Panasonic KX-P3696 User manual

Operating Instructions
Impact Dot Matrix Printer
KX-P3696

2
FOR USE IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant
to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there
is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined
by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one
or more of the following measures:
-Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
-Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
-Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
-Consult the dealer or an experienced radiofTV technician for help.
The user may find the booklet "Something About Interference" available from FCC local regional
offices helpful.
FCC Warning: To assure continued FCC emission limit compliance, the user must use only the
recommended shield interfacing cable when connecting to a host computer. Also, any unauthorized
changes or modifications to this equipment would void the users authority
to operate this device.
WARNING
-The power source voltage of this unit is listed on the nameplate. Plug the printer only into an outlet
with the proper voltage.
-To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose this product to rain or any type of moisture.
-When you operate this equipment, the outlet should be near the equipment and should be easily
accessible.
The serial numberof the unit may be found on the label on the rear of the unit. For your convenience,
note this number below, and retain this book, along with your proof
of purchase, to serve as a
permanent record of your purchase
in the event of a theft, or for future reference.
MODEL NO. _KXc=.-.!.,P"'3S...,9"'S'--- ___ _ NAME OF DEALER
_________ _
SERIAL NO. _______ _ DATE OF PURCHASE
________ _
IBM and IBM-PC are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
Proprinter
is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Epson
is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation.
Any details given
in these Operating Instructions are subject to change without notice.
All Rights Reserved. © COPYRIGHT 1994 KYUSHU MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC CO., LTD.

4 Introduction 4 Features
Chap. 1 Before You Start
5 Cautions 6 Unpacking
5 Operating Environment 7 Preparations
5 Precautions 9 Parts of the Printer
Chap. 2 Setup
11 Connecting to a Computer
19
Fanfold Paper (Bottom, Front Feed/
12 Ribbon Cassette Pull Tractor Mode)
12 Installing the Ribbon Cassette 23 Single Sheets and Envelopes
14 Removing the Ribbon Cassette (Top Feed/Friction Mode)
15 Paper Feed Selection 25 Self Test
16 Installing Paper 26 Printer Driver Selection
16 Fanfold Paper 27 Installing a Printer Driver
(Rear Feed/Push Tractor Mode) (Windows Ver. 3.1)
Chap. 3 Using the Setup Disk
28 Initial Setup Mode 36 Save to Disk
32 Running the Initial Setup Program 37 Load from Disk (Recall Settings)
33 Exiting the Initial Setup Program 38 Send to Printer
34 Print Settings 38 Resetting to Factory Setting
34 Display Setting List 39 Help
35
Setting Selections on Setup Disk
Chap. 4 Using the Control Panel
40 Using the Control Panel 44 Tear
Oft( TEAR OFF)
40 Selecting a Character Font 45 Paper Parking (LOAD/PARK)
41 Selecting a Character Pitch 46 Paper Out Detector
42 Line Feed/Form Feed [LF/FF) 47 Initial Setup Mode
43 Top of Form Function (TOF SET)
Chap.S Software Commands
52 Command Reference Program (Using the Setup Disk)
Chap. 6 Maintenance &Troubleshooting
55 Periodic Maintenance/ 55 Periodic Maintenance
Troubleshooting 55 Troubleshooting
Appendix
57 Initialization/Hex Dump 62 Interfacing
57 Initialization/Hex Dump 62 Parallel Interfacing
58 Printer Specifications 64 Character Set Tables
60 Paper Specifications
71
Glossary
60 Fanfold Paper/Single Sheet/Envelope 74 Index
61 Printing Area 76 Options and Supplies
3

4
Congratulations on purchasing a Panasonic printer.
This printer
is a versatile. high quality g·pin dot matrix printer which is designed to meet the needs of your
office.
This printer has been factory set
to operate with most of the popular software packages.
Your application software should control the printer functions. In most cases, there will be no need to change
the initial printer settings.
Features
Printer Emulation: Epson FX-1170 and IBM Proprinter IIIXL
Setup Disk: Setup program, Command Reference program
and a Printer Driver for Windows Ver.
3.1
Quiet Mode: Reduces printing noise
Fonts: 3 Draft (Pica, Elite, Micron)
6 Near Letter Quality (NLQ)
(Bold PS, Courier, Prestige, Roman, Sans Serif, Script)
Printing Speed: Draft-500 characters per second (15 cpi)
NLQ-80 characters per second (12 cpi)
Paper Handling: Friction and Tractor (Push/Pull built-in)
Paper Path: Rear, Bottom, Front, Top
Tear Off: Advances fanfold paper's perforation to tear position
Paper Parking: Allows single sheets/envelopes to be used without
removing/wasting fanfold paper
Cut Sheet Feeder Option Provides fast and automatic feeding of single sheets
(KX-P38):
Serial Interface Option You may select between parallel or serial when
(KX-PS13 and KX-PS14): the KX-PS14 serial interface board is installed
Buffer Chip Option A 32K chip option (KX-P44) is available to expand your
(KX-P44): unit's memory capacity from 13K to 45K
Copies: Original plus four non-carbon copies

