Apple Personal LaserWriter 320
| Apple Personal LaserWriter 320 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Personal LaserWriter 320 (All About Apple museum, CC BY-SA 3.0) | |
| Manufacturer | Apple Computer, Inc. |
| Type | Laser printer |
| Release date | October 1993 |
| Discontinued | September 1995 |
| Interface | LocalTalk (RS-422, mini-DIN-8) |
| Compatible | Macintosh with System 6.0.7 or later |
| Power | 120 W maximum |
| Resolution | 300 dpi |
The Apple Personal LaserWriter 320 is a 300 dpi, 4 page-per-minute PostScript Level 2 laser printer that Apple introduced in October 1993 and discontinued in September 1995.[1] It has the same case size as the QuickDraw Apple Personal LaserWriter 300 of earlier in 1993 and many of the same engine parts, with a PostScript I/O board added. Apple's service guide covers it in one chapter with the LaserWriter 4/600 PS, which uses the same Canon P90 engine at 600 dpi, and the 320 shares its controller assembly (661-0029 for 120 V, 661-0028 for 240 V), laser/scanner assembly (661-0027) and fuser assemblies with the Personal LaserWriter 300.[2][3]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Engine | Canon P90 |
| Resolution | 300 dpi |
| Speed | About 4 pages per minute (A4) |
| Imaging language | PostScript Level 2 |
| Processor | AMD 29205 |
| RAM | 2 MB, expandable to 8 MB with a RAM card |
| Interface | RS-422 (LocalTalk) |
| Paper in | 100-sheet universal cassette (17-20 lb photocopy bond); single-sheet manual feed (17-28 lb, letterhead, coloured stock, transparencies, envelopes, labels) |
| Paper out | 25 sheets face-down; face-up slot for transparencies, labels and postcards |
| Imageable area | 8 in (203 mm) wide; 0.25 in (6.35 mm) minimum margins |
| Power | 100-120 V AC, 50-60 Hz, or 220-240 V AC, 50 Hz |
| Size and weight | 6.3 × 15.2 × 14.9 in (16.1 × 38.5 × 37.9 cm); 15.4 lb (7 kg) without cartridge |
Apple's I/O board table for the 320 (Table 80) is partly copied from the Personal LaserWriter 300's: next to the 320's AMD 29205, 2 MB RAM and 2.5 MB ROM, it repeats the 300's "DRAM 512K, expandable to 1.5 MB or 4.5 MB" and "Printing Protocols: QuickDraw", although the engine table for the same printer gives PostScript Level 2.[2] Apple's specification sheet gives the ROM as 4 MB and the processor clock as 16 MHz.[1]
The built-in fonts are ITC Bookman, Courier, New Century Schoolbook, Palatino, Times, Chicago and New York (serif); ITC Avant Garde, Helvetica, Helvetica Narrow, Geneva and Monaco (sans serif); and Symbol, ITC Zapf Chancery and ITC Zapf Dingbats.[2]
Memory
[edit | edit source]The 320 has 2 MB on its I/O board and one slot for a RAM expansion card. Apple sold a 2 MB card (661-0688) and a 6 MB card (661-0689). Fit the 2 MB card, for 4 MB in total, to print edge to edge on legal paper; fit the 6 MB card, for 8 MB, to print with PhotoGrade.[2][4]
Status LEDs and self test
[edit | edit source]The three LEDs are Ready/In Use, Paper-Out and Paper-Jam. Ready/In Use is steady on standby and flashes when a print job arrives and the fan starts; Paper-Out is steady when the cassette is empty and the printer is set for cassette feed; Paper-Jam is steady when paper is jammed.[2] At power-on all three light, then go out in turn as the I/O controller board, the RAM card and the engine pass the power-on self test.[2]
The I/O board also has a diagnostic mode. Switch off, plug Apple's serial loopback cable (077-8265) into the serial connector on the I/O board and switch on. The LEDs can take up to 90 seconds to show a result; an error then repeats as one second all on, one second all off, one second showing the fault, one second all off, until the printer is switched off.[2]
| Fault | Ready/In Use | Paper-Out | Paper-Jam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controller assembly | Off | Off | On |
| RAM card | Off | On | Off |
| Fuser assembly | On | Off | Off |
| Fan motor | Off | On | On |
| Laser assembly | On | Off | On |
| Miscellaneous engine fault | On | On | Off |
Power and fuses
[edit | edit source]Apple's first troubleshooting step for a dead fan is to unplug the printer and, "because of the possibility of a capacitor error", wait 4 minutes before plugging it in again.[5] The controller assembly carries the fuses; FU101 is the one Apple checks when the fan gets no power.[5] Apple's service spares are a 125 V, 10 A fuse (922-0484), a 250 V, 3.15 A fuse (922-0486) and a 210 V fuse (922-0485).[2]
Maintenance and troubleshooting
[edit | edit source]- Apple Personal LaserWriter 320 General Maintenance: safety, drum exposure, paper, RAM cards, and the mirror and registration adjustments.
