EPSON DFX-8500

control panel front cover power switch

Printer Specifications

Printing
Printing method: Printing speed:
Characters per inch 10 cpi Quality High-speed draft Normal draft Near letter quality Draft Near letter quality Characters/second/line 252

9-pin impact dot matrix

sprockets* paper supports* * front tractor unit parts sprockets** top cover
10 cpi 10 cpi 12 cpi 12 cpi

Printing direction:

Bidirectional logic seeking for text and graphics printing. Unidirectional text or graphics printing can be selected using software commands. 1/6-inch or programmable increments of 1/216-inch Continuous 0.25/m/sec/line (9.9 inches per second)

Line spacing:

ribbon cartridge

Paper feed speed:

paper supports** paper bail ** rear tractor unit parts print head paper separator cover
Note: Paper feed speed drops to 6 inches per second when the optional pull tractor is mounted.

Printable columns:

Characters per inch Maximum printed characters per column cpi 12 cpi 15 cpi 17 cpi

paper separator

rear flap serial interface rear cover parallel interface

20 cpi

Buffer: Character fonts:
128KB or 0KB (DIP switch selectable) Characters per inch available
Available pitches (cpi) 10 10, 12, 15 10, 12, 15, proportional 10, 12, 15, proportional

Accessories

Ribbon cartridge
Use the #8766 EPSON replacement cartridge only
EPSON Super Draft EPSON Draft EPSON Roman (NLQ) EPSON Sans serif (NLQ)

EPSON DFX-8500 - 1

Character tables:
One Italic and 10 graphical character tables. (26 graphical character tables are available in certain countries.) 13 international character sets
The thickness of the folding part when extended should be the same as or less than the total thickness.

printing side

Character sets:
Same as total thickness or less
Note: Use recycled paper, labels, envelopes, postcards, overlapping forms, and continuous forms with labels only under normal temperature and humidity conditions as follows: Temperature Humidity 59 to 77F (15 to 25C) 20% to 60% RH
The binding area should be flat and should have no creases. The sprocket holes of all sheets in the form should be aligned properly. The binding position should be outside the printable area. 4 to 16 inches (101 to 406 mm) 4 to 17 inches (101 to 431 mm) Front Rear Front Rear 7 sheets (1 original + 6 copies) 6 sheets (1 original + 5 copies) 0.021 inch (0.53 mm) maximum 0.018 inch (0.46 mm) maximum
Width: Length/page: Number of copies: Total thickness: Weight:
For continuous multi-part forms:
The form sheets of continuous multi-part forms should be securely joined together along the left and right edges by crimping or spot-gluing. For the best printing quality, use multi-part forms joined with spot-gluing.

1 inch or less

3 inches or less
Single sheets 14 to 22 lb (52.6 to 82.7 g/m2) Multi-part forms 11 to 15 lb (41.4 to 56.4 g/m2) (weight/ part) and within the total thickness

spot-gluing

crimping printing side
spot-gluing and crimping on each side
When using crimped multi-part forms, note the following:

Quality: Printable area:

Plain, recycled, and carbonless paper
Crimping should be pressed in from the original sheet side and go completely through all copy sheets. Crimping should be double-sided; using single-sided crimping may cause the printer to jam.

printable area B A

printable area

top view top view

side view

C A B C metal stapling

Never use continuous multi-part forms that are joined with metal staples or bar-gluing.
The minimum top margin (below the perforation) is 0.1 inch (2.6 mm). The minimum bottom margin (above the perforation) is 0.165 inch (4.2 mm). The minimum left or right margin is 0.51 inch (13 mm). The maximum printable width is 13.6 inches (345.4 mm). Note: Position the sprockets or set your application software so that the printer does not print outside the printable area.

bar-gluing

2 - EPSON DFX-8500

Labels

Mechanical
2.5 inches W 15/16 inch H (63.5 mm W 23.8 mm H) 4 inches W 15/16 inch H (101 mm W 23.8 mm H) 4 inches W 17/16 inch H (101 mm W 27.0 mm H) Paper feed methods: Total print volume: Print head life: Ribbon: Push tractor (front and rear) Push-pull feed with optional pull tractor 26 million lines (except print head) 400 million characters Cartridge ribbon, available in black only (#8766). Do not use ribbons for 24-pin printers. Ribbon life expectancy is 15 million characters (at 14 dots/character). Dimensions and weight: Height: Width: Depth: Weight: Duty cycle: 14.5 inches (369 mm) 27.6 inches (700 mm) 15.0 inches (382 mm) approx. 64 lb (29 kg) 25%

Total thickness:

0.0075 inch (0.19 mm) maximum The difference in thickness must be less than 0.0047 inch (0.12 mm). Plain paper or the same quality labels with continuous backing sheet

Quality:

Pre-printed paper
Pre-printed paper is paper with white space in the middle and ruled lines, letters, or figures printed in the top and bottom margins. The margins are printed the first time the paper is loaded in the printer, and a document is printed in the white space the second time the paper is loaded in the printer. The margin areas are often used for letterheads, borders, and so on. You can make your own pre-printed paper or you can purchase it. You cannot preprint in the area with the diagonal shading shown in the illustrations below, and you can preprint only with colors whose reflectivity is under 60% (for instance black). Avoid punching holes in the restricted area shown below because punctures are also recognized as colors whose reflectivity is under 60%. Before printing on pre-printed sheets, verify that the area your document will print on does not overlap the pre-printed area by printing separate sample sheets and comparing their printed areas.

Electrical

120 V model: Rated voltage: Input voltage range: Input frequency range: Rated current: Power consumption: AC 120 V AC 99 to 132 V 49.5 to 60.5 Hz 3.5 A (max. 7.5 A) Approx. 160 W (ISO/IEC 10561 Letter Pattern) Energy Star compliant AC 220 to 240 V AC 198 to 264 V 49.5 to 60.5 Hz 1.4 A (max. 3.5 A) Approx. 160 W (ISO/IEC 10561 Letter Pattern) Energy Star compliant

Signal level: Handshaking: Bit rate: Connector plug:
Parallel Interface Specifications
The printer comes with a bidirectional, 8-bit, parallel interface and a Type-B optional interface slot.

Forward channel

Transmission mode: 8-bit parallel, IEEE-1284 compatibility mode

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Control Panel Buttons and Lights
The control panel consists of indicator lights and buttons, and gives you access to several powerful features.
On when the printer is in copy mode (to select darker printing). On when the printer is in top-of-form mode. The printer remembers any change you make to the top-of-form position when this light is on. On when the printer is in tear-off mode. The printer remembers any change you make to the tear-off position when this light is on. On when printing is paused. Blinks when the print head is hot. Press to temporarily stop printing and resume printing.

TOF (Top of Form)

Lights

Tear Off

Pause Power
On when the power switch is on and power is supplied to the printer. On when the printer is out of paper. Comes on when there is no paper positioned behind the print head, even if paper is loaded on the tractors in the standby position. Flashes when paper is jammed in the printer.

