Epson FX-890 manual

R 9-pin Dot Matrix Printer ® User’s Guide This manual is divided in two se ctions: English a nd Spanish. The English section begins after this page. The Spanish section begins approximately at the middle of the manual. Este manual está dividido en dos secciones: Inglés y Español. El manual en español comienza aproximad amente a la mitad del [...]

2 L All rights reser ved. No part of this publi cation ma y be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form o r by an y means, electronic, mech anical , photocopying, recor ding, or otherwise, without the prior written permi ssion of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION. The information contained herein is designed only for use with this[...]

3 R Contents Introduction Okidata Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Setting Up the Printer Unpacking the Prin ter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Choo[...]

4 L Using the Control Panel Buttons and Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Selecting a Font and Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Changing the Printer’s Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Default-setting mode . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

Introduction 5 R Introduction This manual covers the following basic information to get you started using your printer: ❏ Setting Up the Printer ❏ Paper Handling ❏ Using the Control Panel ❏ Troubleshooting ❏ Product Informatio n Although the illustrations in this manual show the FX-890 , the instructions apply to both the FX-890 and the F[...]

6 Introduction L Options By adding options, such as a cut-sheet feeder or roll paper holder , you can further expand your printer’s capabilities. Optional interface cards are also available to supplement yo ur printer’s built-in interfaces. (See the Reference Guide for more inform ation.) You can purchase ribbon cartridges , paper, manuals, and[...]

Setting Up the Printer 7 R Chapter 1 Setting Up the Printer This chapter describes how to unpack and set up your printer. Unpacking the Printer Make sure you have the following items. Follow the directions on the Notice Sheet to remove the protective materials before you turn on the pr in ter. Save all packing and protective materials in case you n[...]

8 Setting Up the Printer L ❏ Avoid electrical outlets controlled by wall switches or automatic timers. An interruption in power can erase information in the memory of your printer or computer. Also avoid outlets on the same circuit as large motors or other appliances that can cause voltage fluctuations. ❏ Use a grounded power outlet; do not use[...]

Setting Up the Printer 9 R 4. Remove the new ribbon cartridge from the package. The black plastic ribbon guide is held in place on top of the cartridge with a small tab. To release it, hold the sides of the ribbon guide and gently disconnect it. (Do not remove the ribbon guide f rom the ribbon, however.) 5. Hold the ribbon ca rtridge by its handle [...]

10 Setting Up the Printer L 7. Reinstall the paper tension unit by lowering it onto the printer’s mounting pegs. Then press down on both ends until it clicks into place. 8. To replace the printer cover, insert the front tabs into the slots on the printer and lower the cover into place. Then push it down until it clicks. 9. Make sure the top part [...]

Setting Up the Printer 11 R Connecting the Printer to Your Computer Your printer is equipped with both an IEEE-1284-compatible parall el interface and a USB (Univers al Serial Bus) interface. It also includes a Type-B optional interface slot in case your computer requires a different type of printer interface. (See the Reference Guide if you need t[...]

12 Setting Up the Printer L 3. Plug the power cord into the AC inlet on the back of the printer and plug the other end into a properly grounded electrical outlet. Installing the Printer Software After you connect the printer to your computer, you need to install the EPSON printer software on the CD-ROM shipped with your printer. The printer driver [...]

Setting Up the Printer 13 R 2. Insert the printer software CD-ROM into the CD-ROM or DVD drive. The Installation screen appears: If it does not, double- click Setup.exe on the CD-ROM. 3. Select Install Software and click . 4. Select you r printer from the list, then follow the instructions on the screen. 5. When the installation is compl ete, see p[...]

14 Setting Up the Printer L 6. Click Browse and select the path for the printer driver. Then click OK and follow the on-screen instructions. If you are using Windows NT, i n sert your Windows CD when prompted. 7. Select the appropriate file in the folder and click OK . 8. When prompted, insert the printer software CD-ROM and click Browse to select [...]

Setting Up the Printer 15 R Installing and Using the Online Reference Guide You can install the online Reference Guide on your hard disk and view it from your computer, or read it dir ectly from the printer software CD-ROM. To install the Referen ce Guide on your hard disk, select Install Reference Guide from the Installation screen and follow the [...]

16 Setting Up the Printer L 2. Click Yes . After a moment, you see the Welcome screen: 3. Click Next and follow the instr uctions on the screen. When the installation is complete, click Finish . (If you see the folder window open on the screen, close it so you can see the final installation screen.) The Remote Configuration Manager is installed on [...]

Paper Handli ng 17 R Chapter 2 Paper Handling This chapter covers some important instructions you need to load and use paper in your printer. For complete paper handling information, see the Referenc e Guide . Setting the Paper Release Lever Before you start printing, be sure to set the paper release lever to indicate the paper source you want to u[...]

