Star Micronics LC-6211 manual

USERS MANU AL LC-6211 HF 80825040 DO T MA TRIX PRINTER[...]

T rademark acknowledgments LC-6211, LC-10, LC-90, LC-100, NX-1000, NX-1010, NX-1040, SPC-8K : Star Micronics Co. Ltd. EX-800, FX-850, LX-810, LX-850 : Seiko Epson Corporation IBM PC : International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS, Microsoft W indows, Windo ws 3.1 : Microsoft Corporation Notice • All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part[...]

About this manual This manual describes how to set up, use, and care for the Star LC-6211 printer. The following is a list of what you can expect to find in each chapter. Chapter 1 Choosing a place for your printer , unpacking and setup, ribbon cassette installation, loading paper , connecting to your printer Chapter 2 Ho w to use the control panel[...]

Contents Chapter 1: Printer Setup … 1 Choosing a place for the printer … 1 Unpacking the printer … 2 General guide … 3 Installing the platen knob … 4 Opening the front cov er … 4 Installing the ribbon cartridge … 5 Removing the ribbon cartridge … 6 Connecting to a power outlet and turning po wer on and off … 7 Loading paper … 8 [...]

Paper Out … 23 Line Spacing … 23 Strobe T iming … 23 Print Mode … 23 Banking Character … 24 Zero style … 24 Character T able … 24 Page Length … 24 Chapter 4: P aper Handling … 25 Selecting paper types … 25 Cut-Sheet Paper … 25 Fanfold P aper … 25 Adjusting for paper thickness … 26 Automatic fanfold feeding … 27 Manual sh[...]

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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 ❏ Installing the ribbon cassette ❏ Loading pape[...]

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. A serial-to-parallel interface converter (SPC-8K) is also available as an option. Consult with your d[...]

General guide 3 General guide The following illustrations show the major component parts of the your printer. Fr ont cov er Ad just men t le ver Pa per gui de Po wer swi tch Co ntro l p anel In terf ace con nec tor Pl aten kn ob Tr acto r u nit Re leas e l ever[...]

4 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 right side of the printer. Make sure that the flat side of the shaft is aligned with the corresponding flat surface inside the knob’s spindle. Press the knob carefully[...]

Installing the ribbon cartridge 5 Installing the ribbon cartridge ❏ Make sure that printer is unplugged from its po wer outlet. ❏ Open the front cov er of the printer . ❏ By hand, mo v e the cartridge holder to the center position of the paper guide where there is a cutout to allo w easy installation and remov al of the ribbon cartridge. Impo[...]

6 Printer Setup ❏ Carefully place the cartridge onto the cartridge holder making sure that the spindle of the holder fits into the socket on the bottom of the cartridge. ❏ Press down gently b ut firmly on the cartridge until it snaps securely into place. ❏ Rotate the knob on the cartridge again to take up an y slack. ❏ Close the front cov[...]

Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off 7 ❏ By hand, mo v e the cartridge holder to the center position of the paper guide where there is a cutout to allo w easy installation and remov al of the ribbon cartridge. Important! Never try to move the print head while the printer is plug ged into a power outlet. Doing so can damage th[...]

8 Printer Setup ❏ Set the switch on the front of the printer to ON to turn po wer on, and to OFF to turn po wer off. Important! W e r ecommend that you unplug the printer fr om the power outlet whene ver you do not plan to use it for long periods. Because of the this, you should locate the printer so that the power outlet it is plugged into is ne[...]

Loading paper 9 ❏ Set the release le ver on the back of the printer to the fanfold position. ❏ Set the adjustment le v er to the v alue that matches the thickness of the paper you are using. The setting for normal paper is 1. Set the lev er to a larger value for thick er paper , or to a smaller value for thinner paper . See the table on page 27[...]

10 Printer Setup Note that there is a guide inside the printer in front of the left tractor. The ▼ mark of the guide indicates where the left margin of the printing will be. ❏ Once the left tractor is aligned the way you want it, push the gray le ver back do wn to lock it in place. ❏ Now mo ve the tractor on the right to the approximate posit[...]

