Epson LX-300+ User manual

EPSON LX-300+
5/00 EPSON LX-300+ - 1
User Replaceable Parts
Options
Single-bin Cut-sheet Feeder (C806371)
Feeds up to 50 sheets of ordinary single-sheet paper.
Additional Tractor Unit (C800301)
Used in combination with the other tractor, improves
continuous paper handling and reduces the chance of paper
jams. This is especially useful for printing on continuous
multipart forms.
Roll Paper Holder (#8310)
Allows you to use your printer with 8.5-inch roll paper.
Printer Specifications
Mechanical
User replaceable part Reference number Part number
Knob 106 1051718
Logo plate 120 1056595
Paper supports 180 1054395
Paper eject assembly 570 1050616
Printer cover assembly 105 1050626
Sheet guide assembly 109 1054395
paper guide
paper supports
printer
cover
control panel paper release lever
edge guides
knob
tractor
ribbon cartridge
serial
interface
parallel interface
paper tension unit
paper
thickness
lever (gap)
power switch
Printing method 9-pin impact dot matrix
Emulation EPSON ESC/P®and IBM®2380 Plus
Printing speed High-speed draft
300 cps at 10 cpi
337 cps at 12 or 15 cpi
High-speed draft condensed
321 cps at 17 cpi
300 cps at 20 cpi
Draft
225 cps at 10 cpi
270 cps at 12 cpi
225 cps at 15 cpi
Draft condensed
191 cps at 17 cpi
225 cps at 20 cpi
NLQ
56 cps at 10 cpi
67 cps at 12 cpi
56 cps at 15 cpi
47 cps at 17 cpi
56 cps at 20 cpi
Printing direction Bidirectional logic seeking for text and
graphics printing. Unidirectional text
or graphics printing can be selected
using software commands.

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Electrical
Environmental
Line spacing 1/6 inch or programmable in
1/216-inch increments
Printable columns 80 columns (at 10 cpi)
Resolution (maximum) 240 × 144 dpi (NLQ)
Interfaces 1 standard bidirectional, 8-bit parallel
interface with IEEE-1284 nibble mode
support, and 1 EIA-232D serial
interface
Paper feed methods Friction (top paper entry)
Push tractor (rear paper entry)
Pull tractor (bottom or rear paper
entry)
Push and pull tractor (optional)
Cut-sheet feeder (optional)
Roll paper holder (optional)
Paper feed speed Continuous
3 inches/second
Intermittent
88 ms/line at 1/6-inch line spacing
Buffer 8KB
Built-in fonts Bitmap fonts
EPSON Draft 10, 12, 15 cpi
EPSON Roman 10, 12, 15 cpi,
proportional
EPSON Sans Serif 10, 12, 15 cpi,
proportional
Bar code fonts
EAN-13, EAN-8, Interleaved 2 of 5,
UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 39,
Code 128, POSTNET
Character tables 1 Italic table and 12 graphical character
tables (35 graphical character tables are
available in some countries)
Character sets 13 international character sets and
1 legal character set
Color printing
(optional)
Printing method: ribbon shifting
Colors: black, magenta, cyan, yellow
Reliability Total print volume
12 million lines (except print head)
MTBF 6,000 POH (25% duty)
Print head life
approximately 400 million strokes
per wire (black); 100 million strokes
per wire (color)
Dimensions
and weight
Height 6.3 inches (160 mm)
Width 14.4 inches (366 mm)
Depth 10.8 inches (275 mm)
Weight 9.8 lb (4.4 kg)
Ribbon Black ribbon cartridge (#8750)
Color ribbon cartridge (#S015073)
Black ribbon life: 3 million characters
(Draft: 10 cpi, 14 dots/character)
Film ribbon life (draft, 10 cpi, 14 dots/
character):
Black: 1 million characters
Cyan: 0.7 million characters
Magenta: 0.7 million characters
Yellow: 0.5 million characters
120 V 220 to 240 V
Input voltage range 99 to 132 V 198 to 264 V
Rated frequency range 50 to 60 Hz
Input frequency range 49.5 to 60.5 Hz
Rated current 0.6 A (maximum
1.4 A depending on
the character type)
0.3 A (maximum
0.7 A depending on
the character type)
Power consumption Approx. 23 W (ISO/IEC 10561 letter pattern)
Temperature Humidity
(without condensation)
Operation 41 to 95 °F (5 to 35 °C) 10 to 80% RH
Storage –22 to 140 °F (–30 to 60 °C) 0 to 85% RH

