FARGO electronics Quatro ID Card Printer User Manual Download

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981231-510323-(03)

Quatro ID Card Printer
UserÕs Manual

Quatro/510323 v3 1/8/99 10:48 AM Page i

Summary of Contents for Quatro ID Card Printer

Page 1: ...981231 510323 03 Quatro ID Card Printer UserÕs Manual ...

Page 2: ...ipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Re orient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from t...

Page 3: ...I Connecting the Printer to your Computer 13 II Installing the Windows Printer Driver 14 III Installing the 32 Bit Print Spooler for Windows 95 98 16 IV Setting up the Windows Printer Driver 18 V Printing a Card 26 Chapter 5 Maintenance I Supplies Required 27 II Standard Printhead Cleaning 28 III Expanded Printhead Cleaning 29 IV Cleaning the PrinterÕs Case 29 V Cleaning the Inside of the Printer ...

Page 4: ...agnetic Stripe Encoding Module I Magnetic Track Options 42 II Track Locations 45 III Sending Track Information 45 Appendix B Interfacing Information I Introduction 47 II Centronics Type Parallel Interface 47 Index 48 ...

Page 5: ...uatro ID Card Printer I CHOOSING A GOOD LOCATION Place unit in a location with adequate air circulation to prevent internal heat build up Do not place unit near heat sources such as radiators or air ducts or in a place subject to direct sun light excessive dust mechanical vibration or shock Allow for adequate clearance above the unit to accommodate the height of the unit with its Top Cover and Pri...

Page 6: ...the carton to ensure that no damage occurred during shipping Also make sure the following items are included Printer Power Transformer Attachable Card Output Hopper Printer Driver Software 32 Bit Print Spooler Software Warranty Statement and Registration Card This manual and other printed information ...

Page 7: ...he power used in your country CAUTION IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS ABOUT THE PLUG CONFIGURATION OR THE VOLTAGE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THE PRINTER CONTACT YOUR AUTHORIZED QUATRO RESELLER FOR INFORMATION ON THE CORRECT TRANSFORMER USE YOUR PRINTER ONLY IF YOU ARE CERTAIN THAT THE PLUG AND POWER RATING ARE CORRECT THE QUATRO TRANSFORMER IS DESIGNED FOR DESKTOP USE ONLY DESK TOP TRANSFORMER ...

Page 8: ...ng of 16 5 volts and 3 5 amps AC alternating current The alternating current should be between 50 and 60 Hz 3 Plug the AC power plug end of the transformer cord into an available wall outlet The wall outlet should be located near the printer and should be easily accessible Power is automatically applied to the printer when it is plugged in Press the on cancel button if you wish to turn the printer...

Page 9: ...Card Input Hopper is where blank cards are loaded See Chapter 3 Section IV for complete instructions on loading cards The Card Output Hopper is where printed cards eject An Attachable Card Output Hopper is included with your printer and serves to catch cards once they have finished printing To attach this hopper simply open the Top Cover of the printer and slip it over the edge of the printerÕs ba...

Page 10: ...nd place a clear protective overlay over the cardÕs printable area All color or monochrome dye sublimation cards must have this overlay applied to them If it is not applied your cardÕs dye sublimation image will quickly begin to wear or fade Be sure the Overlay option within the printer driver setup window is selected when printing with ribbons which have a clear overlay panel See Chapter 4 Sectio...

Page 11: ...es which can be read by visible light bar code scanners only Bar codes printed with the red ribbon are NOT readable Please note that Quatro requires specialized ribbons in order to function properly To order additional ribbons contact your authorized Quatro reseller IMPORTANT Watches rings bracelets and other jewelry can damage the printhead if accidentally bumped against it For best results remov...

Page 12: ...he assembly to swing completely open 5 Place the supply end of the ribbon in between the two black Ribbon Drive Hubs located on the right hand side of the printerÕs interior Make certain that the ribbon is fed from underneath the ribbon roll HINT The Ribbon Drive Hub nearest you as you are looking into the printer from the front is spring loaded Use the end of the ribbon supply core to push in thi...

Page 13: ...oth ends of the ribbon roll 7 Grasp the Release Tab and gently lower the Printhead Assembly to close it Lift slightly on the Release Tab to latch the assembly shut Close the printerÕs Top Cover When you start to print the Ribbon Drive Hubs will automatically engage the notches on both cores of the ribbon roll IMPORTANT Do not reverse the ribbon Damage may occur to the thermal printhead Supply Roll...

