Tandy DMP 135 User manual

DMP 135 Dot-Matrix Printer User's Guide
© 1990 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction or use of any portion of this manual, without
express written permission from Tandy Corporation. is prohib-
ited. While reasonable efforts have been made in
the preparation
of this manual to assure its accuracy, Tandy Corporation assumes
no liability resulting from any errors in or omissions from this
manual,
or from the lise of the information contained herein.
Tandy and Radio Shack are registered
trademarks
of Tandy Corporation.
MS-DOS is a n=gist~red trademark. of
Microsoft Corporation.
IBM is aregistered trademark of International
Business Machines. Corp.
EPSOll is aregistered trademark of
Epson America. Inc.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Note: You must use ashielded cable when connecting this
device.
For
your own protection, we urge you to record the serial number
of this unit in the sp~ce provided. You will find the serial number
on the bottom of the unit.
Serial
Number _

Contents
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3
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12
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35
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39
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Loading Paper .. Ill ..
Paper·Park Function ..
Adjusting the Print Head
Power-Up Sequence
Self Test
Choosing aLocation ..
Connecting the Printer ..
Installing the Fanfold Paper Guide ............•
Installing the Paper Rack
Installing the Ribbon Cassette
Selecting
the Printer Driver in Your Software.
Control Panel ..
About the Printer
Getting Started
Unpacking the Printer
Hex Dump Function ..
Ready to Print
Printing Applications
Setting
the Print Function (DIP) Switches .
Setting
the Character Pitch
Setting
the Margins
Setting
the NLQ Font .•.....••..............•......•.•.
Care and Maintenance
Index
................••...................................... 43

About the Printer
The Tandy DMP 135 Dot-Matrix Printer is ahigh-density, dot-matrix
printer that can print
in avariety of type styles. It prints:
•Proportionally spaced characters
•Monospaced characters (standard, condensed, and compressed)
•NLQ (near-letter-quality) correspondence characters
•Italic characters (Epson mode only)
•Superscript/Subscript
•Graphics
Control codes program the printer to print special enhancements (italic,
bold, and so on), set character type,
or adjust line feed and spacing. You
can select either the I
BM or Epson control code set. When you select the
IBM code set, the printer emulates the IBM Proprinter
II (the factory de-
fault setting).
The Epson code set emulates the Epson FX-850 printer. By
selecting the appropriate operation mode, you can use the printer with
MS-DOS-compatible systems without code conversion and get the same
results
as you would with an IBM Proprinter II or Epson FX-850. For de-
tails, see "Setting the Print Function
(DIP) Switches."'
Acharacter set
is aspecific grouping of letters, numbers, and special sym-
bols that you can print on your printer.
The DMP 135 has five character
sets. Refer to the
OM P/35 Dot-Matrix Printer Technical Reference
manual to see the character sets named below.
In IBM mode:
•IBM Character Set 1
•IBM Character Set 2
•IBM All Character Set
In Epson mode:
•Italic Character Set
•Graphic Character Set
You can use two types of paper with the printer:
•Tractor-fed, 4.5- to lO-inch computer fanfold
paper with guide holes
•Friction-fed, single-sheet typewriter paper

About the Priuter
With the front panel controls, you can set various printer features. includ-
ing character pitch, left and right margins, and font (character style). You
can also use the front panel controls to move fanfold paper to the parked
position; this feature lets you use single-sheet paper without removing the
fanfold paper from your DMP 135.
You can also add color to your printing by using the optional Color Ribbon
Pack (Cat. No. 26-1235). This special pack contains three fabric ribbons-
one red, one blue, and one green.
Other features include:
•Underline capability
•Paper out alarm function
•Automatic paper loading
• Lightweight-weighs only 7.3 pounds
2

Getting Started
Unpacking the Printer
Carefully unpack the printer. Be sure to locate the ribbon, the paper rack,
the fanfold paper guide, and both manuals. Keep the empty box and pack-
ing material if you ever heed to store or move the printer. Remove the
tape from the top cover and open the cover. Then, remove the twist tie
securing the paper bail to the platen and close the cover.
Choosing aLocation
When you choose alocation for your printer, be sure to consider the
fOllowing:
•The work surface. Place the printer on asturdy surface.
• The length of the printer cable. This determines the distance from the
computer that you can place the printer.
•Space for paper. Be sure
to leave enough room for a smooth flow of
fanfold paper.
•Noise generation. Do not place the printer near electrical noise
generators, such as refrigerators or industrial equipment.
/
3

GellingStarted
Connecting the Printer
Connecting the Printer to aPower Source
Before plugging the power cord into an AC outlet, be sure to set the
printer's power switch to the off position. Also, be sure that you have not
connected the printer to the computer.
Connect the AC power plug to a120-volt, 60Hz AC outlet or an approved
power strip, such as Radio Shack's Plug-in Power Strip (Cat. No. 26-1396)
or the Power Switching System (Cat. No. 26-203). If you must stretch the
power cord across the back of the printer to reach the electrical outlet, the
power cord could interfere with the flow of fanfold paper. To prevent this,
position the cord behind the two tabs at the bottom of the rear panel.
These tabs keep the cord under the printer and out of the way.
Powr Switch
-
Power Cord Tab
The power switch is on the right side of the printer. To turn on the printer,
set the power switch to ON/I. To turn off the printer, set the power switch
to OFF/D. If the printer is on, the POWER indicator on the control panel
lights. Note that turning the printer off during operation causes the loss of
print data.
4

Connecting the Printer
Connecting the Printer to Your Computer
Before making any connections between the OMP 135 and your compu-
ter, turn off all units.
Cable Latches
Parallel Interface Connector
Be sure that you have the correct cable for connecting the computer to
your printer.
The following table lists the printer cables that Radio Shack
carries. See your computer manual for connection locations on the
computer.
Computer to Printer Cables
Computer Cable Cat.
No.
Tandy 1000 Series 26-289/26-1259
Tandy 1000RU1200/2500 Series/3000 Series 26-288/26-1258
Tandy 4000 Series/5000MC 26-288/26-1258
Tandy MS-DOS Laptop ComputerslWP-2 26-288/26-1258
1. Attach the molded male end of the cable to the connector on the back
of the printer. Do not force the plug. If it does not fit one way, turn
it over and try again.
2. Lock the printer cable
to the printer by snappingthe cable latches inward.
3. Guide the printer cable behind one of the two tabs at the bottom of the
rear panel. This tab keeps the printer cable
under the printer and out
of the way so that it does not interfere with the flow of fanfold paper.
4. Connect the
other end of the cable to your computer's printer port. See
your computer manual for specific instructions.
5

Get/ing Slarted
Installing the Fanfold Paper Guide
To help fanfold paper easily slide over the back of the printer, install the
fanfold paper guide.
Fanfold Paper Guide
1. Face the back
of the printer. Find the two slots in the back panel that
are even with the power cord.
2. Tilt the fanfold paper guide so that the two upper tabs hook into these
slots.
3. Lower the
paper guide until you hear the two lower tabs snap into
place.
6