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Paper
Use recycled paper, envelopes, and single-sheet multipart forms
only under normal temperature and humidity conditions, as
follows:
Temperature: 59 to 77 °F (15 to 25 °C)
Humidity: 30 to 60% RH
Do not load paper that has been folded or is damaged,
wrinkled, or curled.
Ordinary single sheets:
paper guide and cut-sheet feeder entry
Width Paper guide
3.9 to 10.1 inches (100 to 257)
Cut-sheet feeder
7.2 to 8.5 inches (182 to 216 mm)
Length Paper guide
3.9 to 10.1 inches (100 to 257 mm)
Cut-sheet feeder
10.1 to 14 inches (257 to 356 mm)
Thickness 0.0028 to 0.0047 inch (0.07 to 0.12 mm)
Cut sheet feeder: 0.0028 to 0.0055 inch (0.07 to
0.14 mm)
Weight 14 to 24 lb (52 to 90 g/m2)
Cut sheet feeder: 18 to 24 lb (64 to 90 g/m2)
Single-sheet multipart forms
Width 3.9 to 10.1 inches (100 to 257 mm)
Length 3.9 to 14.3 inches (100 to 364 mm)
Copies 1 original +up to 4 copies
Thickness 0.0047 to 0.015 inch (0.12 to 0.39 mm)
Weight 12 to 15 lb (40 to 58 g/m2)
Binding Line glue at the top of form
Envelopes
Size No. 6: 6.5 × 3.6 inches (165 ×92 mm)
No. 10: 9.5 ×4.1 inches (241 ×105 mm)
Thickness 0.0063 to 0.0205 inch (0.16 to 0.52 mm)
Weight 12 to 24 lb (45 to 90 g/m2)
Continuous paper (standard and multipart):
rear and bottom entry
Width 4 to 10 inches (101.6 to 254 mm)
Length 4 to 22 inches (101.6 to 558.8 mm)
Copies 1 original +up to 4 copies
Thickness Printable area
0.0025 to 0.015 inch (0.065 to 0.39 mm)
Perforated edges
up to 0.035 inch (0.9 mm)
Weight (not multipart) 14 to 22 lb (52 to 82 g/m2)
Weight (1 multipart sheet) 12 to 15 lb (40 to 58 g/m2)
Binding Spot glued or crimp bound on both sides (bottom
or rear entry)
❏The continuous multipart forms should be securely joined
together along the left and right edges by crimping.
Crimping should be pressed in from the original sheet side
and go completely through all copy sheets.
❏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.
❏At the perforation between pages, the horizontal and
vertical perforation cuts should not cross.
❏The thickness of the perforation part when extended should
be 1 mm or less.
Continuous paper with labels:
bottom entry only
Label size (minimum) 0.938 ×2.5 inches (23.8 ×63.5 mm)
0.1 inch (2.5 mm) corner radius
Backing sheet width 4 to 10 inches (101.6 to 254 mm)
Backing sheet length 4 to 22 inches (101.6 to 558.8 mm)
Backing sheet thickness 0.0028 to 0.0035 inch
(0.07 to 0.09 mm)
Total thickness 0.0063 to 0.0075 inch
(0.16 to 0.19 mm)
Label weight 17 lb (64 g/m2)
Roll paper:
rear entry with optional roll paper holder only
Width 8.5 ±0.12 inch (216 ±3 mm)
Thickness 0.0028 to 0.0035 inch (0.07 to 0.09 mm)
Weight 14 to 22 lb (52 to 82 g/m2)

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Paper Alignment
Printing starts at “0” on the scale. The unprintable area is to the
left of the “0”.
Printable Area
Single sheets and envelopes
A The minimum top margin is 0.17 inch (4.2 mm).
B The minimum left and right margins are 0.12 inch (3 mm).
The maximum paper width is 10.1 inches (257 mm).
The maximum printable width is 8 inches (203.2 mm).
For single sheets wider than 8.23 inches (209.2 mm), the side
margins increase proportionally to match the width of the paper.
C The minimum bottom margin is 0.17 inch (4.2 mm).
Continuous paper
A The minimum top and bottom margins above and below the
perforation are 0.17 inch (4.2 mm).
B The minimum left and right margins are 0.51 inch (13 mm).
The maximum paper width is 10 inches (254 mm).
The maximum printable width is 8 inches (203.2 mm).
For continuous paper wider than 9 inches (229.2 mm), the side
margins increase proportionally to match the width of the paper.
Roll paper
A The minimum top margin is 0.17 inch (4.2 mm).
B The minimum left and right margins are 0.12 inch (3 mm).
The maximum printable width is 8 inches (203.2 mm).
B
A
C
A
C
B
printable
area printable
area
B
AA
BB
printable
area
B
A
printable
area

