Epson LX-86 User Manual Download Page 3

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Contents

List

of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . .

vii

List of Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

LX-86 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Setting Up Your LX-86 Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Printer Parts.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Printer Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Paper Feed Knob Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ribbon Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ribbon Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Paper Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Test Pattern. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Connecting the LX-86 to Your Computer . . . . . . . . . 13
First Printing Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2 SelecType . . . . . . . . . . . .

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SelecType Operation . . .

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Turning SelecType on .

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Selecting typestyles. . .

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SelecType exercise . . . .

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SelecType Tips . . . . . . . .

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3 Elements of Dot Matrix Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bidirectional Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Changing Pitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NLQ Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Printer Control Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ASCII Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ESCape Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Printer Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Embeddedcodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Inserted codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Programming Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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Summary of Contents for LX-86

Page 1: ...EPSON LX 86 TM PRINTER User s Manual ...

Page 2: ...ve Radio TV Interference Problems This booklet is available from the U S Government Printing Office Washington DC 20402 Stock No 004 000 00345 4 WARNING The connection of a non shielded 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...

Page 3: ... Buttons 11 Test Pattern 12 Connecting the LX 86 to Your Computer 13 First Printing Exercise 14 2 SelecType SelecType Operation Turning SelecType on Selecting typestyles SelecType exercise SelecType Tips 3 Elements of Dot Matrix Printing 21 The Print Head 21 Bidirectional Printing 22 Changing Pitches 22 NLQ Mode 24 4 Printer Control Codes 27 ASCII Codes 27 ESCape Code 28 Printer Codes 29 Embeddedc...

Page 4: ...44 Master Select 45 Superscript and Subscript 47 Special Characters 47 Epson character graphics set 47 International characters 48 Graphics character set 51 7 Page Formatting 53 Margins 53 Justification with NIQ 54 Skip Over Perforation 55 Line Spacing 55 Paper Out Sensor 57 8 User Defined Characters Defining Your Own Characters Designing Process First definition program Running the program Second...

Page 5: ...d low ASCII codes 87 Appendixes A B C D E LX 86 Characters A l Epson Character Graphics A 3 Commands in Numerical Order Control Key Chart B l B 4 Command Summary c 1 Near Letter Quality c 1 Character Width c 2 Print Enhancement c 4 Mode and Character Set Selection C 6 Special Printer Features c 9 Line Spacing c 11 Forms Control c 13 Page Format C 16 User defied Characters c 19 Dot Graphics c 20 Mi...

Page 6: ...lutions Apple II solutions IBM PC solutions G Printer Maintenance Always Now and Then Rarely H Technical Specifications Printing Character size Characters per line Paper Printer Dimensions and Weight Environment Interface I The Parallel Interface Data Transfer Sequence Interface timing Signal relationships H l H l H l H 2 H 2 H 2 H 2 H 3 H 3 I l I 3 I 3 I 3 F l F l F l F l F l F3 F 3 F 3 F5 F6 F6 ...

Page 7: ...tandard characters 6 4 Italic and pica 6 5 The underline mode 6 6 Special graphics characters 7 1 Standard line spacing 56 8 l Grid for designing draft characters 60 8 2 Correct and incorrect designs 61 8 3 Design for character 62 8 4 Using the bottom eight rows 63 8 5 Grid for NLQ characters 66 8 6 Data numbers for one column 67 8 7 Arrow design and data numbers 68 9 l Pin labels 9 2 Calculating ...

Page 8: ...stment Open pin feed cover Top of page position Parallel interface timing List of Tables SelecType modes Summary of LX 86 pitches International characters in NLQ mode International characters in draft mode International characters in draft italic Graphics modes DIP switch functions International DIP switch settings Pins and signals Signal interrelations E l E 2 E 2 E 3 E 4 E 5 E 5 E 6 I 3 17 38 49...

Page 9: ...h the control panel l Fast printing 120 characters per second in draft pica l A variety of print styles including Roman italic six widths and two kinds of bold printing l User definable characters so you can create and print your own symbols or characters l High resolution graphics for charts diagrams and illustrations l Easy paper loading l Ribbon cassette for quick and clean ribbon changing l Ep...

Page 10: ... manual easy to follow and the LX 86 easy to use No matter what your background if you want to learn about and experiment with all the advanced features of the LX 86 the information you need is here For a preview of what your LX 86 can do look at the following samples of a few of its typestyles N E A R L E T T E R Q U A L I T Y NLQ standard ABCDEFGHI JKLMnopqrstuvwxyz NLQ emphasized ABCDEFGHIJKLMn...

Page 11: ...ter This chapter will have you printing a test pattern within fifteen to twenty minutes and doing more complicated work not long after Printer Parts First see that you have all the parts you need In addition to this manual the printer box should contain the items shown in Figure 1 l In the United States the printer is delivered with the power cord attached Figure l l Printer parts 3 ...

Page 12: ... switches Accidentally turning off a switch can wipe out valuable informa tion in your computer s memory and disrupt your printing l Avoid using an outlet on the same circuit breaker with any large electrical machines or appliances These can cause disruptive pow er fluctuations l Keep your printer and computer away from base units for cordless telephones l Protect the printer from direct sunlight ...

Page 13: ...e LX 86 printer uses a continuous loop inked fabric ribbon which is enclosed in a cassette that makes ribbon installation and replacement a clean and easy job The parts of this cassette are labelled in Figure l 3 Ribbon Knob P i n Pin Figure l 3 Ribbon cassette 5 ...

Page 14: ...r of the printer so that the other parts of the printer will not get in your way Also be sure that the paper bail is against the black roller so it too will not be in your way Note Moving the print head by hand when the printer is turned on can harm the printer Always be sure that the printer is turned off before you move the print head Figure 1 4 Print bead assembly 6 ...

Page 15: ...der by first sliding the pins at the back of the ribbon cassette under the small hooks on the holder See Figure l 5 Then lower the front of the cassette so that the exposed section of ribbon can fit between the print head nose and the silver ribbon guide Push down until the cassette fits firmly in place Figure 1 5 Ribbon cassette installation 7 ...

Page 16: ... pencil Figure l 6 Ribbon placement Ribbon Replacement When your printing begins to become light and you need to re place the ribbon lift the front of the cassette to remove it and then follow the above instructions with a new cassette If you have been using your printer just before you change cassettes be aware that the print head becomes hot during use Be careful not to touch it Also remember ne...

Page 17: ...Paper Loading Now put a sheet of paper in your LX 86 so you can test it Figure l 7 shows the names of the parts that you need to know Friction lever Figure l 7 LX 86 ready for paper loading 9 ...

