DataCard ImageCard IV User Manual

User’ s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

ImageCard® Series

May 2003

Part No. 539042-001

Please note and heed the WARNING and CAUTION labels that have been placed on the equipment for your safety. Please do not attempt to operate or repair this equipment without adequate training.

Liability statement

This Datacard® product has been built to the high standards of Dat aCard Corpora tion. See “Safety and compliance” on page A-1 for the statement of liability.

Regulatory compliance

This Datacard® product conforms to regulatory requirements as specified in North America and Europe. See “Safety and compliance” on page A-1 for detailed regulatory compliance informatio n.

Trademark acknowle dgm e nts

Trademark, service mark, and copyright acknowledgments are listed in “Safety and

compliance” on page A-1.

Proprietary Notice

Revision Log: User’s Guide for the ImageCard IV Printer

Revision Date Affected Pages Description of Changes

A June 99 All Previously published as ImageCard IV Administrator's

Guide

B Mar 2000 All Particle detect option, change to overlay and topcoat,

driver installation changes

C May 2003 Ch 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8.

App. A, B, C, D, F.

Datacard 11111 B ren Road West Minnetonka, MN 55343-9015 www.datacard.com

952.933.1223 Fax: 952.933.7971

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

Update driver information, update terms, and include

hardware changes

Contents

iii

Chapter 1: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Serial numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

About the ImageCard IV printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

ImageCard IV printer options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

How options are identified in this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

How the printer works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

PC and software specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Who to call for assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10

Chapter 2: Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

General requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Selecting the site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Electrical requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Physical requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Environmental requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Unpacking the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Contents of the accessories bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Supplies, parts, and tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Chapter 3: Setting up the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Connecting the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Unlocking the cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Loading cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Verifying the debower position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Printing thicker or thinner cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Installing the printer driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11

Installation choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Changing required printer settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17

Printing sample cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18

Setup tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18

Changing optional settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

Setting printer permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20

Chapter 4: Loading supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Change the print ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Removing the print ribbon cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Loading print ribbon in the cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Replacing the print ribbon cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4

Changing the cleaning tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Removing the cleaning tape cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Loading cleaning tape in the cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Replacing the cleaning tape cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Changing the laminate in the overlay station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Removing the supply cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

Loading supply in the cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11

Replacing the supply cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Changing the topcoat in the topcoat station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13

Removing the topcoat cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14

Loading topcoat in the cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15

Replacing the topcoat cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Chapter 5: Using the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Buttons and lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Panel lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Powering on the printer and PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Making cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

Operating tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

While making cards… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

Card production rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

Removing cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13

Responding to messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14

Shutting down the printer and PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16

Chapter 6: Using the printer driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

Working with Properties and other driver dialog boxes . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Tips for Properties, Printing Preferences, and

Default Document Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Properties for Windows Me & 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Properties & Printing Preferences for Windows 2000 & XP . . . . . . . . 6-5

Properties and Default Document Properties for Windows NT . . . . . . 6-8

Using the Printer Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10

Opening and using the Printer Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12

Viewing Printer Toolbox information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13

Changing operational settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-15

Process for changing settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16

Chapter 7: Maintaining the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

Using the cleaning card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Routine maintenance and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

Cleaning the outside of the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5

Cleaning the inside of the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5

Cleaning the card trays and cavities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8

Cleaning the printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9

Cleaning the magnetic stripe head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11

Cleaning the heated roller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14

Replacing the printhead cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15

Chapter 8: Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1

Troubleshooting guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

If you think the printer is not working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

Making and evaluating test cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4

Printer test card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5

Windows test page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Magnetic stripe test card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8

Problems with card appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

Print station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10

Topcoat (T panel) applied using the print module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16

Optional topcoat station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18

Optional overlay station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-20

Obtaining service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-23

When to obtain service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-23

Packing the printer for shipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24

Appendix A: Safety and compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Regulatory compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Notice for USA (FCC notice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Notice for Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Notice for the European Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Notice for Taiwan and China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Notice for Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Notice to Users of Printers Equipped with Contactless

Smart Card Coupler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Liability statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Safe environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Safe human interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Appendix B: Supplies and cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

Personalization supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Print ribbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Laminate material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4

Topcoat material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6

Supply roll storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6

Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7

Card specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7

Card quality guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

Card storage specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

Cleaning supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

Cleaning tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

Cleaning card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

Cleaning pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

Heated roller cleaning stick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11

Printer driver CD-ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11

Anti-static wrist strap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-13

Printer components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-13

Printhead cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-13

Print ribbon cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-14

Interface cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-15

Power cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-15

Smart card cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-15

Overlay cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-16

Topcoat cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-17

Spool cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-18

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

Optional key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-18

Tray latching pin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-19

Fuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-19

Card input tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-19

Card output tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-20

Cleaning tape cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-21

Appendix C: PC port settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

PC port settings for all operating systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Setting parallel port values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4

Setting a smart card serial port—Windows 2000, XP, and NT . . . . . . C-5

PC settings for Windows Me and 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7

Setting parallel port values—Windows Me and 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8

Setting a smart card port for Windows Me & 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-9

Appendix D: Magnetic stripe encoding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1

Magnetic stripe setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1

Magnetic stripe escapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-3

Enabling magnetic stripe escapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-3

Using magnetic stripe escapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-4

IATA, ABA, and TTS character sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-6

NTT character set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-7

Magnetic Stripe settings used by the ImageCard IV printer . . . . . . . . D-8

Appendix E: Related publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1

Appendix F: Laminate material default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1

Topcoat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1

Laminate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1

Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Overview

This chapter presents the following:

• The purpose of this manual

• Who should use this manual

• The Datacard® ImageCard® IV photo ID printer, including a description of the

• Optional features of the ImageCard IV printer that may or may not be part of your

• How information about optional features is identified in this manual

• How the ImageCard IV printer and the driver work

printer, its components, and the driver

printer

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

1-2 Overview

About this manual

This manual provides detailed information ab out the Datacard® ImageCard® IV photo ID printer.

This User Guide works with the online e-Guide, which you can see using the desktop icon installed with the printer driver. Figure 1-1 shows the e-Guide icon.

Figure 1-1: Desktop icon for the e-Guide

Audience

This manual is intended for persons using an ImageCard IV printer, including:

• Installer: This manual provides detailed information about installing and setting

up the ImageCard IV printer.

• Administrator: This manual provides detailed printer information for the person

who has responsibility within the organization for the work done using the printer.

• Technology support personnel: This manual contains information that support

personnel might need when setting up or using the ImageCard IV printer.

• Operator: An operator can perform advanced tasks, such as changing the

printhead. These tasks are described in this manual.

Serial numbers

The information in this guide applies to all printers beginning with serial number 201. See “Troubleshooting” on page 8-1 for information about printer serial numb ers. This guide describes the current printer driver. (At the time of printing, the current printer driver is the SmartDriver version 5.1.)

About the ImageCard IV printer

The ImageCard IV photo ID printer includes the printer and a printer drive r which runs on a PC. The printer uses supplies when printing cards, including:

• Print ribbon

• Blank cards

• Optional topcoat or overlay supply material

The ImageCard IV printer prints full-color or mono chrome images on one or both sides of PVC cards. The images printed can include photos, text, logos, barcodes and digitized signatures. The printer can perform additional personalization tasks, such as encoding magnetic stripe data and sending dat a to smart card chip s.With the optional overlay station, the printer can apply a durable polyester patch (laminate) to one or both sides of the personalized card. With the optional topcoat station, the printer can apply a protective clear topcoat or a secure holographic topcoat to the surface of the

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Overview 1-3

card. Magnetic stripe encoding, smart card programming, overlay, and topcoat are options that can be purchased as part of the printer.

The printer driver receives digital information from a card creation application and processes the data to send to the printer. When the printer receives the data, it prints the card. The driver keeps track of the progress of the card in the printer and sends data for the next card as soon as the printer is ready and the data is available.

See “PC and software specifications” on page 1-9 for more information about the printer driver and the PC on which it runs.

Figure 1-2 shows the external parts of the printer.

Top Cover

Push to release top cover

Card input tray

Card output tray

Figure 1-2: The ImageCard IV photo ID printer

Figure 1-3 shows the back of the print er :

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Power cord receptacle

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Panel lights

Power button

Ready button

Smart card serial port (optional)

Parallel port

Service port

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

Figure 1-3: The back of the ImageCard IV photo ID printer

1-4 Overview

Features of the ImageCard IV printer include:

• Card input and output trays

Whenever you print a card, the printer automatically picks a card from the card input tray, and then moves it to the card output tray when the card is complete. The card output tray includes a reject bin for canceled, rejected, or incomplete cards.

Each tray holds up to 250 cards (with a nominal thickness of 0.030 inches (0.76 mm)). The large capacity reduces the need to hand le cards. Hand ling cards take s time, and excess handling of unprinted cards can reduce print quality on the card.

The input and output trays are removable. The removable trays allow you to move card stock and completed cards to a secure location when the printer is not in use. If you use the ImageCard IV printer to produce more than one type of card with different card stock, the removable tra y also allows you to have one input tr ay and one output tray for each type of card stock you use.

• Supply cartridges

Supplies, including print ribbon and cleaning tape, are loaded in cartridges for easy replacement. With cartridges, the operator can easily remove used supplies and replace them with new supplies. The ImageCard IV optional topcoat and overlay stations also use supply cartridges.

Y ou can also purchase add itional supply cartridges. With additional cartridges, th e operator can load new supplies in one cartridge while the pr inter is ope ratin g with another cartridge in place. If you use the ImageCard IV printer to produce more than one type of card and have additional cartridges, you can keep supplies for each type of card loaded in its own cartridge so you can quickly switch supply cartridges.

• Automatic card cleaning

Card stock has dust and plastic particles on it. To prevent these particles from getting into the printer and damaging the printhead or reducing card quality, each card is automatically cleaned as soon as it is picked.

Any particles removed from the cards are transferred from the cleaning rollers to the cleaning tape at an interval you select, such as after every 20 cards picked. The cleaning tape captures the particles so they do not harm cards or the printer.

The ImageCard IV printer also uses a cleaning card and cleaning pen. Use them to keep internal components of the printer clean to preserve printer performance and card quality.

• Replaceable printhead cartridge

The printhead is subject to wear and has a direct impact on print quality. To keep the printer operational while providing the print quality needed, the printhead can be replaced by the administrator or operato r in jus t a few minu tes. Select the printhead for the type of card printing you do; color or monochrome.

• Messages

The printer driver monitors the printer and displays a descriptive message when a condition occurs in the printer that the operator needs to know about. Each message briefly describes the situation and provides a suggested action.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Overview 1-5

Messages also include help, so the operator can follow illustrated steps for correcting the condition causing the message.

• Modular stations

The printer has a modular design so that major functions, such as card input, card cleaning, printing, and card output, are each contained in their own station. Each station is easy to use and is independent of other stations. When messages are displayed, they identify the station affected, so you know exactly where to take action. Figure 1-4 identifies the stations and modules in the printer. All stations or modules in italic type are options.

Print station

Topcoat or overlay station, location 1

Interlock tower

Smart card module

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Magnetic stripe module

Topcoat or overlay station, location 2

Turret

Cleaning station, including optiona particle detector

Figure 1-4: ImageCard IV printer stations and modules

• Color-coded user controls

Internal parts of the printer that you or the opera tor use are colored green to make them easy to identify. The handles on the print ribbon cartridge and cleaning tape cartridge are green. You use these often when loading supplies. Controls you might use to fix problems, such as knobs used to clear a jammed card, are also green. The light-colored handles and knobs in Figure 1-3 are user controls.

ImageCard IV printer options

The ImageCard IV printer can be purchased with on e o r mor e o f th e fo llowing options installed:

• Locking cover and card trays

The lock restricts access to card stock, supplies, and completed cards in the printer. It secures the pr inter cover in the closed positio n, alon g with the inp ut and output trays and their covers.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

1-6 Overview

• Particle detection

Card stock might have particles embedded in the plastic, which can cause problems with printing. The particle detector identifies cards with embedded particles and rejects them.

