Chapter 1 Printer Unpacking & Setup Choose a sturdy table, desk or printer stand to place your printer on when you remove it from the carton. Remove the styrofoam sides be sure to save all packing materials in case you need to ship the printer again and check the box for these contents: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) ML320/321 printer Paper separator Power cord Platen knob Ribbon cartridge Note: Interface cable and paper are sold separately. If any of these items is missing or damaged, see your dealer for a replacement.
Setup Preliminaries Preliminaries Don't plug the printer in until its set up and ready to operate. If there is clear protective film on the access cover, remove the film. Open the access cover and remove the shipping retainer (1). Be sure to save it with the other packing materials in case you ship the printer.
Install The Paper Separator and Platen Knob Install The Paper Separator and Platen Knob Open the rear cover of the printer (2). Holding the legs closed against the paper separator, place the tab on one side of the separator over the stud on the side of the rear cover (3). Pull gently on the other tab to slide it over the stud on the other side of the rear cover. Then close the rear cover. Insert the platen knob on the right side of the printer (4).
Connect to Power and Computer Connect to Power and Computer Make sure the printer and computer are both OFF. Plug the power cord into the back of the printer(5). Plug the other end into a grounded outlet. Plug the interface cable into the parallel port on the back of your printer(6) Fasten the wire clips to the cable. - Make sure the outlet is grounded. Do not use an adapter to defeat the grounding. - These instructions are for the standard parallel interface.
Install/Replace The Ribbon Cartridge Install/Replace The Ribbon Cartridge The printhead can get very hot during extended periods of printing be sure to let it cool off before you touch it. Be sure the power is off before you move the printhead. Open the access cover. Position the printhead between the bail rollers (7). Make sure the bail is closed (bail lever toward back of printer).
Set the Headgap Set the Headgap The headgap lever (10) by the side of the cartridge adjusts for different paper thicknesses.
Chapter 2 Loading Rear-Feed, Continuous Forms Loading Rear-Feed, Continuous Forms - Do not position the left edge of the paper more than 1/2 from the end of the platen. The paper must cover the groove in the left side of the platen; if it doesnt, the printer will signal a paper out alarm. There are reference marks on the printer to show the recommended left edge position for the two most common paper sizes.
Close the rear cover (make sure the paper separator is flat on the printer), open the guide wire, and close the access cover (5). Turn the printer on. The printhead will move and the control panel will light up. The ALARM light will also come on. Pull the bail lever forward (6). The paper will automatically feed into the printer and the ALARM light will go out. If paper doesn't feed, check to make sure that the paper lever is in the forward position. - Do not use the Form Feed button to load paper.
ML 320/321 ( 96-02-01 )
Loading Single Sheets Loading Single Sheets Note: If you already have continuous form paper in the printer, tear off any printed pages, then press the PARK button to back it out of the paper path. The ALARM light will go on and the SEL light will go off. Push the paper lever back (1). Push the guide wire back (2). Raise the separator to its upright position (3). Set a sheet of paper on the separator and adjust the guides so that they're barely touching the edges of the paper.
Setting Top of Form Setting Top of Form Note: Make sure the paper is held in place by the bail. If the top of the page is set below the bail, paper will catch on the bail and cause a jam. The amount you can move the paper down using this method is limited to avoid potential paper jams. Make sure the printer is deselected. Hold down the TOF/QUIET button and press: FORM FEED to move the paper up, or LINE FEED to move the paper down. This moves the paper in 0.007 increments.
Form Tear Off Form Tear Off Note: Don't use forms tear off when printing on labels or multipart forms. Labels should only be fed from the bottom of the printer. To activate this feature, press the MODE button and use the GROUP, ITEM and SET buttons to change the FORM TEAR OFF setting to 500 ms (1). (See Chapter 5 ( ) for details on how to use the menu). Press the MODE button to exit the Menu mode, then use the TOF/QUIET and FORM FEED or LINE FEED buttons to set the top of form as described above (2).
Paper Park Paper Park To park continuous-forms paper, tear off any printed pages and press the PARK button (1). The paper will retract from the paper path. Push the paper lever back to the single sheet setting (2), and youre ready to insert single sheets. To return continuous forms to the printer, make sure the paper lever is set for continuous forms (3). Pull the bail lever forward (4). The paper will advance to the front of the platen.
