Oki ML5590/91 User manual

ML5590/91
user’s guide

PREFACE > 2
PREFACE
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this
document is complete, accurate, and up-to-date. The manufacturer
assumes no responsibility for the results of errors beyond its control.
The manufacturer also cannot guarantee that changes in software and
equipment made by other manufacturers and referred to in this guide
will not affect the applicability of the information in it. Mention of
software products manufactured by other companies does not
necessarily constitute endorsement by the manufacturer.
While all reasonable efforts have been made to make this document
as accurate and helpful as possible, we make no warranty of any kind,
expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the
information contained herein.
The most up-to-date drivers and manuals are available from the Oki
Europe website:
http://www.okieurope.com
Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved.
Oki and Microline are registered trademarks of Oki Electric Industry
Company, Ltd.
Hewlett-Packard, HP, and LaserJet are registered trademarks of
Hewlett-Packard Company.
Microsoft, MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.
Other product names and brand names are registered trademarks or
trademarks of their proprietors.
As an Energy Star Program Participant, the manufacturer
has determined that this product meets the Energy Star
guidelines for energy efficiency.
This product complies with the requirements of the
Council Directives 89/336/EEC (EMC) and 73/23/EEC
(LVD) as amended where applicable on the
approximation of the laws of the member states relating
to electromagnetic compatibility and low voltage.

CONTENTS > 3
CONTENTS
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Features / Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Printer Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Emulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Printer Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installing the driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Using a Compatible Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Interfaces - General. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Connecting the USB Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Using your printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Components: Rear Feed (Continuous Forms) . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Components: Top Feed (Single Sheets) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Top of Form (TOF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Forms Tear-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Setting Top of Form (TOF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Temporarily Changing the Top of Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Resetting Top of Form to the Factory Default . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Forms Tear-Off Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Potential issues with software packages . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Changing the Forms Tear-Off Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Manual Forms Tear-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Paper Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Changing Paper Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Continuous Forms to Single Sheets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Single Sheets to Continuous Forms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Printhead Gap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Print Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Character Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Printer Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Emulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Menu Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Menu Mode Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Entering and Exiting Menu Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Resetting the Menu to the Factory Defaults . . . . . . . . . 30
Printing the Menu Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

CONTENTS > 4
Printing all Menu Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Changing the Menu Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Menu Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Explanation of Menu Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Ribbon Cartridge Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Rear Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Top Feed (Single Sheets) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Clearing Paper Jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Rear Feed Jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Rear Feed, Repeating Paper Jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Single Sheet Paper Jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Cleaning the Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Parts and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Printer Control Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Epson LQ Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
IBM Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Setting up your Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Location. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Installing the Ribbon Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Ribbon Cartridge Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Power Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Computer Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Parallel (LPT), IEEE 1284 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
USB, Specification 1.1 Compliant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Loading Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Testing the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Oki contact details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

NOTES, CAUTIONS AND WARNINGS > 5
NOTES, CAUTIONS AND WARNINGS
NOTE
A note appears in this manual like this. A note provides additional
information to supplement the main text which may help you to use and
understand the product.
CAUTION!
A caution appears in this manual like this. A caution provides
additional information which, if ignored, may result in equipment
malfunction or damage.
WARNING!
A warning appears in this manual like this. A warning provides
additional information which, if ignored, may result in a risk of
personal injury.

INTRODUCTION > 6
INTRODUCTION
>Extremely reliable, durable operation: 20,000 hours Mean
Time Between Failures (MTBF) at 25% duty cycle and 35%
page density.
>Advanced paper handling, with built-in rear push tractor and
zero-tear forms capability.
>Very high print speeds:
>High Speed Draft (HSD) Mode: 420 cps
>Utility Mode: 315 to 472.5 cps
>Letter Quality (NLQ) Mode: 105 to 210 cps
>This rugged 24-pin printer can meet the needs of harsh and
demanding environments.
FEATURES / TIPS
Forms Tear-Off
The Forms Tear-Off feature allows a printed continuous forms page to
be torn off without wasting paper or adjusting the printer.
When printing stops, Forms Tear-Off automatically moves the paper to
align the perforation with the tear bar (located under the access
cover), after a time interval which you select through the menu.
Paper remains in the tear-off position until the printer receives more
data. Then, the paper moves back down for printing.
This feature has to be enabled.
Paper Park
Your printer’s Paper Park feature allows you to print a single sheet
(cut-sheet) page without removing continuous feed paper from the
printer.
For more information, see “Paper Park” in “Using your Printer”.

