2746 Thermal Printer User`s Manual
Contents
1. Step Press the FEED button to remove slack and wind one revolution of media around the re wind tube Close the printer doors 26 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Loading Transfer Refer to the following instructions for installa Ribbon tion of the ribbon Step Insert an empty ribbon core on the ribbon take up tube Insert Ribbon Core Ribbon Core Step Inserta transfer ribbon roll on the ribbon supply tube The transfer ribbon unwinds clockwise Open the print head Insert Ribbon Roll Open Print Head 980338 001 Rev A 27 Installation amp Operation Loading Transfer Thread the transfer ribbon under the print head Ribbon Step assembly and counter clockwise around the ribbon core and take up tube Attach the ribbon to the core with adhesive tape Turn the ribbon take up tube coun ter clockwise a minimum of two 2 times to lock the ribbon on the core Thread Ribbon Attach Ribbon to Ribbon Core p amp Turn Ribbon Take Up Tube 28 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Loading Transfer Close the print head Close the printer Ribbon Step O Step O Configure the printer for thermal transfer print 980338 001 Rev A ing via the printer software driver or program ming This activates the ribb2. Pull to Open Front Door Insert Media Access Door Lift Up amp Out to Remove Lift to Open Ribbon Core Media Roll Shipped mounted on Holder Ribbon Tube PD il Label Taken AL a g gt Sensor ATE Liner Peeler Bracket Gate Print Head Peel Tear Release Lever Bar 2 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Getting To Know Label Mode Your Printer Switch Serial Interface e Connector TL Auxiliary Media Access Opening for Fan Fold amp External Media aA Power Switch and gt a Parallel Interface Power Cord Module Connector Media Access Door Open Ribbon Take Up Tube Print Width PA rint Wi Adjustment Kes Dale Knob ca Platen Media Drive Roller Bracket Media Sensor and Liner Rewind Guide Tube and Clip 980338 001 Rev A 3 Installation amp Operation Controls amp Indicators Power Switch 0 Off a operation is complete OFF LA ON 1 On Co oa E Button Function i Press Once Halt batch printing PAUSE Press Second Time Resume batch ns printing operation Press Once Feed one label or
3. Step Load media as required Configure the printer for the selected media with the AutoSense rou tine or programming Continuous media and black line or mark media required program ming for proper configuration Step Configure the printer for cutting with program ming See the programmer s manual for details on setting and canceling cutter printer com mand settings B 6 980338 001 Rev A
4. 254 mm thick Min Width 1 0 inches 25 4 mm Max Width 4 13 inches 105 mm Clearing the Cutter Once installed the cutter is removable to allow printing in non cutter configurations The only tool required to clear a jam is a pair of small tweezers Never use your fingers or sharp objects to clear jams If you cannot remove the jammed media call for service 980338 001 Rev A Using the Media Cutter Mounting the Use this procedure to attach and remove a pre Cutter viously installed cutter on the printer The oper ator should reverse the procedure to remove the cutter Step Open the front and side media access doors Step Place the label taken sensor in the up inactive position 980338 001 Rev A B 3 Using the Media Cutter Step O Open the label peeler gate Optional Open the print head Step O Attach the cutter cable to the printer s cutter plug located under the platen assembly Le B 4 980338 001 Rev A Using the Media Cutter Step O Place the cutter onto the peel tear bar Place Cutter Route Cable Through Peeler Gate Attach Cutter to Printer 980338 001 Rev A B 5 Using the Media Cutter Step Close the door
5. Configuration grammer s manual for details The printer s serial port default configuration is 9600 baud 8 bit data 1 stop bit No parity Serial Interface The figure below displays the cable wiring re Cable Wiring quired to use the printer s serial interface Host DB 9 DB 9 Printer Pin Pin 1 1 5 Volts 2 2 TxD gt 3 gt gt 3 gt gt RxD gt 4 gt gt 4 gt N C gt 5 gt gt 5 gt GND gt 6 gt gt 6 gt RDY gt 7 gt gt 7 gt N C gt 8 gt gt 8 gt RDY 9 9 N C Female DB 9 to Male DB 9 Host DB 25 DB 2 Printer Pin Pin 8 1 5 Volts gt 3 gt gt 2 gt TxD gt 2 gt gt 3 gt gt RxD 20 gt gt 4 N C 7 gt gt 5 gt GND gt 6 gt gt 6 gt RDY gt 4 gt gt 7 gt N C gt 5 gt gt 8 gt RDY 22 9 N C Female DB 25 to Male DB 9 5 volts at 150 mA for external device e g KDU or scanner A 4 980338 001 Rev A Troubleshooting Parallel Interface The figure below displays the cable wiring Cable Wiring required to use the printer s Centronics parallel interface DB 25 Centronics HOST Pin No Pin No PRINTER STROBE 1 STROBE DATA 0 2 gt 2 DATA 0 DATA 1 3 gt 3 DATA 1 DATA 2 4 gt 4 DATA 2 DATA 3 5 gt 5 DATA 3 DATA 4 6 gt 6 DATA 4 DATA 5 7 gt 7 DATA 5 DATA 6 8 gt 8 DATA 6 DATA 7 9 gt