18 Paper Handling L Adjusting the Paper-Thickness Setting Before you start printing, make sure the paper-thickness setting is correct for the type of paper you are using. Turn the printe r off and open the printer cover. The paper-thickness lever is located on the left side of the printer . The number s next to the lever indicate the thickness sett[...]

Paper Handli ng 19 R Loading Continuous Paper with the Front Push Tractor 1. Make sure the printer is turned off. Then open the front cover and the flap. Make sure the tractor is installed in the front push position. (You may need to move it f rom the r ear push or pull position.) 2. Set the paper release lever to the front push tractor position. A[...]

20 Paper Handling L 5. Remove the front cover by pulling it straight down. 6. Make sure your paper has a clean, straight edge. Then open both sprocket covers and fit the first four holes of the paper, with printable side up, over the tractor pins. 7. Close the sprocket covers. 8. Slide the right sprocket to remove any slack in the paper; then lock [...]

Paper Handli ng 21 R If the first line on your page appear s too high or low, you can change its position using the Micro Adjust fu nction as described on page 32. c Caution: Never use the knob to adjust the top- of-form position; this may damage the printe r or cause it to lose the top-of-form position. Loading Continuous Paper with the Rear Push [...]

22 Paper Handling L 5. Make sure your paper has a clean, straight edge. Then open both sprocket covers and fit the first four holes of the paper, with the printable side down, over the tractor pins. 6. Close the sprocket covers. Then slide the right sprocket to remove any slack in the paper and lock it in place by pushing the blue lock lever down. [...]

Paper Handli ng 23 R 3. Release the sprockets by pulling the sprocket lock levers forward. 4. Slide the left sprocket approximately 0.5 inch (12 mm) from the far left position and push the lever back to lock it in place. Then slide the right sprocket to match the width of your paper, but do not lock it. Slide the edge guide s to the center. 5. Make[...]

24 Paper Handling L 6. Insert the paper into the front or bottom paper slot as shown below until it emerges between the platen and the ribbon guide. Then pull up the paper until the perforation between th e first and second pages is even with the top of the printer’s ribbon. Front slot Before you load paper in the front slot, remove the front cov[...]

Paper Handli ng 25 R 9. Reattach the front cover. 10. Turn on the p rinter. 11. Remove any slack in the paper by pressing the LF/FF button. (Always remove any slack from the paper; otherwise pri nt quality may deteriorate.) When the printer receives data, it will start printing at the curr ent position without a dvancing the pa per. If necessary, a[...]

26 Paper Handling L Removing paper from the pull tractor 1. After you finish printing, tear off the paper supply at the perforation nearest the paper entry slot. 2. To feed paper forward and eject it, hold down the LF/FF button. c Caution: Never press the Load/Eject or Tear Off/Bin button when you are using the pull tractor; the paper co uld come o[...]

Paper Handli ng 27 R 1. Make sure the paper guide is in the upright position. Then set the paper-thickness lever to 0 if you are using ordinary si ngle-sheet paper. (If you are using envelopes , see “Envelopes” on page 29 to set the lever.) Also move the paper release lever to the single-sheet position. 2. Turn on the printer, if necess ary. 3.[...]

28 Paper Handling L Loading Special Papers Follow the guidelines in this section when loading single-sheet multipart forms, labels, enve lopes, and postcards. Single-sheet multipart forms To load single-sheet multipart forms, use the front paper entry slot with the optional front paper guide or front sheet gui de installed. Thick paper, such as mul[...]

Paper Handli ng 29 R ❏ Do not load continuous paper wi th la bels from the rear pape r slot. Because the rear paper path is curved, labe ls may come off their bac king sheets inside the printer and c ause a paper jam. ❏ Do not load paper that is curled or has been folded. Removing continuous paper with labels To prevent labels from peeling off [...]

30 Paper Handling L ❏ The print head must not prin t past the le ft or right edge of the envelope or other thick paper. Make sure your ap plication program prints entirely within the printable area of your enve lope. See “Printer Specifications” in the Reference Guide for more information on the printable area of envelop es. ❏ If you are us[...]

Paper Handli ng 31 R Using the Micro Adjust Function The Micro Adjust function allows you to move the paper forward or backward in 1/216-inch (0.118 mm) incr ements to adjust the tear-off and top-of-form positions. Adjusting the tear-off position If your paper’s perforation is not al igned with the tear-off edge, you can use the Micro Adjust func[...]

32 Paper Handling L 3. Open the paper guide cover, then pres s the LF/FF D button to feed paper backward, or press the Load/Eject U button to feed paper forward, until the paper perforation is alig ned with the tear-of f edge of the printer cover. Note: The printer has a minimu m and a maximu m tear-off position. If you try to adjust the tear-off p[...]

