6.5. Using Standard Characters; Esc B; Esc /- Page 307

CHAPTER 6 EPSON - 17 

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You can set up to eight different sets of vertical tab stops and select any of these sets for use at any time.  
Each set of tab stops is called a channel - channels are numbered from 0 to 7.  



Channel 0 normally holds the settings you have selected with the 

Esc B

 command, or equally spaced tab 

settings that you have set with the 

Esc e 1

 command.  However, you can also set the channel 0 tab settings 

using the 

Esc b

 command. 



To set the tab stops held in channels 1 to 7 you must use the 

Esc b

 command. 



This command enables you to set up to sixteen vertical tab stops for each channel based on the current line 
space setting. 



n

 is the channel number whose tab stops are to be set. 



m

i

 specifies the tab based on the current line space setting. 



The value of 

m

i

 must be in the range 0 to 255. 



The tab stops must be set in ascending order.  If you specify a channel's tab settings in any other order, any 
previous settings made for that channel are cleared. 



Vertical tab settings are not affected by subsequent changes in the line spacing setting. 



Esc b 

n

 0

 clears the vertical tab settings set for channel 

n.



You can select a channel using the 

Esc /

 command and move the print position to its tab stops using the 

VT

control code. 

LPRINT CHR$(27); CHR$(98); CHR$(1); CHR$(10); CHR$(20); CHR$(0);  
'Set tab stops at lines 10 and 20. 

Select vertical tab channel 

Esc/

n 

(27)(47)n  

<1Bh><2Fh>n 



This command allows you to select a set of vertical tabs (or channel) that you defined using the 

Esc b

command. 



All subsequent vertical tab commands use the selected tab channel's settings. 



n

 must be in the range from 0 to 7. 



The default channel is channel 0.  Channel 0 is the current channel when the printer is first switched on or 
after a reset with the 

Esc @

 command.   



There are no default vertical tab settings for any channel. 

LPRINT CHR$(27); CHR$(47); CHR$(5); 'Select vertical tab channel 5 

Vertical tab 

VT  

(11) 

<0Bh> 



The 

VT

 control code (ASCII 11) moves the current print position one vertical tab stop down the page.  The 

current vertical tab channel's settings are used. 



If you have not previously selected a vertical tab channel with the 

Esc /

 command, channel 0, the default 

channel is used. 



If you have not set any vertical tab stops for the current channel with either the 

Esc B

,

 Esc b

,

 or Esc e 1

commands, the print position is moved down one line using the current line space setting. 



If there are no tab stops below the current print position a line feed is performed. 



If no tab stops have been set a carriage return and line feed are performed. 

LPRINT CHR$(11); ' Vertical tab 

6.5.

Using Standard Characters 

Set pitch to 10 characters per inch 

EscP  (27)(80) 

  <1Bh><50h> 

This command sets the printing pitch to 10 characters per inch (cpi). 

LPRINT CHR$(27); CHR$(80); 'Set pitch to 10 cpi