Datamax Mark II Operator'S Manual Download Page 1

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Operator’s Manual

Summary of Contents for Mark II

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Page 3: ... or copy the Firmware or the information contained in the non volatile or programmable memory The firmware Software is protected by applicable copyright laws and Licensor retains all rights not expressly granted In no event will Licensor or its suppliers be liable for any damages or loss including direct incidental economic special or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to us...

Page 4: ... with FCC CFR 47 Part 15 Class A Note This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not in...

Page 5: ... 3 Identifying the Media Sensor 5 2 3 1 Positioning the Adjustable Media Sensor 6 2 4 Loading Media 7 2 4 1 Peeling 9 2 5 Loading Ribbon 10 P P Pr r ri i in n nt t te e er r r O O Op p pe e er r ra a at t ti i io o on n n 1 1 13 3 3 3 1 Introduction 13 3 2 Indicator Lights 13 3 3 Multi Function Buttons 14 Ready Mode Functions 14 Delayed Power Up Functions 14 3 4 Printer Configuration Tools 15 3 5 ...

Page 6: ... Tr r ro o ou u ub b bl l le e es s sh h ho o oo o ot t ti i in n ng g g 3 3 33 3 3 5 0 Introduction 33 5 1 Troubleshooting Tips 33 S S Sp p pe e ec c ci i if f fi i ic c ca a at t ti i io o on n ns s s 3 3 35 5 5 I I In n nt t te e er r rn n na a al l l M M Me e en n nu u u 3 3 39 9 9 B 1 Buttons 39 B 2 Printer Setup Mode Button Functions 39 B 2 1 Printer Setup Menu List 41 B 2 2 Menu Items and V...

Page 7: ...Wi i ir r re e el l le e es s ss s s S S Se e et t tu u up p p 5 5 53 3 3 C 1 Network Card Reset 53 C 2 Network Card Setup 53 C 3 Network Card Setup Wireless Infrastructure Mode 54 C 4 Printer s Internal Web Pages 55 C 5 DMX Config Utility 59 C 6 Installing the Printer Driver 61 G G Gl l lo o os s ss s sa a ar r ry y y 6 6 63 3 3 ...

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Page 9: ...to write custom programs or formats a copy of the Class Series 2 Programmer s Manual also is included for your reference or the manual can be downloaded 1 1 1 2 2 2 U U Un n np p pa a ac c ck k ki i in n ng g g t t th h he e e P P Pr r ri i in n nt t te e er r r After removing the printer from the packaging material check the contents of the box In addition to the printer the following items shoul...

Page 10: ...2 Chapter 1 Getting Started ...

Page 11: ... r 2 2 1 Power Connections The printer is powered by an external auto ranging power supply which connects between the printer and an electrical outlet Ensure that the operating ranges of the power supply are compatible with your electrical service see Appendix A for details then connect power as follows Before connecting power to the printer ensure that the Power Switch is in the OFF O position a ...

Page 12: ...nnels is supported when an IEEE 1284 compliant cable and supporting host software is used The Ethernet Port optional supports Wired or Wireless LAN communications see Appendix C for information The Serial Port supports RS 232C communications via a DB 9 connector with specific pin outs interface cable part numbers and pin outs are given below contact your reseller to order Serial port settings are ...

Page 13: ...d Carrier Assembly to determine the type of sensor and positioning requirement if any The Stationary Media Sensor shown below is immovable if the printer is equipped with this type of sensor proceed to Section 2 4 312 i Printhead Latch Printhead Carrier Assembly Stationary Media Sensor The Adjustable Media Sensor shown below requires positioning if the printer is equipped with this type of sensor ...

Page 14: ...ft edge of the media as oriented in the direction of movement during printing to the center of the TOF Notch Gap or Mark see example below Reflective media must be placed into the printer with the TOF Marks facing downward 312 3 5 Media TOF Notch Gap or Mark Measured Distance to center of Notch Gap or Mark Media Direction during Printing Left Justified Alignment b In the table below find the numbe...

