SP-401 User Manual
Telpar, Inc.
Page 3 of 25
1 Introduction
This manual contains installation, operating and maintenance procedures for the
Telpar SP-401 series of low cost miniature thermal printers. The SP-401 printers are
available in 20 and 40 column Graphics and Non-Graphics configurations. These
printers are microprocessor controlled to provide a wide range of printing capabilities.
The SP-401 series of printers are small size and of a rugged design, which makes them
ideal for mobile use. In their standard configuration, they may be powered from any AC
or DC power source between 8 and 30 volts. A 115 VAC power supply is available as
an extra cost option, and also a 230 VAC power supply can be ordered as an option.
The SP-401 printers utilize a thermal print head to print dot matrix characters.
International character sets are supported by the SP-401 printers. The serial interfaces
support data rates of 50 to 19200 baud. The parallel interface is a Centronics type
which is compatible with the parallel printer ports on most personal computers.
The SP-401 series of printers may be ordered with a variety of options. Options are
a real time clock, bit image graphics mechanism, paper low sensor, and a paper take
up journal. Please contact Telpar for details regarding these options.
The SP-401 printer is available with either an RS232/20ma loop interface, an RS-
485/20 ma loop interface, or a parallel interface.
SP-401, Usage in a Windows Environment
Printing in a Windows environment consists of sending data to the printer in
a BIT-MAPPED GRAPHICS format. Since the printer mechanisms used in the
SP-401 series of printers do not have enough resolution to print graphics well,
no Windows drivers have been written for the SP-401 series of printers and
none are currently planned.
However, testing has shown that the SP-401 series of printers CAN be used
for printing TEXT in a Windows environment by selecting the Generic/Text Only
printer driver which is furnished with Windows. Select the Generic/Text Only
driver and then use ONLY the Roman 10 cpi font. Any graphics images
imbedded in a document (including True Type fonts) will be ignored when the
document is sent to the printer. PAGE SET-UP for using the SP-401/40 column
wide printer is to set all margins to 0 and select a paper width of 4 inches. PAGE
SET-UP for using the SP-401/20 column wide printer is to set all margins to 0
and select a paper width of 2 inches.
