Brady BBP81 User Guide

reproduced by any means without the prior consent of Brady Worldwide, Inc. While every precaution has been taken in preparati on of this do cume nt, Brad y assume s no liab ility to any part y

for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions or by statements resulting from negligence, accident, or any other cause. Brady further assumes no liability arising out of the application or use of any product or system described, herein; nor any liability for incidental or consequential damages arising from the use of thi s document. Brady disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Brady reserves the right to make changes without further notice to any product or system herein to improve reliability, function, or design.

Reproduction of this material, in part or whole, is strictly prohibited without the written permission of Brady Worldwide, Inc. For mo re inf ormat ion, contact: Brady Worldwide, Inc. 6555 W. Good Hope Road, Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53223.

Disclaimer Every effort has been made to make this guide as accurate and complete as possible. Brady Worldwide, Inc. is not responsible for labeling inaccuracies and omissions occurring during the use of this guide.

This manual is proprietary to Brady Worldwide, Inc. and may be revised from time to time without notice. Brady Worldwide, Inc. disclaims any understanding to provide you with revisions, if any.

Trademarks Windows CE is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. Adobe Illustrator is a trademark of the Adobe Corporation. All brand or product names referenced in this manual are trademarks (™) or registered trademarks (®) of their

respective companies or organizations.

Y882746

Who Should Use This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

How This Document Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Corporate Headquarters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Technical Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Other Websites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Document Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

External View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Printer Media Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Control Panel Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Control Panel Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Printer Language Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Firmware Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Additional Printer Language Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Handling the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Stress Free Setup Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Unpack and Inspect the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Register Your Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Store the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Ship the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Select a Site for the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Select a Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Provide Proper Operating Conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Allow Proper Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Provide a Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Provide a Power Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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Contents

Select a Data Communication Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Data Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Connect the Printer to the Computer or Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Connect the Printer to a Power Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Power Cord Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Types of Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Ribbon Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

When to Use Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Coated Side of Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Print Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Print Mode Descriptions and Printer Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Media Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Load Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Beginning Steps for all Print Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Load Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Remove Used Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Calibrate the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Auto Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Adjust Printhead Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Setup Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Enter Setup Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Exit Setup Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Change Password-Protected Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Default Password Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Disable the Password Protection Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Print a Configuration Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Print a Network Configuration Label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Control Panel Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

How to View or Modify Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Additional Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Standard Printer Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Replacing Printer Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Ordering Replacement Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Recycling Printer Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Cleaning Schedule and Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Clean the Exterior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Clean the Printhead and Platen Roller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Clean the Media Compartment and Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Troubleshooting Checklists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

LCD Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

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Contents

Calibration Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Communications Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Ribbon Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Miscellaneous Printer Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Printer Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Power-On Self Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

CANCEL Self Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

PAUSE Self Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

FEED Self Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

FEED and PAUSE Self Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Communications Diagnostics Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Sensor Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

General Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Printing Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Media Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Ribbon Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Printer Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

iii

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Y882746 BBP81 User Manual 5/13/08

About This Document

This section provides you with contact information, documen t struc ture and organization, and additional reference documents.

Contents

Who Should Use This Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

How This Document Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Contacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Corporate Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Technical Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Other Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

5/13/08 BBP81 User Manual Y882746

About This Document

Who Should Use This Document

This User Guide is intended for use by any person who needs to operate or to troubleshoot problems with the printer.

The guide is complete for the successful operation of the BBP81 Thermal Transfer 300 dpi, 4inch wide printer. However, it also lists specifics for the BBP81 Thermal Transfer 300 dpi, 6inch wide printer, as well as the 203 and 600 dpi printers. These other printers may not be available in your area at this time. Please check with yo ur l oca l B ra dy re prese nta tiv e fo r mo re information .

How This Document Is Organized

The User Guide is set up as follows:

Section Description

Introduction on page 7 This section shows the operational controls and

location of major components used when loading media.

Printer Setup on page 15 This section provides the tasks that you must

complete and the issues that you must consider before you load and configure your printer.

Operations on page 31 This section provides the procedures for loading

and calibrating the printer.

Configuration on page 47 This section describes the control panel parameters

that are used to configure the printer for operation.

Routine Maintenance on page 77 This section provides routine cleaning and

maintenance procedures.

Troubleshooting on page 85 This section provides information about errors that

you might need to troubleshoot. Assorted diagnostic tests are included.

