Epson LQ-670

Product Controls: EPSON LQ-670

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

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

Default Setting Mode - Font + Power-On

EPROM Reset - Condensed + Tearoff/Bin + Power-On

Quiet mode - Font + Condensed + Power-On

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

Microfeed Forward - Press Pause for 3 seconds (until Pause light flashes), then press Load/Eject to move the loading position down on the page

Microfeed Backward - Press Pause for 3 seconds (until Pause light flashes), then press LF/FF to move the loading position up on the page

What is SmartPark?

SmartPark is an advanced paper handling feature. SmartPark allows consecutive use of continuous paper and single sheets without having to remove the continuous tractor paper. It parks the current paper choice out of the way, while positioning another for printing. The SmartPark feature is not available when using the printer in pull tractor position.

What is short form tear-off for?

The short form tear-off feature automatically feeds the perforation of continuous paper to the tear-off position of the top cover when printing is complete. When printing, the paper feeds back to the top-of-form loading position.

My printer prints fine from MS-DOS. Why am I getting garbage only in Windows?

If you have already reconnected the cable on the computer and the printer, changed to another cable, and are positive you are using a fully-shielded parallel cable, chances are that you are having a conflict in Windows. The Print Manager or the printer driver usually causes the conflict in Windows. Save your work, then exit Windows (this will clear the Print Manager of any pending print jobs). Go back into Windows and verify the printer driver that has been selected is correct. To verify the driver in Windows 3.x, go to the Control Panel and choose Printers. For Windows 95 or 98, click on Start, go to Settings, choose Printers. Make sure that the driver you have selected as your default printer is compatible. Try printing again. If you are still getting garbage, disable the Windows Print Manager. In Windows 3.x, go to the Control Panel, choose Printers, and remove the "x" from the box in front of Use Print Manager, then click Close. For Windows 95 or 98, click Start, go to Settings, choose Printers, point to the default printer then right click once on your mouse. Select Properties, go to the Details tab, click on the Spool Settings button, and choose the option "Print directly to the printer." Click OK to exit the Properties window, click OK again to save the new setting, exit the Printers window, then restart Windows 95 or 98. Try printing again. If this does not resolve your problem, take the cable and printer to another computer to determine if the problem is hardware related. If the printer prints fine from another computer, have your computer's port tested.

Will this printer emulate an IBM Proprinter?

Yes, the printer has an IBM emulation, selectable through the Default Settings mode.

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 1/180th 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.

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

Choose from any of the following printer drivers: LQ-2170, LQ-2070, LQ-570+/LQ-1070+, Action Printer 5000+, Action Printer 5000, LQ-870/1170, LQ-850+/1050+, LQ-850/1050, LQ-510/550/1010, LQ-670, LQ-200, LQ-500, LQ-860+, LQ-2550, LQ-2500, LQ-800/1000, LQ-1500.

Can I use the platen knob to load and adjust paper?

No, the platen knob is not to be used to load or adjust paper. The knob should only be used to clear paper jams after the printer has been turned off. Use the Load/Eject button to load or remove paper and the Microfeed feature to adjust the top-of-form position of the paper.

Draft is not on the list of fonts. Can I access the printer's front panel fonts from Windows?

You can access the Draft and resident printer panel fonts from Windows if you are using the LQ-570+, LQ-1070+ LQ-870 or LQ-1170 Scalable font drivers. Drivers can be downloaded from the EPSON Website.

Can the LQ-670 accommodate continuous multipart paper?

Yes. In addition to single sheet document printing capabilities, the LQ-670 comes standard with a rear push tractor. The rear push tractors allow the LQ-670 to switch easily between hand fed documents fed through the front paper tray or continuous paper using rear push tractor.

Can the EPSON LQ-670 automatically feed individual multipart forms?

Yes, by using an Optional Cut Sheet Feeder the LQ-670 can automatically feed individual multipart documents or sheets of paper.

The printer starts printing too far down the page. Is there any way I can adjust the starting point of the print job?

There is a feature called Microfeed that allows you to adjust the top-of-form (TOF) position in increments of 1/180th 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, send a print job. The printer will remember the TOF setting and will position the print head accordingly for the next page.

Why does my printer print garbage from MS-DOS?

When a printer prints garbage, it can indicate 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 again. If you are still getting garbage, change the cable. We recommend getting a fully shielded cable, preferably six-feet or less in length. If you are still experiencing problems after changing your cable, you may have a computer or printer port issue.

How do you select bar codes on the LQ-670?

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.

The single sheet paper is feeding in crooked or keeps jamming. What should I do to correct this?

Remove the paper guide and install it as described in "Attaching the paper guide" in Chapter 1 of your users manual. Move the edge guides so that they match the width of your paper. Be sure you're using the right type of paper. Also, use only new, clean sheets of paper.

The printer has stopped printing and the pause light is flashing. Why has the printer stopped printing?

The print head maybe overheated. Wait a few minutes and the printer should resume printing automatically. If the printer does start printing again, then it may require a service.

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 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 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.

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 can I change the printer's default settings?

There are two ways to change the default settings on the printer. You can use the EPSON Remote! utility program to change the printer's default settings from your computer or you can change the default settings manually with the printer's front control panel buttons.

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.