Microcom 324M, Operator'S Manual

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Getting Started Chapter 3
3-32 324M/424M Operator’s Manual - 880026-0144
produce a compressed print, slipping, and jamming which can occur more frequently as the
printer ages.
3.7.4 Designing a Roll Support
Media roll supports may be purchased from Microcom. If you are designing a custom roll
support, please be aware of the following design guidelines.
• Implement a simple design which allows the media to be gently placed in the kiosk.
• Minimize the drive train load caused by the media supply. Do not use wires, cables or rods
as a roll holder - all of these can cause the roll to stop and start and rock back and
forth. The inside of the roll core should be smooth and free from dust. The larger the roll, the
greater the effect it has on drag and possible slipping.
• The spindle used inside the core should be sized properly so that it doesn’t fit tight or
cause the core to rock on the spindle. A good rule is to make the spindle at least .05”
smaller than the inside diameter of the core.
• Leave plenty of access room to load media when designing the area for your roll holder.
3.7.5 Designing for Fan-Fold Media
Fan-fold media must be handled correctly. When it unfolds, it can get caught and the stack
may fall into other components and cabling. Make a tray to hold the fan-fold media. This tray
could be the box that fits into a shoe provided by the stock converter. Always test and
observe the media for these types of problems. Fan-fold media can un-fold differently at the
beginning and end of the stack. This stock can also stick to itself because of the
perforations. Choose a stock converter with experience with this process. The media stack
should never be able to be pulled into the back of the printer. When using fan-fold stock, the
stack should be located back from the printer far enough to allow the media to unfold prior
to entering the back of the printer to prevent it from jamming. Once again, the fan-fold media
should be in proper alignment with the paper path of the printer. This misalignment can
cause jamming or the print image not to appear correctly on the stock.
3.7.6 Designing Media Guides
The media guides need to have a minimum radius of .5”. The surface should be smooth and
not touch the edges of the media (causes drag or edge damage). They need to be in
alignment with the printer and the supply holder. Additional guides to ensure the paper
tracks straight may be necessary. These guides should be sized properly to ensure tracking
without damage to the stock. Check with the stock converter for the proper tolerance and
then size the left and right guides for some clearance over their maximum width. It is
recommended that a minimum of 1.5” long guides be used to ensure the stock doesn’t fold
over on itself or tear. These guides could also be used to keep cables away from the media.
3.7.6.1 Designing the Media Dispense Path
Properly dispensing the media from the printer is critical to the operation of the printer and
quality print.
• The media dispense chute should always be wider than the maximum width stock for the
printer being used.