6. Troubleshooting A 14 980338 001 Rev A Guidelines 980338 001 Rev A Using the Media Cutter Appendix B Using the Media Cutter Printers with the cutter option have a detach able cutter with a motorized blade The cutter is a self cleaning tag and label liner cutter Printers with cutters can dispense a single form label that is automatically cut from the media roll Use the cutter to cut through continuous paper from rolls and the liner between labels Never cut the portion of media that has adhesive or adhesive backing You can switch cutting on and off by using the OC command You can set form length and gap distances by using the Q command Refer to the EPL2 programmer s manual for complete programming information Keep the cutter dry Never use any solutions or solvents to clean the blade If there is a jam fol low the steps for Clearing the Cutter B 1 Using the Media Cutter Cutter Specifications The cutter option is a field install able option only The printer covers must be opened to gain access to the main PCB to install the cutter This installation should be performed by qualified service personnel Warranty 90 Days Mean Time To 5000 000 cut cycles Failure MTBF Cutting Method Rotating double edged blade Media Media Type Paper Thermal Paper Paper Tags Paper Label Liners Max Density 200 grams meter approximately 0 010 inches
7. form FEED Press amp Hold Feed a single label stop feed a single label stop and so on until s SANSE the FEED button is released on CANCEL Press Once resets and terminates any N print operation in progress Indicator LEDs 7 Condition Report POWER ERROR On Solid OFF Power On 1 Pause Flashing SO 2 Print head open Flashing Flashing Labels Out e OFF On Solid Hardware Error Label Mode Switch Mode Description Print one label and pause Remove label Peel Prints next label Repeats until print oper ation is completed Use label liner rewinder to peel the liner from the label Standard operation Prints one or more a Batch labels until the batch form label print 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Installation The following steps will guide you through the installation of the printer Step Attach Power E Check di ce g Voltage D l P gt alate E M See Warnings Page iv 980338 001 Rev A 5 Installation amp Operation Step O Attach Interface Cable Parallel Interface Serial Interface Step O Apply Power 6 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Media Loading Open the media access door Step Step Step 980338 001
8. 9 DATA 7 ACK 10 lt lt _ _ 10 ACK BUSY 11 lt 11 BUSY PAPER ERR 12 lt ___ 12 lt PAPER ERR READY 13 lt 13 lt READY INIT 14 gt 14 INIT ERROR 15 lt __ 15 ERROR N A 16 16 N A N A 17 17 N A N A 18 18 5V SIG GND 19 lt _ gt 19 SIG GND SIG GND 20 lt gt 20 SIG GND SIG GND 21 lt gt 21 SIG GND SIG GND 224 99 SIG GND SIG GND 23 K gt 23 SIG GND SIG GND 24 lt _ gt 24 SIG GND SIG GND 25 lt 45 Female DB 25 to Male Centronics Cable 5 volts at 300 mA for external device e g PrintServer 980338 001 Rev A A 5 Troubleshooting Printer Configuration Settings Dump Mode Printout See the U command in the Programmer s manual A 6 for details The printer has flash non volatile memory to store printer configuration settings The settings are stored in flash memory and are set by programing printer drivers or the AutoSense routine The settings are show on the Dump mode printout or a reported back to the host via the serial port The printer retains configuration settings even after power has been cycled The following are the basic settings stored in the printer Print Mode Direct OD or Thermal Transfer Speed S Density D or heat applied Form label length and gap in dots Q Form label width in dots q Serial Port Y Margin R Buffer Mode r Op
9. Interface Cable Wiring A 5 Printer Configuration Settings A 6 Pediatri ear oe a A 7 Media SES c s 4 cu PERLE e delie A 7 Sensor Positioning pa wa Pel e na A 8 Top Of Form Sensing 4 4 44 44 ee RA A 8 Gap and Index Hole Sensing Range A 9 Cleaning Your Printer 64 2 A 10 Cleaning the Print Head ee ee A 11 Extending Print Head Life ane ey pee en ee wea A 12 Print Head Cate 4 ei ddl e AE EE A 13 Using the Media Cutter B 1 Cutter Specifications essere ss ae i B 2 Mounting the Cutter B 3 980338 001 Rev A General Cautions and Warnings This page describes general safety and maintenance warnings and cautions for the printer and are referenced throughout the manual Warning Shock Hazard The printer should never be operated in a location where it can A get wet Personal injury could result Warning Static Discharge The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the human body or other surfaces can damage or destroy the print head or electronic components used in this device DO NOT TOUCH the print head or the electronic components under the print head assembly gt Caution Printer Setup amp Handling 1 When installing or modifying the printer setup or configuration ALWAYS TURN POWER OFF Before A Connecting any cables B Performing any cleaning or maintenan