Page 18: ...above the ribbon guide Then push the paper bail against the paper If the paper becomes crooked pull the friction release lever forward straighten the paper and push the friction lever back If you have the optional tractor unit for continuous pin feed paper see Appendix E for instructions on its use Control Panel Now that your paper is loaded it is time to plug in the printer and see what the butto...

Page 19: ...s good for quick printing of ordinary work and NLQ has more fully formed characters for final copies or special purposes T h i s i s h i g h q u a l i t y N L Q p r i n t i n g T h i s i s f a s t d r a f t p r i n t i n g l ON LINE OFF LINE This button switches the printer between on line and off line status When the printer is on line the ON LINE light glows and the printer is ready to accept da...

Page 20: ...h tests are shown in Figure 1 9 Draft 123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 3456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 4 5 6 7 8 9 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 5 6 7 8 9 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 6 7 8 9 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ˆ 789 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ˆ_ 8 9 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ˆ_ 9 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ˆ_ a A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q...

Page 21: ...will tell you what you need Then once you have plugged your printer cable into your printer and computer you will probably never think about interfaces again If you do want the technical specifications however you can find them in Appendix I The first three steps in connecting your printer and computer are shown in Figure l 10 Plug one end of your printer cable into the cable connector of your LX ...

Page 22: ... have a word processing or other commercial software program just load the program in your computer follow its printing instructions and watch your Lx 86 print If you plan to use your LX 86 for printing program listings load a program and use your computer system s listing command LLIST for MicrosoftTM BASIC for example Note If all the lines of your first printing exercise are printed on top of ea...

Page 23: ...ecType is easy You turn on SelecType and select a type style then turn off SelecType and print Note Each button has two names For convenience this chapter uses the top names of the buttons Turning SelecType on 1 Make sure that the printer is on and that the POWER READY and ON LINE lights are all on 2 Press both the OFF LINE and FORM FEED buttons at the same time as illustrated in Figure 2 l Hold t...

Page 24: ... button if you do not want NLQ Then press both the OFF LINE and FORM FEED buttons to turn on SelecType Figure 2 1 Turning SelecType on When you release the OFF LINE and FORM FEED buttons the LX 86 signals in three ways that SelecType is on The printer beeps l The READY light turns off The ON LINE light begins flashing Selecting typestyles In SelecType each button has a function OFF LINE selects ty...

Page 25: ...pe off The control panel returns to its normal functions but the printer is off line 5 Press the OFF LINE button and you are ready to print SelecType exercise You don t need to know anything about programming for this exercise because it is merely for practice If you would rather not use BASIC use your word processing or business program to create a short file or document of the type you will usua...

Page 26: ...hat you have selected the condensed mode push the FORM FEED button once to set it 5 Push the LINE FEED button once to return the panel to its stand ard operation 6 Press the OFF LINE button so the IX 86 is ready to print Now you have set the LX 86 to print in condensed mode Print your sample once more It should appear in condensed mode just as you see below This is an example of LX printing Turn o...

Page 27: ... elite l If there are print codes in the document or file you are printing those codes will override your SelecType settings This seldom happens since you usually won t use SelecType with files that have such codes but if your IX 86 follows the SelecType instructions for only part of a document print codes in the document may conflict with the SelecType modes l After you turn on a mode with SelecT...

Page 28: ...he paper to produce a dot This dot is about 1 72nd of an inch in diameter The size varies slightly depending upon the age of the ribbon and the type of paper used As the head moves horizon tally across the page these pins are fired time after time in different patterns to produce letters numbers symbols or graphics For example to print a pica capital T the head fires the top pin moves 1 60th of an...

Page 29: ... of all the calculations necessary for this bidirectional printing so you don t have to be concerned about it You simply do your part of the work as if the printer will be printing from left to right on each line and let the LX 86 do all the necessary calculations so that you can enjoy the increased speed Changing Pitches In addition to pica in which there are 10 characters per inch the LX 86 can ...

Page 30: ......

Page 31: ...etters are more fully formed than the draft letters be cause they are made up of many more dots Two differences between draft and NLQ printing enable the IX 86 to print such a large num ber of dots for each character In the NLQ mode the head moves more slowly so that dots can overlap horizontally and each character is printed with two passes of the print head To further ensure the quality of NLQ c...

Page 32: ...The panel buttons make it especially easy to change from draft to NLQ but you can also select and cancel the NLQ mode with a software command which you can find in Chapter 5 25 ...

Page 33: ...the letters on paper The computer and the printer however do not use or understand letters of the alphabet They function by manipulating numbers Therefore when you press the A key for example the computer sends a number to its memory When the computer tells the printer to print that letter it sends the number to the printer which must then convert the number to a pattern of pins that will fire to ...

Page 34: ...ed to use the decimal numbers 0 through 127 computer and printer manufac turers soon extended this range to 0 through 255 in order to make room for more features On the IX 86 for example the codes from 160 through 254 are used for italic or character graphics characters Because even this extended range is not enough for all the features used on modern printers the range is further extended with a ...

Page 35: ...o use Incidentally there is no standard terminology for software codes thus the terms in your software manual may be different from the ones we use here In general there are three ways you send printer codes with com mercial software l Using SelecType the feature described in Chapter 2 l Instructing the program during an installation or setup procedure so that you can then use codes that are typed...

Page 36: ... know which codes to send Often you don t even need to specify which Epson printer you are using You usually tell the program what printer you are using through an installation or set up procedure The instructions should be in your software manual In addition your software or computer dealer may be able to help you Many programs that use embedded codes also have a few com mands that the user can d...

Page 37: ...ng program until you become more familiar with both of them Then you can decide whether or not you need or want to learn to use inserted codes See your software documentation for further information Programming Languages If neither of the methods described above seems appropriate for your application you can write a program in BASIC or any other programming language to send control codes to your p...

Page 38: ...hose it for our demonstrations because most computer systems include some form of BASIC so our examples are ones that almost every one of you can try You don t need to know anything about BASIC to type in and run these programs Just check your BASIC manual to see how to load BASIC in your computer and how to run a program As you run the programs or even as you read the explanations and look at the...

Page 39: ...sary Because the examples in this manual are in Microsoft BASIC MBASIC one of the most widely used types of BASIC in personal computers most users can enter and run the programs exactly as they appear in these pages If your computer system uses any other kind of BASIC you may have to make a few changes Probably the only item you will need to change is the instruction LPRINT which is the MBASIC com...

