LQ - 850/950/1050 DOT - MATRIX PRINTER
Character tables 96 standard ASCII characters 13 international character sets Epson Extended Graphics set Paper Paper feed methods Friction Built-in push feed tractor with paper tension unit Single-bin or dual-bin cut sheet feeder (optional) Pull tractor (optional) Paper width

Type of

La-650

LQ-950

LQ-1050
Smgle sheets Continuous Envelopes
7.2 to 10.1 mches to 13.0 inches 7.2 to 14.4 Inches 4.0 to 10.0 mches 4.0 to 12.0 Inches 4.0 to 16.0 inches No. 6. No. 10 No 6. No. 10 No. 6, No. 10
Printable area Single sheet

Continuous paper

Printer Specifications
Printing Printing method 24-pin impact dot matrix Printing speed
0.47 (~/o-850: 4 to 9 I/. wrdth paper) (LQ-950: 4 - to 12 wdth paper) (LQ-1050: 4 to 14 7, - width paper) 0.97 (LQ-850: IO wrdth paper) (LQ-1050: IS to 16 wrdth paper)
Paper feed speed Approximately 60 ms/line at l/6 inch line spacing Paper thickness Up to 0.004 inches for single sheets; up to 0.0126 inches for continuous paper

draft LCI draft LQ

264 88
Number of copies With continuous, multi-part, no-carbon paper only; one original plus up to three copies, maximum thickness: 0.0126 inches Mechanical Ribbon Cartridge ribbon, available in black only Do not use ribbons for 9-pm prmters. Prmter LQ-850 LQ-950 LQ-1050 Standard ribbon
Printing direction Bi-directional with logic-seeking. User can select unidirectional printing (left to right). Line spacing l/6 inch, or programmable in increments of 1/36Oth of an inch Buffer 6 Kbytes or 0 Kbytes (DIP switch selectable) Fonts Epson Epson Epson Epson Epson Epson Epson Epson Epson New Draft Roman 10 CPI Roman 12 CPI Roman 15 CPI Roman proportional Sans Serif 10 CPI Sans Serif 12 CPI Sans Serif 15 CPI Sans Serif proportional

#1767 #1754

Film ribbon #7768 @7769 $7770
Life expectancy (in Letter Quality characters, at 48 dots/character): 2 million for standard ribbon and 0.2 million for film ribbon MCBF For all components excluding print head: 5 million lines. MTBF LQ-850: 4OtXl power on hours (at 25% duty) LQ-950: 5000 power on hours (at 25% duty) LQ-1050: 6OtXl power on hours (at 25% duty) Print head life 200 million strokes per wire Dimensions and weight LQ-850 Height: 5.6 in. Width: 17.0 in. Depth: 14.2 in. Weight: 19.8 Ibs LQ-950 Height: 5.6 in. Width: 20.5 in. Depth: 14.2 in. Weight: 22.0 lbs LQ-1050 Height: 5.6 in. Width: 23.8 in. Depth: 14.2 in. Weight: 26.4 Ibs
Optional fonts CcNmer IO CPI. I2 CPI. 15 CPI Prest1ee IO CPI. I2 CPI. 15 CPI Script-10 CPI, I2 CPI. 15 CPl OCR-A IO CPI OCR-B 10 CPI Orator 10 CPI Orator-S 10 CPI

24 - Pin Printers

12/12/88

LQ - 850/950/1050 - 1

Electrical Voltage 120 VAC, + 10% (USA) 220 VAC, f 10% (Europe) Non-switchable Power consumption 120 Watts maximum Frequency 49.5 to 60.5 Hz Insulation resistance 10 MR between AC power line and chassis Dielectric strength 120 V model can withstand 1.25 kV rms applied between AC line and chassis for 1 minute, or 1.5 kV rms for 1 second Environment Temperature Operation: 41 F to 95 F (5 C to 35 C) Storage: - 22 F to 150 F (- 30 C to 65 C) Humidity Operation: 10% to 80% without condensation Storage: 5% to 85% without condensation Shock Operation: Up to 1 G within 1ms Storage: Up to 2 G within 1ms Vibration Operation: Up to 0.25 G at up to 55 Hz Storage: Up to 0.5 Cl at up to 55 Hz

SW 1 SW 2

Setting the DIP Switches
By adjusting the settings of the two groups of DIP switches (SW1 and SW2) in the back of the printer, you can control various features such as character set and page length. To change the setting of a DIP switch, first turn off the printer. Using a pencil, pen, or other pointed instrument, change the setting as shown below. Then, turn the printer back on.
The tables below describe the functions of the DIP switches DIP Switch 1
Printing on Special Paper
For printing on special types of paper, see the table below. When the paper thickness lever is set to position 4 or higher, the MULTIPART light comes on and the printing speed is reduced. The following table gives you general guidelines for selecting the right paper thickness lever position to match your paper: Paper Type Lever Position

Paper (single sheets or continuous) Thin paper Multi-part paper P-sheet 3sheet 4-sheet Labels Envelopes Air mall PIaWl Bond I20 lb.1 Bond (24 lb.2 or 7 1.8 Cut sheet feeder mode I 6 Kbytes recenve buffer i 1 Valid 0 bytes lnvalld Kbytes

DIP Switch 2

Switch 3 2-Short tear-off mode Auto kne feed ON ON : 1 OFF OFF Baud rate See the table below Description Page length Skip over perforation InterfaCeiParlty / I ON 12 Inches ON I OFF 11 Inches OFF

See the table below

4 or 6 7
represents the DIP switch settings that have been preset at the factory. The factory settings for International character sets (DIP switches 1-1 to 1-3), the Character table (DIP switch 1-4). and Page length (DIP switch 2-1) vary depending on the country, and are not shown in the tables above.
When printing on envelopes, be sure that your application program settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area of the envelopes as shown below.

Selecting Character Sets

To make sure that the printing fits within this area, always perform a sample printing test using a normal single sheet of paper before printing on envelopes.

