Star Micronics LC-8021 User manual

LC-8021
USER’S MANUAL
DOT MATRIX PRINTER
PBA10HK 80825130

Trademark acknowledgments
IS-NP192, LC-8021, LC-8211, LC24-30, LC24-300, NX-2450, NX-2480, SPC-8K : Star Micronics Co. Ltd.
LQ-850, LQ-860, LQ-1050, LQ-1060 : Seiko Epson Corporation
IBM PC, IBM Proprinter X24E, IBM Proprinter XL24E, IBM Proprinter X24, IBM Proprinter XL24 :
International Business Machines Corporation.
MS-DOS : Microsoft Corporation
Notice
• All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this manual in any form whatsoever, without STAR’s express
permission, is strictly 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 printing. How-
ever, should any errors be found, STAR would greatly appreciate being informed of them.
• The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors in this manual.
 Copyright 1997 Star Micronics Co., Ltd.

About this manual
This manual describes how to set up, use, and care for the Star LC-8021 printer.
The following is a list of what you can expect to find in each chapter.
Chapter 1 Choosing a place for your printer, unpacking and setup,
ribbon cassette installation, loading paper, connecting to
your computer
Chapter 2 How to use the control panel
Chapter 3 How to use the printer’s Electronic DIP Switch (EDS)
Mode to set up the printer to match the needs of your
system and software
Chapter 4 How to set up for printing with MS-DOS
Chapter 5 Selecting the best type of paper, manual sheet feeding,
print area
Chapter 6 Optional accessories that are available for your printer
Appendix A Troubleshooting
Appendix B Specifications
Appendix C Interface pin outs
Appendix D Character sets
Appendix E Printer control codes
Appendix F Glossary
Appendix G Control panel operation guide

Contents
Chapter 1: Printer Setup ... 1
Choosing a place for the printer ... 1
Unpacking the printer ... 2
General guide ... 3
Opening the front cover ... 4
Removing the front cover ... 4
Removing the protective materials ... 5
Installing the ribbon cartridge ... 6
Removing the ribbon cartridge ... 8
Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off ... 9
Loading paper ... 10
Connecting to your computer ... 11
Chapter 2: Control Panel Operations ... 15
Switching between on-line and off-line ... 15
Selecting a font ... 16
Line feed ... 16
Form feed ... 16
Paper eject ... 16
Micro feed ... 16
Changing the auto load position ... 17
Clearing the printer’s buffer ... 18
Initializing the printer ... 18
Entering the Multi-part Mode ... 18

Chapter 3: Using the EDS Mode ... 19
About EDS Mode settings ... 19
Entering the EDS Mode ... 19
Selecting a bank ... 20
Selecting a switch ... 21
Changing a switch setting ... 21
Printing the current switch settings ... 21
Exiting the EDS Mode ... 21
EDS-1 Settings ... 22
EDS-2 Settings ... 31
Chapter 4: Using the Printer with MS-DOS ... 34
Setting up for printing with MS-DOS ... 34
Chapter 5: Paper Handling ... 35
Selecting paper types ... 35
Feeding a passbook into the printer ... 36
Feeding cut-sheet paper into the printer ... 37
Print area ... 38
Chapter 6: Optional Accessories ... 39
Serial Interface Unit (IS-NP192) ... 39
Serial-to-Parallel Interface Converter (SPC-8K) ... 40
Appendix A: Troubleshooting ... 41
Short test ... 41
Long test ... 41
Hexadecimal dump ... 42
Adjusting the dot alignment ... 42
Troubleshooting guide ... 44
Checking system software settings in MS-DOS ... 49

Appendix B: Specifications ... 50
Appendix C: Interface Pin Outs ... 52
Appendix D: Character Sets ... 53
Appendix E: Printer Control Codes ... 65
Appendix F: Glossary ... 74
Appendix G: Control Panel Operation Guide ... 75

