More about ESC/P 2

Epsons enhanced printer control language, ESC/P 2, offers two scalable fonts in sizes from 8 to 32 points. You can use this feature if your application program supports scalable fonts. For DOS-based word processing programs, new ESC/P 2 drivers may be available to enable your program to use your printers scalable fonts. Call (800) 922-8911 to ask about special ESC/P 2 drivers. For many graphics-based programs, such as Microsoft Windows, ESC/P 2 works with your software to provide enhanced graphics printing capability. In the Windows environment, youll be able to print the Microsoft scalable fonts instead of the Epson fonts.

Introduction 1

If youre an experienced printer user, you may also want to order the Epson ESC/P Referrence Manual for complete programming information. Call the number above to purchase the reference manual.

Options

For additional information on these options, see Chapter 4. Single-Bin Cut-Sheet Feeder (C806371 for LQ-870, C806391 for LQ-1170) This economical cut-sheet feeder automatically feeds up to 50 sheets of paper into your printer without reloading. High-Capacity Cut-Sheet Feeder (C806381 for LQ-870, C806401 for LQ-1170) This cut-sheet feeder automatically feeds up to 150 sheets of paper or 25 plain bond envelopes without reloading. You can create a double-bin cut-sheet feeder by connecting this cutsheet feeder to the single-bin model. Additional Tractor Unit (C800201 for LQ-870, C800211 for LQ-1170) This option improves the performance of continuous-paper handling. It is especially useful with continuous multi-part forms. You can also use it to load two types of continuous paper in the printer at the same time. Film Ribbon Cartridge (#7768 for LQ-870, #7770 for LQ-1170) A film ribbon cartridge produces even higher quality printing than the standard fabric ribbon. Interface Card (C823051/C823071) Optional interface cards are available to supplement the printers built-in parallel interface.

Finding Your Way Around

This manual provides fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions for setting up and operating your printer. Chapter 1 contains information on unpacking, setting up, testing, and connecting the printer. Be sure to read this chapter first. Chapters 2 and 3 include important information on paper handling and day-to-day operation of your printer. Chapter 6 contains troubleshooting information. If the printer does not operate properly or the printed results are not what you expect, see Chapter 6 for a list of problems and solutions. Other chapters contain information on installing options, general maintenance, specifications, and printer commands. There is also a glossary of printer terms and an index.

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes WARNINGS must be followed to avoid bodily injury. I!!!

equipment.

CAUTIONS must be observed to avoid damage to your
Notes contain important information and useful tips on the
operation of your printer.

Introduction 3

Printer parts

paper guide edge guides

front cover paper tension unit tractor paper thickness lever
A C inlet flrant edge guide

front paw

1 Note: In some countries, the power cord is attached.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read all of these instructions and save them for later reference. 2. Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the product. 3. Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning.
4. Do not use this product near water.
5. Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, or table. The product may fall, causing serious damage to the product.
6. Slots and openings in the cabinet and the back or bottom are
provided for ventilation; to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it from overheating, these openings must not be blocked or covered. The openings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface. This product should never be placed near or over a radiator or heat register. This product should not be placed in a built-in installation unless proper ventilation is provided. indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power available, consult your dealer or local power company.
7. This product should be operated from the type of power source
8. This product is equipped with a 3-wire grounding-type plug, a
plug having a third (grounding) pin. This plug will only fit into a grounding-type power outlet. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the purpose of the grounding-type plug.
9. Do not locate this product where the cord will be walked on.

Introduction 5

10. If an extension cord is used with this product, make sure that
the total of the ampere ratings on the products plugged into the extension cord does not exceed the extension cord ampere rating. Also, make sure that the total of all products plugged into the wall outlet does not exceed 15 amperes.
11. Never push objects of any kind into this product through cabinet slots as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in a risk of fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product. 12. Except as specifically explained in the Users Manual, do not attempt to service this product yourself. Opening or removing those covers that are marked Do Not Remove may expose you to dangerous voltage points or other risks. Refer all servicing in those compartments to service personnel.
13. Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to
qualified service personnel under the following conditions: B. If liquid has been spilled into the product. C. If the product has been exposed to rain or water. D. If the product does not operate normally when the operating instructions are followed. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions since improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the product to normal operation. E. If the product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged. F. If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance, indicating a need for service. A. When the power cord or plug is damaged or frayed.

Chapter 1

Setting Up the Printer
Unpacking the Printer... 1-2 Checking the parts.. 1-2 Removing the protective material. 1-3 Choosing a Place for the Printer. 1-4 Assembling the Printer... 1-6 Installing the ribbon cartridge.. 1-6 Attaching the paper guides.. 1 - 9 Testing the Printer... Plugging in the printer.. Running the self test...

1-10 1-10 1-11

Connecting the Printer to Your Computer. 1-14 Configuring Your Software for the Printer. 1-15 Choosing from a menu.. 1-15

Unpacking the Printer

Checking the parts
When you unpack the printer, make sure that you have all the parts shown below and that none has been damaged.

