User manual EPSON LX-300- - PRODUCT INFORMATION

EPSON LX-300+ paper supports paper guide edge guides Options Single-bin Cut-sheet Feeder (C806371) Feeds up to 50 sheets of ordinary single-sheet paper. printer cover Additional Tractor Unit (C800301) Used in combination with the other tractor, improves continuous paper handling and reduces the chance of paper jams. This is especially useful for printing on continuous multipart forms. knob Roll Paper Holder (#8310) Allows you to use your printer with 8.5-inch roll paper. control panel paper release lever Printer Specifications ribbon cartridge paper tension unit Mechanical Printing method Emulation Printing speed 9-pin impact dot matrix EPSON ESC/P® and IBM® 2380 Plus High-speed draft 300 cps at 10 cpi 337 cps at 12 or 15 cpi High-speed draft condensed 321 cps at 17 cpi 300 cps at 20 cpi serial interface tractor parallel interface paper thickness lever (gap) power switch Draft 225 cps at 10 cpi 270 cps at 12 cpi 225 cps at 15 cpi Draft condensed 191 cps at 17 cpi 225 cps at 20 cpi NLQ 56 cps at 10 cpi 67 cps at 12 cpi 56 cps at 15 cpi 47 cps at 17 cpi 56 cps at 20 cpi Printing direction Bidirectional logic seeking for text and graphics printing. Unidirectional text or graphics printing can be selected using software commands. User Replaceable Parts User replaceable part Knob Logo plate Paper supports Paper eject assembly Printer cover assembly Sheet guide assembly Reference number 106 120 180 570 105 109 Part number 1051718 1056595 1054395 1050616 1050626 1054395 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ - 1 EPSON LX-300+ Line spacing Printable columns 1/6 inch or programmable in 1/216-inch increments 80 columns (at 10 cpi) Reliability Total print volume 12 million lines (except print head) MTBF 6,000 POH (25% duty) Print head life approximately 400 million strokes per wire (black); 100 million strokes per wire (color) Dimensions and weight Height Width Depth Weight Ribbon 6.3 inches (160 mm) 14.4 inches (366 mm) 10.8 inches (275 mm) 9.8 lb (4.4 kg) Resolution (maximum) 240 × 144 dpi (NLQ) Interfaces 1 standard bidirectional, 8-bit parallel interface with IEEE-1284 nibble mode support, and 1 EIA-232D serial interface Friction (top paper entry) Push tractor (rear paper entry) Pull tractor (bottom or rear paper entry) Push and pull tractor (optional) Cut-sheet feeder (optional) Roll paper holder (optional) Paper feed speed Continuous 3 inches/second Intermittent 88 ms/line at 1/6-inch line spacing Buffer Built-in fonts 8KB Bitmap fonts EPSON Draft 10, 12, 15 cpi EPSON Roman 10, 12, 15 cpi, proportional EPSON Sans Serif 10, 12, 15 cpi, proportional Bar code fonts EAN-13, EAN-8, Interleaved 2 of 5, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 39, Code 128, POSTNET Character tables 1 Italic table and 12 graphical character tables (35 graphical character tables are available in some countries) 13 international character sets and 1 legal character set Printing method: ribbon shifting Colors: black, magenta, cyan, yellow Power consumption Input voltage range Rated frequency range Input frequency range Rated current Paper feed methods Black ribbon cartridge (#8750) Color ribbon cartridge (#S015073) Black ribbon life: 3 million characters (Draft: 10 cpi, 14 dots/character) Film ribbon life (draft, 10 cpi, 14 dots/ character): Black: 1 million characters Cyan: 0.7 million characters Magenta: 0.7 million characters Yellow: 0.5 million characters Electrical 120 V 99 to 132 V 220 to 240 V 198 to 264 V 50 to 60 Hz 49.5 to 60.5 Hz 0.6 A (maximum 1.4 A depending on the character type) 0.3 A (maximum 0.7 A depending on the character type) Approx. 23 W (ISO/IEC 10561 letter pattern) Environmental Temperature Operation Storage 41 to 95 °F (5 to 35 °C) ­22 to 140 °F (­30 to 60 °C) Humidity (without condensation) 10 to 80% RH 0 to 85% RH Character sets Color printing (optional) 2 - EPSON LX-300+ 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ Paper Use recycled paper, envelopes, and single-sheet multipart forms only under normal temperature and humidity conditions, as follows: Temperature: 59 to 77 °F (15 to 25 °C) Humidity: 30 to 60% RH Do not load paper that has been folded or is damaged, wrinkled, or curled. Ordinary single sheets: paper guide and cut-sheet feeder entry Continuous paper (standard and multipart): rear and bottom entry Width Length Copies Thickness 4 to 10 inches (101.6 to 254 mm) 4 to 22 inches (101.6 to 558.8 mm) 1 original + up to 4 copies Printable area 0.0025 to 0.015 inch (0.065 to 0.39 mm) Perforated edges up to 0.035 inch (0.9 mm) 14 to 22 lb (52 to 82 g/m2) Weight (not multipart) Binding t Weight (1 multipart sheet) 12 to 15 lb (40 to 58 g/m2) Spot glued or crimp bound on both sides (bottom or rear entry) Width Paper