Loading paper 11 ❏ Press the control panel’ s SET/EJECT/P ARK b utton and the paper will feed to the starting position.[...]

12 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 and cut-sheet paper. P arking fanfold paper It is not necessary to remove fanfold paper currently loaded in the printer in order to[...]

Unparking fanfold paper 13 ❏ Set the release le ver on the back of the printer to the cut-sheet position. The paper is now parked, and you can load cut-sheet paper into the printer using the procedures under “Manual sheet feeding” on page 27. Unparking fanfold paper After you are finished printing on cut-sheet paper, use the following procedu[...]

14 Printer Setup 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 of your own. You will probably want to use a standard parallel cable for connection, but note that you can also use an optional serial-to-parallel interface converter (SPC-8K). Import[...]

Connecting to your computer 15 ❏ Plug the other end of the parallel cable into the socket on the side of the printer and secure it in place with the clips. Note: Consult with your dealer for details on how to set up your computer when using the optional SPC-8K serial-to-parallel interface con verter .[...]

16 Chapter 2: Control P anel Operations The control panel gives you push-button control over the printer’s power and paper feed operations. It also includes indicator lights that tell you the current status of the printer at a glance. This chapter describes general functions that can be performed using the control panel buttons while the printer [...]

Paper loading 17 P aper loading ❏ Prepare either cut-sheet or fanfold paper for feeding. For details on how to prepare for paper feeding, see page 8 for fanfold paper and page 27 for cut-sheet paper. ❏ The PO WER indicator flashes to indicate there is no paper in the printer . ❏ Press SET/EJECT/P ARK to feed the paper into the printer . Line[...]

18 Control Panel Operations P arking fanfold paper ❏ Make sure the printer is of f-line ( ON LINE indicator is not lit). ❏ Press SET/EJECT/P ARK to eject the paper . ❏ After the paper is ejected, the printer will beep and the PO WER indicator will flash to indicate there is no paper in the printer . ❏ Later , you can press SET/EJECT/P ARK [...]

Setting the printing speed 19 Setting the printing speed ❏ Make sure the printer is on-line ( ON LINE indicator is lit). ❏ Press the control panel’ s LINE FEED button to switch between NLQ ( NLQ indicator is lit) and draft ( NLQ indicator is not lit) printing. NLQ printing provides high quality, but is somewhat slower. Draft printing is quick[...]

20 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 to enter the printer’s EDS Mode and prov[...]

Entering the EDS Mode 21 Entering the EDS Mode ❏ T urn off the printer . ❏ Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer . ❏ While holding do wn the control panel’ s SET/EJECT/P ARK button, turn the printer back on. This causes the following message to be printed. Note: The paper is not fed after the message is printed, so you will have to [...]

22 Using the EDS Mode EDS Mode Settings RAM Usage ❏ Specify whether RAM should be used as an input buf fer or as a download buf fer . Selecting Input Buffer tells the printer to use available RAM to store data it receives from the computer. This speeds up the printing operation, but it also means that RAM cannot be used to store character pattern[...]

EDS Mode Settings 23 P aper Out ❏ Enable or disable the paper out detect function. When paper out detection is set to Enabled , the printer automatically stops printing whenever it senses there is no more paper. When set to Disabled , the printer continues printing as long as there is data. Selecting Disabled makes it possible to print right up t[...]

24 Using the EDS Mode Banking Character ❏ Enable or disable banking character font. When the banking character is set to Enabled , the printer uses a special banking font to print the dollar sign and numerals 0 through 9. When set to Disabled , the special banking font is not used. Zero style ❏ Select the type of zero you want to use. Selecting[...]

25 Chapter 4: P aper Handling Your printer is designed to print on a variety of different 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 to use ❏ Adjusting for paper thickness ❏ Manual sh[...]

26 Paper Handling Adjusting for paper thickness Paper comes in different weights, normally expressed as gsm (grams per square meter) or lbs (pounds). Some form paper also has multiple pages that make them quite thick. Use the following procedure to change the gap between the print head and the platen and adjust for paper thickness. ❏ Mov e the ad[...]