Paper guide Printer

Power cord
Note: In some locations, the power cord is attached to the printer. Store the packing materials in case you ever need to transport your printer.
CAUTION: It is not possible to adjust voltage of the
printer for use at another voltage. If the label on the back of the printer does not show the correct voltage for your country, contact your dealer.

Grasp the tabs on each side of the paper-tension unit as shown below. Press up firmly with your thumbs to lift the front of the unit; then pull the paper-tension unit up and off of the printer.
3. Slide the print head to the middle of the printer.
CAUTION: Never move the print head while the printer
is turned on or you might damage the printer. Also, if you just used the printer, the print head may be hot; let it cool for a few minutes before touching it.
Turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow to remove any slack in the ribbon. Next, hold the ribbon cartridge by its handle and push it firmly down into position; then press on both ends of the cartridge to fit the plastic hooks
Use a pointed object, such as a ball point pen, to guide the ribbon between the print head and ribbon guide while you turn the ribbon-tightening knob to help feed the ribbon into place.
6. Slide the print head from side to side to make sure it moves
smoothly. Also check that the ribbon is not twisted or creased.
7. Replace the paper-tension unit by placing it on the printers mounting pegs; then lowering it into place. Press down both ends of the paper-tension unit firmly until you feel it snap click into place.
8. Replace the printer cover by first inserting the front tabs into
the slots on the printer, then lowering it into place.
Attaching the paper guides
Your printer comes with two paper guides so you can load single sheets from the top or front of the printer.

Top paper guide

Place the notches on the paper guide straight down into the mounting slots on the printer. You can stand the paper guide in an upright position or lower it back to lie flat on the printer.

Front paper guide

The front paper guide fits inside the front of the printer, and may be installed over the tractor unit. Hold the paper guide as shown and slide it into place between the metal slots on either side of the opening, fitting the plastic notches over the mounting posts.

Testing the Printer

Before connecting your printer to a computer, use the built-in self-test function to see that the printer is working properly.

Note: If the self test does not print properly, see Chapter 6.
Connecting the Printer to Your Computer
If the self test printed correctly, you are ready to connect your printer to the computer. Use a shielded twisted-pair parallel cable to connect your computer to your printers built-in parallel interface. Connect the parallel interface cable as described below:
Make sure both the printer and computer are turned off; then plug the cable connector securely into the printer. Squeeze the wire clips together until they lock in place on either side of the connector.
Note: If your cable has a ground wire, attach it to the ground connector beneath the interface connector. 2. Plug the other end of the cable into the computer. (If there is a ground wire at the computer-end of the cable, attach it to the ground connector at the back of the computer.)
Configuring Your Software for the Printer
Most application programs let you specify the type of printer you use so that the program can take full advantage of the printers features. Many of these programs provide an installation or setup section that presents a list of printers.

Choosing from a menu

Although you can use an application program even if it does not list your printer on its printer selection menu, to take full advantage of your printers features (including ESC/P 2), choose the LQ-870/1170 or LQ-570/1070 when you set up your program. If your printer is not listed, call the software manufacturer or call Epson at (800) 922-8911 to see if an update is available. Until you receive an update choose from the following list (the printers are listed in the order of preference):

LQ-850/l050

LQ-510/1010 LQ-500

LQ-2550 LQ-2500

LQ-800/1000 LQ-1500
If none of these printers is listed, select the first one available from the following list: FX, LX, RX, MX, Epson printer, Standard printer, Draft printer. Because the printers in this list are 9-pin printers, your graphics printing will not be correct.

Paper Handling

Selecting a Paper Feeding Method.. Setting the paper-release lever.. 2-2 2-2

Chapter 2

2-3 Using Single Sheets... Loading single sheets from the top.. 2-3 Loading single sheets from the front. 2-5
Using Continuous Paper. 2-7 Tractor position and available paper paths. 2-7 Changing tractor positions. 2-8 Loading continuous paper with the front push-tractor. 2-11 Removing continuous paper from the front push-tractor. 2-13 Loading continuous paper with the rear push-tractor. 2-14 Removing continuous paper from the rear push-tractor. 2-16 Loading continuous paper with the pull tractor. 2-17 Removing continuous paper from the pull tractor. 2-20 Switching Between Continuous and Single Sheets. 2-21 Switching to single sheets.. 2-21 Switching to continuous paper... 2-23 Printing on Special Paper.. Setting the paper-thickness lever.. Multi-part forms... Labels... Envelopes.... 2-24 2-24 2-25 2-26 2-27

Paper Handling 2-5

Loading single sheets from the front
1. Place the paper-release lever in the single-sheet position and open the front cover.
2. Turn on the printer. The POWER light on the control panel

comes on.

