Star Micronics LC-7211 - Manual

Contents Chapter 1: Printer Setup ... 1 Choosing a place for the printer ... 1Unpacking the printer ... 2 General guide ... 3 Removing the protective materials ... 4 Installing the platen knob ... 4 Opening the front cover ... 5 Installing the ribbon cassette ... 5 Removing the ribbon cassette ... 7...

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. Front cover Adjustment lever Paper guide Power switch Control panel Interface connector Platen knob Tractor unit Release lever

4 Printer Setup Removing the protective materials Protective sheets and a piece of cardboard are inserted into the printer to protect components during shipping. Before using the printer, be sure to remove all packing material from inside the front cover as shown in the illustration. Installing the ...

Opening the front cover 5 Opening the front cover ❏ Hook your fingers under the two small tabs on either side of the front cover and pull forward and up to swing the front cover open. Installing the ribbon cassette ❏ Make sure that the printer is unplugged from its power outlet. ❏ Open the front cov...

Removing the ribbon cassette 7 Removing the ribbon cassette Use the following procedure to remove the ribbon cassette from the printer when you want to replace it with a new one. ❏ Make sure that the printer is unplugged from its power outlet. ❏ Open the front cover of the printer. ❏ By hand, move t...

8 Printer Setup 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 voltage marked on the bottom of your printer do...

Loading fanfold paper 9 Loading fanfold paper This section tells you how to load fanfold paper. Note that you can also use cut-sheet paper and multi-part form paper. For details on using other types of paper, see “Paper Handling” on page 56 of this manual. ❏ Position the stack of paper behind the pr...

12 Printer Setup ❏ Press the control panel’s LF button and the paper will feed to the starting position.

Printing on fanfold paper 13 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, labels and envelope. 4 mm (0.16") 18 mm 18 mm(0...

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

Connecting to your computer 15 Connecting to your computer The computer sends data to the printer through a cable. This printer does not come with a cable, so you must purchase one separately. You will probably want to use a standard parallel cable for connection, but note that you can also use an o...

17 Chapter 2: Control Panel Operations The control panel gives you push-button control over the printer’s power and paper feed operations. It also includes indicator lights, which tell you the current status of the printer at a glance. This chapter describes general functions that can be performed u...

18 Control Panel Operations Paper loading ❏ Prepare either cut-sheet or fanfold paper for feeding.For details on how to prepare for paper feeding, see page 9 for fanfold paper and page 59 for cut-sheet paper. ❏ The POWER indicator flashes to indicate there is no paper in the printer. ❏ When using fa...

Micro feed 19 Micro feed Use the following operation to feed the paper in very small increments. This makes it possible to align the print head exactly where you want it. ❏ Make sure the printer is off-line ( ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ While holding down ON LINE , press LF to feed the paper fo...

20 Control Panel Operations 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. Selecting the Quiet Print Mode The Quiet Print Mode lets yo...

Saving a macro 21 ❏ Press FONT to feed the paper to the starting position. ❏ Feed the paper so the print head is located where you want the new auto load position to be.Press LF to feed the paper forward and MODE to feed the paper backward. This is the micro feed operation. ❏ After you have the pape...

22 Control Panel Operations Clearing the printer’s buffer When the printer receives data from a computer, it temporarily stores it in a memory called a buffer. If you stop a printing job partway through, there is the chance that some data will remain in the buffer. The following procedure clears the...

23 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 lets you configure the printer so that it matches your system and software needs. This chapter describes how ...

24 Using the EDS Mode Selecting a bank ❏ While in the EDS Mode, use the control panel’s FONT button to select a bank. Indicators on the left side of the control panel light to show which bank is currently selected. Selecting a switch ❏ While in the EDS Mode, use the control panel’s MODE button to se...

Printing the current switch settings 25 Printing the current switch settings ❏ In the EDS Mode, hold down the control panel’s ON LINE button and press the LF button to print out the current switch settings. Asterisks on the printout show whether a switch is turned on or off. Exiting the EDS Mode ❏ P...

26 Using the EDS Mode Switch 4: Not used Switch 5: Paper Out Detector Specifies whether the printer’s paper out detector is enabled (ON) or disabled (OFF). When the paper out detector is enabled (ON), the printer automatically stops printing whenever it senses there is no more paper. When it is disa...

EDS Mode Settings 27 Switch 5: Zero Style Specifies whether a normal zero (ON) or a slashed zero (OFF) will be used. Selecting Normal (ON) prints zeros without lines running through them, while Slashed (OFF) prints zeros with a diagonal slash running through them. Switch 6: Reserved BANK C Switches ...

28 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 make. BANK E Switches 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: Code Page/International Character Set If your EDS settings specify IBM emulation (Bank A, Switch 1 OFF...

EDS Mode Settings 33 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 must be in the correct position before this setting has any effect. Font SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 S...