Paper Out

Tractor Select Front
On when the front tractor is selected. The light is green when paper is loaded (even if the paper is in the standby position), and red when the tractor is out of paper. On when the rear tractor is selected. The light is green when paper is loaded (even if the paper is in the standby position), and red when the tractor is out of paper.

Tractor Select Rear

Ribbon
Blinks when the ribbon is jammed in the printer. Displays the paper memory that is registered in the printer. The font selection status is displayed by two font lights on the control panel:

o o n n o n o n

Paper Select

Buttons

Super Draft Draft Roman Sans serif

n = on, o = off Pitch

Selects one of the following paper numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 0, a, or b. Select a or b if you have registered paper information using the DIP switches and control panel. Select 1 to 8 if you have registered paper information using the paper memory utility.
The pitch selection status is displayed by three pitch lights on the control panel:
o o o n n n o n n o o n n o n o n o
10 cpi 12 cpi 15 cpi 17 cpi 20 cpi PS (Proportional Spacing)
Selects one of the following fonts: Super Draft, Draft, Roman, or Sans Serif.

n = on, o = off

EPSON DFX-8500 - 5
Selects the characters per inch for printing. Press the button until the light appears next to the desired pitch. (Your software setting overrides this setting.) Lets you print the document darker. This button is available in SuperDraft and Draft mode only and is disabled if you use the status monitor utility and select a paper number from 1 to 8. When the top cover is open, lets you enter and exit the top-of-form mode to adjust the top-of-form position. If your printing begins too high or low on the page, you can reset the top-of-form position by entering top-of-form mode and using micro feed to adjust the position. The printer remembers this new top-of-form position even after it is turned off, reset, or initialized. Also, the printer remembers separate top-of-form positions for the front and rear tractors.
This button can also be used to run the draft self test.

Micro Feed

These two buttons advance or reverse the loaded paper in 1/216-inch increments. The top button advances the paper and the bottom button reverses it. You can use these buttons to adjust the top-ofform, tear-off, and printing positions. To reset the top-of-form position, press the TOF button to enter top-of-form mode. Then use the Micro Feed buttons to move the paper to the desired position. To reset the tear-off position, press the
Tear Off button to enter tear-off mode
and feed the paper to the tear-off position. Then use the Micro Feed buttons to move the paper to the desired position. To adjust the printing position, press either Micro Feed button to advance or reverse the paper to the desired position.
Feeds the paper to the printers tear-off edge and puts the printer in tear-off mode. If the perforation on your paper does not align exactly with the printers tear-off edge, use the Micro Feed buttons to adjust the tear-off position. This button can also be used to run the printers NLQ self test.
cCAUTION: are loaded, use only the top Micro Feed button. When labels

Never feed labels backward through the printer.
Press to temporarily stop printing. Press again to resume printing. Hold down for at least 3 seconds to reset the printers control panel settings.
CAUTION: Never press the Tear Off button when labels are loaded in the printer. Use the LF/FF Load button to feed the printed labels to a point where they can be torn off.
Tractor Select Front/Rear

LF/FF Load

LF advances paper one line at a time. To
feed your paper forward one line, press this button once.
FF advances continuous paper to the top of the next page. Press and hold the button for about one second.
Selects the front or rear tractor. If you have been using paper loaded on one tractor, first remove the printed output before pressing this button to switch the tractor. When you switch between tractors, the paper already loaded in the printer is fed backward to the standby position, and the paper on the newly selected tractor is loaded.
cCAUTION:the Front/Rear button when labels are loaded in the Never use
printer. Always tear off any printed pages or excess paper so you don't feed more than one page backward through the printer.
Load loads paper on the push tractor of the selected paper path when no paper is currently loaded.

6 - EPSON DFX-8500

Other control panel features
Self test By holding down the LF/FF Load or Tear Off button while you turn on the printer, you can start the printers self test. The self test prints the characters in the printers ROM (Read Only Memory). By holding down both the LF/FF Load and Tear Off buttons while you turn on the printer, you can turn on the hex dump mode. This feature prints the codes that are sent to the printer so that advanced users can find the cause of communication problems between the computer and printer. By holding down the Pause button while you turn on the printer, you can print the current DIP switch settings. See the next section for more information. By holding down the Paper Select button while you turn on the printer, you can register the paper form information when you use multi-part forms that overlap or forms with labels on them.

Note: Before using your paper, check that it matches the specifications described earlier. Also make sure your paper has a straight edge. If continuous paper is fed past the sprocket (on the last page, for example), the paper may not feed properly.
Positioning the paper supply

Hex dump

You can load continuous paper from both the front and the rear, so be sure to leave enough room around the printer for the two stacks of fresh paper and for the printed stack. Make sure you align your paper supply with the paper loaded in the tractor so the paper feeds smoothly into the printer. The following illustration shows three ways to position your printer and paper: with the front tractor loaded, with the rear tractor loaded, and with both tractors loaded.

Print settings

Paper memory setting
Note: Make sure that your stack of printed pages does not interfere with the rear tractors paper supply.
What paper types you can use

Paper Handling

Using the two-tractor system
Your printers paper handling system consists of a front push tractor and a rear push tractor. Both tractors are easy to load and operate, and both accommodate a wide variety of paper types, including labels and multi-part forms. The printer automatically adjusts to the thickness of your loaded paper, so you dont need to make any manual adjustments to the paper thickness settings. You can print on continuous paper from 4 inches (101 mm) to 16 inches (406 mm) wide. Your printer senses the paper width automatically. When using more than two types of paper, load the paper you use most often onto the front tractor. The front tractor, which is easier to reach, will be available for the paper you change more frequently. Use only the front tractor for printing on labels, continuous forms with labels, overlapping multi-part forms, and overlapping multi-part forms with labels.
You can use the continuous paper types listed below. (For some paper types, the rear tractor is not available.)
Continuous Paper Types Single-sheet Multi-part Labels Continuous forms with labels Overlapping multi-part forms Overlapping multi-part forms with labels Front Tractor available available available available available available Rear Tractor available available not available not available not available not available
Adjusting the paper position
You can adjust the top-of-form position as well as the printing position at any point on the page by using the TOF and Micro Feed buttons. The printer then remembers the new top-of-form position. When you use the optional pull tractor, you can adjust the paper position as described below.

cCAUTION: top-of-form position when labels are loaded in the To adjust the
printer, use the forward-feeding (top) Micro Feed button only; do not enter the top-of-form mode. Never feed labels backward through the printer.
1. Make sure the printer is turned on and the desired tractor is selected (the corresponding tractor arrow should be lit). 2. Open the top cover. 3. Press the TOF button to enter top-of-form mode. The printer beeps once, and the TOF light flashes. Also, the printer advances the paper so that the top-of-form position is lined up with the red line on the clear plastic ribbon protector. 4. Use the Micro Feed buttons to feed the paper to the desired top-of-form position. The red line on the ribbon protector shows you where the bottom edge of your first line of text will print. This position is based on the first printable line of
cCAUTION:printing on labels, continuous forms with labels, or If you are
overlapping multi-part forms, use only the forward-feeding (top) Micro Feed button.
3. When you are finished, press the Pause button to resume printing your document.