3. Move the edge guide until you feel it click into place above the
arrow mark on the paper guide. You can slide the edge guide to the left in l/lo-inch increments to increase the size of the left margin on your printout.
4. Align the left edge of the paper with the edge guide and insert the page firmly until it meets resistance. The printer loads the paper automatically. You are now ready to print.
CAUTION: Use the knob on the left side of the printer only to clear paper jams when the printer is off. Otherwise you may damage the printer or lose the topof-form position.
If the platen turns but the printer doesnt load the paper, completely remove the page and reinsert it more firmly. To eject the paper, press the LOAD/EJECT button.
Note: The printers paper guide serves as a built-in stacker and
can hold up to 50 sheets of ejected paper.

Paper Handling 2-7

Using Continuous Paper
You can load continuous paper through either the front, rear, or bottom paper slot, depending upon the position of the tractor unit and the placement of your paper supply. Your printer can handle continuous paper up to 254 mm (10.0 inches) wide on the LQ-870 and up to 406 mm (16.0 inches) wide on the LQ-1170. To print on continuous paper, you can install the tractor unit in one of the following positions-front, rear, or pull. Be sure you set the paper-release lever correctly before you print. See Setting the paper-release lever at the beginning of this chapter for a description of each position.
Tractor position and available paper paths
Below are the possible ways of feeding continuous paper. Always set the paper-release lever to the position indicated for the paperfeed method you want to use.

Print direction for graphics
The printer ordinarily prints text bidirectionally for speed and prints graphics characters unidirectionally for precise vertical alignment. You can, however, change text printing to unidirectional with the software command ESC U 1. If you want to increase printing speed, you can change graphics character printing to bidirectional by turning DIP switch 1-5 on. If DIP switch 1-5 is off, graphics character printing is unidirectional whether or not you use ESC U o.

High-speed draft

By setting DIP switch 1-6 on, you can print at up to 330 cps (characters per second) if you select the 12 cpi draft font. The printer reduces the number of dots in each draft character to increase the printing speed. If you select emphasized printing or condensed printing during high-speed draft mode, printing speed temporarily switches to normal draft speed until the enhancement is turned off. Also, if a line contains superscript, subscript, dot-graphics, or downloaded characters, printing speed switches to normal draft speed for that line only.

Input buffer capacity

The input buffer stores data sent from your computer. If you want to free your computer for other tasks while the printer prints, turn DIP switch 1-7 off to select the 8 KB input buffer.

Skip-over-perforation

Turning DIP switch 1-8 on when you are using continuous paper enables the skip-over-perforation function. Use this function to leave a one-inch (25.4 mm) space between the last printable line on one page and the first printable line on the next page so that the printer skips over the perforation. Most application programs take care of the top and bottom margins. Do not turn on skip-over-perforation unless your program does not provide these margins. You can adjust your top-of-form position with the MICRO FEED buttons if you want half of the space at the bottom of one page and half at the top of the next page.
Continuous paper page length
When you are printing on continuous paper, DIP switches 2-1 and 2-2 let you select one of the four page lengths described in DIP-switch Table 5.

Tear off

You can turn DIP switch 2-3 on to select tear-off mode. See page 3-16 for a complete description of using the tear-off mode. Tear-off mode is available only with continuous paper loaded with the rear or front push-tractor.

Auto line-feed

When auto line feed is on (DIP switch 2-4 on), the printer follows each carriage-return code (CR) received with a line feed code (LF). If your printer is double spacing, turn DIP switch 2-3 off. If each line overprints the next, turn DIP switch 2-4 on.

Micro Feed

The micro-feed feature allows you to move the paper forward or backward in 1/180-inch increments. You can use this feature to adjust the loading and tear-off positions. When you make adjustments to the loading or tear-off positions for continuous paper, the printer remembers the new position even if you turn off the printer. The printer automatically advances paper to the new position when the power is turned on again. When you adjust the loading position for single-sheet paper, the printer remembers the new position only until you turn off the power. The loading position returns to the factory setting when the power is turned on again.

Print on continuous paper loaded on the front or rear tractor (as described in Chapter 2). When you finish printing, the printer advances the final printed page to the tear-off position.
4. Tear off all printed pages.
Note: If the perforation does not meet the tear-off edge, you
can adjust the tear-off position using the micro-feed feature as described later in this chapter.
5. When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds the paper back to the loading position and begins printing. You can leave tear-off mode turned on (DIP switch 2-3 on) even when you are using single sheets or the pull tractor because tear-off mode is disabled when you set the paper-release lever to the single-sheet or pull-tractor position.
Using the TEAR OFF button
Whether or not the printer is in tear-off mode, you can use the TEAR OFF button to advance continuous paper to the tear-off position following the steps below:
Make sure printing has finished. Press the TEAR OFF button. The printer advances the paper to the tear-off edge and the TEAR OFF light comes on.
2. Tear off all printed pages.
can adjust the tear-off position using the micro-feed feature as described in the next section of this chapter.
3. When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds the
paper back to the loading position and begins printing. (You can also manually feed the paper back to the loading position by pressing the TEAR OFF button again.)
Adjusting the tear-off position
If the papers perforation does not meet the tear-off edge, follow the steps below to adjust the tear-off position: 1. Make sure the paper is in the tear-off position and the TEAR OFF light is on. 2. While holding down the ALT button, press the LOAD/EJECT button to move the tear-off position down on the page, or press the LF/FF button to move the tear-off position up on the page. The printer remembers the new tear-off position even after the printer is turned off. 3. Tear off any printed pages. 4. When you begin printing, the printer automatically feeds the paper back to the loading position and begins printing.
The printer has a minimum and a maximum tear-off position. If you try to advance the tear-off position beyond the limits, the printer beeps and the paper stops moving. When the paper reaches the factory-set tear-off position, the printer beeps and paper feeding pauses briefly. Use the factory setting as a reference point when you adjust the tear-off position.