10. Place the media guide against the media Slide Media Inside Rotate Media Guide Down Media Guide in Locked Position Adjust Media Guide to Media Width Media Guide Set 12 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Step O 980338 001 Rev A 13 Installation amp Operation Media Loading Adjust the label pressure control knob to match Step O the width of the media in use Set Media Width E A VI AN op Label Width Pressure Control Knob Settings 2 50mm or Less 2 50mm Greater Than 2 50mm 4 100mm Step Close the door and cover 14 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Media Loading Press the Feed button once with the power ap Step plied and the power switch ON Power ON Labels Loaded Press FEED Step Set label detection parameters for media e Use the AutoSense procedure page 17 for first time use of new media to set transmissive gap sensor e Use the AutoSense procedure for detection of label and gap lengths e Use programming to set continuous media mode See the Q command in the EPL2 pro grammer s manual for details Configure the print mode with the O
11. Rev A 7 Installation amp Operation Media Loading Open the media guide Step O Media Guide Opened 8 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Before You Load You must remove the outside length of media Media in the that is one full revolution of labels and any Printer liner When you remove this part of the media you remove the oils dust and adhesives that contaminate it Tape or adhesive holds the loose end and the outside length of media becomes contaminated when handled or stored Labels Remove all labels that are held by adhesives or tape Tag Stock Detach both ends of the bottom tag You must avoid dragging adhesive or dirty IN media between the print head and platen Such an occurrence damages the print head and is not covered under your warranty Using clean media prevents damage and reduces wear on the print head and platen 980338 001 Rev A 9 Installation amp Operation Media Loading Load the media roll 10 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Media Loading Thread the media through the media sensor Step O and guide assembly and under the print head Outside Wound Inside Wound Fan Fold Media Path Side View 980338 001 Rev A 11 Installation amp Operation Media Loading Slide the media to the inside of the printer Step
12. Step O Thread the backing between the platen roller bracket and the liner peeler gate 980338 001 Rev A 19 Installation amp Operation Label Dispense Attach the backing to the rewind tube with the Mode Step clip Attach Liner to Rewind Tube Step O Turn the rewind tube counter clockwise to remove liner slack Close liner peeler gate Close the print head Remove Liner Slack Close Liner Peeler Gate Close the Print Head 20 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Label Dispense Change the printer mode switch to Peel Mode Step O Press the CANCEL button to initiate Label Dis pense Mode to peel labels CANCEL Switch to Peel Mode Press CANCEL Remove Slack FEED Step Set the label taken sensor to the down active position Label Taken Sensor in Down Position Close Printer Press FEED Close the printer s door and cover The front door must be closed for the label taken sensor and the peel mode to work properly Press the FEED button until the slack is re moved from the media backing and the first la bel is presented peeled 980338 001 Rev A 21 Installation amp Operation Label Dispense Remove the label The printer is ready to print in Mode Step t
13. path allows for cleaning Printer and clearing of media jams The user can clean the print head platen roller and areas adjacent to the media path surfaces Warning Shock Hazard See page iv Always turn the printer off before cleaning The media path surfaces except the print head can be cleaned with a lint free clean damp cloth very lightly moistened with medical grade alcohol Alcohol may be used to help remove any adhesive or label material buildup Warning Static Discharge See page iv Never touch the print head Always clean the print head with a cleaning pen to protect the print head from static discharge and fibers If a label has become jammed in the printer remove the label and any adhesive residue immediately Adhesive may spread through out the printer s media path if not completely removed Many adhesives are permanent and have short set times 980338 001 Rev A Troubleshooting Cleaning the As you use your printer the print head may be Print Head come contaminated resulting in poor print quality Whenever new labels are loaded into the printer the print head should be cleaned with a cleaning pen Step O Open the printer and the print head carriage S SN ag J AAS I g Print Head Step Gently rub the cleaning pen across the amber area of the print head Allow the print head to dry for 1 minute befo
