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1. Introduction

 

 

 

1.1

 

Product Introduction

 

 

 

Thank you for purchasing AMT Datasouth bar code printer. 

 

The  new  high-performance  M9  Plus  Series  was  designed  to  deliver  the  cleanest  and 

highest quality barcodes. It features a die-cast print mechanism housed in a very strong 

yet lightweight cabinet. This new design results in a more durable printer that is suited for 

your most heavy-duty demand cycles. 

The M9 Plus prints at 203 dpi at speeds up to 8 inches per second, M9 Plus provides 

higher 300 dpi resolution at speeds up to 6 inches per second, which makes it ideal for 

printing very small 2D barcodes, graphics, fine print, and other ultra-high-resolution 

images. 

The M9 Plus Series printers are loaded with standard features including a color touch 

display with brand-new GUI design and six menu buttons to provide a great user 

experience. M9 Plus series supports 450-

meter long ribbons, 8” OD media rolls, built-in 

Ethernet, RS-232 interface and USB host for keyboard and scanner connections. GPIO 

ports, Wi-Fi module, and internal Bluetooth module are available as an option. 

This manual provides the essential information and clear instructions for operating the 

M9 Plus series. To print label formats, please refer to the instructions provided with your 

labeling software.  

 

  Applications 

 

  Industrial-duty Printing 

 

Distribution 

  Work in process Labeling 

 

Shipping/ Receiving 

  Compliance labeling 

 

Warehousing/ Distribution 

  Order Fulfillment 

 

Electronics & Jewelry labeling 

Summary of Contents for Fastmark M9 Plus

Page 1: ... i Fastmark M9 Plus Thermal Barcode Printer Direct Transfer User s Guide January 2019 AMT Datasouth Corp Document 121730 ...

Page 2: ...uced or transmitted in any form by any means for any purpose other than the purchaser s personal use without the expressed written permission of AMT Datasouth Corporation CG Triumvirate is a trademark of Agfa Corporation CG Triumvirate Bold Condensed font is under license from the Monotype Corporation Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation All other trademarks are the property ...

Page 3: ...ccordance with the manufacturer s instruction manual may cause harmful interference with radio communications Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case you will be required to correct the interference at your own expense This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES 003 Cet appareil numérique de la classe A est conform à la...

Page 4: ...e cleaning or if fault happened Do not use liquid or aerosol cleaners Using a damp cloth is suitable for cleaning 4 The mains socket shall be installed near the equipment and easily accessible 5 The unit must be protected against moisture 6 Ensure the stability when installing the device Tipping or dropping could cause damage 7 Make sure to follow the correct power rating and power type indicated ...

Page 5: ...ng CAUTION Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the grantee of this device could void the user s authority to operate the equipment Below statement are for product with optional RF function CE Statement This equipment complies with EU radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance 20 cm bet...

Page 6: ... For Bluetooth The equipment complies with FCC RF exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment The equipment must not be co located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter Canada Industry Canada IC Notices This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES 003 and RSS 210 Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device may not cause...

Page 7: ...dio de l Industry Canada IC Utilisez l appareil sans fil de façon à minimiser les contacts humains lors du fonctionnement normal Ce périphérique a été évalué et démontré conforme aux limites SAR Specific Absorption Rate Taux d absorption spécifique par l IC lorsqu il est connecté à des dispositifs hôtes spécifiques opérant dans des conditions d utilisation mobile Pour le Wi Fi Ce périphérique a ég...

Page 8: ...r Control 11 3 Setup 14 3 1 Setting up the printer 14 3 2 Loading the Ribbon 15 3 3 Remove Used Ribbon 18 3 4 Loading the Media 19 4 Adjustment Knob 27 4 1 Printhead Pressure Adjustment Knob 27 4 2 Ribbon Tension Adjustment Knob Module 28 4 3 Mechanism Fine Adjustment to Avoid Ribbon Wrinkles 29 5 Diagnostic Tool 31 5 1 Start the Diagnostic Tool 31 5 2 Printer Function 32 5 3 Setting Ethernet by D...