Specifications on page 109 This section provides the features of and

specifications for the printer.

Y882746 BBP81 User Guide 5/13/08

Contacts

You can contact Brady Worldwide Inc. at the following:

Corporate Headquarters

Brady Worldwide, Inc. 6555 West Good Hope Road Milwaukee, WI 53223 U.S.A. T: 414-358-6600 USA Domestic F: 414-438-6958

Technical Service

Brady Technical Service and the Brady Knowledge Center may be contacted at

www.bradyid.com.

About This Document

Contacts

Other Websites

USA www.bradyid.com Canada www.bradycanada.com Mexico www.bradylatinamerica.com Asia www.bradycorp.com Europe www.bradyeurope.com

5/13/08 BBP81 User Manual Y882746

About This Document

Document Conventions

The following conventions are used throughout this document to convey certain information.

Alternate Color (online only) Cross-references contain hot links to other sections in this guide. If you are viewing this guide online in .p df format, you can click the cross-reference (blue text) to jump directly to its location.

LCD Display Examples Text from a printer’s Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) appears in

Letter Gothic Std font.

Command Line Examples Command line examples appear in Courier New font. For example, type

Files and Directories File names and directories appear in Courier New font. For example, the

Icons Used

Tools to get to the Post-Install scripts in the bin directory.

Brady<version number>.tar file and the /root directory.

Caution • Warns you of the potential for electrostatic discharge.

Caution • Warns you of a potential electric shock situation.

Caution • Warns you of a situation where excessive heat could cause a burn.

Caution • Advises you that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in physical

harm to you.

Caution • (No icon) Advises you that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in

physical harm to the hardware.

Important • Advises you of informatio n that is essential to complete a task.

Note • Indicates neutral or positive information that emphasizes or supplements important

points of the main text.

Example • Provides an example, often a scenario, to better clarify a section of text.

Y882746 BBP81 User Manual 5/13/08

About This Document

Document Conventions

Illustration Callouts Callouts are used when an illustration contains information that needs to be labeled and described. A table that contains the labels and descriptions follows the graphic. Figure 1 provides an example.

Figure 1 • Sample Figure with Callouts

FEED button

CANCEL button

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About This Document

Notes • ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Document Conventions

Y882746 BBP81 User Manual 5/13/08

Introduction

This section shows the operational controls and location of major components used when loading media.

Contents

External View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Printer Media Compartment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Control Panel Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Control Panel Lights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Printer Language Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Firmware Downloads. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Additional Printer Language Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

5/13/08 BBP81 User Manual Y882746

Introduction

6 7

External View

Figure 2 and Figure 3 show the components and connections on the outside of the printer.

Figure 2 • Front of Printer

Control panel

Media door

Figure 3 • Rear of Printer

Power switch (O = off, I = on)

AC power connector

Wireless print server card slot

Wireless card ejector button

Serial port

Internal wired print server port (Ethernet)

USB port

Parallel port

Y882746 BBP81 User Manual 5/13/08

Printer Media Compartment

Figure 4 shows the components inside the media compartment of your printer. Depending on

installed options, your printer may look slightly different.

Note • For optimal printing quality and proper printer performance across our product line,

Brady strongly recommends the use of genuine Brady supplies as part of the total solution. Specifically, the BBP81 is designed to work only with genuine Brady printheads, thus maximizing safety and print quality.

Figure 4 • Printer Components

Introduction

Printer Media Compartment

Printhead assembly

Control panel

Media door

Media supply spindle

5/13/08 BBP81 User Manual Y882746

Ribbon take-up spindle

Ribbon supply spindle

Dancer assembly

Printhead release latch

Introduction

1 2 3 4

Control Panel

The control panel contains the ligh ts that indicate basic operation a nd the buttons th at you may need to press during basic operation. The control panel buttons and lights are labeled in

Figure 5. Descriptions for each are located in Table 1 and Table 2.

Figure 5 • Control Panel

Power LED

Pause LED

Error LED

Data LED

LCD

CANCEL button

PLUS (+) button

SETUP/EXIT button

Y882746 BBP81 User Manual 5/13/08

MINUS (–) button

SELECT button

FEED button

PAUSE button

Control Panel Buttons

Button Function

Table 1 • Control Panel Buttons

Introduction

Control Panel

FEED

PAUSE

CANCEL

SETUP/EXIT SELECT

PLUS (+)

(scroll mode)

PLUS (+)

(change mode)

Forces the printer to feed one blank label each time the button is pressed.