14. thermal IN transfer and OD direct thermal commands See the EPL2 programmer s manual for important details on the Option O command The print mode will be set until changed by programming DO NOT turn the power switch OFF 0 while IN reloading media or data loss may result The printer will automatically resume printing when a new label roll has been loaded 980338 001 Rev A 15 Installation amp Operation Media Loading This step is not normally required Some of the Step exceptions are listed below If the media has e An irregular or non square shape e More than one label across e Less than full width black marks or e The media uses index hole or notches typi cally for tag stock See Appendix A page A 7 for details on media sensing media and sensor adjustment range Pinch amp Hold 1 Slide while Holding the Fins then Release 2 Adjustment Fins Adjust Sensor BL Position E Sensor amp Marker 16 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Using AutoSense AutoSense sets the sensitivity of the 980338 001 Rev A transmissive sensor measures and stores the form label and gap lengths For more details on media sensing see Appendix A page A 7 To activate the AutoSense feature Step O Load labels into the printer Do not use the peel mode Printer power is ON Step Press and hold the PAUSE and CANCEL but tons for one 1 second Step Release the CANCE
15. 38 001 Rev A Troubleshooting Print Head Care The main factors that contribute to reduced head life are 980338 001 Rev A Touching the print head Static electricity can discharge and damage the print head The body s oils and acids also damage the print head Cleaning For optimum performance clean the print head regularly after every roll of thermal transfer ribbon or after every roll of direct thermal labels Abrasion Over time the movement of me dia ribbon across the print head will wear through the protective ceramic coating ex posing and eventually damaging the print el ements dots Use of proper media Use only approved Zebra media Non approved media may contain chemicals that can destroy or dra matically reduce the print head s life Ap proved thermal transfer ribbons have a special anti stick back coating that helps to dissipate static and provide lubrication Ribbon Width Ensure that the thermal transfer ribbon is as wide or wider than the la bel media to prevent exposing the elements to the more abrasive label material Temperature Print head density heat set ting Setthe density to the lowest possible set ting that prints a good image Print Speed Fast print speeds have higher friction levels on the print head s surface Regular Print Head Conditioning Use our Save a Print head cleaning film to re move print head contamination buildup quickly and easily Part No 105950 047
16. L button only Wait three 3 seconds Release the PAUSE button Step O The printer will advance 3 4 labels while per forming the adjustment When the adjustment is complete a status summary label will be printed and the printer will be placed in Diag nostic Dump mode Step O Pressthe FEED button to exitthe Dump mode US Media Loaded Batch Mode Sample DUMP Mode Printout 4 No 3 18 01 Seri OA Fmem 000 0K 019 9K avl Gmem 000K 0241K avl Emem 000K 0241K avl 18 0 001 rY S8 D12 R032 000 ZT UN q0784 Q1227 034 17 Installation amp Operation Label Dispense The printer can dispense a single peeled label Mode and rewind the backing in the Dispense Peel mode Removing the presented label will prompt the printer to print the next label Step Open the front and media access side cover doors Load and set labels parameters via AutoSense or programmed with the Q command in the printer Step Press the FEED button until approximately 16 inches 40 cm of media has exited the printer Power ON Labels Loaded Press FEED Step O Remove the exposed labels from the media liner backing Peel Exposed Labels 18 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Label Dispense Open liner peeler gate Mode Step O