LQ - 850/950/1050 - 2

Choosing a character set

Character sets Country

ASClt coda Ihex)
Now that you have set up and tested the LQ, you should make sure that it works with the application programs you want to use. Most application programs let you specify the type of printer you are using 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 from which to choose. Choosing from a menu Because the family of Epson printers shares a great many commands, you can use an application program even if it does not 1st the LQ-850. LQ-950. or LQ-I050 on it? prmter selectjon menu.
Choow from the followtng lt$t.
5C 50 5E 7C 70 7E t$e[\l-l:i OUSA z$~~QCti~ 1 France s b :r, 0 Li. a d ti Germany + 3lJK f%e:\l"'t:)' D$@xOA~~eOH4 Denmark I 9, c G i 6 & c 5 Sweden A n 0 A ii t$@\e-bhbei 6 Italy Ii ) s ^ 7 Sp.w I R % e ; ; ^ 1 : t 0 Japan x $ e [ Y o4uciToiiti 3 Norway * 0 t d gROAUlsa?oiti 10 Denmark II f $ * g & ; fi I, e i ri 0 U 11 Span u 12 Latm America f $ d ; 6 (, i ii i ?I 0 ir , (, < fi + n Legal E

LQ-850/950/1050 LQ-2500 LQ-8oO/lOOO LQ-1500 If none of these printers is listed, select the first one available on the following list.
The zets numbered 8 through 12 and 64 are available only through a software command. See page 9-3 I.

FX LX RX MX

Epson printer Standard printer

Selecting Typestyles

Draft mode uses fewer dots per character for high-speed printing.
Draft printer To use all the features of the LQ-850. LQ-950, and LQ-1050. however, tt is best to use a program with the LQ-850. LQ-950, or LQ-1050 on its menu. If your program does not list these printers. contact the manufacturer to see If an update is available. jGraphics1
./0123456789:;~=>?@ABCDEFGHIJK LMNOPPRSTUVWXYZ[\]A-abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv ^._^.

!#$%&()*t,-

Weve just seen your excellent ad for miniature zebras in a recent back issue of Traders Times. What is the price schedule for quantities over one gross?
The Roman and Sans Serif Letter Quality (LQ) fonts use a larger
number of dots for higher print quality at a lower speed.
^.^. ^.^. wxyz(:}C~Qi~BH~eeel1IAAlaBooouuy~U~g~~i~~6 lifiRC&Qir7+f i <<B
!t$X&()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJK LMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^-abcdefghijklmnopqrst.uv

SANS SERIF

Adjacent dots cannot be printed in this mode.
Column reservation numbers
Weve just seen your excellent ad for miniature zebras in a recent back issue of Traders Times. What is the price schedule for quantities over one gross? The graphics command requires more than one number to specify how many columns to reserve because one line can use thousands of columns, but the LQ does not use numbers larger than 255 (decimal). Therefore, the graphics mode command uses two numbers for reserving columns.
To figure nl and n2, divide the total number of columns by 256. The result is n2; the remainder is ni. Since the command is set up for two numbers, you must supply two even if you need only one. When you need fewer than 256 columns, just make nl the number of columns you are reserving and make n2 a zero.

LQ - 850/950/1050 - 3

LQ - 850/950/1050 DOT- MATRIX PRINTER The Cut Sheet Feeder
The following IS a typical example of a software setup reqmred for proper operation of your cut sheet feeder. Not all software is set up the vame. 50 you may find that a bit of experimentation IS required before you tind rhe best equivalent settings to use. To mamtaln 54 prmted lmes per page: Contmuous form \ettmgs Change Page Length from Change Top Margin from Change Bottom Margin from 66
After checking to see that you have all of the parts shown in the figure above, remove the foam packaging from between the paper rests and rollers. Keep the packing materials in the original box in case you need to store or transport the cut sheet feeder. In
Cut sheet feeder settmgs I I The optlonal pull tractor (A731 I for the LQ-850, #7313 for the LQ-950. or q7312 for the LQ-1050) provides optimum contmuous paper handling. The pull tractor IS especially usefull wth continuous multi-part forms and labels. For best results, use the pull tractor along with the budt-in push tractor. as described in this section. After making sure that you have both parts of the pull tractor option as shown below, remove the packing material and save it in case you need to ship the unit later.

Many word processors and other software gwe you two ways to change these \ettmgs
You can change the settings in each individual file you print or; You can change the programs default settings so that every time you use the program, these new settings are in effect.
If your program has additional features, such as headers and footers, you have to compensate accordingly. Control panel operation All of the functions from the control panel are avadable m cut sheet feeder mode. Muzro adjustment of the loadmg posltion IS avadable lmmedlately after loading a sheet using the LOAD/EJECT button and purhing the ON LINE button. Micro adJustmeW sets a new sheet loading posItIon for as long as the power remams on. If the power IS turned off. the loading posltion IS returned to the factory settmg. Changing the loadmg positmn with micro adjustment affects the number of lines per page. You may need lo change your software margin settings agaIn for thts new page length. The optional cut sheet feeders gwe you easier and more efficient handling of smgle sheet paper Up to 150 sheets of standard bond paper can be fed automatically into the printer without reloading. These umts can also automatically feed envelopes. Printer LQ-850 LQ-950 LQ- 1050 Single bin #7339 #7345 #7340 Dual bin $7346 #7347 #7348

pull tractor cover

The short tear-off function cannot be used with the pull tractor. Before you start printing with the pull tractor, make sure that DIP switch 2-7 is set to off. (See the section on setting DIP switches in Chapter 3.)