Operating Environment
- Do not use the printer in the following conditions.
Extremely high or low
temperature
[temperature range:
10-35°C (50-95°F)]
Extremely high or low
humidity
(humidity range:
20-80% RH)
Areas of high dust
concentration
Areas of poor
ventilation [a minimum
of 4" (10 cm) clearance
on all sides is
necessary to insure
proper ventilation]
Areas with extreme
vibration or when
placed on an unstable
or unlevel surface
Precautions
The following precautions are recommended to
extend the life of the printer.
-Keep all liquids away
from the printer
-Accidental spillage
of a liquid into the
printer can cause
severe damage.
-Do not operate the
printer without paper
and a ribbon cassette
installed.
-Do not place books,
paper, or other items
on top of the printer.
-Do not obstruct the
movement of the
printhead while
in
operation.
-Avoid prolonged use
without allowing the
printhead time to cool.
-If the printer is not
going to
be used for
an extended period,
unplug the power
cord.
5

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6
Having unpacked the printer, make sure none of the contents shown below are missing or damaged,
Report damages or shortages to the store from which the unit was purchased.
Note:
Printer
Platen knob
Operating manual
Quick start guide
Ribbon cassette (KX-P170)
Setup disk
eThe Setup Disk contains a Printer
Driver for Windows Ver.
3.1
(w P. 27), a Setup program
(w P. 28) and a Command
Reference program
(w P. 52).
eTo use this Setup Disk, you need
to have
an IBM-PC or a
compatible computer with a 3.5"
floppy disk drive.
-n is recommended that you save the original carton and packing materials for proper shipping and
transporting of the printer.

Preparations
(a) Insert the platen knob into the hole on the right side of the printer and rotate it slowly until
it slips onto
the shaft. Push the platen knob onto the platen shaft to secure.
(b) 0 Fold forward the smoked plastic cover using the tab.
e Remove the protective paper which includes unpacking instructions.
Q Raise the smoked plastic cover using the tab and remove it.
Protective paper
Smoked plastic cover
Smoked plastic cover
Note:
• Be careful not to drop the smoked plastic cover.
Tab
7
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(c) Remove the carriage stopper band, as shown:
Carriage stopper
band
(d) Remove the separator pad by lifting the paper easel while holding the tab.
Paper easel
Tab
Note:
-Be sure to replace the carriage stopper band and the separator pad before transporting the printer.

,--------,--- Paper guides (w P. 24)
Platen knob (w P. 7)
Paper door (W P. 21)
Gl Cover open sensor
Power switch (w P. 11)
00 PROGRAM
00 PROGRAM
.0 Courier
O. Pre'li,.:"
•• Bold PS
*0 s~p.t
o II ~()man
Jl~~~
.01QCPI ONLINE
... FONT 00 '''' =lJ PITCH ON LINE TEAR LFIFF LOAD
:: ::::: ~ li?,11'M I OFF 1":;:
oFONT switch
Pressing this switch selects the font style.
(w P. 40)
e PITCH switch
Pressing this switch selects the characters per
inch (cpi).
(w P. 41)
6) ON LINE switch
This switch opens and closes the communication
line with the computer.
oTEAR OFF switch
Pressing this switch advances or reverses the
paper for tearing off.
(w P. 44)
oLF/FF switch
Pressing this switch advances the paper one line
at a time. Holding this switch advances the paper
to the first print line of the next page.
(w P. 42)
oLOAD/PARK switch
Pressing this switch loads or parks the paper.
(w P. 45)
oFONT indicators
These indicators identify which Font has been
selected.
(w P. 40)
oPITCH indicator
These indicators identify what Pitch (CPI) has
been selected.
(w P. 41)
oON LINE indicator
This indicator is lit when the printer is in the ON
LINE mode, and is not lit when in the OFF LINE
mode.
~ POWER/PAPER OUT indicator
This indicator is lit when the power is on and
paper
is installed. It blinks when paper is not
installed.
(w P. 46)
CD Cover Open Sensor
When the cover is opened, the machine will beep
and printing will stop. To resume printing close
cover and press [ON LINE I.
CD Micro Line FeedlTOF SET
Pressing [ON LINE1with
[+L""F/""FF"'I or
[LOAD/PARK 1will advance or reverse the paper
1;216". Using Micro Line Feed within 5" from the
top of your paper will automatically store that
position as the Top of Form (TOF).
(w P. 42, 43)
9
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Paper supports (w P. 17,20)------,---,
.------Pull up roller unit (w P. 20)
Top cover ----t\-¥'C' -I-~~~,- (Tear bar=top edge)
OJ .~
!2. Tractors (wP. 17,20)
~ Carriage (WP. 13) --'k~~
~ Paperdoor(wP.21)
s::::
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easel
Paper
(wP .18,23)
I
Printhead
Rear suppo~s (w P. 18)
Paper easel hand
gUide
(w P. 18, 23)
Head gap lever
Adjusts the gap between the platen and the
printhead. The lever moves
in increments of
0.0028 inch (0.07 mm).
-in
Position Used
for
,('-'
1
.-2
3 1 or 2 Thinner sheets
i - 4
5
3,4,5 or 6 Thick sheets, multi-part
GL'
6 forms or envelopes
'i
-. ~~
~
1.111,
~ .r
AC power
(wP.l1)
l(
= 7 !//W 11
Cis=.J ~~I
r:-:: Jt::e ""'"
cord
--'-------
:::tJ.
Nameplate
Serial No. label*
Paper separator (w
P. 18)
Frame ground terminal
(wP.ll)
Centronics parallel interface
connector (w P. 11)
*For units sold In Canada, Senal No. IS located
on the Nameplate.
10
Paper feed selector
Position Used
for
o (F riction) Single sheets and
envelopes
D (Tractor) Fanfold paper (front,
bottom and rear feeding)

