Using the Rear Push Tractor

To use the rear push tractor, load continuous paper in the rear slot. For information on when to use the rear push tractor, see Available Paper Paths.

Loading paper onto the rear push tractor

If a tractor is installed in the pull position, you need to remove it and replace the paper tension unit before using the rear push tractor. See Removing the pull tractor.

To avoid paper jams, it is best to load thick multipart forms using the front or bottom slot and pull or front push tractor.

Do not load continuous paper with labels in the rear paper slot; the labels may come off their backing sheet inside the printer and cause a paper jam.

To load paper onto the rear push tractor, follow these steps:

Open the paper guide cover and remove the paper guide.

Set the paper release lever to the rear push tractor position. Also set the paper-thickness lever (located under the printer cover) to the proper position for your paper’s thickness.

Release the left and right sprockets by pulling the sprocket lock levers forward.

Slide the left sprocket to the left margin of the paper using the scale on the printer. (Printing starts at the “0” mark.) Then push the lever back to lock it in place.

See Paper alignment and Recommended printable area for more information on the left margin position.

Slide the right sprocket to match the width of your paper, but do not lock it. Move the paper support midway between the two sprockets as shown above.

Open both sprocket covers. Make sure your paper has a clean, straight edge and fit the first four holes of the paper, printable side down, over the tractor pins. Then close the sprocket covers.

Slide the right sprocket to remove any slack in the paper; then lock it in place by pushing the sprocket lock down.

Slide the edge guides to the middle of the paper guide. Then close the paper guide cover.

Always close the printer cover before printing. The printer does not print when the cover is open.

Make sure the printer is on. You may need to check and change the printer driver settings. When the printer receives data, it automatically loads the paper and starts printing. The printed pages are fed over the paper guide toward the back of the printer.

After you finish printing, follow the steps in the next section to tear off your printed document. If the first printed line on your page appears too high or low, you can fix this by using the Micro Adjust feature as described in Adjusting the Top-of-Form Position.

Never use the knob to adjust the top-of-form position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the top-of-form position.

Removing the printed document from the rear push tractor

Make sure the Tear Off/Card lights are flashing. (This indicates your paper is at the current tear-off position). You may need to press the Tear Off/Card button to advance the paper to the tear-off position.

Open the paper guide cover, and tear off the printed document using the tear-off edge of the printer.

If your paper’s perforation is not properly aligned with the tear-off edge, you can adjust the tear-off position using the Micro Adjust feature. See Adjusting the tear-off position.

Never use the knob to adjust the tear-off position; this may damage the printer or cause it to lose the tear-off position.

When you resume printing, the printer automatically feeds the paper back to the top-of-form position and starts printing.

To remove the remaining paper from the printer, press the Load/Eject button to feed the paper backward to the standby position. (See the Glossary for an explanation of the standby position.) Then open the sprocket covers of the tractor and remove paper.

Always tear off your printed document before you press the Load/Eject button. Reverse feeding several pages at a time may cause a paper jam.