guide 3.9 to 10.1 inches (100 to 257) Cut-sheet feeder 7.2 to 8.5 inches (182 to 216 mm) Paper guide 3.9 to 10.1 inches (100 to 257 mm) Cut-sheet feeder 10.1 to 14 inches (257 to 356 mm) 0.0028 to 0.0047 inch (0.07 to 0.12 mm) Cut sheet feeder: 0.0028 to 0.0055 inch (0.07 to 0.14 mm) 14 to 24 lb (52 to 90 g/m2) Cut sheet feeder: 18 to 24 lb (64 to 90 g/m2) Length The continuous multipart forms should be securely joined together along the left and right edges by crimping. Crimping should be pressed in from the original sheet side and go completely through all copy sheets. The ratio of the cut/uncut length at the perforation should be between 3:1 and 5:1. The perforation between pages should not extend all the way to the edges of the paper. At the perforation between pages, the horizontal and vertical perforation cuts should not cross. The thickness of the perforation part when extended should be 1 mm or less. t Thickness t Weight t t Single-sheet multipart forms Width Length Copies Thickness Weight Binding Envelopes 3.9 to 10.1 inches (100 to 257 mm) 3.9 to 14.3 inches (100 to 364 mm) 1 original + up to 4 copies 0.0047 to 0.015 inch (0.12 to 0.39 mm) 12 to 15 lb (40 to 58 g/m2) Line glue at the top of form Continuous paper with labels: bottom entry only Label size (minimum) Backing sheet width Backing sheet length Backing sheet thickness Total thickness Label weight 0.938 × 2.5 inches (23.8 × 63.5 mm) 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) corner radius 4 to 10 inches (101.6 to 254 mm) 4 to 22 inches (101.6 to 558.8 mm) 0.0028 to 0.0035 inch (0.07 to 0.09 mm) 0.0063 to 0.0075 inch (0.16 to 0.19 mm) 17 lb (64 g/m2) Size Thickness Weight No. 6: 6.5 × 3.6 inches (165 × 92 mm) No. 10: 9.5 × 4.1 inches (241 × 105 mm) 0.0063 to 0.0205 inch (0.16 to 0.52 mm) 12 to 24 lb (45 to 90 g/m2) Roll paper: rear entry with optional roll paper holder only Width Thickness Weight 8.5 ± 0.12 inch (216 ± 3 mm) 0.0028 to 0.0035 inch (0.07 to 0.09 mm) 14 to 22 lb (52 to 82 g/m2) 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ - 3 EPSON LX-300+ Paper Alignment Printing starts at "0" on the scale. The unprintable area is to the left of the "0". Continuous paper A printable area A B B Printable Area Single sheets and envelopes A B A printable area A The minimum top and bottom margins above and below the perforation are 0.17 inch (4.2 mm). B The minimum left and right margins are 0.51 inch (13 mm). The maximum paper width is 10 inches (254 mm). The maximum printable width is 8 inches (203.2 mm). For continuous paper wider than 9 inches (229.2 mm), the side margins increase proportionally to match the width of the paper. B printable area Roll paper A B C B C printable area A The minimum top margin is 0.17 inch (4.2 mm). B The minimum left and right margins are 0.12 inch (3 mm). The maximum paper width is 10.1 inches (257 mm). The maximum printable width is 8 inches (203.2 mm). For single sheets wider than 8.23 inches (209.2 mm), the side margins increase proportionally to match the width of the paper. C The minimum bottom margin is 0.17 inch (4.2 mm). A The minimum top margin is 0.17 inch (4.2 mm). B The minimum left and right margins are 0.12 inch (3 mm). The maximum printable width is 8 inches (203.2 mm). 4 - EPSON LX-300+ 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ Safety Approvals 120 V LF/FF button t Feeds paper line by line when pressed and released. When held down, ejects a single sheet or advances continuous paper to the next top-of-form position. Safety standards EMI 230 V UL 1950 CSA C22.2 No. 950 FCC part 15 subpart B class B CSA C108.8 class B t Load/Eject button t t Loads or ejects a single sheet of paper. When the tractor is installed in the push position, loads continuous paper from the standby position or feeds continuous paper backward to the standby position. Safety standards EMI Acoustic noise EN 60950 EN 55022 (CISPR pub. 22) class B AS/NZS 3548 class B Approx. 49 dB (A) (ISO 7779 pattern) Paper Out light t On when no paper is loaded in the selected paper source or paper is not loaded correctly. Flashes when paper has not been fully ejected or a paper jam has occurred. In Micro Adjust mode, selects the font indicated by the Tear Off lights. CE Marking 230 V t t Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC EMC Directive 89/336/EEC EN 60950 EN 55022 Class B EN 61000-3-2 EN 61000-3-3 EN 50082-1 IEC 60801-2 IEC 60801-3 IEC 60801-4 Pause button Stops printing temporarily, and resumes printing when pressed again. When pressed for 3 seconds, turns on Micro Adjust mode. Pause light t On when the printer is paused. Flashes when the printer is in the Micro Adjust mode or when the print head has overheated. Control Panel Buttons and Lights t Micro Adjust mode When you hold down