Adjustments, Maintenance, and Lubrication 5

Adjusting the Printer Mechanism

This section describes the various adjustments required to keep the printer mechanism in optimum condition.

Platen Gap Adjustment

If you have changed the printhead, rotated or reassembled the carriage guide shaft, moved the parallelism adjustment bushing, or if printing is abnormal or ribbon tension is loose, you must adjust the gap between the platen and the printhead.

1.Remove the printer mechanism from the lower case. (See page 4-9.)

2.Remove the printhead from the carriage. (See page 4-7.)

3.Use tweezers to remove the ribbon mask from the carriage.

Ribbon Mask

Figure 5-1. Removing the Ribbon Mask

4.Remount the printhead on the carriage.

5.Set the adjust lever to the 0 setting (second step position from the rear).

6.Move the release lever back to the FRICTION setting.

7.Move the carriage until the edge of the printhead is at the fifth column print position.

8.Use a box driver (7 mm) to rotate the parallelism adjustment bushing on the left frame of the printer mechanism.

Epson FX-870/1170

5-1