Microsoft KB Archive/113290

{|
 * width="100%"|

Epson ESCP/2 EPESCP2.DRV v. 1.60 Release Notes

 * }

Q113290

-

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 3.1

-

SUMMARY
The following is the text of the release notes that ship with the Epson ESCP/2 driver, EPESCP2.DRV version 1.60, shipped by Epson.

The information contained in this document is provided by Epson and has not been tested or confirmed by Microsoft.

MORE INFORMATION
- Epson Research Center Imaging Products Development

Release Notes for MS Windows Mini Driver for Epson ESC/P 2 Printers

EPESCP2.DRV ver 1.60

February 4, 1994

Product Description This is a release of an upgraded Windows driver which supports the latest Epson printer models and paper sizes. It is a "Mini driver" which works in conjunction with the Microsoft Universal Printer Driver. The Mini Driver code and copyright for EPESCP2.DRV ver 1.6 are owned by Microsoft Corporation. The Universal Printer Driver code and copyright are owned by Microsoft Corporation. The copyright displayed in the driver's About box refers to the Universal Printer Driver and is "Microsoft Corporation".

The following files are included in this release:

EPESCP2.DRV      1/3/94    13699    (the Mini driver) OEMSETUP.INF   1/3/94    1332     (setup file)

In addition, the following related files are required for a complete driver solution: UNIDRV.DLL     ver. 3.1.1 or later (the Universal driver) UNIDRV.HLP                         (help file)

Version Update Description The differences between version 1.60 compared to the previous version 1.5 are as follows: 1)  Stylus 400 has been added. 2)   Stylus 800+ has been added. 3)  A2 paper size has been added to Stylus 1000

Installation Use Control Panel / Printers to install these drivers. Remove all previously installed version 1.0, 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, or 1.5 Epson ESC/P 2 drivers before installing 1.6. Be sure to use Universal Printer Driver 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.4 or later. This Mini driver is not recommended for use with Universal Printer Driver 3.1.

Deinstallation To deinstall the ESC/P 2 drivers, within the Control Panel / Printers dialog, highlight the driver name in the "Installed Printer" box, then click the Remove button.

Usage Refer to Microsoft Windows documentation for use of printer drivers.

Technical Limitations 1) Matching Paper Size with Paper Source It is very important that the correct Paper Source (Tractor, Sheet Feeder or Manual) be selected for each Paper Size.

a) Only the Fanfold paper sizes (sizes with the word Fanfold in      their name) can be used properly with the Tractor Paper Source.       Do not use any other Paper Sizes with the Tractor Paper Source.

b) All other paper sizes (including User Defined) can be used only      with the Manual or Sheet Feeder Paper Source.  Do not use any       Fanfold Paper Sizes with the Manual or Sheet Feeder Paper Source.

Here is a complete list of which Paper Sizes can be used for each Paper Source:

Tractor only                            Sheet Feeder or Manual only

Letter Fanfold 8 1/2 x 11 in            Letter 8 1/2 x 11 in Fanfold 11 x 8 1/2 in                    Legal 8 1/2 x 14 in Fanfold 210 x 305 mm                     Statement 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 in A4 Fanfold 210 mm x 11 2/3 in            Tabloid 11 x 17 in Fanfold 358 x 305 mm                     A3 297 x 420 mm US Standard Fanfold 14 7/8 x 11 in       A3 420 x 297 mm                                         A4 210 x 297 mm                                         A5 148 x 210 mm                                         B4 250 x 354 mm                                         B5 182 x 257 mm                                         6 3/4 Envelope 3 5/8 x 6 1/2 in                                         Envelope #10 4 1/8 x 9 1/2 in                                         Envelope DL 110 x 220 mm                                         Envelope C5 162 x 229 mm                                         User Defined Size... A2 420 x 594 mm

If these simple and intuitive rules are not followed, the correct results cannot be assured. The margins will be incorrect and the image will possibly spill over onto a second page. Matching the Paper Source with the Paper Size is a new requirement for version 1.5 and 1.6 which was not necessary on version 1.4.

2) User Defined Size Note that User Defined paper size is not to be used with the Tractor Paper Source. If User Defined Paper Size is selected while the Tractor Paper Source is selected, the user defined paper length will be ignored as the physical form length and the printer's maximum form length of 22 inches will be used.  At the end of each page, the printer will feed the paper as if it was a 22 inch form.  The command for the User Defined form length entered by the user cannot be sent to the printer.  This is a limitation of the Uni/Mini Driver.  There is no problem in Sheet Feeder or Manual mode, the paper will be correctly ejected.

3) B4 and B5 Paper Sizes There are two standards for defining B4 and B5 size paper.  This driver only supports the sizes which are standard in Windows.