the Pause button for 3 seconds, the printer enters the Micro Adjust mode. In this mode, you can press the LF/FF D and Load/Eject U buttons to adjust the top-of-form or tear-off position. Tear Off lights f f When continuous paper is in the tear-off position; otherwise the lights indicate the selected font. Tear Off (Font) button t When the tractor is installed in the push position, advances continuous paper to the tear-off position. Feeds continuous paper backward from the tear-off position to the top-of-form position. t 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ - 5 EPSON LX-300+ Selecting Fonts After entering the Micro Adjust mode by holding down the Pause button for three seconds, you can change font settings with the Tear Off button. The two Tear Off lights come on (n) and go off (o) to show the current selection. Press the button repeatedly to cycle through all of the available selections; then stop when you reach the desired font. Your selection stays in effect until you change it again or turn off the printer. However, any font choices you make with your software will cancel your control panel selection. The table below shows how the Tear Off lights appear for each selection. Font EPSON Draft EPSON Draft condensed EPSON Roman EPSON Roman condensed EPSON Sans Serif EPSON Sans Serif condensed Tear Off lights o o n n n f n f o n f o f Pause f Paper Out n Pause Sample Problem Solution No paper is loaded in the selected paper source. Load paper in the printer. Then press the Pause button to turn off the Pause light, if necessary. The paper is not loaded correctly. Remove your paper and reload it. Then press the Pause button to turn off the Pause light, if necessary. Paper is jammed in the printer. Clear the paper jam. Continuous paper is not fed to the standby position. Tear off the printed document at the perforation; then press the Load/Eject button. The printer feeds the paper to the standby position. Press the Pause button to turn off the Pause light. A single sheet of paper is not fully ejected. Press the Load/Eject button to eject the sheet. Then press the Pause button to turn off the Pause light, if necessary. Paper is jammed in the printer. Clear the paper jam. The print head is overheated. Wait a few minutes; the printer resumes printing automatically once the print head cools. f Paper Out f Pause f f Tear Off An unknown printer error has occurred. Turn off the printer and leave it off for several minutes; then turn on the printer again. If the error recurs, contact your dealer. State of Beep panel lights pattern n Paper Out n Pause n = on o = off f = flashing Error Indicators You can identify many common printer problems using the lights on the control panel. If your printer stops working and one or more control panel lights are on or flashing, or the printer beeps, use the following table to diagnose and fix the problem. State of Beep panel lights pattern n Pause Problem Solution The printer is paused. Press the Pause button to resume printing. Paper from another paper source is currently in the paper path. Move the paper release lever back to the appropriate position and press the Load/Eject button to feed the paper out of the paper path. Then set the lever to the position you want to use. Press the Pause button to turn off the Pause light, if necessary. n = on, f = flashing ··· = short series of beeps (three beeps) ····· = long series of beeps (five beeps) The printer beeps once if you press a control panel button when the corresponding function is not available. Status Monitor The EPSON Status Monitor 3 utility comes with the printer but is available only for use with Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0. It allows you to monitor your printer's status, alerts you when printer errors occur, and provides troubleshooting instructions. 6 - EPSON LX-300+ 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ If you plan to use a tractor in the pull position, you can remove the tractor from the push position and reinstall it in the pull position, or you can purchase an optional tractor unit (C800301) and install it in the pull position. Paper Positions Top-of-Form Position The top-of-form position is where the printer starts printing on single sheets or continuous paper. Printing with the Push Tractor When using the push tractor, it is a good idea to set the Auto tear-off feature in the default setting mode to On. Before loading paper, remove the printer cover and the paper guide and place the paper-release lever in the continuous paper position. The letters ABC are printed at the top-of-form position Tear-off Position Continuous paper is in the tear-off position when the perforation is aligned with the tear-off edge. You can easily tear off your printed document