While the particle detector adapts to smart card chips or other fe atur es that might be on the card, at times a feature (such as a signature panel) might be detected as a particle. To allow for such features, you can set the particle detection sensitivity. As you lower the sensitivity, you increase the chance of not detecting potentially damaging particles.

• Magnetic stripe encoding module

The magnetic stripe encoding module is installed in-line with the print operation. It encodes data on the magnetic stripe and then verifies the data before the graphics and photos are printed on the card.

• Smart card module

The smart card module initializes and programs the smart card chip on a card. The smart card application on the PC uses the application prog ramming inter face (API) to request that a card be positioned in the smar t card module. Af ter the card is in position, the smart card application handles all data sent to the smart card chip through a separate serial cable. When that process is successfully completed, personalization continues and the driver manages communication and processing. The ImageCard IV printer can have a contact smart card module, a contactless (radio) module, or both modules. It can also have a co ntact station used with an external coupler.

• Overlay station

The overlay station applies a protective, die-cut laminate (polyester patch) to the card after it has been personalized. The laminate provides a durable and longlasting protective surface to the card.

• Topcoat station

The topcoat station applies a protective film, with or witho ut a holo gr am, to a ca rd without a printed topcoat. Topcoats provide protection to the printed card surface. Holographic topcoat applies a tamper-evident image to the card to enhance security.

See “Supplies and cards” on page B-1 for information about the overlay and topcoat supplies available.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Overview 1-7

How options are identified in this manual

This manual describes all of the features of the ImageCard IV printer, including all the options. Because many printers do not have all options, the following method is used to help you identify information that applies to an option.

The icons for each option are:

Locking cover and card trays

Magnetic stripe encoding module

Smart card module

Topcoat station

Overlay station

When you see the icon for an option, use the section or follow the step if you ha ve the option installed in your printer. If your printer does not have the option, you can ignore the section or step.

The topcoat and overlay stations can occupy either option location in the printer. The option locations are:

Figure 1-5: Option locations

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

1-8 Overview

How the printer works

The ImageCard IV printer produces personalized cards. The following describes the process used to print cards:

The numbers in Figure 1-6 illustrate each step. 1 The printing process begins with a card creation application running on a PC. In a

card creation application, you assemble the elements of the card design. The elements can include a photo, logo, text (name, identifyin g number, and so on) and perhaps data to print as a barcode, encode on a magnetic stripe, or program in a smart card.

2 When you select the print button, the card data is sent to the printer driver, which

prepares the data for the printer. 3 The printer driver sends the data, along with control information, to the printer. 4 The printer starts the job by picking a card from the card input tray.

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Figure 1-6: How the printer works

5 Inside the printer , the following happens:

– The card passes through the cleaning rollers. If the printer includes an

optional particle detector, the card passes through that module also.

– The card moves to the turret, which positions the card at the first station to

process it.

– A smart card chip, if the module is present, is programmed first. The card is

moved again to the turret which feeds it to the print station.

– A magnetic stripe, if the module is present, is usually encoded next.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Overview 1-9

– The full-color images are printed using a dye-diffusion, ther mal-transfer

printing process. True-bla ck images such as monochrome images or barcodes are printed using a mass transfer process.

– If both sides of the card are printed (duplex printing) the card moves to the

turret, which turns the card and moves it back into the print station.

– When printing is complete, the card moves to the turret, which delivers it to

the next station.

– Topcoat, if used, is applied over the personalized information on the card by

the topcoat station.

– Laminate, if used, is applied over the personalized information on the card

and over topcoat if it is used, by the overlay station.

6 When all processing steps are complete, the turret moves the card to the card

output tray where it is stored until it is removed.

PC and software specifications

The ImageCard IV printer must be used with a PC that runs the printer driver. The PC also runs a card creation application that captures and organizes the data to appear on each card.

To support the printing spe ed tha t th e Imag eCard IV printer can deliver, the PC must meet the following requirements:

• Have a 233 MHz (or faster) Pentium MMX-, Pentium II-, Pentium III-, or Pentium

IV-compatible processor. Datacard recommends a 500 MHz (or faster) processor.

• Have at least 128 MB of memory (RAM). Datacard recommends 256 MB or more

of memory.

• Have 60 MB or more of hard disk space available to store the printer driver and

provide working space for preparing card data. (Additional components, such as

Acrobat Reader, might require more space.) Datacard recommends at least 100

MB of hard disk space before installing the printer driver.

The PC, including processor speed, memory, operating system, applications

running, and available hard disk space, can have a dramatic effect on card

processing speed. The operating system or applications can require more or

faster resources than the printer driver. Meet the most demanding requirements

for the operating system, application, and drivers running on the PC.

• Have one of the following ports or connections:

– An ECP parallel port

• The port should be configured as an ECP port (using the PC's BIOS). If the existing parallel port is not ECP capable, obtain and install an ECP capable parallel port for printer use. For information on configuring the parallel port, “PC port settings” on page C-1.

• If your card creation application uses a security key, put the security key on a different parallel port, if available. The security key can be on a compatible-mode (IBM AT-mode) port. The printer data cable must remain on the ECP parallel port (usually LPT1). You might receive

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

1-10 Overview

“security key not found” messages, “parallel port data error” me ssages, or might notice that the card creation application operates slowly. If the security key requires a compatible-mode port, obtain and install a separate parallel port so you have a compatible-mode port for the security key and an ECP port for the printer.

• Some parallel communication devices use a cable with a plug that allows another device to be attached, so that two parallel devices are att ached to one PC parallel port, known as a pass-through or piggy-back plug. The printer and printer driver cannot communicate reliably through such a plug. Install a second parallel port in the PC if needed.

– A network connection to support printer sharing or direct networking

• Have a CD-ROM drive to install the printer driver

• Have one of the following operating systems:

– Windows Me (recommended)

The Windows Me printer driver is also designed to work on Windows 98 or

Windows 98 Second Edition.

– Windows XP with service pack 1 (recommended) – Windows 2000 with service pack 3 – Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 5 or higher

The PC must also have a card creation application that format s and prep ares the card data. For the PC requirements of your card creation application, see the application's documentation.

Who to call for assistance

If you work with a Datacard-authorized dealer, distributor, or value-added reseller, contact them for assistance. A value-added r eseller provides the ImageCard IV printer as part of an overall system.

If any contents of the box are missing, contact your Datacard-authorized dealer, distributor or reseller. If you purchased your printer directly from Datacard, contact Datacard. Contact the Datacard Customer Care Center at 1.800.328.3996 for service in the United Stated and Canada. For worldwide service, call the Datacard Customer Care Center directly at 952.988.2316. Make sure you have the serial number, located inside the printer, when you call (see “Troubleshooting” on

page 8-1).

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Getting started

This section describes what to do before installing the Datacard® ImageCard® IV photo ID printer. It describes:

• General requirements for using the printer

• Selecting the site

• Unpacking the printer

• Supplies and tools to use with the printer

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

2-2 Getting started

General requirements

When choosing a site for the ImageCard IV printer and its supplies, consider the following general requirements:

• Keep all dust, dirt, food, liquids, etc. away from the ImageCard IV printer at all

times.

• Keep the top cover closed at all times, except when changing supplies, fixing

problems, or performing maintenance.

• Do not use supplies or cards that have been dropped on the floor or have

otherwise become contaminated.

• Keep paper and foreign materials of f the ImageCard IV printer.

• Do not block the left-side air vent or rear fan opening on the Imag eCar d IV printe r.

• Place the ImageCard IV printer on a stable platform; keep it off the floor.

• Place the ImageCard IV printer away from direct sunlight.

• Place the ImageCard IV printer away from heating ducts, blowers, or other air

vents.

• Do not use the ImageCard IV printer for purposes other than its intended use.

• When cleaning around the ImageCard IV printer, prevent debris from entering the

printer.

• Place the ImageCard IV printer in a clean office environment, protected from any

type of construction.

• Store all supplies ( ribbons, cards, etc.) in the original packaging until loaded in the

cartridges. Keep the original packaging closed.

• Store all supplies in a clean, cool, dry location. See “Supply roll storage” on

page B-6 for information about the storage environment for ImageCard IV

supplies.

Selecting the site

After meeting general requirement s, th e site for the ImageCar d IV printer sh ould meet the electrical, physical, and environmental require ment s of th e prin ter. Finally, be sure to select an appropriate site for printer supplies.

Electrical requirements

The ImageCard IV printer requires the following electrical conditions for optimal performance:

• 90-254 VAC at 50/60 Hz (The ImageCard IV printer automatically adjusts to any

power within this range.)

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Getting started 2-3

• Single phase, 3-wire grounded receptacle only

The maximum input current for the ImageCard IV printer is 5 amps at 100 VAC applied.

Physical requirements

The ImageCard IV printer requires an environment that accommodates its physical dimensions and weight.

The printer weighs between 60 and 75 pounds or 2 7.3 and 34.1 kilograms. The weig ht varies depending on the options installed in the printer.

The surface holding the printer might also need to bear the weight of other equipment such as a PC and camera.

The dimensions are:

• Width of 21.8 inches (54.4 cm)

• Depth of 26 inches (64.8 cm)

• Height of 11 inches (27.5 cm)

30 in. 75 cm

26.0 in.

64.8 cm

11 in.

27.5 cm

3 in.

7.5 cm

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Figure 1-1: ImageCard IV dimensions and clearance

The clearance required is:

21.8 in.

54.4 cm

• 3 inches (7.5 cm) in back of the printer, for an overall depth of 29 inches (72 cm).

• 19 inches (48.3 cm) above the printer to allow the cover to open, for an overall

height from the work surface of 30 inches (75 cm).

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

2-4 Getting started

Environmental requirements

The ImageCard IV printer requires the following environmental conditions for optimal operation:

• Operating relative humidity: 20% to 80% non-condensing

• Operating temperature range: 55° F to 80° F (13° C to 27° C)

If you store the ImageCard IV printer, provide an environment with the following conditions:

• Storage relative humidity: 20% to 80% non-condensing

• Storage temperature range: 0° F to 100° F (-17.8° C to 37.8° C)

Unpacking the printer

After you select a location that meets the site requirements for the ImageCard IV printer, unpack the printer.

You need a cutting device to unpack the printer.

Make sure you have two or more people to assist with unpacking the printer. Two

people can lift the printer while one or more people assist with removing packaging.

Unpack the printer

1 Place the shipping carton on the floor or other firm level surface. 2 Open the end marked “Open This End” by cutting the tap e on the shipping cart on. 3 Open the inside flap of the shipping carton.

Figure 1-2: Remove the printer from the shipping carton

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Getting started 2-5

4 Slide the printer and packing material out of the shipping carton (step 1 in

Figure 1-2).

5 Remove the back shipping cushion (step 2 in Figure 1-2). 6 Remove the accessory bag (step 3 in Figure 1-2). Remove this Us er's Gui de from

the bag. 7 Remove the top shipping cushions (step 4 in Figure 1-2). Set the shipping

cushions aside. 8 Remove all the wrapping around the printer.

The printer weighs 60 to 75 pounds (27 to 34 kilograms). Use proper lifting techniques. Make sure you have enough people to lift the printer comfortably.

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Figure 1-3: Remove the printer from the shipping cushion

9 Lift the printer and move it to its operating location (step 1 in Figure 1-3). 10 Save all packing material, including the shipping carton, shipping cushions, and

accessories bag. 11 Push down on the corner of the printer's top cover to unlatch it (step 1 in

Figure 1-4). Lift the top cover to the fully upright posit i on (step 2 in Figure 1-4).

If your printer has a lock, see “Unlocking the cover” on page 3-4 for the steps to

unlock the printer. First, check to see if the printer is unlocked.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

2-6 Getting started

124

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Figure 1-4: Push and lift to open the top cover

12 Remove the internal shipping material from the print sta tion (ste p 3 in Figure 1-4).

The printer has a pocket on the back wall with sample cards that were printed on

this printer in the factory. Leave the cards in place. 13 Close the cover of the printer and press down to latch it.

♦

The printer is shipped with supplies in place, which may not match your intended use. You should be able to continue with printer installation using the supplies installed at the factory. Replace supplies after setup if they do match your intended use. See

“Loading supplies” on page 4-1 for instructions.

Contents of the accessories bag

The accessories bag contains the following:

• User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer. The guide tells you how to set up,

use, maintain, and fix problems with the ImageCard IV printer.