Page 14: ...eller IMPORTANT Never run cards with a contaminated dull or uneven surface through the printer Printing onto such cards will ultimately lead to poor print quality and will greatly reduce the life of your printhead In addition always store your card stock in its original packaging or in a clean dust free environment Do not print onto cards which have been dropped or soiled Printheads damaged by con...

Page 15: ...Card Input Hopper Always load cards with the top or primary print side facing up If inserting cards with a magnetic stripe be sure the magnetic stripe is positioned downward and that the stripe is oriented toward the rear of the printer If inserting smart cards be sure the end of the card containing the smart card chip is inserted first 4 Once the cards have been inserted remove the top card and t...

Page 16: ... pressing the on cancel button The LED indicator lights should no longer be illuminated Verify that a full color ribbon is installed and that cards are properly loaded 2 Press and hold the on line button 3 While holding the on line button down turn the printer power back ON by quickly pressing and releasing the on cancel button 4 Release the on line button The gray scale self test pattern will beg...

Page 17: ...is equipped with an ECP compatible high speed Centronics parallel port This port is the means through which the printer receives data from your computer To connect the printer to your computer obtain a shielded bi directional parallel cable and refer to the following steps 1 Connect the Centronics type parallel side to the printer Snap the fastening clips into place 2 Connect the other side to the...

Page 18: ...NT Install the appropriate printer driver for your system After you have installed the driver put the driver diskette in a safe place for possible future use For details on all printer driver options refer to Section IV of this chapter NOTE This section of the OperatorÕs Manual assumes that you are already familiar with Windows and know how it operates If you are not yet familiar with Windows cons...

Page 19: ...alled select NO If none of these applications apply select YES Windows 3 1x To install the printer driver into Windows 3 1x refer to the following 1 After starting Windows go to the Main program group and select Control Panel 2 From the Control Panel select Printers 3 Select Use Print Manager from the bottom left of the Printers window 4 Select the Add button 5 Highlight the Install Unlisted or Up...

Page 20: ...print utility program called the 32 Bit Print Spooler This print spooler is for use only with Windows 95 98 Once installed the print spooler is able to process your print jobs and send them to the printer at consistently faster speeds than if sending print jobs through the Windows print spooler This is especially true if printing with an ECP compatible parallel port or if printing off a network Th...

Page 21: ...u must select the Fast 32 bit Spooler option from within the printer driver setup window as described in Section III When this option is selected the print spooler will automatically open and close with the start and finish of each print job NOTE You can also manually open the 32 Bit Print Spooler simply by selecting its icon from the Programs group of the Start menu When the 32 Bit Print Spooler ...

Page 22: ... The Direct to Port Mode option is selected by default In most instances this option allows the spooler to send data to the printer at its optimum speed If however you experience problems when printing with this option selected simply deselect it and try your print job again The Job Queue tab appears only when a print job is being sent to the printer This tab tells you the name and status of each ...

Page 23: ...rinter driver options from their own Print screens This means that you donÕt have to go back to the main printer setup window each time you want to change a setting or option in the printer driver These applications will usually give you the same choices and options but in a slightly altered format To change or verify the appropriate printer driver options for your print job please refer to the fo...

Page 24: ...hing software upgrade has been installed Select this option to enable color matching profiles written specifically for your printer The FargoColor option automatically adjusts the color of your image according to preconfigured printer profiles and default system profiles This results in a very precise color match compliant with ICC standards Please note that since the FargoColor option is intended...

Page 25: ...s control can be helpful for fine tuning the saturation of resin text and bar codes When the Algebraic color matching option is selected all control options will display and can be adjusted When the None or FargoColor option is selected only the Dye Sub Intensity and Resin Heat sliders will display Dither Mode This option only effects objects printed with a monochrome resin ribbon type Click on th...

Page 26: ...light bar code scanners In some cases however this print method may not be acceptable If for example you are printing bar codes which are not TrueType bar codes but rather bitmapped bar codes such bar codes will be printed as a composite black i e with the YMC panels only In addition when printing from certain application programs the printer driver is also forced to print all objects even black t...

Page 27: ...printing capability When this option is not selected the printer will automatically place a non printable margin of about 10 2 54mm around the entire perimeter of a card If you have selected this option and you are still getting a slight non printable border along one or two edges of the card select the Calibrate button to fine tune the position of your printed image Orientation Select either Port...

Page 28: ...tion to the fixed card position as positive and negative image placement values are entered As you can see the Vertical adjustment moves the image more toward the rear of the printer if a positive number is entered and more toward the front of the printer if a negative number is entered The Horizontal adjustment moves the image more toward the card output side of the printer if a positive number i...

