LA75 Plus Companion Printer Installation and User Guide

This document is the "LA75 Plus Companion Printer Installation and User Guide" published by Digital Equipment Corporation in July 1991. It provides comprehensive instructions for setting up, operating, configuring, and maintaining the LA75 Plus, a narrow-carriage, 24-pin impact dot-matrix printer designed for personal and general business applications.

The guide is intended for users with varying levels of computer experience, including those with little or none. Key areas covered include:

• Installation: Detailed steps for unpacking, identifying printer parts, connecting the power cord, installing the ribbon cartridge, performing a self-test, and connecting the printer to a computer system (Digital, PC, or PC-compatible via serial or parallel ports).
• Operation: Explanations of the printer's operator control panel, various paper loading methods (rear pinfeed, single-sheet, and bottom loading), and adjusting the printhead for different paper thicknesses.
• New Features (compared to LA75): Highlights the LA75 Plus's 24-pin printhead, 4-color printing capability (with optional ribbon), "Document on Demand" for paper-saving, "Automatic Viewing" of the last printed line, and automatic switching between serial and parallel ports with IBM Proprinter X24E as the default parallel protocol.
• Configuration: How to access and use the "Set-up Mode" to customize printer features such as communication protocols (DEC PPL2 and IBM Proprinter X24E), baud rate, data bits, and parity, as well as installing optional font cartridges.
• Maintenance & Troubleshooting: Guidance on general printer maintenance, replacing the ribbon cartridge and fuse, and a detailed section for correcting common problems related to power, printout quality, paper handling, and carriage movement.
• Reference Information: Provides specifications for the printer and paper, lists available accessories, and includes quick reference appendices for DEC PPL2 and IBM Proprinter X24E control codes and character sets.