Windows™ Printer Drivers; Your Application Program; On-Line Information; If All Else Fails - ABLE Systems Ap1200 User Manual

You can use either of the two serial ports for the Ap1200, whichever is free.
COM2: is assumed in what follows, as most likely to be available.
You will need a suitable cable (see section 'Suggested connections to a PC') which connects the
appropriate pins of the computer to the printer. To start with, since the printer has a large data buffer,
the only essential pins are Ground (common) and TXD (transmit data), although the computer itself
may need to see a connection to its CTS and DTR inputs to indicate that the printer is not busy.
•
Now you will need to SET UP YOUR COMPUTER'S SERIAL PORT to match the printer (it is also
possible to change the printer's settings, but not until you have established communication with
the computer).
Your proposed application program may have a way of doing this, or you can get to the DOS prompt
[e.g. C:\>] and type the following command line (assuming you have connected the printer to COM2:):
MODE COM2:9600,N,8,2 [RETURN]
This will set up the port (COM2:) to 9600 baud, No parity, 8 data bits, and 2 stop bits which is the
default setting for the Ap1200.
•
Now, SEND SOME DATA TO THE PRINTER from your computer. An easy way to do this from
the DOS prompt is to type:
DIR >COM2: [RETURN]
This should send a directory listing to the printer. The lines will probably overflow, but it will at least
show that the communication between the computer and the printer is working.
You can also send data from QBASIC, e.g.:
OPEN "COM2:9600,N,8,2" FOR RANDOM AS #1
PRINT#1, "Hello"
Or, you can use the special Able Systems set-up software AP8612.EXE which we can supply on a
floppy disc, or by email, on request: this will allow the printer settings to be changed and includes
some diagnostic routines.
Alternatively, in Windows, use the TERMINAL program to send some text to the printer.
6.3 WINDOWS™ PRINTER DRIVERS
A Windows driver specifically written for the Ap1200 is available from Able Systems, and can be
downloaded, at the user's risk, from our World Wide Web site (see 'On-line Information'). It may be
necessary to adjust some settings in your application to produce the desired result. It is important to
recognise that other Windows printer drivers, even for ESCPOS compatible printers, may not work
with the Ap1200, as they format all images as dot graphics patterns, in a way which is unique to each
kind of printer. The Windows "Generic Text Only" printer driver should, however, work in a limited
manner.
6.4

YOUR APPLICATION PROGRAM

Once communications between your computer and the printer have been established, you can try
driving the printer from your application program. As referred to in the 'Programmers Guide', the
Ap1200 has a control code set based on the EPSON ESCPOS protocol. Many of the commands are
as closely compatible as they can be, given the mechanical differences between printers, but if the
application program was originally written for another printer, it may need to be modified.
6.5

ON-LINE INFORMATION

ABLE Systems maintains a site on the World Wide Web. This includes application data updates,
product announcements, and e-mail facilities for customer support.
The Windows Driver can be downloaded from this site: please note that this is a third-party product,
and ABLE Systems do not accept responsibility for the installation or use of this program. Further
details are given on the web site.
The URL of our web site is:
Our e-mail address is: contact@able-systems.com
6.6

IF ALL ELSE FAILS

You are always welcome to contact ABLE Systems or your local supplier for specific assistance.
We would also appreciate reports of any errors in our documentation, or suggested improvements.
www.able-systems.com
...
Ap1200 Users' Guide Page 12 of 14