OKI MICROLINE 521 Matrix Printer - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

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Look at the print head for jewel failure. AFTERMARKET ribbons lack requried lubrication for this style of printer. If you see wear, replace the head. There are remanufactured heads available that have a lubrication wick installed that helps this issue.

You may need a new printhead.

kindly set the page lenght and the font size and mode in printer setup by going in to printer menu by pressing the pause and menu button.

Theirs a small gear in the gear train on the left hand side that turns the paper roller(Platen).
It has lost a couple of teeth. Has the paper is no longer feeding the print head simply keeps printing on the same place.
You need a service repair.
Cheers
DeJudge

I think your alignment is out you need to get the printer serviced and aligned.
Dezzi

Hi,I have a doubt, whether the perview is good and only the print out is bad or both are bad.
Anyway i am giving solutions for both.
The Statement or Report Looks Fine When Previewed, but Looks Bad When Printed If the appearance of the statement or report when printed differs from its appearance when previewed, this may indicate a problem with the printer driver (such as corruption of the driver files). Make sure you are using the most current version of the correct printer driver for the operating system on your computer. For example, a printer driver for an OkiData MicroLine 390 for Windows 98 may not work well at all when printing from Windows XP.

1. If you need to check for a different printer driver, begin by checking the installation disk or CD-ROM that was provided with your printer.
2. If you can't find the driver you need on the installation media provided by your printer's manufacturer, check the CD-ROM from which your operating system was installed (i.e., your Windows CD-ROM).
3. If you can't find the driver you need on your Windows CD-ROM, or if you need to try an updated version of the driver you are currently using, check your printer manufacturer's Web site.my.okidata.com/pp-ML521.nsf/openingdrivermenu?OpenFrameSet

The Statement or Report Looks Bad Whether Previewed or Printed There are many factors that can contribute to undesirable printed output, such as margins, fonts, and custom paper sizes. Use the following steps to troubleshoot this problem.

• Try using a different font size. See if there is a separate font size available for the same font family (e.g., 15 cpi vs.10 cpi).
• Try adjusting the page margins and printer offset adjustments in the Page Setup window.
• Check the printer driver properties to determine if a custom paper size is specified. If not, you may need to specify one. For example, when printing checks that have only one stub, you may need to set up a custom paper size of 8.5 inches wide by 7 inches tall. Conversely, if a custom paper size is incorrectly selected, printed output of reports and statements may be adversely affected.
• In the Advanced Printing Features window, select the Optimize for Print to File check box and clear all other options and check boxes.
• Try temporarily renaming the STI.INI file and restarting the Tabs3 or PracticeMaster program. The STI.INI file holds all of the printer settings. If this helps, you may have to recreate the margins, font selections, and other settings used for printing since that information is stored in the STI.INI file. If this does not help, delete the new STI.INI file and rename the original file back to STI.INI.
• Is the printer configured to emulate another type of printer? Consult the printer's manual and/or the printer manufacturer's Web site to determine if the printer is able to emulate another type of printer such as an IBM Proprinter. If you have tried all of the internal fonts available in the printer's current configuration, it may be beneficial to configure the printer to emulate a different type of printer and then install the corresponding printer driver. Then you can test each of the internal fonts available in the new driver.
• Once your printing issue has been resolved, check the printed output to ensure that lines are not wrapping or breaking when they should not. Make sure the margins all appear correct.
• When you are satisfied that the printed output is completely correct, be sure to look at a preview of the same print job, to ensure that the preview is legible. For some printer drivers and fonts, it may be necessary to make a second installation of the printer that uses TrueType fonts. This second installation would then be selected whenever you need to preview reports or statements, and the original installation would be used for the actual printing.

Hope my info solves your problem,
Thanx for using fixya.

You should clean the printer every six months (or after
about 300 hours of operation).
1. Turn the printer OFF.
2. Remove the paper from the path.
3. Open the access cover and remove the pull-up roller
assembly.
4. Use a clean, dry cloth to dust the area around the
carriage shaft and platen. Be sure to remove any loose
particles of paper.
5. Reinstall the pull-up roller assembly.
6. Close the access cover.
Never use solvents or strong detergents on the
cabinet — they could damage the housing.

have you check the drivers in the manufacture website

Your printers alignment is out that is why it prints only in one direction.
Dezzi

use the HP laserjet 4 or 4000 print driver. this is the most basic print driver and has played nicely with the older printers

try these links for a user manual: ML1190eco User Guides Manuals http://www.manuals365.com/oki/ml11uen2_tcm3-45862-manuals365.html

I have this manual for you on page 37 for changing font. https://files.support.epson.com/pdf/fx890_/fx890_u1.pdf

have you checked the wall socket , try another wall socket , try another power cord ,and check if all is switched on

here is the user manual, is that the same as the service manual? http://www.primoit.co.uk/pdf/06E20B7E-AC7E-4E84-BA06-D1DD86563306.pdf

replace cartridges for $$$$ or toss printer as OKI stopped making printer 3-4 years ago.

There could be a few possible reasons why your Okidata Microline 280 Eco printer is jumping around 0.75" for each new page. Here are some things to check:

1. Check the paper feed mechanism: Make sure the paper is feeding correctly through the printer and that the paper guide is properly aligned. If the paper is not being fed correctly, it can cause the printer to jump around.
2. Check the tractor feed mechanism: The tractor feed mechanism may not be gripping the paper correctly, causing it to feed inconsistently. Make sure the tractor feed mechanism is properly aligned and tightened.
3. Check the page length settings: Double-check that the page length settings are correct and that they match the size of the paper you are using. If the settings are incorrect, the printer may not be able to print the entire page and may skip to the next page prematurely.
4. Check the top of form settings: Make sure the top of form is set correctly and is not too close to the top of the page. If it is too close, it may cause the printer to jump around.
5. Check the print head alignment: If the print head is not aligned correctly, it can cause the printer to jump around. Check the print head alignment and adjust it if necessary.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, it may be a hardware problem with the printer itself. In that case, you may need to contact Okidata technical support for further assistance or consider taking the printer to a professional repair shop.

The exposure lamp is dirty and needs to clean on all surfaces. if not fixed then you need to replace the lamp.

You cannot repair this error easily. Most times its the main board that has the problem but its more than likely to be the scanner pcb than the main board. I am actually in the middle of the very same error and have tried the main board and it is the scanner pcb that is causing this particular problem. As you do not state what model you have , I cannot give you a part number.

Check the cyan developer unit and cyan drum.