• Cleaning pen. The cleaning pen can be used to remove deposits from the

printhead and optional magnetic stripe head.

• AC power cord. A power cord is ordered with the printer. See “Power cable” on

page B-15 for information about available power cords.

• Interface cable. The Interface cable connects the printer and the PC. See

“Interface cable” on page B-9 for technical specifications for cables.

• Optional smart card cable(s). The smart card cable connects the smart card

module in the printer to the PC's serial port. See “Smart card cable” on page B-15

for technical specifications for cables.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Getting started 2-7

• Blank cards. Twenty-five (25) blank cards or ten (10) blank high-coercivity

magnetic stripe cards are provided for testing only. Use them only when asked to

by your service representative.

• Input/output tray latching pin. One extra pin, which you can use to secure the input

tray or output tray if a pin is lost.

• CD-ROM with the printer driver. It includes installation programs for the printer

driver and an electronic Release Notes document for each operating system.

• Warranty. The warranty statement details the terms of the warranty on the printer.

• Declaration of conformity. Declares that the printer meets the standards listed.

• Two keys, if the printer has the lock option installed.

• A cleaning stick for the overlay station, if one is installed.

If supplies were ordered when the printer was ordered, a separa tely shipped carton might contain the following:

• Cleaning cards, which remove deposits from rollers inside the printer caused by

the process of personalizing cards

• Print ribbons

• Laminate supply

• Topcoat supply

If you have not ordered and received supplies, contact your Datacard-authorized representative to order print ribbon, cleaning cards, cleaning tape, and optional supply material. You can also order additional cleaning pens.

For part numbers and more information, see “Supplies and cards” on page B -1 or

“Related publications” on page E-1.

Supplies, parts, and tools

This section briefly reviews the supplies, parts, and tools used with the ImageCard IV printer. For details on supplies, see “Supplies and cards” on page B-1.

Supplies

When you use the ImageCard IV printer, use Datacard-approved supplies. The supplies you use depend on the options installed in the printer and your card design. Required supplies include:

• Print ribbon

• Cleaning tape

• Card stock or specialized card stock

• Cleaning cards

• Cleaning pen

The print ribbon, card stock, laminate, and topcoat might require secure storage.

Follow your policy for storage of the supplies used to make cards.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

2-8 Getting started

Optional supplies include:

• Laminate supply material

• Topcoat supply material

• Cleaning stick

See “Supplies and cards” on page B-1 for details about supplies, including choices available, ordering information, and conditions for storing supplies.

General office supplies might also be used with the ImageCard IV printer, including:

• Office tape to attach ribbon or supply material to cores.

• Clean, soft cloth for general cleaning of the printer.

• As an alternative, isopropyl alcohol for cleaning of the printer.

Parts

You can purchase additional parts that can improve workflow in certain situations. Also, plan to purchase replacement parts.

• You can purchase additional parts, including supply cartridges and card trays, for

your ImageCard IV printer. If you make more than one type of card and use different supplies, additional supply cartridges allow you to keep supplies loaded in the cartridge. Additional supply cartridges also can help maintain production rates by allowing the operator to immediately replace an empty cartridge with a full one. The operator can load cartridges while the printer is operating.

Tools

• The ImageCard IV printer uses a 5 ampere, slow blow, 250 volt 5x20 fuse,

available from Datacard or any electronics store. Stocking a spare fuse can help to maintain production.

• The ImageCard IV printer has a replaceable printhead. The prin thead af fect s card

quality and is subject to wear and damage.

See “Supplies and cards” on page B-1 for details about supplies, including choices available and ordering information.

When you use the ImageCard IV printer, you might also use the following tools.

• A vacuum cleaner with attachments to clean the printer.

• A cutting device, such as a utility knife, to open the shipping carton.

• Scissors to trim supply material.

• When changing the printhead, use an electrostatic discharge (ESD) strap to

prevent static electricity from damaging a printhead. An ESD strap is available from Datacard or from any electronics store. See “Anti-static wrist strap” on

page B-13 for information about obtaining an ESD strap from Datacard.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Setting up the printer

This chapter describes how to set up the printer and get it running after it has been unpacked. It describes:

• How to connect the power cord, the interface cable, and

the optional smart card cable(s)

• How to unlock the optional locking cover

• How to load cards with the correct orientation in the input tray

• How to set the input tray and debower for the cards you use

• How to install the printer driver

• How to change settings for a successful printer installation

• How to make a sample card (after successfully completing installation) and how to

judge the quality of the card

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

3-2 Setting up the printer

Connecting the printer

This section explains how to connect the printer to the PC that runs the printer driver and then to a power source. It also explains how to connect the optional smart card cable.

If the printer is connected over a network, see the e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers for connection information.

Connect communication cables

1 Attach the interface cable to the ECP parallel port on the PC (step 1 in Figure 3-1).

The interface cable must be a shielded, Type C, IEEE 1284 parallel port cable, up to a maximum of 6.5 feet (2 meters) long.

ECP parallel port on PC (LPTx)

Power cord receptacle

Service port

Printer parallel port

ICIV053U

Figure 3-1: Attach the interface cable

2 Attach the other end of the interface cable to the printer (step 2 in Figure 3-1).

If the PC has more than one parallel port, make sure you use the ECP-capable

parallel port on the PC. Also, note whether the port is LPT1 or LPT2, so you can specify the port when installing the printer driver.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Setting up the printer 3-3

Contactless smart card module

Contact smart card module or contact station

Power cord receptacle

Service port

ICIV054U

PC serial port (COMx)

Printer parallel port

Figure 3-2: Attach the optional smart card serial cable(s)

3 If your printer has a smart card module, the ports to use correspond to the module

installed: – The lower port is installed for a contact smart card module or a contact

station. – The upper port is installed for a contactless module. – Both ports are installed for a module containing both contactless (upper port)

and contact couplers (lower port).

The smart card serial cable must be a shielded DB9 serial cable, up to 3 meters long maximum.

4 Attach the smart card serial cable(s):

a Attach the serial cable to the serial port on the PC (step 1 in Figure 3-2). b Attach the other end of the smart card serial cable to the printer (step 2 in

Figure 3-2).

c If the printer includes both contact and contactless couplers, attach the

second smart card serial cable to the printer and PC as described in steps a

and b.

If the PC has more than one serial port, attach the serial cable to the serial port for the smart card application. See information with your smart card application for the correct port to use.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

3-4 Setting up the printer

Verify that serial port settings are correct using the steps in “PC port settings” on

page C-1.

♦

Connect the power cord

1 Attach the power cord to the power rece pt acle on the back of the printer (step 1 in

Figure 3-3).

2 Plug the other end of the power cord into a single phase,

3-wire grounded receptacle with 90-130V AC or 19 5-254V AC at 50 or 60 Hz (step 2 in Figure 3-3).

The printer power supply automatically adjusts to the voltage of the input power.

Unlocking the cover

If your printer has an optional locking cove r, follow this procedure to unlock the cover. The printer might be unlocked for shipping.

Unlock the cover

1 Insert the key into the lock (step 1 in Figure 3-4). The key fits the lock only one

way.

ICIV052U

Figure 3-3: Attach the power cord

♦

2 Push down and turn the keylock one-quarter turn clockwise to open the lock

(step 2 in Figure 3-4).

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Setting up the printer 3-5

ICIV013U

Figure 3-4: Turn key to lock or unlock printer

When the printer's top cover is unlocked, the input tray cover, input tray, output tray cover, and output tr ay can be opened or removed. The lock does not affect the ability to operate the printer.

Loading cards

Load cards when beginning work or when the card tray is low on cards or empty. You can load cards when the printer power is on or off. You can also load cards while the printer is printing.

ICIV030U

Figure 3-5: Lock secures cover, trays, and tray covers

♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

3-6 Setting up the printer

Load cards

1 If the printer is printing while you load ca rds, p ress the Ready bu tton to pause the

printer (Figure 5-1).

2 Lift the input tray cover and set aside (step 1 in Figure 3-7). 3 Hold the card tray and slide the card pusher to the left (step 2 in Figure 3-7). Latch

the card pusher in the notch on the bottom of the card tray.

Do not touch the surface of cards before printing them. Handle cards by the edges or wear gloves to protect cards. Oils on hands can cause discolored printing.

4 Fan cards to separate the edges of cards (see Figure 3-6).

Figure 3-6: Fan cards

5 Align cards correctly. While facing the printer:

– Place the front surface of the card to the left. – Place the magnetic stripe toward the top and facing to the right. – Place the smart card chip toward the top and facing left.

Card input tray

Card input tray cover

Card pusher

Your name

ICIV001U

Your name

Figure 3-7: Load cards in the ImageCard IV printer

6 Place up to 250 cards in the space created by moving the card pusher back (step

3 in Figure 3-7).

If your cards are thicker or thinner than 0.030 inch (0.76 mm), the maximum

number of cards you can load changes.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Setting up the printer 3-7

If you use a topcoat station, an overlay station or both, use composite ca rds

with a nominal thickness of at least 0.030 inch (0.76 mm).

7 Hold the card tray and release the card pusher to hold cards in place. 8 Replace the input tray cover. 9 If your printer has a locking cover, press down and turn the keylock one-quarter

turn counterclockwise .

10 If you paused the printer, press the Ready button to resume printer operation.

♦

Verifying the debower position

The debower in the optional topcoat or overlay station should be set for the type of cards you print. The debower assures that the heat used to apply the topcoat or laminate does not leave cards bowed or curled.

Some optional topcoat stations do not have a debower.

Set the debower

Do not use the debower in the On position with proximity cards or smart cards.

Make sure power to the printer is off.

Unlock the printer if needed.

1 Push down on the corner of the printer's top cover to unlatch it. Lift the top cover

to the fully upright position.

When the top cover opens, the interlock switch removes power from all

motors and fans. If overlay or topcoat stations are inst alled, power is r emoved

from the heaters. The overlay or topcoat stations remain HOT and require

time to cool down.

2 Lift the handle for the debower and move it to the desired position for the card

type. Figure 3-8 shows the on and off positions for the debower.

Card or module type Debower position

0.030 inch (0.76 mm) card on

0.050 (1.27 mm) cards off Smart card off Proximity card off Topcoat module off

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

3-8 Setting up the printer

If you use a topcoat or overlay station, you must use cards that ar e at lea st

0.030 inch or 0.760 mm thick.

Make sure the debower latch drops into position.

OFF

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Figure 3-8: Lift the handle, move the debower , and lower it

3 Close the cover of the printer. If needed, lock the printer.

If you are setting up the printer, check the bow on the test card when you make it. If you are changing this setting after running the printer with other cards, make several test or sample cards to be sure the setting produces the result you want.

If you are switching to proximity cards or use smart cards, be sure to test the function of the card after applying the overlay or topcoat.

Printing thicker or thinner cards

The ImageCard IV printer can print cards that are as thin as 0.020 inch (0.5 mm or 500 microns) and as thick as 0.050 inch (1.3 mm). (These are nominal dimensions,

and cards can be 10 percent thicker or thinner than the stated dimension.)

If you use a topcoat station, an overlay station, or both, purchase and use composite cards with a nominal thickness of at least 0.030 inch (0.76 mm).

The ImageCard IV printer is factory-set for cards that are 0.030 inch (0.76 mm) thick. Y ou migh t need to change the card separato r so that just one card is picked each time the printer starts printing a card.

Go to the “Installing the printer driver” steps later in this chapter if you plan to print

0.030 inch (0.76 mm) thick cards.

♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Setting up the printer 3-9

Set the card separator

1 Remove the cover of the input tray. If the tray has a latch, turn the latch one-

quarter turn counterclockwise to release the tray (Figure 3-9).

2 Lift the input tray and set aside (Figure 3-9).

Do not tip the tray upside down. The latching pin can fall out and the pin is

required for the tray to operate properly.

ICIV064U

Figure 3-9: Remove the card input tray

3 Refer to the packaging for your card stock to determine the nominal thickness of

the cards you use. This procedure assumes that the printer is set for 0.030 inch (0.76 mm), and explains how to adjust for cards that are thicker or thinner.

Use 2 or 3 cards for this setting.