at this position. After you load paper, attach the paper guide to separate the incoming paper from the printed paper. Fit its notches over the printer's mounting posts as shown below. Then slide the paper guide toward the front of the printer until you feel it click. Standby Position Continuous paper is in the standby position when it is attached to the tractor but not loaded in the printer. Printing on Continuous Paper You can choose from two tractor positions (push and pull) for printing on continuous paper: t If you often need to tear off sheets of continuous paper (for printing purchase orders or sales slips, for example), it is best to use the push tractor. This allows you to use the tear-off edge to easily tear off printed sheets of continuous paper at the perforation. When continuous paper is loaded on the push tractor, you can also load single sheets from the paper guide without removing the continuous paper from the tractor. The tractor is installed in the push position when the printer is shipped. If you often print on thick or heavy continuous paper, such as multipart forms or continuous paper with labels, use a tractor in the pull position. You cannot use the tear-off feature with the pull tractor. Switching Back to Single Sheets To switch to single sheets, press the Load/Eject button; the printer feeds the paper backward to the standby position. Then you are ready to load single sheets for printing. Always tear off the printed document before you press the Load/Eject button. Reverse feeding several pages at a time may cause a paper jam. t 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ - 7 EPSON LX-300+ Printing with the Pull Tractor To load continuous paper using the pull tractor, you must move the tractor to the pull tractor position, as described in steps 1 through 4 below. If your tractor is already installed in this position, make sure the printer is off and skip to step 7. Use the knob on the left side of the printer only to clear paper jams and only when the printer is off. Otherwise, you may damage the printer or cause it to lose the topof-form position. When using the pull tractor, set the Auto tear-off feature in the default setting mode to Off; otherwise the paper may jam. 4. Move the tractor forward to the mounting slot at the top of the printer and tilt it into place as shown below. When you push the tractor onto the posts, you should feel the notches snap into place. 1. Turn the printer off; then remove the printer cover and the paper guide. 2. Remove the paper tension unit by squeezing the tension unit's lock tabs gently and pull the tension unit away from the printer. Pull the paper-release lever forward to the continuous paper position. 5. Release the sprocket units by pulling the sprocket locks forward. 3. Squeeze the tractor's lock tabs gently and rotate the tractor up and pull it away from the printer. 6. Insert the paper into the paper slot as shown below and pull it up. Position the paper using the scale on the printer as a guide. The printer prints to the right of the position marked 0. 0 position 8 - EPSON LX-300+ 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ 7. Slide the left sprocket unit so that its sprockets match the position of the holes in the paper and lock the unit in place. Then slide the right sprocket unit to match the width of your paper, but do not lock it. Move the paper support midway between the two sprocket units. Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position The top-of-form position is where the printer will start printing on the page. If your printing appears too high or low, follow the steps below to use the Micro Adjust feature to adjust the top-ofform position. Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the topof-form position. Your top-of-form position setting remains in effect until you change it, even if you turn off the printer. The top margin setting made in some application software overrides the top-of-form position setting you make with the Micro Adjust feature. If necessary, adjust the top-of-form position in your software. 1. Make sure the printer is turned on and paper is loaded. 8. Open the sprocket covers, fit the first holes of the paper over the sprocket pins, and then close the sprocket covers. Slide the right sprocket unit to remove any slack in the paper and lock it in place. 2. Remove the printer cover. 3. Hold down the Pause button for about 3 seconds. The Tear Off lights start flashing and the printer enters the Micro Adjust mode. 4. Press the LF/FF D button to move the top-of-form position up on the page, or press the Load/Eject U button to move the top-of-form position down on the page. 9. To separate the incoming paper from the printed paper, attach the paper guide. Hold it horizontally and fit its notches over the printer's mounting posts. Then slide the paper guide toward the back of the printer until it clicks. 