Page 15: ...tom AMS Window 2 2 2 4 4 4 L L Lo o oa a ad d di i in n ng g g M M Me e ed d di i ia a a Load media as follows a Slide the Media Hub through the Roll Media core b With the Roll Media positioned so that the labels will unwind forward over the top slide the Flange smooth side in onto the Media Hub 312 Media Hub Flange Roll Media c Press the Printhead Latch and raise the Printhead Carrier Assembly d ...

Page 16: ...Flange against the roll g Slide the Media leftward and then position the Media Guide lightly against the side of the media h Lower the Printhead Carrier Assembly and press downward until locked i Close the cover and press the F2 Button several times to advance media if the Fault Light illuminates see Section 3 7 The printer is factory set to use 4 inch long gap media If using another media length ...

Page 17: ... of label material from the Media Backing e Route the Media Backing over the Platen and Peel Bar and then behind the Peel Roller and Fascia as shown below 312 5 6 7 3 8 Printhead Latch Printhead Carrier Assembly Peel Lever Platen Peel Bar Peel Roller Fascia Media Backing f Push the Peel Lever backward g Lower the Printhead Carrier Assembly and press downward until locked h Close the cover then pre...

Page 18: ... this setting if using direct thermal media a If installed in the Ribbon Handler remove the Ribbon Hubs 312 Ribbon Handler Ribbon Hub b Slide a Ribbon Roll with the leader positioned as shown below onto a Ribbon Hub and slide a Ribbon Core onto the remaining Ribbon Hub Ensure the inked side of the ribbon faces toward the media not the printhead 312 3 Ribbon Core Ribbon Roll c Press the Printhead L...

Page 19: ...oll around the Printhead Carrier Assembly to the take up roll as shown below 312 9 8 7 Take Up Position Supply Position Right Side View e Affix the leader of the ribbon to the Core using tape Rotate the Ribbon Hub several times to secure the ribbon 312 f Lower the Printhead Carrier Assembly and press downward until locked Media Type in the Setup Menu must be set to Thermal Transfer when using ribb...

Page 20: ...12 Chapter 2 Printer Setup ...

Page 21: ... I I In n nd d di i ic c ca a at t to o or r r L L Li i ig g gh h ht t ts s s Three Indicator Lights provide a quick visual reference of printer operations and conditions as defined below Power Fault Paused Indicates the printer is on Indicates a top of form or mechanical error has occurred Solid On Indicates the printer is in the Paused state Blinking Indicates the printer is receiving data from ...

Page 22: ...d Hold F1 F3 Resets the printer Print Test Label F1 F2 Prints the Test Label Print Configuration Label F2 F3 Produces Database Configuration and Test Label Print Ethernet Label F1 F2 F3 Prints the printers Ethernet configuration Quick Calibration Press and Hold F2 Performs Quick Calibration see Section 3 7 1 Empty Calibration Press and Hold F1 F2 Performs Empty Calibration see Section 3 7 2 Delaye...

Page 23: ...the network regardless of physical location or host operating system No additional software required Printer must be equipped with an Ethernet option Depending on the complexity of the network initial connection may not be possible until network parameters are set via another method See Appendix C 4 Windows Driver The Windows printer driver located on the Accessories CD ROM Many applications requi...

Page 24: ...ons for Applications Saved Configurations can be Shared with other Printers and Sent via Email Download Files Formats and Fonts Query Memory Modules Be sure to use the DMXConfig utility located on the Accessories CD ROM that is included with your printer Older versions might not operate correctly with some printers For the latest version please visit our web site at http www datamax oneil com A ne...

Page 25: ... any changes necessary to the printer configuration Once complete send the new settings to the printer using the Configure Printer toolbar button The example below illustrates changing the Media Type setting to Thermal Transfer Other parameters can be changed using this procedure as well 6 Select the Media Settings tab then in the Media Type drop down box select Thermal Transfer 7 Send the setting...

Page 26: ...isit our web site at http www datamax oneil com Installing the Windows Driver Place the Accessories CD ROM included with your printer into your computers CD ROM drive Once the CD ROM starts select Install Windows Driver from the main menu and follow the instructions on the screen to install When prompted select your printer from the list i e Datamax E 4xxx Continue to follow the on screen instruct...