4 Place a card of the desired thickness between the guide rollers (Figure 3-10).

Then, do the following: – If the card slides past the separator and you can see extra space between the

card and the separator, turn the card separator knob counterclockwise until the separator touches the card.

– Then turn the card separator knob clockwise one-quarter turn to allow for

normal variations in thickness.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

3-10 Setting up the printer

Card separator

Card separator knob

.035 - .055 inch (.89 - 1.4 mm)

.018 - .028 inch (.46 - .71 mm)

Figure 3-10: Set the card thickness

– If the card cannot move past the separator, turn the card separator knob

clockwise until the card can slide past the separator.

Guide roller

iciv071u

– Then, turn the card separator knob clockwise one-quarter turn to allow for

normal variations in thickness.

5 Check the setting using a few more cards of the desired thickness. Push a card

between the guide rollers, so the edge is past the card separator. Remove your hand from the card to determine if the setting is correct.

Guide rollers

Card separator

Card

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User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Figure 3-11: Correct card thickness setting

Setting up the printer 3-11

Use the following guidelines to decide whether the setting is correct:

– If the card almost touches the card separator, you have successfully

completed the setting (Figure 3-11). Continue with step 6.

– If the card touches the card separator and the card appears bent, the setting

is too narrow. Return to step 3 to set the card separator again.

– If the card does not touch the card separator, take a third card of the desired

thickness and insert it next to the card between the guide rollers. If both cards fit without appearing bent, the setting is too wide. Return to step 4 to set the card separator again.

6 Replace the card input tray. If the tray has a latch, turn the latch one-quarter turn

clockwise to latch the tray.

7 Make several test or sample cards. Y ou might need to r epeat these steps because

small variations can affect whether one or two cards are picked. Watch for the following:

– The printer might pick cards differently when the card input tray is in place. – The printer might pick cards differently when the card tray is full or when it is

almost empty.

– The card stock might have more variation than the two cards used in making

the setting.

Installing the printer driver

The ImageCard IV printer includes a CD-ROM that contains the printer drivers for the supported Windows operating systems. The supported operating systems are:

• Windows Millennium Edition (Me) (recommended)

• Windows XP with Service Pack 1 (recommended)

• Windows 2000, with Service Pack 3

• Windows 98 Second Edition (SE)

• Windows NT 4.0, with Service Pack 5 or 6

See “PC and software specifications” on page 1-9 for details on operating system support and limitations.

Installation choices

• If the PC does not have a CD-ROM drive, request diskettes from your service

provider. (Service providers can obtain the driver as diskette images from the partner page.) You also can download the printer driver from the Datacard Web site, at www.datacard.com. See the instructions on installing from diskettes or a downloaded file.

• If you have installed the printer driver and want to update to the most recent

driver, follow the steps in the

♦

e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers for

e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

3-12 Setting up the printer

• Several other connection methods are available, including printer sharing over a

network, and installing two printers on parallel ports on a PC. See the

ImageCard IV Printers

for information on these installation alternatives.

e-Guide for

• You can also directly connect the printer to a network using a print server. See the

SmartDriver Direct Network Guide for more information.

• See the e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers for information on printer pooling on

the Windows 2000 and XP operating systems.

Find the section that applies to the type of port and operating system on the PC:

• Parallel port and Windows 2000 or XP all operating system

– “Install the printer driver to a p arallel port on Windows XP/2000” on page 3-12

• Parallel port and Windows ME, 98 or NT operating system

– “Install the printer driver to a parallel port on Windows ME, 98 or NT” on

page 3-14

Install the printer driver to a parallel port on Windows XP/2000

1 Close all applications. Do not close Windows. 2 Log in as the Administrator when you install the printer driver.

3 Make sure the printer is powered on and re ad y. 4 Make sure the printer is connected to the PC. 5 Insert the CD-ROM in the PC's drive.

6 If the operating system detects the printer and displays th e Fo u nd /Dete cted New

Hardware Wizard, go to step 12.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Figure 3-12: Datacard Group program

Setting up the printer 3-13

7 Click “To Install Driver.” The License Agreement page appears. 8 Click “Agree” to accept the license agreement. The “Connect the Printer and PC”

page appears.

9 Click “Parallel Cable (LPT).” The “To use a Parallel Cable (LPT)” page appears. 10 Click “Add Printer” to start the Add Printer Wizard. 11 Click “Next” on the first page of the Add Printer Wizard. 12 Make sure the correct choices are checked on the Add Printe r Wiza rd :

– For Windows 2000, check “Local printer” and “Automatically detect and inst all

. . .”

– For Windows XP, check “Install the software automatically (recommended)”

13 Click “Next.” The PC searches the CD-ROM for files to install. For Windows XP,

go to step 16.

14 Make sure that “Search for a suitable driver . . . “ is selected, and then click Next. 15 Make sure that “CD-ROM drives” is selected and then click Next. 16 When the wizard has found the dspnp.inf file, the Next button is enabled. Click

Next.

17 A Windows message appears:

– For Windows 2000, the Digital Signature Not Found message appears. Click

Yes to continue with installation. Security on the PC might be set to prevent installation without a digital signatur e. See Windows help for “digit al signature” to change the security setting.

– For Windows XP, the Windows Logo Signing message appears. Click

“Continue Anyway” to continue with installation. Security on the PC might be set to prevent installation without a digital signature. See Windows help for “Logo signing” to change the security setting.

18 The installation program copies files to the PC and updates entries for the printer.

Click “Finish” to close the wizard.

19 Be sure to restart Windows before performing any other a ctions. If Windows does

not restart automatically, do the following: a Click “Start” to display the Windows Start menu. b Click “Shut Down” to display the Shut Down Windows dialog box. c Choose “Restart” from the list and click OK to restart Windows.

20 When Windows has restarted, remove and insert the CD-ROM in the PC's drive.

The Datacard Group window opens automatically.

If the installation program does not start, make sure the CD-ROM is installed

correctly. If needed, start the Demo32.exe application on the CD-ROM.

21 Click “User Information” to view the Release Notes (optional) and install

information.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

3-14 Setting up the printer

22 From the User Information page, click “View Release Notes” if you want to view

detailed information about the printer driver installed. The WordPad application opens and displays the release notes. Click the Close or Exit button when you are done viewing release notes.

23 From the User Information page, click “e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers.” The

SmartDriver e-Guide Installation dialog box opens.

24 Click OK to start the self-extraction (zip) program. The WinZip . . . dialog box

appears.

25 Use the default path to extract the files (or specify another location). Click Unzip to

extract files and then click OK to start the e-Guide installation program.

26 The installation program detects whether the Adobe Acrobat Reader program is

installed on the PC. If it is not, the installation program reminds you to install it. Continue with these steps and be sure to perform step 28.

Click OK to close the message box if it appears.

27 The program installs the files for the e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers. Click

Finish when it is complete.

28 If a message appeared as described in step 26, click “Acrobat Reader” on the

User Information page. Follow the prompts to install Acrobat Reader.

29 If you will be using more than one type of printer on this PC, install e-Guides for

each printer type, following steps 20 through 25. The SmartDriver supports the Magna Platinum series printer, the SP35 card

printer, Magna Class printer with AIT, the Select Class printer with AIT, the Select Platinum series printer, and the ImageCard IV printer.

30 Click Exit to close the Datacard Group program, and then remove the CD-ROM

from the PC’s drive.

31 Driver installation is complete. Go to “Changing required printer settings” on

page 3-17, and then print a sample card to verify driver installation. See “Printing sample cards” on page 3-18.

♦

Install the printer driver to a parallel port on Windows ME, 98 or NT

1 Close all applications. Do not close Windows. 2 Make sure the printer is connected to the PC. 3 Make sure the printer is powered on.

For Windows NT, log in as the Administrator when you install the printer

driver.

4 With Windows running, insert the CD-ROM in the PC's drive. The Dat acard Group

window opens automatically.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Setting up the printer 3-15

If the installation program does not start, make sure the CD-ROM is installed

correctly. If needed, start the Demo32.exe application on the CD-ROM.

Figure 3-13: Driver installation program

5 Click “Install Driver.” The SmartDriver installation program starts.

Figure 3-14: SmartDriver installation dialog box

6 Click Next on the first Printer Driver Setup dialog box.

The installation program automatically detects the operating system on your

PC and selects the driver for that operating system.

7 Review the License Agreement and click Ye s to continue.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

3-16 Setting up the printer

If you used a different sequence to start installation, you might have a slightly

different sequence of prom pts.

8 The installation program displays a question asking whether you would like to

view the Release Notes. Do one of the following: – Click Next to continue.

– Click Yes and then Next to open the Release Notes in WordPad. Close the

Release Notes when you have viewed the information.

9 Choose the e-Guides to install. You can choose the Magna e-Guide, the Select

e-Guide, ImageCard IV e-Guide, or the SP35 e-Guide. Install the ImageCard IV eGuide. (You can install additional e-Guides if you are likely to use more than one type of printer with this PC.) Click Next to install the e-Guide(s) you selected.

10 Use the default name for the printer or enter a name of your choice. Click Next. 11 Select the port to which the printer is connected and click Next.

Select only one port for printer connection.

12 Select whether this printer should be the default printer.

The small page size for cards might cause unexpected results with some

applications if the ImageCard IV printer is the default. 13 Click Next to copy the files to the PC and update entries to enable the printer. 14 The installation program detects whether the Adobe Acrobat Reader program is

installed on the PC. If it is not, the installation program asks if you want to install Acrobat Reader . If you see this prompt, make sure Yes is chosen and then click

Next to install it. 15 Follow the prompts to install Acrobat Reader. 16 The Restart Windows dialog box appears after a moment. 17 Click Finish to close the installation. The installation program will restart Windows

when you click Finish. 18 Driver installation is complete. Go to “Changing required printer settings” on

page 3-17, and then print a sample card to verify installation. See “Printing sample

cards” on page 3-18.

On Windows Me and 98, the Add New Hardware Wizard can appear when you restart Windows. Windows will associate the printer and driver, and close the Add New Hardware Wizard automatically.

♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Setting up the printer 3-17

Changing required printer settings

After installing the printer driver , there are several other t asks you might need to perform. The required tasks are:

• For Windows 2000, XP, and NT, set permissions to the printer for other users of

the PC. See “Setting printer permissions” on page 3-20 for the steps to follow.

• For Windows 2000, XP, and NT, make sure that users of the printer have

permission to write files to the temp file location specified in the PC configuration.

If the temp file location is not specified, the driver uses the root location, such as

Win2K or WINNT. See Windows help for more information.

• View and change settings in the Properties, Default Document Properties, or

Printing Preferences dialog box. See “Working with Properties and other driver

dialog boxes” on page 6-2 for steps to follow.

Open the Properties, Printing Preferences, or Default Document Properties dialog box using the Printers window so the settings apply to all applications.

– Select whether to print on both sides (duplex printing). Select and apply this

setting before making other changes.

– Select the print ribbon type. This setting is optional for a locally attached

printer. This setting must be selected for a printer used over a network. See

“Print ribbons” on page A-2 for information on supported print ribbons. If the

printer has a topcoat or overlay station, select whe ther to apply th e material to the front of the card, the back of the card, or both.

– If the printer has a magnetic stripe module, select the magnetic stripe

coercivity and encoding format.

• For a networked printer , change setting s first on the administrative o r host PC and

then on user or client PCs:

– Printer type (for shared printers only)

– Print on both sides

– Print ribbon type (must match ribbon in the printer)

– If the printer has a topcoat or overlay station, select whether to apply the

material to the front of the card, the back of the card, or both.

– Mag stripe coercivity and encoding format can be set from the administrative

or host PC. The client or user PCs can use the “Use printer settings” values if all cards will use the same encoding format. Make sure that mag stripe settings on all PCs result in readable cards.

Optional settings, such as orientation and print margin, can also be changed.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

♦

3-18 Setting up the printer

Printing sample cards

The printer is shipped with cards that are printed in the factory. You can also print a sample card, which looks like one of the factory-printed cards, using the Printer Toolbox.

Print sample cards

1 Begin with the printer powered on and connected to the PC, supplies loaded, the

printer driver installed, and Windows running. 2 By default, the Printer Toolbox is open when Windows starts. If needed, double-

click the icon for the Printer Toolbox. It is located in the lower right corner of the

Windows desktop. See “Using the Printer Toolbox” on page 6-10 if needed. 3 Click the Sample Card button.

