EPSON DLQ-3500 Dot Matrix Printers User Guide

June 17, 2024
Epson

EPSON DLQ-3500 Dot Matrix Printers

Buttons and Lights

EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-1

Font button
Select one of the available fonts. Font lights Indicate which font is selected.

Reset
When you press both the Font and Pitch buttons simultaneously, the printer clears the buffer and returns to its default settings.

Pitch button
Select one of the pitch settings. Pitch lights Indicate which pitch is selected.

Tear Off/Special Paper button

  • Feeds continuous paper forward to the tear-off position.
  • Feeds continuous paper backward from the tear-off position to the top-of-form position.
  • Selects special paper (envelope or card) as the paper type.

Tear Off/Special Paper lights

  • Flash when continuous paper is in the tear-off position.
  • Only the right one is on when the envelope is selected as the paper type.
  • Only the left one is on when the card is selected as the paper type.

Paper Source button Selects a paper source.

Tractor light

On when continuous paper is selected.

Manual/CSF light
On when single-sheet is selected.

LF/FF button

  • Feeds paper line by line when pressed shortly.
  • Ejects a single sheet or advances continuous paper to the next top-of-form position when held down for a few seconds.

Load/Eject button

  • Loads a single sheet of paper.
  • Ejects a single sheet of paper if a sheet is loaded.
  • Loads continuous paper from the standby position.
  • Feeds continuous paper backward to the standby position if a sheet is loaded.

Micro Adjust
When you hold down the Pause button for three seconds, the printer enters the Micro Adjust mode. In this mode, you can adjust the top-of-form and tear-off positions by pressing the LF/FF and Load/Eject buttons. See “Micro Adjust Function.”

Paper out light

  • When no paper is loaded in the selected paper source or paper is not loaded correctly.
  • Flashes when paper has not been fully ejected or a paper jam has occurred.

Pause button

  • Stops printing temporarily, and resumes printing when pressed again.
  • When held down for three seconds, enter the Micro Adjust mode. When pressed again, exits the Micro Adjust mode.

Pause light

  • On when the printer is paused.
  • Flashes when the printer is in the Micro Adjust mode.

Default Settings

Understanding default settings

This section describes the settings and options available in the default- setting mode. These settings are shown in the following table and explained in detail after the table.

Default-setting mode

Setting Options
Page length for tractor Length in inches: 3, 3.5, 4,

5.5, 6, 7, 8, 8.5, 11, 70/6,

12, 14, 17

Skip over perforation| Off, On
Auto tear-off| Off, On
Auto line feed| Off, On
Print direction| Bi-D, Uni-D, Auto
Software| ESC/P2, IBM PPDS
0 slash| 0, 0/ (the zero character with a slash)
High-speed draft| Off, On
I/F (interface) mode| Auto, Parallel, USB, Option
Auto I/F (interface) wait time| 10 seconds, 30 seconds
Parallel I/F bidirectional mode| Off, On
Packet mode| Auto, Off
Auto CR (carriage return)| Off, On
A.G.M
| Off, On
Setting| Options
---|---
Character table| Standard model: italic,
| PC437, PC850, PC860,
| PC863, PC865, PC861,
| BRASCII, Abicomp,
| Roman8, ISO Latin 1,
| PC858, ISO 8859-15
| All other models: Italic,
| PC437, PC850,
| PC437 Greek, PC853,
| PC855, PC852, PC857,
| PC864, PC866, PC869,
| MAZOWIA, Code MJK,
| ISO 8859-7, ISO Latin 1T,
| Bulgaria, PC 774, Estonia,
| ISO 8859-2, PC 866 LAT.,
| PC 866UKR, PC APTEC,
| PC708, PC720, PCAR 864,
| PC860, PC865, PC861,
| PC863, BRASCII,
| Abicomp, Roman8,
| ISO Latin 1, PC858,
| ISO8859-15, PC 771
International character set for italic table**| Italic U.S.A., Italic France, Italic Germany, Italic U.K., Italic Denmark 1, Italic Sweden, Italic Italy, Italic Spain 1
Font| OCR-B, Orator, Orator-S, Script C, Roman T, Sans Serif H
Manual feed wait time| 0.5 second, 1 second, 1.5 seconds, 2 seconds
Buzzer| Off, On
Overlapping Forms| Off, On

  • This setting is available only in IBM PPDS emulation mode.
  • The options available for this setting vary depending on the country.

Page length for tractor
This setting allows you to set the page length (in inches) for the continuous paper loaded on the tractor.

Skip over perforation
This feature is available only when continuous paper is selected as the paper source. When you turn on this feature, the printer provides a one-inch (25.4 mm) margin between the last line printed on one page and the first line printed on the next page. Because most application program margin settings override margin settings from the control panel, you should use this setting only if you cannot set your top and bottom margins using your application.

