Epson LQ-300 - Impact Printer User manual

24-pin dot matrix printer
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of SEIKO EPSON
CORPORATION.Theinformationcontainedhereinis designedonlyfor use withthisEPSON
printer. EPSON is not responsible for any use of this information as applied to other printers.
Neither SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION nor its affiliates shall be liable to the purchaser of
this product or third parties for damages, losses, costs, or expenses incurred by the purchaser
or third parties as a result of: accident, misuse, or abuse of this product or unauthorized
modifications, repairs, or alterations to this product, or (excluding the U.S.) failure to strictly
comply with SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION’s operating and maintenance instructions.
SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION shall not be liablefor any damages or problems arising from
the use of any options or any consumable products other than those designated as Original
EPSON Products or EPSON Approved Products by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.
EPSON and EPSON ESC/P are registered trademarks and EPSON ESC/P2 is a trademark
of SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION.
Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
General Notice: Other product names used herein are for identification purposes only and may be
trademarks of their respective owners. EPSON disclaims any and all rights in those marks.
Copyright © 2001 by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, Nagano, Japan.
®
User’s Guide

3
Getting to Know Your Printer
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Important Safety Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Hot Parts Caution Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
ENERGY STAR®Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
For United Kingdom Users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Use of options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Safety information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Using the Printer
Using the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Control Panel Buttons and Lights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Selecting a built-in font. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
About Your Printer’s Default Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Changing default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Printing on Continuous Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Printing with the push tractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Removing a printed document from the push tractor . . . . . . 29
Switching back to single sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Printing with the pull tractor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Adjusting the top-of-form position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Advancing the paper to the tear-off edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Printing on Single Sheets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Loading single sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Printing on Special Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Adjusting the paper-thickness lever. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Multipart forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Installing and Using Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Cut-sheet feeder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Pull tractor unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Roll paper holder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Color upgrade kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Print server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Genuine EPSON ribbon cartridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Replacing the ribbon cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

4
Using the Printer Software
Using the Printer Driver with Windows Me, 98, and 95 . . . . . . . . .66
Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications . . .66
Accessing the printer driver from the Start menu. . . . . . . . . .68
Changing the printer driver settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Using the Printer Driver with Windows 3.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications . . .69
Accessing the printer driver from the Control Panel . . . . . . .70
Changing the printer driver settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Using the Printer Driver with Windows 2000 and NT 4.0 . . . . . . .71
Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications . . .72
Accessing the printer driver from the Start menu. . . . . . . . . .74
Changing the printer driver settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Using the Printer Driver with Windows NT 3.5x. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Accessing the printer driver from Windows applications . . .76
Accessing the printer driver from the Control Panel . . . . . . .78
Changing the printer driver settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Printer Driver Settings Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
About the EPSON Status Monitor 3 Utility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Setting up EPSON Status Monitor 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Accessing EPSON Status Monitor 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Using the EPSON Remote! Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Installing EPSON Remote! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Accessing EPSON Remote!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Troubleshooting
Using the Error Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Paper Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Printing a Self Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Appendix
Cleaning the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Transporting the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

5
Printer Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Printer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Electronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Electrical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Printable area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Paper alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Standards and approvals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Command Lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
EPSON ESC/P2 control codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
IBM 2390 Plus emulation control codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Contacting Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
For users in North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
For users in the United Kingdom and
the Republic of Ireland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
For users in the Middle East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
For users in Scandinavia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
For users in South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
For users in Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
For users in Singapore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
For users in Thailand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
For users in Indonesia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
For users in Hong Kong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
For users in Malaysia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
For users in India. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
For users in the Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