Push the bail lever back (5).
Clearing Rear-Feed Jams Clearing Rear-Feed Jams Note: Always turn the printer off before you turn the platen knob! Turn off the printer. Open the access cover and the rear cover (1). Turn the platen knob to back the paper all the way out, and remove any torn pieces of paper. Reload the paper on the tractors (2). Close the rear cover and the access cover (3). Turn the printer back on, and press the FORM FEED button.
If your paper keeps jamming If your paper keeps jamming, bits of paper are probably stuck in the paper path. Turn off the printer, and use the platen knob to back the paper out of the printer. Open the access cover and the rear cover (1). Fold some continuous-feed paper over three times to produce a page four sheets thick and load it onto the tractors.
Single Sheet Feed Jams Single Sheet Feed Jams Note: Always turn the printer off before you turn the platen knob! Turn the printer OFF, then use the platen knob to back the sheet of paper out of the carriage (1). Pull the bail lever forward to load in a fresh sheet of paper (2).
Chapter 3 Printer Self Tests After you've installed ribbon and paper, youre ready to run the self tests. Do this any time you want to make sure the printer is functioning properly.
Font Sample Test Font Sample Test Holding down LF while turning on the printer produces a limited sample of available print styles. When complete (one page), the printer stops and the SEL light goes on. Brief example: To stop the test, press the MODE button.
Rolling ASCII Test Rolling ASCII Test Holding down TOF/QUIET while turning on the printer produces a continuous sample of the default print style. To stop the test, press the MODE button. Note: The self test printout also provides information about your printer. Have this information at hand if you call for service. ML320 EI A F/W 02.
Chapter 4 Basic Terminology Basic Terminology Printer Commands Printer commands are signals sent by your computer to the printer which guide and control its operation. They usually begin with the ESC character and can be sent in decimal, ASCII, or hexadecimal form. Emulations The ML320/321 E/I printers emulate the Epson FX printer and the IBM Proprinter printer (the factory default). The ML320/321 Standard printers have the Okidata MICROLINE Standard emulation.
Selecting a Printer Driver Selecting a Printer Driver The drivers are listed in order by decreasing compatibility: use one as close to the top of the list as possible. If your software does not have a printer driver from near the top of the list, call them to see if they have added any drivers to those supplied when you purchased your software. Note: Check your software documentation for instructions on how to install a printer driver.
Chapter 5 Control Panel Diagram ML 320/321 ( 96-02-01 )
Print Mode, Quality & Character Pitch PRINT MODE If your software changes one of these features, the corresponding light will change, too. PRINT QUALITY NLQ: The highest level of print quality. NLQ prints in two passes of the printhead. UTL: Higher speed printing for internal documents and high-volume data printing. HSD: The fastest print speed. Use it for quick printouts of preliminary drafts and long documents. CHARACTER PITCH 10, 12, 17, 20 cpi: Width of characters.
Menu Mode Menu Mode When the printer is in Menu mode, the MENU indicator lights, and the functions shown below the buttons are active this lets you customize the default settings from the control panel. The selections you make on the menu are stored in the printers permanent memory. Note: You can override features set on the menu using either the front panel or commands sent from your computer. However, when you turn off the printer, features set by those methods will be cancelled.
Listing of Menu Selections: Epson/IBM Models Menu Selections: Epson/IBM Models Double Click >>> ( ) for instructions on getting into the menu mode. Factory settings are in bold Group Item Font Print Mode Utility, NLQ Courier, NLQ Sans Serif, DRAFT DRAFT Mode HSD, SSD Pitch 10 CPI, 12 CPI, 17.
Symbol Sets Serial Interface (appears only with optional Serial Interface installed) ML 320/321 ( 96-02-01 ) Cut Sheet Page Length 11", 11½", 12", 14", 17", 3", 3.5", 4",5.5", 6", 7", 8", 8.
Menu Selections: Microline Standard Models Menu Selections: Microline Standard Models Double Click >>> ( ) for instructions on getting into the menu mode. Factory settings are in bold Group Item Font Print Mode Utility, NLQ Courier, NLQ Sans Serif, DRAFT DRAFT Mode HSD, SSD Pitch 10 CPI, 12 CPI, 17.