Auto tear-off
When auto tear-off is on and you are using continuous paper with the tractor, the printer automatically advances the paper perforation to the tear-off position, where you can easily tear off the printed page(s). When the printer receives data again, it automatically moves the paper back to the top-of-form position and starts printing, so you can use all of the next page. When auto tear-off is off and you are using continuous paper with the tractor, you need to move the perforation to the tear-off position manually by pressing the Tear Off/Special Paper button. See “Using the tear-off function” for more information.

Auto line feed
When auto line feed is on, the printer accompanies each carriage return (CR) code received with a line feed (LF) code.

Print direction
You can select auto print direction, bidirectional printing (Bi-D), or unidirectional printing (Uni-D). Printing is normally bidirectional; however, unidirectional printing allows for precise vertical printing alignment.

Software
When you select ESC/P2, the printer operates in the EPSON ESC/P2 mode. When you select IBM PPDS, the printer emulates an IBM printer.

0 slash
Select the zero character with a slash ∅ (this feature is on) or without a slash (0) (this feature is off). The slash allows you to easily distinguish between the uppercase letter “O” and a zero.

High-speed draft
When high-speed draft is on, the printer prints up to 550 cps (characters per second) at 10 cpi (characters per inch). When it is off, the printer prints 495 cps at 10 cpi.

I/F (interface) mode
The printer provides a slot for an optional interface in addition to its built-in parallel interface and USB interface. You can choose Auto (automatic), Parallel, USB, or Optionfor the interface mode. When you select Auto, the printer automatically selects the interface that is receiving data and uses that interface until the end of the print job. The Auto setting allows you to share the printer among multiple computers without changing the interface mode. If only one computer is connected to the printer, you can select Parallel, USB, or Option, depending on which interface your computer uses.

Auto I/F (interface) wait time

When the printer is in the auto interface mode and it receives no data from the currently selected interface for the amount of time specified with this setting, it determines which interface is receiving data and switches to that interface. You can specify either 10 seconds or 30 seconds for the auto interface wait time.

Parallel I/F bidirectional mode
The Parallel Interface bidirectional transfer mode is used when this feature is on. If bidirectional transfer mode is unnecessary, turn this off.

Packet mode
Be sure to select Auto when printing from Windows applications using the printer driver included in the CD-ROM that comes with the printer. In case you encounter any communication troubles when printing from applications based on other operating systems such as DOS, turn off this mode.

Auto CR (carriage return)

This setting is available only in IBM PPDS emulation mode. When auto carriage return is on, each line feed (LF) code or ESC J code is accompanied by a carriage return (CR) code so the printer moves the next printing position to the left margin. When this setting is off, you must send a CR code after the line feed code to move the printing position to the left margin.

A.G.M. (IBM)
Turn on the alternate graphic mode (A.G.M.) to make the ESC 3, ESC A, ESC J, ESC K, ESC L, ESC Y, ESC Z, and ESC * commands in IBM PPDS emulation mode work the same way as in ESC/P 2 mode. The A.G.M. feature is available only in IBM PPDS emulation mode.

Character table
You can select from among 13 to 36 standard character tables, depending on the country of purchase. See “Default-setting mode” for more information.

International character set for italic table
You can select among several international character sets for the italic character table. Each character set contains eight characters that vary depending on the country or language, so you can customize the italic table to suit your printing needs.

Font
One of these fonts selected in the default setting corresponds to Others on the control panel. You can select the following fonts directly on the control panel: Draft, Roman, Sans Serif, Courier, Prestige, and Script.

Manual feed wait time
This setting allows you to set the amount of wait time between when paper is inserted into the paper guide and when it is fed. If the paper feeds before you can adjust its position properly, you should increase the wait time.

Buzzer (beeper)
The printer beeps when an error occurs. See “Error Indicators” for more information on printer errors. If you do not want the printer to beep when an error occurs, turn off this setting.

Overlapping forms
This setting takes effect only when the skip-over-perforation setting is on. When the overlapping-forms setting is on, the printer lifts the print head each time it makes a one-inch margin with the skip-over-perforation feature. You need to turn on both the overlapping forms and the skip-over-perforation settings when you use overlapping forms.

Changing default settings

Note

  • To print the language selection and default-setting mode instructions, you need three sheets of A4 or letter-size single-sheet paper or three pages of continuous paper that is at least 279 mm (11 inches) long and 210 mm (8.3 inches) wide. See “Continuous Paper” and “Single Sheets with the Paper Guide” for instructions on loading continuous paper and single sheets.
  • If you use single sheets, you need to load a new sheet of paper each time the printer ejects a printed sheet from the paper guide.
  1. Make sure the paper is loaded and the printer is turned off.
    Caution: Whenever you turn off the printer, wait at least five seconds before turning it back on; otherwise, you may damage the printer.

