User's Manual EPSON® User's Manual FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT FOR AMERICAN USERS This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, may cause interference to radio and television reception. It has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance with the specifications in Subpart J of part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: - Reorient the receiving antenna - Relocate the printer with respect to the receiver - Plug the printer into a different outlet so that the printer and receiver are on different branch circuits. If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions. The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal Communications Commission helpful: `Television Interference Handbook." This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Stock No. 004-000-00450-7. WARNING The connection of a nonshielded printer interface cable to this printer will invalidate the FCC Certification of this device and may cause interference levels which exceed the limits established by the FCC for this equipment. If this equipment has more than one interface connector, do not leave cables connected to unused interfaces. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Seiko Epson Corporation. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, Seiko Epson Corporation assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Seiko Epson Corporation shall not be held liable for any damages or problems arising from the use of any options other than those designated as Original Epson Products by Seiko Epson Corporation. Centronics is a registered trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corporation. Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Copyright © 1988 by Seiko Epson Corporation Nagano, Japan ii Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 Setting Up the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing a Place for the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assembling the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Testing the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting the Printer to Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 1-5 1-6 1-12 1-18 .2-2 .2-4 2-10 2 Paper Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1 Using Single Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Continuous Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Switching Between Continuous and Single Sheets . . . . . . . . . . Adjusting the Loading Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Micro-Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Short Tear-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Printing on Special Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14 2-14 2-15 2-17 3 Using the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1 Operating the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Setting the DIP Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 Selecting Typestyles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10 Enhancing Your Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13 Using Software and Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1 Using the FX with Application Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2 Computer-Printer Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Dot Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8 User-Defined Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19 4 iii 5 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1 Cleaning the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-2 Replacing the Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-3 Transporting the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6 6 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1 Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-2 Data Dump Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5 7 Using Printer Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1 The Cut Sheet Feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2 The Pull Tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15 Interface Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22 8 Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1 Commands in Numerical Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4 Epson (ESC/P) Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8 IBM Emulation Mode Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-41 Appendix A: Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Printer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interface Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1 A-2 A-5 A- 8 Appendix B: Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1 Proportional Width Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2 Character Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GL-1 Index-1 iv Introduction The FX-850 and FX-1050 printers combine all the well-known features of previous Epson® 9-pin printers with many features normally exclusive to costly 24-pin printers. Features In addition to the high-quality printing and ease of operation you've come to expect from Epson printers, the FX-850 and FX-1050 offer the following: An advanced paper handling system that lets you use single sheets of paper without removing the continuous paper. This system allows you to use continuous paper even while the optional cut sheet feeder is attached. A new short tear-off feature that saves paper. After you tear off the last sheet printed on continuous paper, the printer reverses the paper so that you can use all of the next sheet. A micro-adjustment feature that allows you to feed the paper forward or backward to finely adjust the loading and short tear-off positions. An improved control panel design that allows direct selection of character fonts and pitch, as well as a choice of draft or near letter quality (NLQ) printing. Draft mode with fast printing of up to 264 characters per second at 12 cpi. The ability to handle a wide range of paper types, including envelopes. Double-high and double-wide printing for headings and special emphasis. Introduction 1 options A variety of printer options are available for use with FX printers. For detailed information on the installation and use of these options, see Chapter 7. Single-bin cut sheet feeder The cut sheet feeder gives you easier and more efficient handling of single sheet paper. Up to 150 sheets of standard bond paper can be fed automatically into the printer without reloading. This unit also can automatically feed envelopes. Pull tractor unit This option improves the performance of continuous paper handling. It is especially useful with continuous multi-part forms. Optional interface boards A number of optional interfaces can be used to supplement the FX's builtin parallel interface. Guidelines for choosing the right interface and instructions on installing the boards are given in the section on interface boards in Chapter 7. About This Guide This User's Guide provides fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions for setting up and operating the FX-850 and FX-1050 printers. The FX-850 and FX-1050 are basically the same printer except that the FX-1050 can accept wider paper. The illustrations in this manual usually show the FX-1050 printer. Finding your way around Chapter 1 contains information on unpacking, setting up, testing, and connecting the printer. Be sure to read and follow the instructions in this chapter first. Chapters 2 and 3 include important information on paper handling and general printer operation. This information is necessary for the day-today operation of your printer. 2 Introduction Chapter 4 contains information designed to help you get the most from your printer. This section includes advice on the use of software, printer commands, graphics, and user-defined characters. Also, see Chapter 8 for a summary of printer commands. If the printer does not operate properly or the printed results are not what you expect, see Chapter 6 for a list of possible problems and recommended solutions. Other chapters contain information on general maintenance, use of the printer options, and specifications. There is also a glossary of printer terms and an index. At the back of this guide is a Quick Reference card that contains information about commands and settings for your printer. Conventions used in this guide WARNINGS: must be followed carefully to avoid damage to your printer and computer. Cautions: should be followed carefully to ensure that your printer operates correctly. Notes: contain important information and useful tips on the operation of your printer. Introduction 3 Chapter 1 Setting Up the Printer Unpacking the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 Removing the protective materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 Choosing a Place for the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5 Assembling the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6 Installing the platen knob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6 Installing the ribbon cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 Attaching the paper guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11 Testing the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plugging in the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loading a sheet of paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Running the self test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12 1-13 1-13 1-16 Connecting the Printer to Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18 Connecting the parallel interface cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1- ...