Page 40: ...he command for elite ESCape M to turn on that mode Your printout should look like the one below ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ lˆ_ abcdefghi The next addition to the program cancels elite with ESCape P and turns on condensed with ASCII 15 30 LPRINT CHR 27 P CHR 15 Now run the program to see the line printed in condensed mode ABCDEFHIGKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ˆ_ abcdefghi Cancelling Codes As you saw in the thi...

Page 41: ...rn the printer on The two effects of resetting the printer that you should be concerned with are it returns the printing to single strike pica thus cancelling any other pitches or enhancements you may have turned on with control codes or SelecType and the current position of the print head becomes the top of page setting Some of our demonstration programs end with a reset code so that the commands...

Page 42: ...rn off elite giving you the printout below ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ˆ_ abcdefghi If your printout is different you may need a WIDTH statement such as the one below 5 WIDTH LPRINT 255 The format for your system will probably be different Consult your BASIC manual Near Letter Quality Mode The examples so far in this chapter are in the draft mode and you have already learned how to turn on the NLQ ...

Page 43: ...inch N e a r L e t t e r Q u a l i t y 10 00 ESC x 1 ESC x 0 P i c a p r i n t 10 00 ESC P ESC M E l i t e p r i n t 12 00 ESC M ESC P Condensed print 17 16 ESC P 15 18 Condensed elite print 20 00 ESC M 15 ESC P 18 Remember that you don t have to use BASIC to change modes you can use any method that sends the printer the proper codes 38 ...

Page 44: ...red in Chapter 5 the LX 86 offers many other typestyles including two for bold printing emphasized and double strike Emphasized mode In the emphasized mode the IX 86 prints each dot twice with the second dot slightly to the right of the first In order to do this the print head must slow down so that it has time to fire retract and fire the pins quickly enough to produce the overlapping dots As you...

Page 45: ...sized ESCape E Master program First type in the program below If you have some programming experience you can see that the program asks you what codes you want to test and then prints a sample of what the codes do Be sure to ty e in the blank spaces in lines 70 and 80 If you are using Applesoft BASIC see Appendix F 20 PRINT Which ESCape code do you 30 INPUT want to test A 40 PRINT What kind of pri...

Page 46: ...ints the line again Each dot is printed twice with the second one slightly below the first as you can see in Figure 6 2 S t a n d a r d P r i n t D o u b l e s t r i k e p r i n t Figure 6 2 Double strike and standard print Unlike emphasized double strike combines with any draft pitch but not with NLQ because it does not overlap dots horizontally Since each line in this mode is printed twice the s...

Page 47: ...using the code W1 in the master program Notice that double width uses an ESCape code format that is slightly different from the previous ones You must use the numeral one as well as a capital W to turn on double width For this mode the letter and the numeral one together turn on the mode and the letter and the numeral zero together turn it off Thus ESCape Wl turns on double width and ESCape Wo tur...

Page 48: ...econd time enter W1 and emphasized double width Your printout should be in the typestyle below showing that the two modes combine with no trouble You can experiment with other combinations if you wish or you can wait for the section later in this chapter that explains a special ESCape code Master Select which allows you to combine as many as seven features with one ESCape code e m p h a s i z e d ...

Page 49: ...uld remember that any character in quotation marks in our discussions of ESCape codes is an alphanumeric character not a numerical value Underline Mode The LX 86 also has a mode that will underline characters and spaces You turn it on with ESCape 1 and off with ESCape 0 Note that the underline code is like the expanded code in that it uses a character in this case the hyphen or minus sign combined...

Page 50: ... five dots wide it does not fill the spaces between characters If you prefer a continuous underline you may be able to use the underline mode through one of the methods we discussed in Chapter 4 Master Select The LX 86 has a special ESCape code called Master Select that allows you to choose any possible combination of eight different modes pica elite condensed emphasized double strike double width...

Page 51: ...0 L P R I N T T h i s s a m p l e o f p r i n t i n g u s e s 40 LPRINT Master Select number M 50 LPRINT CHR 27 In this program you can use any number you calculate with the formula above but remember that emphasized can t combine with condensed or elite If you try to combine emphasized with either of the two narrow pitches you won t harm your printer it will simply use a priority list in its memo...

Page 52: ...ther one You can enter either ESCape SO or ESCape Sl in the master program but that will print the whole sentence in superscript or subscript Some more realistic exam ples are below E MC 2 H20 This fact is found in three sources 7 As you can see you can use superscript or subscript for an indi vidual character Just find out how to send printer codes in your applications program then send the prope...

Page 53: ...INT CHR 27 6 ESCape 7 returns you to the standard set See your software manual for further instructions on printing these characters If you need the decimal or hexadecimal codes for them see Appendix A International characters As you know you need a few extra characters for languages other than English The LX 86 has provided for printing in many languages by having 96 international characters in i...

Page 54: ...nter If you plan to use one of the international sets quite a bit see Appendix D for instructions for using the DIP switches Once you have selected a character set whether you do it with the ESCape code or the DIP switches you will be able to print several new characters The character sets are shown in Tables 6 1 6 2 and 6 3 Table 6 l International characters in NLQ mode 3 5 3 6 6 4 91 9 2 93 9 4 ...

Page 55: ...a tional characters you want Simply type the character from the top row of one of the figures in order to print the corresponding character in the row of the set you have chosen For example if you have reset the DIP switches for the UK character set and you press the key the symbol will be generated Even though you will see the symbol on the screen the symbol will be printed on the paper For anoth...

Page 56: ...ith a graphics shift or other special key that allows you to send graphics codes Sending the codes for these characters to the printer is a two step process just as it is for the international characters In BASIC first you send CHR 27 m CHR 4 to turn on the graphics character set then you send the code numbers given in Figure 6 6 After you have used the ESCape code to turn on the graphics characte...

Page 57: ...acters to form boxes or other figures For most programs ESCape 1 gives you the best line spacing for combinations of graphics characters Further details on line spacing are in Chapter 7 In addition there are commands to specify the line spacing in 72nds of an inch and 216ths of an inch If you need to make such fine adjustments in the line spacing see Appendix C for the proper commands In the chapt...

Page 58: ...olumn num ber of the right margin you want For the left margin command be sure to use a lowercase letter 1 not the numeral one If your word processing program does not allow you to change the margins you can send margin commands to your IX 86 with BASIC or another programming language before you print your documents For example if you prefer wider margins than your word processing program gives yo...

Page 59: ... the right margin is not This is the way most typewritten pages look The centering command centers a line of text between the margins This is handy for headings titles and captions Right justification is the opposite of left justification The right margin is even and the left is not Full justification puts extra spaces between words where necessary so that both the left and right margins are even ...