  2. Turn on the printer while holding down the Font button. The printer enters the default-setting mode and prints the language selection instructions.

Error Indicators

You can identify many common printer problems using the lights on the control panel. If your printer stops working and one or more control panel lights are on or flashing or the printer beeps, use the following table to diagnose and fix the problem.

EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-2

Note: The printer beeps once if you press a control panel button when the corresponding function is not available.

Paper-Thickness Settings

Usually, set the paper-thickness lever to the AUTO position as shown below; your printer automatically adjusts itself to the thickness of the paper loaded in the printer.

If you are not content with the printing quality, especially when using special paper such as multipart forms, you can manually set the paper- thickness lever to the appropriate position. The higher the number you set the paper-thickness lever to, the wider the space between the platen and print head. If your printout appears faint or characters seem skipped or missing, this setting may be too high. On the other hand, if the setting is too low, your printout may appear smudged, the paper may not feed correctly, or the ribbon may become damaged. The following table provides guidelines for selecting the appropriate lever position for the type of paper you are using.

Paper type Paper-thickness lever position
Ordinary paper (single sheets or continuous paper) -1 to 1
Multipart forms (carbonless)
2 parts (original + 1 copy) 0 or 1
3 parts (original + 2 copies) 1 or 2
4 parts (original + 3 copies) 2 to 4

5  parts (original + 4 copies)

6  parts (original + 5 copies)

| 3  to 5

4  to 6

| Auto
7 parts (original + 6 copies)| 5 to 8|
8 parts (original + 7 copies)| 6 to 9|
Labels| 2 or 3|
Envelopes| 2 to 7|
Postcards| 2|
Continuous forms with labels| Auto
Overlapping multipart forms| Auto
Overlapping multipart forms with labels| Auto

Caution:
Do not set the paper-thickness lever to AUTO when using labels whose backing sheet is exposed. Set it to the appropriate position according to the table above.

Note:
When Overlapping Forms is turned on in the default-setting mode, the printer automatically operates on the AUTO function even though the paper- thickness lever may be set to another position.

  • It is recommended to set the paper-thickness lever to AUTO when printing on multipart forms, because the total thickness of multipart forms may vary depending on the kind of paper even if the number of parts is the same. However, if your printout appears faint, set the paper-thickness lever to a lower position within the range specified in the table above. Similarly, if your printout appears smudged, set the lever to a higher position.
  • If your printout appears faint or characters seem skipped or missing, this setting may be too high. On the other hand, if the setting is too low, your printout may appear smudged

Continuous Paper

Positioning the continuous paper supply
When you load continuous paper, make sure to line up the paper supply with the tractor so the paper feeds smoothly into the printer as shown below.

Loading continuous paper

  1. Make sure that the Tractor is selected as the paper source on the control panel. If not, select it by pressing the Paper Source button.

  2. Slide the edge guide to the left.

  3. Facing the back of the printer, release the sprocket lock levers by pushing them up.

    • sprocket lock lever
  4. Position the left sprocket so that the sprocket pins are to the left of the arrow mark on the back of the printer. Then push down the lock lever to lock the sprocket in place.
    Note: Printing starts at the arrow mark on the back of the printer. The unprintable area is to the left of the arrow mark.

  5. Slide the right sprocket to roughly match the width of your paper, but do not lock it.

  6. Slide the center paper support to the middle of the two sprockets.

  7. Open the sprocket covers.

  8. Fit the first three holes of the continuous paper over the sprocket pins on both sides. Be sure to position your paper supply so that the printable side faces up.
    Caution:
    Make sure the first sheet of your continuous paper has a clean, straight edge so that it can feed smoothly into the printer.

  9. Close the sprocket covers.

  10. Slide the right sprocket to remove any slack in the paper. Then push down the sprocket lock lever to lock the sprocket in place.

  11. Turn on the printer if it is turned off. The printer is ready to start printing. When using continuous paper, you can use the tear-off function to tear off printed pages and save the blank pages that are usually wasted between print jobs. For more information, see “Using the tear-off function.”
    Note:
    Always make sure there is at least one more sheet than required; continuous paper may not feed properly if it is not fed through the sprockets.
    Caution:

    • Use the knob on the right side of the printer only to clear paper jams when the printer is off. Otherwise, you may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.
    • Do not open the printer cover while the paper is being fed; otherwise, you cannot load the paper correctly.

Note
If the first line on your page appears too high or low, you can change its position by using the Micro Adjust function as described in “Adjusting the top-of-form position.”

Using the tear-off function

You can use the tear-off function to advance your continuous paper to the printer’s tear-off edge when you finish printing. You can then easily tear off the printed sheets. When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position so that you can save the paper normally lost between documents.