Page 9: ...ced 48 6 7 File Manager 50 6 8 Diagnostic 51 6 9 Favorites 53 7 PALTM Print and Program Overview 54 PALSECURE ON DEMAND 54 Traditional Printing 54 Legacy Data Stream Interpretation 54 Standalone Downtime Applications 56 8 Troubleshooting 57 9 Maintenance 60 viii ...

Page 10: ...other ultra high resolution images The M9 Plus Series printers are loaded with standard features including a color touch display with brand new GUI design and six menu buttons to provide a great user experience M9 Plus series supports 450 meter long ribbons 8 OD media rolls built in Ethernet RS 232 interface and USB host for keyboard and scanner connections GPIO ports Wi Fi module and internal Blu...

Page 11: ...l Ethernet RS 232 Max 115 200 bps USB host 1 connecting USB storage device Sensors Gap transmissive sensor Position adjustable 5 mm 88 mm Black mark reflective sensor Position adjustable 0 mm 81 7 mm Ribbon encoder sensor Ribbon end sensor Transmissive Head open sensor Internal font 8 alpha numeric bitmap fonts One Monotype Imaging CG Triumvirate Bold Condensed scalablefont Built in Monotype True ...

Page 12: ...bar code 2D bar code Code128 subsets A B C Code128UCC EAN128 Interleave 2 of 5 Code 39 Code 93 EAN 13 EAN 8 Codabar POSTNET UPC A UPC E EAN and UPC 2 5 digits MSI PLESSEY China Post ITF14 EAN14 Code 11 TELPEN PLANET Code 49 Deutsche Post Identcode Deutsche Post Leitcode LOGMARS RSS Stacked GS1 DataBar CODABLOCK F mode DataMatrix Maxicode PDF 417 Aztec MicroPDF417 QR code RSS Barcode GS1 Databar Co...

Page 13: ... Peel off module assembly include internal liner rewinder Minimum label peeling height 1 Regular cutter Guillotine cutter max 4 ips Paper thickness 0 06 0 15 mm Plus keyboard display unit Plus programmable smart keyboard 1 3 Printer Specifications Printer Specifications Model M9 Plus Physical dimensions 9 8 W 248mm x 10 8 H 274mm x 17 2 D 436mm Weight 20 3 lbs 9 2 kg Power Auto sensing power suppl...

Page 14: ...y 492 Yards 450 meter long Ribbon core 1 25 4 mm Ribbon width 0 157 4 33 40 mm 110 mm Ribbon wound type Ink coated outside wound ink coated inside wound Note It is recommended to use a ribbon width wider than the label width 1 6 Media Specifications Media Specifications Media roll capacity O D Max 8 203 2 mm Media core diameter 1 3 25 4 mm 76 2 mm I D core Media type Continuous die cut black mark ...

Page 15: ...s been specially packaged to withstand damage during shipping Please carefully inspect the packaging and printer upon receipt Please retain the packaging materials in case you need to reship the printer Unpacking the printer the following items are included in the carton ...

Page 16: ... 7 2 2 Printer Overview 2 2 1Front View M9 Plus Series 1 2 4 3 5 6 1 LED indicator 2 Icons and LED indicators 3 Front panel buttons 4 Media view window 5 Paper exit chute 6 Media cover handle ...

Page 17: ... 8 M9 Plus Series 1 2 4 3 5 6 1 LED indicator 2 LCD touch display 3 Front panel buttons 4 Media view window 5 Paper exit chute 6 Media cover handle ...

Page 18: ...ibbon supply spindle Label roll guard Label supply spindle External label entrance chute 3 core adapter 16 15 Liner securing clip Optional kit of Peel off module ass y Liner rewind spindle Optional kit of Peel off module ass y Media guide bar Optional kit of Peel off module ass y Damper Ribbon end sensor Print head Front label guide Platen roller Black mark sensor shown as Gap sensor shown as 17 1...