8 - EPSON DFX-8500

Tearing off the printed pages
After you finish printing, you can use the tear-off feature to advance continuous paper on the push tractor to the tear-off edge of the printer. You can then easily tear off printed sheets. When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds paper back to the loading position. This feature lets you save paper that would normally be lost between documents. You can use the tear-off feature in two ways: by turning on DIP switch 3-1 to select automatic tear-off mode, or by pressing the Tear Off button on the control panel. If the perforation between pages is not aligned with the tearoff edge, you can adjust the tear-off position using the microfeed feature. The printer remembers this new tear-off position. 2. Tear off all printed pages. If the perforation is not aligned with the tear-off edge, adjust the tear-off position as described in the next section. 3. When you resume printing, the printer 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 is not aligned with the tear-off edge, follow these steps: 1. Turn on the printer and select the desired tractor. 2. Open the paper separator cover (the flap on the top part of the printers top cover). This exposes the printers tear-off edge. 3. Press the Tear Off button to enter the tear-off mode. The Tear Off light comes on and the printer feeds the papers perforation to the printers tear-off edge.

cCAUTION: off the printed document before you feed the Always tear
paper back to the top-of-form position. Never feed paper backward more than one page.
Switching between front and rear tractors
You can easily switch between paper loaded on the front tractor and paper loaded on the rear tractor. The instructions below explain how to switch from the front tractor to the rear tractor, but you can follow the same steps to switch from the rear tractor to the front tractor.
cCAUTION: between tractors if labels are already loaded in Never switch
the printer. First remove the labels by tearing off the fresh supply below the tractor and pressing LF/FF Load to eject the remaining labels.
Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge
When printing becomes too faint, you need to replace the ribbon. Use the #8766 EPSON replacement cartridge only.
Before you start, make sure the printer is turned on and that the front tractor is selected (the front tractor arrow on the Tractor Select indicator should be lit). If you are in the middle of printing a document, wait for the printer to finish printing before you switch tractors. Then follow these steps: 1. If no paper is loaded in the rear tractor, load paper to the standby position (the first five pins of the sprockets).
wWARNING: has been used recently, the print head may be If the printer
hot. Let it cool before attempting to replace the ribbon.
Removing the old ribbon cartridge
To remove the ribbon cartridge, follow these steps: 1. Press the Pause button. Then turn off the printer. Make sure that the power cord is not plugged into an electrical outlet. 2. Open the printers top cover and slide the print head to the exposed part of the paper bail. 3. Lift the ribbon guide off the print head as shown below.
2. If you have a printed document or excess paper still in the printer, use the tear-off feature described in the previous section to tear off the document or excess paper.
cCAUTION: off the printed document and any excess paper Always tear
before switching tractors. Never feed more than one page backward through the printer.

10 - EPSON DFX-8500

4. Pull up on the side of the ribbon cartridge as shown below to release it from the printers mounting pins. Remove the cartridge by lifting it up and away from you. corresponding pins in the printer. Then push the cartridge down into position until the other two slots snap into place over the mounting pins in the printer.

cCAUTION: you dont pull on the flat gold cable beneath the Make sure

ribbon cartridge.

3. Press lightly on both sides of the cartridge to make sure it is locked in place. 4. Insert the ribbon guide over the metal pins on each side of the print head as shown below. The smaller end of the guide should be on top, with its angled edge facing back toward the platen. Turn the ribbon-tightening knob again to remove any slack in the ribbon.

ribbon guide

Installing the new ribbon cartridge
Before installing the ribbon cartridge, make sure that the protective packing materials have been removed. Remove the ribbon cartridge from the box and plastic bag. Then follow these steps:
wWARNING: the print head while the printer is turned on unless Never move
instructed to because this can damage the printer. Also, if you have been using the printer, the print head may be hot; let it cool for a few minutes before touching it.
1. Remove the separator from the middle of the ribbon cartridge and discard it. Then detach the ribbon guide from the cartridge (but not from the ribbon) and turn the ribbontightening knob in the direction of the arrow to take up any slack in the ribbon.
5. Slide the print head from side to side to see that it moves smoothly and that the ribbon is not twisted or creased.

separator

2. Hold the ribbon cartridge with both hands and lower it into the printer as shown below. Pulling the cartridge toward you, slide the notches nearest you over the two

print head

6. Close the top cover.

EPSON DFX-8500 - 11

Error Indicators
You can identify many common printer problems with the lights on the control panel. If your printer stops working and the lights are on or flashing, use the following table of panel light patterns to diagnose and solve the problem.
State of panel light Beep pattern Problem and solution No paper is loaded in the printer. Load paper in the printer. The Paper Out light turns off and the printer resumes printing. The paper is not loaded correctly. Remove and reload paper correctly. See the instructions for loading paper beginning on page 7.

State of panel light

Beep pattern
Problem and solution An unknown printer error has occurred. Turn off the printer and leave it for several minutes; then turn on the printer again. If the error occurs again, contact your dealer. The printer may turn off all lights after 12 seconds. Also in this case, turn off the printer and leave it for several minutes; then turn on the printer again. If the error occurs again, contact your dealer.

f all lights

+ Paper Select indicates E followed by a number.

n Paper Out n Pause

n = on, f = flashing
= short interval, = long interval

f Paper Out n Pause f Ribbon n Pause
Paper has jammed in the printer. To clear the paper jam, see Clearing Paper Jams on page 12.

Clearing Paper Jams

To clear a paper jam, follow these steps: 1. Turn off the printer. 2. Open the printers top cover. 3. Remove continuous paper from the printer if it is loaded. If continuous paper is jammed in the printer, tear off the fresh supply at the front or rear of the printer. 4. If the paper is caught in the paper ejection area, gently pull it out of the printer. 5. Close the printer cover and turn the printer back on. Make sure the Paper Out light is not flashing and the Pause light is not on.
Ribbon has jammed. Remove and re-install the ribbon cartridge. See Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge on page 10.
f Paper Out f Ribbon n Pause
The loaded paper may be thicker than the specified ranges. Press the Pause button. The printer starts printing very slowly. Make sure that the paper thickness is within the specified ranges. See the paper specifications on page 2.

f Pause

The print head is overheated. Wait a few minutes; the printer will resume printing automatically once the print head cools.

n Pause

The printer top cover is open. Close the cover and press the Pause button. The paper selected does not match the paper loaded in the printer. Load the correct paper or select the appropriate paper setting. The printer fails to switch to and feed the proper paper. Remove any paper in the printer and then press the Pause button to reload the paper you selected.

