Epson ActionPrinter 3250 - ActionPrinter-3250 Impact... Dimensions

EPSON AMERICA INC. EPSON

Product Support Bulletin

Subject: AP-3250 Commonly Asked Questions and Answers

Date: 4/3/92 PSB No: P-0084A

Page(s): 1 of 6

Originator: SLS/JV

This bulletin answers some commonly asked questions about the AP-3250 printer.

The questions and answers are listed below.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE AP-3250

Q. What is the AP-3250 printer?

The AP-3250 is Epson’s first narrow carriage light duty printer specifically

designed to meet the unique needs of the entry-level home computer

user.

Listed below are some of the key features of the AP-3250 printer:

- Epson ESC/P 2 command set

- Built-in paper cassette, holds up to 50 single sheets of letter size

paper

- Roman and Sans Serif fonts, scalable from 8 to 32 points

- High resolution 360 x 360 DPI bit-image graphics

- Convenient, easy-to-use two button control panel

- Print Speed:

200 CPS Draft at 12 CPI

72 CPS Letter Quality at 12 CPI

- Quiet operation, only 50 dB(A)

- Built-in 11KB input buffer

- Small size and small footprint

- Epson’s two year limited warranty with unlimited 800 number free

technical support

2. Q.

Is the AP-3250 printer a replacement or addition to the Epson printer line?

The AP-3250 print is a replacement product. It replaces the AP-3000 /

LQ-200 printer.

PSB No: P-0084A

Page: 2 of 6

Q. What is the Epson ESC/P 2 command set?

As the leading impact printer vendor, the Epson Standard Codes for

Printers (ESC/P) has become a de facto standard for most dot matrix

printers. Epson Standard Codes are featured by most other vendors as

an immediate entry into a wide range of third party software. As the

market continues to develop new requirements, Epson has moved to

improve its standard by offering a version called ESC/P 2.

Q. What are the benefits of ESC/P 2?

The features of ESC/P 2 are divided into two categories: Scalable Fonts,

and Enhanced Graphics.

SCALABLE FONTS: ESC/P 2 provided access to Scalable Roman and

Sans Serif fonts. The Scalable Fonts are available in even increments

from 8 to 32 points. In addition to these sizes, 10.5 and 21 point sizes are

also available. Epson printers with ESC/P 2 perform the calculations

necessary to scale the fonts. The Scalable Fonts are most easily selected

within application software programs that provide ESC/P 2 printer drivers.

ENHANCED GRAPHICS: ESC/P 2 also provides Enhanced Graphics

capabilities in certain software applications supporting the raster graphics

mode of ESC/P 2. Enhanced Graphics is defined as a finer, more

accurate placement of printed dots leading to greater clarity of text and

sharper more detailed graphics in graphical printing environments such as

Microsoft Windows or Lotus 1-2-3. Enhanced Graphics also allows for

true 360 horizontal DPI printing with a single pass of the print head,

creating better print quality and faster print speeds than other dot-matrix

printers.

When printing multi-page documents, what would cause the AP-3250 to

print the first page correctly but print too low on the following pages?

This difference in print position is easy to adjust in most software

application programs. Most application programs have a default page

length of 66 lines per page when using 11" continuous paper. Since the

AP-3250 uses single sheets of paper, it automatically provides a small top

and bottom margin. Since these margins are non-printable area, the AP-

3250’s maximum number of lines per page when using 11” singe sheet

paper is 61 lines. Most software application programs include an option to

6. Q.

Why is a ON-LINE/OFF-LINE or PAUSE button not present on the

AP-3250’s front panel?

The AP-3250 printer was designed to be as easy to use as possible.

Because of this, the AP-3250 was designed any unnecessary buttons.

The AP-3250 automatically goes into a ready condition after being

powered on. (See the question below for additional information.)

Why does the AP-3250 produce two (2) long and two (2) short beeps

when first power-on?

The AP-3250 produces these beeps at power-on to indicate that it has

completed its power-on initialization process and is ready to print.

What are the product codes for AP-3250 options and supplies?

Listed below are the product codes for the AP-3250 optional push tractor

and ribbon cartridge.

S015032

C800262 Fabric Ribbon Cartridge

Push Tractor

Q. What is the advantage of purchasing an optional Push Tractor?

PSB No: P-0084A

Page: 3 of 6

adjust the maximum number of lines per page. Decreasing the program’s

maximum number of lines per page by 5 (e.g. 61 lines) should correct for

this print position difference.