• Printer not printing: one blank label immediately feeds.

• Printing: one blank label feeds after the current batch of labels is complete. Starts and stops the printing process.

• Printer not printing: no printing occurs. (Press

PAUSE again to resume printing.)

• Printing: printing stops after the current label is complete. Cancels print jobs when the printer is paused.

• Printer not printing: the next stored label format does not print.

• Printing: current label completes printing, and the next label format is cancelled. Press and hold for several seconds to cancel all print jobs in memory.

Enters and exits the configuration mode. Toggles the function of PLUS (+) and MINUS (–) between the Scroll and Change

Modes.

• Press once to use

PLUS (+) and MINUS (–) to change the values of the selection.

• Press again to use PLUS (+) and MINUS (–) to scroll through the menu items. Scrolls to the next selection.

• Increases the value.

• Performs the action on the bottom right of the LCD.

MINUS (–)

(scroll mode)

MINUS (–)

(change mode)

Scrolls to the previous selection.

• Decreases the value.

• Moves to the next available digit in a number.

• Performs the action on the bottom left of the LCD.

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Introduction

Control Panel

Control Panel Lights

Table 2 • Control Panel Lights

Light Status Indication

POWER Off The printer is off, or no power is applied.

On The printer is on.

PAUSE Off Normal printer operation.

On The printer has stopped all printing operati ons. Flashing The Pause light flashes when initializing FLASH memory and in

Peel-Off Mode when the label is available.

ERROR Off Normal printer operation (no errors).

On An error condition is preventing printing. This includes

OUT

and RIBBON OUT errors.

Flashing An error condition exists, but printing is allowed to continue. This

includes and

DATA Off Normal printer oper ation (no data being received or processed).

One flash Slow flashing The printer cannot accept more data from the host. Fast flashing The printer is receiving data. On A partial format has been received and no subsequent data activity.

CANCEL was pressed and a format is successfully cancelled.

RIBBON IN warning, HEAD UNDER TEMP warning,

HEAD OVER TEMP error.

MEDIA

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Printer Language Modes

The BBP81 came from the factory with firmware that operates in , or allows you to use, certa in commands for the ZPL printer programming language.

Firmware Downloads

You may download the latest firmware version at www.bradyid.com.

Note • When the printer changes from one printer language to another, error messages may

appear on the LCD, and some control panel lights may activate in error mode. You may ignore these error messages and lights. When the firmware download is complete, reboot the printer and then load printer defaults to return the printer to Operating mode.

Additional Printer Language Information

TheZPL II® Programming Guide contains specific information about the different printer language modes. A copy of this is available at www.bradyid.com.

Introduction

Printer Language Modes

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Introduction

Notes • ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Printer Language Modes

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Printer Setup

This section provides the tasks that you must complete and the issues that you must consider before you load and configure your printer.

Contents

Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Handling the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Stress Free Setup Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Unpack and Inspect the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Register Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Store the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Ship the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Select a Site for the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Select a Surface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Provide Proper Operating Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Allow Proper Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Provide a Data Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Provide a Power Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Select a Data Communication Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Data Cables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Connect the Printer to the Computer or Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Connect the Printer to a Power Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Power Cord Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Types of Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Ribbon Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

When to Use Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Coated Side of Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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Printer Setup

Before You Begin

Review this checklist, and resolve any issues before you set up or use your printer.

 Stress Free Setup Service To schedule a free phone setup assistance appointment,

 Unpack and Inspect the Printer Have you unpacked the printer and inspected it for

 Register Your Printer. Go to www.bradyid.com to register your BBP81.  Select a Site Have you selected an appropriate location for the printer? If y ou have no t,

 Connect to a Data Source Have you determined how the printer will connect to a

 Attach a Power Cord Do you have the correct power cord for your printer? If you are

call 1-800-643-8766 and select menu option 4.

damage? If you have not, see Unpack and Inspect the Printer on page 17.

see Select a Site for the Printer on page 19.

data source (usually a computer)? For more information, see Select a Data

Communication Interface on page 20.

unsure, see Power Cord Specifications on page 25. To att ach the powe r cord and connect the printer to a power source, see Connect the Printer to a Power Source on page 24.

