Epson PX-8 User Manual page 103

The MX, RX and FX series printer have a DB25 connector on their serial inter-
face and require cable # 725.
If
you have problems in connecting your EPSON
printers or any other printer please consult your EPSON dealer.
Fig. 4.23
For details of printer specifications and control codes, refer to the operating
manual provided with the printer.
4.4.2 Using a printer with the PX-8
The printer is controlled automatically when you use Portable WordStar™ or
other programs outputting data to the printer.
A printer connected to the interface selected by the CONFIG command is as-
signed to logical device LST:. Therefore, any file data can be output to the
printer using the PIP command as shown below.
PIP LST:
=
filename. ext
Any data output to the screen by CP
1M,
can be echoed to the printer if the
I
CTRL
I -
~
key is pressed. This acts as a switch, turning the output on the
first time it is pressed, and off the second time. Thus DIRectories of disks and
output from utilities such as STAT can be obtained by pressing
I
CTRL
I -
~
before giving the appropriate command.
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The contents of the real screen can be output to the printer by pressing the
I
PF5
I
key together with the
I
CTRL
I
key (screen dump).
If
the screen mode is 0, 1,
or 2 then the code will be sent to the printer in ASCII format.
If
the screen
is in mode 3 (the graphics screen), all data including alphanumeric characters
will be output in bit image mode (Le. as dots). All EPSON printers can print
such data, some other printers may not be able to. When data is sent as ASCII
codes, graphics characters can only be printed if the printer contains those
characters in its character set. Some EPSON printers have the characters in-
cluded. For upgrading of your printer, please consult your dealer.
If
you do
not have the graphics characters on your printer, change the screen mode to
mode 3 and use the
I
CTRL
I - I
PF5
I
key combination to give a graphics dump of
the screen.
NOTE:
The ASCII code for the graphics characters may produce unwanted characters
to be printed where a printer does not support them. It is possible to have the
graphics characters printed as a space by setting DIP switch
4-6.
This will only
occur when using the screen dump program (pressing CTRL and PF5).
If
the switch is set to OFF the following characters will be printed as a space.
This means the graphics characters will be printed.
Codes decimal:
hexadecimal:
00 to 31, 127 and 255
00 to IF, 7F and FF
If
the switch is set to ON the graphic characters will be printed as spaces and
so the following characters will be printed as a space:
codes decimal:
hexadecimal:
00 to 31, and from 127 to 255
00 to IF, and from 7F to FF
In changing the DIP switch, the reset button must be pressed to make the change
effective.
When the BASIC interpreter is used, all printer-related statements and control
codes can be used for the printer connected to the interface selected by the CON-
FIG command. For details of operation in the BASIC mode refer to the PX-8
BASIC Reference Manual.
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