Printing a Self Test

Running the printers self test helps you determine whether the problem comes from the printer or the computer:
If the self test results are satisfactory, the printer is working properly and the problem is probably caused by your printer driver settings, application settings, computer, or interface cable. (Be sure to use a shielded interface cable.) If the self test does not print properly, there is a problem with the printer.

12 - EPSON DFX-8500

To perform a self test, follow these steps: 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off and that the paper is set on the front or rear tractor.

Transporting the Printer

If you need to transport your printer some distance, carefully repack it using the original box and packing materials as described below.
wWARNING:you need to carry the printer only a short distance, Even when
do not carry it by yourself. The printer should always be carried by two people holding the printer at the bottom.
1. Turn off the printer and remove any paper loaded in the printer. If any printer options are installed, remove them. 2. Unplug the power cord from the electrical outlet and the back of the printer. Disconnect the interface cable from the printer. 3. Remove the ribbon cartridge. 4. Install the protective materials onto the printer as shown on the Notice Sheet. 5. Repack the printer, ribbon cartridge, and power cord in the original packing materials and place them in the printers original box.

EPSON DFX-8500 - 13

Dimensions and weight: Height: Width: Depth: Weight: 5.1 inches (130 mm) 20.1 inches (510 mm) 4.3 inches (110 mm) 6.4 lb (2.9 kg)

Options

Optional Interfaces
You can use optional interface cards to supplement your printers built-in serial and parallel interfaces. The EPSON interface cards below are compatible with your printer. (Not all of these interfaces are available worldwide.)
Number C823051 C823071 C823121 C823141 C823151 C823452 C823572 Name Serial interface 32KB intelligent serial interface Local Talk interface Coax interface Twinax interface Bi-directional parallel interface Multiprotocol Ethernet interface
Optional Paper Cutter Specifications
The specifications below apply to the optional paper cutter (C815001).

Width: Lables:

4 to 16 inches (101 to 406 mm) 2.5 15/16 inches 4 15/16 inches 4 17/16 inches 6 sheets (1 original + 5 copies)

Number of copies:

Optional Perforation Cutter Specifications
The specifications below apply to the optional perforation cutter (C815071).
Temperature: Operation: Storage: Operation: Storage: Height: Width: Depth: Weight: 41 to 131F (5 to 55C) 22 to 158F (30 to 70C) 10% to 80% RH 0% to 95% RH 4.6 inches (117 mm) 20.4 inches (518 mm) 3.7 inches (93 mm) 11 lb (5 kg)
Humidity (without condensation): 4 to 16 inches (101 to 406 mm) 4 to 17 inches (101 to 431 mm) 7 sheets (1 original + 6 copies) 0.021 inch (0.53 mm) maximum 14 to 22 lb (52.6 to 82.7 g/m2)

Width: Length/page: Number of copies: Total thickness: Weight: Single sheets:

Dimensions and weight:

Multi-part forms: 11 to 15 lb (41.4 to 56.4 g/m2) n (n < 7) and within the total thickness
Note: You cannot use labels, overlapping multi-part forms, continuous forms with labels, or overlapping multi-part forms with labels.

Related Documentation

4007064 TM-DFX8500 PL-DFX8500 EPSON DFX-8500 Users Guide EPSON DFX-8500 Service Manual EPSON DFX-8500 Parts List
Temperature: Operation: Storage: Operation: Storage: 41 to 95F (5 to 35C) 22 to 140F (30 to 60C) 10% to 80% RH 5% to 85% RH
Humidity (without condensation):

14 - EPSON DFX-8500

Unplug the printer and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions: If the power cord or plug is damaged; if liquid has entered the printer; if the printer has been dropped or the cabinet damaged; if the printer does not operate normally or exhibits a distinct change in performance. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions.
If you plan to use the printer in Germany, observe the following: To provide adequate short-circuit protection and over-current protection for this printer, the building installation must be protected by a 16 Amp circuit breaker. Bei Anschlu des Druckers an die Stromversorgung mu sichergestellt werden, da die Gebudeinstallation mit einem 16 A-berstromschalter abgesichert ist.

ENERGY STAR Compliance

As an ENERGY STAR Partner, EPSON has determined that this product meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. The International ENERGY STAR Office Equipment Program is a voluntary partnership with the computer and office equipment industry to promote the introduction of energy-efficient personal computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, and copiers in an effort to reduce air pollution caused by power generation.

For United Kingdom Users

Use of options
Epson (UK) Limited shall not be liable against any damages or problems arising from the use of any options or consumable products other than those designated as Original EPSON Products or EPSON Approved Products by Epson (UK) Limited.

Safety information

Warning: This appliance must be earthed. Refer to the rating plate for voltage and check that the appliance voltage corresponds to the supply voltage. Important: The wires in the mains lead fitted to this appliance are coloured in accordance with the following code: Green and yellow Earth Blue Neutral Brown Live
If you have to fit a plug: As the colours of the wires in the mains lead of this appliance may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in a plug, please proceed as follows: The green and yellow wire must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter E or with the Earth symbol (G). The blue wire must be connected to the terminal in the plug marked with the letter N. The brown wire must be connected to the terminal in the plug marked with the letter L. If damage occurs to the plug, replace the cord set or consult a qualified electrician. Replace fuses only with a fuse of the correct size and rating.

Contents

Introduction
Features. Options. How to Use This Manual. Warnings, Cautions, and Notes If You Need Help. 0-1 0-2 0-2 0-3 0-4

Chapter 1

Setting Up the Printer

. 1-2 1-4 1-6 1-10 1-11

Unpacking the Printer. Choosing a Place for the Printer. Installing the Ribbon Cartridge. Plugging in the Printer. Connecting the Printer to Your Computer

Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
This guide uses the following conventions:
Warnings must be followed to avoid bodily injury.
Cautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.
Notes contain important information and useful tips on the operation of your printer.

If You Need Help

If you need assistance in setting up or using your printer, see Appendix C for guidelines on how to get customer support.

A5 size 98/01/07

Chapter 1 Pass 4
Unpacking the Printer. 1-2 1-4 1-6 1-10 1-11
Choosing a Place for the Printer. Installing the Ribbon Cartridge. Plugging in the Printer. Connecting the Printer to Your Computer.