1
Chapter 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 actually unpacking the printer, you should take a few minutes to think
about where you plan to use it. Remember the following points when doing this.
✓
Choose a firm, level surface where the printer will not be exposed to
vibration.
✓
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 Printer Setup
Unpacking the printer
Check to make sure that the carton contains each of the items shown in the
following illustration.
If anything 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 the packing materials just in case you need to pack the printer up
again and send it somewhere 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 bottom of your printer does not match the voltage for your area, contact
your dealer immediately.
Printer Ribbon cartridge
User's manualPower code

General guide 3
General guide
The following illustrations show the major components of the your printer.
Front cover
Platen knob
Control panel
Power switch
Document table
Document 
table 
extension
Power terminal
Serial interface 
connector
Parallel interface
connector

4 Printer Setup
Opening the front cover
❏
Pull on the left and right corners of the front cover to and swing it down
until it is fully open.
Removing the front cover
❏
Once the front cover is fully open, carefully lift it straight up to remove it.
To replace the front cover, lower the slots on the left and right of the cover
onto the tabs provided on the printer case.
Front cover

Removing the protective materials 5
Removing the protective materials
❏
Packing material in the printer protects its components during shipping.
Before using the printer for the first time, be sure to remove the packing
material, which is located inside the front cover as shown in the illustration.
Cardboard

6 Printer Setup
Installing the ribbon cartridge
❏
Make sure that the printer is unplugged from its power outlet.
❏
Open the front cover of the printer.
Note:
You will probably find later steps to perform if you remove the cover.
❏
By hand, move the print head to the left as far as it will go, where there is a
cutout to allow easy installation and removal of the ribbon cartridge.
Important!
Never try to move the print head while the printer is plugged into a power
outlet. Doing so can damage the printer. If you have just used the printer, let
the print head cool for a few minutes before you touch it.
Carriage

Installing the ribbon cartridge 7
❏
Remove the ribbon cartridge from its package and check to make sure its
ribbon guide is correctly in place. If it isn’t, thread the ribbon through the
guide.
❏
Pull down on the ribbon guide to create considerable slack in the ribbon.
❏
Insert the two round tabs on either side of the ribbon cartridge into the two
slots inside the printer and slide the cartridge into place as you rotate the
knob on the right side of the cartridge to take up some of the slack in the
ribbon.
❏
Press on the top of the cartridge until it snaps securely into place.
Note:
A ribbed ribbon advance shaft must enter into the hole on the back, right side
of the ribbon cartridge.You seem to have trouble getting the ribbon cartridge
to seat properly, try turning the knob of the ribbon cartridge slightly so the ribs
on the shaft align properly with the hole.
❏
Once the ribbon cartridge is securely in place, use your thumb and
forefinger to grasp the sides of the ribbon guide handle and attach the guide
to the carriage below the print head. The two metal rods below the print
head must fit into the holes provided in the ribbon guide.You will feel the
ribbon guide snap securely into place when it is installed correctly.
Note:
Angle the ribbon guide downwards so it slips under the print head, and then
straighten the guide to slip it onto rods below the print head.
❏
Rotate the knob on the ribbon cartridge to take up any slack in the ribbon.
Ribbon guide holder

8 Printer Setup
❏
Close the front cover of the printer.
Important!
Printing that is poor quality or too light is almost always due to a ribbon that is
simply worn out or “used up.” If you experience problems with print quality,
check the condition of the ribbon. If the black part looks gray and well-worn,
replace the ribbon with a new one.
Removing the ribbon cartridge
Use the following procedure to remove the ribbon cartridge from the printer
when you want to replace it with a new one.
❏
Make sure that the printer is unplugged from its power outlet.
❏
Open the front cover of the printer.
Note:
You will probably find later steps to perform if you remove the cover.
❏
By hand, move the print head to the left as far as it will go, where there is a
cutout to allow easy installation and removal of the ribbon cartridge.
Knob
Ribbon guide
Metal rods
Slot
Slot
Print head

Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off 9
Important!
Never try to move the print head while the printer is plugged into a power
outlet. Doing so can damage the printer. If you have just used the printer, let
the print head cool for a few minutes before you touch it.
❏
Pull on the ribbon guide below the print head to detach it.
❏
Pull on the top of the ribbon cartridge and then carefully lift up the
cartridge to remove it from the printer.
❏
Use the procedure under “Removing the protective materials” on page 5 to
install a new cartridge.
Connecting to a power outlet and turning power on and off
❏
Make sure the power switch on the front of the printer is in the OFF
position (O).
ON
OFF

