Sending Printer Commands
Most actions your printer performs are handled by your software. Software commands instruct the printer to print in a particular typeface, feed the paper a certain amount after printing each line, start printing a particular place on the page, and so on.
Some software programs let you send these commands yourself. The commands your printer recognizes are listed in this command summary
How you format commands depends on the software you are using. Some software programs accept only the decimal format, while others let you type in ASCII characters. (Some programs don’t let you insert printer commands at all.) In addition, your software probably specifies certain punctuation you must use to enter the command. If your software allows you to send commands to the printer, the software manual should explain exactly what format and punctuation are required.
Using the Command Summary
The following section lists and describes all the commands by topic. If a command has no parameters, it is merely listed. If it has parameters, they are explained. The parameters are indicated by lowercase italicized letters, usually n. The examples below show how the parameters are indicated.
ESC @ is a command with no parameters.
ESC U 1/0 is a command that uses 1 to turn the feature on and 0 to turn it off.
ESC $ n1 n2 is a command with two parameters.
ESC D nn is a command with a variable number of parameters.