Star Micronics LC-500 User manual

USER’S MANUAL
LC-500
DOT MATRIX PRINTER
CFA10EC 80826160

CE
Manufacturer’s Declaration of Conformity
EC Council Directive 89/336/EEC of 3 May 1989
This product, has been designed and manufactured in accordance with the International
Standards EN 50081-1/01.92 and EN 50082-1/01.92, following the provisions of the Electro
Magnetic Compatibility Directive of the European Communities as of May 1989.
EC Council Directive 73/23/EEC and 93/68/EEC of 22 July 1993
This product, has been designed and manufactured in accordance with the International
Standards EN 60950, following the provisions of the Low Voltage Directive of the European
Communities as of July 1993.
The above statement applies only to printers marketed in EU.
Trademark acknowledgments
LC-500: Star Micronics Co., Ltd.
ESC/POS: Seiko Epson Corporation
Notice
•All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this manual in any form whatsoever, without
STAR’s express permission is forbidden.
•The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.
•All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this manual at the time
of going to press. However, should any errors be detected, STAR would greatly appreciate
being informed of them.
•Theabovenotwithstanding,STARcanassumenoresponsibilityforanyerrorsinthismanual.
©Copyright 2003 Star Micronics Co., LTD.

ENGLISH
Contents
1. Printer Setup .............................................. 1
Choosing a place for the printer ....................................................... 1
Unpacking the printer ....................................................................... 2
Printer Components .......................................................................... 3
Installing the paper guide ................................................................. 4
Opening the printer cover ................................................................. 4
Removing the printer cover .............................................................. 5
Connecting the Power Cord and turning the power ON and OFF.... 6
Installing the ribbon cassette ............................................................ 7
Removing the ribbon cassette ......................................................... 10
Connecting to your computer using the parallel cable ................... 10
Ferrite Core Installation ...................................................................11
2. Paper Handling ........................................ 13
Selecting paper types ...................................................................... 13
Cut-sheet paper ............................................................................... 13
Fanfold paper .................................................................................. 13
Loading cut-sheet paper.................................................................. 14
Printing on cut-sheet paper ............................................................. 17
Loading fanfold paper .................................................................... 18
Printing on fanfold paper ................................................................ 22
Parking fanfold paper ..................................................................... 23
Unparking fanfold paper................................................................. 23
3. Control Panel Operations ....................... 24
Switching between on-line and off-line.......................................... 25

Control panel functions in on-line mode ........................................ 25
Control panel functions in off-line mode ....................................... 27
4. Using the EDS Mode................................ 30
About EDS Mode settings .............................................................. 30
Entering the EDS Mode.................................................................. 30
Selecting a EDS number ................................................................. 31
Selecting a bank .............................................................................. 31
Selecting a switch ........................................................................... 31
Changing a switch setting ............................................................... 31
Printing the current EDS settings ................................................... 31
Exiting the EDS Modes .................................................................. 31
5. Control Codes List................................... 42
< ESC/P-K mode> .......................................................................... 42
6. Troubleshooting ....................................... 45
Short test ......................................................................................... 45
Long test ......................................................................................... 46
Hexadecimal dump ......................................................................... 46
Adjusting the dot alignment ........................................................... 47
Troubleshooting guide .................................................................... 48
AppendixA. Specifications ............................... 53
AppendixB. Character Sets ............................. 56
Appendix C. Control Panel Operation Guide.... 67

–1 –
1. Printer Setup
This chapter contains important information on setting up your printer. Be sure
to read this chapter carefully before using the printer for the first time.
Choosing a place for the printer
Before unpacking the printer from the box, plan the installation location
of your printer. Consider the following points.
✓Choose a firm, level surface where the printer will not be exposed to
vibr ation.
✓The power outlet you plan to connect to for power should be nearby
and unobstructed.
✓Make sure that the printer is close enough to your computer for you
to connect the two with your printer cable.
✓Allow six inches (15 centimeters) of free space on either side and in
the back of the printer.
✓Make sure that the printer is not exposed to direct sunlight.
✓Make sure that the printer is well away from heaters.
✓Make sure that the surrounding area is clean, dry, and free of dust.
✓Make sure that the printer is connected to a reliable power outlet. It
should not be on the same electric circuit as copiers, refrigerators, or
other appliances that cause power spikes.
✓Use a power outlet that matches the power rating noted on the label
affixed to the bottom of your printer.
✓Make sure that the room where you are using the printer is not too
humid.

–2 –
ENGLISH
Unpacking the printer
Check that the package contains the following items.
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User,s manual
Ribbon cassette
Printer
Paper guide
Ferrite Core
Fastener
If any item is missing, contact the store where you bought the printer and
ask them to supply the missing part. Note that it is a good idea to keep the
original box and all packing materials in case you need to transport the
printer at a later date.
Important!
There are several versions of this printer designed for different
voltages. It is not possible to change the voltage of a printer. If the
voltage shown on the label on the back of your printer does not match
the voltage for your area, contact your dealer immediately.

–3 –
Printer Components
The following illustrations show the major components of your printer.
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Printer cover
Control panel
Adjustment lever
Platen knob
Paper guide
Power switch
Power cord
Parallel interface
connector

–4 –
ENGLISH
Installing the paper guide
1. Hold the paper guide at a slight angle and slide the two slots on either
side of the paper guide into the tabs provided on the printer case.
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2. Press the paper guide firmly against the tabs until it clicks, and then
lower the table to a horizontal position.
Opening the printer cover
Pull on the left and right corners of the printer cover to and swing it down
until it is fully open.
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Printer cover

–5 –
Removing the printer cover
Swing the printer cover so that it is at an angle as shown in the figure
below and lift the cover to remove it. To replace the printer cover, lower
the two slots on either side of the cover onto the tabs provided on the
printer case.
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–6 –
ENGLISH
Connecting the Power Cord and turning the power ON and OFF
1. Check that the power switch on the front panel of the printer is in the
OFF position (O).
ON
OFF
2. Plug the power cord to a power outlet whose voltage matches the
power rating noted on the label affixed to the bottom of your printer.
Caution!
1. If the voltage marked on the rear of your printer does not match
the voltage from the outlet you are using, do not plug in the power
cord. Contact your dealer for assistance.
2. We recommend that you unplug the printer from the power outlet
whenever you do not plan to use it for long periods. Because of
this, you should locate the printer so that the power outlet it is
plugged into is nearby and easy to access.
3. To turn the power on, press the power switch to the ON position (|);
to turn the power off, press the power switch to the OFF position (O).