10 Printer Setup
❏
Securely attach the power cord to the power terminal on the back of the
printer.
❏
Plug the other end of the power cord into a grounded wall outlet.
Caution!
If the voltage marked on the bottom 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.
❏
Use the printer’s power switch to turn power on (|) to turn power on and
OFF (O).
Note:
We recommend that you unplug the printer from the power outlet whenever you
do not plan to use it for long periods. Because of the this, you should locate the
printer so that the power outlet it is plugged into is nearby and easy to access.
Loading paper
This section tells you how to load cut-sheet paper. Note that you can also use
passbook. For details on using passbook, see “Paper Handling” on page 35 of
this manual.
❏
Check that the control panel’s POWER indicator is flashing, which shows
that there is no paper in the printer.
❏
When printing on 4-ply or 5-ply paper, the Multi-Part Mode should be
used. Check to make sure that the control panel’s MULTI-PART indicator
is lit. If it isn’t, press the control panel’s MULTI-PART button.

Connecting to your computer 11
❏Insert the paper into the printer as far as it will go, sliding its left side
against the printer’s left guide.
Important!
If the paper is not inserted straight into the printer, it will be considered a
loading error and the paper will be ejected. Be sure to insert the paper
correctly.
Inserting the paper with its left side more than 7 mm to the right of the left
guide will be considered an error and the paper will be ejected.
The paper will automatically be fed into the printer.
If your are using letterhead, make sure the paper is facing up, with the top
towards the printer.
❏Start the printing operation from your software application.
❏After the printing is complete, press EJECT to eject the paper from the
printer.
Connecting to your computer
Your printer comes equipped with two interfaces built in as standard: one
parallel interface and one serial interface.
This printer does not come with cables, so you must purchase one separately to
match the needs of you computer.
Document table
Document table extension
Paper
Control panel

12 Printer Setup
To connect with a parallel cable
Forconnection to the parallel interface, you will probably want to use a standard
parallel cable, like the one shown below.
Note:
In addition to using the parallel interface as-is to connect a parallel interface,
you can also connect an optional serial-to-parallel converter (page 40) to
convert serial data from the computer to parallel data. This effectively provides
two serial interfaces for connection of separate computers.
Important!
The following instructions apply to the Centronics parallel cable that is
suitable for use with an IBM-compatible personal computer. Note that they do
not apply to all types of computers and cables. If you are unsure about what
type of cable you should use, consult your dealer.
For an IBM-compatible personal computer:
✓Use a standard 36-pin Centronics parallel cable.
✓The parallel cable should be no longer than six feet (two meters). Longer
cables can result in poor transfer of information.
Important!
Make sure that the printer is unplugged from the AC outlet and that the
computer is turned off before connecting them.

Connecting to your computer 13
❏Plug one end of the parallel cable into the parallel port of your computer.
The parallel port should be labeled “Printer,” “Parallel,” “PRN,” “LPT1,” or
something similar.
❏Plug the other end of the parallel cable into the socket on the back of the
printer and secure it in place with the clips.
To connect with a serial cable
For connection to the serial interface, you will probably want to use a standard
RS-232C cable, like the one shown below.
Important!
• The following instructions apply to the serial cable that is suitable for use
with an IBM-compatible personal computer. Note that they do not apply to all
types of computers and cables. If you are unsure about what type of cable you
should use, consult your dealer.
• Make sure that the printer is unplugged from the AC outlet and that the
computer is switched off before connecting them.

14 Printer Setup
❏Attach one end of the serial cable to a serial port of your computer (COM1,
COM2), and secure the connector with the screws provided on the plug.
❏Plug the other end of the cable into the socket on the back of the printer and
secure it in place with the screws.
Note:
The parallel interface equipped on the printer as standard can be removed and
replaced with an optional IS-NP192 Serial Interface Unit. This makes it
possible to connect two separate computers for serial data communication.