Unpacking the Printer

Because the printer weighs approximately 29 kg (64 lbs), you should not lift or carry it alone. Two people should carry it by the bottom, as shown here:
In addition to this guide, your printer box should include two EPSON printer driver diskettes, two Status Monitor software diskettes, a Notice Sheet, and the following items:

power cord

printer

screwdriver

ribbon cartridge optional connector lock nuts
Note: Depending on your printer model, the power cord may be permanently attached to the printer. Also the shape of the power cord plug varies depending on the country in which you bought your printer; be sure the plug you have is right for your location.
You must remove all protective materials packed around and inside your printer before you set it up and turn on the power. Follow the directions on the Notice Sheet to remove these materials. A screwdriver has been included for removing the transportation screw. Save all packing and protective materials, including the protective locking clips on the paper tension unit and the transportation screw, in case you need to ship the printer in the future. It should always be transported in its original packaging, or equivalent materials.
Caution: There are several versions of the printer designed for different voltages, and it is not possible to adjust 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.
Choosing a Place for the Printer
When selecting a place to set up your printer, be sure to follow these guidelines:

T T T T T

Place the printer on a flat, stable surface, close enough to the computer for the interface cable to reach it. Leave adequate room around the printer for easy operation and maintenance. Avoid locations that are subject to direct sunlight, excessive heat, moisture, or dust. Use a properly grounded electrical outlet; do not use an adapter plug. Place the printer where you can easily unplug the power cord.

D-1-22-A

If you are connecting the serial interface, fasten the screws on the cable connector. (If your cable has a ground wire, connect it to the printers ground connector as shown above.)

D-1-22-B

Note: If the screws that come with the cable do not fit into the connector lock nuts on the interface, replace the lock nuts with the optional lock nuts provided with the printer.
5. Open the plastic clamp to the right or left of the interface connectors by pulling out its top tab. Insert the cable in the plastic clamp and close the clamp, as shown below.

D-1-23-A

6. Close the rear cover.

D-1-23Bn

Caution: Always close the rear cover before using the printer.
7. 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.) Before using the printers serial interface, you need to select serial communication by changing the printers DIP switch settings. You may also need to change two other serial interface settings, serial baud rate and parity, before your printer and computer can communicate properly. See Using DIP Switches in Chapter 4 for more information.
_______ _______ _______ _______

Chapter 2 Pass 4

For Windows 95 Users. Installing the printer driver using My Computer Installing the printer driver using plug-and-play Accessing the printer driver. Changing the printer driver settings. For Windows 3.1 Users. Installing the printer driver. Accessing the printer driver. Changing the printer driver settings For Windows NT 4.0 Users. Installing the printer driver. Accessing the printer driver. Changing the printer driver settings For Windows NT 3.5x Users. Installing the printer driver. Accessing the printer driver. Changing the printer driver settings. 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-5 2-6 2-8 2-8 2-9 2-11 2-12 2-12 2-13 2-15 2-16 2-16 2-17 2-19 2-21 2-21
For DOS Program Users. Installing the printer driver.

The EPSON printer software that comes with your printer includes the printer driver software, plus a status monitor utility and paper memory utility for use with Windows 95. A printer driver is software that allows your computer to control the printer. You need to install the printer driver so your software applications can take full advantage of the printers capabilities. See the appropriate section below for installing the printer software for your version of Windows (or DOS):
For Windows 95, see the next section. For Windows 3.1, see page 2-8. For Windows NT 4.0, see page 2-12. For Windows NT 3.5x, see page 2-16. For DOS programs, see page 2-21.
Note: Before you install the printer software, it is a good idea to make backup copies of the EPSON printer software disks.

For Windows 95 Users

Follow the steps below to install the printer driver for Windows 95. For instructions on installing the EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility, see Chapter 5.
Installing the printer driver using My Computer
1. Make sure Windows 95 is running and the printer is off. 2. Insert Disk 1 of your printer driver software in a disk drive. Double-click the My Computer icon, and then double-click the drive in which you inserted the disk. 3. Double-click the Setup.exe icon, then select your printer icon in the EPSON Printer Driver Setup dialog box shown below. Click OK and follow the on-screen instructions.

setupn

After you install your printer driver for Windows 95, you can install the EPSON Status Monitor 2 utility program. This utility monitors the status of your printer, alerts you when errors occur, and provides you with troubleshooting tips. See Chapter 5 for instructions on installing the Status Monitor.
Installing the printer driver using plug-and-play
If your computer has an IEEE-1284 compatible, bidirectional parallel port, you can install the printer driver using the Windows 95 plug-and-play feature. See your computer documentation for more information. 1. Make sure the printer is connected to your computer as described on page 1-11. 2. First turn on your printer and then turn on the computer. Your computer starts loading Windows 95. 3. If you use a password, enter it at the prompt. You see the New Hardware Found screen. Note: If you do not see the New Hardware Found screen, or if you run into any kind of problem, click Cancel and follow the instructions under Installing the printer driver using My Computer on page 2-3. 4. Make sure the screen displays your printer model name. Then click the Driver from disk provided by hardware manufacturer radio button. Note: The next time you turn on your computer after you install the driver, Windows 95 may display the New Hardware Found screen again. If this happens, select the Do not install a driver radio button and then click OK. This screen will not appear again. 5. Click OK. You see the Install From Disk screen. 6. Insert Disk 1 of your printer driver software in a disk drive. 7. If you inserted the disk in drive A, type Win95 and click OK. Otherwise, change the drive letter in the Copy manufacturers files from box and click OK.

Changing the printer driver settings
Before printing, check that the printer driver settings on the Paper and Graphics menus are appropriate for the kind of document you want to print, and change the settings as needed. When you are finished making changes, click OK to apply the settings, or click Restore Defaults to return the settings to their factory defaults.

Paper menu

Paper size
Select the size of the paper loaded in the printer. If you dont see your paper size, use the scroll bar to scroll through the list. If your paper size is not included in the list, click Custom and enter the correct paper size in the dialog box that appears. Select Portrait or Landscape.

Orientation

Paper source Select the paper source that best meets your needs. There are three cutting method options for both the front and rear tractors in the Paper source list if the optional perforation cutter is installed. For details, see Using the Perforation Cutter in Chapter 6.

Graphics menu

Resolution Dithering
Click the printing resolution you want. You can leave this option set to Fine, which is the default setting, or select another dithering pattern, depending on the kind of printout you want. The display to the left of the dithering options shows the effect of each setting. Move the slider to make your printout lighter or darker.

Intensity

After youve checked your printer driver settings, you are ready to print. If you have any problems while printing, see Chapter 8 for troubleshooting guidelines.

For Windows 3.1 Users

If you are using Windows 3.1, follow the instructions below to install and access the printer driver.
Installing the printer driver
1. Make sure Windows 3.1 is running and the Program Manager window is open. 2. Insert Disk 1 of your printer driver software in a disk drive. 3. Choose Run from the File menu. The following dialog box appears:
4. Type A:\SETUP. (If you inserted the driver disk in a drive other than A, substitute the appropriate letter.) Click OK. The EPSON Printer Driver Setup dialog box appears:

dr-311

5. Select your printer and click OK. The installation program begins copying the printer driver files. After a few moments, the installation program creates the EPSON program group in Windows. 6. When the installation is complete, click OK to exit. Windows will now use the EPSON DFX-8500 printer as its default printer on port LPT1. If you need to change the default printer or the port assignment, use the Printers utility in the Control Panel. Before you start printing, you should make sure that the printer driver settings match your document requirements. While many Windows applications override the printer settings made with the driver, some do not. See the next sections for instructions on how to access the printer driver and change settings.

paper supports
6. Open both sprocket covers.

