# Epson DFX-5000+ DIP switch settings for ASCII Photobooth

Recommended physical DIP switch positions for running the DFX-5000+ with
this project, matching `printer.conf.epsondfx5kp.bak` (`PRINTER_A4=false`,
`PRINTER_MAX_LINES=0`, `PRINTER_MAX_COLS=136` — continuous fanfold paper,
parallel port, no fixed page length) and how `txt2printr.sh` talks to the
printer:

- Writes raw ESC/P to `/dev/lp0` (a **parallel** connection).
- Sends `ESC @` to reset the printer, then the ascii-art body with each
  line explicitly terminated `\r\n` (CR+LF), then a form feed to clear the
  print for tear-off.
- Treats the printer as continuous/roll stock with no software concept of
  a page boundary — it never relies on the printer stopping mid-job at a
  perforation.

The DFX-5000+ has three DIP switch banks (SW1, SW2, SW3) — different from,
and not a superset of, the plain DFX-5000's two-bank layout. Even switches
that share a position number between the two printers can mean different
things, so don't carry settings over from the non-"+" model.

Reference: Epson DFX-5000+ Product Information sheet (3/15/94), "Setting
the DIP Switches".

## SW1 — emulation, speed, character set

| Switch | Position | Function | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1-1 | OFF | ESC/P mode (not IBM mode) | Factory default. `txt2printr.sh` only relies on the generic `ESC @` reset, which works the same in both modes, and staying in ESC/P mode is what makes 1-4 through 1-8 below select an *international character set* rather than the unrelated IBM-mode option bits (auto-CR-by-LF, code-page selection, etc.). |
| 1-2 | OFF | High draft speed | Fastest print speed on the datasheet's table (560 cps at 10 cpi) — this is a coarse ascii-art novelty print, not a document, so speed matters more than finish. |
| 1-3 | OFF | Draft quality (not NLQ) | NLQ is roughly 5-6x slower (84-101 cps vs. 420-560 cps) for characters that already look better rendered coarsely — draft keeps photobooth turnaround fast. |
| 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 1-7, 1-8 | OFF, OFF, OFF, OFF, OFF | International character set: Italic U.S. | Every other character set in the DIP table remaps one or more of `# $ [ \ ] ^ \` { \| } ~` to an accented/local character. Ascii-art density maps commonly use several of those symbols, so U.S. is the only setting guaranteed not to corrupt the art. |

## SW2 — zero shape, buffer, line feed, interface, baud rate

| Switch | Position | Function | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2-1 | OFF | Zero not slashed | Ascii-art density maps can use `0` as a shading character; an unslashed zero keeps its shape closer to what the art conversion intended. |
| 2-2 | OFF | Input buffer valid (enabled) | Lets the printer accept the whole raw write from `txt2printr.sh` without the host blocking on printer-speed backpressure. |
| 2-3 | OFF | Automatic LF by CR: invalid (disabled) | `txt2printr.sh` already appends an explicit CR *and* LF to every line (`sed 's/$/\r/'` before the trailing `\n`). If this were enabled, the printer would insert its own extra line feed on top of that CR, double-spacing the entire print. |
| 2-4, 2-5, 2-6 | ON, OFF, OFF | Parallel interface (forced, not auto-detect) | `txt2printr.sh` writes to `/dev/lp0`, a parallel port device. The factory default (all three OFF) is an auto-selecting serial/parallel mode that waits up to 30 seconds to see which interface receives data before locking on — forcing Parallel explicitly skips that standby delay on every print. |
| 2-7, 2-8 | — | Serial baud rate (don't care) | Only meaningful when SW2-4/2-5/2-6 select a serial mode; ignored once Parallel is forced above. Leave at factory default (OFF, OFF). |

## SW3 — paper handling

| Switch | Position | Function | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 3-1, 3-2 | OFF, OFF | 11-inch page length | Matches standard letter-width continuous fanfold stock. Mostly moot since `PRINTER_MAX_LINES=0` means the software never treats this printer as page-bounded, but it keeps the printer's own top-of-form tracking sane. |
| 3-3 | OFF | Skip-over-perforation: invalid (disabled) | The printed art is a continuous strip with no page concept on the software side; if enabled, the printer would silently insert an extra line-feed gap wherever a perforation falls mid-image, splitting the art. |
| 3-4 | OFF | Paper memory area 1 | Factory default. This only matters if you swap the same job between the front and rear tractors (each can remember its own top-of-form position); this project only ever uses one paper path. |
| 3-5 | OFF | Overlapping forms: invalid (disabled) | Factory default. This targets a specific overlapping multi-part form stock the project doesn't use — plain continuous paper. |
| 3-6 | OFF | Forms with a label: invalid (disabled) | Factory default. Not printing on label stock. |
| 3-7 | OFF | Skip binding: invalid (disabled) | Factory default. Not using bound multi-part forms. |
| 3-8 | **ON** | Automatic tear off: valid (enabled) | Not the factory default. When the input buffer goes idle after a print, the printer auto-advances the paper just far enough to reach its built-in tear-off bar (minimal waste), instead of relying only on `txt2printr.sh`'s own form feed — which, in roll mode, feeds a full page length (11in, per SW3-1/3-2) forward on every single capture. Worth confirming on the actual hardware that this doesn't double-feed against the script's explicit form feed; the product info sheet doesn't document the exact timing interaction. |

## Summary

Only two switches need to move off their factory default — everything else
stays OFF:

- **2-4** — ON (forces Parallel interface, skipping interface auto-detect)
- **3-8** — ON (Automatic tear off)

| Switch | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1-4 | 1-5 | 1-6 | 1-7 | 1-8 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

| Switch | 2-1 | 2-2 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 2-5 | 2-6 | 2-7 | 2-8 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | **1** | 0 | 0 | X | X |

| Switch | 3-1 | 3-2 | 3-3 | 3-4 | 3-5 | 3-6 | 3-7 | 3-8 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Position | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | **1** |

`1` = ON, `0` = OFF, `X` = don't care (2-7/2-8 only matter in serial mode,
which isn't used here).