The Multi - Font Module

The optional Multi-Font Module (#7631) gives you seven additional fonts for your LQ printer. Once you install it in either slot A or slot B, the following fonts are available: Courier, Prestige, Script, OCR-A, OCR-B, Orator, and Orator-S. The Multi-Font Module is installed in one of the slots (A or B) m the printer. See the manual that comes with the module for full information on using the font module. Using the Multi-Font Module To install a font module, follow these steps: 1. Make sure the printer is turned off. 2. Open the font compartment cover. Inside the compartment are two connectors labelled A and 8. front stacker suporis
The dlustratlons m this chapter show the smgle bin feeder for the LQ-1050. but the others work in the same way. For the dual bin feeders, see the manual that comes with them for assembly instructions. You can select the second bin with a software command (ESC EM) or the control panel. paper support paper feeder rests n

LQ - 850/950/1050 - 4

LQ - 850/950/1050 DOT-MATRIX PRINTER
3. Insert the font module securely into SLOT A or 6 so that the arrow symbols on the font module and the slot are facing each other. If you install only one font module, be sure to insert it into SLOT A.
Commands in Numeriad Order
Commands in Numerical Order
The following list shows control codes and ESC sequences (with their decimal and hexadecimal values), and the page number where the complete command can be found. ASCII BEL BS

Dec. 7

LF VT FF CR so SI DC1 DC2 DC3 DC4 CAN DEL ESC SO ESC Sl ESC EM ESC SF ESC ! ESC # ESC 5 ESC 0 ESC & ESC IESC * ESC + ESC ESC I ESC 0 ESC 2 ESC 3 ESC 4 ESC 5 ESC 6 ESC 7 ESC : ESC ( ESC = ESC ) ESC ? ESC @ ESC A ESC B ESC C ESC C 0 ESC D ESC E ESC F ESC G ESC H ESC J ESC K ESC L
Hex 1 Description 07 B e e p e r 08 B a c k s p a c e _.., 09 Tab Horizontally OA L i n e F e e d OB T a b V e r t i c a l l y OC F o r m F e e d OD C a r r i a g e R e t u r n O E Select Double-wide Mode (one line) OF Select Condensed Mode 11 Select Printer 12 C a n c e l C o n d e n s e d M o d e 13 D e s e l e c t P r i n t e r Cancel Double-wide Mode (one lmel L i n e 18 C a n c e l 7F Delete Character OE Select Double-wide Mode (one line1 OF Select Condensed Mode 19 Turn Cut Sheet Feeder Mode On/Off 20 S e t I n t e r c h a r a c t e r S p a c e 21 M a s t e r S e l e c t 23 C a n c e l M S B C o n t r o l 24 S e t A b s o l u t e P r i n t P o s i t i o n 25 S e l e c t U s e r - d e f i n e d S e t 26 Define User-defined Characters 28 S e l e c t /Cancel S c o r e 2A S e l e c t G r a p h i c s M o d e 2B Select n/360-inch Line Spacing 2D Turn U n d e r l i n i n g O n / O f f 2F S e l e c t V e r t i c a l T a b C h a n n e l 30 S e l e c t l / & i n c h L i n e S p a c i n g 32 S e l e c t l/6-inch L i n e S p a c i n g 33 S e l e c t n/l8@inch L i n e S p a c i n g 34 S e l e c t I t a l i c M o d e 35 C a n c e l I t a l i c M o d e 36 Enable Printable Characters 37 Enable Upper Control Codes 3A Copy ROM into RAM 3 c Select Unidirectional Mode (one line) 3D S e t M S B t o 0 3E S e t M S B t o 1 3F R e a s s i g n G r a p h i c s M o d e 40 I n i t i a l i z e P r i n t e r 41 S e l e c t n/b@inch L i n e S p a c i n g 42 S e t V e r t i c a l T a b s 43 S e l e c t P a g e L e n g t h i n L i n e s 43 S e l e c t P a g e L e n g t h i n I n c h e s 44 S e t H o r i z o n t a l T a b s 45 S e l e c t Emphasized M o d e 46 C a n c e l E m p h a s i z e d M o d e 47 Select Double-strike Mode 48 C a n c e l D o u b l e - s t r i k e M o d e 4 A P e r f o r m n/l8@inch L i n e F e e d 4B Select Single-density Graphics Mode 4 c Select Double-density Graphics Mode

9-12 9-19 9-21 9-15 9-17 9-13 9-13 9-25 9-24 9-a 9-25 9-9 9-26 9-13 9-9 9-25 9-25 9-11 9-31 9-23 9-12 9-20 9-34 9-33 9-29 9-36 9-16 9-28 9-18 9-15 B-16 9-16 o-30 9-30 9-32 9-32 9-34 9-10 9-11 9-12 9-37 9-a b-16 9-17 9-14 9-14 9-21 9-26 9-27 9-27 9-27 9-17 9-35 9-35
Page Dec. ASCII 4D Select 12 Pitch 9 ESC M 77 Skip Over Perforation 9-14 4E Set ESC N 78 4F Cancel Skip Over Perforation 9-15 ESC 0 9-Select 10 Pitch z ESC I 51 Set Right Margin 9 ESC Q Select a Character Set 9 ESC R 82 Superscript Mode 9-Select ESC SO 83 Subscript Mode 9-Select ESC S 54 C a n c e l S u p e r s c r i p t / S u b s c r i p t 9 - ESC T 84 5.5 Turn Unidirectional Mode On/Off 9-10 ESC U Turn Double-wide Mode On/Off 9-26 ESC W Select Hi&speed Dbledensity Graphics 9-35 ESC Y 89 5A Select Quadruple-density Graphics 9 - ESC Relative Position 9-20 SC Set ESC \ Select Justification 9 ESC a Set Vertical Tabs in Channels 9-18 ESC b Select 15 Pitch ESC g Typestyle Family 9-22 6B Select 107 ESC k Left Margm 9-18 6C Set ESC l Turn Proportional Mode On/Off 9-24 ESC p 112 Character Style 9-Select ESC q 113 Character Table 9-Select ESC t Select Double High 9 ESC w Select Letter Quality or Draft 9-22 ESC x 120

Interface Boards

Compatible interfaces The following is a list of Epson interfaces that are compatible with your LQ prmter.
interface number #8143 $8148 #8165 alTIe OptIonal senal 1ntfsface lntelllgent send Interface lntelllgent IEEE-488 interface
All Epson Interfaces have the EPSON name printed on them. If the board has an Identification code prmted on it. It wdl be a four digit number begmnmg with 8, and should correspond 10 one of the numbers listed in the table above.

LQ - 850/950/1050 - 5

Installation/Support Tips Short Tear Off
To activate the short tear-off feature on the printer, first turn DIP switch 2-7 to the on position. To control it through the software, send a form feed command at the end of each page. After sending a form feed, do not send it any more data for a 3-second interval. To activate the tear -off feature manually, take the printer off line and press the FF button. When it is put back on line, the print position will go right back to the top of the page, ready for the next print job.