Page 19: ... Power switch 3 USB interface High speed mode 4 USB host 5 RS 232C interface 6 Slot in Wi Fi or GPIO interface Option 7 Ethernet interface 8 Power cord socket Note The interface picture here is for reference only Please refer to the product specification for the interface availability ...

Page 20: ... 11 2 3 Operator Control LED indicator Printer status Printer model Printer firmware version Time Date Touch screen Icons ETH Ethernet IP address Wi Fi Wi Fi IP address Keys M9 Plus ...

Page 21: ...mpty or memory error etc MB240T Series Keys Function Select keys The labels on the footer of the UI will explain the function for left and right soft key Check the labels on the footer of the UI screen The meaning of the select keys will vary Navigational keys Used to select icons menu selection and navigation in the UI M9 Plus Series Keys Status On On Blinking On Blinking On Blinking Function Pri...

Page 22: ... option please refer to section 6 9 Enter cursor be marked in green located option Feed button advance one label 2 3 3 Touch Screen Tap an item to open use it Selected Green Scroll up Scroll down Return Note Enter Up page Set For LCD Menu panel please refer to section 6 for more details ...

Page 23: ...nect the printer to the computer with the provided USBcable 4 Plug the power cord into the AC power cord socket at the rear of the printer and then plug the power cord into a properly grounded power outlet Note Please switch OFF printer power switch prior to plugging in the power cord to the printer power jack M9 Plus Series ...

Page 24: ... 15 3 2 Loading the Ribbon 1 Open the printers rightside cover 2 Install the ribbon onto ribbon supply spindle and install paper core onto ribbon rewind spindle ...

Page 25: ...r to open the printhead mechanism 4 Thread ribbon below the ribbon guide bar through ribbon sensor slot as the loading path printed on the printer shows 5 Stick the ribbon leader onto the paper core Keep the ribbon flat and without wrinkle ...

Page 26: ...e counterclockwise roughly 3 5 circles until the ribbon is smooth properly stretched and wrinkle free 7 Close the Printhead mechanism by pushing down on both sides of the printhead Ribbon loading path Ink coated inside Ink coated outside ...

Page 27: ... 18 3 3 Remove Used Ribbon 1 Cut Break the ribbon between ribbon guide plate and the ribbon rewind spindle 2 Slide the ribbon core off rewind spindle ...

Page 28: ...bel Media 1 Open the printer right side cover 2 Move the label roll guard horizontally to the end of the label spindle then flip down the label roll guard 3 Place the media roll on the label supply spindle and use label roll guard to secure it ...

Page 29: ...e media gap black mark will pass through for sensing Black mark sensor shown as Gap sensor shown as 6 Adjust the label guide to fix the media position Note Please install the media through the media sensor The sensor location is marked by a triangle mark gap sensor and arrow mark black mark sensor at the sensor housing The media sensor position is movable please make sure the gap or black mark is ...

Page 30: ...e the printhead mechanism on both sides and make sure the latches are engaged securely 8 Set media sensor type and calibrate the selected sensor Note Please calibrate the gap black mark sensor when changing media ...

Page 31: ...printer right side cover 2 Insert the fanfold media through the rear external label entrance chute 3 Please refer to section 3 4 1 step 4 8 for loading media Note Please calibrate the gap black mark sensor when changing media Loading path for fan fold labels ...

Page 32: ...ration first and set the printer mode to peeler mode Note 1 Please calibrate the gap black mark sensor before loading media in the peel off mode to avoid a paper jam 2 Please feed the label through media guide bar as picture shows Label Liner 4 Open printhead release lever pull approximately 650 mm of the label through the front of the printer 5 Remove several labels to leaveliner ...

Page 33: ... 7 Pull out the media rewind spindle securing clip Wind the media on the spindle until the liner is stretched properly 8 Insert the securing clip on media rewind spindle Note The media rewind spindle can also have installed a paper roll to wind the media onto the media rewind spindle ...

Page 34: ... 25 9 Close printhead release lever and press the FEED button to test ...