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Safety Approvals
120 V
Safety standards UL 1950
CSA C22.2 No. 950
EMI FCC part 15 subpart B class B
CSA C108.8 class B
230 V
Safety standards EN 60950
EMI EN 55022 (CISPR pub. 22) class B
AS/NZS 3548 class B
Acoustic noise Approx. 49 dB (A) (ISO 7779 pattern)
CE Marking
230 V
Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC EN 60950
EMC Directive 89/336/EEC EN 55022 Class B
EN 61000-3-2
EN 61000-3-3
EN 50082-1
IEC 60801-2
IEC 60801-3
IEC 60801-4
Control Panel Buttons and Lights
Tear Off lights
f f When continuous paper is in the tear-off position;
otherwise the lights indicate the selected font.
Tear Off (Font) button
❏When the tractor is installed in the push position, advances
continuous paper to the tear-off position.
❏Feeds continuous paper backward from the tear-off position
to the top-of-form position.
LF/FF button
❏Feeds paper line by line when pressed and released.
❏When held down, ejects a single sheet or advances
continuous paper to the next top-of-form position.
Load/Eject button
❏Loads or ejects a single sheet of paper.
❏When the tractor is installed in the push position, loads
continuous paper from the standby position or feeds
continuous paper backward to the standby position.
Paper Out light
❏On when no paper is loaded in the selected paper source or
paper is not loaded correctly.
❏Flashes when paper has not been fully ejected or a paper jam
has occurred.
❏In Micro Adjust mode, selects the font indicated by the
Tear Off lights.
Pause button
Stops printing temporarily, and resumes printing when pressed
again. When pressed for 3 seconds, turns on Micro Adjust
mode.
Pause light
❏On when the printer is paused.
❏Flashes when the printer is in the Micro Adjust mode or
when the print head has overheated.
Micro Adjust mode
When you hold down the Pause button for 3 seconds, the
printer enters the Micro Adjust mode. In this mode, you can
press the LF/FF D and Load/Eject Ubuttons to adjust the
top-of-form or tear-off position.

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Selecting Fonts
After entering the Micro Adjust mode by holding down the
Pause button for three seconds, you can change font settings
with the Tear Off button. The two Tear Off lights come on (n)
and go off (o) to show the current selection. Press the button
repeatedly to cycle through all of the available selections; then
stop when you reach the desired font.
Your selection stays in effect until you change it again or turn
off the printer. However, any font choices you make with your
software will cancel your control panel selection. The table
below shows how the Tear Off lights appear for each selection.
n= on o= off f = flashing
Error Indicators
You can identify many common printer problems using the
lights on the control panel. If your printer stops working and
one or more control panel lights are on or flashing, or the
printer beeps, use the following table to diagnose and fix the
problem.
Status Monitor
The EPSON Status Monitor 3 utility comes with the printer
but is available only for use with Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0.
It allows you to monitor your printer’s status, alerts you when
printer errors occur, and provides troubleshooting instructions.
Font
Tear Off
lights Sample
EPSON Draft o n
EPSON Draft
condensed
o f
EPSON Roman n o
EPSON Roman
condensed
n n
EPSON Sans Serif n f
EPSON Sans Serif
condensed
f o
State of
panel lights
Beep
pattern
Problem
Solution
nPause  The printer is paused.
Press the Pause button to resume printing.
 Paper from another paper source is currently
in the paper path.
Move the paper release lever back to the
appropriate position and press the Load/Eject
button to feed the paper out of the paper path.
Then set the lever to the position you want to
use. Press the Pause button to turn off the
Pause light, if necessary.
nPaper Out
nPause
 No paper is loaded in the selected paper
source.
Load paper in the printer. Then press the Pause
button to turn off the Pause light, if necessary.
 The paper is not loaded correctly.
Remove your paper and reload it. Then press
the Pause button to turn off the Pause light, if
necessary.
 Paper is jammed in the printer.
Clear the paper jam.
fPaper Out
nPause
 Continuous paper is not fed to the standby
position.
Tear off the printed document at the perforation;
then press the Load/Eject button. The printer
feeds the paper to the standby position. Press
the Pause button to turn off the Pause light.
 A single sheet of paper is not fully ejected.
Press the Load/Eject button to eject the sheet.
Then press the Pause button to turn off the
Pause light, if necessary.
 Paper is jammed in the printer.
Clear the paper jam.
fPause  The print head is overheated.
Wait a few minutes; the printer resumes
printing automatically once the print head cools.
fPaper Out
fPause
f f Tear Off
An unknown printer error has occurred.
Turn off the printer and leave it off for several
minutes; then turn on the printer again. If the
error recurs, contact your dealer.
n= on, f= flashing
••• = short series of beeps (three beeps)
••••• = long series of beeps (five beeps)
The printer beeps once if you press a control panel button when the
corresponding function is not available.
State of
panel lights
Beep
pattern
Problem
Solution