Single - Sheet Loading

When loading single sheets, make sure that the paper lever is set to single sheets, not tractor paper. The paper can be loaded manually or via the auto load button. Before attempting to load in the paper, wait for the platen to lock in place after changing the paper lever.

Setting up the Page Length
The page length has to be adjusted for using single sheets and for using tractor paper. When your software you asks you to set up the number of lines/page, single sheets require a shorter page length than does tractor paper. Set the page length to 61 lines for single sheets (also when using the cut -sheet feeder) and 66 lines for tractor paper.

Software

The type of printer installed on your system must be identified for each software package. This is usually done through a setup menu. If the LQ-850/950/1050 is not listed in the software package, any Epson 24-pin driver will be compatible. (Preferably, choose the LQ-800/1000.)

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.

LQ - 850/950/1050 - 6

- Pin Printers
Information Reference List
Engineering Change Notices
LQ - 850 - 007/ LQ-1050-007

8/12/88

Version M82982 to Version M80483 LQ-850 PROM upgrade: to increase graphics accuracy in 24-pin bidirectional mode.
LQ - 850 - 006/ LQ-1050-006

7/28/88

Version M8307A to Version M82982 PROM upgrade: to correct and improve paper handling and and print quality.

LQ - 850 - 003

2/2/88
Version M81777 to Version M82778 PROM upgrade: to correct and improve print quality.

LQ - 850 - 002

Version M81179 to Version M8217A PROM upgrade: CSF eject/15-cpi print in unidirectional mode.
7340-001 LQ-850-004 LQ - 850 - 005

6/29/88 1/14/88 2/1/88

Improved paper-holding spring Base plate and lower case modification Change of printer cover B
Product Support Bulletins

P - 0020

5/6/88

Paper thickness lever

Related Documentation
M-TM-LQ8/9/10 Y45499114000 Technical Information Bulletins LQ - 850 - 001 LQ-1050-001 5/6/88
LQ -850/950/1050 Technical Manual LQ -850/950/1050 Users Manual
MONMA carriage width selection

LQ - 850/950/1050 - 7

3-1 3-2 3-6 3-12 3-18 3-19 3-21
Using Short Tear-off. Selecting an International Character Set. Choosing a Character Set. Using the Data Dump Mode.
Chapter 4 Software and Graphics

3-24 3-28 3-30 3-32

4-1 Enhancing Your Printing. 4-2 Graphics. 4-10 User-defined Characters. 4-22
5-1 The Cut Sheet Feeder. 5-2 The Pull Tractor. 5-28 The Interface Boards. 5-41
Chapter 5 Using the Printer Options
6-1 Cleaning the Printer. 6-2 Replacing the Ribbon. 6-4 Transporting the Printer. 6-9
Chapter 6 Maintenance Chapter 7 Troubleshooting
Problems and Solutions. Power Supply. Printing. Paper Handling. Options.
Chapter 8 Technical Specifications
7-1 7-2 7-4 7-5 7-16 7-27
8-1 Printer Specifications. 8-2 Interface Specifications. 8-10 Option Specifications. 8-15 Initialization. 8-17
Chapter 9 Command Summary
Using the Command Summary. Commands in Numerical Order. Commands Arranged by Topic.

Appendix

9-1 9-2 9-5 9-8
A-1 Proportional Width Table. A-2 Character Table. A-6

Glossary Index

Introduction
The Epson LQ-850 and LQ-1050 are advanced 24-pin impact dot matrix printers, combining high performance and reliability with a wide range of features. Features In addition to the high-quality printing and ease of operation you have come to expect from Epson printers, the LQ-850 and LQ-1050 offer the following features:
Easy paper handling, featuring automatic single-sheet loading. Compatibility with the Epson ESC/P commands used by the LQ-500, LQ-510, LQ-800, LQ-1000, LQ-1500, LQ-2500, and LQ-2550.
Fast draft printing of up to 300 characters per second at 10 characters per inch (cpi) in Super Draft mode, and 295 characters per second at 12 cpi or 246 characters per second at 10 cpi in normal draft mode. An improved control panel design that allows direct selection of many of the printers main features including character fonts and character spacing, as well as a choice of normal or condensed printing. The SmartPark paper handling system that lets you use single sheets of paper without removing the continuous paper, eliminates paper waste with short tear-off, and allows easy and accurate paper alignment. Nine built-in Letter Quality fonts for producing high-quality documents: Epson Roman, Epson Sans Serif, Epson Courier, Epson Prestige, OCR-B, OCR-A, Epson Script, Epson Orator, Epson Orator-S.
A 360 x 360 dot per inch graphics mode. Introduction 1
A micro-adjustment feature that allows you to feed the paper forward or backward in 1/180-inch increments to finely adjust the loading and short tear-off positions. An auto-load feature lets you load a single sheet of paper automatically when not using the optional cut sheet feeder. The Epson Extended Graphics character table, 14 international character sets, a legal symbol set, and an italic character table. The ability to handle a wide range of paper types, including envelopes and labels.

3. Slide the print head to the middle of the printer.
CAUTION: Never move the print head while the printer is turned on 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. 4. Turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow. This removes slack in the ribbon and makes it easier to install.
5. Hold the ribbon cartridge by its black, fin-like handles with the exposed ribbon away from you. (The LQ-850 ribbon cartridge has only one handle.) Push the cartridge firmly into position, making sure the plastic hooks fit into the slots inside the printer.
Note: Press lightly on both ends of the cartridge to make sure the plastic hooks are properly seated.
6. Use a pointed object, such as a ballpoint 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.
7. Slide the print head from side to side to make sure it moves smoothly. Also check that the ribbon is not twisted or creased.
Make sure the paper thickness lever on the left is set to position 2. See The Paper Thickness Lever in Chapter 2 if you are printing on special paper.
CAUTION: Film ribbon cartridges must be used and stored within the following temperature ranges: Operation: 41F to 95F (5C to 35C) Storage: -22F to 104F (-30C to 40C) Storing and using a film ribbon at high temperatures shortens the ribbons life expectancy, which is normally 200,000 characters (#7768) or 300,000 characters (#7770). If you continue to use the ribbon beyond its life expectancy, printing suddenly becomes faint and the ribbon may snap. Attaching the Paper Guide When you use single sheets, the paper guide helps to feed the paper smoothly and efficiently into the printer. Attach the paper guide using the following procedure. 1. Place the paper guide on the printer as shown below. Make sure the back edge of the guide is even with the back of the printer.
2. Raise the paper guide until it locks into place.
Note: To lower the paper guide, lift up slightly to release it from its locked position; then gently lower it down onto the printer.
3. Attach the printer cover by fitting the hooks on the cover into
the notches at the front of the printer and tilting the cover back into place.
4. Close the paper guide cover.