6

Getting to Know Your Printer 7
Getting to Know Your Printer
Your EPSON®LQ-300+ 24-pin dot matrix printer provides
high-quality printing and superior performance in a compact
design. Its features include:
❏A variety of paper paths to suit your printing needs.
❏The ability to handle a wide range of paper types, including
continuous paper, multipart forms (with one original and up
to three copies), labels, single sheets, and envelopes.
❏High-speed printing of up to 300 cps (characters per second)
at 10 cpi (characters per inch).
Your printer comes packaged with the printer driver and other
software, including the EPSON Status Monitor 3 utility for
Microsoft®Windows®Me, 98, 95, 2000, XP or NT 4.0. The EPSON
Status Monitor 3 utility lets you check the status of your printer
quickly and easily.
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
This guide uses the following conventions:
wWarnings must be followed to avoid bodily injury.
cCautions must be observed to avoid damage to your equipment.
Notes contain important information and useful tips on the operation
of your printer.

8Getting to Know Your Printer
Important Safety Instructions
Read all of these safety instructions before using the printer. In
addition, follow all warnings and instructions marked on the
printer itself.
❏Do not place the printer on an unstable surface or near a
radiator or heat source.
❏Place the printer on a flat surface. The printer will not operate
properly if it is tilted or placed at an angle.
❏Do not block or cover the slots and openings in the printer’s
cabinet, and do not insert objects through the slots.
❏Use only the type of power source indicated on the printer’s
label.
❏Connect all equipment to properly grounded power outlets.
Avoid using outlets on the same circuit as photocopiers or air
control systems that regularly switch on and off.
❏Do not use a damaged or frayed power cord.
❏If you use an extension cord with the printer, make sure the
total ampere rating of all devices plugged into the extension
cord does not exceed the cord’s ampere rating. Also, make
sure that the total ampere of all devices plugged into the wall
outlet does not exceed the wall outlet’s ampere rating.
❏Unplug the printer before cleaning it, and always clean it with
a piece of damp cloth only.
❏Do not spill liquid onto the printer.
❏Except as specifically explained in this guide, do not attempt
to service the printer yourself.

Getting to Know Your Printer 9
❏Unplug the printer and refer servicing to qualified personnel
under the following conditions:
❏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 10- or 16-amp circuit
breaker.
Note for German-speaking users:
Bei Anschluss des Druckers an die Stromversorgung muss
sichergestellt werden, dass die Gebäudeinstallation mit einer
10 A- oder 16 A-Sicherung abgesichert ist.
Hot Parts Caution Symbol
i. If the power cord or plug is damaged.
ii. If liquid has entered the printer.
iii.If the printer has been dropped or the cabinet damaged.
iv. If the printer does not operate normally or exhibits a
distinct change in performance.
KThis symbol is placed on the print head to indicate that
the print head may be hot. Never touch the print head
just after the printer has been used. Let the print head
cool for a few minutes before touching it.

10 Getting to Know Your Printer
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,copiers,and scannersinaneffort toreduceairpollution
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.

Getting to Know Your Printer 11
Safety information
wWarning:
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 to the following code:
Green and yellow — Earth
Blue — Neutral
Brown — Live
If you have to fit a plug:
As the colours of the mains lead of this appliance may not match
coloured markings used to identify 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 Eor 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.

12 Getting to Know Your Printer

Using the Printer 13
Chapter 1
Using the Printer
Using the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Control Panel Buttons and Lights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Selecting a built-in font. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
About Your Printer’s Default Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Changing default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Using the Control Panel
You can control simple printer operations—such as line feeding,
form feeding, loading and ejecting paper, and selecting fonts—
with the buttons on the control panel. The control panel lights
show the printer’s status. For information on the buttons and the
lights on the control panel, see “Control Panel Buttons and
Lights” on page 14 inside the front cover.