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Paper Positions
Top-of-Form Position
The top-of-form position is where the printer starts printing on
single sheets or continuous paper.
Tear-off Position
Continuous paper is in the tear-off position when the
perforation is aligned with the tear-off edge. You can easily tear
off your printed document at this position.
Standby Position
Continuous paper is in the standby position when it is attached
to the tractor but not loaded in the printer.
Printing on Continuous Paper
You can choose from two tractor positions (push and pull) for
printing on continuous paper:
❏If you often need to tear off sheets of continuous paper (for
printing purchase orders or sales slips, for example), it is best
to use the push tractor. This allows you to use the tear-off
edge to easily tear off printed sheets of continuous paper at
the perforation. When continuous paper is loaded on the
push tractor, you can also load single sheets from the paper
guide without removing the continuous paper from the
tractor. The tractor is installed in the push position when
the printer is shipped.
❏If you often print on thick or heavy continuous paper, such
as multipart forms or continuous paper with labels, use a
tractor in the pull position. You cannot use the tear-off
feature with the pull tractor.
If you plan to use a tractor in the pull position, you can
remove the tractor from the push position and reinstall
it in the pull position, or you can purchase an optional
tractor unit (C800301) and install it in the pull position.
Printing with the Push Tractor
When using the push tractor, it is a good idea to set the Auto
tear-off feature in the default setting mode to On. Before
loading paper, remove the printer cover and the paper guide
and place the paper-release lever in the continuous paper
position.
After you load paper, attach the paper guide to separate the
incoming paper from the printed paper. Fit its notches over the
printer’s mounting posts as shown below. Then slide the paper
guide toward the front of the printer until you feel it click.
Switching Back to Single Sheets
To switch to single sheets, press the Load/Eject button; the
printer feeds the paper backward to the standby position. Then
you are ready to load single sheets for printing.
Always tear off the printed document before you press
the Load/Eject button. Reverse feeding several pages
at a time may cause a paper jam.
The letters ABC are printed at the top-of-form position

EPSON LX-300+
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Printing with the Pull Tractor
To load continuous paper using the pull tractor, you must move
the tractor to the pull tractor position, as described in steps 1
through 4 below. If your tractor is already installed in this
position, make sure the printer is off and skip to step 7.
Use the knob on the left side of the printer only to clear
paper jams and only when the printer is off. Otherwise,
you may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-
of-form position.
When using the pull tractor, set the Auto tear-off
feature in the default setting mode to Off; otherwise
the paper may jam.
1. Turn the printer off; then remove the printer cover and the
paper guide.
2. Remove the paper tension unit by squeezing the tension
unit’s lock tabs gently and pull the tension unit away from
the printer. Pull the paper-release lever forward to the
continuous paper position.
3. Squeeze the tractor’s lock tabs gently and rotate the tractor
up and pull it away from the printer.
4. Move the tractor forward to the mounting slot at the top of
the printer and tilt it into place as shown below. When you
push the tractor onto the posts, you should feel the notches
snap into place.
5. Release the sprocket units by pulling the sprocket locks
forward.
6. Insert the paper into the paper slot as shown below and
pull it up. Position the paper using the scale on the printer
as a guide. The printer prints to the right of the position
marked 0.
0 position