Symbol Sets Serial Interface (appears only with optional Serial Interface installed) ML 320/321 ( 96-02-01 ) Character Set Standard, DLL, Line Graphics (IBM), Block Graphics Language Set American Slashed Zero, American Unslashed Zero, British, German, French, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Italian, French Canadian, Spanish, Publisher Parity None, Odd, Even Serial Data 7 or 8 Bits 8, 7 Protocol Ready/Busy, X-ON/X-OFF Diagnostic Test No, Yes Busy Line SSD-, SSD+, DTR, RTS Baud Rate 9600
Explanation of Menu Items Explanation of Menu Items 7 or 8 Bit Graphics (Microline Standard) Choose graphics your system uses: 7 or 8 dots in each column printed. 7 or 8 Bit Data Word (Microline Standard) If your system uses seven bits to make up each unit of data, choose 7. Auto CR (IBM): Choose Yes to have the printer automatically add a Carriage Return to each Line Feed command it receives.
turn the printer on again. Enter the Menu Mode and reset this item to Full Operation. Page Length Choose the length of the paper youre using. Page Width (Model 321) Choose 8 for letter-size paper. Paper Out Override Senses when less than one inch of paper remains and stops printing. Choose Yes to override the detector. Be careful: this feature can cause loss of data and damage the printhead.
Chapter 6 Problem Solving Problem: Nothing happens when I turn on the printer. Solution: The printer may not be plugged in. Check the power cord connection to the outlet and to your printer. If you're using a power strip, make sure it's turned on. Check to be sure that the circuit breaker hasn't tripped. Problem: The ALARM light goes on. Solution: The printer is out of paper, the paper has jammed, or the paper is installed too far to the right and is not covering the groove at the left end of the platen.
Problem: My word processor files don't print the way I have the menu and front panel set. Solution: Before sending a file to the printer, many word processors send either an initialization string or an I-Prime signal to the printer. The initialization string contains commands that change the printer to a default set of features. These commands override panel or menu settings.
Cleaning the Housing Cleaning the Housing Never use solvents or strong detergents on the cabinet they could damage the housing. You should clean the printer every six months (or after about 300 hours of operation). Turn the printer off and move the paper out of the paper path. Open the access cover. Remove any loose pieces of paper from the carriage area, then use a clean, dry cloth to dust area around the carriage and platen. Close access cover.
Appendix A Ml320/Ml321 Specifications Impact dot matrix Print Method Printhead 9 pins Print Speed, Characters per second (cps) Super Speed Draft (SSD): 360 cps (12 cpi only) High Speed Draft (HSD): 300 cps Utility: 250 cps Near Letter Quality (NLQ): 62.5 cps Characters per line(cpl) ML320/ML321 at 10 cpi 80 cpl/136 cpl at 12 cpi 96 cpl/163 cpl at 17.
Model 320: 15.4 lb. Model 321: 20.9 lb. Environmental Requirements Operating Temperature: Storage Temperature: Operating Humidity: Storage Humidity: Electrical requirements 41 to 104°F (5 to 40°C) 14 to 109°F (-10 to +43°C) 20 to 90% RH 5 to 95% RH 120 volts ac (+5.5%, -15%), 60 Hz (±2%) Also available for 230/240 volts ac, 50/60 Hz (special order) Paper Specifications Minimum Width: 3" Maximum Width: Model 32010" Model 32116" Specifications subject to change without notice.
Paper Specifications Paper Specifications Paper type Feed Weight Thickness Cut sheets Top only 14 to 24 lb. 0.002" to 0.0049" Single-part continuous forms Rear, Bottom (with optional pull tractor) 12 to 24 lb. 0.0020" to 0.0049" Carbonless, multipart continuous form (orig. + 4 copies) Rear, Bottom (with optional pull tractor) 9 to 11 lb. 0.014" max. Interleaf, multipart continuous forms (orig. + 4 copies) Rear, Bottom (with optional pull tractor) 10 to 12-lb. paper, 9-lb. carbon 0.