Page 60: ...the perforation See Appendix E if you need to refresh your memory on setting the top of page Line Spacing Ordinarily you don t have to worry about how the printer moves the paper so that it doesn t print lines of text on top of each other the LX 86 takes care of this without any special instructions If however you want to understand how line spacing works or you need to change the line spacing for...

Page 61: ...between lines The LX 86 has several commands to do this ESCape 0 decreases the line spacing to 9 dot 9 72 inch ESCape 1 decreases it to 7 dot and ESCape 2 returns it to 12 dot In addition there are commands to specify the line spacing in 72nds of an inch and 216ths of an inch If you need to make such fine adjustments in the line spacing see Appendix C for the proper commands In the chapter on dot ...

Page 62: ...e printing about 2 inches from the end of the page Therefore if you use single sheet paper in your IX 86 you can t print on the last 2 inches of each page without an adjustment For most computer systems you merely send the printer an ESCape 8 to deactivate the paper out sensor or change one of the DIP switches described in Appendix D Then you can print to the end of the page with single sheet pape...

Page 63: ...idea of what can be done but remember that these characters are truly user defined you create what you need or want It may seem that designing a character and telling the LX 86 how to print it would be extremely complicated but we have reduced the task to a simple three step process planning your character running one program that tests your work and calculates the required DATA numbers and runnin...

Page 64: ...ther the top or the bottom row must be empty Look at the enlargements of sample letters in Chapter 3 to see how the standard IX 86 characters are designed Designing Process Suppose that you want to print the scientific symbol for the planet Mercury Although the LX 86 has a number of special symbols that is not one of them You can however create and print such a symbol with ease First use a grid li...

Page 65: ...nly one of the dots will be printed First definition program Once you have drawn your dots on the grid type in the following BASIC program and run it If you are using Applesoft BASIC see Appendix F 100 DIM F 9 110 FOR I 1 TO 9 120 PRINT WHICH ROWS HAVE DOTS IN COLUMN I 130 INPUT R IF R 0 THEN 150 140 F I F I 2 R 1 150 IF R 0 THEN NEXT I ELSE GOT0 130 160 LPRINT CHR 27 CHR O CHR O CHR O 170 LPRINT ...

Page 66: ...1 produce the character in Figure 6 4 run the pro gram and follow these instructions When the screen message asks what rows have dots in column 1 respond with RETURN to indicate that no dots go in that column For column 2 the vertical line press 7 RETURN 5 and RETURN again to indicate that you want dots in rows 7 and 5 Then press RETURN alone to indicate that no more dots go in column 2 For column...

Page 67: ...you want to make any changes move the dots as needed and re run the program If you want to put dots in the bottom row change the number in line 190 from 128 to 0 Then the usable rows will be as shown in Figure 8 4 below 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 123456789 Figure 8 4 Using the bottom eight rows Second definition program Once the character looks the way you want it to enter modify and run the next program The...

Page 68: ...racter If you have created more than one character put the DATA numbers for each character on a separate line as you see in the example below 2 1 0 DATA 1 1 2 8 0 1 3 8 1 1 6 1 3 8 0 8 1 1 2 2 2 0 DATA 56 68 146 40 130 40 130 68 56 Check your work by making sure that there are nine numbers in each line and that the numbers are separated by commas To define more than one character use the total num...

Page 69: ...t code If you have designed a few characters and want to use them with your word processing program for example just run the second definition program before you start using your word processing program Then use the two line printout as your guide to tell you which keys to press for your new characters Defining NLQ Characters Since NLQ characters use many more dots than draft characters defining N...

Page 70: ...ns blank for space be tween characters however Each NLQ character definition requires 36 data numbers There fore each vertical column must be divided into three sections for the calculation of data numbers The process is not difficult once you get some practice using it Figure 8 6 shows a single column to make clear how the data numbers are calculated Notice that in designing NLQ characters we sug...

Page 71: ...down to the middle group the next 8 posi tions and add the values of any dots that are used there Finally you look at the bottom group 2 dot positions and add together the values used there If no dots are used in a group the data number for that group is zero All zeros must be entered in the DATA statements for the NLQ definition programs Now we ll show you how to use the NLQ character definition ...

Page 72: ...vidually you can see how the data numbers were calculated First NLQ definition program Now type in and run the following program It has the data num bers for the arrow design For a character of your own change the data numbers in lines 130 150 4 16 64 64 16 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Figure 8 7 Arrow design and data numbers 68 ...

Page 73: ...prog ram again Second NLQ definition program When you are satisfied with the character you have created enter and run the next program Use your data numbers instead of the ones in lines 130 150 If you want to define more than one character change line 10 so that J equals the total number of characters you are defining the maximum is six and enter the extra data numbers 36 for each character 1 0 20...

Page 74: ...hen redefines one or more of them and prints them again As with the draft charac ters you use this two line printout as a guide to the new characters your IX 86 will print You can use them with an applications prog ram or a program you write yourself 70 ...

Page 75: ...LX 86 s ROM Read Only Memory the graphics mode prints dots column by column and line by line You plan where you want the dots to appear and then use a program to tell the LX 86 where to put them Because many software programs take advantage of Epson dot graphics you may be able to print graphics like the ones on this page and the next by simply giving your software a few instructions The chart on ...

Page 76: ...If you look closely at a newspaper photograph you can see that it is made up of many small dots The Ix 86 also forms its images with patterns of dots In fact the resolution of Epson graphics is higher than that of standard newspaper photographs because the LX 86 graphics mode allows as many as 240 dot positions per inch horizontally and 72 vertically The images you print on the Ix 86 can therefore...

Page 77: ...ng must be adjusted to eliminate the space between lines When the line spacing is properly adjusted the LX 86 prints finely detailed graphics images that give no indication that they are made up of separate lines each no more than 1 8 of an inch high To ensure the proper alignment of dots in figures that use more than one pass of the print head the LX 86 abandons the bidirectional printing it uses...

Page 78: ...t can t accept decimal numbers larger than 255 Therefore the graphics mode command uses two numbers for reserving col umns The number of columns reserved is the first number plus 256 times the second number Since the command is set up for two numbers you must supply two even if you only need one When you need less than 256 columns just make nl the number of columns you are reserving and make n2 a ...

Page 79: ...tom graphics pin you send 1 If you want to fire only the top and bottom pins you simply add 128 and 1 then send 129 By adding the appropriate label numbers together you can fire any combination of pins you want Figure 9 2 shows you three examples of how to calculate the number that will fire a particular pattern of pins I 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 not used 4 not used 128 16 2 128 6...