- Apple Personal LaserWriter 320 Troubleshooting Guide: the service test page, Apple's flowchart and Tables 81-103 with their meter checks.
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Apple Service Guide Laserwriter Printers Volume Iii July 1995, chapter 4
- Apple Service Guide Laserwriter Printers Volume Ii Sept 1993, Personal LaserWriter 300 section, for the shared engine
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Apple Personal LaserWriter 300
- Apple Personal LaserWriter NT, the 1990 PostScript Personal LaserWriter on a different engine
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Apple, "Personal LaserWriter 320: Technical Specifications", Apple Support document 112411 (formerly SP436), retrieved 2026-10-02. Source for: AMD 29205 at 16 MHz; PostScript Level 2; LocalTalk; 120 W maximum, 1 A, 410.4 BTU/hour at 110-115 V, 50-60 Hz; 4 MB ROM; one RAM card slot, 2 to 8 MB, with 2 MB and 6 MB cards; 4 pages per minute; 300 dpi; minimum life 100,000 pages; introduced 1 October 1993, discontinued 16 September 1995; 15.4 lb; 6.3 × 15.2 × 14.9 in.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Apple Computer, Inc., Apple Service Guide: LaserWriter Printers, Volume III (072-0142, July 1995), Chapter 4, Personal LaserWriter 320 and LaserWriter 4/600 PS, pp. 164-201, hosted as File:Apple Service Guide LaserWriter Printers Volume III July 1995.pdf; described at Apple Service Guide Laserwriter Printers Volume Iii July 1995. Chapter 4 page numbers are the PDF page minus 7. Source for: exploded view (p. 164); parts list (pp. 165-166: controller assemblies 661-0029 and 661-0028 for the 320, 661-0201 and 661-0203 for the 4/600 PS; I/O boards 661-0687 for the 320 and 661-0200 for the 4/600 PS; laser/scanner 661-0027 for the 320; fuser assemblies 661-0025 and 661-0026; fixing film assemblies 922-0450 and 922-0451; RAM cards 2 MB 661-0688 and 6 MB 661-0689; fuses 922-0484 (125 V, 10 A), 922-0485 (210 V) and 922-0486 (250 V, 3.15 A)); I/O and controller board drawings (p. 167); Tables 79 and 80, specifications (pp. 169-170); paper paths (p. 171); status LEDs, POST and printer diagnostics with Figure 52 (pp. 172-173); sensing system (p. 174); service test page (p. 175).
- ↑ Apple Computer, Inc., Apple Service Guide: LaserWriter Printers, Volume 2 (072-0632, September 1993), Personal LaserWriter 300 parts list, pp. 141-142 (PDF pp. 146-147), hosted as File:Apple Service Guide LaserWriter Printers Volume II Sept 1993.pdf. Source for: the Personal LaserWriter 300's controller assemblies 661-0029 (120 V) and 661-0028 (240 V), laser/scanner assembly 661-0027 and fuser assemblies 661-0025 and 661-0026.
- ↑ Apple Service Guide: LaserWriter Printers, Volume III, Table 102, No PhotoGrade on Personal LaserWriter 320, and Table 103, Personal LaserWriter 320 Legal Size Print Area Not Edge-to-Edge, p. 200 (PDF p. 207).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Apple Service Guide: LaserWriter Printers, Volume III, Table 81, No Power to Fan, pp. 185-186 (PDF pp. 192-193).