Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!comp.vuw.ac.nz!canterbury.ac.nz!cctr132
From: cctr132@canterbury.ac.nz
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: questions about EPSON Emulation printers
Message-ID: <1990Nov7.112342.9698@canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: 6 Nov 90 22:23:41 GMT
References: <4424@peora.ccur.com> <3sy8R2w163w@phoenix.com>
Organization: University of Canterbury
Lines: 30

In article <3sy8R2w163w@phoenix.com>, stanley@phoenix.com (John Stanley) writes:

>>    If this is the case then we need only to support Epson 9pin series (MX, FX
>> RX, LX, etc) and 24pin series (LQ) and software would work with most printers
>> on the market.
> 
>    If you are going to claim support for the MX, then get one and test it
> before you make that claim. 

Hear, hear!!  Also, when you test it, don't expect what you have coded on the
basis of info in the Manual, to work!!  I know, I've tried.  It was long enough
ago now that I don't remember the details, but a couple of things stick. 
*Some* **APPARENTLY RANDOM** combinations of control codes have to be
separated with NUL's to get anything other than the first one recognized by the
printer, and a couple of the code sequences in the manual I had were simply
incorrect - "misdocumented" is a good euphemism (talk about hair loss!!).

Personally, I have much fewer problems using the documentation that comes with
printers that seem to do good emulations (most recently, Panasonic KX-P1124).
There is a potential problem in using printers that do emulations though, and
that is that the emulations can be based on the same misleading documentation
supplied with the original models.  From one of my examples above, you may 
find an MX emulator that doesn't require NUL's between certain control code
sequences (the possibility wasn't even mentioned in the MX manual I had), and 
your software will work with that printer but not with an Epson.

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| Nick FitzGerald, PC Applications Consultant, CSC, Uni of Canterbury, N.Z. |
| Internet: n.fitzgerald@canterbury.ac.nz            Phone: (64)(3) 642-337 |
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