Star Micronics LC-1511 - Manual

Contents Chapter 1: Printer Setup ... 1 Choosing a place for the printer ... 1Unpacking the printer ... 2General guide ... 3Opening the front cover ... 4Removing the protective materials ... 4Installing the platen knob ... 6Installing the ribbon cassette ... 6Removing the ribbon cassette ... 8Instal...

1 Chapter 1: Printer Setup This chapter contains important information on setting up your printer. Be sure to read this chapter carefully before using the printer for the first time. In this chapter you will learn about: ❏ Choosing a place for the printer ❏ Unpacking and setting up the printer ❏ Ins...

2 Printer Setup Unpacking the printer Check to make sure that the carton contains each of the items shown in the following illustration. If anything is missing, contact the store where you bought the printer and ask them to supply the missing part. Note that it is a good idea to keep the original bo...

General guide 3 General guide The following illustrations show the major components of your printer. Paper guide Front cover Interface connector Control panel Mute cover Release lever Power switch Platen knob

4 Printer Setup Opening the front cover ❏ Lift up on the front cover and swing it open until it stops. ❏ To close the front cover, simply lower it back into place. Caution! The tear assist edge is rather sharp. Take care to avoid injuring your hands. Note: You can completely remove the front cover f...

6 Printer Setup Installing the platen knob The platen knob is packed into a recess in the packaging material. ❏ Install the knob on the shaft located inside the large hole on the left side of the printer. Make sure that the two splines of the platen shaft inside the printer fit into the slots inside...

8 Printer Setup ❏ While guiding the ribbon between the print head and print head shield, press down gently but firmly on the cartridge until the side tabs snap securely into place. ❏ Rotate the knob on the cassette again to take up any slack. ❏ Replace the front cover of the printer. Important! Prin...

Installing the paper guide 9 ❏ Open the front cover of the printer. ❏ By hand, move the cartridge holder to the left side where there is a cutout in the top guide to allow easy installation and removal of the ribbon cassette. ❏ Using your thumb and forefinger to squeeze the two tabs on the ribbon ca...

10 Printer Setup Standing up the paper guide ❏ You can move the paper guide so that it is at angles of 50 or 70 as shown in the illustrations below. The correct angle depends on the type of the paper you are using. The following table shows the correct angle to use for each type. Paper Type Paper Gu...

Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off 11 Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off ❏ Plug the power cord of the printer into a standard power outlet whose voltage matches the power rating noted on the label affixed to the bottom of your printer. Caution! If the vo...

12 Printer Setup Loading fanfold paper This section tells you how to load fanfold paper. Note that you can also use cut-sheet paper. For details on using other types of paper, see “Paper Handling” on page 62 of this manual. ❏ Remove the paper guide from the printer. ❏ Make sure printer power is turn...

Loading fanfold paper 15 ❏ Install the paper guide so that it is standing up (at a 50-degree angle) as shown on page 10. In this position, the paper guide keeps the printed paper separate from the unprinted paper.Then slide the right and left paper guides apart so they do not interfere with the fanf...

16 Printer Setup Printing on fanfold paper When printing on fanfold paper, take care not to print too close to the perforations that separate each sheet. The following shows the recommended print area for fanfold paper, cut-sheet paper and label paper. Cut-sheet paper 5 mm 8 mm (0.31") 5 mm 4 mm...

Parking fanfold paper 17 Parking fanfold paper It is not necessary to remove fanfold paper currently loaded in the printer in order to print on cut-sheet paper. Instead, simply use the following procedure to park the fanfold paper. ❏ Tear off the paper at a perforation so there is no more than half ...

18 Printer Setup Using the tear-off function The following procedure makes it easy to tear off fanfold paper. ❏ Check to make sure that the printer is on-line. ❏ Press the FORM FEED button to perform the long tear-off operation, or press the LINE FEED button to perform the short tear-off operation. ...