Standard 1    Standard 2     Size used in Windows and this driver

B4   250 x 354 mm   257 x 364 mm   250 x 354 mm B5    177 x 250 mm   182 x 257 mm   182 x 257 mm

The differences seem to be between European and Japanese implementation of these paper sizes. If using B4 or B5 paper, check that it matches the supported size in the driver.

4) Auto Print Direction The Auto Print Direction feature of the Stylus printer family is not supported by this driver.  It always prints in uni-directional mode.

5) A2 Paper Size Printable Area Due to the limitation of the physical mechanism width, and a limitation of the printer command language length, the printable area on A2 paper is only 13.6 inches wide and 22 inches long.

Application Notes 1) Universal Printer Driver These drivers require Universal Printer Driver 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.4 or later.  Only one Uni Driver can be installed at a time.  If you already have other printer mini drivers installed which require an earlier version of Uni Driver than the 3.1.1, 3.1.2, or 3.1.4 driver you are installing, then some incompatibilities may occur in those other printer mini drivers.  This is an issue with the Uni Driver / Mini Driver concept.

2) Setting Resolution Some applications such as Microsoft Write, require the resolution settings to be set in the Control Panel.  Setting a resolution in the Write Print dialog which conflicts with the Windows Control Panel setting may give unexpected results.

3) "Non-standard" Paper Sizes Some "non-standard" paper sizes are not fully recognized by some applications.  The sizes may not be listed in the Page Setup dialog.  To use these sizes, they must first be selected in the Windows Control Panel.  The paper size may then appear as "blank" in the application's Page Setup dialog.  The document can then be printed normally.  The following paper sizes are "non-standard":

A3 420 x 297 mm Letter Fanfold 8 1/2 x 11 in Fanfold 11 x 8 1/2 in Fanfold 210 x 305 mm A4 Fanfold 210 mm x 11 2/3 in Fanfold 358 x 305 mm US Standard Fanfold 14 7/8 x 11 in 6 3/4 Envelope 3 5/8 x 6 1/2 in Envelope #10 4 1/8 x 9 1/2 in Envelope DL 110 x 220 mm Envelope C5 162 x 229 mm

4) Ami Pro and Letter Paper Size There are two paper sizes in the driver that are 8 1/2 x 11 inches; Letter and Letter Fanfold.  When using Ami Pro, if the Letter button is selected in the Modify Page Layout dialog, Ami Pro will always select the Letter paper size regardless of the Paper Size selected in the driver (in Page Setup).  In this case, it is impossible to print using the Letter Fanfold paper size.  The result of using Letter is that the margins for Manual and Sheet Feeder will be used instead of the zero margins expected when using Letter Fanfold with a Tractor.  The resulting printout is acceptable unless the user absolutely requires zero margins.  If zero margins are required, select Custom Size in the Page Layout dialog and enter values such as 8.40 x 11.0 inches.  Then by selecting Tractor and Letter Fanfold in the driver, the proper zero margins will be used.  (Do not enter 8.50 x 11.0 inches, because AmiPro will still recognize this as Letter size paper and will still use the Manual and Sheet Feeder margins).

5) Margin Tolerances The driver margins have been minimized to as close to the physical margins in the printer specification as possible.  These margins include some tolerance for errors in the loading position, paper feeding accuracy, and paper length.  However, it is not practical to include enough tolerance to work in every possible situation.  It is possible that under certain conditions the driver margins will not be large enough to prevent errors such as the printed image exceeding the printable area of the sheet of paper and spilling over onto a second page.  If this occurs, the user should do the following: a)  Make sure the actual paper size is within one millimeter (0.04    inches) of its specification size. b) Make sure the Paper Source correctly matches the Paper Size (see Technical Limitations #1). c) Increase the document's bottom margin in the application.

6) Microsoft Word 2.0 and 6.0 It is possible for a General Protection Fault to occur when printing a document that has data in the unprintable area.  Only occurs on some documents.  It is not clear if this is an application problem or a driver problem.

7) A2 Paper Size with Microsoft Write The printable length of A2 paper size is only 22 inches (see Technical Limitations). Write reports an incorrect value of 1.93 cm (0.76 inches) for the minimum bottom margin, but it should be 3.53 cm (1.39 in).  This error does not affect the actual printable area and does not cause any other problems.  This error has only been found on Microsoft Write, but may also occur on some other applications. Additional query words: gpf win31 Action Actionprinter LQ 570 870 1170 1070 plus 5000 5500 3250 100 Stylus 800 1000 300 400 + esc p2

Keywords :

Issue type :

Technology : kbWin3xSearch kbWin310