Epson FX-880T

Product Controls:

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

What printer does the FX-880T printer emulate?

The EPSON ® FX-880T works like the Okidata® Microline® 320 Turbo, but with more flexible paper handling, faster printing, and a 2-year warranty. The factory settings are set for IBM 2380 Plus printer emulation, however it can also emulate an EPSON FX-880 or Okidata Microline 320 Turbo. Note: You must install the correct printer driver for the printer to work correctly.

How do I change the default settings?

The FX-880T comes configured with certain default settings. You can change these settings when needed through the Default Setting Mode, as described in Chapter 5 of your User's Guide. The instructions below explain how to change the character pitch, bottom margin, and software emulation. (The character pitch and bottom margin settings are not covered in the User's Guide.)

1. To enter default setting mode, make sure the printer is off. Then hold down the Tear Off/Bin button while you press the Operate button to turn on the printer. The printer prints 2 pages of instructions, the first showing the menu of options, and the second showing the LED (light) status for each option setting.

2. Looking at the first page of instructions, find the option you want to change and press the Tear Off/Bin button until the Font and Tear Off/Bin lights indicate the option you want:

3. Now look at the second page and find the setting you want for the option you want to change. Press the Load/Eject button until the Pause and Paper Out lights indicate the correct setting. (An arrow appears next to the current setting.)

4. When you are done changing the settings, press the Operate button to exit default setting mode and turn off the printer.

How do I select the Number of Lines Per Inch?

The printer comes configured to print 6 lines per inch. You can change it to 8 lines per inch (and back to 6 lines per inch) by entering the control codes below from DOS or UNIX®.

How do I install the EPSON FX-880T printer driver using the EPSON USB adapter cable with Windows 98 or Windows 2000?

Close any applications and windows before you begin the installation. Make sure your printer is turned off and disconnected from the computer.

1. Turn off your printer and disconnect it from your computer. (If you see the Add New Hardware Wizard, click Cancel.)
2. Insert the FX-880T printer driver floppy disk
3. Double-click Setup to start the installation.
4. You should see the Printer Driver setup screen (if not, double-click setup.exe on the floppy disk or in the folder where the files installed).
5. Click OK. The printer driver begins installing to your system.
6. You see the EPSON Printer Utility Setup screen.
7. Connect your printer to the computer using the EPSON USB adapter cable.
8. Turn the printer on.
9. Your system completes the installation.

How do I uninstall the printer driver from Windows 98?

If you need to uninstall your printer driver and USB device driver software, follow these steps:

1. Turn off your printer and disconnect it from your computer.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, then Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
4. Select EPSON Printer Software in the list, then click Add/Remove. Follow the on-screen prompts to finish removing your Epson FX-880T software. When done, the Add/Remove Programs dialog box returns.
5. Select EPSON USB Printer Devices, then click Add/Remove. Follow the on-screen prompts to finish removing the software.
6. When done, reboot your computer.

How do I uninstall the printer driver from Windows 2000?

If you need to uninstall your printer driver and USB device driver software, follow these steps:

1. Leave your printer connected to the computer during the uninstall.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, then Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
4. Select EPSON Printer Software. Then click Change/Remove.
5. If more than one printer is shown, make sure the Epson FX-880T icon is selected. Then click OK and follow the on-screen instructions to finish removing the printer driver software. When done, close the Add/Remove Programs dialog box. Then continue with the following steps to remove the USB device driver software.
6. In the Windows Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Hardware. Click Next.
7. Select Uninstall/Unplug a device, then click Next.
8. Select Uninstall a device, then click Next.
9. Select USB Printing Support. (You may have to scroll down in the list to see it.) Then click Next and follow the on-screen instruction to finish uninstalling the software.
10. When done, unplug the USB adapter cable from your computer.

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, wrong printer driver or a loose connection. Check to make sure the driver matches the printer emulation mode. Next 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 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 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.

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

Choose from any of the following printer drivers: FX-2170, FX-880T, FX-870/1170, FX-850/1050, FX-800/1000, FX-85/105, FX-80+/100+, FX-80/100. Make sure your printer is set to Epson ESC/P mode

What are the EPSON Status Monitor and EPSON Remote! utilities and where can I find them?

The EPSON Remote! and Status Monitor utilities, which are described in your FX-880/FX-1180 User's Guide are standard with the FX-880/FX-1180 but not included with the FX-880T.

Does the printer support Apple EtherTalk?

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

What is the recommended duty cycle for the printer?

The specification recommended is 25 percent. Epson America'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 for the EPSON ESC/P mode?

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. If you need to use advanced escape codes for programming purposes, you can purchase an ESC/P Reference Manual from EPSON Accessories.

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.

How do you select bar codes on my printer?

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.

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 paper feeds 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.

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.