 Select Media Do you have the correct media for your application? If you are unsure,

see Types of Media on page 26.

 Select Ribbon Do you need to use ribbon, and is the appropriate ribbon available, if

needed? If you are unsure, see Ribbon Overview on page 28.

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Handling the Printer

This section describes how to handle your printer.

Stress Free Setup Service

Brady’ s S tress Free Service hel ps you set up your new printer and software. To schedule a free phone setup assistance appointment, call 1-800-643-8766 and select menu option 4.

Unpack and Inspect the Printer

When you receive the printer, immediately unpack it and inspect for shipping damage.

• Save all packing materials.

• Check all exterior surfaces for damage.

• Raise the media door, and inspect the media compartment for damage to components.

If you discover shipping damage upon inspection:

Printer Setup

Handling the Printer

• Immediately notify the shipping company and file a damage report.

• Keep all packaging material for shipping company inspection.

• Notify your authorized Brady reseller

Important • Brady Worldwide Inc. is not responsible for any damage incurred during the

shipment of the equipment and will not repair this damage under warranty.

Register Your Printer

Go to www.bradyid.com to register your BBP81. As a registered user, you will receive notification of upgrades, special offers, and new product announcements.

Store the Printer

If you are not placing the printer into immediate operation, repackage it using the original packing materials. You may store the printer under the conditions shown in Table 3.

Temperature Relative Humidity

Table 3 • Storage Temperature and Humidity

–40°F to 140°F (–40° to 60°C) 5% to 85% non-condensing

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Printer Setup

Handling the Printer

Ship the Printer

If you must ship the printer:

• Turn off (

O) the printer, and disconnect all cables.

• Remove any media, ribbon, or loose objects from the printer interior.

• Close the printhead.

• Carefully pack the printer into the original container or a suitable alternate container to avoid damage during transit. A shipping container can be purchased from Br ady if the original packaging has been lost or destroyed.

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Select a Site for the Printer

Consider the following when selecting an appropriate location for your printer.

Select a Surface

Select a solid, level surface of sufficient size and strength to accommodate the printer and other equipment (such as a computer), if necessary. The choices include a table, countertop, desk, or cart. For the printer’s weight and dimensions, see General Specifications on page 110.

Provide Proper Operating Conditions

This printer is designed to function in a wide range of environmental and electrical conditions, including a warehouse or factory floor. For more information on the required conditions, see

General Specifications on page 110. Table 4 shows the temperature and relative humidity requirements for the printer when it is

operating.

Printer Setup

Select a Site for the Printer

Table 4 • Operating Temperature and Humidity

Mode Temperature Relative Humidity

Thermal Transfer 40° to 104°F (5° to 40°C) 20 to 85% non-condensing. Direct Thermal 32° to 104°F (0° to 40°C) 20 to 85% non-condensing

Allow Proper Space

The printer should have enough space around it for you to be able to open the media door. To allow for proper ventilation and cooling, leave open space on all sides of the printer.

Caution • Do not place any padding or cushioning material behind or under the printer

because this restricts air flow and could cause the printer to overheat.

Provide a Data Source

If the printer will be located away from the data source (such as a computer), the selected site must provide the appropriate connections to that data source. For more information on the types of communication interfaces and their limitations, see Select a Data Communication

Interface on page 20.

Provide a Power Source

Place the printer within a short distance of a power outlet that is easily accessible.

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Printer Setup

Select a Data Communication Interface

Table 5 provides basic information about data communication interfaces that you can use to

connect your printer to a computer. You may send label formats to the printer through any data communication interface that is available. Select an interface that is supported by both your printer and your computer or your Local Area Network (LAN).

Table 5 • Characteristics of the Data Communication Interfaces

Standard or

Interface

RS-232 Serial Standard • Maximum cable length of 50 ft (15.24 m).

Optional on Printer

Characteristics

• You may need to change printer parameters to match the host computer.

• You need to use a null-modem adaptor to connect to the printer if using a standard modem cable.

IEEE 1284 Bidirectional Parallel

Standard • Maximum cable length of 10 ft (3 m).