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7. Slide the left sprocket unit so that its sprockets match the
position of the holes in the paper and lock the unit in place.
Then slide the right sprocket unit to match the width of
your paper, but do not lock it. Move the paper support
midway between the two sprocket units.
8. Open the sprocket covers, fit the first holes of the paper over
the sprocket pins, and then close the sprocket covers. Slide
the right sprocket unit to remove any slack in the paper and
lock it in place.
9. To separate the incoming paper from the printed paper,
attach the paper guide. Hold it horizontally and fit its
notches over the printer’s mounting posts. Then slide the
paper guide toward the back of the printer until it clicks.
10. Attach the printer cover and adjust the paper position with
the paper-feed knob. Turn the knob until the perforation
between pages is just above the print head. Then turn on
the printer.
11. Make sure the printer cover is closed, but with the paper
guide cover open.
If you want to change the position where printing begins on the
page, press LF/FF to advance the page to the next top-of-form
position, and then see “Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position”
(below) to adjust the loading position.
To eject the paper, tear off the paper entering the printer; then
press the LF/FF button to feed the paper forward.
Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position
The top-of-form position is where the printer will start printing
on the page. If your printing appears too high or low, follow the
steps below to use the Micro Adjust feature to adjust the top-of-
form position.
Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position;
this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-
of-form position.
Your top-of-form position setting remains in effect until
you change it, even if you turn off the printer.
The top margin setting made in some application
software overrides the top-of-form position setting you
make with the Micro Adjust feature. If necessary,
adjust the top-of-form position in your software.
1. Make sure the printer is turned on and paper is loaded.
2. Remove the printer cover.
3. Hold down the Pause button for about 3 seconds. The
Tear Off lights start flashing and the printer enters the
Micro Adjust mode.
4. Press the LF/FF Dbutton to move the top-of-form position
up on the page, or press the Load/Eject Ubutton to move
the top-of-form position down on the page.
The printer has a minimum and maximum top-of-
form position. If you try to adjust it beyond these
limits, the printer beeps and stops moving the
paper.
When the paper reaches the default top-of-form
position, the printer also beeps and stops moving
the paper briefly. You can use the default setting as
a reference point when adjusting the top-of-form
position.
plastic ribbon cover

EPSON LX-300+
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To adjust the top-of-form position for continuous paper
loaded on the pull tractor, see the following example:
First mark a point 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) above the paper’s
perforation; then position the paper so that the mark is even
with the top edge of the plastic ribbon cover. This gives you
a 0.33-inch (8.5-mm) margin on the next page, meaning
the printer starts printing 0.33 inch (8.5 mm) below the
perforation. If you mark a point 0.22 inch (5.5 mm) above
the perforation, you get a 0.22-inch (5.5-mm) margin on
the next page.
5. After you set the top-of-form position, press the Pause
button to exit Micro Adjust mode.
Advancing Paper to the Tear-Off Edge
When you use the push tractor, you can use the tear-off feature
to advance your continuous paper to the tear-off edge when you
finish printing. You can then easily tear off the printed
document. When you resume printing, the printer
automatically feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position,
saving the paper normally lost between documents.
You can use the tear-off feature manually by pressing the
Tear Off button, or automatically by turning on the Auto
tear-off mode.
If the perforation between pages is not aligned with the tear-off
edge, you can adjust the position of the perforation using the
Micro Adjust feature.
Never use the tear-off feature to feed continuous paper
with labels backward; they may come off their backing
sheet and jam the printer.
Using the Tear Off button
After your document prints, check that the Tear Off lights are
not flashing. Then press the Tear Off button. The printer
advances the paper to the tear-off edge.
If the Tear Off lights are flashing, the paper is in the
tear-off position. If you press the Tear Off button again,
the printer feeds your paper to the top-of-form position.
Advancing the paper to the tear-off position
automatically
To automatically advance your printed documents to the
tear-off position, turn on the Auto tear-off mode and select the
appropriate page length for continuous paper in the default
setting mode. See “Changing Default Settings” on page 13.
When Auto tear-off is on, the printer automatically advances
the paper to the tear-off position when it receives a full page of
data or a form feed command followed by no more data.
Adjusting the tear-off position
If the paper perforation is not aligned with the tear-off edge,
you can use the Micro Adjust feature to move the perforation to
the tear-off position. Follow the steps below.
Never use the knob to adjust the tear-off position;
this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the
tear-off position.
Your tear-off position setting remains in effect until you
change it, even if you turn off the printer.
1. Make sure the Tear Off lights are flashing (the paper is
at the current tear-off position). If necessary, press the
Tear Off button to advance the paper to the tear-off
position.
2. Open the paper guide cover.
3. Hold down the Pause button for 3 seconds. The Tear Off
lights flash and the printer enters the Micro Adjust mode.
4. Press the LF/FF Dbutton to feed the paper backward, or
press the Load/Eject Ubutton to feed the paper forward
until the paper perforation is aligned with the tear-off edge.
The printer has a minimum and maximum tear-off
position. If you try to adjust the tear-off position
beyond these limits, the printer beeps and stops
moving the paper.
tear-off edge