The driver identifies the type of printer, whether it prints color or monochrome

images, and whether it has a duplex module, and then sends the appropriate

sample card to print.

If the printer is a color printer and is using a monochrome (K) ribbon, the printed sample card will be mostly black, not full-color.

Setup tips

4 Compare the cards you printed with the cards shipped with the printer. 5 When you have printed the card and are satisfied that it matches the factory-

printed card, you can minimize the Printer Toolbox.

– If you are checking the operation of the printer, see “Problems with card

appearance” on page 8-9.

♦

Make sure that:

• The printer's top cover is closed and latched.

• The card input tray and card output tray are in place and latched in place (if the

trays have latches).

• Cards are loaded in the card input tray.

• The data cable is connected to the parallel port of the printer and the

corresponding port of the PC. Make sure that the ports used for each printer are

the same as were installed.

• If the PC has more than one port, the port to which the printer is assigned (such

as LPT1) is the same as the port to which it is connected.

• The parallel port (if used) is configured as an ECP parallel port in the PC’s BIOS.

See “Setting parallel port values” on page C-5 for more information.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Setting up the printer 3-19

• Supplies are installed in all cartridges and cartridges are loaded correctly.

“Loading supplies” on page 4-1 for more information.

• The printer is ready to print. Both panel lights on the printer should be steady

green before you send a sample card. “Using the printer” on page 5-1.

• Use the driver sample card, not a card from a card creation application, to verify

that the printer and driver are working together.

• For a directly networked printer, see the SmartDriver Direct Network Guide for

guidance on setting up the printer and PC.

• For a shared printer, see the e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers.

Changing optional settings

Depending on your card design and operating environment, you might change settings for optimal print quality. Print the sample cards before changing optional settings. The optional settings include:

• Set the print margin if needed. The printer has a default of Edge-to-Edge, which is

the same as a margin of 0.

• Choose the cleaning interval in the printer driver. See “Working with Properties

and other driver dialog boxes” on page 6-2 for steps to follow. You can use the

default interval of cleaning after every 20 cards, or select a longer or shorter

interval. If you choose a value of 0, the printer driver will not prompt for cleaning.

Make sure you clean the printer regularly, such as every time you change ribbon

or each work day. For networked printing, the user who prints the most cards

should set the cleaning interval (set the cleaning interval to 0 on other PCs).

• Dithering for monochrome (K) printing.

• Fine-tune black (K-panel) printing if you print bar codes or fin e text. See“Changing

operational settings” on page 6-15 for steps to follow. For networked printers,

perform this task from the host or administrative PC.

• Change color settings. After the card design is defined and other components of

an identification system are set up, you might want to change color settings for

maximum color quality. See the e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers for steps to

follow.

• For a networked printer, most optional settings on the administrative or host PC

and the user or client PCs can be changed indepe ndently and should match the

card design. Settings on the Laminator Settings, Printhead, and Laminator

Advanced tabs should be changed only from the host or administrative PC.

• You might also want to change print registration. See “Changing oper ational

settings” on page 6- 15 or contact your service provider for guidance.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

3-20 Setting up the printer

Setting printer permissions

If the PC to which the printer is attached has other users, set permission s th at:

• Make all features of the printer and driver available to users, inclu ding messages.

(Messages inform users when they need to change the ribbon, load cards, and fix

problems.)

• Prevent any access to the printer by unauthorized users.

Set printer permissions for Windows 2000 and XP

1 From the Windows taskbar select Start, then Settings, and then Printer. The

Printers window appears. 2 Highlight the SmartDriver icon by clicking on it once. 3 From the menu bar , select File and then Prope rties. The Properties dialo g box for

the SmartDriver appears. 4 Choose the Security tab.

If the Security tab is not visible, open any folder and choose Tools:Folder Options from the menu bar. In the Advanced Settings list, make sure "Use simply file-sharing" is not checked. Close the Properties dialog box and open it again to view the Security tab.

5 Review the Names list. If the names for which you want to specify permissions do

not appear in the list, add the names.

a Select the Add button to open the Users and Groups dialog box.

b Click on the name and click Add. Repeat for each name to add.

c When done adding names, click OK. The Users and Groups dialog box

closes. 6 In the Names list, select the name for which you want to specify permissions. 7 From the Permissions list, select the access:

– For a local user of a local printer and for a user of a directly networked printer:

• To enable printing, select "Allow" for Print, Manage Printers, and Manage Documents.

• For a user who should not print on the SmartDriver printer, select "Deny" for all permissions.

• Single permissions, such as the Print permission, are not supported.

– For a user of a shared printer:

• For a local user of the printer on the PC connected to the printer, select Allow for Print, Manage Printers, and Manage Documents. The user will be able to see all messages. The user will also be able to perform other actions, such as deleting the printer driver. (Single permissions, such as Print, are not supported for local users of the printer driver.)

• For a user who should not print on the printer, select Deny for all permissions.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Setting up the printer 3-21

• For a user connected through a network using Printer Sharing, select Allow only for the Print permission. (Select Deny for Manage Printers and Manage Documents.)

8 Select Apply to save the change. Save changes for each name. 9 Repeat steps 5 through 8 to add other users or groups. 10 Select OK to close the Properties dialog box.

♦

Set printer permissions for Windows NT

1 From the Windows taskbar select Start, Settings, and then Printers. The Printers

window appears. 2 Highlight the SmartDriver icon by clicking on it once. 3 From the menu bar , select File and then Properties. The Proper ties window for the

SmartDriver appears. 4 Select the Security tab. 5 Click the Permissions button to open the Printer Permissions dialog box. 6 Select the Add button to open the Add Users and Groups dialog box. 7 Select the Show Users button. 8 Select the name of the user (or group) to add and click the Add button. 9 From the Type of Access list, select the access:

– For a local user of a local printer or for a user of a directly networked printer:

• For a user connected to a directly networked printer, select Full Control.

• For a local user of a printer, select Full Control.

• For a user who should not print on the printer, select No Access.

Other user permissions, such as the Print permission, are not supported

– For a user of a shared printer:

• For a user of the printer on the PC connected to the printer, select Full Control. The user will be able to see all messages. The user will also be able to perform other actions, such as deleting the printer driver. (Other user permissions, such as the Print permission, are not supported for local users of the printer driver.)

• For a user who should not print on the printer, select No Access.

• For a user connected through a network using Printer Sharing, select Print permission.

10 Select OK to save the change and close the Add Users and Groups window. 11 Repeat steps 6 through 10 to add other users or gr oups. 12 Select OK to save the changes and close the Printer Permissions window.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

♦

3-22 Setting up the printer

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Loading supplies

This chapter explains how to load supplies in the ImageCard IV printer. It describes:

• How to change the print ribbon

• How to change the cleaning tape

• How to change the laminate (overlay) supply

• How to change the topcoat supply

For information about loading cards, see “Loading cards” on page 3-5. To ensure nearly uninterrupted operation, you can have additional cartridges for all

supplies used in your printer. The additional cartridges can be kept loaded so that empty supplies can immediately be replaced.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

4-2 Loading supplies

Change the print ribbon

This section describes the three steps of changing the print ri bbon:

• Remove the print ribbon cartridge

• Load the print ribbon in the cartridge

• Replace the print ribbon cartridge

Removing the print ribbon cartridge

Remove the print ribbon cartridge from the printer when the "print ribbon empty" message appears, or when changing the type of ribbon you use.

If you change the type of print ribbon you use, see the

Printers

for the complete process to follow.

e-Guide for ImageCard IV

Remove the print ribbon cartridge

1 Push down on the corner of the printer's top cover to unlatch it. Lift the top cover

to the fully upright position.

ICIV031U

When the top cover opens, the interlock switch removes power to all motors and fans. If overlay or topcoat stations are installed, power is removed from the heaters. Overlay or topcoat stations remain HOT.

2 Push on the printhead latch to release the printhead cage (step 1 in Figure 4-2).

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Figure 4-1: Push and lift to open the top cover

Loading supplies 4-3

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Figure 4-2: Remove the print ribbon cartridge

3 Move the printhead cage to the resting position (step 2 in Figure 4-2). 4 Using the handle, lift the print ribbon cartridge straight up until the cartridge is

above the printhead cage (step 3 in Figure 4-2). Remove the cartridge from the printer.

Some cartridges have a movable handle while others have two non-movable

handles.

Loading print ribbon in the cartridge

After removing the print ribbon cartridge, remove the used ribbon and put new ribbon in the cartridge.

Load print ribbon in the cartridge

1 Place the print ribbon cartridge on a level surfa ce, such as a t able, with the handle

down and the glide rollers toward you. (See Figure 4-3.)

If the cartridge has a movable handle, fol d the handle down so the cartridge is

stable.

2 Pull up to remove the used supply spool and full take-u p sp ool from the cartridge .

Dispose of used ribbon according to your policy.

The print ribbon has a negative image of the information printed on th e card. Dispose of ribbon according to your policy for protecting the data that might be visible on it.

♦

3 Unwrap the new print ribbon.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

4-4 Loading supplies

4 Place the full supply roll on the right spool holder (step 1 in Figure 4-3).

Place the empty take-up spool on the left spool holder (step 3 in Figure 4-3), with the ribbon in front of the glide rollers (step 2 in Figure 4-3).

Take-up spool New supply ribbon

Glide rollers

Ribbon take-up knob

Figure 4-3: Load print ribbon in the cartridge

5 Press on the spools and turn them slightly (if needed) until the spools click into

place. Make sure the ribs inside the spool align with the grooves in the spool holder.

6 Pick up the cartridge and turn the ribbon take-up knob (with the empty spool) to

remove slack from the print ribbon.

The print ribbon cartridge is ready to be replaced in the printer.

Replacing the print ribbon cartridge

When replacing the print ribbon cartridge, begin with the top cover op en.

Replace the print ribbon cartridge

1 Hold the loaded print ribbon cartridge by the handle over the print station. 2 Align the print ribbon cartridge so the ribbon spools are over the print ribbon

spindles (step 1 in Figure 4-4).

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♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Loading supplies 4-5

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Figure 4-4: Replace the print ribbon cartridge in the printer

3 Lower the print ribbon cartridge into the printer (step 1 in Figure 4-4). Make sure

the ribbon passes between the printhead cage and the pr int plat en rolle r.

Make sure the print ribbon passes through the color sensor (marked “S” in

Figure 4-4).

4 Press down firmly to seat the print ribbon cartridge in the printer. Lower the

cartridge handle if needed.

5 Lift the printhead latch and press the printhead cage for ward until it is upright (step

2 in Figure 4-4). Make sure the printhead latch clicks into place. Push down on the printhead latch if needed.

6 If there is slack in the print ribbon, turn the ribbon take-up knob clockwise to

take up slack (step 3 in Figure 4-4).

7 Close the cover of the printer , and press to latch it in place. If the printer has a

lock, lock the printer.

Changing the cleaning tape

This section describes the three steps of changing the cle aning tape:

• Remove the cleaning tape cartridge

• Load the cleaning tape in the cartridge

• Replace the cleaning tape cartridge

♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

4-6 Loading supplies

Removing the cleaning tape cartridge

Remove the cleaning tape cartridge when a "Cleaning tape empty" message appears or when setting up the printer.

Remove the cleaning tape cartridge

1 Push down on the corner of the printer's top cover to unlatch it. Lift the top cover

to the fully upright position.

When the top cover opens, the interlock switch removes power from all motors and fans. If overlay or topcoat stations are inst alled, power is r emoved from the heaters. Overlay or topcoat stations remain HOT.

2 Pull up on the lock button to release the cleaning tape cartridge (step 1 in

Figure 4-5).

On some cartridges, turn the lock counterclockwise to release the cleaning tape cartridge.

iciv062u

Figure 4-5: Remove the cleaning tape cartridge

3 Pull firmly and lift the cleaning tape cartridge straight up until the cartridge is

above the edge of the printer (step 2 in Figure 4-5). Remove the cartridge from the printer.

