Apple StyleWriter II General Maintenance

Care, cleaning and service notes for the Apple StyleWriter II and the Apple StyleWriter 1200, whose Service Source manuals have the same symptom charts and take-apart procedures and many of the same part numbers.^[1]^[2] The original 1991 Apple StyleWriter is a different design and has its own page, Apple StyleWriter General Maintenance. Fault-finding is on Apple StyleWriter II Troubleshooting Guide.

Apple's user's guide sums up the owner's maintenance as replacing the cartridge when it runs out, refilling the sheet feeder and occasional cleaning.^[3]

Safety and handling

The StyleWriter II takes a three-wire mains cord straight into the printer. Plug the cord into the printer first and then into an earthed outlet, and do not defeat the earth pin.^[3] Apple's rules from the user's guide:^[3]

Switch off with the power button before unplugging the printer. Switching off returns the carriage securely to its home position.
Do not move the carriage that holds the cartridge by hand; the moving parts are delicate.
Do not touch the print head on the bottom of the cartridge; ink can leak out and stain.
Do not print with the access door open, and keep fingers away from moving parts while it is open.
Do not oil the inside of the printer.

The Service Source adds that the ink is water-soluble but contains dyes that stain hands and clothes, that the print nozzles must not be touched or wiped, and that the ESD precautions apply to every take-apart step.^[1]

Cleaning the cartridge

The StyleWriter II and 1200 clean the cartridge from the Macintosh:^[3]^[2]

Choose the printer in the Chooser, with the right port selected.
When printing a document, click Options in the Print dialog box.
Tick "Clean ink cartridge before printing" and click OK.
Click Print. The printer cleans the cartridge, then prints the document. The option turns itself off afterwards.

Cleaning uses a small amount of ink, so repeating it without need shortens the cartridge's life.^[3] Apple's note in the 1200 Service Source is that cleaning corrects blurred characters, white horizontal streaks and missing dots caused by clogged nozzles.^[2]

Cleaning the printer

Switch off and unplug before cleaning.^[3]

Outside: wipe with a clean, soft cloth dampened with water, keeping liquid out of the power cord socket.
Inside: wipe away paper dust and spilt ink with a soft, dry cloth. Do not use any liquid cleaner inside the printer.
Do not use ammonia-based or alcohol-based cleaners on or near the printer; they can react with the plastic.

For ink on the back of the paper, Apple's service cure is to clean the platen with a soft, dry cloth and then the platen rollers.^[4]

Paper

Apple recommends 16-24 lb cotton bond. Avoid coated, very thick or shiny paper (which may not absorb the ink), damaged or wrinkled paper, erasable typing paper, stapled paper and multipart forms. Most paper has a better side for printing, so a poor result may improve if the stack is turned over.^[3] The feeder holds up to 100 sheets of 20 lb paper and fewer of heavier paper; fan the stack, square its edges and do not overfill it. Set both adjustment levers to the "A" icon for 16-24 lb paper and transparencies and to the envelope icon for envelopes and paper heavier than 24 lb.^[3]

Fuse

The fuse is reached after removing the covers and the cut sheet feeder: take off the fuse cover and change the fuse. Apple's spares are a 125 V fuse, 922-0180, and a 250 V fuse, 922-0181; the Service Source does not print the current rating.^[1]

Take-apart notes

The front access cover hangs on two arms whose tabs clip into the upper case. Press the ends of the arms inwards to free it.^[1]
When refitting the upper case, make sure its latch engages the on/off button on the logic board. When refitting the bottom cover, make sure its circular tabs sit in place in the printer frame.^[1]
Do not remove or loosen the two screws on top of the carriage guide. Apple warns that this puts the carriage out of alignment.^[1]^[2]
The carriage cable plugs into connector CNH on the logic board, and the carriage motor into CNCR.^[1]

