printer. Acronym for Random Access Memory. The portion of the printer’s memory used as a buffer and as a place for storing user-defined characters. All data stored in RAM is lost when the printer is turned off. reset To return a printer to its defaults, either by a command, an INIT signal, code, or by turning the printer off and on.
  • Page 265 Printing in one direction only. Allows more precise vertical alignment than bidirectional printing. Often used for printing graphics. user-defined characters Characters that are defined and stored in the printer by the user. Also known as downloaded characters. Glossary...

  • Page 266: Index

    Command descriptions are not indexed here. To locate the page number of a specific command, see Chapter 9 or the Quick Reference card. Application programs, 3-6 software, 1-25 Assembling printer, 1-7-14 Auto line feed, 3-14 Bidirectional printing, 3-12, 3-14, 8-2 Built-in fonts, 3-6—10 Character defining, 4-19—21...
  • Page 267 Electrical specifications, 8-8 Emphasized printing, 4-4—5, 9-28 Enabled/disabled signals, 8-12 Envelopes, 2-25, 2-28—30, 8-4, 8-6—7 Environment specifications, 8-8 Epson Extended Graphics, 3-13, 3-25, A-7 Index Film ribbon cartridges, 2-24—25, 6-4 FONT button, 3-4, 3-6 FORM FEED button, 3-3 Graphics, 4-1—28 character sets, 3-13, 3-24—25,...
  • Page 268 3-10 printing, 9-22 LINE FEED button, 3-3 Line spacing, 8-2 LOAD/EJECT button, 3-3 Loading position, adjusting, 3-17—18 Locking clip, 1-4, 6-11 Maintaining printer, 6-1—11 Mechanical specifications, 8-7—8 Micro-adjustment, 3-17—18 Multi-part forms, 2-25—27, 8-6—7 MULTI-PART light, 3-2, 3-18 OCR-A font, 3-9...
  • Page 269 Roman font, 3-8 Sans Serif font, 3-8 Script font, 3-9 SelecType, 3-4, 3-6—7 settings, 3-6 Self test, 1-15—21 Serial interfaces, 5-37 Setting up printer, 1-1—25 Shadow printing, 4-6, 9-32 Short tear-off, using, 3-19—21 Single sheet paper loading, 2-4—7 switching from continuous, 2-16—22 using, 2-4—7...
  • Page 270 9-31 Subscripts, 4-6, 4-26—27, 9-30 Superscripts, 4-6, 4-26—27, 9-29 Tear-off mode, 3-14 position, adjusting, 3-20—21 Technical specifications, 8-1—16 Testing printer, 1-15—21, 5-9—11 Thin paper, 2-25 Transporting printer, 6-10—11 Troubleshooting, 7-1—11 Typestyles, selecting, 3-6—10 Underlining, 4-5, 9-31—32 Unidirectional printing, 3-12, 3-14, 8-2, 9-9—10 Unpacking printer, 1-2—4...
  • Page 272 Control and ESCape Codes by Function The following control codes are listed briefly for quick reference. For a more detailed explanation, see the page reference in Chapter 9. Variables are not included in this quick reference due to their complexity. For those codes that contain variables, such as margin, see Chapter 9.
  • Page 273 Horizontal Motion ASCII Dec. ESC I ESC Q ESC $ ESC \ ESC D Overall Printing Style Dec. ASCII ESC x ESC k ESC t Print Size and Character Width ASCII Dec. ESC P ESC M ESC 9 ESC 0 ESC SI ESC SO ESC W...
  • Page 277 Control and ESCape Codes by Function The following control codes are listed briefly for quick reference. For a more detailed explanation, see the page reference in Chapter 9. Variables are not included in this quick reference due to their complexity. For those codes that contain variables, such as margin, see Chapter 9.

This manual is also suitable for:

Lq-510Lq-1010xLq-510xLq-1010

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