Epson Printer Interface Cartridge User manual

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or transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other-
wise, without the prior written permission of Epson America, Inc. No patent liability is as-
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been taken in the preparation of this book, Epson America, Inc. assumes no responsibility for
errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the
information contained herein.
Printout on page 45 courtesy of PalSoftware Corporation, Los Angeles, CA, drawn using
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Artpak is a trademark of PalSoftware Corporation.
HomeWriter, LX-90, and PIC are trademarks of Epson America, Inc.
IBM is a registered trademark and PCjr is a trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation.
WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro International Corporation.
Copyright © 1985 by Epson America, Inc.
Torrance, California 90505
P8592021
ii

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
1.
Installation and Operation ......................
Inserting the Printer Interface Cartridge
...........
Printing the Test Patterns
.......................
Connecting the Printer to Your PCjr
..............
Control Panel .................................
Using Your Printer
.............................
3
3
3
4
4
6
2.
SelecType ....................................
7
SelecType Operation
...........................
7
Turning SelecType On
..........................
7
Selecting typestyles
..........................
8
SelecType exercise
...........................
9
Mode combination
..........................
11
SelecType Tips
................................
12
3. Elements of Dot Matrix Printing
and Computer/Printer Communications ...........
The Print Head
...............................
Changing Pitches
..............................
NLQ Mode ...................................
ESCape and ASCII
............................
4.
LX-90 Features ................................
17
Demonstration Programs
.......................
17
How to Run BASIC Programs
...................
18
Pica Printing
..................................
19
Changing Pitches
..............................
19
Cancelling Codes
..............................
20
Resetting the Printer
...........................
20
Pitch Comparison
.............................
21
Near Letter Quality Mode
......................
21
13
13
14
15
16
. . .
III

5. Print Enhancements and
Special Characters .............................
Bold Modes ..................................
Emphasized Mode
.............................
Double-Strike
.................................
Expanded Mode.. .............................
Mode Combinations
...........................
Underline Mode
...............................
Master Select .................................
Superscript and Subscript
.......................
6. Page Formatting ...............................
29
Margins.. ....................................
29
Skip Over Perforation
.......................... 30
Line Spacing.. ................................
30
Paper Out Sensor .............................
31
Justification with NLQ
.........................
31
7. User-Defined Characters
.......................
Defining Your Own Characters
..................
Designing Process
.............................
Definition program 1
.........................
Running the program
........................
Definition program 2
.........................
Running the program
........................
Defining NLQ Characters
.......................
NLQ grid
..................................
NLQ definition program 1
....................
NLQ definition program 2
....................
8. Introduction to Dot Graphics ....................
Dot Patterns
..................................
The Print Head and Graphics
....................
Graphics Mode
...............................
Pin Labels ....................................
First Graphics Program
.........................
WIDTH Statements
............................
Multiple-Line Exercise
..........................
Density Varieties
..............................
Reassigning Code
..............................
Column Reservation Numbers
...................
Designing Your Own Graphics
...................
String variables
.............................
23
23
23
24
25
25
26
27
28
33
33
34
36
37
38
39
39
40
42
43
45
46
46
47
48
49
50
50
52
53
53
54
57
iv

Appendixes
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
LX-90 Characters ..............................
Standard Character Mode (Draft)
................
Standard Character Mode (NLQ)
................
Alternate Character Mode (Draft)
................
Alternate Character Mode (NLQ)
................
A-l
A-2
A-4
A-6
A-8
Control Codes in Numeric Order ..................B-l
Control Key Chart .............................
B-9
Control Codes by Function ......................
Near Letter Quality Mode
......................
Character Width (Pitch)
........................
Character Weight
..............................
Print Enhancement
............................
Mode and Character-Set Selection
................
Special Printer Features
.........................
Line Spacing ..................................
Forms Control ................................
Page Format ..................................
User-Defined Characters
........................
Dot Graphics
.................................
C-l
C-l
C-l
C-l
c-2
c-2
c-2
c-2
c-3
c-3
c-3
c-3
The DIP Switches .............................D-l
Troubleshooting and Advanced Features ...........
Installation of Commercial Software Programs
.....
SelecType Features and Solutions
................
Troubleshooting ...............................
Beeper Error Warnings
.........................
Graphics .....................................
Data Dump Mode .............................
IBM PC BASIC Solutions
.......................
Index.. ......................................
E-l
E-l
E-2
E-3
E-3
E-4
E-4
E-6
F-l
V