Testing the Printer

Now that your printer is fully assembled, you can use its built-in self test function to see that the printer is working correctly before you connect it to a computer. You should perform this test to make sure that your printer was not damaged during shipping and that the ribbon is correctly installed. Before running the self test, you need to connect the printer to an electrical outlet and load a sheet of paper. Plugging in the Printer 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. 2. Plug the power cable into a properly grounded electrical outlet.

To eject labels from the printer, follow these steps: 1. Open the paper guide cover and remove the paper guide.
2. Tear off the sheet of Labels at the perforation behind the push tractor.
3. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer off line. Then press the FORM FEED button to eject the labels.
Envelopes You can feed envelopes individually using the single-sheet loading feature. Before loading envelopes, adjust the position of the paper thickness lever according to the Paper Thickness Lever table earlier in this chapter. For details on paper handling, see Using Single Sheets earlier in this chapter. See Chapter 5 for a description of how to use envelopes with the optional cut sheet feeder.
When manually feeding an envelope, you may have to push it down slightly to get it to feed properly. After about two seconds, the envelope loads automatically.
CAUTION: The printable area for envelopes is shown on the next page. The print head must not go past the left or right edge of the envelope or other thick paper. Make sure that your application program page setup keeps the printing entirely within this printable area. Always keep the longer side of the envelope horizontal. If you use No. 6 envelopes, make sure the left edge guide is aligned with the arrow on the paper guide.
0.33 inch (8.5 mm) or more
0.87 inch (22 mm) or more
CAUTION: Envelope printing is available only at normal temperature (41F to 95F or 5C to 35C). To make sure that the printing fits within the printable area, always print a test sample using a normal sheet of paper before printing on envelopes.

Chapter 3

Using the Printer
Operating the Control Panel. Selecting Typestyles. Character Fonts. Character Spacing. Condensed Mode. Setting the DIP Switches. Changing a DIP Switch Setting. The DIP Switch Tables. The DIP Switch Functions. Page Length. 3-2 3-6 3-6 3-10 3-11 3-12 3-12 3-13 3-16 3-18
Skip Over Perforation. 3-19 Adjusting the Loading Position. Using Micro-adjustment. 3-21 3-22
Using Short Tear-off. 3-24 Adjusting the Tear-off Position. 3-26 Selecting an International Character Set. 3-28
Choosing a Character Set. 3-30 Using the Data Dump Mode. 3-32

SW 2-1 SW 2-2

Off On Off On Off Off On On
Note: Be sure to set the page length to match the paper you are using. Other page lengths can be set using the commands ESC C and ESC C 0. See the Command Summary in Chapter 9 for details. Note: If you are using the cut sheet feeder, the page length is automatically set when you run the printers self test. For details, see The Cut Sheet Feeder in Chapter 5.

Skip Over Perforation

By changing the setting of DIP switch 1-8, you can set skip over perforation to on or off. If this feature is on when using continuous paper, a one-inch margin is provided between the last printable line on one page and the first printable line on the next page. This feature is very convenient if your application program does not provide for top and bottom margins. If you adjust your loading position correctly, you can get half of the margin at the bottom of one page and half at the top of the next page, as shown in the following illustration. DIP switch 1-8 off (Skip over perforation off)
DIP switch 1-8 on (Skip over perforation on)
Note: Most application programs take care of top and bottom margins. Use skip over perforation only if your program does not provide these margins. The skip over perforation setting can be set to values other than one inch by using the ESC N command. See the Command Summary in Chapter 9 for details.
Adjusting the Loading Position
The loading position is the position of the paper when it has been automatically loaded by the printer. This position is important because it determines where the printing begins on the page. If the printing is too high or too low on the page, change the loading position using the micro-adjustment feature described in the next section. You can set separate loading positions for single sheets, continuous paper, and sheets loaded, by the cut sheet feeder. CAUTION: Never use the platen knob to feed paper except in case of a paper jam or other paper feeding problem. (If you need to use the platen knob, make sure the power is off.) If you need to adjust the loading position, always use the micro-adjustment feature. Until the loading position is reset, the printer remembers this position even if it is turned off, and uses it as a reference point for feeding paper. The micro-adjustment feature moves the paper in 1/180-inch increments to make fine adjustments to the loading position. You can use this feature to adjust the loading position immediately after loading paper only. Once you have used micro-adjustment to change the loading position of continuous paper, the printer remembers that position even after it is turned off. However, when you use micro-adjustment to change the loading position of single-sheet paper, the printer does not remember this position after the power is turned off. When the power is turned back on,, the loading position returns to its factory setting.

Using Micro-adjustment 1. Make sure that the printer is turned on and that either a single sheet or continuous paper is ready to be loaded. 2. A single sheet loads automatically. For continuous paper, press the LOAD/EJECT button to feed paper to the loading position. Then press the ON LINE button; the MULTI-PART light begins to blink.
Note: You can use the FORM FEED and LINE FEED buttons for microadjustment only while the MULTI-PART light is blinking.
Press the FORM FEED button to feed the paper forward or the LINE FEED button to feed the paper backward.
Note: When the paper reaches the factory-set loading position, the printer beeps and micro-adjustment feeding pauses for a moment before continuing. You can use this factory setting as a reference point when adjusting the printers loading position. When the paper reaches either the minimum or maximum top margin, the printer beeps and the paper stops moving. Once you have adjusted your paper, the printer remembers this new loading position. When the printer receives data, the MULTI-PART light stops flashing.

