Epson LQ-850 User Manual page 99

The next illustration shows how to use this method to calculate
the data numbers for the example character. On the left side of the
figure the data numbers are calculated for the middle column. The
value of each byte is calculated by adding the values of the rows
where dots appear. The right side of the figure shows the whole
character with the three data numbers for each column indicated at
the bottom.
This manual uses decimal numbers because the example programs
in this manual are written in BASIC and everyone is familiar with
decimals. The data you send to the LQ, however, can be in any
form (binary, decimal, hexadecimal) that you can use with your
programming language.
You've seen how to design a character by placing dots on a grid
and translating the dots to decimal equivalents. The last step in
defining a character is to send this information to the printer.
User-Defined Characters
4-23