The optional Push Tractor allows the AP-3250 to use continuous narrow

carriage paper while still maintaining the ability to use the AP-3250’s built-

in single sheet paper cassette. When using the optional push tractor, the

AP-3250 can accept a two part carbonless multi-part form with a total

thickness up to 0.18mm.

10.

Q. What interface does the AP-3250 come standard with?

The AP-3250 comes standard with a built-in Centronics compatible parallel

interface.

PSB No: P-0084A

Page: 4 of 6

11.

Q. How do I use the AP-3250 to operate with serial communications?

A. The AP-3250 only operates with parallel communications.

12.

Q. If a printer driver selection is not shown for the AP-3250 in my application

software programs, which printer driver selection should I choose?

The recommended printer driver selections for the AP-3250 are listed

below in order from best to worst.

AP-3250 BEST

LQ-570/1070

LQ-870/1170

LQ-510

LQ-860

LQ-850

LQ-200

LQ-500

LQ-2550

LQ-2500

LQ-800

LQ-1500

Generic Epson WORST

To take full advantage of the AP-3250’s features, including ESC/P 2,

choose one of the first three printers listed above. If none of these printer

selections are available from within your application software, contact your

software manufacturer to determine whether they offer a printer driver

update or if they plan to make one available in the future.

13.

Q. What are the AP-3250 printer’s rated text mode print speeds?

The AP-3250 printer’s print speeds are listed below

Characters/inch Draft CPS LQ CPS Printable Columns

167

60 80

200

72 96

250

120

17.1

103 103 137

120 120 160

Note: CPS = Characters Per Second

PSB No: P-0084A

Page: 5 of 6

14. Q. Does the AP-3250 use DIP switches?

No, the AP-3250 does not use DIP switches. The various features

settings are selected through use of the two buttons on the printer’s front

panel.

15.

Q. Can the AP-3250 print on labels?

Yes, the AP-3250 can print on labels. The optional pull tractor is used to

load continuous labels.

16.

Q. Can the AP-3250 print on envelopes?

Yes, the AP-3250 can print on envelopes. The envelopes are loaded at

the rear of the printer by using the printer’s manual insertion slot.

(Note:

The printer must be placed in the upright position first.)

17.

Q. Can the AP-3250 print on legal size paper?

Yes, the AP-3250 can print on legal paper. Legal size paper is loaded at

the rear of the printer by using the printer’s manual insertion slot.

(Note:

The printer must be placed in the upright position first.)

18.

Q. The AP-3250’s User’s Guide lists information on 120, 220 and 240 volt

versions of this printer.

How can I purchase a 220 or 240 volt version of

this printer?

The AP-3250 is available only in the 120 volt configuration in the U.S.A..

19.

Q. Can the AP-3250 print in landscape orientation?

Yes, but the AP-3250 requires the use of a software application program

because landscape characters are not included in its built-in characters

set. Two very popular software application programs for printing in the

landscape mode are Sideways and Always.

PSB No: P-0084A

Page: 6 of 6

20.

Q. Why is the AP-3250’s parallel cable connector located on the side of the

printer instead of the rear like most other printers?

Since the AP-3250 may be operated in two different positions it was

necessary to relocate the parallel cable connector to the side of the

printer.

21.

Q. Can different fonts be selected on the AP-3250’s front panel?

Yes, different fonts may be selected from the AP-3250’s front panel by

using the font button. However, all font selections made from the front

panel can be overridden by an software application program. The

recommended method to select fonts is through the program that you are

using to print. If the program does not provide font selection abilities, then

the printer’s font panel is very useful.

22.

Q. When printing high density (360 x 360 DPI) bit-image graphics why does

ink smearing sometimes occur on the outside edges of the printout with

certain print patterns?

The AP-3250 builds the graphic image by making multiple passes when

printing high density graphics. Dependant upon the printed pattern and

the ink absorption factor of the paper being used, ink smearing may occur

on the edges of the printed pattern. This occurrence is much less

noticeable when printing at resolutions lower than 360 x 360 DPI. Should

this phenomenon be encountered, select a lower graphic resolution in your

software program.

EPSON AMERICA INC.