D-1-14-B sprocket cover

7. Be sure your paper has a clean, straight edge, and then fit the first five holes in the paper over the sprocket pins as shown below. The side of the paper that you want to print on should be facing you. Now close the sprocket covers.

D-1-15-a

8. Slide the right sprocket so that the paper is straight and has no wrinkles. Lock the sprocket in place by pushing up the sprocket lock lever. After you lock the right sprocket, it may still move slightly; this is normal.
D-1-15-B sprocket lock lever
Note: Be careful not to pull the paper too tightly when adjusting the right sprocket.
9. Pull the printers front cover out slightly and lower it until it is closed.

D-1-16

Caution: T Do not push the front cover directly down; always pull it out slightly before closing.
Before turning on the printer, be absolutely sure you have removed all protective materials. (See the Notice Sheet for instructions.) Turning on the printer while the print head cannot move may seriously damage the mechanism.
10. Turn on the printer. The print head moves to the left and the Power and Paper Out lights come on. Also, either the front or rear tractor arrow on the Tractor Select indicator lights up, depending on which tractor was selected when the printer was turned off last.

D-1-17

11. Check the Tractor Select indicator to see which tractor is selected:
If the front tractor arrow light is red, press the LF/FF Load button to load the paper.

D-2-10-A

If the rear tractor arrow light is red, press the Front/Rear button to switch to the front tractor. When the printer switches tractors, it also loads the paper automatically.

d-2-10-b

The Tractor Select indicator changes to green and the Paper Out light turns off. The paper is now loaded to the top-of-form position. If it looks like the printing will start too high or low on the page, adjust the paper position as described on page 3-17.
Loading Paper onto the Rear Tractor
Follow the steps below to load paper onto the rear tractor. (You do not need to remove the paper from the front tractor first.) 1. Turn off the printer. 2. Open the printers top cover as shown below.

1-62.eps

3. Open the rear flap at the back of the top cover.

D-2-4-Bn

rear flap
4. Release the sprocket lock levers on the rear tractors right and left sprockets by pushing each lever back.

sprocket lock lever

D-2-5-A
5. Position the left sprocket so that the sprocket pins are to the left of the arrow mark on the scale. Lock it in place by pulling the sprocket lock lever forward.

Adjusting the tear-off position
If the papers perforation is not aligned with the tear-off edge, follow these steps: l. Turn on the printer and select the desired tractor. 2. Open the paper separator cover (the flap on the top part of the printers top cover). This exposes the printers tear-off edge.
3. Press the Tear Off button to enter the tear-off mode. The Tear Off light comes on and the printer feeds the papers perforation to the printers tear-off edge.

d-2-17-b

4. If the paper is not aligned with the tear-off edge, press the Micro Feed buttons to feed the paper forward or backward in 1/216-inch increments. (You can also hold down either Micro Feed button to feed the paper continuously.)

tear-off edge

d-2-18-a
Note: You can reset the tear-off position only when you are in tear-off mode (after you press the Tear Off button once and the Tear Off light is on). The printer remembers the new tear-off position even after the printer is turned off, reset, or initialized.
5. Tear off the page using the tear-off edge on the printers top cover.
6. Press the Tear Off button to feed the paper back to the top-of-form position. You are now ready to print your next document.
Caution: Always tear off the printed document before you feed the paper back to the top-of-form position. Never feed paper backward more than one page.
Switching Between Front and Rear Tractors
You can easily switch between paper loaded on the front tractor and paper loaded on the rear tractor. The instructions below explain how to switch from the front tractor to the rear tractor, but you can follow the same steps to switch from the rear tractor to the front tractor. (To switch tractors when the optional pull tractor is installed, see Chapter 6.)
Caution: Never switch between tractors if labels are already loaded in the printer. First remove the labels by tearing off the fresh supply below the tractor and pressing LF/FF Load to eject the remaining labels.
Before you start, make sure the printer is turned on and that the front tractor is selected (the front tractor arrow on the Tractor Select indicator should be lit). If you are in the middle of printing a document, wait for the printer to finish printing before you switch tractors. Then follow these steps: 1. If no paper is loaded in the rear tractor, load paper to the standby position (the first five pins of the sprockets), as described in steps 2 through 13 on page 3-10.

2-20-24

2. If you have a printed document or excess paper still in the printer, use the tear-off feature described in the previous section to tear off the document or excess paper.
Caution: Always tear off the printed document and any excess paper before switching tractors. Never feed more than one page backward through the printer.

DIP switch tables

The following tables list the settings for each DIP switch. For more information about each feature, see the explanations following the tables.

DIP switch 1

Switch 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 1-7 1-8 Skip over perforation Print direction Active Uni-d. Inactive Bi-d. Description Character table ON OFF See Tables A-1 and Table A-2

DIP switch 2

Switch 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-5 2-6 2-7 2-8 Page length for rear tractor See Table C Description Page length for front tractor ON See Table B OFF

DIP switch 3

Switch 3-1 3-2 3-3 3-4 3-5 3-6 3-7 3-8 Description Auto tear off Zero slash Auto line feed Buzzer (beep) Auto CR (IBM 2381 Plus) IBM character table Auto cut mode Software ON Active Active Active Inactive Active Table 1 Active IBM 2381 Plus OFF Inactive Inactive Inactive Active Inactive Table 2 Inactive ESC/P

DIP switch 4

Switch 4-1 4-2 4-3 4-4 4-5 4-6 4-7 4-8 Serial baud rate See Table F Serial parity See Table E Description Input buffer Auto I/F (interface) wait time I/F (interface) mode ON Inactive 30 sec. See Table D OFF Active 10 sec.