Page 27: ...tock setting matches the size of the label you are using If you cannot find a match for your label click New and enter the dimensions of your label Options Tab Print Speed Printhead Temperature These two settings will have the greatest effect on print quality Some label stocks will require more heat and slower print speeds to generate a quality image The Windows application software used to create...

Page 28: ... i e not off line with media loaded the media sensor adjusted and the sensor type selected 2 Press and hold the F2 Button until one label has been output then release Wait for the printer to process the data There are two possible outcomes Upon completion one of the following lights will flash five times to denote the result of the auto calibration attempt Power Light Successful calibration Fault ...

Page 29: ...ost to the printer with a serial or parallel cable 2 Turn ON the printer 3 Launch the DMXConfig utility 4 Query the printer by using the Query Printer toolbar button top left This will connect to the printer and get the current printer settings 5 Select the Sensor Calibration Tab and then click the Media Calibration Wizard button When prompted click OK to start the calibration wizard 6 The Calibra...

Page 30: ...ion Wizard will now prompt you to Remove Stock Remove media and backing from the printer Close the printhead and click OK 9 The Calibration Wizard will now respond with Passed Calibration click OK Reinstall media Close the printhead and press the F2 Button to test the calibration Each press of the F2 Button labels should advance one label If the calibration was unsuccessful retry the procedure beg...

Page 31: ...ata Print a Database Configuration Label as follows Load with media 4 inch wide and ribbon if printing with thermal transfer media then press the F2 F3 Buttons simultaneously 3 8 2 Test Label The Test Label can be used to evaluate the current settings for print quality label tracking and print positioning Print a Test Label as follows With the printer loaded with media 4 inch wide and ribbon if th...

Page 32: ... Manual is an essential reference As a final note many software programs use bit mapping to construct the label making diagnosis of this data difficult Contact Datamax O Neil Technical Support with any questions Enter Hex Dump Mode and print a Hex Dump Label as follows With the printer OFF loaded with media at least 4 inches wide and ribbon if printing with thermal transfer media press and hold th...

Page 33: ...a cotton swab to clean the printhead from end to end After every roll of media Platen Roller Turn OFF the printer Rotate the platen roller and clean it thoroughly with solvent applied with a cotton swab After every roll of media Peel Off Roller Rotate the peel off roller and clean it thoroughly with solvent applied with a cotton swab After every roll of media Media Path Solvent After every roll of...

Page 34: ...or a faulty printhead Proper cleaning is critical To maintain peak performance of the printer Datamax O Neil offers a complete line of cleaning products including pens cards films and swabs To learn more visit our website at http www datamaxcorp com clean Cotton Swab Procedure If printing with direct thermal media or thermal transfer media with wax ribbon clean the printhead as follows a Turn OFF ...

Page 35: ...ng Cleaning Film Procedure If printing with thermal transfer media and resin ribbon when printing with a Heat Value of 22 or higher or when other methods prove unsuccessful clean the printhead as follows a Press the Printhead Latch and then raise the Printhead Carrier Assembly Wait briefly for the Printhead to cool b Remove media and ribbon then place a sheet of Cleaning Film under the Printhead p...

Page 36: ... Assembly The reference numbers on the Media Width Thumbwheel do not correspond to specific media widths Perform the media width adjustment as follows a Load media into the printer Print and examine a label press the F1 F2 Buttons simultaneously b If the printing appears too light on the right hand side of the label see example below then move the Media Width Thumbwheel counterclockwise Print anot...

Page 37: ...ustment however with the different types and thicknesses of media readjustment may be necessary when print quality suffers Printhead Adjustment should only be performed after attempting to improve print quality through the use of other print quality controls see Section 3 5 To adjust the printhead turn the Printhead Adjustment Screw until optimum print quality is obtained some trial and error may ...

Page 38: ...ead Screw until it disengages from the Printhead c Press the Printhead Latch and then raise the Printhead Carrier Assembly 312 3 Printhead Latch Printhead Carrier Assembly Printhead Screw Flathead Screwdriver d Remove the Printhead Cable from the Printhead Connector and then remove the Printhead 312 5 6 7 Printhead Printhead Connector Printhead Cable e Carefully connect the Printhead Cable to the ...