17. Thermal Printer User s Manual Zebra Technologies Corporation User s Manual No 980338 001 Rev A 2001 Zebra Technologies Corporation COPYRIGHT NOTICE This document contains information proprietary to Zebra Technologies Corporation This docu ment and the information contained within is copyrighted by Zebra Technologies Corporation and may not be duplicated in full orin part by any person without written approval from Zebra Technol ogies Corporation While every effort has been made to keep the information contained within cur rent and accurate as of the date of publication no guarantee is given or implied that the document is error free or that it is accurate with regard to any specification Zebra Technologies Corporation reserves the right to make changes for the purpose of product improvement at any time TRADEMARKS 2746 is a service mark and Zebra is a trademark of Zebra Technologies Corporation Windows and MS DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders 2746 Thermal Printer European Council Directive Compliance to Standards 89 336 EEC EMC Directive EN55022 A CISPR 22 RF Emissions control Immunity to Electromag netic Distrubances 92 31 EE EMC Directive EN50082 1 IEC801 73 23 EEC 19 Voltage EN60950 IEC950 Product Safety irective EMC Directive EN61000 3 2 Harmon
18. bbon out sensor reflects light off the print head assembly When ribbon is present and unused the light is stopped The label taken sensor receives light reflected from a peeled label waiting to be removed The head open sensor reflects light off the side of an open print head A 7 Troubleshooting Sensor Positioning The printer has a moveable sensor to detect inter label gaps black lines or marks and index holes notches on the media For optimal opera tion the sensor should be adjusted to center on the label black mark or index hole or notch of the media in use Typically media does not require a media sen sor position adjustment if the sensor is pulled to the outside adjustment position The sensor po sition can be moved by squeezing the two lock ing fins located under the media sensor and guide assembly and sliding the sensor in or out A 8 Top Of Form Sensing Gap Sensing Black Mark Sensing To accommodate different media and media dimensions your printer is equipped with sen sors capable of detecting the top of form for la bels or tags Two methods are used by the printer for top of form sensing gap sensing and black mark sensing The sensors are combined into a single sensor assembly in the media sen sor and guide assembly The gap sensing feature depends on the ability of the transmissive gap sensor to see through the label liner between labels Label and label backing opaci
19. ce operations C Moving the printer 2 Damage to the printer interface connector accessories or door may result from placing the printer on it s front bezel or backside during unpacking or handling gt Media Warnin Always use high quality approved labels and tags If adhesive backed labels are used that DO NOT lay flat on the backing liner the exposed edges may stick to the label guides and rollers inside the printer causing the label to peel off from the liner and jam the printer gt Media Reload Hint If vou should run out of labels while printing DO NOT turn the power switch OFF 0 while reloading or data loss may occur The printer will automatically resume printing when a new label or ribbon roll is loaded gt Print Quality Ti Print density darkness is affected by the heat energy density setting applied and by the print speed Changing both Print Speed and Density may be required to achieve the desired results gt IV 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation 1 Installation amp Operation Unpacking Your Open the shipping carton and remove the Printer printer and its accessories Printer 7 fffl I Power Cord er 7 LT Cleaning Pen Software amp Documentation 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Getting To Know Pat Your Printer seg Controls 5 i i Sr Front Access Door
20. he peel mode Label Presented Remove Label Media Path Shown Present Label FEED 22 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Media Rewinding The rewinder allows the print and rewind of partial label rolls Rewinder Capacity The quantity of media re rolled will vary due to environmental conditions and media properties Step Open the front and side media access doors Load and set media parameters via AutoSense or programming with the Q command in the printer Step Remove door insert Lift 1 Push Out 2 980338 001 Rev A 23 Installation amp Operation Step O Get the rewind bracket and thumb screw assembly Step O Attach the rewind bracket to the printer with the thumb screw 24 980338 001 Rev A Installation amp Operation Step Pull media out the front of the printer Remove exposed labels from liner if any C Step Attach the liner to the rewind tube with the clip Turn the rewind tube counter clockwise to re move liner slack Attach Media to Rewind Tube Close Print Head 980338 001 Rev A 25 Installation amp Operation Step Change the printer mode switch to Batch Press the CANCEL button to initiate batch label processing for media rewinding CANCEL