1 (Rear View)
Clips
Connector
Parallel interlace cable
2
OCI:JI
Off POWER ON
AHach the other end of the parallel
interface cable from your computer to
your printer and secure the printer clips.
Note:
elf you do not have a parallel interface cable,
you will need to purchase one from your local
computer store or dealer,
If the cable has a frame ground wire,
connect it to the frame ground terminal.
Plug printer into a grounded 3 prong AC
socket.
When the power is supplied to the printer, the power
indicator
on the control panel will light.
11
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Installing the Ribbon Cassette
1
2
3
12
Ribbon exchange area
6 Head gap
lever
oTurn the power on.
The carriage will automatically move to the ribbon
exchange area.
Note:
eThe ribbon cassette can only be installed
in this area.
6 Fold forward the smoked plastic
cover using the tab.
oRaise the smoked plastic cover using
the tab and remove
it.
6 Move the head gap lever to the (+)
position.
Note:
eBe careful not to drop the smoked plastic
cover.
eThe printhead may be hot, use caution
when cover is open.
Lower the ribbon cassette onto the four
ribbon posts (gold
in color), insert the
back portion of the ribbon into the
printer first.

4
5
6
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Blue
guide
~
\
\
\ Ribbon cassette
CAUTION
HOTSURFACE
DO NOT
TOUCH!
Line up the 4 arrows on the ribbon
cassette with the arrows on the left and
right sides
of the frame. Push 4 arrows
down until they click into place.
Nole:
-Make sure that the ribbon cassette is perfectly
placed
in position.
oGrasp the top of the blue ribbon guide
with your thumb and forefinger,
remove the blue ribbon guide by
lifting from the ribbon cassette.
@Slide the blue ribbon guide onto the
ribbon guide holder of the carriage
and push the blue ribbon guide down.
Nole:
-If the ribbon does not insert easily between
the printhead nose and the ribbon mask
rotate the knob to reduce slack.
Top view Ribbon mask
~yj~
Printhead nose
Blue ribbon
guide
Rotate the knob on the ribbon cassette
counterclockwise
to remove any slack.
13
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7
; [0 1 f) Head gap
; t- -2 lever
: r= 3
~ I 4
I r- 5
!r- 6
oReplace the smoked plastic cover.
f) Adjust the head gap lever for the
thickness
of paper you are using.
Position Used
for
1 or 2 Thinner sheets
3,4,5 or 6 Thick sheets, multi·part forms or
envelopes
Removing the Ribbon Cassette
1 To remove the ribbon cassette, perform step
1~2 of "Installing the Ribbon
Cassette" at first.
(a:w P. 12)
2 Then reverse the installation procedure. (step 5 -> step 4 -> step 3 of "Installing the Ribbon
Cassette".
a:w P. 12-13)
-The printhead may be hot, use caution when cover is open.
-Do not lift up the flat cable located under the carriage when removing the ribbon cassette. It may
break off.
14