34 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 35 ❏ Pull down the list of available languages under Language: and double- click the one you want to use. ❏ Click the Install Directory: box to change it into an input box. ❏ Input the drive name and directory where you want the User Setup Utility installed. Make sure...

36 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 37 To select a setting box ❏ Click on the box you want to select or move to it 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 Ente...

38 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 39 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...

40 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 41 ❏ 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...

42 Using the Printer with Windows 3.1 ❏ Double-click on the name of the printer model you just installed to select it as the default printer. ❏ Click Close to close the Printers dialog box. Note: Windows applications automatically print on the currently selected default printer. If you want to print...

Printing a document 43 ❏ 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...

44 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 45 ❏ 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...

46 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”...

48 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-7211”) by clicking on it and then click on the Next button. ❏ Select the printer port to which the printer is connected by clicking on it (usually...

Preparing to print 49 ❏ 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 51 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...

53 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...

54 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...

55 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 ❏ How to select fonts from within an application Setting up for ...

56 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 57 Labels Backing sheet: 4.5 ″ to 12 ″ / 114 to 305 mm Thickness: Backing sheet 0.0028 ″ to 0.0035 ″ / 0.07 to 0.09 mm Total thickness 0.0075 ″ / 0.19 mm * Use labels only under normal temperature and humidity conditions. Envelope #10: 9.4 ″ × 4.1 ″ / 240 × 104 mm Adjus...

58 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. Continuous use of the wrong adjustment lever setting can drastically reduce print head life! Automatic...

Manual sheet feeding 59 Manual sheet feeding You can use the following procedure to manually feed cut-sheet paper into the printer. ❏ Make sure that there is no fanfold paper in the printer. If there is, use the procedure under “Parking fanfold paper” on page 14 to park the fanfold paper and prepare...

60 Paper Handling ❏ Adjust the paper guide to the position you want.Note that the ▼ mark of the guide indicates where the left margin of the printing will be. ❏ Making sure that the left edge of the paper is against the paper guide, insert straight a sheet of paper into the front of the printer as f...

Clearing paper jams 61 Note: If you are inserting letterhead paper, insert the sheet so that it is face up with the letterhead portion up. Clearing paper jams Use the following procedure to clear paper jams from the printer. ❏ Turn the power off. ❏ Unplug the printer from its AC power outlet. ❏ Open...

62 Chapter 10: Optional Accessory This chapter explains how to connect and set up the following optional accessory that is available for this printer: ❏ Serial-to-Parallel Converter (SPC-8K) Important! Always make sure that printer power is turned off whenever installing or removing optional accesso...

Setting the converter’s DIP switches 63 ❏ Plug the other end of the serial cable into your computer’s serial ports. Serial ports are usually marked COM1, COM 2, etc. If your computer has only one serial port, it will be marked COM1. Important! ❏ Make sure that the serial-to-parallel converter is res...

64 Optional Accessory Data Length Parity Protocol Baud Rate Switch 1 Data Length DOS/Windows Setting ON 8 bits 8 OFF 7 bits 7 Switch 2 Switch 5 Parity DOS/Windows Setting ON ON or OFF None N OFF ON Odd O OFF OFF Even E Switch 3 Switch 4 Protocol ON ON DTR ON OFF XON/XOFF OFF ON ETX/ACK Switch 6 Swit...

65 Appendix A: Troubleshooting The appendix will provide help 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 problem...

66 Troubleshooting Note: Test printing prints across the entire width of the carriage. Make sure that the printer is loaded with the widest paper available in order to avoid damage to the print head and platen. Hexadecimal dump This procedure prints in hexadecimal format all codes (character codes a...

68 Troubleshooting 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 power...

74 Troubleshooting 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 drive setup correctly? ✓ Is the printer you are using correc...

75 To check the application printer selection ❏ Select Print from the application’s File menu, and a window appears listing available printers. ❏ Check to see that the name of your Star printer is selected. If it is not, select it and try printing from your application again. To check the port ❏ Dou...

76 Appendix B: Specifications Printing System Serial Impact Dot-Matrix Printing Speed Pitch Draft (cps/dpi) NLQ (cps/dpi) Pica (10 cpi) 225/120H 56/240H Elite (12 cpi) 270/120H 67/240H Condensed pica (17 cpi) 191/240H 95/240H Condensed elite (20 cpi) 225/240H 112/240H H: half-dot Print Direction Dra...

78 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...

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

81 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...

82 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...

85 Code Page #1001Arabic Other characters are the same as those for Code Page #437. Code Page #737Greek Other characters are the same as those for Code Page #437. Code Page #851Greek Other characters are the same as those for Code Page #437.

89 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...

90 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...

92 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...

94 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 o...

95 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. FONT MODE LF ON LINE ROMAN COURIER SANSERIF PRESTIGE ORATOR POWER DRAFT QUIET BANK SW A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4 E 5 6 F MICRO F...

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 ...