♦

Loading cleaning tape in the cartridge

Remove the used cleaning tape and load new tape after removing the cleaning tape cartridge from the printer.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Loading supplies 4-7

Load cleaning tape in the cartridge

1 Place the cleaning tape cartridge u psid e down on a level sur face, such as a table,

with the glide roller toward you.

2 Pull up firmly on the full take-up roll to remove it.

Do not re-use cleaning tape. The cleaning mechanism does not operate properly if you attempt to re-use cleaning tape.

3 Remove the end of the cleaning tape from the empty supply spool. Dispose of

used cleaning tape according to your policy. 4 Remove the empty supply spool. 5 Unwrap the new cleaning tape. 6 Remove the label from the new cleaning tape roll and discard it. Unroll a few

inches of tape. 7 Press the end of the new cleaning tape onto the empty take-up spool (step 1 in

Figure 4-6). Make sure the edges of the tape align with edges of the spool so the

tape moves evenly. 8 Hold both rolls near the glide roller. 9 Place the full supply roll on the supply spool holder so the tape will unroll

clockwise (step 2 in Figure 4-6). Make sure the ribs inside the spool align with the

grooves of the spool holder. 10 Press on the spool and turn slightly (if needed) until the spool fully covers the

spool holder ribs. 11 Move the take-up spool back so it aligns with the take-up spool holder (step 3 in

Figure 4-6).

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

4-8 Loading supplies

Glide roller

Full supply roll

Empty take-up spool

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Figure 4-6: Load cleaning tape in the cartridge

12 Press down on the take-up spool and turn slightly (if needed) until the spool fully

covers the spool holder ribs (step 4 in Figure 4-6).

Make sure the material winds clockwise . 13 Pick up the cleaning tape cartridge and turn it over. 14 Turn the t ake-up knob to remove any sla ck in the cleaning t ape. The cleani ng tape

cartridge is ready to be replaced in the printer.

♦

Replacing the cleaning tape cartridge

When replacing the cleaning tape cartridge, begin with the top cover open.

Replace the cleaning tape cartridge

1 Hold the loaded cleaning tape cartridge over the cl eaning station. 2 Align the cleaning tape cartridge so the cleaning tape spools fit over the cleaning

tape spindles and the glide roller is over its shaft (step 1 in Figure 4-7).

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Loading supplies 4-9

Take-up knob

Glide roller

Glide roller shaft

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Figure 4-7: Replace the cleaning tape cartridge

3 Lower the cleaning tape cartridge into the printer. 4 Press down firmly to seat the cleaning tape cartridge in the printer. 5 Press down on the lock (step 2 in Figure 4-7) to secure the cleaning tape cartridge

in the printer.

On some cartridges, press down and turn the lock clockwise to lock the

cleaning tape cartridge.

6 Turn the take-up kno b counterclockwise to remove any slack from the tape. 7 Close the cover of the printer and press to latch it. If the printer has a lock, lock the

printer.

♦

Changing the laminate in the overlay station

If your printer includes an optional overlay station, the station uses laminate supply material.

This section describes the three steps of changing the overlay materi al:

• Remove the supply cartridge

• Load material in the cartridge

• Replace the supply cartridge

If you change the type of supply material you use, see “Changing operational

settings” on page 6-15 for more information.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

4-10 Loading supplies

Removing the supply cartridge

Remove the supply cartridge when a "Supply empty" message appears, or when setting up the printer.

Remove the overlay cartridge

1 Push down on the corner of the printer's top cover to unlatch it. Lift the top cover

to the fully upright position.

When the top cover opens, the interlock switch removes power to all motors and fans. Power is removed from the heater in the overlay (and topcoat) stations. Overlay (and topcoat) stations remain HOT.

2 Move the supply tracker away from the supply roll until it stops (step 1 in

Figure 4-8).

If the supply tracker does not have a handle, it will move out of the way automatically.

3 Pull up on the cartridge lock to release the overlay cartridge (step 2 in Figure4-8).

On some cartridges, push and release the cartridge lock to release the overlay cartridge.

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Figure 4-8: Remove the overlay cartridge

4 Lift the overlay cartridge straight up until the cartridge is above the edge of the

printer (step 3 in Figure 4-8). Remove the cartridge from the printer.

♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Loading supplies 4-11

Loading supply in the cartridge

After removing the supply cartridge from the printer, remove the used material and load new material.

Load supply in the cartridge

1 Place the supply cartridge upside down on a level surface, such as a table, with

the wide side away from you. 2 Remove the spool caps (if used). 3 Pull up firmly on the full take-up spool to remove it. 4 Remove the end of the supply material from the empty supply spool if needed.

Dispose of the used supply according to your policy.

On a regular basis, such as weekly, use the cleaning pen to clean deposits

from the guides of the supply cartridge and clean the supply tracker.

5 Remove the empty spool from the holder and press it into place on the take-up

holder (step 1 in Figure 4-9). Make sure the ribs inside the spool align with the

grooves in the holder. 6 Press on the spool and turn it slightly (if needed) until the spool fully covers the

ribs of the holder. 7 Unwrap the new supply material. 8 Place the full supply roll on the right holder as you face the open side of the

cartridge (step 2 in Figure 4-9). Make sure the supply will unroll counterclockwise

, as shown.

Take-up spool

Figure 4-9: Load supply in the cartridge

9 Make sure the ribs inside the spool align with the grooves in the holde r. Press on

the spool and turn it slightly (if needed) until the spool fully covers the ribs.

Spool caps

Guides

Supply roll

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

4-12 Loading supplies

10 Lift the label on the supply roll and unroll about 8 inches from the supply roll. 1 1 Wind the supply material in front of the guides and around the take-up spool ( step

3 in Figure 4-9). Make sure that the material will wind counterclockwise . 12 Press the label onto the take-up spool to secure the supply mater ial (step 4 in

Figure 4-9).

13 If your cartridge includes spool caps, press the spool caps back into position on

the ends of the take-up spool and supply roll (step 5 in Figure 4-9).

If you use an adjustable overlay cartridge, do not use spool caps. They

interfere with the operation of the adjustable overlay cartridge.

14 Pick up the supply cartridge and turn it over. Turn the take-up knob clockwise

to remove any slack in the supply material. The supply cartridge is ready to be replaced in the printer.

Replacing the supply cartridge

When replacing the supply cartridge, begin with the top cover open.

Replace the overlay cartridge

Make sure the supply tracker is out of the way when you replace the overlay

cartridge.

When the top cover opens, the interlock switch removes power to all motors and fans. Power is removed from the heater in the overlay (and topcoat) stations. Overlay (and topcoat) stations remain HOT.

1 Hold the loaded overlay cartridge over the overlay station.

If you have more than one optional station, ma ke sure you match the cartrid ge

with the station.

2 Align the overlay cartridge so the spools in the cartridge are over the spindles in

the station.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Loading supplies 4-13

iciv035u

Figure 4-10: Replace the overlay cartridge

3 Lower the overlay cartridge into the printer (step 1 in Figure 4-10). Make sure the

supply material passes between the heated roller and the platen roller. Turn the

supply knobs if needed to take up slack so the material does not wrinkle as the

cartridge is pushed in place. 4 Press down to seat the overlay cartridge in the printer.

If the cartridge becomes stuck part of the way into the st ation, turn the supply a nd

take-up knobs clockwise slightly so the spindle ribs fit between the spool ribs. 5 Press the cartridge lock to secure the overlay cartridge in the printer (step 2 in

Figure 4-10).

6 Move the supply tracker toward the full supply roll until it rests on the supply roll

(step 3 in Figure 4-10).

If the supply tracker does not have a handle, it will move into position automatically.

If you use an adjustable overlay cartridge, follow the steps provided with the cartridge to produce a laminate patch placement that meets specifications.

7 Close the cover of the printer and press down to latch it. If the printer has a lock,

lock the printer.

♦

Changing the topcoat in the topcoat station

This section describes the three steps of changing the topcoat material:

• Remove the topcoat cartridge

• Load topcoat in the cartridge

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

4-14 Loading supplies

• Replace the topcoat cartridge

If you change the type of supply material you use, see “Changing operational

settings” on page 6-15 for the complete process to follow.

Removing the topcoat cartridge

Remove the topcoat cartridge when a "Topcoat empty" message appears or when setting up the printer.

Remove the topcoat cartridge

1 Push down on the corner of the printer's top cover to unlatch it. Lift the top cover

to the fully upright position.

When the top cover opens, the interlock switch removes power to the motors and fans. Power is removed from the heater in the topcoat (and overlay) station. The topcoat (and overlay) station remains HOT.

2 Move the supply tracker away from the supply roll until it stops (step 1 in

Figure 4-11).

If the supply tracker does not have a handle, it will move out of the way automatically.

3 Pull up on the cartridge lock to release the topcoat cartridge (step 2 in

Figure 4-11).

On some cartridges, push and release the cartridge lock to release the topcoat cartridge.

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User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Figure 4-11: Remove the topcoat cartridge

Loading supplies 4-15

4 Lift the cartridge straight up until the cartridge is above the edge of the printer

(step 3 in Figure 4-11). Remove the cartridge from the printer.

♦

Loading topcoat in the cartridge

After removing the topcoat cartridge from the printer, remove the used topcoat material and load new topcoat material. You also can load additional cartridges to provide nearly uninterrupted operation.

Load topcoat in the cartridge

1 Place the topcoat cartridge upside down on a level surface, such as a table, with

the wide side away from you. 2 Pull up firmly on the full take-up spool to remove it. 3 Remove the end of the supply material from the empty supply spool if needed.

Dispose of the used supply according to your policy. Clean any particles of

topcoat from the cartridge.

If you use holographic topcoat, conside r wh et he r the us e d supply sho u l d be

treated as confidential material. The used supply might have holograms remaining

on it. 4 Remove the empty spool from the supply spool holder and press the empty spool

into place on the take-up spool holder of the cartridge (step 1 in Figure 4-12).

Make sure the ribs inside the spool align with the grooves in the spool holder. 5 Press on the spool and turn the spool slightly (if needed) until the spool fully

covers the spool holder ribs. 6 Unwrap the new topcoat supply material. 7 Place the full supply roll on the right holder as you face the open side of the

cartridge (step 2 in Figure 4-12). Make sure the supply will unroll

counterclockwise , as shown.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

4-16 Loading supplies

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Figure 4-12: Load topcoat in the cartridge

8 Make sure the ribs inside the spool align with the grooves in the spool holder.

Press on the spool and turn the supply roll slightly (if needed) until the spool fully

covers the spool holder ribs. 9 Lift the label on the supply roll and unroll about 8 inches from the supply roll. 10 Wind the supply material in front of the guides and around the t ake-up spool ( step

3 in Figure 4-12). Make sure that the material will wind counterclockwise . 11 Use the label to secure the supply material on the take-up spool. Press the label

onto the spool to secure the supply material (step 4 in Figure 4-12). 12 Pick up the topcoat cartridge and turn it over. Turn the topcoat take-up knob

clockwise to remove any slack in the supply material. The topcoat cartridge is ready to be replaced in the printer.

Replacing the topcoat cartridge

When replacing the topcoat cartridge, begin with the top cover open and a loaded topcoat cartridge. Make sure the topcoat cartridge has been removed from the printer.

Replace the topcoat cartridge

Make sure the supply tracker is out of the way when you replace the topcoat

cartridge.

1 Hold the topcoat cartridge over the to pc oa t s tation.

♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Loading supplies 4-17

If you have more than one optional station, make sure you match the cartridge with the station.

2 Align the topcoat cartridge so the spools in the cartridge are over the spindles in

the station.

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Figure 4-13: Replace the topcoat cartridge

3 Lower the topcoat cartridge into the printer (step 1 in Figure 4-13). 4 Press down firmly to seat the topcoat cartr idg e in th e pr inter.

If the cartridge becomes stuck part of the way into the station, turn the supply and take-up knobs clockwise slightly so the spindle ribs fit between the

spool ribs. 5 Press the lock to secure the topcoat cartridge in the printer (step 2 in Figure 4-13). 6 Move the supply tracker toward the full supply roll until it rests on the supply roll

(step 3 in Figure 4-13).