Using Short Tear-off

When you are finished printing, the short tear-off feature automatically feeds the perforation of the continuous paper to the tear-off edge of the printer cover so that you can tear off the last sheet. When you resume printing, the paper feeds backward to the loading position. This feature lets you save the paper normally lost between documents. Note: You can use the tear-off feature only with the built-in tractor feeding system. To use this feature, set DIP switch 2-7 to on. Then load continuous paper in the normal way. Leave the paper guide cover open so that you can use the covers tear-off edge.
You can leave the short tear-off feature turned on (DIP switch 2-7 on) even when you are using single sheets. When you move the paper release lever to the single-sheet position, the short tear-off feature is disabled.
CAUTION: Never use short tear-off with labels. Otherwise, labels may come off their backing and jam the printer. When you have finished printing, and if the perforation is at the top of form position, the printer automatically feeds the perforation of the continuous paper to the tear-off edge of the printer cover. You can then tear off the page using the tear-off edge as shownbelow.

Note: The ESC EM command is a software command used to control the operation of the cut sheet feeder. For more information about this command, see the Command Summary in Chapter 9. If the paper reaches the bottom of the print area when any of the following line feed commands is used, the sheet in the printer is automatically ejected and the next sheet is loaded. LF: VT: ESC J: Line Feed; advances the paper one line Vertical Tab; advances the paper to the next vertical tab position Line feed; advances the paper n/l80th of an inch
Software is not effective while the printer is off line. Make sure that the printer is on line if you wish to control the cut sheet feeder using software commands. Using Continuous Paper The printer allows you to easily switch between the cut sheet feeder and the tractor feeding system without having to remove either the feeder or the continuous paper supply. 1. Make sure the continuous paper is already loaded and in a standby position as explained in Chapter 2.
2. Install the cut sheet feeder as described in this section, making sure that DIP switch 1-7 is set to on.
3. If a single sheet is still in the printer, eject it by pressing the LOAD/EJECT button.
4. To switch from the cut sheet feeder to continuous paper, pull the paper release lever forward to the continuous paper position. You do not need to change the setting of DIP switch 1-7.
5. Raise the paper path guide until it clicks open. This guide directs the flow of continuous paper out of the front of the printer.
6. Press the LOAD/EJECT button to load continuous paper. Note: With the paper release lever forward and the printer off line, the control panel functions normally, allowing you to use the micro-adjustment feature to finely adjust the loading position of your paper. CAUTION: Never attempt to print on labels when the cut sheet feeder is installed. To switch back to using the cut sheet feeder, follow these steps: 1. Tear off all printed sheets. Press the LOAD/EJECT button until the continuous paper feeds backward out of the paper path.

5. Tilt the tractor unit toward you until the front latches click in place over the front mounting pins of the printer.
6. Pull the paper release lever all the way forward to the continuous paper position.
CAUTION: You cannot use the short tear-off function with the pull tractor. Before you start printing with the pull tractor, be sure that DIP switch 2-7 is set to off.
Paper Handling 1. With the printer cover unit removed, load continuous paper in the push tractor as described in Chapter 2. However, position the left sprocket unit about l/4 inch from the left before locking it in place. When you have paper loaded, turn on the printer.
2. Make sure that the printer is off line and then press the LOAD/EJECT button to load the paper. Next, press the FORM FEED button to advance the paper one page so that you can fit the paper onto the pull tractor.
while the printer is turned on. If you need to adjust the loading position, use the micro-adjustment function described in Chapter 3. 3. Open the sprocket covers of the pull tractor and pull the sprocket lock levers toward you to release them.
CAUTION: Never use the platen knob to feed the paper
4. Adjust the sprocket units so that they are parallel with the push tractor sprockets. Place the paper supports evenly between the sprocket units. (There is only one paper support on the LQ-850.)
5. Fit the holes of the paper over the tractor pins on the sprocket units, adjusting the position of the sprocket units as necessary.
6. If the paper does not fit exactly onto the tractor pins or if the paper buckles, press in on the pull tractor knob and turn it in the desired direction until the paper fits properly.
7. Close the sprocket covers.
8. See that the paper is not crooked or wrinkled and lock the sprocket units in place.
CAUTION: Make sure that the sprocket units of the two tractor units are properly aligned.
9. Slide the rollers on the paper bail bar so they are evenly distributed across the width of your paper, making sure that the right and left rollers are at both edges of your paper.
10. Attach the paper guide. Then slide the edge guides together so they meet at about the middle of the paper's width.
11. Install the pull tractor cover.
12. Press the ON LINE button to set the printer on line. Note: Do not use the short tear-off feature with the pull tractor.
Removing the Pull Tractor 1. Remove the pull tractor cover and the paper guide.
2. Tear off any printed sheets or extra blank sheets.
3. P r e s s t h e O N LINE button to take the printe LOAD/EJECT button until the continuous paper fe out of the paper path to the standby position. Th light comes on when the paper is completely path.
Note: Make sure you tear off the printed docu removing paper with the LOAD/EJECT button. R several pages at a time may result in a pap

Chapter 6

Maintenance
Cleaning the Printer. Replacing the Ribbon. Transporting the Printer. 6-2 6-4 6-9

Maintenance 6-1

Cleaning the Printer To keep your printer operating at its best you should clean it thoroughly several times a year. Follow the steps below: 1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. Then remove the paper guide and any installed option

6-2 Maintenance

3. If the outer case or paper guide is dirty or dusty, clean it with a soft, clean cloth dampened with a mild detergent solution. Keep the printer cover in place to prevent water from getting inside the printer.
WARNINGS: l Never use alcohols or thinners to clean the printer, because these chemicals can damage the components as well as the case.
Be careful not to get water on the printer mechanism or electronic components. Do not use a hard or abrasive brush. Do not spray the inside of the printer with lubricants; unsuitable oils can damage the mechanism. Contact your Epson dealer if you think lubrication is needed.

Maintenance 6-3

Replacing the Ribbon
Replace the ribbon when the printout becomes too faint. The following Epson replacement ribbon cartridges are available:
Printer LQ-850 LQ-1050 Standard ribbon #7753 #7754 Film ribbon #7768 #7770
Notes: l Use the optional film ribbon only when you need especially high quality printing. For everyday operations, use the standard ribbon.
Do not use ribbons designed for nine-pin printers.
1. Make sure that the printer is turned off. Then remove the printer cover unit.
WARNING: If the print head is hot, let it cool before attempting to replace the ribbon. 6-4 Maintenance
2. To remove the ribbon cartridge, grip it by the two black handles and lift the cartridge straight up and out of the printer. (Ribbon cartridges #7753 and #7768 have only one handle.)