Introduction
The Epson LX-90 printer combines low price with the high quality
and advanced capabilities formerly available only on more expensive
printers.
The LX-90 User’s Manual tells you how to set up your printer. This
Printer Interface Cartridge Operation Manual gives you the specific
information you need to use the LX-90 with your PCjr computer.
This manual won’t waste your time with unnecessary information,
but it also won’t neglect anything you need to know about the LX-90
and its features.
You can read as much or as little of this manual as you wish. The
first chapter tells how to test the printer and connect it to your com-
puter. The second chapter explains SelecType, a feature that offers
you five special typefaces. The other chapters explain the main fea-
tures of the LX-90, and the appendixes give technical information on
the printer.
Note
Although all references in this manual are to the Epson
LX-90 printer, this PIC can also be used with the Epson
HomeWriter™-10.
The samples of typestyles and graphics on the next page are a pre-
view of what your LX-90 can do.
1

Expandedemphasized
Typewriter-style Near Letter Quality
Emphasized bold printing
Double-strike bold printing
Compressed narrow printing
Elite printing

Chapter 1
Installation and Operation
After you have set up your printer and loaded the paper (following
the directions in the LX-90 User’s Manual), you are ready to plug in
your Printer Interface Cartridge (PIP™) and begin printing.
Inserting the Printer Interface Cartridge
Inserting the PIC is easy. The cartridge slides into the rectangular
opening, as shown in the LX-90 manual. Be sure the printer is OFF
when you insert the PIC. Once the PIC is installed, you are ready to
test your printer.
Printing the Test Patterns
It’s time to see the LX-90 in action. You’ll start with a test pattern.
Don’t connect the printer to your computer yet-just follow these
steps:
1. Make sure that your printer has paper in it and that the power
switch (on the right side of the printer) is off.
2. Press the LF button on the control panel, and at the same time,
turn the printer on with the power switch.
The LX-90 begins printing letters, numbers, and symbols in the
draft mode. It won’t stop until you turn it off or until it gets near the
end of the paper.
To see the same test in the NLQ (Near Letter Quality) mode, turn
the printer on while pressing the FF button. Figure l-1 shows what
both test patterns look like.

Draft
/0123456789::<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY
0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[
23456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\
.3456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUUVWXYZ[\]
456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]'
NLQ
3456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]
456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]ˆ
56789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]ˆ-
6789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]ˆ-'
789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\I^-'a
89:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\l
A
-'ab
Figure I-l. Test patterns
Connecting the Printer to Your PCjr
Before connecting the LX-90, be sure that all your computer equip-
ment is turned off.
Plug the PIC cable into the socket marked S in the back of your
PCjr. Now the printer can communicate with your computer.
Control Panel
After connecting your LX-90 to your computer system, turn on the
printer and look at the control panel on the top.

Figure 1-2. Control panel
You have already used the control panel for a special purpose,
printing the test patterns. Here are the main functions of the lights and
buttons on this panel:
l The POWER light glows green when the power is on.
l The READY light glows green when the printer is ready to accept
data. Don’t worry if this light flickers somewhat during printing;
this flickering is normal.
l The PAPER OUT light glows red when the printer is out of paper or
the paper is loaded incorrectly.
l The ON LINE light glows green when the printer can receive data.
In addition to the lights, the control panel has three buttons.
l ON LINE-switches the printer between on-line and off-line status.
When the printer is on-line, the ON LINE light glows and the
printer is ready to accept data.
The other two buttons, FF and LF, work only when the printer is
off-line (when the ON LINE light is off). If the ON LINE light is on,
press the ON LINE button before you use these.
5