Epson FX-1180

Product Controls: EPSON FX-1180

Printer's Self-Test - LF/FF + Power-On (Draft) or Load/Eject + Power-On (NLQ)

Hex Dump Mode - Load/Eject + LF/FF + Power-On

Default Setting Mode - Tear Off/Bin

Default Setting Mode (2) - Tear Off/Bin + LF/FF + Power-On

Paper Park - Hold Load/Eject button until continuous paper feeds backward to the paper park position

Micro Adjust Forward - Press Pause for 3 seconds (until Pause light flashes), then press Load/Eject to move the paper forward

Micro Adjust Backward - Press Pause for 3 seconds (until Pause light flashes), then press LF/FF to move the paper backward

Adjustment mode - Pause + Power-On

My printer will not power-on at all when I connect the parallel cable. What should I do?

Disconnect the cable from the back of the printer and see if the power comes on. If the printer turns on after disconnecting the cable, you probably have a cable problem. Try a different cable, making sure that it is fully-shielded and preferably six-feet or less in length. If a different cable still has the same problem, try "masking" pin 31 on the cable connector that attaches to the printer. If you decide to mask pin 31, use masking or electrical tape.

Why does my printer print garbage from MS-DOS and Windows?

When a printer prints garbage, it usually indicates a faulty cable or a loose connection. Power OFF your printer and computer. Disconnect and reconnect the cable on the printer and computer. Once the cable has been reconnected, power the printer and computer back ON. Try printing from MS-DOS. If you are still getting garbage, change the cable. We recommend getting a fully shielded cable, preferably 6 feet or less in length. If you are still experiencing problems after changing your cable, you may have a computer or printer port issue. If you take the cable and printer to another computer and it works fine, have your computer's port checked by an authorized dealer. If it still gives you garbage from another computer, have the printer taken in to be serviced.

Why won't the printer print serially from my PC?

If you are using a straight through modem cable, change the cable to a null modem cable (pins 2 and 3 are reversed). If you are already using a null modem cable, ensure that the Default Settings for the serial port on the printer match the settings on your computer. There is always the possibility of a loose connection or a bad cable. Disconnect and reconnect the cable on the PC and the printer and try printing again. If you are still experiencing difficulty, try a different cable or take the printer to another computer to see if the computer's port is malfunctioning.

What driver should I choose in my MS-DOS program?

Choose from any of the following printer drivers: FX-2170, FX-880, FX-870/1170, FX-850/1050, FX-800/1000, FX-85/105, FX-80+/100+, FX-80/100.

What is EPSON Status Monitor and what does it do?

EPSON Status Monitor is a new software utility program for Windows 95 or 98 included with the printer that provides printer status, error conditions and troubleshooting instructions back to the user. For example, by using the Background Monitoring feature, users can monitor printers more conveniently and efficiently automatically checking a selected printers status (in the background). The Status Monitor 2 utility bundled with the printer is for Windows 95. The Status Monitor 2 utility bundled with the Ethernet card (C823572) is for Windows NT.

What is the recommended duty cycle for the printer?

The specification recommended is 25 percent. Epson's definition of a 25 percent duty cycle stands for the printer printing (not idle) for two hours per day based on an eight hour day at 22 days per month.

What is micro-adjustment used for?

The micro-adjustment feature allows you to make fine top-of-form adjustments and short form tear-off position adjustments in increments of 1/216th of an inch. The printer remembers adjustments made to continuous paper, even after the printer is turned off. When micro-adjust reaches the minimum or maximum adjustment point, the printer will begin to beep continuously. Different top-of-form settings can be set for both front and rear feed paper paths.

What are the most commonly used escape codes?

Some commonly used escape codes include (in decimal values) - Reset (27, 64); Set page length in lines (27, 67, n - where n is a number from 1 to 127); Carriage return (13); Line feed (10); Form feed (12); Select 1/8-inch line spacing (27, 48); 10 cpi (27, 80); 12 cpi (27, 77); Select bold font (27, 69); Cancel bold font (27, 70); Select italic font (27, 52); Cancel italic font (27, 53); Turn underline on/off (27, 45, n - where n equals 49=ON or 48=OFF); Select condensed print (15); Cancel condensed print (18). For more escape codes, please refer to the Command Summary of your User's Manual.

When printing from MS-DOS applications, I'm getting italic characters instead of lines.

To print lines instead of characters, the printer needs to be in graphics mode. Select a graphics character table (PC437). To switch to PC437, enter your Default Settings mode and select character table PC437.

I'm printing serial, my baud rate is at 9600, and intermittently the printer will lose data. What can I do to correct this?

If you are using a non-buffered serial interface board and XON/XOFF is enabled, the XOFF signal may not reach the printer in time to delay data transmission that would result in an overflow and loss of data. If you can use a DTR setting, change XON/XOFF to DTR. If you must use XON/XOFF, try decreasing the baud rate. Another option would be to purchase a 32KB buffered serial interface card (C823071). The buffered serial interface has a flag reset timing, which sets aside additional buffer space to "catch" the data overflow. The flag reset timing feature settings are selectable through dip switches on the serial interface card.

I was printing labels and one of the labels peeled off. Now my paper won't feed. Can I remove the platen to get the label out?

No, you cannot remove the platen from the printer. If you press the LF/FF button and the label does not appear on the platen for you to remove, you will need to take the printer in to be serviced. When printing labels, it is recommended that you only print with a pull tractor. Labels have a tendency to curl and peel off underneath the platen when being fed through the rear push tractor.

What is short form tear-off for?

The short form tear-off feature will help save paper. If you are using the tractor in the front or rear push position, you can use the tear-off feature to advance your continuos paper to the printer's tear-off edge when you finish printing. Then you can easily tear off the printed sheets and save the paper normally lost between documents. When printing resumes, the paperfeeds back to the top-of-form loading position.

The printer starts printing too high or low on the page. Is there any way I can adjust the starting point of the print job?

There is a feature called Micro Adjust that allows you to adjust the top-of-form (TOF) position in increments of 1/216th of an inch. To use this feature, load the paper into the printer. Press the Pause button for three seconds (until Pause light flashes), then press LF/FF to move the paper forward or press Load/Eject to move the paper backward. Once you have the TOF position set where you want it, press the Pause button, then send a print job. The printer will remember the TOF setting and will position the print head accordingly for the next page.

Will this printer emulate an IBM printer?

Yes, the printer has an IBM 2380 Plus emulation, selectable through the Default Settings mode or through the DOS Control Panel Utility.

How do you select bar codes on the FX-880?

The eight built-in bar codes are only selectable through software using an ESC code sequence. The built-in bar codes include: EAN-13, EAN-8, Interleaved 2 of 5, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 39, Code 128, and POSTNET.

There is paper loaded on the tractor unit. Why won't the printer load paper?

Make sure the paper release lever is set to the tractor position. Facing the back of the printer, make sure the paper is loaded over to the left side of the printer. The paper sensor is located on the left side of the printer. If the sensor does not sense that there is paper loaded, the printer will not operate properly.

Does the printer support Apple EtherTalk?

Yes, with the optional Ethernet/EtherTalk interface card available through EPSON Accessories.