• Recommended cable length of 6 ft (1.83 m).

• No printer parameter changes required to match the host computer.

USB Standard • Maximum cable length of 16.4 ft (5 m).

• No printer parameter changes required to match the host computer.

Internal wired Ethernet print server

Optional • Can print to the printer from any computer on your LAN.

• Can communicate with the printer through the printer’s web pages.

• Computer must be equipped with an Ethernet board.

• The printer must be configured to use your LAN.

Wireless Ethernet print server

Optional • Can print to the printer from any computer on your Wireless

Local Area Network (WLAN).

• Computer must be equipped with an Ethernet board.

• The printer must be configured to use your WLAN.

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Select a Data Communication Interface

Data Cables

You must supply all data cables or wireless cards for your application.

Data Cables Ethernet cables do not require sh ielding, but all o ther data cabl es must be fully shielded and fitted with metal or metallized connector shells. Unshielded data cables may increase radiated emissions above the regulated limits.

To minimize electrical noise pickup in the cable:

• Keep data cables as short as possible.

• Do not bundle the data cables tightly with the power cords.

• Do not tie the data cables to power wire conduits.

Connect the Printer to the Computer or Network

Table 6 shows how to connect the different types of data cables to your printer and computer.

The connectors on the back of your computer may be in different locations than on the sample computer shown in this section. For another view of the connectors on the printer , see Figure 3

on page 8.

Printer Setup

Caution • Ensure that the printer power is off (O) before connecting data communications

cables. Connecting a data communications cable while the power is on ( printer.

I) may damage the

Table 6 • Connecting the Printer to a Computer or Network

Interface Connection and Configuration

RS-232 Serial The baud rate, number of data and stop bits, the parity, and the

XON/XOFF or DTR control must match those of the host computer. See

Control Panel Param eters on page 53 to view or change these parameters.

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Printer Setup

Select a Data Communication Interface

Table 6 • Connecting the Printer to a Computer or Network (Continued)

Interface Connection and Configuration

IEEE 1284

No additional configuration is necessary. Bidirectional Parallel

USB No additional configuration is necessary.

Caution • Be careful not to plug the USB cable into the wired Ethernet

print server connector on the printer because doing so will damage the

connector.

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Select a Data Communication Interface

Table 6 • Connecting the Printer to a Computer or Network (Continued)

Interface Connection and Configuration

Printer Setup

Internal wired Ethernet print server

Refer to the BradyConnect 10/100 Print Serve r User and Refer enc e Guide

for configuration instructions. A copy of this manual is available at

www.bradyid.com/bbp81.

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Printer Setup

Connect the Printer to a Power Source

The AC power cord must have a three-prong female connector on one end that plugs into the mating AC power connector at the rear of the printer. If a power cable was not included with your printer, refer to Power Cord Specifications on page 25.

Caution • For personnel and equipment safety, always use an approved three-conductor

power cord specific to the region or country intended for installation. This cord must use an IEC 320 female connector and the appropriate region-specific three-conductor grounded plug configuration.

To connect the printer to a power source, complete these steps:

1. Toggle the printer power switch to the off (O) position.

2. Plug the power cord into the AC power connector (1) on the rear of the printer.

3. Plug the other end of the power cord into a power outlet near the printer.

4. Turn on (I) the printer.

The control panel LCD and lights activate, indicating that the printer is booting up.

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+ 100 hidden pages

Brady BBP81 User Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

About This Document

Who Should Use This Document

How This Document Is Organized

Contacts

Corporate Headquarters

Technical Service

Other Websites

Document Conventions

Introduction

External View

Printer Media Compartment

Control Panel

Control Panel Buttons

Control Panel Lights

Printer Language Modes

Firmware Downloads

Additional Printer Language Information

Printer Setup

Before You Begin

Handling the Printer

Stress Free Setup Service

Unpack and Inspect the Printer

Register Your Printer

Store the Printer

Ship the Printer

Select a Site for the Printer

Select a Surface

Provide Proper Operating Conditions

Allow Proper Space

Provide a Data Source

Provide a Power Source

Select a Data Communication Interface

Data Cables

Connect the Printer to the Computer or Network

Connect the Printer to a Power Source