10. Attach the printer cover and adjust the paper position with the paper-feed knob. Turn the knob until the perforation between pages is just above the print head. Then turn on the printer. 11. Make sure the printer cover is closed, but with the paper guide cover open. If you want to change the position where printing begins on the page, press LF/FF to advance the page to the next top-of-form position, and then see "Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position" (below) to adjust the loading position. To eject the paper, tear off the paper entering the printer; then press the LF/FF button to feed the paper forward. plastic ribbon cover The printer has a minimum and maximum top-ofform position. If you try to adjust it beyond these limits, the printer beeps and stops moving the paper. When the paper reaches the default top-of-form position, the printer also beeps and stops moving the paper briefly. You can use the default setting as a reference point when adjusting the top-of-form position. 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ - 9 EPSON LX-300+ To adjust the top-of-form position for continuous paper loaded on the pull tractor, see the following example: First mark a point 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) above the paper's perforation; then position the paper so that the mark is even with the top edge of the plastic ribbon cover. This gives you a 0.33-inch (8.5-mm) margin on the next page, meaning the printer starts printing 0.33 inch (8.5 mm) below the perforation. If you mark a point 0.22 inch (5.5 mm) above the perforation, you get a 0.22-inch (5.5-mm) margin on the next page. Advancing the paper to the tear-off position automatically To automatically advance your printed documents to the tear-off position, turn on the Auto tear-off mode and select the appropriate page length for continuous paper in the default setting mode. See "Changing Default Settings" on page 13. When Auto tear-off is on, the printer automatically advances the paper to the tear-off position when it receives a full page of data or a form feed command followed by no more data. Adjusting the tear-off position If the paper perforation is not aligned with the tear-off edge, you can use the Micro Adjust feature to move the perforation to the tear-off position. Follow the steps below. Never use the knob to adjust the tear-off position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the tear-off position. Your tear-off position setting remains in effect until you change it, even if you turn off the printer. 5. After you set the top-of-form position, press the Pause button to exit Micro Adjust mode. Advancing Paper to the Tear-Off Edge When you use the push tractor, you can use the tear-off feature to advance your continuous paper to the tear-off edge when you finish printing. You can then easily tear off the printed document. When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position, saving the paper normally lost between documents. You can use the tear-off feature manually by pressing the Tear Off button, or automatically by turning on the Auto tear-off mode. If the perforation between pages is not aligned with the tear-off edge, you can adjust the position of the perforation using the Micro Adjust feature. Never use the tear-off feature to feed continuous paper with labels backward; they may come off their backing sheet and jam the printer. 1. Make sure the Tear Off lights are flashing (the paper is at the current tear-off position). If necessary, press the Tear Off button to advance the paper to the tear-off position. 2. Open the paper guide cover. 3. Hold down the Pause button for 3 seconds. The Tear Off lights flash and the printer enters the Micro Adjust mode. 4. Press the LF/FF D button to feed the paper backward, or press the Load/Eject U button to feed the paper forward until the paper perforation is aligned with the tear-off edge. tear-off edge Using the Tear Off button After your document prints, check that the Tear Off lights are not flashing. Then press the Tear Off button. The printer advances the paper to the tear-off edge. If the Tear Off lights are flashing, the paper is in the tear-off position. If you press the Tear Off button again, the printer feeds your paper to the top-of-form position. The printer has a minimum and maximum tear-off position. If you try to adjust the tear-off position beyond these limits, the printer beeps and stops moving the paper. 10 - EPSON LX-300+ 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ 5. After you set the tear-off position, press the Pause button to turn off the Micro Adjust mode. 6. Tear off the printed page(s). When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position. 