INTRODUCTION > 7
Top of Form (TOF)
Top of Form (TOF) sets the print start position. The factory default is 1"
from the top.
The TOF can be changed in increments of 1/144", for a single print job
or set to a new default. The overall amount of adjustment is limited to
avoid paper jams.
The first line prints at the red line of the plastic paper shield (1) on the
printhead.
For more information, see “Top of Form (TOF)” in “Using your Printer.
Turning the Platen Knob
Always turn the printer off before turning the platen knob! If you turn
the platen knob when the printer is on, the Top of Form will misalign.
NOTE
The Forms Tear-Off and the Top of Form settings interact. For more
information, see “Top of Form (TOF) and Forms Tear-Off” in “Using your
Printer”.
1

INTRODUCTION > 8
Controlling Access to the Printer
>You can control access to the printer by changing the setting
for the Operator Panel Function in the Menu from Full
Operation (the factory default) to Limited Operation.
>When Limited Operation is selected, the PRINT QUALITY and
CHARACTER PITCH keys don’t work. This prevents these
settings from being changed from the control panel when
several people are using the printer.
For more information, see “Changing the Menu Settings”in “Using your
Printer”.

PRINTER DRIVERS > 9
PRINTER DRIVERS
EMULATIONS
The factory default emulation for your printer is Epson LQ.
If you wish to change to one of the IBM emulations, see “Using your
Printer”.
PRINTER DRIVERS
The Oki driver for your printer is provided on the CD included with the
printer. You can either load the Oki driver or select one of the
compatible drivers listed below in your software application.
1. Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Select your Language.
3. When the Menu Installer window appears, click the Driver
Installation button.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions.
INSTALLING THE DRIVER
1. When the [Add Printer] window appears, click [Next].
2. Select the directory on the CD where the drivers are located.
on the Oki CD they are situated in:
X:\Drivers\WinVer\CodePage where X: is CD drive letter;
NOTE
If the CD does not AutoPlay, click Start →Run →Browse, then browse
to your CD-ROM drive, double-click Install.exe and click OK.
NOTE
Installation of the Oki USB driver is only required for Windows 98. You
may be called upon for your original Windows 98 CD. Please have this
available.

PRINTER DRIVERS > 10
WinVer is the Windows versions, and CodePage is the selected
option.
3. After files have finished copying, click [Finish].
4. Switch your printer ON.
USING A COMPATIBLE DRIVER
The drivers below are listed by decreasing compatibility with your
printer.
Use one as close to the top of the list as possible.
Epson LQ
lEpson LQ680
lEpson LQ1170/570
lEpson LQ 1050
IBM Proprinter
lIBM Proprinter X24 —
factory setting
lIBM Proprinter XL24e
lIBM Proprinter III
INTERFACES - GENERAL
Your printer is equipped with a selection of data interfaces:
Under no circumstances attempt to use both parallel and USB ports
simultaneously.
1. Parallel –For direct connection to a PC. This port requires a
bi-directional (IEEE 1289 compliant) parallel cable.
2. USB –For connection to a PC running Windows 98 or above
(not Windows 95 upgraded to Windows 98) or Macintosh.
Windows NT 4.0 does not support USB. Administrator
privileges are necessary for Windows 2000 and Windows XP
installations.
NOTE
To find out more about Code pages, see Help on the Oki CD Browser.

PRINTER DRIVERS > 11
This port requires a cable conforming to USB version 1.1 or
above. A genuine cable displays the Trident symbol on both
connectors.
Using an inferior cable can cause printing problems and
special cables are needed for longer runs than five metres.
The operation of a printer is not assured if a USB compatible
device is connected concurrently with other USB compatible
machines.
When connecting multiple printers of the same type, they
appear as *****, ***** (2), ***** (3), etc. These numbers
depend on the order of connecting or turning on each printer.
CONNECTING THE USB CABLE
Due to the number of possible variants of operating systems it is not
possible to describe every combination.
Terminology may vary between Windows operating systems and some
knowledge is assumed. If you are unsure how to proceed, you should
consult your computer documentation or system manager for details.
This example uses Windows 2000 Professional.
1. Ensure the printer and computer are easily accessible and turn
both units off. This is not strictly necessary but may prevent
any problems being caused by the accidental dislodging of
power or other cables.
2. Plug the Series A Male connector (a) into
the computer’s USB port or into a
suitable USB hub.
3. Plug the Series B male connector (b) into
the printer’s USB port.
4. Switch on both the computer and printer.
a
b