Page 80: ...of single density graphics As usual our example is in Microsoft BASIC but you can adapt it to the programming language you prefer 10 LPRINT CHR 27 K CHR 40 CHR 0 The second line is the data that is printed as pin patterns Be sure that you type in the semicolons in both lines 20 FOR X 1 TO 40 LPRINT CHR 74 NEXT X That s it Run the program to see the result below Although it is not as interesting as...

Page 81: ...RINT CHR 27 K CHR 100 CHR 0 40 FOR X 1 TO 50 LPRINT CHR 85 CHR 42 50 NEXT X LPRINT 60 LPRINT CHR 27 K CHR 100 CHR O 70 FOR X 1 TO 50 LPRINT CHR 42 CHR 85 80 NEXT X LPRINT NEXT R 90 LPRINT CHR 27 Now run the program to see the six print lines combine into a pattern The short and simple program that produced the pattern demon strates many elements of graphics programming Therefore we ll ex plain eac...

Page 82: ...lthough all the examples so far in this chapter have been in the single density graphics mode the LX 86 offers five other eight pin density modes and two nine pin ones Nine pin graphics is not neces sary for most uses but you can find its command Escape in Appendix C All the eight pin densities and their commands are described in Table 9 l Table 9 l Graphics modes Mode Density Alternate code Descr...

Page 83: ... double density to mode 5 one to one LPRINT CHR 27 Y CHR 5 As usual this example is in MBASIC but you can send the code in any programming language Even if you don t know which code your graphics program uses a little experimentation should tell you whether the reassigning code can improve your graphics printouts Column Reservation Numbers Now that we ve introduced you to the rest of the 8 pin gra...

Page 84: ...with any value of N up to the maximum number of columns per line for that density WIDTH Statements Many computer systems automatically insert the control codes for a carriage return and a line feed after every 80 characters This inser tion is usually no problem with text but it can spoil your graphics In the graphics mode they may insert the control codes after 120 col umns which could be in the m...

Page 85: ...ows the differences between the three most used graphics modes so that you can choose the one you want Single High speed Low speed Double Double Figure 9 3 Designing in different densities In this figure you can see the main rules for graphics design in the three densities In single density no dots can be placed on vertical lines In high speed double density dots can be placed on vertical lines bu...

Page 86: ...mn was examined and the sums of the pin values determined This process for the first line is shown in Figure 9 5 The pin values are on the left side and the sums are at the bottom of each column Those of you who have read the previous chapter will see that designing graphics is much like designing user defined characters 8 1 0 8 8 8 8 8 8 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 4 1 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0...

Page 87: ...e number 128 in the DATA statements to signal the end of a print line This is the reason for the IF THEN statement in line 610 that skips to line 650 and causes a line feed The other special technique used in this program is found in lines 620 and 630 Since some of the data numbers are repeated many times we save typing by using negative DATA numbers for repeti tions Line 620 tests for a negative ...

Page 88: ...he following program 20 LPRINT CHR 27 K CHR 50 CHR 0 30 LPRINT CHR 27 1 40 FOR G 1 TO 50 LPRINT CHR 74 NEXT G This program has all the necessary elements Line 20 has the com mand for single density graphics and specifies 50 columns Remem ber that you must use two numbers to reserve columns even if you only need the first one Line 30 has the correct command for T dot line spacing and line 40 calls ...

Page 89: ...ould normally be the command for 7 dot line spacing but since the graphics mode is still in effect the command is inter preted by the printer as two pin patterns 27 and 49 the ASCII codes for ESCape and 1 Since there is no semicolon at the end of this line the numbers 13 and 10 are sent again and again they are printed as pin patterns In line 40 nothing is sent to the printer until after the LPRIN...

Page 90: ...spacing command in line 10 delete line 30 and add two semicolons one at the end of line 20 and one between CHR 74 and the colon in line 40 We have explained this incorrect program in detail so that you will remember two important tips about using the graphics command l Use semicolons to prevent the LX 86 from printing carriage re turn and line feed codes as pin patterns l Do not put any other comm...

Page 91: ...r programming language can cause problems on some compu ter systems The problem is that most computer systems handle some of these codes in a special way instead of delivering them to the printer For example one computer system handles form feeds by itself It counts lines to keep track of the top of page If a program sends the ASCII code for form feed 12 to the printer the computer system intercep...

Page 92: ...appendix gives the control codes and characters for each code from 0 through 255 decimal 00 through FF hex Page A 3 shows the characters in the Epson Character Graphics set Further information on the character sets is in Chapter 6 A l ...

Page 93: ...3 21 34 22 35 23 36 24 37 25 38 26 39 27 40 28 41 29 42 2A 43 2B 44 2C 45 2D 46 2E 47 2F 48 30 0 49 31 1 50 32 2 51 33 3 52 34 4 53 35 5 54 36 6 55 3 7 7 55 56 38 8 57 39 9 58 3A 59 3B 60 3C 6 1 3D 62 3E 63 3F 128 80 129 81 130 82 131 83 132 84 133 85 134 86 135 87 136 88 137 89 138 8A 139 8B 140 8C 141 8D 142 8E 143 8F 144 90 145 91 146 92 147 93 146 94 149 95 150 96 151 97 152 98 153 99 154 9A 1...

Page 94: ...E4 229 E5 230 E6 231 E7 232 E8 233 E9 234 EA 235 EB 236 EC 237 ED 238 EE 239 EF 240 F0 241 F1 242 F2 243 F3 244 F4 245 F5 246 F6 247 F7 248 F8 249 F9 250 FA 251 FB 252 FC 253 FD 254 FE 255 FF Dec Hex CHR 128 80 129 81 130 82 131 83 132 84 133 85 134 86 135 87 136 88 137 89 138 8A 139 8B 140 8C 141 8D 142 8E 143 8F 144 90 145 91 146 92 147 93 148 94 149 95 150 96 151 97 152 98 153 99 154 9A 155 9B ...

Page 95: ...X 86 commands in numerical order The page number column indicates where a complete description can be found Note that for commands from ESC SO onwards the decimal and hexadecimal columns show only the second code the first code for those commands is the ESCape code B l ...

Page 96: ...character Select double width 1 line Select condensed mode Automatic sheet feeder on off Master select Select user defined set Define user defined characters Select graphics mode Turn underlining on off Select vertical tab channel Select l 8 inch line spacing Select 7 I7 2 inch line spacing Select 1 6 inch line spacing Select n 216 inch line spacing Select italic mode Cancel italic mode Internatio...