Using the Tear Off/Special Paper button
Follow these steps to advance continuous paper to the tear-off position using the Tear Off/Special Paper button:

  1. After the printer finishes printing your document, check that the Tear Off/Special Paper lights are not flashing.
    Note: If the tear-off/Special Paper lights are flashing, the paper is in the tear-off position. If you press the Tear Off/Special Paper button again, the printer feeds your paper to the next top-of-form position.

  2. Press the Tear Off/Special Paper button. The printer advances the paper to the tear-off edge.

  • Note: If your paper’s perforation is not properly aligned with the tear-off edge, you can adjust the tear-off position using the Micro Adjust function as described in “Adjusting the tear-off position.”
  • Caution: Never use the knob to adjust the tear-off position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.
  1. Tear off all printed pages using the tear-off edge of the printer cover.

When you resume printing, the printer feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position and begins printing. (You can also manually feed the paper back to the top-of-form position by pressing the Tear Off/Special Paper button.)

Advancing paper to the tear-off position automatically
To automatically advance your printed documents to the tear-off position, turn on the auto tear-off mode and select the appropriate page length for continuous paper in the default-setting mode. See “Changing default settings” for instructions on how to change the default settings. The steps below describe how to use auto tear-off.

  1. When printing is finished, the printer advances the perforation of the final printed page to the tear-off position.

  2. Tear off all printed pages using the tear-off edge of the printer cover.
    Note
    If your paper’s perforation is not properly aligned with the tear-off edge, you can adjust the tear-off position using the Micro Adjust function as described in “Adjusting the tear-off position.”

  3. When you resume printing, the printer feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position and begins printing. (You can also manually feed the paper back to the top-of-form position by pressing the Tear Off/Special Paper button.)

Removing continuous paper

Follow these steps to remove continuous paper from the printer:

  1. Press the Tear Off/Special Paper button after the printer finishes printing your document. The printer advances the paper to the tear-off position.
    Note:
    When the auto tear-off function is on, the printer advances the paper perforation to the tear-off position automatically. You can turn on the auto tear-off function by changing the default settings. See “Changing default settings” for instructions.

  2. Tear off the printed pages.

  3. Press the Load/Eject button to feed the continuous paper backward out of the printer and into the standby position.

  4. To completely remove continuous paper from the printer, open the sprocket covers. Remove the paper from the tractor unit, and then close the sprocket covers.

Single Sheets with the Paper Guide

Follow these steps to load single sheets from the paper guide.

  1. Make sure the paper guide is attached as described in the Setup Guide. Then close the tractor unit sprocket covers located on the back of your printer and push down the sprocket lock levers to lock the sprockets in place.
  2. Turn on the printer.
  3. Make sure that Manual/CSF is selected as the paper source on the control panel. If not, select it by pressing the Paper Source button.EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-16
  4. Slide the edge guide until it rests against the guide mark.EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-17
  5. While aligning the left side of a sheet of paper with the edge guide, insert it into the printer until it meets resistance. Be sure to load the paper printable side up.

After a few seconds, the printer automatically advances the paper to the loading position. The printer is ready to start printing.

Caution:

  • Use the knob on the right side of the printer only to clear paper jams when the printer is off. Otherwise, you may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.
  • Do not open the printer cover while the paper is being fed; otherwise, the printer cannot load the paper correctly.

Note

  • If the platen rotates but the printer does not load the paper, completely remove the paper and then insert it into the printer again.
  • If the paper feeds before you can adjust its position properly, increase the Manual feed wait time in the default-setting mode. See “Changing default settings” for more information.
  • If you need to adjust the position of the paper after it is loaded, see “Adjusting the top-of-form position” and follow the instructions.

After printing a sheet, the printer ejects it onto the paper guide and the Paper Out andPause lights come on. If you are printing a multiple-page document, remove the printed sheet and insert a new sheet into the paper guide. The printer automatically advances the paper and resumes printing.

Note:
If the printer does not eject the printed sheet, press the Load/Eject button.

Single Sheets with the Cut-Sheet Feeder

Loading paper to the cut-sheet feeder

For single-sheet multipart forms, use only the type of forms that are glued at the top. To avoid paper jams, do not allow too many printed sheets to be stacked on the paper guide at one time. Remove the stack when it is half as thick as the paper loading limit marked on the cut-sheet feeder. Follow these steps to load paper into the cut-sheet feeder:

Caution:
Do not load labels to the cut-sheet feeder.

  1. Pull the paper set lever forward until the paper guides retract to allow paper loading.

  2. Release the paper guide lock levers by pulling them forward.

  3. Slide the right paper guide so that its edge is even with the guide mark on the cut-sheet feeder and push back the lever to lock the paper guide in place. Next, slide the left paper guide to roughly match the width of the paper.

