5
Contact & Contactless Chip cards
Smart cards must conform to the ISO 7816 specification with the chip contacts being below the
surface of the card. It is unwise to print graphics or text directly adjacent to the chip as colour
variation may be noticed.
Proximity cards must be completely flat with no sign of the chip or antenna being visible in the
surface of the card.
If the printer is built with the necessary contacts for encoding, it is possible to encode smart cards
prior to printing the image on them so it becomes a continuous operation.
The printers’ firmware has commands available to enable software to position the card, allow
encoding from an external source and subsequent printing of the related image.
For Contact chip cards a set of pins connects the card chip contacts to a connector on the rear of
the printer. This enables the transfer of data from the computer or encoding hardware.
For Contactless Mifare
cards a communication unit in the printer connects to a connector on the
rear of the printer. This enables the transfer of data to and from the computer or encoding
hardware.
Upgrading your Printer Firmware
The Rio and Tango printers are designed so that future improvements can be downloaded from our
website
http://www.ultramagicard.com/support/downloads
to keep your printer up to date with all
our latest research.
This is achieved by downloading the file from the website and using the
Magicard Support Tools
(MST) to install it into the printer. The use of the MST is explained in a later section of these notes.
(See page 17).
Cleaning and Testing
The printer has an automatic test and cleaning system. This is operated from a
small black
button
situated on the rear of the printer above the USB connector. The
cleaning will ensure
correct card movement
and the
testing allows the printer to be checked without input from
the computer or software
.
To clean the printer :
(Also watch the explanatory Video on the printer driver CD supplied with the printer)
•
Remove the card hopper and open the top door (Red light comes on).
•
Take a fresh cleaning card from its foil packaging.
•
Insert the narrow end into the card feed slot.
•
Press the black button and the card is drawn into the printer and then ejected.
•
Repeat this several times with both sides of the same card.
To test the printer :
•
Ensure there are cards in the hopper, and the top door is closed (Green light is on).
•
Press and immediately release the black button
•
After a few seconds the light will start to flash.
•
After about 15 seconds a card will print with a test image on it.