Datamax Troubleshooting
1. Turn the printer on. Does it have a green light?
2. Press the Feed button. Does it advance 5½” and stop with a green light? Press the
Feed button again. Does it consistently advance 5½” and stop?
3. Send
DmTest.txt
to the printer from DOS. Do you get Hello world? Does the printer
stop in the right place? Is the movement consistent?
Here’s what’s in the file DmTest.txt ( “~” stands for a character 2):
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Datamax test file
* Usage: At a command prompt type:
*
* TYPE DMTEST.TXT > LPT1
*
~r
reflective sensor
~f190
backfeed 1.9”
~O0100
top of form offset
~L
enter label printing command set
H15
heat #15
D11
dot size 1 x 1
4911A4800500100Hello world
4911A1200000150|<-- left margin
E
eject the print job
This command
HAS
to work. If it does not, there is a problem with the printer. Note: USB
printers will not respond. Even when you send these codes with Windows Notepad USB
printers will not respond.
4. Do a test ticket. Look at the printing. Is it consistently dark, across the ticket?
Occasionally, the printer may be a thermal transfer type of E class. You can identify this by the
2 rollers on top of the print head (for the ribbon). If this is the case, the media type needs to
be changed from transfer to direct. Instructions:
1. Power up while holding the F1 button - until pause light goes off
2. Press F1 and release - this prints a status ticket
3. Press F2 until the red light flashes 1 time (for the media type setting) – this prints
setting for the current setting number. If you want different settings, hold the F2 for the
number of flashes corresponding to setting number.
4. Press F1 one time. This changes from thermal transfer to direct thermal (or whatever
setting is selected) F3 will reverse the setting.
5. Press F1+F3 together. When the pause light goes off, do it again. This saves the
settings and returns to the normal mode. The printer is back on line.
"F2 and counting the flashes is the key"
The sensor type (black line) setting is not stored in non-volatile memory. It needs to be re-sent with each print job.