PRINTER DRIVERS > 12
5. The printer will be identified
immediately by the New Hardware
Wizard and install itself in the Printer
folder. An additional item, USB Printing
Support will also appear in the Device
Manager each time the printer is
switched ON and connected.
6. Check that the default paper size has
been correctly set by looking at the
settings in the Settings > Printers folder.
Under the printer's Properties > General
tab, the current paper selection is
shown. The printer picks up its initial
setting from the Locale settings on the
host computer. The paper size can be
altered by using the drop down arrow
and selecting an alternative size.
7. If the printer had formerly been used as a parallel or serial
device and there is no output from the printer once a USB
cable has been connected, check to see that the correct port
has been selected. This information can also be found in the
Properties folder but under the Ports tab. Amend as necessary.
8. If there are printing problems, check to see whether there is a
USB connection active in the Control Panel. If there is no USB
connection shown, you must install the hub.
9. Alternatively, there may be a problem if the printer is
connected via a USB hub. Disconnect the printer cable from
the hub and connect it directly to the computer.

USING YOUR PRINTER > 13
USING YOUR PRINTER
COMPONENTS: REAR FEED (CONTINUOUS FORMS)
The serial number of your printer is on a label fixed to the back of the
printer.
COMPONENTS: TOP FEED (SINGLE SHEETS)
1. Sheet Guide 5. Control Panel
2. Paper Lever 6. Acoustic Cover
3. ON-OFF Switch 7. Access Cover
4. Platen Knob
1. Paper Guides 5. Platen Knob
2. Sheet Guide 6. Control Panel
3. Paper Lever 7. Acoustic Cover
4. ON-OFF Switch
NOTE
For single sheet printing, the paper lever must be in the middle position.
1
2
3
4
5
67
12
3
4
5
6
7

USING YOUR PRINTER > 14
TOP OF FORM (TOF)
Top of Form (TOF) sets the print start position. The factory default is 1"
from the top.
The TOF can be changed in increments of 1/180", for either a single
print job, or all print jobs. The overall amount of adjustment is limited
to avoid paper jams.
The first line prints at the red line of the plastic paper shield (1) on the
printhead.
CAUTION!
If you turn the platen knob when the printer is not at Top of Form, the
TOF will misalign. Always feed the paper to TOF before turning the
platen knob!
NOTE
> Your software may print the first line of print above or below where
TOF is set. You may need to adjust the TOF to meet your software’s
requirements.
> The Top of Form and Forms Tear-Off settings of your printer interact.
How you set the Top of Form depends on whether Forms Tear-Off is
ON (set to 500 ms, 1 sec, or 2 sec) or OFF (the factory default
setting).
1

USING YOUR PRINTER > 15
FORMS TEAR-OFF
There are two ways to determine the status of the Forms Tear-Off
menu setting:
lPrint the Menu.
lUse the TEAR key.
To print the Menu:
1. Make sure paper is loaded.
2. Hold SHIFT (2), then press SEL (1) to enter the Menu Mode.
3. Press PARK (4) to print the menu.
4. Look for the Form Tear-Off setting in the paper feed group you
are using (Rear Feed, Bottom Feed or Top Feed—Forms Tear–
Off appears in the Top Feed group only if the optional Roll
Paper Stand is installed).
To use the TEAR key:
1. Make sure paper is loaded, and wait 2 seconds.
2. Press TEAR (3).
lIf the paper moves up, Forms Tear-Off is OFF.
lIf the paper moves down, Forms Tear-Off is ON.
1234

USING YOUR PRINTER > 16
SETTING TOP OF FORM (TOF)
The first line prints at the red line (1) of the plastic paper shield on the
printhead.
Forms Tear-Off set to OFF - default
With paper loaded and the printer ON and selected:
1. Press PARK (6) to park the paper.
The SEL light goes off and the red alarm light comes on.
2. Press FF | LOAD (4) to load the paper.
3. If the printer is ON line, press SEL |MENU (1) to take the
printer OFF line.
The SEL light goes out.
4. Press and hold SHIFT (2), then:
lPress LF | Micro Feed Down (3) to set the TOF higher (the
paper moves down).
lPress FF/LOAD | Micro Feed Up (4) to set the TOF lower
(the paper moves up).
(When you begin pressing the Micro Feed key, the printhead will move
to the right).
5. Press SEL | MENU (1) to place the printer back on line.
To reset the Top of Form to the factory default, see “Resetting Top of
Form to the Factory Default”later in this chapter.
CAUTION!
If you turn the platen knob when the printer is not at Top of Form, the
TOF will misalign. Always feed the paper to TOF before turning the
platen knob!
1234675