Page 35: ...ction 3 4 1 for loading media 3 Using the front display panel to do the calibration and set the printer mode to cutter mode 4 Push the Printhead release lever to open the printhead mechanism Lead the media through the cutter paper opening 5 Close the printhead mechanism and press the FEED button to test ...

Page 36: ...t range for 3 4 media width The printhead pressure adjustment knob has 6 levels of adjustment for 1 2 and 3 4 media widths Because the printer s paper alignment is to the left side of mechanism different media widths require different pressures to print the label correctly Therefore it may require adjusting pressure to get the best print quality ...

Page 37: ...t Because the printer s ribbon alignment is to the left side of mechanism different ribbon or media widths require different ribbon tension to print correctly Therefore it may be required to adjust the ribbon tension adjustment knob to avoid wrinkle and get the best print quality Ribbon Tension Adjustment Knob ...

Page 38: ...ics print darkness setting etc In case ribbon wrinkle appears please follow the instructions below to adjust the printer parts Ribbon Tension Adjustment Knob has 5 positions for adjustment Use flat blade screwdriver to change the ribbon tension position Adjustable Printer Parts Ribbon Tension Adjustment scales Ribbon Tension Adjustment Knob Symptom 1 Wrinkle happens from label lower right to upper...

Page 39: ...ease contact the Customer Service Department of your purchased reseller or distributor for service If the wrinkle on the label starts from the lower left side to upper right side please do the following adjustment 1 Switch the ribbon tension adjustment knob counterclockwise per 1 level and print the label again to check if the wrinkle is gone 2 If the ribbon tension adjustment knob is positioned o...

Page 40: ...to a printer With the aid of this powerful tool you can review printer status and settings in an instant which makes it much easier to troubleshoot problems and other issues 5 1 Start the Diagnostic Tool 1 Double click on the Diagnostic tool icon to start the software 2 There are four feature tabs Printer Configuration File Manager Bitmap Font Manager Command Tool included in the Diagnostic utilit...

Page 41: ...unction Description Calibrate Sensor Calibrate the sensor specified in the Printer Setup group media sensor field Ethernet Setup Setup the IP address subnet mask gateway for the internal Ethernet RTC Setup Synchronize printer Real Time Clock with PC Factory Default Initialize the printer and restore the settings to factory default Reset Printer Reboot printer Print Test Page Print a test page Conf...

Page 42: ...terface to setup Ethernet interface 1 Connect the printer and computer with a USB cable 2 Turn on the printer power switch 3 Start the Diagnostic Utility by double clicking on the icon 4 The Diagnostic Utility default interface setting is USB interface If a USB cable is connected to the printer no other settings need to be changed in the interfacefield 5 Click on the Ethernet Setup button from Pri...

Page 43: ...gnostic Utility by double clicks on the icon 4 Select COM as interface then click on the Setup button to setup the serial port baud rate parity check data bits stop bit and flow control parameters 5 Click on the Ethernet Setup button from printer function of Printer Configuration tab to setup the IP address subnet mask and the gateway for the on internalEthernet ...

Page 44: ...interface then click on the Setup button to setup the IP address subnet mask and gateway for the internal Ethernet 5 Click the Discover Device button to explore the printers that exist on the network 6 Select the printer on the left side of listed printers the correspondent IP address will be shown in the right side IP address Printer Name field 7 Click Change IP Address to configure the IP addres...

Page 45: ...eset to new settings 8 Click Exit button to exit the Ethernet interface setup and go back to the Diagnostic Tool main screen Factory Default button This function will reset the IP subnet mask gateway parameters obtained by DHCP and reset the printer name Web setup button Except to use the Diagnostic Utility to setup the printer you can also explore and configure the printer settings and status or ...

Page 46: ...ion 6 1 Enter the Menu By touch display Tap the Menu icon on LCD main page to enter the menu By Keys Use navigational keys to select Menu icon marked in green and press the left soft key Checkmark button to enter the menu ...

Page 47: ...ption is used to calibrate the selected media sensor We recommend calibrating the sensor before printing after changing the media This Interface option is used to set the printer interface settings This Advanced option is used to set the printer LCD settings initialization cutter type media low warning setting etc This File Manager option is used to check manage the printer available memory This D...