20 Chapter 2: Control Panel Operations The control panel gives you push-button control over the printer’s operations. It includes indicator lights, which tell you the current status of the printer at a glance. This chapter describes control panel functions that can be performed while the printer is ...

Selecting a font 21 Selecting a font ❏ Make sure the printer is off-line ( ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Press FONT to change the font selection. An indicator lights to the left of the name of the font that is currently selected. HS-Draft is selected when all font indicators on the LC-1521 are of...

22 Control Panel Operations Setting the character pitch The character pitch setting controls how many characters are printed per inch. Use the following procedure to select the pitch you want. ❏ Make sure the printer is off-line ( ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Press PITCH to change the pitch sele...

Line feed 23 Line feed ❏ Make sure the printer is off-line ( ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Press LINE FEED once to feed paper one line. Holding down LINE FEED continually feeds paper, one line at a time, until you release the button. Paper eject (cut-sheet paper) ❏ Make sure the printer is off-li...

24 Control Panel Operations Setting the top of form position The current position of paper loaded in the printer is automatically set as the top of the page whenever you turn power on. You can also use the following procedure at any time to specify a different position as the top of the page. ❏ Make...

Changing the auto load position 25 ❏ Make sure the printer is on-line ( ON LINE indicator is lit). ❏ Press SET/EJECT/PARK , to toggle between the Quiet Print Mode and normal printing.The printer emits one short beeps when the Quiet Print Mode is selected, and two short beep when normal printing is s...

26 Control Panel Operations Saving a macro Normally, any settings you make on the control panel are cleared when you turn the printer off. Use the following procedure to save the current control panel settings so that they are used whenever you turn the printer on. ❏ Make the control panel settings ...

27 Initializing the printer The following procedure initializes the printer to its power-on settings. If you have control panel settings stored in memory, this procedure sets up the printer using them. ❏ Use ON LINE to take the printer off line ( ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Hold down FONT and t...

28 Chapter 3: Using the EDS Mode The letters “EDS” stand for “Electronic DIP Switches.” Just like the small DIP switches that are used by many computers, printers, and other devices, the EDS mode lets you configure the printer so that it matches your system and software needs. This chapter describes...

Selecting a bank 29 Selecting a bank ❏ While in the EDS Mode, use the control panel’s BANK button to select a bank. When the BANK indicator flashes it indicates the current bank selected. Selecting a switch ❏ While in the EDS Mode, use the control panel’s SWITCH button to select a bank switch. When ...

30 Using the EDS Mode Printing the current switch settings ❏ In the EDS Mode, press the control panel’s PRINT button to print out the current switch settings. Asterisks on the printout show whether a switch is turned on or off. Checking the settings of switches in a bank ❏ After selecting a bank, pr...

EDS Mode Settings 31 EDS Mode Settings The following details all of the settings you can program in the EDS Mode. You can print out a detailed overview of all the settings by performing a test of the printer (page 70). BANK A Switch 1: Emulation Selects Standard emulation (ON) or IBM emulation (OFF)...

32 Using the EDS Mode Switch 6: Multi-Part Mode Specifies whether the printer’s Multi-Part Mode is enabled (OFF) or disabled (ON). When the Multi-Part Mode is enabled (OFF), the impact of the print head is increased, but head life is decreased. Enable the Multi-Part Mode when printing on four to fiv...

EDS Mode Settings 33 BANK C Switches 1, 2: Print Mode Turn these switches on or off to select the print mode you want to use. * LC-1521 only. Not used with LC-1511. Switches 3, 4, 5: Print Pitch Turn these switches on or off to form the pattern that matches the print pitch setting you want to make. ...

34 Using the EDS Mode BANK D Switches 1, 2, 3, 4: Page Length Turn these switches on or off to form the pattern that matches the Page Length setting you want to use. Switch 5: CR Centering Position Specifies whether the printer's CR centering is long (ON) or short (OFF). When the CR centering positi...