Maintenance 6-5

4. To remove slack in the new ribbon, turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow.
5. Push the new ribbon cartridge firmly into position, making sure the plastic hooks fit into the slots, as shown below.
Note: Press lightly on both sides of the cartridge to make sure the hooks are properly inserted.

After a print command is sent from the computer, the platen does not move and the paper does not feed.
Using the cut sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly (continued). After a print command is sent from the computer, the platen rotates, but paper does not feed. The PAPER OUT light is on.
DIP switch 1-7 is set to off. DIP switch 1-7 must be set to on in order to use the cut sheet feeder. See Chapters 3 and 5. The cut sheet feeder may be incorrectly installed on the printer. Remove and reinstall the cut sheet feeder making sure that the mounting notches are properly mated with the pins on the printer. See Chapter 5. The cut sheet feeder may be out of paper. Load more paper in the cut sheet feeders bin. The paper release lever may not be in the single-sheet position. Push the lever back to the single-sheet position. See Chapter 5. The paper set levers may be pulled forward. After loading a stack of paper in the cut sheet feeder, push the paper set levers backward. See Chapter 5. The left and right paper guides may be too close together, preventing smooth paper feed. Adjust the position of the paper guides so that the paper can move up and down freely. See Chapter 5.
Using the cut sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly (continued). After a print command is sent from the computer, the platen rotates, but paper does not feed. The PAPER OUT light is on (continued).
Paper may be jammed near the print head. Remove the paper jam (temporarily remove the cut sheet feeder if necessary). You may have loaded too many sheets in the cut sheet feeders bin. Remove the sheets. The bin can hold a maximum of 150 sheets. There may be only one sheet left in the bin. The last sheet in the bin may not feed, so add more paper.
Two or more sheets feed at the same time.
You may have loaded too many sheets in the cut sheet feeders bin. Remove the sheets. The bin can hold a maximum of 150 sheets. You may have forgotten to fan the stack of paper before loading it into the bin. Remove the paper and fan it. Then align the edges of the stack. See Chapter 5.
Using the cut sheet feeder, the paper does not feed properly (continued). The paper feed is crooked.
The paper may be old or creased. Discard it and load new, clean sheets of paper. The left and right paper guides may be too far apart. Adjust the paper guides to the width of the paper. There may be too much outgoing paper. Never let more than 80 sheets of outgoing paper accumulate while printing. The weight of your paper may be too heavy or too light for the cut sheet feeder. Refer to the specifications in Chapter 8 and make sure that your paper is the proper size and quality.
You tried to manually insert a single sheet, but instead paper was fed from the cut sheet feeder's bin.

DATA 1 DATA 2 DATA 3 DATA 4 DATA 5 DATA 6 DATA 7 DATA 8 ACKNLG
IN IN IN IN IN IN IN IN OUT
About an 11 -microsecond pulse. LOW indicates that data has been received and that the printer is ready to accept A HIGH signal indicates that the printer cannot receive data. The signal goes HIGH in the following cases: 1) During data entry (ea. char. time) 2) During printing 3) When off line 4) During printer-error state
Signal Return Pin Pin Signal PE SLCT AUTO FEED XT NC GND CHASSIS GND NC GND INIT
Direction Description OUT OUT IN A HIGH signal indicates that the printer is out of paper. Pulled to +5 volts through 3.3 Kohm resistance. When this signal is LOW, the paper is automatically fed 1 line after printing. (The signal level can be fixed to this by setting DIP switch 2-8 to on.) Not used. Logic ground level. Printer's chassis ground, which is isolated from the logic ground. Not used. Twisted-pair return signal ground level. IN When this level becomes LOW, the printer controller is reset to its power-up state and the print buffer is cleared. This level is normally HIGH; its pulse width must be more than 50 microseconds at the receiving terminal. This level becomes LOW when the printer is: 1) in paper out state 2) off line 3) in error state. Same as for Pins 19-30. Not used. OUT Pulled up to 5V through 3.3 Kohm resistance. The DC1/DC3 code is valid only when this signal is HIGH. (Internal fixing can be carried out with Jumper J1. The level of this signal is factory-set to LOW.)

19-30 31

GND NC

SLCT IN

The column heading Direction refers to the direction of signal flow as viewed from the printer. Return denotes the twisted-pair return, to be connected at signal ground level. For the interface wiring, be sure to use a twisted-pair cable for each signal and to complete the connection on the return side. These cables should be shielded and connected to the chassis of the host computer and the printer. All interface conditions are based on TTL level. Both the rise and the fall times of each signal must be less than 0.2 microseconds. Data transfer must be carried out by observing the ACKNLG or BUSY signal. Data transfer to this printer can be carried out only after receipt of the ACKNLG signal or when the level of the BUSY signal-is LOW.

out out

Direction
Transmits data for X-on/X-off Indicates whether or not the printer is ready to receive data. Mark level indicates printer is not ready to receive data. Receives data

RXD Not used SG CG

Signal (logic) ground level Printer chassis ground

Option Specifications

Cut Sheet Feeder

Dimensions and weight:

Option no. #7339 #7340 #7346 #7348 Height 13.6 inches (345 mm) 13.6 inches (345 mm) Width Depth Weight 4.84 lbs (2.2 kg)
16.93 inches 14.33 inches (430 mm) (364 mm)
23.82 inches 14.33 inches 6.6 lbs (3.0 kg) (605 mm) (364 mm)
14.45 inches 16.93 inches 20.20 inches 7.48 lbs (3.4 kg) (430 mm) (367 mm) (513 mm) 14.45 inches 23.82 inches 20.20 inches 9.9 lbs (513 mm) (367 mm) (605 mm) (4.5 kg)
Dimensions: mounted on printer.
Bin and Stacker capacity:
Single sheet: Up to 150 sheets of 22 lb 2 (82g/m ) paper Up to 185 sheets of 17 lb 2 (64g/m ) paper (total thickness should be up to 0.59 inch or 15 mm) Envelopes:* Up to 25 (plain and bond type) Up to 30 (air mail) *For double-bin cut sheet feeder, envelopes can only be used in bin 1.
Reliability (total cycle of bin 1 and bin 2) MCBF: Paper:
Single sheets bin 1 and bin 2 Paper width #7339 #7346 #7340 #7348 Paper length 8.27 to 12.00 inches Paper thickness Paper weight 0.0028 to 0.0039 inch (0.07 to 0.10 mm) 17 to 22 lb paper (64 to 82 g/m2) 3.62 to 4.09 inches 0.0063 to 0.0205 inch (0.16 to 0.52 mm) 12 to 24 lb paper (45 to 91 g/m2) 7.17 to 8.50 inches (182 to 216 mm) 7.17 to 14.33 inches (182 to 364 mm) Envelopes bin 1 6.50 to 9.49 inches 166 to 241 mm) 6.50 to 9.49 inches (166 to 241 mm)