This printer supports 4 paper paths (rear, bottom, front and top feeding). Rear, bottom and front feedings
are for continuously fed paper. Top feeding is for single sheets or envelopes.
The optional KX-P38 Cut Sheet Feeder will accommodate automatic feeding of up to 80 single sheets from
the top paper path.
Rear feed
(@' P. 16)
-fanfold paper (1 part)
-multipart fanfold forms
Bottom and Front feed (@' P. 19)
-multipart fanfold forms
-fanfold labels
-fanfold paper (1 part)
Top feed (@' P. 23)
-single sheets
(The optional KX-P38 Cut Sheet Feeder
allows you to automatically feed up to
80 sheets of 20 Ib paper.)
-multipart single forms
-envelopes
Note:
Front feeding
Bottom feeding
Top feeding
Rear
feeding
-For optimum print quality, do not use reverse line feeding in bottom and front feeding. If reverse
feeding
is necessary in bottom and front feeding, set REVERSE LF/PULL in the INSTALL menu to
ON by using the Setup Disk.
-Paper Parking is not available in bottom and front feeding.
-When using multipart fanfold paper especially in environments that have very high or low
temperature and/or humidity, we recommend the use of the bottom feed pull mode to optimize paper
handing and print quality.
15

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Fanfold Paper: (Rear Feed/Push Tractor Mode)
1
2
3
16
~.- 4
1'- 5
, - 6
.
e Paper feed
selector
6 Head gap
lever
:--lI-- Top cover
oTurn the power on.
The PAPER OUT indicator will flash indicating
that paper is not installed in the printer.
6 Adjust the head gap lever for the
thickness of paper you are using.
Position
Used for
1 or 2 Thinner sheets
3,4,5 or 6 Thick sheets or multi·part forms
6) Set the paper feed selector to "D"
(Tractor mode).
oFold forward the smoked plastic
cover.
f) Open the top cover.
Pinch both left and right tractor position
shift levers and lower the tractor
mechanism downward until the tractors
fall into place, then release.

4
5 ~'
6 (Rear view)
7 -0'
oUnlock the tractors by pulling the
tractor clamping levers forward.
eSlide the tractors to accommodate the
approximate width of the paper being
used.
In most applications, you will find that the
oindicator on the tear bar is a useful tool for
predetermining your left most print position.
oSlide the two paper supports between
the tractors at equal spaces.
e Open the tractor covers.
Feed paper through opening between
printer and the top cover.
oAlign the paper sprocket holes with
the tractor pins, making sure the
paper is straight.
e Close the tractor covers.
17

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9
10
11
Paper easel hand guide
.: Paper separator
12
Rear supports
18
OAdjust the tractors to remove any
slack in the paper.
f) Lock the tractors by pushing the
tractor clamping levers back.
Note:
-Put the tractor pins in the center of the
paper sprocket holes when locking.
Press [LOAD/PARK).
This will load the paper to the first print line.
Note:
-Do not use (LF/FF) to load paper.
oClose the top cover.
f) Fold back the smoked plastic cover.
Extend the paper separator by
first
raising the paper easel by lifting the
paper easel hand guide and then
unfolding it.
Lower the paper easel
by
simultaneously depressing the rear
supports.
Note:
-Se careful not to pinch your fingers.
-When in tractor mode please do not use
paper guides to guide the paper path.
In
tractor mode the paper is guided by the
tractor units themselves.

13
~ON LINE indicators
PITCHI
ONLINE ~
ON LINE TEAR
. 7i OFF
cPO
WER
PAPER OUT ~~
If ON LINE indicator is not lit,
press (ON LINE) to get ready to print.
Note:
elf setting up the printer for the first time,
proceed
to Printer Driver Selection. (w P. 26)
Fanfold Paper: (Bottom, Front Feed/Pull Tractor Mode)
1
2
4
e Paper feed
selector
5 6 Head gap
6 lever
oTurn the power on.
The PAPER OUT indicator will flash indicating
that paper
is not installed in the printer.
6Adjust the head gap lever for the
thickness of paper you are using.
Position Used for
1 or 2 Thinner sheets
3,4,5 or 6 Thick sheets or multi·part forms
eSet the paper feed selector to "0"
(Tractor mode).
oFold forward the smoked plastic
cover and raise it.
6 Remove the smoked plastic cover.
e Open the top cover.
19

3
~,:::;~,&/Tab -... -nJU
"" ,. I up roller unit
5
6
20
Remove the pull up roller unit by
grabbing the tabs at both ends and
gently rotating forward until you feel it
release, then lift up.
Nole:
-Do not misplace the pull up roller unit.
Pinch both left and right tractor position
shift levers, and lift the tractor
mechanism up then release the levers.
oUnlock the tractors by pulling the
tractor clamping levers forward.
@ Slide the tractors to accommodate the
approximate width of the paper being
used.
In most applications, you will find that the
"0" indicator on the back of the cover is a useful
tool for predetermining your left most print
position.
oSlide the two paper supports between
the tractors at equal spaces.
@ Open the tractor covers.