Page 39: ...essful download the Paused Light will illuminate then the printer reset The previous printer setup will be unaffected unless substantial firmware data structure changes have occurred Print a Database Configuration Label to verify your new firmware version Following an unsuccessful download the Fault Light will illuminate then the printer will reset The original firmware will remain operational If ...

Page 40: ...32 Chapter 4 Maintenance Adjustments ...

Page 41: ...am or DPL commands adjust the Heat Setting and Print Speed A mismatched incorrect ribbon media combination is being used Check the types being used Faulty printhead Replace it see Section 4 4 or call for service The printer does not print or prints several labels at once The labels are incorrectly loaded See the loading instructions on the inside cover of the printer or in Section 2 4 The media is...

Page 42: ...bel advances 1 2 inches before a fault indication The ribbon may be incorrectly installed Ensure that the inked side of the ribbon faces the labels With most ribbons this can be verified by rubbing paper against the ribbon the ink should smudge the paper Or if using label stock the sticky side of a label will pull off the ink A mismatched ribbon paper combination is resulting in an insufficient am...

Page 43: ...s 17 9 cm Weight 5 2 pounds 2 4 kg Operating Temperature 40 to 95 F 4 to 35 C AC Input Voltage Power Supply 105 VAC to 250 VAC 50 60 Hz Printing Print Method Direct Thermal Thermal Transfer optional Print Speed E 4205e 1 5 IPS 25 4 127mm s E 4304e 1 4 IPS 25 4 101 6mm s Resolution E 4205e 203 DPI 8 dots mm E 4304e 300 DPI 11 8 dots mm Tear Bar Tear up DRAM Memory 16MB FLASH Memory 4MB ...

Page 44: ...tter Media Supply Roll Capacity 5 inches 127mm O D on a 1 inch 25 4mm core Ribbon Width Range 1 0 4 3 inches 25 110mm Ribbon Roll Capacity Matched to media approx 361 feet 110m long with a 1 5 inch 38mm O D on a 5 inch core Communications Interface Ports standard USB RS 232 DB 9 IEEE 1284 compliant Parallel 36 pin Baud Speed 600 to 38 400 bits per second BPS Handshaking Xon Xoff CTS DTR Parity Eve...

Page 45: ...4 E Total thickness 010 6 0025 F Notch opening width 50 20 Distance from the edge of the media to the media sensor aperture left justified 175 125 G with the Adjustable Media Sensor option 2 94 125 H Reflective mark width 2 4 10 50 I Distance between reflective marks 24 3 375 5 J Reflective mark length 25 10 1 Units of measure are in inches 2 The reflective black mark must be carbon based placed o...

Page 46: ...38 Appendix A Specifications ...

Page 47: ...S S Se e et t tu u up p p M M Mo o od d de e e B B Bu u ut t tt t to o on n n F F Fu u un n nc c ct t ti i io o on n ns s s In Setup Mode the buttons control the settings of such items as media type communications and options as detailed below It is recommended that Setup Mode not be entered if in Peel Mode or with the optional Present Sensor enabled depending on label size this can cause unpredic...

Page 48: ...he current values and resumes Current Item and Value is printed F1 Increments item s value F3 Decrements item s value F2 Press and Release Press and Hold F2 F1 F3 Accepts the current values for test Selects the next menu item Direct Select menu item e g 9 Fault Light flashes Baud Rate menu item 9 see Section B 2 2 Normal Mode Feeds one label for test Press and Release When adjusting CONT FORM LENG...

Page 49: ... for LABEL LENGTH hold F2 for 12 flashes etc Menu Items Values 1 DIRECT THERMAL MEDIA TYPE 2 GAP SENSOR TYPE 3 AUTO PRESENT SENSOR 4 AUTO CUTTER 5 IMPERIAL UNITS OF MEASURE 6 0 ROW ADJUST 7 0 COLUMN ADJUST 8 0 PRESENT ADJUST 9 9600 BPS BAUD RATE bps 10 8 DATA BITS 11 STANDARD CODES CONTROL CODES 12 100 LABE LENGTH 01 in 13 426 LABEL WIDTH 01 in 14 511 SCALEABLE FONT CACHE 1KB 15 1024 INTERNAL MODU...