21. ic Emmissions EMC Directive EN61000 3 3 Voltage Variation FCC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY Model 2746 conforms to the following specification C FCC Part 15 Subpart B Section 15 107 a and Section 15 109 a Class B digital device Supplemental Information This device complies with Part 15 ofthe FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following Two Con ditions 1 This device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation INDUSTRY CANADA NOTICE This device complies with Industry Canada ICS 003 class B requirements Cet equipement est conforme a l ICS 003 classe B de la norm Industrielle Canadian Il 980338 001 Rev A Table of Contents Installation amp Operation 1 1 Unpacking Your Printer coa ae 1 1 Getting To Know Your Printer oo o en 1 2 Controls amp Indicators LL 1 4 Installation ue Pe 1 5 Media Loading ociosa o RA RA 1 7 Before You Load Media in the Printer 1 9 Using AutoSense mato a 1 17 Label Dispense Mode 1 18 Media Rewinding 4 lt 4 4 68 hye eee ee eee Eee 1 23 Loading Transfer Ribbon lt il di 1 27 Troubleshooting A 1 Where to Start te es Be RA A ok ee ee A 1 Serial Interface Communication Configuration A 4 Serial Interface Cable Wiring A 4 Parallel
22. ll correctly routed programmed mode or printer driver is set for direct thermal printing See the programmer s manual for details media path and latched tioned to detect an inter label gap index holes notches or black mark stripes See page 16 for sensor location and setting Printer cuts melts through the transfer ribbon The ribbon is advancing normally i e atthe same rate as Verify the density heat setting If this is un Verify that the correct media is in use known reduce setting several levels the until the transferred ink is clear and the ribbon is not damaged of cutting between labels i 3 Verify that the ink transfer material side is the media out on the transfer ribbon roll 1 The Peel Batch switch in the rear of the Label Dispense Mode printer is not set to peel Printing does not stop 2 The door is open or the label taken sensor is between labels not in the down active position See page 21 for sensor location and setting Label Dispense Mode f i Panteon belen 1 Programming Verify the quantity has been correctly set stops rl o n ai 1 Programming Verify form length setting 3 2 Check that peel switch is in the batch posi tion towards outside of printer 980338 001 Rev A Troubleshooting Serial Interface The printer s serial port is configured with the Communication Y command for the printer See the EPL2 pro
23. on out sensor Configure the print mode with the O thermal transfer and OD direct thermal commands See the EPL2 programmer s manual for important details on the Option O command The print mode will be set until changed by programming 29 Installation amp Operation 30 980338 001 Rev A Troubleshooting Appendix A Troubleshooting This section addresses the most common issues you may face with operation maintenance and configuration of the printer Where to Start Your first troubleshooting reference source is the Common Problems Troubleshooting table on the following page 980338 001 Rev A A 1 Troubleshooting Common Printing Problems Troubleshooting Guide power switch is turned to the ON 1 position Problem Solution or Reason STATUS indicator does 3 noi light GREEN when 1 Check power connections from the printer to 2 Check that media and ribbon are loaded the outlet With the STATUS indicator light GREEN the printer appears to be working but nothing is printed NR W Verify that the labels are the correct type Check the roll and verify that the print surface Check that the transfer ribbon is correctly faces up for printing routed and has the ink side out for thermal transfer printing only Printing is faded or poor quality Clean the print head with cleaning pen Adjust print speed darkness in software or Check the roll and verify
24. re loading labels Do Not Clean the Print Head with sharp objects Only used approved cleaning materials 980338 001 Rev A A 11 Troubleshooting Extending Print The print head is the most critical component in Head Life your printer and possibly the most delicate It is ILL New a consumable item just like the brakes on your car which will eventually wear over time How ever with ongoing careful attention and main tenance you can extend the life of the print head Below are photographs of three print heads The first print head is brand new The second has printed over 1 million linear inches of ther mal transfer labels and has been properly main tained The third print head has printed far fewer labels but without proper care and main tenance signs of abrasion and contamination build up are evident PULL Over 1 Million Less Than 1 Million Inches Inches Properly Maintained Without Proper Care Contaminant buildup occurs gradually and re sults in poor print quality that may look like faded print or failed print element s This build up is very resistant to cleaning with the pre soaked swabs and is difficult to remove Note The one million inches of print head usage shown in the illustration above is used for reference only The actual print head life will vary due to enviromental conditions printer setup and the properties of the media used See Print Head Care for more details 9803