Page 97: ...t right margin 82 52 International character set 83 53 Select superscript mode 83 53 Select subscript mode 84 54 Cancel superscript subscript 85 55 Select unidirectional mode 87 57 Turn double width on off 89 59 High speed dbl den graphics 90 5A Quadruple density graphics 94 5E Nine pin graphics 97 61 Select justification 98 62 Set vertical tabs in channels 101 65 Set tab increments 102 66 Horizon...

Page 98: ...r symbol in that column For example you press the control key and A at the same time to send the value 1 Some programs that use this system cannot use control and many programs use the control keys for other purposes Decimal Hexadecimal 0 00 1 01 2 02 3 03 4 04 5 05 6 06 7 07 8 08 9 09 10 0A 11 OB 12 0C 13 0D 14 OE 15 OF 16 10 17 11 18 12 19 13 20 14 21 15 22 16 23 17 24 18 25 19 26 1A Control key...

Page 99: ...pecial Features Miscellaneous Codes Line Spacing Each command has a format section and a comment section The format section gives the ASCII decimal and hexadecimal codes for the command and the comment section describes and explains the command For a list of the commands in numerical order see Appendix B Near Letter Quality ESC x Select Print Mode Format ASCII code ESC x n Decimal 27 120 n Hexadec...

Page 100: ...ondensed Mode Explanation This command is only effective in draft mode It produces characters that are approximately 60 of their normal width ESC SI Format ASCII code ESC SI Decimal 27 1 5 Hexadecimal 1B OF Select Condensed Mode Explanation Duplicates the SI command DC2 Format ASCII code DC2 Decimal 18 Hexadecimal 1 2 Cancel Condensed Mode Explanation This command cancels the condensed printing se...

Page 101: ...dth Explanation Duplicates the SO command DC4 Format Cancel Double width one line ASCII code D C 4 Decimal 2 0 Hexadecimal 1 4 Explanation Cancels the one line enlarged printing set by SO or ESC SO but not the enlarged printing set by ESC W or ESC ESC W Select Double width Format ASCII code ESC W n Decimal 27 87 n Hexadecimal 1B 57 n Explanation Double width doubles the width of all characters inc...

Page 102: ...r inch This is the default character width so this command is normally used to cancel the elite pitch Print Enhancement ESC E Format ASCII code ESC E Decimal 27 69 Hexadecimal 1B 45 Select Emphasized Mode Explanation Makes text bolder by printing each dot twice with the second dot slightly to the right of the first ESC F Format ASCII code ESC F Decimal 27 70 Hexadecimal 1B 46 Cancel Emphasized Mod...

Page 103: ...SCII code ESC H Decimal 27 72 Hexadecimal 1B 47 Explanation Turns off double strike mode selected by ESC G ESC S Select Superscript Subscript Format ASCII code ESC S n Decimal 27 83 n Hexadecimal 1B 53 n Explanation This command either selects superscript when n 0 or sub script when n 1 ESC T Cancel Superscript Subscript Format ASCII code ESC T Decimal 2 7 64 Hexadecimal 1B 54 Explanation Turns of...

Page 104: ... and Character Set Selection Deselect Printer Format ASCII code DC3 Decimal 19 Hexadecimal 1 3 Explanation Places the printer into the deselected state until the select printer code DC1 is received DC1 Format Select Printer ASCII code D C 1 Decimal 17 Hexadecimal 11 Explanation Returns the printer to the selected state if it has been switched off by the printer deselect code DC3 C 6 ...

Page 105: ... 34 Select Italic Mode Explanation This command causes characters to be printed using the italic character set ESC 5 Format ASCII code ESC 5 Decimal 27 53 Hexadecimal 1B 35 Cancel Italic Mode Explanation Cancels the italic printing set by ESC 4 ESC Format ASCII code ESC Decimal 27 64 Hexadecimal 1B 40 Initialize Printer Explanation Resets the printer to the power on state including top of form Cle...

Page 106: ...dom 4 Denmark1 5 Sweden n C o u n t r y 6 Italy 7 Spain 8 Japan 9 Norway 10 Denmark II ESC m Select Special Graphics Characters Format ASCII code ESC m Decimal 27 109 Hexadecimal 1B 6D Explanation This code allows ASCII codes 128 to 159 to print special graphics characters See Chapter 6 for details ESC t Select Character Set Format ASCII code ESC t n Decimal 27 116 n Hexadecimal 1B 74 n Explanatio...

Page 107: ...on page A 3 ESC7 Select Standard Character Graphics Format ASCII code ESC 7 Decimal 27 55 Hexadecimal 1B 37 Explanation When the character graphics set is selected this code selects the Standard Character Graphics set See the table on page A 3 This is the default Special Printer Features BS Format ASCII code BS Decimal a Hexadecimal 08 Backspace Explanation The print position is moved one space to...

Page 108: ...t ASCII code ESC Decimal 27 60 Hexadecimal 1B 3C Explanation Selects unidirectional printing for more accurate positioning during text printing for one line only It is cancelled by a car riage return Graphics printing is always unidirectional ESC U Select Unidirectional Mode Format ASCII code ESC U n Decimal 27 85 n Hexadecimal 1B 55 n Explanation Selects unidirectional printing for more accurate ...

Page 109: ... 10 Hexadecimal 0 A Line Feed Explanation When this command is received the data in the print buffer is printed and the paper advances one line in the current line spacing ESC 0 Select 1 8 Inch Line Spacing Format ASCII code ESC 0 Decimal 27 48 Hexadecimal 1B 30 Explanation Sets the line spacing to l 8 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands The 0 is the digit zero and not the character with ...

Page 110: ...Hexadecimal 1B 32 Explanation Selects the line spacing to l 6 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands The 2 is the digit two and not the character with ASCII code 2 This is the default at power on ESC 3 Select n 216 Inch Line Spacing Format ASCII code ESC 3 n Decimal 27 51 n Hexadecimal 1B 33 n Explanation Selects the line spacing to n 216 of an inch for subsequent LF commands The 3 is the di...

Page 111: ...he line feed ESC A Set n 72 Inch Line Spacing Format ASCII code ESC A n Decimal 27 65 n Hexadecimal 1B 41 n Explanation Sets the line spacing to n 72 of an inch for subsequent line feed commands The value of n should be in the range 0 to 85 Forms Control FF Format ASCII code FF Decimal 11 Hexadecimal 0C Form Feed Explanation When this command is given the data in the print buffer is printed and th...