4-16 Interface Cards.. Installing an interface card.. 4-16 C823051/C823061 serial interface card.. 4-18

Cut-Sheet Feeders

Two cut-sheet feeders are available for use with your printer:

Printer

Single-bin

High-capacity

C806381 C806401

LQ-870 LQ-1170

C806371 C806391
The single-bin cut-sheet feeder holds up to 50 single sheets of paper. When this cut-sheet feeder is installed alone, you can still manually insert single sheets using the paper guide. The high-capacity cut-sheet feeder holds up to 150 sheets of paper. You can also load up to 25 envelopes automatically with this cut-sheet feeder. You can also connect both cut-sheet feeders and operate them as a double-bin cut-sheet feeder (see Assembling the double-bin cutsheet feeder). This allows you to load two different types of paper automatically. Follow the directions included with your cut-sheet feeder to assemble it; then install the cut-sheet feeder as described in this chapter.
Installing a cut-sheet feeder
Installation of each cut-sheet feeder-single-bin, high-capacity, or double-bin-is basically the same. Install your cut-sheet feeder by following the steps below. 1. Make sure the printer is turned off. Remove the paper guide and printer cover.
If the tractor unit is installed in the top-tractor position, remove it and re-install it in the front- or rear-tractor position and install the paper-tension unit.
Note: Keep the paper guide handy; if you install the single-bin unit, you need to re-install the paper guide after you load paper. Also, you will need it if you ever remove the cut-sheet feeder.

Cut-Sheet Feeder

3. Make sure the paper-release lever is in the single-sheet position. 4. Hold the cut-sheet feeder in both hands. Press down on the latch levers and fit the notches in the cut-sheet feeder over the mounting posts on the printer. Release the latch levers to lock the cut-sheet feeder in place.
5. Replace the printer cover by first inserting the front tabs into the slots on the printer, then lowering it into place. You are now ready to load paper with your cut-sheet feeder. To remove a cut-sheet feeder, reverse the steps above.
Loading paper with the single-bin cut-sheet feeder
Load paper using the single-bin cut-sheet feeder as follows:
Make sure the paper guide is removed.

The paper feed is crooked.
The paper may be old or creased. Use only new, clean sheets of paper. There may be too much paper in the stacker. Make sure that your paper is the proper size and quality.
When you use two tractor units in combination, continuous paper does not feed properly.
The paper feed is crooked or paper jams.
Make sure that the sprocket units on both tractors are aligned.
When you use an optional interface, the printer does not operate properly.
The printer does not print or the printout is not what you expected.
You may be trying to use an interface or interface cable with the wrong specifications. Check the specifications to make sure you can use the interface with this printer. The computer and printer interface settings may not match. Make sure the settings on the computer and printer match.

Chapter 7

Technical Specifications
Printer Specifications... Printing... Paper... Mechanical... Electrical... Environmental...

7-2 7-2 7-4

7-7 7-8 7-9
Interface Specifications... 7-10 Specifications and pin assignments.. 7-10 7-13 Interface timing.. Optional Specifications... Cut-sheet feeder... Initialization.... Default settings...
Technical Specifications 7-1

Printer Specifications

Printing method: Printing speed: Quality

24-pin impact dot matrix

Characters per inch

Characters/second/line

Draft 10 Letter quality 12 15

Printing direction:

Bidirectional logic-seeking for text. Unidirectional for graphics. (Bidirectional for graphics can be selected with DIP switch 1-5 or the proper software command.) 1/6-inch, 1/8-inch or programmable in increments of 1/360-inch Friction: 59.0 ms/line at 1/6-inch line spacing Tractor: 64.1 ms/line at 1/6-inch line spacing Continuous feed: 3.6 inches per second 8KB or 0KB (DIP-switch selectable)
Line spacing: Paper-feed speed:

Buffer:

Printable columns: Character size
Maximum printed characters LQ-1170 LQ-870 I

233 272

IO cpi 12 cpi 15 cpi cpi (10 cpi condensed) cpi (12 cpi condensed) 1
Character fonts: Font Point
Epson Draft Epson Courier Epson Roman Epson Sans Serif I Epson Prestige Epson Script Epson Script C Epson Orator I Epson Orator-S 1 OCR-B I