  4. Slide the center support midway between the paper guides.

  5. Fan a stack of paper, and tap the sides and bottom of the stack on a flat surface to even it up.

  6. Insert the paper along the right paper guide and adjust the position of the left paper guide so that it matches your paper’s width. Make sure the position of the guide allows the paper to move up and down freely. Then lock the left guide in place.
    Note:
    Load paper with the printable side up. If you are using pre-printed forms, load the forms top-down.

  7. Push back the paper set levers to clamp the paper against the guide rollers.

  8. Before printing, make sure that Manual/CSF is selected as the paper source on the control panel. If not, select it by pressing the Paper Source button. Also, set the paper-thickness lever to the appropriate position for the paper loaded in the cut-sheet feeder as described in “Paper-Thickness Settings.” In your printer driver software, select your paper size from the Paper Size list. The cut-sheet feeder feeds paper when you send data to the printer. You can also feed paper by pressing the Load/Eject button.

Note

  • If the plate turns without loading the paper, completely remove the paper and then insert it into the printer again.
  • If you need to adjust the position of the paper after it is loaded, see “Adjusting the top-of-form position” and follow the instructions.

Loading paper manually using the front paper guide

The cut-sheet feeder’s single-sheet loading feature allows you to switch to a different type or size of paper without replacing the paper already loaded in the cut-sheet feeder or removing the feeder. Follow these steps to load paper manually using the paper guide:

  1. Make sure that Manual/CSF is selected as the paper source on the control panel. If not, select it by pressing the Paper Source button.
  2. Push the paper guide and the paper guide extension in.
  3. Adjust the edge guide so that it is aligned with the guide mark on the paper guide.
  4. While aligning the left side of the paper with the edge guide, insert it until it meets resistance. Be sure to load the paper printable side up. After a few seconds, the printer automatically advances the paper to the loading position. The printer is ready to accept data from your computer and print.

After printing a page of your document, the printer ejects it onto the paper guide, and the Paper Out and Pause lights come on. If you are printing a multiple-page document, remove the printed sheet and insert a new sheet into the paper guide. The printer automatically advances the paper and resumes printing.

Single Sheets with the Automatic Sheet Alignment Unit

Follow these steps to load paper using the automatic sheet alignment unit:

  1. Make sure that Manual/CSF is selected as the paper source on the control panel. If not, select it by pressing the Paper Source button.
  2. Set the paper-thickness lever to the appropriate position for the type of single sheet you are using referring to the table in “Paper-Thickness Settings.” Normally set it to AUTO.
  3. Insert paper into the automatic sheet alignment unit so that the tip of the paper goes behind the rollers of the unit. The printer automatically aligns the paper, recognizes the right and left edges (the width) of the paper, and starts feeding.
  4. inserted position
  5. aligned position
  6. arrow marks

Note:
Make sure to insert paper between the two arrow marks on the unit.

Caution: Use the knob on the right side of the printer only to clear paper jams when the printer is off.

The printer starts printing when it receives data. The printing position (the position of the first letter of the first line) is set to 3 mm (0.12 inch) from the left edge of the paper by default. See “Adjusting the printing position” in the Reference Guide for more information on the printing position.

The printer automatically ejects paper when it finishes printing. If the printed sheet remains in the printer, press the Load/Eject button to eject it.

Special Papers

Multipart forms
Your printer can print on both single-sheet and continuous multipart forms. It can use multipart forms with up to eight parts including the original.

Caution: Use only carbonless multipart forms. Before printing, set the paper-thickness lever to the appropriate position for your multipart forms referring to the table in “Paper-Thickness Settings.” You can load single- sheet multipart forms from the paper guide, or with the optional cut-sheet feeder or optional automatic sheet alignment unit. For instructions, see “Single Sheets with the Paper Guide,” “Loading paper to the cut-sheet feeder” or “Single Sheets with the Automatic Sheet Alignment Unit.” You can load continuous multipart forms in the same way as you load ordinary continuous paper. For instructions, see “Continuous Paper.”

Caution:

  • When printing on multipart forms, make sure that your software settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area of the forms. Printing on the edge of a multipart form can damage the print head. For information about the printable area, see “Printable area” in the Reference Guide.
  • Single-sheet multipart forms that are glued at the side of the form should be loaded only from the paper guide, not from the optional cut-sheet feeder.

Overlapping multipart forms
Overlapping multipart forms are a type of continuous paper with multipart forms. The page length of the multipart forms is longer than that of the backing continuous paper. So when extended, one page’s multipart forms overlap the next page’s multipart forms as shown below. This overlapping area is thicker than the printable area.

Follow these steps to load overlapping multipart forms:

Caution:
Use overlapping multipart forms only under normal operating conditions.