USING YOUR PRINTER > 17
Forms Tear-Off set to ON
With paper loaded and the printer ON and selected:
1. Press PARK (6) to park the paper.
The SEL light goes off and the red alarm light comes on.
2. Press FF | LOAD (4) to load the paper.
3. Wait briefly until the paper moves up to the tear position, then
press and hold TEAR (5).
The paper moves to the current TOF and the SEL light is
illuminated.
4. If the printer is ON line, press SEL |MENU (1) to take the
printer OFF line.
The SEL light goes out.
5. Press and Hold SHIFT, then:
lPress LF | Micro Feed Down (3) to set the TOF higher (the
paper moves down).
lPress FF/LOAD | Micro Feed Up (4) to set the TOF lower
(the paper moves up).
(When you begin pressing the Micro Feed key, the printhead will move
to the right).
6. Press SEL | MENU (1) to save the setting and place the printer
back on line.
To reset the Top of Form to the factory default, see the next page.
1234675

USING YOUR PRINTER > 18
TEMPORARILY CHANGING THE TOP OF FORM
To move the Top of Form position lower for one page only:
1. Press SEL to deselect the printer.
2. Press LF to lower the position of the Top of Form.
RESETTING TOP OF FORM TO THE FACTORY DEFAULT
The factory default setting for the Top of Form (where the printing
should begin) is 1" down from the top of the page.
To reset the Top of Form to the factory default:
1. Remove paper from the paper path.
2. Turn the printer off.
3. Press and hold PARK + QUIET | TOF while turning on the
printer.
4. Reload paper.
FORMS TEAR-OFF FEATURE
This feature is normally turned off. To use Forms Tear-Off, you must
enter the menu and change the setting to the desired time interval
(see “Changing the Forms Tear-Off Settings”).
The Forms Tear-Off feature allows a printed continuous forms page to
be torn off without wasting paper or adjusting the printer. It can be
used for rear feed continuous forms, bottom feed continuous forms
(with the optional push tractor installed), or for top feed roll paper
(with optional roll paper stand installed).
When the printer is turned on, the paper feeds to the tear-off position.
CAUTION!
If you turn the platen knob when the printer is not at Top of Form, the
TOF will misalign. Always feed the paper to TOF before turning the
platen knob.

USING YOUR PRINTER > 19
When data is received, the paper automatically moves down to the
print position (TOF) and printing begins.
When printing stops, Forms Tear-Off automatically moves the paper to
align the perforation with the tear bar (located under the access
cover), after the time interval which you selected through the menu.
Paper remains in the tear-off position until the printer receives more
data. Then, the paper moves back down for printing.
POTENTIAL ISSUES WITH SOFTWARE PACKAGES
If Forms Tear-Off is set to ON and the software package you are using
“pauses”for a long enough interval while sending data to the printer,
Forms Tear-Off may be activated. No data is lost, but this causes
uneven print registration due to the paper movement.
If this occurs, use the menu to turn off this feature, then use the TEAR
key to move the paper up to the tear position manually (see
“Changing the Forms Tear-off Settings”).
NOTE
You can also move the paper down to the print position manually by
pressing TEAR.
NOTE
> The status of the Forms Tear-Off menu setting affects how you set
the Top of Form: see “Top of Form (TOF) and Forms Tear-Off”earlier
in this chapter.
> Do not use Forms Tear-Off with labels or multipart forms!
> Forms Tear-Off cannot be used when the optional pull tractor is
engaged.

USING YOUR PRINTER > 20
CHANGING THE FORMS TEAR-OFF SETTING
The default setting for Forms Tear-Off is OFF.
To change the Forms Tear-Off setting:
1. Press SHIFT (2) + SEL (1).
2. Press GROUP (3) repeatedly until the Rear Feed or Bottom Feed
group shows in the first column of the printed line, depending
on which paper feed you are using,
3. Press ITEM (4) repeatedly until Form Tear-Off appears in the
second column:
Rear Feed Form Tear-Off Off
4. Press SET (5) until the time interval you wish to select appears
in the third column:
Rear Feed Form Tear-Off 1 Sec
5. Press SHIFT (2) + SEL (1) to exit Menu Mode and save the
setting.
MANUAL FORMS TEAR-OFF
If you don’t wish to engage the Forms Tear-Off feature, you can
advance:
lrear-feed continuous forms loaded on the built-in tractor
or
lbottom-feed continuous forms loaded on the optional push
tractor
up to the tear-off position manually, by pressing TEAR (5).
1234675