7 Close the cover of the printer and press to latch it. If the printer has a lock, lock the

printer.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

♦

4-18 Loading supplies

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer

This chapter provides information to help you run the ImageCard IV printer effectively and efficie ntly. It describes:

• How to use the buttons and panel lights on the printer

• How to power on the printer

• How to make cards

• How you can use an application to print cards

• How to maintain production and produce high-quality cards, including managing

printer speed and recovering from opening the cover

• How to remove completed cards and rejected cards

• How to respond to messages

• How to shut down the system

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

5-2 Using the printer

Buttons and lights

Two ImageCard IV printer buttons control the printer directly. Printer panel lights provide information about the printer’s current state.

Buttons

Use the Power button and Ready button to control the printer directly. (The printer driver also includes controls that affect the printer.

Power button

The Power button controls the power to the printer and all stations in it. See “Powering

on the printer and PC” on page 5-4 and “Shutting down the printer and PC” on page 5-16 for more information.

Ready button

Ready butto

Power button

ICIV017U

Figure 5-1: Ready and Power buttons

The Ready button operates the pause function and clears partially-processed cards.

Pause or resume the printer

1 Press the Ready button briefly to pause the printer.

The cards in the printer stop processing at the end of the current process. Depending on the options installed in the printer and the location of cards when the printer is paused, the following can occur:

– The current process (such as printing color panels, printing a black p anel,

encoding a magnetic stripe, or applying a topcoat or overlay) will complete.

– A card inside a station stays in the station. – A card in the turret is moved to the next station or the output tray.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer 5-3

2 When the printer has been paused, press the Ready button to resume operation. 3 If there are no problems in the printer, the printer finishes cards in the printer and

moves them to the output tray.

♦

Clear cards from the printer

1 To clear the cards currently in the printer, press and hold the Ready button until a

tone sounds. If there is no error, the printer moves partly processed cards to the reject bin and

removes card data from the printer memory. If a message box is displayed on the PC, fix the situation described by the

message first. See “Responding to messages” on page 5-14.

2 The printer returns to the previous state, such as busy printing cards, or paused

due to an error.

♦

Panel lights

The front panel has two lights that provide informatio n about the printer’s current state. The upper light is the power light and the lower light is the status light.

Power light

Status light

Figure 5-2: Panel lights

Power light Description

The printer is starting.

Blinking green

The printer power is on.

Steady green

Blinking green

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

The optional heated roller in the topcoat or overlay station is warming up.

5-4 Using the printer

Status Light Description

The printer is starting.

Red Amber Green

The printer is ready and waiting for cards.

Steady green

The printer is busy printing cards.

Blinking green

The printer is paused without an error.

Steady amber

The printer has issued a message. See the PC for the

Blinking amber

message.

The printer has a problem that requires service.

Steady red

The printer top cover is open, such as when replacing supplies or fixing a problem.

Off

If cards were processing when the cover was opened, see “Interrupted printing” on page 5-11 to correct the situation.

Powering on the printer and PC

Use the following procedure to power on the printer and attached PC. You might change this procedure based on your policy.

Power on the printer and PC

If the printer is connected over a network using a print server, make sure the driver is installed and configured on the PC before using it.

1 Load cards in the input tray. Make sure all supplies are loaded. See “Loading

supplies” on page 4- 1 for more information.

2 Remove any printed or rejected cards from the output tray. See “Removing cards”

on page 5-15.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer 5-5

3 Make sure the power cord and interface cable are connected. If needed, see

“Connecting the printer” on page 3-2 for more information.

4 Press the printer Power button to turn on power (1). Observe the printer panel

lights (2). See “Panel lights” on page 5-3. The printer initializes all enabled stations and makes audible sounds.

Panel lights

Power button

ICIV185U

5 Press the PC Power switch to turn on the power to the PC. Turn on power to any

other equipment needed.

The PC can be powered on before the printer; however, you should wait a few minutes for the PC to obtain information from the printer. The PC power can also remain on if the printer is powered off.

Making cards

This section describes several ways to make cards using the ImageCard IV printer.

• The ImageCard IV printer is designed to produce cards continuously. Usually,

cards are sent from a card creation application such as Datacard’s ID W orks™ which captures, organizes, and formats the information on the card. A card creation application is special software that handles the types of information used on cards. See “Use a card creation application” for the steps to follow.

• You also can make an exception card, which is usually printed on a different type

of card stock and printed outside the normal sequence of processin g. For example, if you use the ImageCard IV printer to issue identification cards, most cards might be for employees. Security personnel or visitors might have identification cards printed on different card sto ck. See “Make an exception card”

on page 5-6 for the steps to follow.

• If you do not have a card creation application, you can use another PC application

to format the information to print on cards. If you are encoding magnetic stripe

Figure 5-3: Power on the printer

♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

5-6 Using the printer

data, be sure to use an application in which you can save the result and edit it again, such as Windows WordPad™ or Word. See “Print from a PC application” for the steps to follow.

With any application, test your card design to verify the results. This section also describes some situations that might occur when making cards.

Use a card creation application

1 Follow the instructions for the card creation application to capture, format, and

save the data for the card.

2 In the card creation application, send cards to the printer (usually, use the Print

button). The printer driver receives data for each card, prepares the card for printing, and

sends each card to the printer in the order received. The printer driver keeps cards in a queue if the printer is busy. For a directly networked printer, the print server manages jobs from any PCs that send jobs to the printer.

Developers can write card creation applications using the SmartDriver™ Softwar e Developer’s Kit. This kit can be found on the SmartDriver CD-ROM or downloaded from www.datacard.com.

♦

Make an exception card

1 Wait until the printer has printed all the cards currently queued. 2 Remove the card input tray cover (step 1 in Figure5-4). 3 Hold the card input tray and move the card pusher back slightly (step 2 in

Figure 5-4).

4 Insert the unprinted exception card next to the wall of the card inpu t tray, near the

card pick mechanism (step 3 in Figure 5-4). Make sure the card is oriented correctly, as shown in Figure 5-4.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer 5-7

ICIV079U

Figure 5-4: Load an exception card

5 Hold the card input tray and release the card pusher to hold all cards in place.

Replace the card input tray cover. 6 In the card creation application, send the exception card to print. 7 The ImageCard IV printer picks the exception card and uses the data from the

card creation application to process it. 8 When the exception card is complete, it is placed in the output tray along with all

other printed cards. You can resume normal processing.

♦

Print from a PC application

1 In the application, choose the SmartDriver as the current printer.

The default name for the ImageCard IV printer, when it is installed, is SmartDriver. Your printer might have a different name than SmartDriver.

2 Choose the printer settings that correspond to the cards to print. See “Working

with Properties and other driver dialog boxes” on page 5-4 for more information.

Settings might include the following:

– Enable two-sided printing if you plan to print the front and back of the card.

– Set the margins for the area to print on the card. A setting of Edge-to-Edge is

the same as a margin of 0. – Set the orientation for the card design—either portrait or landscape. – Set the magnetic stripe format and coercivity if you plan to encode magnetic

stripe data. – Enable or disable topcoat or overlay, depending on the options in the printer

and the features you want for this card. – For a shared printer, choose the Ribbon Type to match the ribbon installed in

the printer. (Do not use the autodetect setting.)

3 Using the application's page setup feature, set the following:

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

5-8 Using the printer

– Set the paper size to CR80 Card 2.13" x 3.38". – Set all the margins to the same value as the driver. (You can set the margins

in the application wider than the driver, if desired.) – Set the orientation for the card design—either portrait or landscape.

4 Format the text to print using only a TrueType ( ) font. To print using the K

(solid black) panel of the print ribbon, choose the Black color in the application. All other colors are printed using the color panels of the print ribbon (if you use a color print ribbon).

5 To print on the front of the card, keep data o n one page. To print the front and back

of the card, send a two-page document. (Make sure Print on Both Sides is set to Automatic.)

6 To encode magnetic stripe data, do one of the following:

– Also on the front of the card, enter the information to be encoded on the

magnetic stripe and format the text using one of the following fonts:

• Track 1—Magnetic Stripe

• Track 2—Magnetic Stripe

• Track 3—Magnetic Stripe

• Track NTT—Magnetic Stripe (use only on a PC running a Japanese language Windows operating system)

– If your application does not allow you to select fonts, use magnetic stripe

escapes to identify data. See “Magnetic stripe encoding” on page D-1 for details.

You must select the SmartDriver as the printer in the application for magnetic stripe fonts to be visible. In addition, Windows must be set to display all font s. (Some PC’s are set to display T rueType fonts only.) See Windows help for more information.

The text should use a small type size to keep characters on the same line. In many applications, you can type a smaller va lue, such as 4 po ints, for the type size. To view the characters in a small type size, zoom in on the text. Also, follow these guidelines:

• Avoid formatting characters, such as tabs and returns, in the data for one magnetic stripe track. In some cases, these characters are converted to spaces, which might not be valid characters for the track.

• Do not use typographic features, such as letter spacing, on magnetic stripe text.

• The paragraph style must be Normal.

• The magnetic stripe text, along with graphics and text to print on the front of the card, must be on the first page.

7 When the card data is captured and formatted correctly, select the application’s

print function to send the card to print. The printer driver keeps cards in a queue if

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer 5-9

the printer is busy. For a directly networked printer, the print server manages jobs from any PCs that send jobs to the printer.

♦

Operating tips

• For the most current information about messages, see the online help for each

message.

• Whenever you are encoding magnetic stripe dat a or programming sm art cards, be

sure to handle incomplete cards according to your policy for handling the confidential data that might be on the card.

• Used print ribbon contains negative images of data prin ted on cards. Be sure to

handle used print ribbon according to your policy for handling the confidential data that might be on the card.

While making cards…

The following situations might occur during normal card production.

• The cleaning mechanism might run right afte r the card reaches the print station.

The cleaning mechanism operates automatically, based on the interval you select in the printer driver. It does not slow printer operation.

• Card processing pauses while the topcoat or overlay station heats to operating

temperature. The topcoat or overlay stations include heated rollers that have specific temperature ranges in which they operate. At times, the heated roller might be warming up when a card is ready to have topcoat or overlay applied. That card will wait in the station.

• Card processing pauses while the printhead returns to operating temperature. At

times, the printhead might be warming up when a card is ready to print colors, black, or topcoat. That card will wait in the station.

• Messages from the printer are displayed on the PC.

Card production rate

The following factors can affect card production rate:

• Quality of the card stock and printed cards

• Card features and shade count

• Not interrupting card printing

PC resources, such as processor speed and memory, can also affect the speed of

processing for individual cards.

Card quality tips

Several factors can affect the quality of the cards printed by the ImageCard IV printer. Production rates lower when cards must be made again because of problems with quality.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

5-10 Using the printer

To maintain the quality of printing or to correct problems you see with card quality, consider the following:

• Quality of the card stock

Make sure that cards meet the card quality requirements as described in “Card

specifications” on page B-7.

The blank cards on which you print can have surface irregularities, such as an uneven surface. If you see dropped out areas, as shown on the card in Figure5-5, the quality of the card stock might cause the problem.

Figure 5-5: Dropped out area on a card

Blank cards can also have particles embedded in the plastic. If the printer includes the optional particle detector, and an excessive number of cards are rejected by the particle detector, change the particle detection sensitivity. See “Changing

operational settings” on page 6-15 for more information. Also, consider obtaining

better quality card stock. The quality of the magnetic stripe on the card can af fect how many cards are

successfully encoded with data. If magnetic stripe encoding errors appear regularly, consider obtaining better quality card stock.

• Cleanliness of the printer

The printer supplies can leave particles inside the printer. The particles can attach to the printhead and create lines in printed cards, be trapped under to pcoat or overlay, or interfere with magnetic stripe encoding. To minimize these particles, clean the printer regularly. See “Maintaining the printer” on page 7-1 for more information.

• Printer settings

Selecting appropriate settings for printhead intensity, shade count, card registration, and material type can improve card quality and reduce operating problems. See “Changing operational settings” on page 6-15 for information about settings.

• Age of supplies

Datacard supply product s, such as pr int ribbo n and top c oat or o verla y supply, are dated. If supplies are older than the recommended shelf life, the quality of the cards might decline. See “Supply roll storage” on page B-6 for more information.