Page 112: ...tch l 5 This command is not effec tive for computers that monitor pin 12 ESC 9 Format ASCII code ESC 9 Decimal 27 57 Hexadecimal 1B 39 Enable Paper Out Sensor Explanation Turns on paper out sensor so that the printer beeper sounds when the printer runs out of paper ESC C Set Page Length in Lines Format ASCII code ESC C n Decimal 27 67 n Hexadecimal 1B 43 n Explanation Sets the page length to n lin...

Page 113: ...ation Format ASCII code ESC N n Decimal 27 78 n Hexadecimal 1B 4E n Explanation The variable n is the number of lines between the last line printed one page and the first line on the next page For example ESC N 6 will cause the LX 86 to print 60 lines and then skip 6 ESC O Cancel Skip Over Perforation Format ASCII code ESC O Decimal 27 79 Hexadecimal 1B 4F Explanation Cancels the mode selected by ...

Page 114: ...alue of zero to n1 Altering the line spacing after giving this command does not affect the absolute position of the tab setting ESC b Set Vertical Tabs in Channels Format ASCII code ESC b c n1 n2 NUL Decimal 27 66 c n1 n2 0 Hexadecimal 1B 42 c n1 n2 00 Explanation This command allows setting of vertical tabs in eight channels the range of c is 0 to 7 These are entered as nl n2 n3 etc in the range ...

Page 115: ... Decimal 11 Hexadecimal 0 B Tab Vertically Explanation Advances the paper to the next tab setting in the channel selected by ESC If no channel has been set channel 0 is used If no vertical tabs have been set the paper advances one line HT Tab Horizontally Format ASCII code HT Decimal 9 Hexadecimal 9 Explanation When this command is given the print position is advanced to the next horizontal tab se...

Page 116: ... are every eight characters ESC e Set Tab Increments Format ASCII code ESC e n s Decimal 27 Hexadecimal 1 B 101 n s 6 5 n s Explanation This command sets the horizontal or vertical tab increments When n is 0 the horizontal tabs are set at intervals of s spaces Maximum values are 21 in pica 25 in elite and 36 in compressed text modes When n is 1 the vertical tabs are set to s line feeds ESC f Horiz...

Page 117: ...s of the current character width The value of n should be in the range 0 to 160 but will be ignored if the setting would give a margin of more than 8 inches This command clears previous tab settings and all previous characters in the print line User Defined Characters ESC Copy ROM Into User Defmed Characters ESC Copy ROM Into User Defined Characters Format ASCII code ESC NUL NUL NUL Decimal 2 7 58...

Page 118: ... the user defined set if n 1 and the normal set if n 0 ESC is required to define the character set Dot Graphics Note See Chapter 9 for further information on dot graphics ESC K Select Single Density Graphics Mode Format ASCII code ESC K n1 n2 data1 data2 data d Decimal 27 75 n1 n2 data1 data2 data d Hexadecimal 1B 48 n1 n2 data1 data2 data d Explanation Turns on Single Density Graphics Mode printi...

Page 119: ... MOD 256 and n2 INT d 256 and are followed by d data bytes ESC Y Select High Speed Double Density Graphics Mode Format ASCII code ESC Decimal Y n1 n2 data1 data2 data d 27 69 n1 n2 data1 data2 data d Hexadecimal 1B 59 n1 n2 data1 data2 data d Explanation Turns on High Speed Double Density Graphics Mode printing 960 dots per 8 inch line Similar to ESC L but cannot print two adjacent dots on the sam...

Page 120: ...f dots required nl and n2 are calculated thus nl d MOD 256 and n2 INT d 256 and are followed by d data bytes Cannot print adjacent dots ESC Select Graphics Mode Format ASCII code ESC m n1 n2 data1 data2 data d Decimal 27 42 m n1 n2 data1 data2 data d Hexadecimal 1B 2A m n1 n2 data1 data2 data d Explanation Select Graphics Mode where m is mode 0 to 6 If d is the total number of dots required nl and...

Page 121: ...1 n2 data1 data2 data d Explanation Turns on Y Pin Graphics Mode The variable m defines density of print 0 for single and 1 for double and d is the total number of dots required nl and n2 are calculated thus nl d MOD 256 and n2 INT d 256 and are followed by two times d data bytes The printer expects two data items for each column of print Miscellaneous Codes CR Format ASCII code CR Decimal 13 Hexa...

Page 122: ...decimal 7 F Delete Explanation Removes the previous text character on the print line but does not affect control codes Does not work at left margin CAN Cancel Format ASCII code CAN Decimal 24 Hexadecimal Control Ctrl X Explanation Deletes all data on the print line previous to this character but does not affect control codes C 24 ...

Page 123: ...nter They control a num ber of important printer functions For most uses they can be left as they were set at the factory but you may want to change some settings The design of the LX 86 gives you easy access to the switches You can see them in the back of the printer as indicated in Figure D l Figure D l DIP switch location D l ...

Page 124: ...ctive 1 4 12 inch Form length 11 inch 1 3 Active Cut sheet feeder Inactive 1 2 Char graphics Character set Italics 1 1 Condensed Print width Pica Switch 2 No O N Functions OFF 2 4 Mute Beeper Sounds 2 3 CR LF Automatic line feed CR only 2 2 Active Printer select Inactive 2 1 0 Slashed zero 0 Note The shaded boxes show the factory settings Switches l 6 l 7 and l 8 determine the active international...

Page 125: ...phics are selected you can still print italics with ESCape 4 Switch l 1 selects condensed or pica printing ON is condensed OFF is pica Regardless of the setting you can still select condensed with SelecType and either condensed or pica with ESCape codes Switch 2 4 enables the beeper to sound when it is OFF when it is ON the beeper cannot sound Switch 2 3 controls line feeds When it is ON the LX 86...

Page 126: ...t your LX 86 where the paper can flow freely in and out of the printer Use a printer stand or any other arrangement that fits your working area Just make sure that the paper coming out of the printer does not interfere with the paper going in and that the paper going in does not catch on the printer cable Because of the cable it is usually best for the paper that feeds into the printer to be stack...

Page 127: ...stand Tractor Unit Installation To install the removable tractor unit first pull the friction lever toward the front of the printer Then hold the tractor with the gears to the right as shown in Figure E 3 Figure E 3 Tractor placement E 2 ...

Page 128: ...stall the paper separator and pull out the paper guide as shown in Figure E 4 Fit the notches in the bottom corners of the separator over the pins at the front of the paper slot The separator keeps the paper that is coming out of the printer from being pulled back in Pull out the paper guide at the back of the printer This guide helps keep the incoming paper from catching on the printer cable Figu...