EDS Mode Settings 39 BANK F Switches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: NLQ Font Selection Turn these switches on or off to form the pattern that identifies the font you want to use for NLQ printing. Note: Bank C switches 1 and 2 need to be in the correct positions before the above setting will have any effect. Font SW...

40 Chapter 4: User Setup Utility The User Setup Utility is included on the floppy disk that comes with the printer. It allows you to change the EDS settings of the printer from your computer. To run the User Setup Utility, you need an IBM-compatible computer running PC-DOS or MS-DOS. The computer mu...

Starting the User Setup Utility 41 ❏ Pull down the list of available languages under Language: and double- click the one you want to use. ❏ Pull down the list of available printers under Printer Type: and double- click on the one you want to use. For this printer you should select LC-1511 or LC-1521...

42 User Setup Utility When you start the User Setup Utility, it reads and displays the last settings that were sent to the printer by the utility. Note: The utility does not read the settings from the printer. It reads the settings from a file that was created the last time the utility was run, whic...

Adjusting the dot alignment 43 To select a setting box ❏ Click on the box you want to select or move to by using your keyboard’s Tab or arrow keys . The currently selected setting box is highlighted on the screen. To change a setting ❏ After you select a setting box, click on the box or press Enter ...

44 User Setup Utility Changing the printer port ❏ Click on Port or press the F8 function key. ❏ Select the port you want to use by double-clicking on it, or by moving to it with the arrow keys and pressing Enter . Saving setup data in a configuration file ❏ To save setup data in a configuration file...

Importing setup data from a configuration file 45 Importing setup data from a configuration file ❏ Click on File or press the F3 function key. ❏ Select Load from the menu that drops down by double-clicking on it, or by moving the highlighting to it with the arrow keys and pressing Enter . ❏ Select t...

46 Chapter 5: Using the Printer with Windows 3.1 This chapter contains specific information you need to know when using the printer with Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later. It also tells you how to install the printer driver on your computer so that it can control the printer correctly. In this chapter,...

Setting up for printing with Microsoft Windows 3.1 47 ❏ Click Add and the dialog box will expand to show a List of Printers. ❏ In the List of Printers: box, select Install Unlisted or Updated Printer . ❏ Click Install . ❏ This causes the Install Driver dialog box to appear, which instructs you to in...

48 Using the Printer with Windows 3.1 ❏ In the List of Printers: box of the Add Unlisted or Updated Printer dialog box, select the Star printer driver and then click OK . This causes the Printers dialog box to appear. The STAR printer is now listed in the Installed Printers: list. ❏ Double-click on ...

Printing a document 49 ❏ From this window you select buttons that let you control a wide variety of printer setup parameters. This manual does not include any information about how to do this because everything you need to know is included in an on-line manual that tells you how to use all the butto...

50 Using the Printer with Windows 3.1 Note: The actual appearance of the Print window may differ somewhat depending on the application you are using. Use this window to specify the range of the pages to be printed, the quality of the printing (in dots per inch), and the number of copies you want to ...

Selecting fonts in Windows applications 51 ❏ Insert the disk that contains the fonts into one of your computer’s disk drives. This explanation assumes you are using a drive named “A:”, but you could use any drive. Just remember to change the “A:” in the following steps to the name of the drive you a...

52 Chapter 6: Using the printer with Windows 95 This chapter describes how to use the printer with Microsoft Windows 95. The following topics are covered: ❏ Setting up the printer in Windows 95 ❏ Preparing for printing ❏ Printing a document ❏ Installing the TrueType fonts Note: The file “readme.txt”...

54 Using the printer with Windows 95 ❏ Select the language or language group you want to use by clicking on it. ❏ Select the printer model name (“Star LC-1511” or “Star LC-1521”) by clicking on it and then click on the Next button. ❏ Select the printer port to which the printer is connected by click...