DIP switch 5

Switch 5-1 5-2 5-3 5-4 Description Overlapping multi-part forms Continuous forms with labels Skip over binding Paper memory ON Active Active Active Memory b OFF Inactive Inactive Inactive Memory a
* DIP switches 5-5 to 5-8 are not used.
Table A-1 Character table (standard model)
Character table PC437 (US, Standard Europe) PC850 (Multilingual) PC860 (Portuguese) PC861 (Icelandic) PC863 (Canadian-French) PC865 (Nordic) Abicomp BRASCII Roman 8 ISO Latin 1 Italic U.S.A Italic France Italic Germany Italic U.K Italic Denmark Italic Sweden Italic Italy Italic Spain SW 1-1 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF SW 1-2 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON SW 1-3 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON OFF OFF SW 1-4 OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON ON ON OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON ON ON OFF OFF SW 1-5 OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF SW 1-6 OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON
PC437 is selected by all other switch combinations.
Table A-2 Character table (available in certain countries)
Character table PC437 (US, Standard Europe) PC850 (Multilingual) PC437 Greek PC852 (East Europe) PC853 (Turkish) SW 1-1 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF SW 1-2 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF SW 1-3 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF SW 1-4 OFF OFF OFF OFF ON SW 1-5 OFF OFF ON ON OFF SW 1-6 OFF ON OFF ON OFF
Continued on the next page
Character table PC855 (Cyrillic) PC857 (Turkish) PC866 (Russian) PC869 (Greek) MAZOWIA (Poland) Code MJK (CSFR) ISO 8859-7 (Latin/Greek) ISO Latin 1T (Turkish) Bulgaria (Bulgarian) Estonia (Estonia) PC774 (LST 1283:1993) ISO 8859-2 PC866LAT. (Latvian) PC866UKR PC APTEC (Arabic) PC708 (Arabic) PC720 (Arabic) PC AR864 (Arabic) PC860 (Portuguese) PC861 (Icelandic) PC865 (Nordic) Italic U.S.A Italic France Italic Germany Italic U.K Italic Denmark Italic Sweden Italic Italy Italic Spain

The printer may have reverse fed too many pages.
Use the tear off feature to tear off the printed document or any excess paper so that the printer needs to reverse feed only one page. Then press the Front/Rear button to switch tractors. Labels jam when they are fed backward, so always remove any labels loaded in the printer before you switch tractors. To remove labels loaded in the printer, tear off the fresh supply below the tractor and press the LF/FF Load button to eject the remaining labels.
You may be trying to switch tractors when labels are loaded in the printer.
When you switch between front and rear tractors, the printer does not load paper onto the selected tractor.

Operation

The Pause light is off but the printer does not print.
The interface cable is not plugged in securely.
Confirm that both ends of the cable between the printer and the computer are fastened securely. If the cable is connected correctly, run a self test as described on page 8-5. Use an interface cable that meets the requirements of both the printer and computer. See Chapter 1 and your computer documentation. Make sure that your printer is properly selected in your application software. If necessary, install or reinstall the printer driver software as described in Chapter 2.
Your interface cable does not meet the printer and/or computer specifications. Your software is not properly set up for your printer.
The Paper Out and Pause lights are on and the printer does not print.
The printer is out of paper for Make sure that paper is loaded in the the specified paper source. printer from the current paper source. Press the Pause button to resume printing.
The printer sounds like it is printing, but nothing prints.
The ribbon cartridge is not installed properly. The ribbon is worn out.
Install the ribbon cartridge as described in Chapter 1. Replace the old ribbon cartridge with a new one as described in Chapter 7.
The printer makes a strange noise, and the printer stops abruptly.
The paper is jammed. The ribbon is jammed because of too much slack or a worn ribbon. You did not remove all protective materials.
See page 8-19 to clear the paper jam. Remove any slack from the ribbon by turning the ribbon-tightening knob or replace it with a new one. Then press the Pause button to resume printing. Remove all protective materials after turnning off the printer. Then turn on the printer.
The printer stops printing and the Pause light is flashing.

Appendix A pass 4

Appendix A

Specifications

Printer Specifications Printing. Paper. Mechanical. Electrical. Environmental. Safety approvals. CE marking. A-2 A-2 A-4 A-13 A-14 A-14 A-15 A-15 A-16 A-16 A-16 A-17 A-17
Parallel Interface Specifications. Forward channel. Reverse channel. Serial Interface Specifications.
Optional Perforation Cutter Specifications.

Printer Specifications

Printing
Printing method: Printing speed:
Characters per inch 10 cpi 10 cpi 10 cpi 12 cpi 12 cpi Quality High-speed draft Normal draft Near letter quality Draft Near letter quality Characters/second/line 252

9-pin impact dot matrix

Printing direction:
Bidirectional logic seeking for text and graphics printing. Unidirectional text or graphics printing can be selected using software commands. 1/6-inch or programmable increments of 1/216-inch
Line spacing: Paper feed speed: Continuous
0.25/m/sec/line (9.9 inches per second)
Note: Paper feed speed drops to 6 inches per second when the optional pull tractor is mounted.

Printable columns:

Characters per inch 10 cpi 12 cpi 15 cpi 17 cpi 20 cpi Maximum printed characters per column 272

Buffer: Character fonts:

Font EPSON Super Draft EPSON Draft EPSON Roman (NLQ) EPSON Sans serif (NLQ)
128KB or 0KB (DIP switch selectable) Characters per inch available
Available pitches (cpi) 10 10, 12, 15 10, 12, 15, proportional 10, 12, 15, proportional

Character tables:

One Italic and 10 graphical character tables. (26 graphical character tables are available in certain countries.) See Appendix B for more information on the available character tables. 13 international character sets

Character sets:

Note: Use recycled paper, labels, envelopes, postcards, overlapping forms, and continuous forms with labels only under normal temperature and humidity conditions as follows: Temperature Humidity 15 to 25C (59 to 77F) 20% to 60% RH
Continuous paper (including continuous multi-part forms)
The sprocket hole must be a circle or notched circle. The holes must be cleanly cut. At the perforation between pages, the horizontal and vertical perforation cuts should not cross, as shown below.

OK OK OK No good

me_077n
The ratio of the cut/uncut length at the perforation should be between 3:1 and 5:1. The perforation between pages should not extend all the way to the edges of the paper, as shown below.

Note: You cannot use labels, overlapping multi-part forms, continuous forms with labels, or overlapping multi-part forms with labels.
Environmental: Temperature Humidity (without condensation) Dimensions and weight Operation: 5 to 35C (41 to 95F) Storage: 30 to 60C ( 22 to 140F) Operation: 10% to 80% RH Storage: 5% to 85% RH Height: Width: Depth: Weight: 130 mm (5.1 inches) 510 mm (20.1 inches) 110 mm (4.3 inches) 6.4 kg (2.9 lb)
A5 size 98/01/07 Appendix B Pass 3

Appendix B

Printer Commands and Character Tables
EPSON ESC/P Control Codes. B-2 Barcode commands. B-3 IBM 2381 Plus Emulation Control Codes. B-6 Character Tables. B-7
EPSON ESC/P Control Codes
Selecting EPSON ESC/P printer in your software allows you to use the most advanced font and graphics handling available. See the ESC/P Reference Manual for details. General operation: ESC@, ESC U, ESC EM Paper feeding: FF, LF, ESC 0, ESC 1, ESC 2, ESC 3, ESC A, CR Page format: ESC ( C, ESC C, ESC C 0, ESC Q, ESC l, ESC ( c, ESC N, ESC O Print position motion: ESC $, ESC , ESC D, HT, ESC B, VT, ESC J Font selection: ESC k, ESC x, ESC P, ESC M, ESC g, ESC p, ESC 4, ESC 5, ESC E, ESC F, ESC ! Font enhancement: ESC W, DC 4, SO, DC2, SI, ESC w, ESC G, ESC H, ESC T, ESC S, ESC Spacing: ESC Space, ESC ( U Character handling: ESC t, ESC ( t, ESC R, ESC %, ESC &, ESC : ESC 1, ESC 6, ESC 7 Bit image: ESC *, ESC K, ESC L, ESC Y, ESC Z, ESC ^ Bar code: ESC ( B