Page 129: ...en the front lid Then move the print head to the center of the printer and pull the paper bail away from the platen the black roller just as you did for single sheet loading Look back at Figure l 7 if you need to check on the names of any of these parts Now using Figure E 6 as your guide pull the locking levers for ward so that you can move the pin feed holders to the left and right Put the left h...

Page 130: ... Next open the pin feed covers as shown in Figure E 7 and feed the paper under the paper separator and into the paper slot push the paper through until it comes up between the ribbon guide and the platen Figure E 7 Open pin feed cover E 5 ...

Page 131: ...of an inch below the top of the ribbon guide as you see in Figure E 8 Figure E 8 Top of page position When you turn on your LX 86 it will remember this top of page setting and will use it when any program tells it to move to the top of the next page If you later find that your word processing or other applications program is putting your printing too high or too low on the page or is printing on t...

Page 132: ...ems are listed on the left and solutions on the right Problem Setting print styles Can t get condensed print Tabbing Horizontal tabs don t work Horizontal tabs are incorrect when changing pitch Graphics Strange things print Solution Cancel emphasized it has priority over condensed Set margins before tabs not after Tabs are set according to current print pitch Changes in pitch do not affect the pos...

Page 133: ... graphics The printer expects a certain mode number of pin patterns deter mined by nl and n2 It will wait patiently until the quota is full Note that 9 pin graphics mode requires two bytes for each col umn of graphics Can t get a full page in width Some systems require a WIDTH statement See your system docu mentation Problems with paper feeding or If a self adhesive label comes off irregular darkn...

Page 134: ...turn the printer off and check to see if the paper is loaded correctly If the paper is loaded correctly turn the printer back on and try to print again If the printer beeps and does not print again take it to a qualified service person Data Dump Mode The LX 86 has a special feature that makes it easy for experienced printer users to find the causes of problems Called the data dump mode it gives a ...

Page 135: ...e meaning of the hexadecimal codes We will explain the first line to put you on the right track for using the data dump mode The first code in line 0000 is hex 46 which is the same as decimal 70 which is the code for F therefore F is printed in the first position in the guide section Then because there is no semicolon in line 20 MBASIC sends a carriage return and a line feed hex codes 0D and 0A Ea...

Page 136: ...ges hex 09 which is the code for horizontal tabbing to several 20s the code for a space Therefore you know that if you use this system you must be careful about sending a decimal 9 hex 09 The data dumping capability can help you solve problems quickly Appendix A will help you translate the hex codes to ASCII equivalents Coding Solutions Once you ve determined that a code creates problems for your ...

Page 137: ... someone who can Solutions for Specific Systems The next four subsections illustrate dealing with interface puzzles on four types of computers Applesoft BASIC solutions Applesoft BASIC does not use PRINT to send data to the screen and LPRINT to send data to the printer as MBASIC does Therefore put an PR l at the beginning of a program and change all instances of LPRINT to PRINT If one of our progr...

Page 138: ...can cancel this by typing PRINT CHR 9 I or PR O The problem is that the LX 86 uses CHR 9 to activate horizontal tabulation and can also use it in graphics programs When you send this code however your system will interpret it as a printer initializa tion code and the program will not work properly In these cases use the following method to change your printer initialization code to a number that i...

Page 139: ... anything This does allow you to print anything but it ignores any previous WIDTH statements If you want to print more than 80 characters per line in a graphics program you must therefore change your opening statement to include the appropriate WIDTH statement OPEN LPT1 AS 1 WIDTH 1 255 And for the programs in this manual don t forget to use PRINT l wherever we use LPRINT This won t work for those...

Page 140: ...uous line feed Printing direction Bidirectional logic seeking Unidirectional left to right in graphics mode Character size Mode Width inches Pica 083 in Pica double width 166 in Elite 059 in Elite double width 118 in Condensed 041 in Condensed double width 083 in Super Subscript Height inches 122 in 122 in 122 in 122 in 122 in 122 in 063 in Line spacing Default is l 6 inch Programmable in incremen...

Page 141: ...ith optional tractor Single sheet up to 8 5 Friction feed Number of copies One original plus one copy total thickness not to exceed 0 005 Printer Ribbon Cassette ribbon black MTBF 3 million lines excluding print head life Print head life 100 million characters Dimensions and Weight Height 3 3 in Width 16 6 in Depth without paper separator a 12 4 in Weight 11 5 lbs Power 120 VAC 10 US models 220 24...

Page 142: ...ibration Operating 0 25 G 55Hz maximum Storage 0 50 G 55Hz maximum Insulation resistance 10 megaohms between AC power line and chassis Dielectric strength 100 VAC at 50 60Hz for 1 minute between AC line and chassis Interface Interface Centronics Synchronization compatible 8 bit parallel By externally supplied STROBE pulses Handshaking By ACKNLG and BUSY signals Logic level Input data and all inter...

Page 143: ...able 13 14 Centtonics 13 Character graphics 47 48 Codes See ASCII codes Control codes ESCape code Commands in numerical order B l B 4 by function C l C 24 Condensed elite mode 37 Condensed mode 35 Continuous feed paper E l E 6 Control codes 29 in numerical order B l B 4 by function C l C 24 Control panel 10 11 Selecting typestyles with See SelecType Cut sheet feeder option D 2 D 3 D Data dump mode...

Page 144: ...er 9 10 E 2 Function switches See DIP switches G Graphics 71 87 F l F 2 Graphics characters 47 48 51 52 H Head See Print head Hex dumping See Data dump mode I IBM Personal Computer BASIC F 7 F 8 Interface H 3 I l 1 4 International characters 48 50 D 2 Italic mode 43 44 J Justification with NLQ 54 K Knob See Paper feed knob L Lever See Friction lever Line feed automatic DIP switch setting for D 2 D...

Page 145: ... Parallel interface See Interface Pica mode 34 35 Pitch summary table of 38 Print head 21 73 Print pitch summary table 38 R Reset code 36 Ribbon installation and replacement 5 8 S SelecType feature 15 19 Self test See Test pattern Sensor See Paper out sensor Seven bit systems F 5 F 6 Skip over perforation 55 Special graphics characters 51 52 Specifications H l H 3 Subscript 47 Superscript 47 Switc...

Page 146: ...U Underline mode 44 45 User defined characters 59 70 W WIDTH statements 80 Zero slashed D 2 D 3 z J 4 ...

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