7Pt 15cpi

10spt 12cpi

Proportional

You can also select other font/pitch combinations using ESC/P 2 commands. See the command summary in chapter 8 for details. Scalable fonts: 1 Font

Bin capacity: Single sheets:
C806371 and C806391 Up to 50 sheets of 22-lb (82-g/m2) paper C806381 and C806401 Up to 150 sheets of 22-lb (82-g/m) paper C806381 and C806401 Up to 25 (plain and bond type) Up to 30 (air mail) 100,000 cycles

Envelopes:

Optional Specifications
Width C806371 C806391 C806381 C806401 Paper length Thickness Weight Paper storage conditions:
Envelopes Single sheets 182 to 216 mm N/A (7.17 to 8.50 in.) N/A 182 to 420 mm (7.17 to 16.54 in.) 182 to 216 mm 165 to 241 mm (6.54 to 9.49 in.) (7.17 to 8.50 in.) 182 to 420 mm 165 to 241 mm (7.17 to 16.54 in.) (6.54 to 9.49 in.) 210 to 364 mm 92 to 104 mm (8.27 to 14.33 in.) (3.62 to 4.09 in.) 0.25 to 0.50 mm 0.07 to 0.12 mm (0.0028 to 0.0047 in.) (0.0098 to 0.0197 in.) 18 to 24 lb 12 to 24 lb (64 to 91 g/m2) (45 to 91 g/m2) Temperature: 18" to 22C (64" to 72F) Humidity: 40% to 60% RH

Environmental

Temperature: Humidity (without condensation): Operation: 5 to 35C (41" to 95F) Storage: -30" to 60C (-22" to 140F) Operation: 15% to 80% RH Storage: 5% to 85% RH
Note:. 24-lb paper printing is available only at normal operating

conditions.

Envelope printing is available only with the C806381 or C806401 cut-sheet feeder at normal operating conditions.

Initialization

There are three ways that the printer can be initialized (returned to a fixed set of conditions):

Hardware initialization

When the power is turned on or when the printer receives an INIT signal from the parallel interface (pin 31 goes LOW). When software sends the ESC @ (initialize the printer) command. When the PAUSE button is pushed with the ALT button held down._ _
Software initialization Panel initialization
These three kinds of initialization have slightly different effects. Software and panel initialization do not initialize the printer mechanism or clear the user-defined character set. Also, software initialization does not clear the data buffer of all text.

Default settings

The table below shows the default conditions that take effect when the printer is initialized.
Item Top-of-form position 1 Left and right margins Line spacing Vertical tab positions 1 Horizontal tab positions 1 VFU channel Font selection User-defined Characters Character pitch

Default condition

Current paper position 1 Cancelled l/6-inch line spacing Cleared I Every eight characters I Channel o Reset to the current panel setting Hardware: cleared Software: deselected only Reset to the current panel setting I

Chapter 8

Command Summary
Using the Command Summary. 8-2 Commands Arranged by Topic.. General operation... Paper feeding... Page format... Print position motion.. Font selection... Font enhancement... Spacing... Character handling... Bit image... Graphics... 8-3 8-3 8-3 8-4 8-5 8-6 8-7 8-9 8-9 8-11 8-12

ESC & nn

ESC: 0 n 0

ASCII ESC 7 ESC ( n nn

Dec. Hex. Description Enable Upper Control Codes Cancels ESC 6
5E Print Data as Characters ESC ( a nl n2 data n = nl k n2 x 256 n: amount of data data: n byte data for printing as character

Bit image

ASCII ESC * nn Dec. Hex. 42 2A Description Select Bit Image ESC * m nl n2 data n = nl + n2 x 256 n: Total columns Total data = (nl -I- n2 X 256) X t
enable enable enable disable

Graphics

Dec. Hex. Description ESC ( G nn Select Graphics Mode ESC ( G n n = 1, or 49 * Cancel Graphics mode with ESC @ Print Raster Graphics ESC. c v h m nl n2 data c = 0: Full graphics mode 1: Compressed mode v = 10, 20: Dot density for vertical in 3600/v DPI h = 10, 20: Dot density for horizontal in 3600/h DPI m : Number of vertical dots I< m < n: Number of horizontal dots Total dots = nl -I- n2 X 256 * The following combination is not allowed: v= 10 and h = nn 2E

Appendix

Character Tables. A-2 Italic character table... A-2 Graphics character tables... A-3 International Character Sets.. A-6

Appendix A-1

Character Tables
These character tables are selected by setting DIP switches l-l, 1-2, 1-3, and 1-4, or using the ESC t software command. For the graphics character tables, the ESC 6 and ESC 7 software commands let you select whether hex codes 80 to 9F are characters (ESC 6) or control codes (ESC 7).

