Apple Portable StyleWriter Troubleshooting Guide
Fault-finding for the Apple Portable StyleWriter, from Apple's Portable StyleWriter Service Source. The printer reports faults with its three lights and with beeps, and the Macintosh printer driver shows a matching message. Apple's symptom charts try the cable, software, paper, cartridge and battery, then replace the whole printer.[1] Purging and battery care are on Apple Portable StyleWriter General Maintenance.
Error lights and beeps
[edit | edit source]Apple's chart lists the driver's message, the state of the Power, Error and On Line lights, and the fault. In the chart, "blink" means the light is flashing.[1]
| Message from the driver | Power | Error | On Line | Fault |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Off | Off | Off | No status lights |
| Printer beeps 2 or 3 times | On | Off | On | Out of paper |
| Printer beeps continuously | On | Off | On | Paper jam |
| Printer beeps continuously | On | Off | Blink | Carriage position error |
| Printer beeps 5 times | On | Blink | Off | Printer start-up error |
| Printer beeps 3 times | On | Blink | Off | Printer error |
| Power light blinks once every second | On | Blink | Blink | Battery being charged |
| Power light blinks once every half second | Blink | Off | Off | Battery low |
| Printer beeps 5 times and Power light blinks every half second | Blink | Off | Off | Battery empty |
| Printer beeps 5 times and two lights blink alternately | Blink | Off | On | Battery error |
The light states are drawn from Apple's chart. For the battery-charging and battery-error rows the drawing does not match the wording in the message column, so go by the message and the fault name.[1]
Error charts
[edit | edit source]| Fault | Cures |
|---|---|
| No status lights | Printer switched on and plugged in; on battery, a known-good charged battery; replace the printer |
| Out of paper | Add paper; replace the printer |
| Paper jam | Check the cables; clear the jam and press the power switch (a steady status light means it is cleared); replace the printer |
| Carriage position error | The carriage has not returned home: switch off, wait a few seconds and switch on; replace the printer |
| Printer start-up error, printer error | Switch off, wait a few seconds and switch on; replace the printer |
| Battery being charged | Wait for the charge to finish; replace the printer |
| Battery low | Recharge the battery; replace the printer |
| Battery empty | The printer beeps again after five minutes and switches itself off; recharge the battery; replace the printer |
| Battery error | Recharge the battery two or three times; replace the battery; replace the printer |
Other symptoms
[edit | edit source]| Symptom | Cures, in order |
|---|---|
| Computer cannot find the printer | Correct driver installed; Chooser and control panel settings; serial cable connected; replace the cable |
| No lights or movement | Switched on and plugged in, or a known-good charged battery; replace the printer |
| Print quality problems | 16-24 lb cotton bond; purge the cartridge; replace the cartridge; replace the printer |
| Mechanical problems | 16-24 lb paper; clear the jam; sheet feeder aligned with the printer; replace the printer |
| No printing | Serial cable; printer chosen in the Chooser; purge; replace the cartridge; replace the printer |
| Garbled printing | Serial cable; purge; cartridge; replace the printer |
| Overprinting | Line spacing and length in the application; correct driver; replace the printer |
| Too light or too dark | Purge; 16-24 lb paper; forms thickness lever (up for standard paper, down for envelopes, transparencies, labels and heavy paper); cartridge |
| White lines; wavy, splotchy or distorted image | Purge; cartridge; replace the printer |
| Page off centre | Paper; no more than 50 sheets in the feeder; paper inserted correctly; margins and paper size in Page Setup; replace the printer |
| Ink on the back of the paper | Clean the platen with a soft, dry cloth; replace the printer |
| Carrier faults (erratic, not moving, grinding, no self-test) | Clear the carrier area where the carrier does not move; otherwise replace the printer |
| No paper feed; grinding; binding or tearing | Sheet feeder aligned; obstructions; forms thickness lever; paper inserted correctly; 16-24 lb paper; replace the printer |
| Envelopes feed badly | Set the paper thickness lever, do not mix sheets and envelopes in one job, reset the lever afterwards; replace the printer |
| Control panel buttons do not work | Replace the control panel assembly; replace the printer |
| Problem in one program only | Known-good software; software compatible with TrueType fonts |
Test pattern
[edit | edit source]The purge procedure ends with an optional test pattern: release FWD ADJ and REV ADJ and press LF/FF at once. All the lines should be continuous; if any are broken, purge again.[2] The full procedure is on Apple Portable StyleWriter General Maintenance#Purging the cartridge.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Apple Portable StyleWriter General Maintenance
- Apple Portable StyleWriter
- Portable StyleWriter Service Source
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Apple Computer, Portable StyleWriter (Service Source), Troubleshooting: Error LEDs, p. 2 (PDF p. 15), and Symptom Charts, pp. 3-14 (PDF pp. 16-27), hosted as File:Portable stylewriter.pdf; described at Portable StyleWriter Service Source.
- ↑ Portable StyleWriter Service Source, Additional Procedures, Purge Ink Cartridge, pp. 1-5 (PDF pp. 43-47).