68 Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting guide
Use the following table to help track down the causes of problems and to determine the
best solution to deal with them.
Problem Possible Cause Recommended Action
The ON LINE indicator does
not light. The printer is not receiving
power. Check whether the power
cord is correctly plugged into
the power outlet.
Check whether the power
outlet is working by
unplugging the printer and
plugging in another device.
Printer sounds like it is
printing, but it is not.
Printing is weak.
The ribbon is jammed,
twisted, or not set correctly
between the print head and
the print head shield.
Make sure that the ribbon
cassette is installed
correctly.
The printer is not set up
correctly for the thickness of
paper you are using.
Set up the printer for the
paper thickness you are
using. See “Adjusting for
paper thickness” on page 57.
The ribbon is worn out or
“used up.” Replace the ribbon with a
new one.
Printer test works, but printer
will not print out data from
the attached computer.
The wrong emulation is
selected. Check the emulation
selection and change it if
necessary. See page25.
Your application program’s or
system software’s printer
selection is wrong.
Check the printer selection
of your application software.
The computer’s system
software is not set up
properly for the printer or for
the port you are using.
Check the system software
settings. Check the settings
for LPT1, COM 1, or COM 2
if you are using the SPC-8K
Serial Interface.