Automatic fanfold feeding 27 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! A utomatic fanfold feeding ❏ See “Loading pa[...]

28 Paper Handling ❏ Set the release le ver on the back of the printer to the cut-sheet position. ❏ Set the adjustment le v er to the v alue that matches the thickness of the paper you are using. The setting for normal paper is 1. Set the lev er to a larger value for thick er paper, or to a smaller v alue for thinner paper . ❏ Adjust the paper[...]

Manual sheet feeding 29 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, i nsert a sheet of paper into the front of the printer . ❏ Press the control panel’ s SET/EJECT/P ARK b utton once to feed the paper into the printer . ?[...]

30 Paper Handling Note: If you ar e 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. ❏ Unplug the printer from its A C power outlet. ❏ Open the front cov er of the printer . ❏ Carefully try to pull the jamme[...]

31 Chapter 5: 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 running under MS-DOS, you must first select the[...]

32 Appendix A: T roubleshooting The appendix tells you what you need to know 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, and on the meanings of printer b[...]

33 Hexadecimal dump This procedure prints in hexadecimal format all codes (character codes and control codes) that are sent to the printer by the computer. The printer does not execute any control codes (such as 0A - linefeed), it just prints them out. The hexadecimal dump is useful when you are writing programs for printer control. ❏ T urn off t[...]

34 Troubleshooting ❏ If the three lines do not align properly , use SET/EJECT/P ARK to mov e the middle line to the left or LINE FEED to mov e it to the right. The above step performs alignment for DRAFT mode only. You must make separate adjustments for the D-DENSITY/SPEED, NLQ, NORMAL- DENSITY, PLOTTER GRAPHICS, CRT GRAPHICS-1, CRT GRAPHICS-II, [...]

35 Pr inter test w orks, b ut pr inter will not print out data from the attached computer . Y our application prog ram’ s or system software’ s pr inter selection is wrong. Check the printer selection of your application softw are. The computer’ s system software is not set up properly for the printer or f or the type of interf ace cable you [...]

36 Troubleshooting Lines print over each other . A uto line f eed with carr iage retur n is disab led b y the EDS setting. Use the EDS Mode to enab le auto line f eed with carriage retur n. See “A uto LF with CR” on page 22. Jamming paper . Set up the printer for the paper thickness y ou are using. See “Adjusting f or paper thic kness” on p[...]

37 F orms are smudged. Printing is too dar k. The printer is not set up correctly f or the thickness of paper being used. Set up the printer for the paper thickness y ou are using. See “Adjusting f or paper thic kness” on page 26. The ribbon is jammed, twisted, or not set correctly between the print head and the print head shield. Make sure tha[...]

38 Troubleshooting Left margin mov es to the right dur ing printing. The paper is not loaded correctly , causing the pr int head to jam. Remov e all paper from the printer and reload it. T r y printing again. The ribbon car tridge is not installed correctly , causing the print head to jam. Make sure that the ribbon car tridge is installed correctly[...]

39 Checking system software settings in W indows Whenever you have problems printing from a Windows application, you should check the following three things: ✓ Is the printer you are using set as the default printer? ✓ Is the printer you are using correctly selected in your application? ✓ Is the correct port selected? You should also refer to[...]

40 Troubleshooting T o chec k the port ❏ Double-click the Control P anel 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 . ❏ Mak e sure that your printer cable is connected to the port highlighted in the list of ports. If you [...]

41 Appendix B: Specifications Printing System Serial Impact Dot-Matrix Printing Speed Pitch Draft (cps/dpi) NLQ (cps/dpi) Pica (10 cpi) 180/120H 45/240H Elite (12 cpi) 216/120H 54/240H Condensed pica (17 cpi) 154/240H 77/240H Condensed elite (20 cpi) 180/240H 90/240H H: half-dot Print Direction Draft: Bi-directional logic seeking NLQ: Uni-directio[...]