2. Slide the left edge guide until it locks in place at the guide mark, then adjust the right edge guide to match the width of your paper. Printing on Single Sheets You can load single-sheet paper one sheet at a time using the printer's paper guide. The printer accommodates single sheets from 3.9 to 10.1 inches (100 to 257 mm) wide. Before printing on single-sheet multipart forms, envelopes, or other special paper, be sure to the set the paper thickness lever to the appropriate position. See "Adjusting the Paper Thickness Lever" on page 12 for details. To load a stack of single-sheet paper, use the optional cut-sheet feeder. You can use the paper guide to load single-sheet carbonless multipart forms that are fastened at the top by line gluing. Insert multipart forms in the paper guide, bound edge first and printable side down. 3. Slide a sheet of paper down firmly between the edge guides until it meets resistance. Loading Single Sheets 1. Make sure the paper-release lever is pushed back to the single-sheet position, as shown below. Raise the paper guide upright. Printing on Special Paper The printer accommodates multipart forms, labels, and envelopes. For multipart forms and labels, you should not print any closer than 0.5 inch or 13 mm from either side of the paper. When printing on multipart forms, thicker-than-normal paper, labels, or envelopes, make sure your software program settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area. Printing past the edge of these papers can damage the print head. 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ - 11 EPSON LX-300+ Adjusting the Paper Thickness Lever Before printing on special paper, you need to change the paper thickness setting. The paper thickness lever is under the cover on the left side of the printer. The numbers next to the lever indicate the thickness setting. Labels You must use the tractor as a pull tractor to print on labels. Keep these tips in mind: t Choose labels mounted on a continuous backing sheet with sprocket holes made for use with a tractor. Do not print labels as single sheets, because the shiny backing sheet almost always slips slightly. You load labels the same way you load continuous paper, except that the paper thickness lever should be set to 1. See "Printing with the Pull Tractor" on page 8 for loading instructions. Because labels are especially sensitive to temperature and humidity, use them only under normal operating conditions. Make sure the printing stays entirely within the printable area. Don't leave labels loaded in the printer between jobs; they curl around the platen and may jam when you resume printing. To remove the labels from the printer, tear off the fresh supply at the rear of the printer; then press LF/FF to advance the remaining labels out of the printer. Never feed labels backward through the printer; they can easily peel off the backing and jam the printer. t t t Use the table below to select the appropriate paper thickness. Paper type Standard paper (single sheets or continuous) Multipart forms 2-sheets 3-sheets 4-sheets 5-sheets Labels Envelopes Lever position 0 0 1 2 3 1 2 to 4 t Envelopes You can feed envelopes individually using the paper guide. t Multipart Forms You can use carbonless multipart forms of up to five parts (one original plus four copies). Before you print on the forms, set the paper thickness lever as described in the previous section. These tips will help you get good results: t t Before loading an envelope, set the paper thickness lever to 2, 3, or 4. See "Adjusting the Paper Thickness Lever" (above). Load an envelope the same way you load single sheets, but insert the wide edge of the envelope into the printer first, printable-side down. When you insert the envelope between the paper guides, push it firmly and hold it until it feeds into the printer. Use envelopes only under normal temperature and humidity conditions. Make sure the printing stays entirely within the printable area. The print head must not go past the left or right edge of the envelope or other thick paper. Use only multipart forms that are joined by spot gluing or side-crimping, and that are free of wrinkles and waves. Never load multipart forms joined by metal staples, tape, or continuous gluing. If you need to adjust the loading position, use your software program or change the loading position as described in "Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position" on page 9. When you use side-crimped multipart forms, the copies may not align with the original. If this happens, raise the paper guide. t t t t t 12 - EPSON LX-300+ 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ Changing Default Settings Follow the steps below to enter the default setting mode and change the printer's default settings. To print the language selection and default setting mode instructions, you need 5 sheets of letter- or A4-size single-sheet paper or 5 pages of continuous paper. If you use single sheets, you need to load a new sheet each time the printer ejects a printed sheet. Default Settings While you can often set the default settings through your application software or printer driver, you may need to change a default setting from the printer's control panel using the default setting mode. The table below lists the default settings (in bold) and options you can select in this mode. Settings Page length for tractor Skip over perforation Auto tear-off Auto line feed Print direction Software 0 slash High speed draft I/F mode Auto I/F wait time Baud rate (bps) Parity Parallel I/F bidirectional mode Packet mode Character table* Options Length in inches: 3, 3.5, 4, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 8.5, 11, 70/6, 12, 14, 17 On, Off On, Off On, Off Bi-D, Uni-D ESC/P, IBM 2380 Plus On, Off On, Off Auto, Parallel, Serial 10 seconds, 30 seconds 19200, 9600, 4800, 2400, 1200, 600, 300 None, Odd, Even, Ignore On, Off Auto, Off Standard model: Italic, PC 437, PC 850, PC 860, PC 863, PC 865, PC 861, BRASCII, Abicomp, Roman 8, ISO Latin 1, PC 858, ISO 8859-15, All other models: Italic, PC 437, PC 850, PC 437 Greek, PC 853, PC 855, PC 852, PC 857, PC 866, PC 869, MAZOWIA, Code MJK, ISO 8859-7, ISO Latin 1T, Bulgaria, PC 774, Estonia, ISO 8859-2, PC 866 LAT, PC 866 UKR, PC APTEC, PC 708, PC 720, PC AR864, PC 860, PC 863, PC 865, PC 861, BRASCII, Abicomp, Roman 8, ISO Latin 1, PC 858, ISO 8859-15, PC 771 Italic U.S.A., Italic France, Italic Germany, Italic U.K., Italic Denmark1, Italic Sweden, Italic Italy, Italic Spain1 1 second, 1.5 seconds, 2 seconds, 3 seconds On, Off On, Off Table 2, Table 1 1. Make sure paper is loaded and the printer is turned off. Whenever you turn off the printer, wait at least 5 seconds before turning it back on; otherwise you may damage the printer. 2. While holding down the Tear Off button, turn on the printer. The printer enters the default setting mode and prints the language selection instructions. 3. If you need to select a different language, press the LF/FF button until the Tear Off lights indicate the language you want, as described in the language selection instructions. 4. Press the Tear Off button to confirm your language selection and print the current default settings. 5. If you do not need to change any settings, go to step 6. If you want to change any of the default settings, press the Tear Off button to print the instructions (three pages) in the language you selected. Follow the instructions to change the default settings using the buttons on the printer's control panel. The arrows on the instruction sheets indicate the printers current settings. 6. When you finish, turn off the printer to exit the default setting mode. The current settings remain in effect until you change them again. International character set for Italic table Manual feed wait time Buzzer Auto CR (IBM 2380 Plus)* IBM character table* * These settings take effect only when IBM 2380 Plus emulation is selected. 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ - 13 EPSON LX-300+ To temporarily stop the self test, press the Pause button. To resume the test, press the Pause button again. Bidirectional Alignment If you notice that the vertical lines in your printout are not properly aligned, you can use the printer's bidirectional adjustment mode to correct this problem. To complete the steps below, you need 5 letter or A-4 size single sheets or 5 pages of continuous paper. If you use single sheets, you need to load a new sheet of paper each time the printer ejects a printed sheet onto the paper guide. 3. To end the self test, press the Pause button to stop printing and the Load/Eject button to eject the printed page. Then turn off the printer. If the self test results are satisfactory, the printer is working properly and the problem probably results from your printer driver settings, application settings, computer, or interface cable. (Be sure to use a shielded interface cable.) If the self test does not print properly, there is a problem with the printer. 1. Make sure paper is loaded and the printer is turned off. Whenever you turn off the printer, wait at least 5 seconds before turning it back on; otherwise you may damage the printer. Printing a Hex Dump If you are an experienced user or a programmer, you can print a hexadecimal dump to isolate communication problems between the printer and your software program. In hex dump mode, the printer prints all data received from the computer as hexadecimal values. You can print a hex dump using either single sheets or continuous paper. 