Related pages

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 Apple Computer, StyleWriter II (Service Source), hosted as File:Stylewriter ii.pdf; described at StyleWriter II Service Source. Source for: Take Apart, Covers, pp. 1-10 (PDF pp. 26-35), including the replacement notes that the bottom cover's circular tabs must locate in the printer frame and that the latch on the upper case must engage the on/off button on the logic board; Cut Sheet Feeder (PDF p. 36) and the caution that the water-soluble ink contains staining dyes; Carriage Assembly (PDF pp. 43-50), including the cautions not to touch or wipe the nozzles and not to remove or loosen the two screws on top of the carriage guide; Carriage Motor (PDF p. 52); Fuse, pp. 32-33 (PDF pp. 57-58); Exploded View (PDF p. 60).
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 Apple Computer, StyleWriter 1200 (Service Source), hosted as File:StyleWriter 1200 Service Source.pdf. Source for: the same take-apart steps and cautions (PDF pp. 31-63, carriage guide caution PDF p. 53, fuse PDF p. 63); Ink Cartridge Cleaning (PDF pp. 65-70); Exploded View (PDF p. 71).
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 ^3.6 ^3.7 Apple Computer, StyleWriter II User's Guide, Z030-2637-A (1992), hosted as File:Apple StyleWriter II Users Guide Z030-2637-A 1992.pdf. PDF page = printed page + 7. Source for: plugging the power cord into the printer first and then into a grounded outlet, and the warning not to defeat the grounding plug (pp. 5-6); maintenance and the safety tips (p. 21); cleaning the ink cartridge from the Print Options dialog and the ink it uses (p. 23); cleaning the exterior and interior and the warnings about ammonia-based, alcohol-based and liquid cleaners (p. 24); the safety precautions repeated in the troubleshooting chapter (p. 25); paper feeding (p. 28); image problems, papers to avoid and the adjustment levers (pp. 29-31).
↑ StyleWriter II Service Source, Troubleshooting, Symptom Charts (PDF pp. 14-24).

[ss2-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 Apple Computer, StyleWriter II (Service Source), hosted as File:Stylewriter ii.pdf; described at StyleWriter II Service Source. Source for: Take Apart, Covers, pp. 1-10 (PDF pp. 26-35), including the replacement notes that the bottom cover's circular tabs must locate in the printer frame and that the latch on the upper case must engage the on/off button on the logic board; Cut Sheet Feeder (PDF p. 36) and the caution that the water-soluble ink contains staining dyes; Carriage Assembly (PDF pp. 43-50), including the cautions not to touch or wipe the nozzles and not to remove or loosen the two screws on top of the carriage guide; Carriage Motor (PDF p. 52); Fuse, pp. 32-33 (PDF pp. 57-58); Exploded View (PDF p. 60).

[ss1200-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 Apple Computer, StyleWriter 1200 (Service Source), hosted as File:StyleWriter 1200 Service Source.pdf. Source for: the same take-apart steps and cautions (PDF pp. 31-63, carriage guide caution PDF p. 53, fuse PDF p. 63); Ink Cartridge Cleaning (PDF pp. 65-70); Exploded View (PDF p. 71).

[ug-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 ^3.6 ^3.7 Apple Computer, StyleWriter II User's Guide, Z030-2637-A (1992), hosted as File:Apple StyleWriter II Users Guide Z030-2637-A 1992.pdf. PDF page = printed page + 7. Source for: plugging the power cord into the printer first and then into a grounded outlet, and the warning not to defeat the grounding plug (pp. 5-6); maintenance and the safety tips (p. 21); cleaning the ink cartridge from the Print Options dialog and the ink it uses (p. 23); cleaning the exterior and interior and the warnings about ammonia-based, alcohol-based and liquid cleaners (p. 24); the safety precautions repeated in the troubleshooting chapter (p. 25); paper feeding (p. 28); image problems, papers to avoid and the adjustment levers (pp. 29-31).

[ss2-charts-4] StyleWriter II Service Source, Troubleshooting, Symptom Charts (PDF pp. 14-24).

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