187
Intermec EasyCoder 501 – Service Manual Ed. 7
Chapter 24 Print Quality Adjustment
24.3 Mechanical Adjust-
ments
Printhead Pressure
At printing, the thermal printhead must be pressed against the
platen roller so the heat can be transferred to the transfer ribbon
or the direct thermal media. There must also be enough pressure
to provide a suffi cient amount of friction between the media and
the platen roller that drives the media. Too weak pressure gives
a weak printout quality, whereas too strong pressure may cause
ribbon wrinkling and unnecessary wear of the printhead.
The pressure is factory adjusted, but special applications or chang-
ing between printing methods may require readjustment using the
trial-and-error method. Do not use more pressure than necessary to
obtain the desired printout quality.
The print unit is fi tted with two adjustable spring packages (see
Chapter 8.8), which allow the pressure to be set by turning the
knobs:
• Turn the knobs clockwise to increase the pressure.
• Turn the knobs counterclockwise to decrease the pressure.
At each quarter of a turn, the resistance increases and a clicking
sound can be heard.
+
-
+
-
Adjustments Knobs
c.w. = more pressure
c.c.w. = less pressure
Illustration shows the print unit of an EasyCoder 501 E/SA.