Barcode commands

Your printer has powerful barcode printing capabilities and includes the following resident barcode fonts: EAN-13, EAN-8, Interleaved 2 of 5, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 39, Code 128, and POSTNET. See the Barcode commands below: ESC ( B Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Function: ESC ( B n1 n2 k m s v1 v2 c data n = (n1 + (256 n2)) k: Select Barcode k = 0: EAN - 13, 1: EAN - 8, 2: Interleaved 2 of 5, 3: UPC - A, 4: UPC - E, 5: Code 39, 6: Code 128, 7: POSTNET m: Module width (120 dpi) m = 2: 2 dots, 3: 3 dots, 4: 4 dots, 5: 5 dots s: Space adjustment value -3 s 3 (1/240 inch units) v1, v2: Bar length v1 + v(1/72-inch units) T T The v1 and v2 values are ignored when POSTNET is selected. The long bar length of POSTNET is always 0.125 inch; the short bar length is always 0.050 inch. ESC 27 1B ( B m m m n n n Select Barcode Printing
c: Control flag Bit 0 = Check digit 0: The printer does not add A check digit. 1: The printer adds A check digit. Bit 1 = Human readable character (HRC) 0: The printer adds the HRC. 1: The printer does not add the HRC. Bit 2 = Position of flag character (for EAN-13 and UPC-A only) 0: Center 1: Under Bits 37 = Not used Barcode data Barcode data corresponds to the barcode symbology. The data number of each barcode type is constant. The barcode is printed only if the following valid characters are set.

Barcode type EAN-13 EAN-8 Interleaved 2 of 5 UPC-A UPC-E Code 39 Code 128 POSTNET Number of valid characters 1 (HEX) 0D to FF 0C 0C or to FF 2 to FF 6 or 0A or 0C Number of valid characters 2 (HEX) 0C to FF 0B 0B or to FF 2 to FF 5 or 9 or 0B
Number of valid characters 1: Control flag c b0=0 Number of valid characters 2: Control flag c b0=1
The valid data of each barcode type is described below. If invalid data is included in the barcode data string, the barcode is not printed.
Barcode type EAN13 EAN-8 UPC-A UPC-E Interleaved 2 of 5 POSTNET Code 39 Code 128 Barcode data 0-9 (Hex 30-39) 0-9 (Hex 30-39) 0-9 (Hex 30-39) 0-9 (Hex 30-39) 0-9 (Hex 30-39) 0-9 (Hex 30-39) 0-9 (Hex 30-39), (Hex 41-5A), (Hex 20, 24, 25, 2B, 2D, 2E, 2F) Set A, Set B, Set C
The following conditions are required for barcode printing: T Barcode printing is always performed unidirectionally. However, when it is mixed with raster bit image data, neither barcode nor raster bit image data is printed. A barcode is not printed when part of the barcode extends beyond the right margin. When barcode data and text data are mixed in a data sequence, barcode and text are printed in the same place. The start and stop (*) characters of Code 39 are added to human readable characters. The initial data of Code 128 (Set A, B, or C) is identified as the first data of Code 128, and must be hexadecimal (41, 42, and 43 respectively). When Code 128 Set C and Interleaved 2 of 5 are selected, barcode data requires an even number data string. However, if an odd number string is sent, a 0 is automatically added, making it an even number data string. The barcode print start position (except POSTNET) is always 7/72 inch above the baseline.
IBM 2381 Plus Emulation Control Codes
This printer emulates the IBM Proprinter with the following commands. For detailed information, see IBMs 2381 Plus reference manual. General operation: NUL, DC3, ESC j, BEL, CAN, DC1, ESC Q, ESC [ K, ESC U, ESC [ F Paper feeding: FF, LF, ESC 5, ESC A, ESC 0, ESC 1, ESC 2, ESC 3, CR, ESC ] Page format: ESC C, ESC C0, ESC X, ESC N, ESC O, ESC 4 Print position motion: ESC d, ESC R, ESC D, HT, ESC B, VT, ESC J Font selection: DC2, ESC P, ESC :, ESC E, ESC F, ESC I, ESC [d, ESC [I Font enhancement: DC4, SO, ESC SO, ESC W, ESC [ @, SI, ESC SI, ESC G, ESC H, ESC T, ESC S, ESC -, ESC _ Spacing: BS, SP Character handling: ESC 6, ESC 7, ESC [ T, ESC ^, ESC Bitimage: ESC K, ESC L, ESC Y, ESC Z Barcode: ESC [f, ESC [p Download: ESC = (only Draft mode)

For Singapore Users

Contact the telephone and fax numbers below: Phone: Fax: (065) 337-7911 (065) 334-1185

For Hong Kong Users

To obtain technical support as well as other after-sales services, users are welcome to contact EPSON Hong Kong Limited.

Internet home page

EPSON Hong Kong has established a local home page in both Chinese and English on the Internet to provide users with the following information: T T T Product information Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Latest versions of EPSON printer drivers
Users can access our World Wide Web home page at: http://www.epson.com.hk.
Electronic bulletin board system
An electronic bulletin board system (BBS) is also available to obtain printer information and the latest versions of printer drivers. You can log on to the following number for the BBS service: BBS: (852) 2827-4244
Technical Support Hotline
You can also contact our technical staff at the following telephone and fax numbers: Phone: Fax: (852) 2585-4399 (852) 2827-4383

For Philippines Users

To obtain technical support as well as other after sales services, users are welcome to contact the EPSON Philippines Representative Office at the telephone and fax numbers below: Phone: Fax: BBS: (632) 813-6552 (632) 813-6545 (632) 814-0595
A5 size 98/01/07 Glossary Pass 2
These definitions apply specifically to printers. application A software program that helps you carry out a particular task such as word processing or financial planning. ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standardized coding system for assigning numerical codes to letters and symbols. baud rate A measure of the speed of data transmission. Usually equivalent to bits per second. Also called serial bit rate. bidirectional printing Printing in which the print head moves from left to right on every other line and from right to left on the others. This increases the speed of printing. bit A binary digit (0 or 1), which is the smallest unit of information used by a printer or computer. buffer See memory. byte A unit of information consisting of eight bits. character set A collection of letters, numbers, and symbols that provides you with the characters used in a particular language. character table A portion of a character set that can be used for graphic symbols or italic characters. characters per inch (cpi) A measure of the size of text characters, often referred to as pitch. 10 cpi is the printers default setting. continuous paper Paper that has sprocket-feed holes on both sides, is perforated between pages, and is supplied in a folded stack. Also called fanfold paper.