42 Copies: Original + 6 Emulation ESC/P Maximum Buffer Size Without download: 15.2 kB With download: 0.5 kB Interface Standard: Centronics parallel Option: RS-232C ser ial Ribbon T ype On-carriage, dedicated Monochrome (X9): Black only Ribbon Life 2 million characters (ASCII Draft) Dimensions and W eight Width: 20.67 ″ / 525 mm Depth: 14.57 ″ /[...]

43 Appendix C: Interface Pin Outs P arallel Interface Pin Name Function 1 STROBE Goes low f or ≥ 0.5 µ s when active . 2 DA T A0 These signals represent information f or the 1st through 8th bit of parallel data, respectively . Each signal is HIGH when data is logical 1, and LO W when logical 0. 3 D A T A1 4 D A T A2 5 D A T A3 6 D A T A4 7 D A T[...]

44 Appendix D: Character Sets Character Set #2 (Graphics Character T able) Character Set #2 (Italic Character T able)[...]

45 Character Set #1 Other characters are the same as those for Character Set #2, above. International Character Set The character codes shown in the table are hexadecimal.[...]

46 Printer Control Codes Appendix E: Printer Control Codes This appendix lists the printer’s control commands. It gives the name of each control command and the applicable ASCII code. Font and Character Set Control Commands Description ASCII Code Select italic ESC 4 Cancel italic ESC 5 Select Character Set #2 ESC 6 Select Character Set #1 ESC 7 S[...]

47 T op/Bottom Margin and V er tical T ab Commands Description ASCII Code Advance paper to ne xt ver tical tab position VT Rev erse feed paper one line ESC LF Select VFU channels ESC / n Set vertical tab positions ESC B n …NULL Set bottom margin ESC N n Cancel bottom margin ESC O Set VFU in a channel ESC b n m…NULL Special Print Mode Commands D[...]

48 Printer Control Codes Line Spacing Commands Description ASCII Code Advance paper one line (line f eed) LF Rev erse paper one line ESC LF Set line spacing to 1/8 ″ ESC 0 Set line spacing to 7/72 ″ ESC 1 Set line spacing to 1/6 ″ ESC 2 Set line spacing to n /216 ″ ESC 3 n Set line spacing to n /72 ″ ESC A n One time feed of n /216 ″ ES[...]

49 Horizontal Print P osition Control Commands Description ASCII Code Mov e print head to next horizontal tab position HT Return pr int head to left margin (carriage retur n) CR Mov e print head to absolute horizontal position ESC $ n 1 n 2 Add n dot spaces between characters ESC SPn Set horizontal tab positions ESC D n …NULL Set right margin ESC[...]

50 Glossary Appendix F: Glossary Centronics cab le Parallel cable normally used to connect the printer to the computer. control code A numeric code that instructs the computer to perform an operation. For example, the computer sends the printer a form feed control code (12) to tell it to eject the current page. Electronic DIP Switc h settings Print[...]

A adjusting dot alignment 33 adjustment lever 26, 27 application printer selection checking 39 Auto LF with CR 22 AUTOEXEC.BAT 41 B Banking Character 24 bidirectional printing 22 C cable parallel 14, 15, 40 length 14 port connection 40 carton contents 2 Character Set #1 45 Character Set #2 44 Character Table 24 Choosing a place for the printer 1 co[...]

printing on 12 specifications 25 tear-off function 13, 19 unparking 13 form feed 17 front cover opening 4 G glossary 50 Graphics Character Table 44 Graphics Direction 22 H hexadecimal dump 33 I input buffer 22 interface pin outs optional serial interface 43 parallel interface 43 International Character Set 45 Italic Character Table 44 L line feed 1[...]

printer control codes 46 printing problem 35 problems causes and solutions 34 dark printing 37 erratic operation 39 excessive noise 35 hot printer case 36 incorrect characters 38 left margin movement 38 line spacing 35 malformed graphics 36 no printing 34 overprinting lines 36 paper feed 35 power supply 34 print quality 36 printing past paper edge [...]

Customer service information If you experience an y 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 which you may encounter . For further technical support, you should first contact your Authorized Star D[...]