100,000 cycles

Paper storage condition: Environmental Temperature: Humidity (without condensation):
Temperature: 64F to 72F (18C to 22C) Humidity: 40% to 60% Operation: 41F to 95F (5C to 35C) -22F to 158F (-30C to 70C) Storage: Operation: 15% to 80% 5% to 90% Storage:
Notes: l 24 lb paper printing is only available at normal operating conditions. l Envelope printing is only available at normal operating conditions.

Initialization

There are three ways that the printer can be initialized (returned to a fixed set of conditions). Hardware initialization
The power is turned on. The printer receives an INIT signal at the parallel interface (pin 31 goes LOW). The software sends the ESC @ (initialize the printer) command.

Comments: Advances the paper to the next vertical tab position in the channel selected by ESC /. If no channel has been selected, channel 0 is used. If no vertical tabs have been set, the paper advances one line. ESC B Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Set Vertical Tabs ESC 27 B nl nl n1 n2 n2 n2. 00
Comments: Sets up to 16 vertical tabs in the current line spacing. Tab settings are not affected by subsequent changes in line spacing. The tab settings are entered as nl, n2, etc.-all from 1 to 225, in ascending order. The 0 value (null) indicates the end of the command. All settings are stored in channel 0 (see ESC b). ESC B 0 clears the tab settings. Command Summary
ESC b Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal :
Set Vertical Tabs in Channels ESC 27 1B b 98 c c nl nl n1 n2 n2.. 0 0
Comments: Functions the same as ESC B, except that the variable c selects a channel for the vertical tabs, which must be from 0 to 7. Therefore, up to eight sets of vertical tabs can be set. The channels are selected by ESC /. To clear the tabs in channel c, use ESC b c 0. ESC / Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Select Vertical Tab Channel ESC 27 1B / 47 2F c c c
Comments: This command is used to select the vertical tab channel, with the value of c from 0 to 7. All subsequent VT commands use the channel selected by this command. If no channel has been selected, channel 0 is used.
Horizontal Motion Margins ESC I Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Set Left Margin ESC 27 1B 6C n n n
Comments: Sets the left margin to n columns in the current character size. Settings made in the proportional mode are treated as 10 cpi. This command clears previous tab settings and all previous characters in the print line. Use lowercase 1 (as in left), not the numeral one. The minimum space between the margins is the width of one double-wide 10 cpi character. ESC Q Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Set Right Margin ESC 27 1B Q n n n
Comments: Sets the right margin to n columns in the current character size. Settings made in the proportional mode are treated as 10 cpi. This command clears previous tab settings and all previous characters in the print line. The minimum space between the margins is the width of one double-wide 10 cpi character.
BS Format: ASCII code: BS Decimal: 8 Hexadecimal: 08

Backspace

Comments: Prints out data in the print buffer, then moves the print position one space to the left. Backspacing is possible up to, but not beyond, the left margin setting. The BS code is ignored if ESC a2 or ESC a3 has been sent. ESC $ Format: ASCII code: Decimal: Hexadecimal: Set Absolute Print Position ESC $ 1B 24 nl nl nl n2 n2 n2
Comments: This sequence specifies the distance from the current left margin that subsequent characters are to be printed, using this formula: total number of dots = nl + (n2 x 256). Each unit equals 1/60th of an inch. The sequence is ignored and the previous setting remains effective if the position specified is beyond the right margin.

input buffer The memory in the printer in which data sent from the computer is stored while waiting to be printed. interface The means of connection between the computer and printer. See also parallel interface and serial interface. italic A typestyle in which the characters slant. This sentence is italicized. Also, a character table that contains italicized characters and symbols. Letter Quality One of two print qualities available on your printer. Letter Quality provides better readability and appearance at a reduced print speed. See also draft mode and SuperDraf. line feed Both a control code and a panel button that advances the paper one line space. loading position The position to which the paper is automatically loaded. It can be adjusted by using the micro-adjustment feature. memory The printer, like a computer, has a memory. When you print a file from a computer, the contents of the file are transferred quickly from the computers memory to the printers memory. The printer then prints information from its own memory at a much slower rate. This way of printing frees the computer to do other work while the printer is still working. The printer memory is sometimes called the buffer memory or input buffer. micro-adjustment A feature that adjusts the paper loading and short tear-off positions by the smallest possible increments.

Glossary 5

number systems Three number systems are commonly used with printers: binary is base 2 and uses only the digits 0 and 1. All information in computer systems is handled in binary form represented by electrical signals that are on or off. A binary digit is often called a bit; any decimal number between 0 and 255 can be expressed by an eight-bit binary number. decimal is base 10 and uses the digits 0, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9. (This is the most familiar system.) hexadecimal (hex) is base 16 and uses the digits 0, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, 8,9, A, B, C, D, E, and F. This is frequently used by programmers. Any decimal number between 0 and 255 can be expressed by a two-digit hex number. on line When the printer is on line, it is able to communicate with the computer connected to it. paper bail The part of the printer that holds the paper against the platen. paper-out sensor A small switch behind the platen that sends a signal when it is not in contact with paper, informing the printer and remote computer that there is no paper loaded, and causing the PAPER OUT light to go on. paper tension unit The part of the printer that fits above the platen to assure proper paper tension in the printing area. parallel interface An interface that connects the computer and the printer. A parallel interface transmits data one character or code at a time. See also serial interface.