Italic character table

CDDE0123456769ABCDEF 0 NUL SPO @ P - ptU sPO4?Pp 1 !IAQaq !IAQaq

#3CScs oCS$ 4 D T d t

DC2"ZBRbr

#3CScs DC4$ 4 D T d t

%5EUeu &6FVfv '7GWgw (8HXhx
LF * VTESC+ FF CR L SO SI ;

%SEUeu &6FVfv

HTEM)9IYiyKTEM)9IYiy

(BHXhx

:JZjzLF *:JZjz K[k{VTESC+*K[k{ :L\l:FF ,:L\l' =M]m}CR -=Mlm) >N^n-SO >N*nTO-0 SI j?O 0
Graphics character tables PC 437 (United States)
CDDE0123456789ABCDEF p(-gQ$LlL.~ SP 0 @ P 0 NUL 1 !lAQaqfiaiglfp+
" 2BRbr&!16 #3CScsd6ti DC4$4DTdtgid %SEUeu&bfi

PC 850 (Multilingual)

0123456789ABCDEF pCfi&$LB(jSP 0 @ P IWL

9 A B C D E F

$glDg+ 1 A Q a q ii & i iii DC2 2BRbre16 !

#3CScs$86

DC4$4DTdt&id %SEUeuh&fiA+lo &6FVfvbQaffgfpt '7GWgwqtiQAxfp,
=MJm)i0iQ=iP2 O.>N n-Ax(Yj\i-m /?O - 0 AfB,n=* Appendix A-3

PC 860 (Portugal)

CODE0123456789ABCDEF SP 0 @ P * p c fi 6 g L JL a E 0 NUL !lAQaqfiAi$$lypf 1
" 2BRbr&&6 #3CScsb6ti DC4$4DTdt&e,A

PC 863 (Canada-French)

CODE0123456789ABCDEF :::.i_. ::: SPO @ P * p C E ( sis Ly a L 0 NUL !lAQaq(i&*sl~pf 1

dot matrix

A method of printing in which each letter or symbol is formed by a pattern (matrix) of individual dots.

double-height printing

Printing in which each character is twice as tall as normal.

double-strike printing

A way of producing bolder characters. Each character is printed twice.

double-width printing

Printing in which each character is twice as wide as normal.
One of three print qualities available on your printer. Draft uses a minimum number of dots per character for high-speed printing. See also high-speed draft and Letter Quality.

emphasized printing

A way of producing darker characters. Each character is printed twice, with the second slightly to the right of the first.
Abbreviation for Epson Standard Code for Printers. This system of commands gives you software control of your printer from your computer. It is standard for all Epson printers and supported by most application software for personal computers.

ESC/P 2

The enhanced version of the ESC/P printer command language. Commands in this language give laser-like features: scalable fonts and enhanced graphics printing. -
A font is a style of type designated by a family name. form feed A control code and a panel button that advance the paper to the next top of form position.

high-speed draft

One of the three print qualities available on your printer. High-speed draft uses a minimum number of dots per character to produce extremely high-speed printing. See also draft and Letter

Quality.

initialize
To establish the initial default status of the printer by turning on the printer or sending an INIT signal._

interface

The connection between the computer and the printer. A parallel interface transmits data one character or code at a time, and a serial interface transmits data one bit at a time.

italics

A typestyle in which the characters slant. This sentence is italicized. Also, a character table that contains italicized characters and symbols.

Letter Quality (LQ)

LQ-870/1170 Character fonts:
Font 1 Point 1 Pitch 7Pt 15cpi a a a 0 I I 1 ospt 1oCPi 2 c p i j P r o p o r t i o n a l a IO I a a a a I lo lo 1 a I a a a I a IO I

Paper guide

Printer
EDson Draft Epson Courbr Epson Raman Epson Sans Serif Enson Prestiae Epson Script Ewon &iDl C Epson Orator Epson Orator-S 1 OCR-E

Poum cord

Ribbon cartridgr
You can also select other font/pitch combinations using ESC/P 2 commands. See the command summary in chapter 8 for details.

Character tables:

96 standard ASCII character 14 international character sets 1 legal character set 5 graphics character sets

Printer Specifications

Printing
Printing method: Pcin ting spud:
auality High-speed dratt Dral! Letter aualhv Chawctvs prr Inch 10 10

Paper size: P-r

sirlgcsheel width-Top lnwllon Lo-to 257 mm (5.8 to 10.1 inches) 182ta257mm (7.2 to 10.1 inches) max. 364 mm (14.3 inches) max. 297 mm (11.7 Inches) I
i mm 16.5 inches) 364 mm 14.3 inches)

2Cpin impact dot

matrix
wldO+Front Insertion WV muld-pen Ion bnglh Gminuous mow
148 IO (5.8 to 182 to (7.210

Chu8ctemlncondllin*

ml 275
max. 364 mm (14.3 Inches)

Printing direction:

