Dascom 1325 User Guide: 7 Troubleshooting

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7 Troubleshooting 

Your printer is extremely reliable, but occasionally problems may occur. This chapter provides information on 

some of the common problems you may encounter and how you may solve them. If you encounter problems 

that you cannot resolve, contact your dealer or service partner for assistance. 

Print Quality Problems and Solutions 

Problem

Solution

Printing is too light or too dark.   

• Make sure that the ribbon cartridge is properly installed and that 

the ribbon feeds smoothly. 

• Replace the ribbon if necessary.     

• Make sure that the print gap lever is set for the thickness of your 

paper.  

Smears and stains appear on the 

page.  

• Make sure that the print gap lever is set for the thickness of your 

paper.  

• Check for ribbon wear. Replace the ribbon if necessary.   

• Check whether the tip of the print head is dirty. Clean the head 

with a soft cloth if necessary.   

• The print head may need to be replaced.   

Printing is erratic or the wrong 

characters are printed. Many “?” or 

unexpected characters are printed.   

• Make sure that the interface cable is securely connected to both 

the printer and computer.   

• Make sure that the printer driver selected in your software is the 

same as the emulation selected on the printer. 

• Check the length of the interface cable. (Maximum Parallel & 

USB: 2 metres) 

• Try another interface cable. 

The page is blank.   

• Make sure that the ribbon cartridge is properly installed. 

• Make sure the gap lever is set correctly.   

Printing is vertically misaligned 

(jagged).  

Use the printer's vertical alignment function to check the vertical 

print alignment. If necessary, adjust the print alignment.   

The top margin is wrong.   

• Check the application top margin setting. 

• Adjust the Top Margin setting in Page Setup menu if necessary. 

Lines are double spaced instead of 

single spaced.   

Change the Auto LF setting in the System Setup menu to No.   

The printer overprints on the same 

line.  

Change the Auto CR setting in the System Setup menu to No. 

The next print line starts where the 

previous line ended instead of at 

the left margin.   

Change the Auto CR setting in the System Setup menu to Yes. 

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Paper Handling Problems and Solutions 

Problem

Solution

Paper cannot be loaded or fed.   

• Make sure that the paper select lever located on the top right of 

the printer is set correctly. Move the lever to the front for single 

sheets or to the rear for continuous forms.   

• Make sure that the paper covers the paper-out sensor. 

Paper jams while loading.   

• Turn off the printer and remove the jammed paper. Remove any 

obstructions from the paper path.   

• Make sure that the Print Gap lever is set for the thickness of your 

paper.  

• Make sure that the paper is not folded, creased, or torn.   

• Make sure that the left and right tractors are set so that the 

continuous forms are stretched taut.   

Paper jams while printing.   

• Turn off the printer and remove the jammed paper. Remove any 

obstructions from the paper path.   

• Make sure that the Print Gap lever is set for the thickness of your 

paper.  

• For continuous forms, make sure that the incoming and outgoing 

paper stacks are correctly placed. Paper should feed straight.   

Paper slips off the forms tractors or 

the perforated holes of the paper 

tear during printing.   

Make sure that the forms tractors are positioned correctly for the 

width of your paper and that the perforated holes of the paper fit 

directly over the tractor pins.   

Operating Problems and Solutions 

Problem

Solution

The power does not turn on.   

• Check whether the mains voltage is correct. 

• Make sure that the power cord is securely connected to both the 

printer and the mains power outlet.   

• Make sure that the power outlet is functional. If not so, use other 

outlet.  

• Turn the power off. Wait a minute and then turn the printer on 

again. If the printer still has no power, contact your dealer.   

The printer is on but it will not print.   

• Make sure that the Online indicator is lit.   

• If you use the interface cable, make sure it is securely connected 

to both the printer and the computer.   

• Make sure paper is loaded.   

• Run the printer Status Page. If printing executes normally, the 

problem is caused by: the interface, the computer, incorrect printer 

settings, or incorrect software settings.   

• Make sure that the printer driver selected in your software is the 

same as the emulation selected on the printer. 

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Paper select lever error   

If paper is loaded and the paper select lever is moved to the 

incorrect position, the printer turns offline, and the buzzer sounds 

continuously. Switch the paper select lever back to its correct 

position.  

Printer Failures 

A user cannot generally resolve a problem involving defective printer hardware. Power off and on again the 

printer to recover any fatal error. If the problem cannot be resolved, contact your dealer or service partner. 

Error Indications on LEDs 

Error Description 

Operation

Status 

Paper 

Out LED 

Online 

LED 

Tear Off 

LED 

Buzzer 

Sound 

Paper jammed 

Suspend 

Flash 

Off 

Flash 

Once 

Friction feed /Tractor feed 

Suspend 

Flash 

Flash 

No change 

Continuously 

Print head hot 

Normal 

No 

change 

Flash No 

change 

-- 

Carriage initial position 

Stop 

Flash 

Off 

Off 

Once 

EEPROM Normal 

Off 

Flash 

Flash 

Once 

Print head cold 

Suspend 

Flash 

Flash 

No change 

-- 

ROM error 

Stop 

Flash 

Flash 

Flash 

Once 

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Diagnostic Functions 

The printer diagnostic functions are Self-Test page, hex-dump mode and print alignment adjustment. 



  Self-Test page: Tells you whether the printer hardware is functioning correctly. If the printer hardware 

is functional, any problems you are having are probably caused by incorrect printer settings, incorrect 

software settings, the interface, or the computer. 



  HEX-DUMP MODE: Allows you to determine whether the computer is sending the correct commands 

to the printer, and whether the printer is executing the commands correctly. This function is useful to 

programmers or others who understand how to interpret hex dumps. 



  PRINTING ALIGNMENT ADJUSTMENT: Allows you to check and, if necessary, correct the printer’s 

vertical line print alignment in bi-directional mode. 

For details on using these functions, please refer to chapters 4 and 5. 

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Firmware Update 

Sometimes it is necessary update the firmware to solve a problem. The latest firmware file may be obtained 

from your dealer or downloaded from our website 

www.dascom.com

. Before upgrading firmware, it is strongly 

recommended to print the Main Menu page to keep a record of the old settings.   

Note: Firmware update should only be performed by an authorized service person. We disclaim any 

responsibility for any damage caused if it is performed by any other person.     

To load new firmware, proceed as follows: 

1.  Switch off the printer. Connect your PC to the 

parallel port

 on the printer. 

2.  Press and hold down 4 keys (S1, S2, S3, S4) while powering on the printer. 

3.  Alternate flashing of L1 and L4 LEDs indicates printer is ready for firmware update. 

4.  Go to the DOS prompt window. Copy the firmware file (with extension .MOT) to your printer as follows: 

COPY /B <filename>.mot PRN 

5.  When new firmware is being received, L1 and L4 will flash together, followed by L1 and L3 flashing 

together. 

Note: Do not interrupt the downloading process to prevent possible flash memory corruption. 

6.  When downloading is completed, the carriage returns to home position. Printer initializes normally.