14 Using the Printer
Control Panel Buttons and Lights
Tear Off (Font) button*
Advances continuous paper to the
tear-off position.
Feeds continuous paper backward from
the tear-off position to the top-of-form
position.
*Font select
In the Micro Adjust mode, you can select the font to use for printing
by pressing the Tear Off button. The Tear Off lights turn on, off or
flash to indicate the selected font.
**Micro Adjust mode
When you hold down the Pause button for three seconds, the printer
enters the micro adjust mode. In this mode, you can press the
LF/FFDand Load/EjectUbuttons to adjust the top-of-form or
tear-off position. See “Using the Printer” on page 13
Pause button
Stops printing temporarily,
and resumes printing when
pressed again. When
pressed for three seconds,
turns on the Micro Adjust
mode**. To turn off, press
again.
Pause light
On when the printer is
paused.
Flashes when the printer is
in the Micro Adjust
mode**.
Flashes when the print head
has overheated.
Paper Out light
On when no paper is
loaded in the selected
paper source or when
paper is not loaded
correctly.
Flashes when paper has
not been fully ejected or
a paper jam has occurred.
LF/FF button**
Feeds paper line by line
when pressed and
released.
Ejects a single sheet or
advances continuous
paper to the next
top-of-form position
when held down.
Load/Eject button**
Loads a single sheet of paper.
Ejects a single sheet of paper
if a sheet is loaded.
Loads continuous paper
from the standby position.
Feeds continuous paper
backwards to the standby
position.
Tear Off (Font) lights*
Flash when continuous paper is in the
tear-off position; otherwise, the lights
indicate the selected font.

Using the Printer 15
Selecting a built-in font
Follow these steps to select a built-in font using the buttons on the
printer’s control panel:
1. Make sure that the printer is not printing. If it is, wait until
printing is complete.
2. Hold down the Pause button for three seconds to enter the
Micro Adjust mode. The Pause light begins to flash. The three
Tear Off (Font) lights show the current font selection.
3. Press the Tear Off (Font) button repeatedly to cycle through all
of the available selections; then stop when you reach the
desired font with a pattern shown on the control panel. Your
selection stays in effect until you change it again.
Note:
❏Settings you make in your application programs usually
override settings you make from the printer’s control panel. For
best results, use your application to select a font and pitch.
❏The Tear Off (Font) button cannot directly select OCR-B,
Orator, Orator-S, Script-C, Roman-T, or Sans Serif H. To
select one of these fonts, you must first use the Default Setting
mode to register it as the “other” font and then select Others
using the Tear Off (Font) button.
❏Barcode fonts cannot be selected via the control panel.

16 Using the Printer
About Your Printer’s Default Settings
The default settings control many printer functions. While you
can often set these functions through your software or printer
driver, you may sometimes need to change a default setting from
the printer’s control panel using the Default Setting mode.
The following table lists the default settings and the options you
can select in the Default Setting mode. The settings are explained
in detail after the table. For instructions on changing the default
settings, see “Changing default settings” on page 23.

Using the Printer 17
Settings Options
Page length for tractor* Length in inches: 3, 3.5, 4, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 8.5, 11, 70/6,
12, 14, 17
Skip over perforation On, Off
Auto tear off On, Off
Auto line feed On, Off
Print direction Bi-D, Uni-D
Software ESC/P2, IBM 2390 Plus
0 slash 0,
High speed draft On, Off
I/F mode Auto, Parallel, Serial
Auto I/F wait time 10 seconds, 30 seconds
Baud rate 19200, 9600, 4800, 2400, 1200, 600, 300 BPS
Parity None, Odd, Even, Ignore
Data length 8 bit, 7 bit
Parallel I/F bidirectional mode On, Off
Packet mode Auto, Off
Character table* Standard model:
Italic, PC 437, PC 850, PC 860, PC 863, PC 865,
PC 861, BRASCII, Abicomp, Roman 8,
ISO Latin 1, PC 858, ISO 8859-15
All other models:
Italic, PC 437, PC 850, PC 437 Greek, PC 853,
PC 855, PC 852, PC 857, PC 864, PC 866, PC 869,
MAZOWIA, Code MJK, ISO 8859-7,
ISO Latin 1T, Bulgaria, PC 774, Estonia,
ISO 8859-2, PC 866 LAT, PC 866 UKR,
PC APTEC, PC 708, PC 720, PC AR864, PC 860,
PC 863, PC 865, PC 861, BRASCII, Abicomp,
Roman 8, ISO Latin 1, PC 858, ISO 8859-15,
PC 771
0