Bidirectional logic-seeking for text, Unidirectional for graphics. (BidirectionaI for graphics can be selected with DIP switch l-5 and the proper software command.) l/6 inch, l/8 inch or programmable in increments of l/360 inch Friction: 59.0 ms/Iine at 1/6incb line spa&g Tractor: 64.1 ms/Iine at l/&inch line spa&g Continuous feed: 3.6 inches per second

Paper thickness:

Maximum printed charactwr LO-870 LO-[ 272
Minimum bft and right margins
Line spacing: Paper-feed speed:

Printable columns:

Character size 1Ocpl 12cpi 15coi 17 cpi (10 cpi condensed) 20 cpi (12 cpi condensed)

Buffer:

8 Kbytes or 0 Kbyte (DIP-switch selectable)
Single sheets: 0.065 to 0.14 mm (0.0025 to 0.0055 inch) Single sheets (multi-part forms-front insertion): 0.12 to 032 mm (0.0047 to 0.012 inch) Continuous paper: 0.065 to 0.14 mm (0.0025 to 0.0055 inch) Continuous multi-part forms: 0.12 to 0.32 mm (0.0047 to 0.012 inch) Envelopes: 0.16 to 0.52 mm (0.0063 to 0.0197 inch) Labels (induding backing sheet): 0.16 to 0.19 mm (0.0063 to 0.0075 inch)

24-Pin Printers

7/16/91

LQ-870/1170-l

LQ-870/1170 Paper weight:
Single sheet (rear insertion): 14 to 24 lb (52.3 to 90 g/m3 Single sheet (front insertion): 17 to 24 lb (64 to 90 g/m) Continuous paper: 14 to 22 lb (52.3 to 82 g/m*) Multi-part forms (single sheet/continuous paper): 12 to 15 lb x 4 (40 to 58 g/ml x 4) Envelopes: 12 to 24 lb (45 to 91 g/m? Single sheets and continuous paper: plain paper, carbonless multi-part forms Envelopes: bond paper, plain paper, air mail Single sheet with front insertion and continuous paper: one original plus up to 3 copies AC 120 V AC 103.5 to 132 V 3.2A (during self test printing in draft mode, at 10 cpi) LQ-870: approx. 58 W LQ-1170. approx. 58 W
MCBF: MTBF: R-in t head life:
For all components (exduding print head): 5 million lines LQ-870: 4000 power on hours (25% duty) LQ-1170: 6000 power on hours (25% duty) 200 million strokes/wire (for fabric ribbon) 100 million strokes/wire (for film ribbon)

Dimensions and weight:

Paper quality:

Number of copies:

Setting the DIP Switches

Table I DIP Switch 1 SW

l-l I Dorcriptlon I International character sets/ 1 ON 1 OFF 1 See Table 3 and 4 below

Electrical

Rated voltage: Input voltage range: Rated currmt: Power consumption:
Rated frequency range: SO to 60 Hz
Input frequency runge: 49.5 to 60.5 Hz
Insulation resistance: 10 Mohms minimum (at DC 500 V between

Table 2 DIP Switch 2 SW

2-1 2-2 2-D*UXlptiOrl Pap length (for continuous peper) Tear ofl Auto line-feed ON 1 OFF See Table 5 below ON ON 1 OFF I OFF

AC power line and chassis)
Dielectnc strength (between AC line and chassis):
120 V model: AC 1.0 kV (rms), 1 minute AC 1.2 kV (rms), 1 second

Environmental

Temperature:
Table 3 International character sets 1 t%NltN
Operation: 5 to 35C (41F to 95F) Storage: -30 to 60C (-22 to 140F)
Operation: 10% to 80% RH without condensation Storage: 5% to 85% RH without condensation

Humidity:

USA. FrSnCa GWllWly United Kingdom Denmark 1 Sweden

Mechanical

Paper-feed methods:
SW14 ON ON ON ON OFF OFF IOFF 1 OFF
SWl-2 ON ON OFF OFF ON ON 1 OFF 1 OFF
swi-3 ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF 1 ON 1 OFF

sw1-4 OFF OFF OFF

OFF OFF OFF IOFF 1 OFF
Friction (without or with optional cut-sheet feeder) Push-tractor (front- or rear-tractor) Pull-tractor Push-pull-tractor (optional) Fabric ribbon cartridge #7753, #7754: Life expectancy (in LQ, at 48 dots/character): 2 million characters Film ribbon cartridge #7768, #777Oz Life expectancy (in LQ at 48 dots/character): 0.2 million characters (#7768) 03 million characters C#7770)

Spain 1

Table 4 Character tables

Ribbon:

Settings not shown above select PC 437 (United States).