25. that the media print Verify that the correct combination thermal with programming surface is facing up transfer ribbon and media are in use Printing stops and the STATUS indicator lights RED DS B Ww Possible problem sensing labels with transmissive Possible problem with label media Possible label jam Check that the media is correctly routed Possible software programming problem Transmissive sensor is dirty Clean media path gap sensor Perform AutoSense adjustment Align the transmissive gap sensor position see page 16 a Gap between the bottom of a label and the top of the next label should be at least 1 16 1 6mm b For tags see Gap and Index Hole Sensing Range page A 10 c Use only approved labels and tags a Check the printer memory configuration b Refer to the EPL2 Programming manual for the correct data syntax A 2 980338 001 Rev A Troubleshooting Problem Solution or Reason Status Indicator is RED 1 2 Check that the ribbon and label media are When direct thermal printing verify that the Transmissive gap sensor is dirty Clean the Verify that the print head carriage is closed Verify that the media sensor is correctly posi Check for Out of Media condition or missing labels in the middle of a roll Check for Out of Ribbon condition or dam age or previous use of ribbon in middle of the ro
26. tions D Print Mode is Direct Thermal OD 4 UKQ1837 V3 99 12 022 Serial port 96 N 8 1 uO A Image buffer size K Fmem 003 0K 058 3K avl Gmem 000K 0069K avl Emem 000K 0069K avl 18 1 001 rY S6 D07 R032 090 ZT UN q0800 01223 043 Option 15 20 25 now in DUMP 980338 001 Rev A Troubleshooting Media The two types of print media supported by the 2746 printer are direct thermal and thermal transfer Direct thermal media is chemically treated to produce print without a ribbon Ther mal transfer printing uses heat to transfer wax resin or a combination of both from the transfer ribbon to the media The printer is set by default to direct thermal printing Setting the printer to thermal transfer activate a ribbon out sensor Media Sensing The printer is equipped with a transmissive 980338 001 Rev A gap sensor reflective black mark sensor and a reflective ribbon out sensor These sensors are adjustable and are located in the media sensor assembly The printer also includes a reflective label taken sensor in the door and a head open sensor located in the inside wall The transmissive gap sensor is set by AutoSense function and adjusts the sensitivity and detection levels for the media in use The transmissive sensor also detects the media out condition and index hole or notches The reflective black mark sensor senses light media and dark black marks on the media backing or liner The ri
27. ty vary due to manufac turing differences in label stock The sensor may have difficulty distinguishing the difference be tween labels and the liner and may require the user to AutoSense the media Set the gap sen sor s sensitivity with the AutoSense feature The black mark uses a reflective black mark sensor to detect a black line mark on the me dia backing The black mark sensor is used with special labels that have a black mark printed on the back of the label liner or tag between each label or tag 980338 001 Rev A Troubleshooting Gap and Index The sensor position is indicated by the green ar Hole Sensing row at the front of the label guide that is visible Range with the print head open and media out The sensor can be moved by squeezing the two lock ing tabs located under the label guide and slid ing the sensor in or out For proper sensing ensure that the sensor is aligned with the center portion of the label or index hole notch The following dimensions show the required position of the index hole or notch on tag stock for the printer to demonstrate sensor range min C max Sensor pa Adjustment Range B Tag ear away Inside Edge I of Tag Stock gt e 314 Nominal Sensor Location Dimension Min Max Nominal A 236 None ILA B 079 12 118 C 098 1 520 N A 980338 001 Rev A A 9 Troubleshooting Cleaning Your The printer s media
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search