Top Margin is Too Tall on Epson LQ Printers (85927)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows 3.11
This article was previously published under Q85927
If you confirm that this issue affects other versions and/or products, please comment this article to add your findings.

SUMMARY

If you are running Microsoft Windows version 3.1 and you print to an Epson LQ printer with incorrect printer settings, the top margin will be half an inch too low.

MORE INFORMATION

If you previously printed from Microsoft Windows 3.0 to your Epson LQ printer, you may need to reset the settings on your printer to print correctly from Windows 3.1.

For more information on top margin problems with Epson LQ printers and Windows 3.0, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Top and Margin and Too and Small and Epson and LQ

To ensure proper top margins when you print Word for Windows documents to an Epson LQ printer from Windows 3.1, check the following:
  • Make sure the paper is correctly aligned in the printer. The top- of-form marker should be aligned with the first line of the paper.

    To correctly align the paper, roll the paper back so that the print head is positioned on the first line of the page, then turn the printer off and back on to set the top-of-form marker.
  • A new Epson driver is available that allows customization of the unprintable regions. To obtain this driver, contact Epson.

    If it is not desirable to set the paper alignment as described above, set Options Margins in this new driver so that the top measurement equals the distance of the print head from the top of the form. For example, if the print head is positioned .5" from the top of the form and the print is shifted down .5" inch, set the top in Options Margins to .5".

Manual-Feed Printing to an Epson LQ Printer



The Windows 3.1 printer driver for Epson LQ printers works correctly when the printer settings are correct. If the Paper Source is set to Manual Feed and the top margin prints incorrectly, use the following steps to correct the margin:
  1. Make sure the Paper Load position is set to the minimum position.

    Note: If your top margins print correctly in Windows 3.0, this setting is incorrect for use with Windows version 3.1. Use the instructions on pages 3-14 to 3-15 of the Epson LQ-850 manual to set the Paper Load position.
  2. Check the DIP switch settings and make sure they are set as follows: 
    1-7 - OFF   Cut-Sheet Feeder Mode
1-8 - OFF   Skip Perforation
2-1 - OFF   Page Length 1
2-2 - OFF   Page Length 2
The following two sections contain notes about the manual-feed setting on specific Epson LQ models:

Epson LQ-2550, LQ-850, LQ-950, LQ-1050, LQ-570, LQ-870, LQ-970, LQ-1170, Action Printer 5000

Use the directions in the printer manual to adjust the Paper Load position for the correct top margin. To ensure that the printer driver handles manual-feed printing correctly, make sure that Manual Feed is selected in the Paper Source setting in Word for Windows.

Epson LQ-2500, LQ-1500, LQ-800, LQ-1000, and Other Models That Do Not Have a User-Definable Paper Load Position

  1. Take the printer offline.
  2. Open the paper bail.
  3. Insert the paper until the Paper Out light is no longer on.
  4. Press the Line Feed button exactly nine times to position the paper correctly.
  5. Take the printer online again.
  6. Start printing.
Repeat steps 1-5 for each page.

REFERENCES

Epson LQ-850 Printer Manual
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/13/2003
Keywords:KB85927
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.