Page 48: ...Density Direction Print Mode Offset Shift X Shift Y None Batch Mode Peeler Mode Cutter Mode Cutter Batch Rewinder Mode Reference X Reference Y Code Page Country Item Description Default Speed Use this item to setup print speed Available setting range is 2 14 for 203dpi 2 12 for 300dpi and 1 6 for 600dpi 203 dpi 6 300 dpi 4 Density Use this option to setup printing darkness The available setting ra...

Page 49: ...t to 999 dots 0 dot Reference Y 0 dot Code page Use this item to set the code page for international character set 850 Country Use this option to set the country code Available setting values range from 1 to 358 001 Note If printing from a driver the driver will send out the commands which will overwrite the settings made from the printer panel DIRECTION 0 DIRECTION 1 FEED Printer Mode Description...

Page 50: ...ormat Convert Tear Off Peeler Off Cutter Rewind Feed Calibration Length No Motion Feed Calibration Length No Motion Enabled Disabled None 150 300 150 600 200 600 300 600 Item Description Default Density Use this item to setup printing darkness The available settings range from 0 to 30 You may need to adjust your density based on selected media 16 Print Speed Use this item to setup print speed Avai...

Page 51: ... delimiter character N A Media Power Up This option is used to set the action of the media when you turn on the printer No Motion Head Close This option is used to set the action of the media when you close the printhead No Motion Label Top This option is used to adjust the print position vertically on the label The range is 120 to 120 dots 0 Left Position This option is used to adjust the print p...

Page 52: ...tor The first number is the original dots per inch dpi value the second the dpi to which you would like to scale None Note If printing from the driver the driver will send out the commands which will overwrite the settings made from the printer panel ...

Page 53: ...atically Printer will feed 2 to 3 gap labels to calibrate the sensor sensitivity automatically N A Manual setup In case Automatic cannot calibrate the media please use the Manual function to set the paper length and Gap B line size then scan the backing mark to calibrate the sensor sensitivity N A Threshold Detect This option is used to set sensor sensitivity in fixed or auto Auto Maximum Length T...

Page 54: ...rface Serial Baud Rate Parity Data Bits Stop Bit s 1200 bps 2400 bps 4800 bps 9600 bps 19200 bps 38400 bps 57600 bps 115200 bps None Odd Even 7 8 1 2 Item Description Default Baud Rate This item is used to set the RS 232 baud rate 9600 Parity This item is used to set the RS 232 parity None Data Bits This item is used to set the RS 232 Data Bits 8 Stop Bit s This item is used to set the RS 232 Stop...

Page 55: ... module Menu Interface Ethernet Status Config Item Description Default Status Use this menu to check the Ethernet IP address and MAC setting status N A Config DHCP This item is used to set ON or OFF the DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol network protocol Static IP Use this menu to set the printer s IP address subnet mask and gateway DHCP ...

Page 56: ...o set the printer s IP address subnet mask and gateway DHCP SSID Use this menu to set the Wi Fi SSID N A Security Use this menu to set the Wi Fi security Open Password Use this menu to set the Wi Fi password N A 6 5 4 Bluetooth This option is used to set the printer Bluetooth settings Menu Interface Bluetooth Status Local Name Ping Code Item Description Default Status Use this menu to check the Bl...

Page 57: ...d labels pcs and cutting counter N A Initialization This feature is used to restore printer settings to defaults N A Display Brightness This item is used to setup the brightness for the display Range 0 100 50 Touchscreen Calibration This feature is used to calibrate the touchscreen for best results N A Date Time This item is used to setup the date and time on display N A Security This feature is u...

Page 58: ...UI reminding user to clean the printhead The default setting is disable Reset Counter This item is used to reset the clean printhead warning mileage after cleaning the printhead Interval This item is used to set the expected mileage for reminding user to clean the printhead You have to enable the TPH warning lock to use The default setting is 1 km Key sound This item is used to enable disable the ...