  1. Make sure of the following:

    • Your software settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area. See “Printable area” in the Reference Guide for more information.
    • Tractor is selected as the paper source on the control panel.
    • The setting of the page length for the tractor in the default settings matches the page length of the form you use. See “Changing default settings” for more information.
  2. Turn on Overlapping Forms and Skip over perforation settings in the default-setting mode.
    Note:
    When Overlapping Forms is turned on in the default-setting mode, the printer automatically activates the auto paper thickness function even though the paper-thickness lever may be set to another position.
    Caution:

    • Printing on the edge of overlapping multipart forms can damage the print head.
    • Be sure to turn on Overlapping Forms and Skip over perforation settings in the default-setting mode when using this type of paper; otherwise, your printer may be damaged.
  3. Follow the instructions in “Loading continuous paper.”

To tear off and eject overlapping multipart forms

Always tear off and eject overlapping multipart forms following the instructions described below.

Note:
When Overlapping Forms is turned on in the default-setting mode, the Tear Off/Special Paper button is disabled and the Load/Eject button only feeds forms forward.

  1. At the back of your printer, tear off the last overlapping multipart form that has entered the printer.
  2. Press the LF/FF button to eject the last overlapping multipart forms forward.

Labels
When selecting labels for printing, always choose labels mounted on continuous backing sheets with sprocket holes for use with a tractor. Do not use labels on shiny single-sheet backing, because the backing sheet tends to slip and may not feed properly. Follow these steps to load labels:

Caution:
Use labels only under normal operating conditions because labels are especially sensitive to temperature and humidity.

  1. Make sure of the following:

    • Your software settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area. For information about the printable area, see “Printable area” in the Reference Guide.
      Caution:
      Printing on the edge of a label can damage the print head.

    • The auto tear-off function is turned off in the default-setting mode.

    • If you use labels whose backing sheet is exposed, make sure the paper-thickness lever is not set to AUTO. Set it to the appropriate position. See “Paper-Thickness Settings” for more information.

  2.  Load labels as described in “Continuous Paper.”

To tear off and eject labels
Always tear off and eject labels as described below.

Caution:
Never feed labels backward using the Load/Eject button, Tear Off/Special Paper button, or knob on the right side of the printer. Labels can easily peel off their backing and jam the printer.

  1. At the back of your printer, tear off the last label form that has entered the printer, but do not press the Tear Off/Special Paper button. See the illustration below.
  2. Press the LF/FF button to eject the last label from forward.
    Caution:
    Do not leave labels loaded in the printer between print jobs; they tend to curl and may come off their backing sheet and jam the printer when you resume printing.

Continuous forms with labels

The continuous forms with labels are a type of continuous paper with one label on each page. This is different from label paper, which consists entirely of labels. When printing on this type of paper, the printer must adjust the height of the print head for the extra thickness of the labels.

Follow these steps to load continuous forms with labels:

Caution:
Use continuous forms with labels only under normal operating conditions.

  1. Make sure of the following:

    • Your software settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area. See “Printable area” in the Reference Guide for more information.
    • Tractor is selected as the paper source on the control panel.
  2. Turn on Overlapping Forms and Skip over perforation settings in the default-setting mode.
    Note
    When Overlapping Forms is turned on in the default-setting mode, the printer automatically activates the auto paper thickness function even though the paper-thickness lever may be set to another position.

  3. Follow the instructions in “Loading continuous paper.”
    Caution:

    • Printing on the edge of continuous forms with labels can damage the print head.
    • When loading continuous forms with labels, make sure the left edge of the form is no further than 3 cm to the left of the arrow mark (when facing the back of the printer).

To tear off and eject continuous forms with labels
Always tear off and eject continuous forms with labels by following the procedure below.

Note:
When Overlapping Forms is turned on in the default-setting mode, the Tear Off/Special Paper button is disabled and the Load/Eject button only feeds forms forward.

  1. At the back of your printer, tear off the last continuous form with labels that have entered the printer.
  2. Press the LF/FF button to eject the last form forward.
  3. To print on another type of paper, turn off Overlapping Forms and Skip over perforation settings in the default-setting mode.
    Caution:
    Do not leave continuous forms with labels loaded in the printer between print jobs; they tend to curl and may come off their backing sheet and jam the printer when you resume printing.

Overlapping multipart forms with labels

This kind of continuous paper is a combination of the two types of forms; overlapping multipart forms and continuous forms with labels. Be sure to follow any special instructions intended for either type of form.

Caution:
Use overlapping multipart forms with labels only under normal operating conditions because labels are especially sensitive to temperature and humidity.