1. Make sure paper is loaded and the printer is turned off. Whenever you turn off the printer, wait at least 5 seconds before turning it back on; otherwise you may damage the printer. 2. While holding down the Pause button, turn on the printer. It enters the bidirectional adjustment mode, then prints instructions and the first set of alignment patterns. 3. As described in the instructions, compare the alignment patterns and select the pattern with the best alignment. 4. Follow the instructions to print the remaining sets of alignment patterns and select the pattern with the best alignment in each set. 5. After you select the best pattern in the final set of alignment patterns, turn off the printer and exit the bidirectional adjustment mode. Your selections are saved automatically. Printing a Self Test Running the self test helps you determine whether the printer or the computer is causing a printing problem. You can print the self test using either single sheets or continuous paper. 1. Make sure paper is loaded and the printer is turned off. Whenever you turn off the printer, wait at least 5 seconds before turning it back on; otherwise you may damage the printer. 2. To enter hex dump mode, hold down both the LF/FF and Load/Eject buttons while you turn on the printer. 3. Open a software application and send a print job to the printer. Your printer prints all the codes it receives in hexadecimal format. 2. To run the test using the Draft font, hold down the LF/FF button while you turn on the printer. To run the test using the printer's near letter-quality fonts, hold down the Load/Eject button while you turn on the printer. Either self test can help you determine the source of your printing problem; however, the draft test prints faster than the letterquality test. After a few seconds, the printer loads the paper automatically and begins printing the self test. A series of characters is printed. If characters are printable, they appear in the right column as ASCII characters. Nonprintable codes, such as control codes, are represented by dots. By comparing the characters printed in the right column with the printout of the hexadecimal codes, you can check the codes the printer is receiving. 4. To exit hex dump mode, press the Pause button to stop printing and the Load/Eject button to eject the printed page(s). Then turn off the printer. 5/00 14 - EPSON LX-300+ EPSON LX-300+ 6. Make sure the tractor that came with your printer is installed in the push position. 7. Repack the printer, ribbon cartridge, and paper guide in the original packing materials and place them in the printer's original box. Cleaning the Printer To keep your printer operating at its best, you should clean it thoroughly several times a year. Follow these steps: 1. Remove any paper loaded in the printer and turn it off. 2. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet; then disconnect the interface cable from the printer. 3. Remove the paper guide. If a pull tractor or an optional cutsheet feeder is installed, remove it. 4. Use a soft brush to carefully brush away all dust and dirt from the outer case and paper guide. 5. If the outer case or paper guide is still dirty, clean it with a soft, clean cloth dampened with mild detergent dissolved in water. Keep the printer cover in place and lower it until it lies flat on top of the printer to prevent water from getting inside the printer. Never use alcohols or thinners to clean the printer; these chemicals can damage the printer 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. Do not spray the inside of the printer with lubricants; unsuitable lubricants can damage the printer mechanism. Related Documentation 4012023 4012328 TM-LX300+ PL-LX300+ EPSON LX-300+ User's Guide EPSON LX-300+ Read All About It (Transition Guide) EPSON LX-300+ Service Manual EPSON LX-300+ Parts Price List Transporting the Printer If you need to transport your printer, carefully repack it using the original box and packing materials, as described below. You need to move the print head by hand to remove the ribbon cartridge. If you have just used the printer, the print head may be hot; let it cool for a few minutes before touching it. 1. Remove any paper in the printer and turn it off. 2. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet; then disconnect the interface cable from the printer. 3. Attach the paper guide. 4. If a pull tractor is installed, remove it. If any options are installed, remove them and pack them in their original boxes. 5. Make sure that the print head is not hot. Then remove the ribbon cartridge. 5/00 EPSON LX-300+ - 15 EPSON LX-300+ 16 - EPSON LX-300+ 5/00