Page 59: ...ile Manager This feature is used to check the printer available memory show the files list delete the files or run the files that are saved in the printer DRAM Flash Card memory DRAM Menu File Manager FLASH CARD ...

Page 60: ... printhead heater element Self test printout Model name F W version Firmware checksum Printer S N Configuration file System date System time Printed mileage meter Cutting counter Print speed inch sec Print darkness Print Config Label size inch Gap distance inch Gap black mark sensor intension Code page Country code ZPL setting information Print darkness Print speed inch sec Label size Control pref...

Page 61: ... temperature and bad dots Display This feature is used to check LCDs color state Sensor This feature is used to check sensors intensity and reading state DOWNLOA 0D 0A 44 4F 57 4E 4C 4F 4I D TEST2 44 20 22 54 45 53 54 32 2E DAT 5 CL 44 41 54 22 2C 35 2C 43 4C S DOWNLO 53 0D 0A 44 4F 57 4E 4C 4F AD F TES 41 44 20 46 2C 22 54 45 53 T4 DAT 5 54 34 2E 44 41 54 22 2C 35 CLS DOW 2C 43 4C 53 0D 0A 44 4F ...

Page 62: ...rganized Favorites list Touch and hold a favorite option item until Join Favorites setting screen pops up Tap Yes to add this setting option item to Favorites Touch and hold Delete Favorites item Touch and hold the option item until Delete Favorites setting screen pops up Tap Yes to delete this setting option item on Favorites Touch and hold ...

Page 63: ... printers Generally a single print job PALTM print sequences generates a single label In this role the PALTM Print and Program interpreter accepts the print job performs the required operator processing and prints the label tag or ticket Using a Windows driver in conjunction with a Windows application program is a typical way to print in this environment Alternatively PALTM print sequences may als...

Page 64: ...w format may include bar codes scaled and or rotated fonts lines logo s etc Even though the legacy device being replaced does not support these print abilities the new label format can For example text only outputs such as produced by a dot matrix printer or card embosser may now be presented in a more functional format Information in the data stream can be reformatted into any size font in any ro...

Page 65: ... stand alone mode Ability to range check user input Ability to combine data from multiple fields into a single bar code Ability to access database stored in printer Ability to perform math calculations addition subtraction multiplication division etc Ability to perform logical calculations equal to less than greater than etc Shown below is an example where a stand alone PALTM application and datab...

Page 66: ...e plug the connector again Check your program for a PRINT command at the end of the file and there also must be a CRLF at the end of each command line No print on the label Label or ribbon is loaded in correctly Use wrong type paper or ribbon Follow the instructions for loading the media and ribbon Ribbon and media are not compatible Verify the ribbon inked side The print density setting is incorr...

Page 67: ...printer off then on to skip the dump mode Re set the RS 232 setting Label feeding is not stable skewed when printing The media guide does not touch the edge of the media If the label is moving to the right side please move the label guideleft If the label is moving to the left side please move the label guide right Skip labels when printing Label size is not specified properly Sensor sensitivity i...

Page 68: ...The parameter Shift Y in the LCD menu is incorrect The vertical offset setting in the driver is incorrect Calibrate the sensor sensitivityagain Set the correct label size and gap size Press Menu Setting Shift Y to fine tune the parameter of Shift Y If using the software BarTender please set the vertical offset in the driver ...

Page 69: ...ia roll Printhead Printhead Print Printhead Surface Printhead surface Cleaning pen Platen Roller 1 Turn the power off 2 Rotate the platen roller and wipe it thoroughly with water Clean the platen roller when changing to a new media roll Peel Bar Use a lint free cloth with 100 ethanol to wipe it down As needed Sensor Compressed air or vacuum Monthly Exterior Wipe it with water dampened cloth As nee...

Page 70: ...rs Manufacturing Service 803 Camarillo Springs Road Suite D 5033 Sirona Drive Suite 800 Camarillo CA 93012 Charlotte NC 28273 TEL 800 215 9192 TEL 800 476 2120 FAX 805 484 5282 FAX 704 525 6104 Web site www AMTDatasouth com ...

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