Page 29: ...ave it in the c Windows System directory in place of the existing IDTEST file Be sure the appropriate print supplies are installed according to the Ribbon Type option you selected when the new PRN file was created After your selections have been made close out of the printer setup window You are now ready to go to an application program and print All printer driver options selected will stay the s...

Page 30: ...indows 95 98 V PRINTING A CARD Now that youÕve set up the printer loaded media and installed the printer driver youÕre ready to print an ID card Follow these steps to print your first card 1 Go to the Windows application program in which you will be creating your cards and open or create a card format 2 Once you are ready to print select Print Setup or the equivalent from the programÕs File menu t...

Page 31: ...ndard clear adhesive tape or masking tape Soft lint free cloth Or to make these maintenance procedures more convenient a Printer Cleaning Kit is available from your authorized reseller This optional kit includes the following Printhead Cleaning Pens pre moistened with 99 99 isopropyl alcohol for cleaning your printerÕs printhead Cleaning Cards with an adhesive backing for automatically cleaning yo...

Page 32: ...ponents II STANDARD PRINTHEAD CLEANING This procedure should be performed if you notice a streak on the card where color was not transferred This procedure should also be performed during every ribbon change or after every 250 prints in order to maintain consistent print quality 1 Open the Top Cover of the printer by gently grasping the front sides of the cover and lifting upward The cover will ti...

Page 33: ...ard Allow the assembly to swing completely open 3 Use a soft lint free cloth slightly moistened with acetone to wipe off the surface of the printhead Be extremely careful not to use too much acetone It must not be allowed to drip into the printer CAUTION ACETONE IS A VERY POWERFUL SOLVENT DO NOT APPLY ACETONE TO ANY OTHER AREA OF THE PRINTER SINCE IT WILL DESTROY THE FINISH OF PAINT RUBBER AND PLA...

Page 34: ...Use a Cleaning Pad from the Printer Cleaning Kit or a soft lint free cloth slightly moistened with isopropyl alcohol to wipe out all visible areas inside the printer Remove any debris that may be inside Be extremely careful not to let any alcohol drip inside the printerÕs case 5 Once the cleaned areas are completely dry and free of foreign debris re install the ribbon and close the Printhead Assem...

Page 35: ...breaks simply tape it back together making sure that it is fed from beneath both ribbon cores 4 Once the jam is cleared re install the ribbon and close the Printhead Assembly and Top Cover If the on line light is flashing press and release it Quatro will save the print information and resume printing with a new card Remember both the on cancel and on line lights must be ON solid in order for Quatr...

Page 36: ...nd of the Cleaning Card enters the printer first and that the side of the cleaning card with the adhesive backing removed the sticky side is facing upward If the card is inserted with the sticky side facing downward it will stick to the Card Input Tray and will not feed 6 Keep pressing the on cancel button until the Cleaning Card has fed completely through the printer Repeat this cleaning procedur...

Page 37: ... clean Press the on cancel and on line buttons to move the roller back and forth while cleaning 5 After the roller is clean and completely dry re install the ribbon and close the Printhead Assembly and Top Cover X MAINTAINING THE CLEANING ROLLERS The Cleaning Rollers remove dust particles from a blank card as it feeds into the printer Cleaning these rollers will help prevent contaminated cards fro...

Page 38: ...ve backed Cleaning Cards from the Printer Cleaning Kit With the cardÕs adhesive backing paper removed slide the card between the rollers until all dust particles are removed If you do not have a Cleaning Card use a piece of standard clear adhesive tape Use the sticky side of the tape to lift dust from the rollers 7 Once all debris is removed from the rollers place the roller assembly back into the...

Page 39: ...le printing error regarding the print media or supplies Refer to the following list for possible causes to this problem Once the problem is corrected press the on line button to resume printing Or if necessary turn the print power ON and OFF by pressing the on cancel button and send the print job again Check that cards and ribbon are installed in the printer Also check that cards are pushed all th...

Page 40: ...ing from Windows 95 98 Due to the wide variety of PC hardware and software configurations however some systems may print more effectively through the Windows 95 98 print spooler If you choose not to print with either the 32 Bit Print Spooler or the Write Direct to Port option selected but instead wish to print through the Windows print spooler the following steps will help you optimize your system...