Page 50: ...or imperial values Possible Values Imperial Metric 6 ROW ADJUST Shifts the vertical start of print position in xxx dots Possible Values Range 0 255 nominal 128 0 close to edge 255 farthest from edge 7 COLUMN ADJUST Shifts the horizontal start of print position in xxx dots Possible Values Range 0 255 nominal 128 0 close to edge 255 farthest from edge 8 PRESENT ADJUST Specifies an additional amount ...

Page 51: ...ptions are installed the printer sets stop location to the next label s start of print Host commands will override 17 LABEL ALIGNMENT Sets the label alignment method Possible Values YES user manually determines ALIGN LENGTH AUTO printer determines ALIGN LENGTH NO no Label Alignment used 18 ALIGNMENT LENGTH Leading edge distance of two successive labels Must be entered if LABEL ALIGNMENT is set to ...

Page 52: ... Single processing provides time stamps that are more accurate but it slows label throughput time 23 FAULT HANDLING When a fault condtions is detected printing stops and the Fault Light illumintes After the problem is corrected the FEED Button must be pressed to clear the fault The label in process is not reprinted Possible Values YES or NO default NO NO NO REPRINT disabled reprinting will occur 2...

Page 53: ...n and count 9 flashes of the Fault Light then release it The following printout should be produced 3 Press the F2 Button one time to increment to the 19200 bps value The following printout should be produced 4 At this point you will accept the current values for test and exit the Printer Setup Procedure by simultaneously and briefly pressing the F1 F3 Buttons Wait until the Paused Light goes OFF I...

Page 54: ... The three possible modes YES AUTO and NO are detailed in the following sections B 3 1 Label Alignment YES In this mode the operator must supply an ALIGN LENGTH value This value must be physically measured from leading edge to leading edge of two successive labels as shown The measurement must be as accurate as possible For very short labels errors as small as 0 01 inches can result in noticeable ...

Page 55: ... greater the waste Special Case Auto Alignment when the Present Sensor enabled If the printer is equipped with the Present Sensor option and that feature is enabled while the label length is being calculated the printer will pause and illuminate the Paused Light after each movement You must press the PAUSE Button for the alignment to continue This allows you to remove any labels as required howeve...

Page 56: ...el measurement Ensuring slack in the label stock may result in a slightly different measurement The Alignment Length may also be set manually via the Setup Menu Increasing or decreasing the value by 1 or 2 units in 100 may help to prevent the wasted labels however this may result in incorrect print positions for labels that are short in length Label Alignment is incorrect Pressing the FEED Button ...

Page 57: ...or OR Ensure the host computer is not providing a Present Distance shorter than is required for the Tear Bar OR Use the Setup Menu to modify the Present Adjust value Tear Mode is selected but the label stop position present position is too far forward Another present position has been determined OR The Present Adjust value is not correct Ensure the host computer is not providing a Present Distance...

Page 58: ...e Calibration Mode but can still occur while printing test labels If at any time you wish to discard your changes and revert back to the previous calibration simply turn OFF power to the printer To perform Calibration F1 Auto Media Calibration See Section B 4 1 See Section B 4 2 Calibration Mode F3 Analyze media F3 F2 Analyze media backing material or reflective mark Analyze no media condition F1 ...

Page 59: ...inter Continue to hold the button until the Paused Light turns OFF then release it 2 Next press the F1 Button The printer will feed approximately ten inches of media to calculate the TOF Delta and Low values to be used 3 Upon completion one of the following indicators will flash five times to denote the result of the auto calibration attempt Paused Light Successful calibration Proceed to Step 4 Fa...

Page 60: ... material is analyzed 3 Position the backing material or the black reflective mark over the media sensor close the Printhead Carrier Assembly and then press the F2 Button The Fault Light will flash as the mark is analyzed 4 Remove all the material from the media sensor close the Printhead Carrier Assembly and then press the F3 Button The Fault Light will flash as the condition is analyzed 5 Simult...