Preparing to print 55 ❏ Click on the Next button. ❏ Select whether to print out a test page by clicking on the appropriate radio button. ❏ Click on the Finish button. ❏ If a message appears requesting you to insert the Windows 95 CD-ROM, insert it into the CD-ROM drive and click on the OK button. ❏ ...

Printing a document 57 Printing a document Windows 95 applications always print to the currently selected default printer. If you want to change the default printer, refer to the previous section, Preparing to print.To print from any Windows 95 application, proceed as follows:. ❏ Click on the applic...

59 Chapter 7: Using the Printer with OS/2 Warp This chapter contains specific information about using the printer with IBM OS/2 Warp. It also shows you how to install the printer driver on your computer so you can control the printer. By reading this chapter, you will learn: ❏ How to set up for prin...

60 Using the Printer with OS/2 Warp Getting ready to print There are several steps to set up the printer before using it. You must select the printer driver, and specify the source, size, and orientation of the paper. Use the following procedure to make these selections. Note: You do not need to sel...

61 Chapter 8: Using the Printer with MS-DOS This chapter contains information about how to use the printer with applications software running under MS-DOS. In this chapter, you will learn about: ❏ How to set up for printing with MS-DOS Setting up for printing with MS-DOS To print from an application...

62 Chapter 9: Paper Handling Your printer is designed to print on a variety of paper types. This chapter tells you everything you need to know about paper, and how to set the printer up for manual paper feed. In this chapter, you will learn about: ❏ Selecting the best type of paper ❏ Adjusting for p...

Adjusting for paper thickness 63 Labels Backing sheet: 4 .5″ to 1 6.5″ / 114 to 419mm Thickness Backing sheet: 0.00276 ″ to 0.0035 ″ / 0.07 to 0.09mm Total: 0.0075 ″ / 0.19mm • Use labels under normal temperature and humidity conditions only. Adjusting for paper thickness Paper comes in different we...

64 Paper Handling The following table provides a general guide for setting the adjustment lever. Experiment with different settings until you find the one that gives you the print quality you want. Important! Continuous use of the wrong adjustment lever setting can drastically reduce print head life...

Clearing paper jams 65 For any paper size other than A3 landscape (horizontal), align the paper guide with scale 0 (zero). For A3 landscape paper, align the paper guide with the mark. ❏ Adjust the right paper guide so there is enough space to insert the paper. ❏ Insert a sheet of paper into the pape...

66 Chapter 10: Optional Accessories This chapter introduces the following optional accessories that are available for this printer: ❏ Automatic Sheet Feeder (SF-15HA) ❏ Pull Tractor Unit (PT-15HA) ❏ Serial Interface Unit (IS-8H192 and IS-32H768) ❏ Serial-to-Parallel Converter (SPC-8K) Important! Alw...

68 Optional Accessories Specifications (IS-8H192) Specifications (IS-32H768) RS-232C Interface RS-422A Interface Refer to the manual that comes with the serial interface unit for further details on installation and operation. Interface RS-232C-level only Synchronization Asynchronous Baud rate 150, 3...

Serial-to-Parallel Converter (SPC-8K) 69 Serial-to-Parallel Converter (SPC-8K) Connecting the serial-to-parallel converter to the printer’s parallel connector provides serial data communications capabilities between the printer and your computer. Specifications Refer to the manual that comes with th...

70 Appendix A: Troubleshooting This appendix will help you if you experience problems with your printer. It tells you how to test the printer, how to check system software settings, and how to adjust the vertical alignment. In addition, there is information on actions to take for specific problems. ...

Hexadecimal dump 71 Long test ❏ Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer. ❏ Turn the printer off. ❏ While holding down the control panel’s LINE FEED button, turn the printer on. The long test prints seven lines of text and then continues to print the entire character set for each font and pitch...

72 Troubleshooting Adjusting the dot alignment You may never have to use the procedure described in this section, but after you have been using your printer for some time you may find that the dots of some graphics do not align correctly. For example, what should look like: may come out looking like...