Page 41: ...tches aligned vertically The switches are labeled 1 through 4 with the top switch being number 1 4 With the tip of a small flathead screw driver flip Switch 1 towards the rear of the printer to turn the switch ON 5 Disconnect the power cable from the back of the printer and close the printerÕs Top Cover 6 Press and hold the on line button Then reconnect the power cable into the back of the printer...

Page 42: ...d Assembly With the printer powered ON push down both the on cancel and the on line buttons at the same time You should then hear the Headlift Assembly rotate and realign itself Review the proper procedures for clearing ribbon and card jams in Chapter 5 Section VI VII The ribbon has torn or even broken Symptoms Printer stops printing or simply continues to wind the take up end of the roll and the ...

Page 43: ...e up roll Be sure the ribbon is passing beneath both the supply and take up rolls My prints have streaks in them Symptoms Scratches or lines travel the entire length of the printed card There may be dust on the printhead Review the proper procedures for printhead cleaning in Chapter 5 Section II There may be a scratch or a burned out element in the printhead Contact your authorized reseller for te...

Page 44: ...ay into the printer and that you havenÕt inserted more than 50 standard sized cards You are trying to feed a card that is too thick Be sure the cards you are using fall within the 010 to 040 254mm to 1 0mm accepted card thickness range The gray card feed rollers are extremely dirty Clean these rollers according to the directions in Chapter 5 Section VIII Be sure the top card is not sticking to the...

Page 45: ... Thickness 010 to 040 254mm to 1 0mm Card Types PVC or Polyester cards with polished PVC finish Card Capacity Accepts up to 50 standard CR 80 PVC Cards auto or manual feed Software Driver Windows driver included for IBM PCÕs and compatibles Interface Standard 8 bit Centronics type parallel ECP compatible Power Source 100 110 120 VAC 50 60 Hz Operating Temperature 65 F to 80 F 18 C to 27 C Humidity...

Page 46: ... standards for tracks 1 2 and 3 simply select the Magnetics button from within the printer driver setup window The following Magnetic Track Options will display Encoding Mode Magnetic Track Selection Use the Encoding Mode option to specify which magnetic encoding standard you would like to use The JIS II option provides encoding compatibility with the JIS C 6220 Type II cards commonly used in Japa...

Page 47: ... encode only Track 2 This must be done through your specific software program Also note that although the printer driver will remember the settings you specified for each of the three tracks the printer driver will always default to displaying the options for Track 1 whenever the printer driver setup screen is first opened Magnetic Track Options Use these options to customize the ISO encoded data ...

Page 48: ...This character offset value is subtracted from the ASCII value of each magnetic stripe data character prior to encoding on the track The default ISO Standard selections for this option are Track 1 SPACE Track 2 ZERO Track 3 ZERO Character Data Parity This option enables customization of the Character Data Parity used to encode the magnetic data on the currently selected track The default ISO Stand...

Page 49: ...magnetic encoding module encodes onto tracks in accordance with an ISO 7811 2 magnetic stripe Refer to the following diagram for track locations III SENDING TRACK INFORMATION Magnetic track data is sent in the form of text strings from the application software to the printer driver along with all of the other printable objects within your card design In order for the printer driver to differentiat...

Page 50: ...The characters or data in between the SS and ES can include all of the valid characters specific to each track The number of these characters however is limited by each trackÕs maximum character capacity When segmenting track data the appropriate Field Separator FS must be used The following table shows the SS ES FS and the valid characters defined for each track The following example illustrates ...

Page 51: ...allel interface is the most widely used printer interface due to its simplicity speed and standardization throughout the PC industry The printerÕs parallel interface connector is a standard 36 pin Amp type with two metal wire retaining clips and is ECP Extended Capabilities Port compatible It mates with a shielded bi directional PC to printer parallel cable Try to keep the interface cable to under...

Page 52: ... matching 20 Controls 20 CR 80 10 Dither Mode 21 Drive roller 27 33 FargoColor 20 K Panel graphics 22 K Panel only 22 Mag encode only 23 Magnetics 23 Magnetic stripe encoding 42 No Margins 23 On cancel button 5 On cancel light 5 36 On line button 5 On line light 5 35 Orientation 23 Overlay 23 Parallel port 13 47 Position 24 Power 3 Printer Driver 14 Printer cleaning kit 27 Printhead 27 28 Resin 6 ...

Page 53: ...Index 49 Ribbon type 25 Rotate 180 25 Self test 12 Technical assistance 35 Transformer 3 Top cover 5 Write direct to port 25 ...

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Page 56: ...Printed in the United States of America P N 510323 ...

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Summary of Contents for Quatro ID Card Printer

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