LOADING AND UNLOADING PAPER
FORMS.— Many printers have a soundproof cover that
you must raise to gain access to the forms tractors and
other manual controls. By moving the print-unit release
lever toward you (figure 2-20, frame A), you unlock the
print unit assembly. This allows you to swing the unit
out to the side and gain access to the upper and lower
forms tractors (figure 2-20, frame B). You then open all
four tractors to unload or load paper forms.
Unloading Forms.— To remove forms already in
the printer, tear off the form at the end of the report and
let the unused portion fall back into the box. The printed
portion will normally follow on down into the printer’s
stacker. Now, you are ready to insert (load) a new form.
Loading Forms.— Quite often, you will find
yourself having to load a form of a different width. To
do this you will have to adjust the tractors. When
adjusting the tractors, it is a good practice (and
sometimes a command policy) to keep the left-hand
tractors in one permanent location. In this way, both
you and the programmer always know where print
position 1 will print on any given form. To adjust the
right-hand tractors, you must use the tension control
(figure 2-21). This allows you to move the tractors to
the desired location. As you become more experienced,
you will know where to position the tractors for all
standard form widths. You then place the form over the
sprockets and close the tractors.
Now that the forms are in place, you apply the
proper amount of tension to the paper. To do this, use
the tension control (figure 2-21). By depressing the left
button, you move the right-hand tractor closer to the
left-hand tractor, thereby decreasing the amount of
tension to the paper. By depressing the right button, you
move the right-hand tractor farther away from the left-
hand tractor, thereby increasing the amount of tension
to the paper. If there is not enough tension, the forms
tend to feed improperly, and they may tear. If too much
tension is applied, the tractor latching pins tend to rip
out the sprocket holes in the form and may cause the
forms' tractors to open. Once the proper tension is
applied, you can proceed to align the forms so that the
information will print in the correct location, both
vertically and horizontally.
Figure 2-20.—Open the print unit to access the print unit and
forms tractors.
Figure 2-21.—Tractor and tension control adjustments.
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