ladyphoenixxii@my-deja.com writes ... > > There are three banks of dipswitches located upper left behind the platen. > The following settings are used with the GS. > > Farthest left > switches 12345 up 67 down 8 up > > middle set > switches 12 down, 345678 up > > As I recall the set up advances the page, so where the top of the page is > aligned with the line on the plastic near the print head it advances a bit > so the upper margin is automatically set. > Your settings look okay except that, in the first group (SW-1), the printer seems to be configured for graphics printouts-- i.e. unless you send control codes to change this setup, it will not work well for printing Text. With power OFF, try setting 6 and 7 UP and 8 DOWN. Below is a snip from the FAQs which should help with picking settings: >> While a number of settings are the same; there are some differences between IW-II and IW-II LQ in DIP switch settings as well as which DIP switches are present. Unless there is a note attached or a setting is labeled "IW-II" or "'LQ", the indicated setting applies to both printers. IW-II DIP switches are located near the left front side, inside the printer. Lift the cover to get access. 'LQ DIP switches are located near the left rear of the printer under the rear cover. When changing switches, power should be OFF. ImageWriter II & II LQ DIP Switch Settings In Imagewriter manuals, "SW-1" refers to DIP switch module 1. Each such module has several individually numbered switches. For example SW-1 #5 refers to switch #5 on the SW-1 module. When a switch is UP (pointing toward the back of the printer) it is open or OFF. When a switch is DOWN (pointing toward the front of the printer) it is closed or ON. When a setting is labeled "usual" this refers to the usual setting at the time a printer is shipped in the USA. The settings for SW-1 have to do with printout format. ImageWriter control codes can override these settings. The codes for a particular setup could be sent in a character string by your program or an application. On SW-1 all of the switches are normally open (UP) except #8 which is closed (DOWN). These settings work for printouts under Appleworks and several other programs which take care of page breaks. For tasks like listing a program, doing a hex dump in the monitor, etc. you may want SW-1 #5 to be DOWN for automatic skipping over perforations between pages. Character Set SW-1 #1 #2 #3 American U U U default Italian D U U Danish U D U British D D U German U U D Swedish D U D French U D D Spanish D D D Form Length SW-1 #4 11 inches U default 12 inches D Auto Perforation Skip SW-1 #5 No U default Yes D Character Pitch SW-1 #6 #7 10 cpi U U 12 cpi D U default 17 cpi U D 160 dpi D D (proportional) Line Feed with Carriage Return SW-1 #8 No U CR only Yes D CR plus LF The settings for SW-2 are concerned with hardware interfacing. #1 and #2 set the baud rate the printer will expect: SW-2 #1 #2 300 (on IW-II) U U 19200 (on IW-II LQ) U U 'LQ default 1200 D U 2400 U D 9600 D D IW-II default You should set the switches to match the speed of your printer interface. For the IIgs serial Printer Port, the Port and the DIP switches would normally be set for the maximum speed the printer can handle (e.g. IIgs Port at 9600 baud and DIP switches set DOWN DOWN for the IW-II). SW-2 #3 is usually set UP to enable DTR hardware handshaking. If your interface wants to use XON/XOFF handshaking, set #3 DOWN. SW-2 #4: If you have the 32K Memory Option, LocalTalk card, etc. installed, SW-2 #4 should be set DOWN. Otherwise, it should be set UP (the usual setting). IW-II: SW-2 #5-#6 on the IW-II are factory-set to optimize hammer firing and should be left alone by the use (On my IW-II #5 is DOWN and #6 is UP.) 'LQ: SW-2 #5-#7 (#7 is only on the 'LQ) on the IW-II LQ are used to set the number of cut sheet feeder bins attached to the printer. 'LQ SW-2 #5 #6 #7 1 U U D 1 and 2 D U D 1, 2, and 3 D D D 1 and envelope U U U default 1, 2, and envelope D U U 1, 2, 3, and envelope D D U 'LQ: SW-2 #8 (only on the 'LQ) sets Auto Paper Load position. To print line U default To paper bail D 'LQ: SW-3 #1-#5 (only on the 'LQ) are factory-set to optimize printer operation and should be left alone by the user. 'LQ: SW-3 #6-#8 (only on the 'LQ) control vertical alignment of dots in bidirectional printing mode. Set for best alignment. << For vertical alignment info, see ... http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/Csa2PRINTER.html#003 . > I do have a spare LQ that I can take parts from. > I took one thrift soft buy > with a bad print headpart but couldn't figure how > to open it up and preserve > the innards. If someone knows how to do that I could > offer cheap parts. The > things too heavy to ship for repair. > .... Don't think I've ever opened up our ImageWriter II to get to the innards (and, we do not have an 'LQ). From past messing around with this sort of hardware, my guess is that the bolts you will need to loosen will come in on the bottom of the printer. By the way, don't be too quick to blame the printer for screwed up printing. Many older IW ribbons use a foam capstan and pressure wheel to pull the print ribbon during printing. These eventually turn to mush and the ribbon no longer moves. Rubywand