Oki ML490 Series User manual
User’s
Guide
59348401
2
Microline 490/491 User’s Guide
P/N 59348401 Revision 1.2
February 2007
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in
this document is complete, accurate, and up-to-date. Oki Data
assumes no responsibility for the results of errors beyond its
control. Oki Data also cannot guarantee that changes in
software and equipment made by other manufacturers and
referred to in this guide will not affect the applicability of the
information in it. Mention of software products manufactured
by other companies does not necessarily constitute
endorsement by Oki Data.
Copyright 2003, 2007by Oki Data. All rights reserved.
Written and produced by the Oki Data Training and
Publications Department.
Web Site: http://www.okiprintigsolutions.com.
Trademark Information
OKI and MICROLINE are registered
trademarks of Oki Electric Industry
Company, Ltd.
Epson is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Corp.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and
other countries.
3
Safety
Your Oki printer has been carefully designed to give you years
of safe, reliable performance. As with all electrical equipment,
there are a few basic precautions you should take to avoid
hurting yourself or damaging the printer:
• Carefully read all setup and operating instructions. Be sure
to save all documents for future reference.
• Read and follow all warning and instruction labels on the
printer itself.
• Place your printer on a firm, solid surface. If you put in on
something unsteady, it might fall and be damaged.
• Avoid overheating the printer. Do not place it on a soft
surface, such as a rug, sofa, or bed. The vents may be
blocked, causing the printer to overheat.
• The printer must be installed near a power outlet which will
remain easily accessible.
• Be certain that your power source matches the rating listed
on the back of the printer. If you aren’t sure, check with your
dealer or with your local power company.
• Your printer has a grounded, 3-prong plug as a safety feature.
It will only fit into a grounded outlet. If you can not plug it
in, chances are that you have an older, non-grounded outlet.
Contact an electrician to have it replaced with a grounded
outlet. Do not use an adapter to defeat the grounding.
• To avoid damaging the power cord, do not put anything on it
or place it where it will be walked on. If the cord becomes
damaged or frayed, replace it immediately.
• If you’re using an extension cord or power strip with the
printer, make sure that the total of the amperes required by all
the equipment on the extension is less than the extension’s
rating. Generally, the total ratings of all equipment plugged
into any one power line should not exceed 15 amperes. Don’t
exceed this unless you know that the power line your
equipment is plugged into has a rating above 15 amperes.
4Microline 490/491 User’s Guide
• Unplug the printer before you clean it. Use only a damp
cloth. Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners.
• To protect your printer from overheating, make sure no
openings on the printer are blocked. Do not put the printer on
or near a heat source, such as a radiator or heat register. If
you put the printer in any kind of enclosure, make sure it is
well ventilated.
• The printhead can get quite hot when it has been printing for
a length of time. Do not touch the printhead until it has had a
chance to cool off.
• Do not use your printer near water. Do not spill liquid of any
kind into it.
• Do not poke anything into the ventilation slots on the sides of
the printer. You could get a shock or cause a fire.
• Aside from the routine maintenance described in this
document, don’t try to service the printer yourself. Opening
the cover may expose you to shocks or other hazards. Don’t
make any adjustments other than those outlined in the
document. You might cause damage requiring extensive
repair work.
• If anything happens that indicates that your printer is not
working properly or has been damaged, unplug it
immediately. Then, follow the procedures in “Service and
Support” for having your printer serviced.
These are some of the things to look for:
– The power cord or plug is frayed or damaged.
– Liquid has been spilled into the housing, or the printer has
been exposed to water.
– The printer has been dropped or its cabinet has been
damaged.
– The printer doesn’t function normally when you’re
following the operating instructions.
5
Safety............................................................................ 3
Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................. 7
Printer Features............................................................................... 7
Chapter 2: Helpful Hints ........................................... 8
Saving Money: Forms Tear-Off...................................................... 8
Saving Time.................................................................................... 8
Internet Support ........................................................................... 8
Paper Park .................................................................................... 8
Operation Tips ................................................................................ 9
Top of Form (TOF) ...................................................................... 9
Turning the Platen Knob .............................................................. 9
Controlling Access to the Printer ................................................. 9
Chapter 3: Using Your Printer ................................ 10
Parts Identification: Rear Feed (Continuous Forms).................... 10
Parts Identification: Top Feed (Single Sheets) ............................. 11
Top of Form (TOF)....................................................................... 12
Top of Form (TOF) and Forms Tear-Off.................................... 12
Determining if Forms Tear-Off is Off or On.............................. 13
Setting Top of Form (TOF):
Forms Tear-Off OFF (Default Setting) ...................................... 14
Setting Top of Form (TOF):
Forms Tear-Off Set to ON .......................................................... 15
Temporarily Changing the Top of Form Position ...................... 16
Resetting Top of Form to the Factory Default ........................... 16
Forms Tear-Off Feature ................................................................ 17
Potential Problems with Software Packages .............................. 17
Changing the Forms Tear-Off Setting........................................ 18
Manual Forms Tear Off.............................................................. 18
Paper Park..................................................................................... 18
Changing Paper Paths................................................................... 19
Continuous Forms to Single Sheets ........................................... 19
Single Sheets to Continuous Forms ........................................... 20
Printhead Gap ............................................................................... 21
Print Quality ................................................................................. 22
Typefaces: LQ Mode .................................................................... 23
Character Pitch ............................................................................. 24
Printer Reset ................................................................................. 25
Emulations .................................................................................... 25
Contents
6Microline 490/491 User’s Guide
Chapter 4: Menu Mode ............................................ 26
