06/06 Rev. 3.05-01 OPERATING MANUAL
ALX 92x
Setup
Winding pattern ............................................. 2
Selecting the printing material .......................4
Thermal transfer / direct thermal printing .. 4
Label material ............................................ 4
Thermal transfer ribbon .............................5
Inserting label material .................................. 6
Removing spent backing paper ................. 6
Removing glue residue .............................6
Inserting a new label roll ........................... 7
Inserting ribbon ............................................11
Removing spent ribbon ............................11
Inserting a new ribbon roll ........................12
Settings .......................................................13
Ribbon tension .........................................13
Label sensor ............................................14
Adjustment button for printhead pressure 15
Dispensing edge ......................................16
Dispenser parameters .............................16
Material Parameters ................................17
Index ............................................................18
06/06 Rev. 3.05-01 OPERATING MANUAL Setup
ALX 92x
2
Winding pattern
The winding diagram shows the winding direction of material and ribbon
through the ALX92x.
« Follow this basic scheme when inserting/changing material and ribbon.
¯Only specially trained staff to insert and change the ribbons and material.
[1] Material and ribbon path in the ALX92x (left version).
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06/06 Rev. 3.05-01 OPERATING MANUAL Setup
ALX 92x
3
Names of parts
No. Name No. Name
1 Adjustment knob for printhead
pressure
13 Feed roller
2 Ribbon rewinding mandrel 14 Deflection roll
3 Ribbon unwinding mandrel 15 Material guide
4 Operation panel 16 Opener
5 Deflection roll 17 Brake roller
6 Material dancer arm 18 Adjustment wheel for label
sensor
7 Material unwinder 19 Print roller
8 Guiding rod 20 Dispensing edge
9 Backing paper rewinder 21 Printhead
10 Backing paper dancer arm 22 Ribbon deflection axle
11 Pressure roller 23 Ribbon deflection roller with
stress relief
12 Lever for pressure roller 24 Ribbon roller
[Tab. 1] ALX 92x operating parts
06/06 Rev. 3.05-01 OPERATING MANUAL Setup
ALX 92x
4
Selecting the printing material
Thermal transfer / direct thermal printing
The ALX92x can print onto label material using the direct thermal mode or
thermal transfer mode.
Direct thermal Direct thermal printing is done without ribbon. The direct thermal process
requires label material with a temperature-sensitive coating. The printout is
produced by applying precise bursts of heat to the material under the
printhead. This changes the colour of the coating.
Thermal
transfer
Thermal transfer printing is done with (thermal transfer) ribbon on “normal”
label material. The printout is produced by applying precise bursts of heat to
the thermal transfer ribbon under the printhead. This transfers the colour
particles to the label.
Label material
The ALX92x was developed for printing on self-adhesive stock.
Pay attention to the following factors when selecting label material:
• The roughness of the material surface
• The printhead temperature required for the colour transfer
• Size of the material roll. The following dimensions need to be checked:
Outside-/inside diameter of the material roll and the material width
Material
roughness
If the material is very rough, the printhead will be worn down more quickly
than when using a smooth material. This is an important aspect of thermal
printing. With thermal transfer printing, this doesn’t pose such a problem,
because you can – and indeed should – select a ribbon that is wider than the
material. This means that the printhead is protected over the entire width of
the material.
Printhead
temperature
High printhead temperatures can similarly cause problems. The material and
the ribbon take longer to cool. As a result, the print quality may degrade –
particularly at high print speeds. The printhead also wears down more
quickly.
¯The printing result is highly dependent on the right combination of label
material and thermal transfer ribbon. The surface of the label material
determines which thermal transfer ribbons produces the best adhesion.
Unsuitable ribbons can lead to poor printing results.
P Further information can be found in the topic section Technical data, section
“Label material”.
06/06 Rev. 3.05-01 OPERATING MANUAL Setup
ALX 92x
5
Thermal transfer ribbon
The following is recommended for thermal transfer ribbons:
• The back of the ribbon should be coated so that it produces no static or
friction (Backcoating). If this isn’t the case, the printhead may be damaged by
static discharge coming off the ribbon surface.
• The ribbons need to be designed for “corner edge” printheads.
• Ribbons should be able to handle print speeds of up to 400mm/s (16ips).
• Size of the ribbon roll: The following dimensions need to be checked: outside/
inside diameter of the ribbon roll, ribbon width.
Armor APR600 (Avery part no. 2240-600-xxx) is a recommended ribbon
type.
¯The thermal transfer ribbon should only be slightly wider than the label
material.
• If an overly narrow ribbon is used, the border of the label material interferes
with the printhead – which wears it down more quickly.
• If an overly wide ribbon is used, creasing may occur in the ribbon. This can
led to poor printing results.
P For more details on the permissible dimensions of ribbon rolls, refer to
Technical data
, “Thermal Transfer Ribbon”.
CAUTION! - Thermal transfer ribbons without these properties can degrade
the performance of the printer and the print quality as well as damage the
printhead!
06/06 Rev. 3.05-01 OPERATING MANUAL Setup
ALX 92x
6
Inserting label material
Removing spent backing paper
The backing paper rewinder can exactly
rewind the amount of backing paper remaining from a material roll with 300mm diameter [2A].
Assuming backing paper has gathered on
the rewinder:
1. Pull out the release button [2B].
The tensioning mechanism of the rewinder
is slackened.
2. Remove the rewound backing paper.
Removing glue residue
« If necessary, clean the following compo-
nents:
• Printhead
• Dispensing plate
• Deflection rollers
• Drive roller
• Pressure rollers
P Follow the directions provided in topic sec-
tion Maintenance and Cleaning
.
WARNING!
• Rotating parts can trap items and
draw them in!
« When working on the device, do
not wear loose jewellery, long
sleeves, long hair, and similar.
« Close the devices cover before
printing.
• During operation, the printhead
can become hot.
« Be careful when touching the
printhead!
CAUTION! - A backing paper roll
exceeding the diameter limit can
stall and damage the machine!
« Always remove the backing paper
from the rewinder if you insert a
new material roll!
[1] Rewound backing paper on the ALX 92x (A).
A
[2] Removing rewound backing paper.
A Backing paper roll
B Release button
A
B
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