Page 61: ...efault settings IP DISCOVERY is enabled and the Wireless module is disabled 1 With Printer Off connect the network cable then turn ON Printer 2 The printer will now search for a DHCP server Allow up to 90 seconds for the printer to retrieve an IP address 3 At this point it is recommended to print a Network Report This Network Report is generated by the printer and lists important default informati...

Page 62: ...ick on the WiFi Configuration menu item Locate and set the following items Set the SSID field to match the SSID of your access point Set WLAN Network Type drop down box to Infrastructure Set any WLAN Security Settings if necessary For static IP setup Set the Static BSS Address This is the address assigned to the radio portion of the network card it must be a unique address Scroll down to the botto...

Page 63: ... Address 2 The following page will appear The printer s fourteen internal web pages are accessible via the navigation bar on the left hand side The TCP IP Configuration and WiFi Configuration pages contain many items associated with the setup of the network card as well as wireless security settings The following tables provide information on each of the items listed on these pages You must provid...

Page 64: ...ort Number Selects the Port to use for all network communications the default is 9100 Max Transmission Units Sets the Maximum Transmission Unit packet size where Packet size in bytes 512 65515 the default is 1500 Gratuitous ARP Minutes 0 disable Sets time interval for ARP transmission packets where 0 2048 minutes the default is 0 Duplex Capability Allows the User to specify the line duplex and spe...

Page 65: ...ing Infrastructure Mode Default is US WLAN Security Settings Wireless Security Mode Configures the security settings Disable security is disabled default wep64 64 bit key length sometimes referred to as 40 bit wep128 128 bit key length wpa psk WPA Pre Shared Key wpa leap WPA LEAP wpa leap64 Migration Mode w Cipher suite TKIP 40 bit WEP using EAP LEAP Requires LEAP username and password wpa leap128...

Page 66: ...not checked DHCP Retransmit Interval Sets the DHCP retransmission interval to use when Enable DHCP Fixed Interval Retransmission is set to fixed This is an integer with a range of 1 64 Default is 15 DHCP Acquire Time Limit Sets the number of seconds the DHCP should attempt to acquire an IP address before using the fallback IP address if wl dhcp fb is ON An integer with a range of 1 255 Default is ...

Page 67: ... following example uses the DMXConfig software utility to configure the printer 1 Connect the host to the printer with a serial or parallel cable 2 Turn ON the printer 3 Launch the DMXConfig utility Query the printer by using the Query Printer toolbar button top left This will connect to the printer and get the current printer settings 4 Next select the Communications tab scroll down to the networ...

Page 68: ... SSID Unique and then click the button to the right The printer will now reset itself and be configured to the following settings Wireless Mode Enabled IP 192 168 10 26 SSID MAC Address of the printer unique value for each printer listed on the Network Report Label Subnet Mask 255 255 255 0 Gateway 192 168 10 26 BSS 192 168 10 1 This is the IP of the radio card and is not to be used for data trans...

Page 69: ...s Add Printer Wizard The following screen should appear and then click Next 2 Make sure that Local Printer is selected and then click Next 3 Select Create a new port and then select Standard TCP IP Port from the drop down menu Click Next 4 Click Next 5 In the Printer Name or IP Address field enter the IP address of your printer The Port Name field does not need to be changed When finished click Ne...

Page 70: ...r name field and select whether or not it is to be your default printer then click Next 14 Select whether or not to share this printer on your network Then click Next 15 Select No then Click Next 16 Confirm your settings and then click Finish 17 If prompted with the Digital Signature Not Found window click Yes to continue installation 18 Your computer will now copy the necessary files from the CD ...

Page 71: ... media roll cutter A mechanical device with a rotary or guillotine type blade used to cut labels or tags following printing defaults The functional setting values returned following a factory reset of the printer diagnostics Programs used to locate and diagnose hardware problems die cut media Media that has been cut into a pattern using a press where the excess paper is removed leaving individual ...

Page 72: ...acking and or label material to facilitate their separation Also referred to as perf print speed The speed at which the media moves under the printhead during the printing process reflective media Media imprinted with carbon based black marks on the underside of the material which is used to signal the top of form when the reflective sensor is enabled registration Repeatable top to bottom alignmen...

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