Menu Mode Keys....................................................................... 26
Entering and Exiting Menu Mode ............................................. 27
Resetting the Menu to the Factory Defaults .............................. 27
Printing the Menu Settings......................................................... 27
Changing the Menu Settings ...................................................... 28
Menu Settings Table................................................................... 29
Explanations of Menu Items ...................................................... 35
Chapter 5: Maintenance........................................... 41
Replacing the Ribbon Cartridge ................................................... 41
Loading Paper............................................................................... 43
Rear Feed ................................................................................... 43
Top Feed (Single Sheets) ........................................................... 52
Clearing Paper Jams ..................................................................... 54
Rear-Feed Paper Jams ................................................................ 54
Rear-Feed, Repeating Paper Jams.............................................. 55
Single-Sheet Paper Jams ............................................................ 57
Cleaning the Housing ................................................................... 58
Chapter 6: Troubleshooting ..................................... 59
General Information ..................................................................... 59
Problems / Solutions..................................................................... 60
Appendix A: Parts & Accessories............................ 65
Purchasing Parts & Accessories ................................................... 65
Replacement Parts ........................................................................ 66
Accessories ................................................................................... 67
Appendix B: Printer Control Codes ....................... 68
Epson LQ Commands .................................................................. 68
IBM Proprinter X24e / XL24e and IBM X24e AGM / XL24e
AGM Commands ......................................................................... 72
Appendix C: Specifications...................................... 75
Appendix D: Installation.......................................... 81
Location........................................................................................ 81
Unpack.......................................................................................... 81
Install the Ribbon Cartridge....................................................... 84
Power Connection ........................................................................ 85
Computer Connections ................................................................. 85
Parallel (LPT): IEEE 1284 ......................................................... 85
USB: Specification 1.1 Compliant............................................. 86
Loading Paper............................................................................... 86
Testing the Printer......................................................................... 87
Font Sample Test ........................................................................ 87
Rolling ASCII Test ..................................................................... 88
Hexadecimal Dump Mode ......................................................... 89
Emulations .................................................................................... 89
Printer Drivers .............................................................................. 89
Loading the OKI Driver............................................................. 90
Using a Compatible Driver ........................................................ 90
Index .......................................................................... 91
7
Chapter 1: Introduction
Oki Data on the Internet
The Oki Data Web Sites provide the most current information
available on your printer.
On-line documents are available for viewing and downloading
via Oki Data’s Web Sites.
You may reach Oki Data via the Internet at:
•www.okidata.com
•my.okidata.com
Printer Features
• Super reliable, durable operation: 20,000 hours Mean Time
Between Failures (MTBF) at 25% duty cycle and 35% page
density
• Advanced paper handling, with built-in rear push tractor and
zero-tear forms capability.
• Blazing print speeds, in characters per second
(depending on characters per inch selected):
–High Speed Draft Mode: 420 cps (10 cpi)
–Utility Mode: 269 to 472 cps
–Letter Quality Mode: 105 to 220 cps
• This rugged 24-pin printer can meet the needs of harsh and
demanding environments.
8
Chapter 2: Helpful Hints
Saving Time
Internet Support
Oki Data provides support via the Internet:
•www.okidata.com is the main web site, the gateway to Oki
Data’s products and services.
•http://my.okidata.com is a powerful area of Oki Data’s web
site designed to help you personalize the information and
service you get from Oki Data.
Paper Park
Your printer’s paper park feature allows you to print a single
sheet (cut-sheet) page without removing continuous feed paper
from the printer.
For more information, see “Paper Park” in Chapter 3: Using
Your Printer.
Saving Money: Forms Tear-Off
The Forms Tear-Off feature allows a printed continuous forms
page to be torn off without wasting paper or adjusting the
printer.
When printing stops, Forms Tear-Off automatically moves the
paper to align the perforation with the tear bar (located under
the access cover), after a time interval which you select through
the menu.
Paper remains in the tear-off position until the printer receives
more data. Then, the paper moves back down for printing.
Note: This feature is normally turned off.
Important!
Forms Tear-Off and the Top of Form settings interact. For
more information, see “Top of Form (TOF) and Forms Tear-
Off” in Chapter 3: UsingYour Printer.
Helpful Hints 9
Operation Tips
Top of Form (TOF)
Top of Form (TOF) sets the print start position. The factory
default is 1" from the top.
The Top of Form can be changed in increments of 1/180",
either for a single print job or set to a new default. The overall
amount of adjustment is limited to avoid paper jams.
The first line prints at the red line of the plastic paper shield (1)
on the printhead.
For more information, see “Top of Form (TOF)” in Chapter 3.
Turning the Platen Knob
Important!
Always turn the printer off before turning the platen knob! If
you turn the platen knob when the printer is on, the Top of
Form misaligns.
Controlling Access to the Printer
You can control access to the printer by changing the setting
for the Operator Panel Function in the Menu from Full
Operation (the factory default) to Limited Operation.
When Limited Operation is selected, the PRINT QUALITY and
CHARACTER PITCH keys don’t work. This prevents these
settings from being changed from the control panel when
several people are using the printer.
For more information, see “Changing the Menu Settings” in
Chapter 3: Using Your Printer.
10
Note: For rear feed, the paper lever must be forward.
Chapter 3: Using Your Printer
Parts Identification: Rear Feed
(Continuous Forms)
Note: The serial number of your printer is on a label on the
back, beside “S/N.”
Sheet Guide
Paper Lever
On-Off Switch
Platen Knob
Control Panel
Acoustic Cover
Access Cover
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4
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6
Table of contents
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