Paper Handli ng 33 R 1. Make sure the printer is turned on. 2. Load paper. (If the tractor is in a push position, press the Load/Eject button to advance continuous paper to the current top-of-form position.) If necessary, lift up the printer cover so you can see the paper position. 3. Hold down the Pause button for three seconds. The Pause light fl[...]

34 Paper Handling L[...]

Using the Contro l Panel 35 R Chapter 3 Using the Control Panel This chapter describes the buttons and lights on the control panel, plus: ❏ Selecting a font and pitch ❏ Changing the printer’s default settings ❏ Emulating the Okidata Microline 320/321 Turbo printer Buttons and Lights Button/Light Function 1F o n t ( I t e m D ) button Select[...]

36 Using the Control Panel L 4T e a r O f f / B i n (Set) button Feeds continuous paper for ward to the tear-off position. Feeds continuous paper backward from the tear-off position to the top-of-form position. Selects a cut-sheet feeder bin when it is installed. In default setting mode, works as the Set button to select a value. Tear Off/Bin light[...]

Using the Contro l Panel 37 R Selecting a Font and Pitch Usually, you use your application pr ogram to select the f ont and pitch you want to use in a document. However, you can s elect one of the printer’s five fonts (in different pitche s) with the buttons on the printer’s control panel, as described below. (The settings you make in applicati[...]

38 Using the Control Panel L Changing the Printer’s Default Settings While you can often change the printe r’s settings through your software or printer driver, you may sometimes need to change one or more o f the printer’s default settings. There are two ways to do this: ❏ Using the EPSON Remote Configuration Manager on the printer softwar[...]

Using the Contro l Panel 39 R Default-setting mode Follow the steps below to enter the default-setting mode. If you u se single sheets, you need to load a ne w sheet of paper each time the printer ejects a printed page. 1. Make sure the printer is on and pape r is loaded. Then press the Menu buttons (I tem U and Set ) until the printer beeps and bo[...]

40 Using the Control Panel L Emulating the Okidata Microline 320/321 Turbo You can make your FX-890 or FX-2190 work like the Okidata Microline 320 Turbo or 321 Turbo. In Okida ta mode, the printer emulates Okidata functions, and the following addit ional settings can be selected in the default setting mode. The default s ettings (shown in bold) are[...]

Troubleshooting 41 R Chapter 4 Troubleshooting This chapter explains the error indicators and describes how to clear paper jams and print a self test. Fo r more troubleshooting information, see your Reference Guide . If you cannot resolve the problem using the information in the manuals, see “Where To Get Help” on page 44. Using the Error Indic[...]

42 Troubleshooting L O = On, O = Flashing ••• = Th ree beeps, ••••• = Five beeps Clearing Paper Jams 1. Turn off the printer and open the printer cover. 2. If continuous paper is jammed in the printer, tear off the fresh supply at the perforation ne arest the paper entry sl ot. 3. Turn the knob on the left side of the printer away f[...]

Troubleshooting 43 R Printing a Self Test Running the printe r’s self test helps you dete rmine whether the pri nter or the computer is causing the prob lem. If the self test results are satisfactory, the printer is working properly and the problem probably results from your printer driver settings , application settings, computer, or interface c[...]

44 Troubleshooting L Where To Get Help If your EPSON printer is not operating properly and you cannot solve the problem using the trouble shooting information, see the contact information below. EPSON provides technical assistance 24 hours a day through the electronic support services and automated telephone services listed below. To speak to a tec[...]

Product Information 45 R Chapter 5 Product Information Safety Instructions Hot Parts Caution Symbol Important Safety Instructions Read all of these safety inst ructions before using the printer. In addition, fo llow all warnings and instructions marked on the printer itsel f. ❏ Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a radiator or[...]

46 Product Information L ❏ Unplug the printer and refer servicin g to qualified service personnel under the following conditions: if the powe r cord or plug is damaged, if liquid has entered the printer, if the printer has bee n dropped or the cabinet damaged, if the printer does not operate normally or exhibits a distinct change in performance. [...]

Product Information 47 R WARNING The connection of a non- shielded equipm ent interface cable to this equipment will invalidate the FCC Cert ification of this device and may cause inte rference levels which exceed the limits est ablished by the FCC for this eq uipment. It is the responsibility of the user to obtain and use a shielded equipment inte[...]

48 Product Information L What This Warranty Does Not Cover: This warranty covers only normal consumer use in the United States and Canada. This wa rranty is not transferab le and will not apply to products purchased from an end user. This warr anty does not cover damage to the Epson printer caused by parts and supplies not manufactur ed , distribut[...]