Follow these steps to load overlapping multipart forms with labels:

  1. Make sure of the following:

    • Your software settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area. See “Printable area” in the Reference Guide for more information.
    • Tractor is selected as the paper source on the control panel.
    • The setting of the page length for the tractor in the default settings matches the page length of the form you use. See “Changing default settings” for more information.
  2. Turn on Overlapping Forms and Skip over perforation settings in the default-setting mode.
    Note:
    When Overlapping Forms is turned on in the default-setting mode, the printer automatically activates the auto paper thickness function even though the paper-thickness lever may be set to another position.

  3. Follow the instructions in “Loading continuous paper.”

Caution:

  • Printing on the edge of overlapping multipart forms with labels can damage the print head.
  • When loading overlapping multipart forms with labels, make sure the left edge of the form is no further than 3 cm to the left of the arrow mark (when facing the back of the printer).

To tear off and eject overlapping multipart forms with labels
Always tear off and eject overlapping multipart forms with labels by following the procedure below.

Note
When Overlapping Forms is turned on in the default-setting mode, the Tear Off/Special Paper button is disabled and the Load/Eject button only feeds forms forward.

  1. At the back of your printer, tear off the last overlapping multipart form with labels that have entered the printer.
  2. Press the LF/FF button to eject the last form forward.
  3. To print on another type of paper, turn off Overlapping Forms and Skip over perforation settings in the default-setting mode.

Caution:
Do not leave overlapping multipart forms with labels loaded in the printer between print jobs; they tend to curl and may come off their backing sheet and jam the printer when you resume printing.

Envelopes

You can print on a variety of envelopes by loading them the same way you load single sheets—from the paper guide or with the optional cut-sheet feeder or optional automatic sheet alignment unit.

Follow these steps to load envelopes:

Caution:
Use envelopes only under normal operating conditions.

  1. Make sure that your software settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area. See “Printable area” in the Reference Guide for more information.
    Caution:
    Printing on the edge of an envelope can damage the print head.

  2. Make sure that Manual/CSF is selected as the paper source on the control panel. If not, select it by pressing the Paper Source button.

  3. Select Envelope on the control panel by pressing the Tear Off/Special Paper button.

  4. Load envelopes following the instructions in “Single Sheets with the Paper Guide,” “Single Sheets with the Cut-Sheet Feeder” or “Single Sheets with the Automatic Sheet Alignment Unit.” Be sure to fold the flap and be careful of the flap’s orientation.EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-33

Postcards
You can print on a variety of postcards by loading them the same way you load single sheets from the paper guide or with the optional cut-sheet feeder or optional automatic sheet alignment unit. Follow these steps to load postcards.

Caution: Use postcards only under normal operating conditions.

  1.  Make sure that your software settings keep the printing entirely within the printable area. See “Printable area” in the Reference Guide for more information.
    Caution:
    Printing on the edge of a postcard can damage the print head.

  2. Make sure that Manual/CSF is selected as the paper source on the control panel. If not, select it by pressing the Paper Source button.

  3. Select Card on the control panel by pressing the Tear Off/Special Paper button.

  4. Load cards following the instructions in “Single Sheets with the Paper Guide,” “Single Sheets with the Cut-Sheet Feeder” or “Single Sheets with the Automatic Sheet Alignment Unit.”

from the paper guide

EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-34

Paper-Type Switching

When using the tractor, you can easily switch between continuous paper and single sheets (including envelopes or postcards) without removing the continuous paper from the tractor.

Switching to single sheets
Follow these steps to switch from continuous paper to single sheets:

  1. When you have finished printing on continuous paper, press the Tear Off/Special Paper button to advance the paper to the tear-off position.
    Note:
    If the auto tear-off mode is turned on, the printer advances the paper perforation to the tear-off position automatically.

  2. Tear off the printed pages.
    Caution:

    • Always tear off the paper before feeding it backward; feeding too many sheets backward can cause a paper jam.
    • Never feed labels backward using the Load/Eject button, Tear Off/Special Paper button, or knob on the right side of the printer. Labels can easily peel off their backing and jam the printer. For information on removing labels from the paper path, see “Special Papers.”
  3. Press the Load/Eject button to feed the continuous paper back to the standby position. The paper is still attached to the tractor but is no longer in the paper path.

  4. Select Manual/CSF as the paper source on the control panel by pressing the Paper Source button.EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-35

Now you can load single sheets from the paper guide. See “Single Sheets with the Paper Guide” for more information.

Switching to continuous paper
Follow these steps to switch from single sheets to continuous paper:

  1. If necessary, press the Load/Eject button to eject the last printed single sheet.
  2. Make sure continuous paper is loaded in the printer as described in “Loading continuous paper.”
  3. Select Tractor as the paper source on the control panel by pressing the Paper Source button.EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-36

The printer automatically advances the continuous paper from the standby position to the loading position when it receives data.