LQ-870/1170-2

LQ-870/1170 Table 5 Page length for continuous paper
LOAD/EJECT Press this button to load paper, if it is not loaded, or to eject it if paper is loaded. If the paper-release lever is set to the single-sheet position, paper is ejected forward. If the paper-release lever is set to the front-tractor or rear-tractor position, paper is ejected backward to

The Control Panel

The indicator lights give you the current status of the printer. The buttons let you control many of the printer settings.
Press this button briefly to feed the paper forward one line. Hold down this button to eject a single sheet of paper or advance continuous paper to the top of the next page. ALT Holding down this button while pressing certain other buttons results in the following alternate functions: BUFFER CLEAR (ALT + PAUSE) clears the printers buffer and intitializes the printer settings MICRO FEED: (ALT + LOAD/EJECT) feeds paper forward in 1/18!Xnch increments (ALT + LFIFF) feed paper backward in l/18&nch increments
Lights POWER (green) On when the power switch is on and power is supplied. DATA (orange) On when data is present in the printers memory buffer. MULTI-PART (green) On when the paper-thickness lever is set to 2nd position or higher. PAPER OUT (red) On when the printer runs out of paper. PAUSE (orange) On when you press the PAUSE button. This light stays off unless you press the PAUSE button to prevent printing. TEAR OFF (orange) On when you press the TEAR OFF button to feed the paper to the tearoff position. BIN 1 (green) On when bin 1 of the optional cut-sheet feeder is selected for paper feeding. BIN 2 (green) On when bin 2 of the optional cut-sheet feeder is selected for paper feeding. Fonts Qpen) Show which font is selected. Pitches (green) Show which pitch is selected.

TEAR OFF (Bin Select) This button selects the paper bin when both optional cut-sheet feeders are installed and you are printing on single sheets. When printing on continuous paper, press this button once to feed paper from the loading position to the tear-off position. Press this button again to feed the paper backward to the loading position. FONT Press this button to select one of the 10 built-in fonts. lf an optional font module has been installed, it can be selected by choosing SLOT. PITCH Press this button to select one of the six character pitches (characters per inch). The control panel also gives you access to two special functions. Hold down the LF/FF (LQ mode) or LOAD/EJECT (Draft mode) button while turning on the printer to perform the self test. The self test lets you check that your printer is operating properly and gives you a printout of the current DIP-switch settings.

selftest

Data dump: Hold down both the LFIFF button and LOAD/EJECT button while turning on the printer to enter data-dump mode. The data-dump mode allows advanced users to find the cause of communication problems between the printer and the computer.

Buttons

PAUSE Press this button to temporarily stop printing. Press this button again to resume printing.

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LQ-870/1170

Paper Handling

Setting the paper-release lever
The singlebin cut-sheet feeder holds up to 50 single sheets of paper. When the simple cut-sheet feeder is installed alone, you can still manually insert single sheets using the paper guide. The high-capacity cut-sheet feeder holds up to 150 sheets of paper. You can also load up to 25 envelopes automatically with this cutsheet feeder. Tbe two cut-sheet feeders can be combined to form a double-bin cutsheet feeder.

Application Software

Most application programs let you specify the type of printer you use so that the program can take full advantage of the printers features. Many of these programs provide an installation or setup section that presents a list of printers.
Single-sheet position For all single sheets, whether loaded from front, top, or either of the optional cut-sheet feeders. Front push-tractor position For continuous paper when the tractor unit is installed in the front. Rear push-tractor position For continuous paper when the tractor unit is installed in the rear. Pull-tractor position For continuous paper when the tractor unit is installed on the top. In this case, you can load paper from either the front, rear, or bottom.

Choosing from a menu

Because Epson printers share a great many commands, you can use an application program even if it does not list your printer on its printer selection menu. If your printer is not listed, choose from the following list (the printers are listed in tire order of preference): LQ-850/1050 LQ-510/550/1010 LQ-200 LQ-500 LQ-86O+/lOfio+ LQ-2550 LQ-2500 LQ-8OO/looO LQ-1500 If none of these printers is listed, select the first one available from the following list: LQ, EX, FX, LX, RX, MS, Epson printer, Standard printer, Draft printer.

The Cut-Sheet Feeder

Installation/Support Tips software
Tbe type of printer installed on your system must be identified for each software package. This is usually done through a setup menu. If this printer is not Listed in your program, see Choosing from a menu, above, for the next-best model selection.

DIP Switch Settings

The default settings will usually work for most applications, but they should be checked before using the printer. This will avoid unexpected results.
Cut-Sheet Feeder/Single-Sheet Operation
Two cut-sheet feeders are available for use with your printer: Printer LQ-870 LQ-1170 Single-bin C806371 C806391 High-capacity C806381 C806401 Ihe page length will have to be adjusted (shortened) to 61 lines per page if your software does not properly support cut-sheet paper. There will be lines from the first page printed at the top of the second page if the page length is not set correctly.

LQ-870/1170-4

7/l 6/9 1
Information Reference List
Engineering Change Notices None. Product Support Bulletins None. Technical Information Bulletins None. Related Documentation TM-LQ8/1170 PL-LQ8/CO1-01 LQ-870/1170 Service Manual LQ-870/1170 Parts List LQ-870/1170 Users Guide

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