Preventing problems with dot matrix printers
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Make sure the print head has enough free
air around it to dissipate heat. Do not
place other electronics too close to it.
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Use good quality ribbons. The cheap ones may
use ink that lacks needed lubricants or uses
an acid that can hurt your print head
over time.
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Do not turn the platen head using the
knob when the printer is on. This can
damage the stepper motor. A system administrator may
wish to use the knob when first loading
a new box of paper and then remove
it from the machine.
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Dot matrix printer ribbons will dry out eventually
if they are not used.
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Some dot matrix printers do not have the
strength of impact to deal effectively with multi-part
forms.
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Check with the Seiko Epson Corporation before trying
to replace the print head on its older
dot matrix models. Some of these routinely burned
out the main circuit board when the
print head failed.
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It is often cheaper to get a standard
stepper motor from a local electronics store than
to order it by part number from the
printer's manufacturer.
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A dot matrix printer has more control of
its dot placement up-and-down than right-to-left. Its right-to-left
motion is precise to 1/216th of an inch.
Vertical spacing is accurate to 1/240th. This will
effect the appearance of detailed graphics.
© 1999 The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. All rights reserved.
UnixWare 7 Release 7.1.1 - 5 November 1999