Troubleshooting guide 73 Troubleshooting guide Use the following table to help track down the causes of problems and to determine the best solution to deal with them. Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action The ON LINE indicator does not light. The printer is not receiving power. Check whether the...

Checking system software settings in Windows 79 Checking system software settings in Windows Whenever you have problems printing from a Windows application, you should check the following four things: ✓ Is the printer you are using set as the default printer? ✓ Is the driver setup correct? ✓ Is the ...

80 Troubleshooting To check the port ❏ Double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main window. ❏ Double-click the Printers icon. ❏ Double-click on the name of your Star printer in the list of installed printers. ❏ Click on Connect . ❏ Make sure that your printer cable is connected to the port highli...

81 Appendix B: Specifications Printing System Serial Impact Dot-Matrix Printing Speed Pitch Draft (cps/dpi) NLQ (cps/dpi) LC-1521 Pica (10 cpi) 300/120H (Normal) 400/90H (HS) 75/240H Elite (12 cpi) 360/120H 90/240H Condensed pica (17 cpi) 255/240H 127/240H Condensed elite (20 cpi) 300/240H 150/240H ...

84 Appendix C: Interface Pin Outs Parallel Interface Pin Name Function 1 STROBE Goes low for ≥ 0.5 µ s when active. 2 DATA0 These signals represent information for the 1st through 8th bit of parallel data, respectively. Each signal is HIGH when data is logical 1, and LOW when logical 0. 3 DATA1 4 DA...

85 Appendix D: Character Sets Standard Italic Character Set International Character Set The character codes shown in the table are hexadecimal.

87 IBM Special Character Set The following characters can be printed using the <ESC> ^ command. Code Page #850Multi-lingual Other characters are the same as those for Code Page #437. Code Page #860Portuguese Other characters are the same as those for Code Page #437. Code Page #861Icelandic Oth...

88 Character Sets Code Page #863Canadian French Other characters are the same as those for Code Page #437. Code Page #865Nordic Other characters are the same as those for Code Page #437. Code Page #3840 IBM-Russian Other characters are the same as those for Code Page #437. Code Page #866 Russian Oth...

95 Appendix E: Printer Control Codes This appendix lists the printer’s control commands. It gives the name of each control command, along with the applicable emulation mode (Standard, IBM, or Both), and the applicable ASCII code. Font and Character Set Control Commands Description Mode ASCII Code Se...

96 Printer Control Codes Print Pitch Control Commands Description Mode ASCII Code Select condensed print Both SI Same as SI STD ESC SI Select one line expanded print Both SO Same as SO STD ESC SO Cancel condensed print STD DC2 Set print pitch to pica IBM DC2 Cancel one-line expanded print Both DC4 S...

98 Printer Control Codes Line Spacing Commands Description Mode ASCII Code Advance paper one line (line feed) Both LF Reverse paper one line STD ESC LF Set line spacing to 1/8 ″ Both ESC 0 Set line spacing to 7/72 ″ IBM ESC 1 Set line spacing to 1/6 ″ STD ESC 2 Execute ESC A IBM ESC 2 Set line spaci...

100 Appendix F: Glossary adjustment lever Controls the darkness of the printing by adjusting for the thickness of the paper you are printing on. Centronics cable Parallel cable normally used to connect the printer to the computer. control code A numeric code that instructs the printer to perform an ...

101 Appendix G: Control Panel Operation Guide Note: A dot means press and hold and an arrow means to just press. A dot and arrow tied together means hold one while pressing the other. BANK HS-DRAFT/DRAFT A1 B2 COURIER FONT BANK C3 ROMAN SANSERIF ORATOR PRESTIGE 10 CPI SW 12 CPI COND E5 PROP D4 F6 PO...

Customer service information If you experience any technical difficulties with your Star printer, please refer to Appendix A How to deal with printing problems. This chapter describes easy methods to diagnose and resolve some of the problems that you may encounter.For further technical support, you ...