EPSON

Product Support Bulletin

Subject:

Understanding and Using

ESCP/2

Commands and Syntax

Date: 12/4/91

Page(s): 1 of 14

PSB No: P-0082

Originator: JW

This bulletin provides detailed explanations and illustrations for some of the more

commonly used printer commands used in ESC/P2 Listed below are the

commands discussed in this bulletin.

Command Command Name PSB Page

ESC X m n1 n2

Select Pitch and Point Size

ESC ( C m1 m2 n1 n1

Set Page Length in Defined Units 5

ESC(vm1 m2 n1 n2

Set Relative Vertical Position 6

ESC(Vm1 m2 n1 n2

Set Absolute Vertical Position 8

ESCtn

Select Character Table

ESC ( t n1 n2 d1 d2 d3

Assign Character Table

ESC( ^ n1 n2 d1...d2

Print Data as Characters

PSB No: P-0082

Page: 2 of 14

ESC X m n1 n2

(Select Pitch and Point Size)

C X m n1 n2 is the command for selecting pitch and point size where m, n1 and

n2 are variables. The variable "m" is used to select the pitch which is the character

spacing. The variable "n1" selects the point size and the variable “n2”, at this time,

will always be 0 (zero). The variables "m" and "n1" are explained below.

The values used for ’m’ are 0,1,18,21,24,30,36,42,48,60, and 72. If "0" is

used as the value for ”m”, there will be no change in pitch. If "1" is used as the

value for "m", the character pitch will be proportional spacing. To determine the

character pitch for all other values of "m", divide 360 by "m".

For example, if m=60

then 360 divided by 60 equals 6 and the character pitch is 6 characters per inch. If

m=30, the character pitch is 12 characters per inch.

For the Roman and Sans Serif fonts, the values used for "n1" are 0,16,20,21,24,

28,32,36,40,42,44,48,52,56,60 and 84. For all other fonts, the values used for

"n1" are 0,21, and 42. The actual point size that will print is n1 divided by 2. For

example, if n1=20, the point size is 10. If n1=48, the point size is 24.

NOTE:

When selecting a point size larger than 24 (the value for n1 is greater than 48)

select proportional spacing (m=1) for the character pitch.

In the Basic programming language, the command would look like this.

LPRlNT CHR$(27);"X";CHR$(1);CHR$(48);CHR$(0);”This is 24 point proportional

spaced”

Chr$(27) is ESC, chr$(1) selects proportional spacing, chr$(48) selects 24 point

character size. At this time, n2 is always zero (0).

PSB No: P-0082

Page: 3 of 14

10 INPUT “Point Size”;A$

B=VAL(A$)*2

RESTORE 70

22 FOR X=1 TO 16

23 READY

IF B=Y THEN GOTO 30

25 NEXT X

26 CLS

27 PRINT A$ ” is not a valid point size choice.”

20 GOTO 10

30 C=VAL(A$)

40 LPRINT CHR$(27);“X”;CHR$(1);CHR$(B);CHR$(0);”These are “;A$;” point

characters”

LPRINT CHR$(27);“(v”;CHR$(2);CHR$(C);CHR$(C);CHR$(0)

GOTO 10

70 DATA 0,16,20,21,24,28,32,36,40,42,44,48,52,56,60,64

Line 10 -

allows you to specify the point size desired.

Line 20 -

computes the value for “n1” in the ESC X command.

tine 21 -

check to ensure that a valid point size was input

If the point size is

valid, the program jumps to line 30. If the point size is not valid, the

program prints a message on the screen and starts over again.

Line 30 - computes the value for “n1” for advancing paper using the ESC ( v

command.

Line 40 - sends the “Set Pitch and Point Size” command to the printer. (Note: The

pitch is set for proportional spacing for all point sizes to ensure proper

character spacing regardless of the point size.)

Line 50 -

sends the “Set Relative Vertical Position” command to the printer. This

command advances the paper in preparation for printing the next line.

Line 60

causes the program to start again at the beginning.

NOTE: To halt the program, hold down the “Ctrl” key and press the “C” key.

PSB No: P-0082

Page: 4 of 14

These are 8 point characters

These are 10 point characters

These are 10.5 point characters

These are 12 point characters

These are 14 point characters

These are 16 point characters

These are 18 point characters

These

are 20 point characters

These are 21 point characters

These are 22 point characters

These are 24 point characters

These are 26 point characters

These are 28 point characters

These are 30 point characters

These are 32 point characters

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