18 Using the Printer
* The options available vary depending on the country of purchase.
** These settings take effect only when IBM 2390 Plus emulation is selected.
Page length for tractor
This setting allows you to set the page length (in inches) for
continuous paper.
Skip over perforation
This feature is available only when continuous paper is selected.
When you select On, the printer provides a one-inch (25.4 mm)
margin between the last line printed on one page and the first line
printed on the next page. Because the program margin settings in
most applications override marginsettings made from the control
panel, you should use this setting only if you cannot set your top
and bottom margins using your application.
International character set for
Italic table
Italic U.S.A., Italic France, Italic Germany,
Italic U.K., Italic Denmark1, Italic Sweden,
Italic Italy, Italic Spain1
Pitch 10 cpi, 12 cpi, 15 cpi, 17 cpi, 20 cpi, Proportional
Font OCR-B, Orator, Orator-S, Script C,
Roman T (PS), Sans Serif H (PS)
Auto CR (IBM 2390 Plus)** On, Off
A.G.M. (IBM 2390 Plus)** On, Off
Manual feed wait time 1 second, 1.5 seconds,
2 seconds, 3 seconds, Others
Buzzer On, Off
Roll paper On, Off
Settings Options

Using the Printer 19
Auto tear off
When auto tear off is on and you are using continuous paper with
the push tractor, the printer automatically advances the paper
perforation to the tear-off position, where you can easily tear off
the printed pages. When the printer receives the next print job, it
automatically moves the unused paper back to the top-of-form
position and starts printing, so you can use all of the next page.
When auto tear off is off, you need to move the perforation to the
tear-off position by pressing the control panel button. See “Using
the Tear Off button” on page 39 for more information.
Auto line feed
When auto line feed is on, the printer accompanies each carriage
return (CR) code received with a line feed code, and the print
position moves to the next line. If the printer adds an extra line
after every carriage return, select Off.
Print direction
You can select auto print direction (Auto) bidirectional printing
(Bi-D) or unidirectional printing (Uni-D). Printing is normally
bidirectional for faster printing; however, unidirectional printing
allows for precise vertical printing alignment, which is useful for
printing graphics.
When set to Auto, the printer analyzes the data and uses
unidirectional printing only for lines which require vertical
printing alignment.
Software
When you select ESC/P2, the printer operates in the EPSON
ESC/P mode. When you select IBM 2390 Plus, the printer
emulates an IBM printer.

20 Using the Printer
0 slash
The zero character has a slash ( ) when this feature is turned on.
It has no slash (0) when this feature is turned off. The slash allows
you to easily distinguish between the uppercase letter Oand a
zero.
High speed draft
When you choose On, the printer prints up to 413 cps (characters
per second) at 10 cpi (characters per inch). When you choose Off,
the printer prints up to 310 cps at 10 cpi.
I/F (interface) mode
The printer comes with a built-in parallel interface and serial
interface.
If your printer is connected to only one computer, select Parallel
or Serial for the interface mode, depending on the interface you
use. If your printer is connected to two computers, select Auto
(automatic) to allow the printer to automatically switch between
interfaces depending on which one is receiving data.
Auto I/F (interface) wait time
This setting takes effect only when “I/F (interface) mode” on page
20 is set to Auto. This setting determines how long the printer
waits when it no longer receives data from an interface before it
checks whether a print job is being sent through the other
interface. You can specify 10 seconds or 30 seconds for the auto
interface wait time.
Baud rate
Use this option to set the data transfer rate (baud) for the serial
interface. The baud rate is measured in bits per second (bps). See
your computer manual and software documentation for the
proper setting.
0