Micro Adjust Function

The Micro Adjust function allows you to move the paper forward or backward in 0.141 mm (1/180-inch) increments so that you can make precise adjustments to the top-of-form and tear-off positions.

Adjusting the tear-off position

If your paper perforation is not aligned with the tear-off edge, you can use the Micro Adjust function to move the perforation to the tear-off position.

Follow these steps to adjust the tear-off position:

Caution:
Never use the knob to adjust the tear-off position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the tear-off position.

Note
Your tear-off position setting remains in effect until you change it, even if you turn off the printer.

  1. Press the Pause button if the printer is printing.

  2. Make sure the Tear Off/Special Paper lights are flashing (the paper is at the current tear-off position). You may need to press the Tear Off/Special Paper button to advance the paper to the tear-off position.

  3. Hold down the Pause button for about three seconds. The Pause light begins flashing and the printer enters the Micro Adjust mode.

  4. Press the LF/FF   button to feed paper backward, or press the Load/Eject button to feed paper forward, until the paper perforation is aligned with the tear-off edge of the printer cover.EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-39
    Note:
    The printer has a minimum and a maximum tear-off position. If you try to adjust the tear-off position beyond these limits, the printer beeps and stops moving the paper.

  5. Tear off the printed pages.

  6. Press the Pause button to exit the Micro Adjust mode.

When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position and begins printing.

Adjusting the top-of-form position
The top-of-form position is the position on the page where the printer starts printing. If your printing appears too high or low on the page, you can use the Micro Adjust function to adjust the top-of-form position. Follow these steps to adjust the top-of-form position:

Caution:
Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

Note:

  • Your top-of-form position setting remains in effect until you change it, even if you turn off the printer.
  • The top margin setting made in some application software overrides the top-of-form position setting you make with the Micro Adjust function. If necessary, adjust the top-of-form position in your software.
  1. Make sure the printer is turned on.

  2. Press the Pause button to stop printing. The Pause light comes on.

  3. Load paper. Press the Load/Eject button to advance continuous paper to the current top-of-form position. If necessary, lift the printer cover so you can see the paper position.

  4. Hold down the Pause button for about three seconds. The Pause light starts flashing and the printer enters the Micro Adjust mode.

  5. Press the LF/FF button to move the top-of-form position down on the page, or press the Load/Eject button to move the top-of-form position up on the page.
    Note:
    ❏ The printer has a minimum and a maximum top-of-form position. If you try to adjust it beyond these limits, the printer beeps and stops moving the paper.
    ❏ When the paper reaches the default top-of-form position, the printer also beeps and stops moving the paper briefly. You can use the default setting as a reference point when adjusting the top-of-form position.

  6. After you set the top-of-form position, press the Pause button to exit the Micro Adjust mode.

Ribbon Cartridge

Genuine EPSON ribbon cartridge
When printing becomes faint, you need to replace the ribbon cartridge. Genuine EPSON ribbon cartridges are designed and manufactured to work properly with your EPSON printer. They ensure proper operation and long life of the print head and other printer parts. Other products not manufactured by EPSON may cause damage to your printer, which is not covered by EPSON’s warranties.

Your printer uses the following ribbon cartridges:

  • EPSON black ribbon cartridge:
    • S015139 (long-life cartridge)
    • S015066 (normal cartridge)
  • EPSON color ribbon cartridge:
    • S015067

Replacing the ribbon cartridge
Follow these steps to replace a used ribbon cartridge:

  1. Make sure the printer is turned off.

  2. Open the printer cover by holding the finger grips on both ends of the cover and lifting it up. Then open the paper bail.
    Warning:
    If you have just used the printer, the print head may be hot; let it cool for a few minutes before replacing the ribbon cartridge.EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-
Matrix-Printers-fig-40

  3. The print head should be in the replacement position shown in the illustration below.
    If it is not, close the printer cover and turn the printer on to move the print head to the replacement position. Wait a few seconds, then turn the printer off again and open the printer cover.
    Caution:
    Following the steps below while the printer is turned on can damage the printer.

  4. Press the tab at the upper right of the cartridge holder and pull the cartridge out of the printer.EPSON-DLQ-3500-Dot-Matrix-Printers-fig-42

  5. Remove the new ribbon cartridge from its package and turn the ribbon-tightening knob in the direction of the arrow to remove any slack in the ribbon.

  6. Hold the ribbon cartridge with the part where the ribbon is exposed facing down and the ribbon-tightening knob facing to the front of the printer. Then guide the ribbon under the print head, and snap the cartridge into place so that the tabs on both sides of the cartridge fit into the notches in the cartridge holder.

  7. Turn the ribbon-tightening knob again to remove any slack in the ribbon so that the ribbon moves freely.

  8. Close the paper bail and the printer cover.

References

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

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