TallyGenicom 6600 Series, Maintenance Manual

Page: 287 / 474

Operation
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Integrated Print Management System
The 6600 has a new feature that automatically monitors and communicates
the status of the ribbon life to help the operator know when to change ribbons.
Using an ink delivery system called the Cartridge Ribbon System (CRS), the
printer can automatically detect when a new or used ribbon is loaded, and all
ribbon properties. The ribbon is contained in a plastic box (the cartridge) and
feeds only in one direction. The CRS contains an interface board that allows
communication between the printer and the cartridge. Using the CRS, the
6600 automatically detects when a new or used ribbon is installed and
determines the ribbon’s length, ink color, and expected yield.
Operation
When new and starting from 100% and decreasing to 0% when depleted, the
ribbon life can be optionally displayed on the control panel when the menu
panel display is set to Ribbon Life.
When the ribbon life reaches 2%, a warning message “RIBBON UNDER 2%/
Change RBN soon” appears on the control panel display. The control panel
status indicator lamp flashes. The printer will continue printing in this condition
until the ribbon life reaches 0% at which time, printing will stop. The ribbon
may be changed at any time while the printer is in the “RBN END POINT/
Change Ribbon” condition without losing data in the printer’s buffer. If a new
ribbon is loaded and the fault is cleared, the life restarts at 100%. If a partially
used ribbon is loaded, the system continues the life at the percentage
indicated for the used ribbon.
Ribbon usage information is calculated by maintaining a count of impressions
(dots) that is stored on the ribbon cartridge and updated periodically so that
the cartridge can be used on a different printer with the information intact. This
allows the system administrator to have precise control over print quality and
consumable costs. The accurate presentation of available ribbon life allows
for efficient planning of print jobs. For example, if the displayed ribbon life
were low, you can install a new ribbon before printing a large print job.
The default settings for the Integrated Print Management System are enabled
at the factory, and the system functions without intervention as long as
genuine TallyGenicom ribbon cartridges are used and the Integrated Print
Management options have been set. The user can change settings, as
discussed later in this section.
Control Panel Menus
Two Integrated Print Management System options are located in the menus.
(The
User’s Manual explains how to navigate the menu system and has
complete menu maps.) The two menu options are Ribbon End Point and
Ribbon Action. These options are discussed as follows.