• Printing closer than 0.010 inch to a raised edge

Raised surfaces (such as smart card chips, proximity card antennae, holograms, or signature panels) can interfere with printing. Keep printing 0.010 inch or more from raised edges.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer 5-11

Card features

Several card features can influence the card production rate. They include:

• Smart card programming

Smart card programming is controlled by a custom application that sends data to the smart card module. The printer does not control the speed at which smart card programming occurs. The card waits in the smart card module until the custom smart card application indicates that programming is complete.

• Using both topcoat and overlay stations

Applying topcoat using a topcoat station and then applying overlay increases the time required to process a card. Using both topcoat and overlay stations will decrease the production rate, compared to using either station alone.

• Topcoat applied using the print ribbon

The longest print step involves applying topcoat using a print ribbon. To apply topcoat to selected areas of a card, you must use the print ribbon; however, this requires more time in the print station and reduces the overall production rate.

• Shade count

The ImageCard IV printer can print up to 16 million colors on one card, plus true black (K). The printer driver creates these colors with just three color panels of print ribbon (YMC) by combining colors and varying the intensity of each color (shades). Printing the maximum number of colors provides a somewhat more realistic photo, but requires more time to print each card. The printer driver provides controls that you can use to control printer speed by controlling the number of colors printed. See “Changing operational settings” on page 6-15 for information on changing the shade count.

Interrupted printing

The ImageCard IV printer is designed to operate with the top cover closed. If the top cover is opened while a card is processing, processing stops and a card jam can occur. You must prepare the printer to resume printing of cards.

Encourage operators to keep the cover of the printer closed, e ven when they hear an unexpected sound so that the printer has time to handle any situations that occur.

The printer is designed to detect unusual situations and will indicate a problem using panel lights. In addition, a message box appears on the PC that describ es the problem and provides help in fixing the problem. The printer automatically pa uses.

Do not open the top cover unless the printer is paused or you are instructed to open it.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

5-12 Using the printer

Recover from opening the top cover

When the top cover opens, the interlock switch removes power to the motors and fans. Power is removed from the heater in the topcoat and overlay station. The topcoat and overlay stations remain HOT.

1 Check the card location.

– If the card is in the print station, the card stops printing immediately. This can

cause damage to the print ribbon.

– If the card is in the optional topcoat or overlay st ation, the topcoat or overlay is

applied, and then the card stops at the entrance to the station.

– If the card is in the optional smart card module, the programming operation

completes, and the card is not moved.

– If the card is at the optional magnetic stripe module, the encoding process

completes.

A message box is displayed on the PC screen when the printer cover is opened during printing.

2 If the print ribbon is damaged, do one of the following:

– Turn the take-up kno b to move the damaged part of the ribbon past the

printhead. Go to step 6.

– Remove the print ribbon cartridge. See “Removing the print ribbon cartridge”

on page 4-2. Go to step 3.

3 Free the print ribbon from the card if needed. 4 If the print ribbon is torn, do the following:

a Trim the ends of the print ribbon if needed. b Secure the ends of the print ribbon to the take-up spool using tape.

Take-up spool

Tape

Take-up knob

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c Turn the take-up knob on the print ribbon cartridge to cover the taped end of

the print ribbon.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Figure 5-6: Secured trimmed end of print ribbon

Using the printer 5-13

You can remove the card from the print station or allow the printer to clear the card.

5 Replace the print ribbon cartridge. See “Replacing the print ribbon cartridge” on

page 4-4.

6 Close the cover of the printer and press to latch it. If the printer has a lock, lock the

printer.

7 Select the Retry, Cancel, or Okay button on the message box displayed on the

PC. The card moves to the reject bin.

8 Return to the card creation program to send the card to print again.

♦

Removing cards

Remove completed cards from the output tray when an "Output tray full" message appears or to distribute printed cards. The output tray holds up to 250 cards with a nominal thickness of 0.030 inch (0.76 mm).

You can remove cards when the printer power is on or off, or while the printer is printing.

1 If the printer has a lock, unlock the printer. Lift the output tray cover and set aside

(step 1 in Figure 5-7).

2 Hold the card output tray and pull back on the card pusher. Lock it in the notch on

the bottom of the output tray (step 2 in Figure 5-7).

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Figure 5-7: Remove completed cards

3 Lift cards from the output tray (step 3 in Figure 5-7).

Cards toward the front of the printer were printed before cards toward the rear of the printer.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

5-14 Using the printer

4 Hold the card output tray and release the output tray card pusher. 5 Replace the output tray cover. If the printer has a lock, lock the printer.

♦

Remove rejected cards

Remove rejected cards from the reject bin when the "Reject bin full" message appears or when removing completed cards. Cards are rejected by the optional particle detector and when a problem occurs while personalizing a card.

1 If the printer has a lock, unlock the printer. Lift the output tray cover and set aside

(step 1 in Figure 5-8).

2 Lift the cards from the reject bin (step 2 in Figure 5-8).

Figure 5-8: Remove rejected cards

3 Dispose of partly processed cards according to your policies for handling the

confidential data that might be on the cards.

4 Replace the output tray cover. If the printer has a lock, lock the printer.

Responding to messages

The printer provides information to the printer driver about the status of cards being processed. If the printer is not able to process and print a card, the printer driver generates a message on the PC in response to this situation. In most cases, the message is displayed on the PC. Some applications manage printer driver messages, and those messages might be different than described in this section.

In some circumstances, the printer might beep and the status light blink amber without a message appearing on the PC. The most likely causes are:

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♦

• Renaming the printer (Restart Windows to fix the problem)

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer 5-15

• Printing a test card in a printer with a magnetic stripe module, when the card does

not have a magnetic stripe (use a card with a magnetic stripe and make sure the stripe is oriented correctly)

Messages issued by the printer at star tup and some co mmunication messages can be displayed on more than one directly networked PC with a SmartDriver installed. In most cases, a message appears on the PC that sent the card job that has a problem.

Messages include a Help button, where information about recovering fro m the situation is available. Typical messages might indicate that the print ribbon needs to be replaced or that a card is stuck, a card is jammed in the turret, or that the output tray is full. See the “Fix a printer problem” procedure that follows.

When a message box appears, only use the buttons on the message box, so that

both the printer driver and printer can return to normal operation.

Figure 5-9: Typical message

If a message appears repeatedly and you cannot reliably correct the situation, service might be required.

Before you call your service representative, write down the following: – The message and message number.

– The model of the printer, such as “ImageCard IV.” – The serial number of the printer. See “Troubleshooting” on page 8-1. – The driver version and firmware version, described in “Using the Printer

Toolbox” on page 6-10.

Fix a printer problem

1 When a message is displayed on the PC, follow the suggested action. Click the

Help button to identify the likely cause of the problem and th e po ssib l e solut i on .

2 When the printer status light blinks amber, it is safe to open the printer to fix any

problems.

3 From the help topic, click the “Click for error recovery procedures” link to view a

list of printers. Click the link for the printer you are using and follow the procedure provided in the

e-Guide to fix the problem.

Most parts of the printer designed to be used by the operator are colored green. These parts include knobs for clearing jams and handles of supply cartridges.

4 After fixing the problem, close the cover of the printer and press to latch it.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

5-16 Using the printer

5 Depending on the situation, the message box might be removed automatically or

you might need to respond. Cards still in the printer might be ejected. The message box can have one or more of these buttons: – Retry: Clears the card from the printer. The driver sends the card or cards to

the printer again. If the problem is corrected, normal operation resumes.

– Cancel: Clears the card from the printer. The card is not sent to print again. If

the problem is corrected, normal operation resumes.

– OK: Used for a message that occurs when no card was being printed, a status

message, or an equipment failure message. If the problem is corrected, normal operation resumes. (Power cycle the printer if operation does not resume.)

6 If the message box disappears automatically, decide whether to return to the card

creation application to send the card to print again.

♦

Shutting down the printer and PC

Shut down the printer and the PC to which it is attached when you are done making cards for the day or will be away from the system for an extended period of time.

Shut down the printer and PC

1 Make sure all cards have completed processing before turning off the power.

(Choose Suspend in the Printer Toolbox to stop communication between the printer and driver.)

2 Press the Power button to turn off power to the printer.

Power button

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Figure 5-10: Press the power button to power off the printer

3 Follow your policy to secure unprinted card stock, supplies, and printed cards. For

example: – If the printer has the lock option installed, make sure the input and output

trays and covers are latched securely in place. Lock the printer cover.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer 5-17

– Unlatch and remove the card input tray and output tray. – Remove the print ribbon cartridge and optional supply cartridges. Carry

cartridges to a secure location such as a safe, locking drawer, or locking closet.

4 Close PC applications and power off other equ ipment (including the PC) following

your established procedure.

If you store the printer for several months, remove supplies before storing it. Supplies to remove include cards, print ribbon, cleaning tape, and topcoat or overlay supply.

♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

5-18 Using the printer

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer driver

This chapter describes the tasks you perform using the printer driver. It describes:

• How to change printer settings

• How to use the Printer Toolbox

• Operational settings to change in the printer

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

6-2 Using the printer driver

Working with Properties and other driver dialog boxes

Printer driver settings and data are organized in a set of dialo g bo xes o r pages where settings for the printer are displayed and can be changed. Printer driver settings and data are organized differently for Windows Me and 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows NT. Use the section that applies to the operating system you use.

The printer driver allows you to connect one of the following printer types to the same port:

• Select Class with Advanced Imaging Technology (including Platinum™ series)

• Magna Class with Advanced Imaging Technology (including Platinum™ series)

• SP35 card printer

• ImageCard IV

The default printer name when the driver is installed is SmartDriver. References in this guide to the printer driver refer to the SmartDriver. For most installations, the driver detects the type of printer att ached and displays a st atus icon that ma tches the printer type.

Tips for Properties, Printing Preferences, and Default Document Properties

When you use settings, consider the following for greatest success:

• When it is installed, the printer driver uses default settings for the printer. Make

sure that driver settings match printer features and supplies used.

• For settings that affect the printer, such as print ribbon type, make sure that the

printer and PC are connected so the value you select is sent to the printer and saved. (For printers used over a network, see the e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers. For printers connected over a network using a print server, change settings from the Administrative PC first.)

• For settings that affect only the card format, such as landscape or portrait

orientation, the printer does not need to be connected and powered on.

• The Printer Type affects the settings that are available. See the e-Guide for

ImageCard IV Printers for more information about the printer type.

• Select the Print on Both Sides setting before selecting the Print Ribbon Type and

Print Blocking Pattern. The choices available for Print Ribbon Type and Print Blocking Pattern depend on the Print on Both Sides setting.

• The card creation application might include settings that override driver settings.

Also, you can access printer settings through the application’s print feature. (Depending on the application and operating system, settings might apply only to the current document or session.)

• If you change the card design, review all settings a nd make changes as nee ded to

reflect the new card design.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer driver 6-3

• When the printer is installed, the default spool setting is “Spool printing so

program finishes printing faster.” Use this setting, not “Print directly to printer.”

• When the printer is installed, “Enable bi-directional support” is selected. This

setting is required to display messages, print test cards, and for normal printerdriver communication. The printer or driver might stop operating if bi-directional communication is disabled.

• When the printer is directly networked to a PC, the Color Settings page can be

used from all PCs. The Laminator Material page of the Printer Toolbox and Printhead and Laminator pages of Advanced Setup should be used only from the administrative PC.

• When the printer is networked to more than one PC, make sure to select the same

ribbon type on all network-connected PCs.

• A user with Full Control permission on Windows NT, or a user with Allow

permission for Print, Manage Printer, and Manage Documents (on Windows 2000 or XP) should use the Properties or Printing Preferences dialog boxes. A user with administrator rights also can use these dialog boxes. On the client PC when a printer is shared, a user with Print permission can use these dialog boxes.

For printers with optional topcoat and overlay stations, the material type must be selected only when you change the type of material you use. The ImageCard IV printer is factory-set for the material selected when the printer was ordered, and typically does not need to be changed. See “Changing operational settings” on

page 6-15 for details.

If you change the type of printing you do and use a different type of print ribbon, you need to change printer settings. The settings to change depend on the current ribbon type and the new ribbon type. See the information about changing the ribbon type.

Properties for Windows Me & 98

The Properties dialog box includes the following settings or data:

• Print on both sides (duplex printing)

• Print ribbon type

• Card design settings, such as landscape or portrait orientation

• Print blocking pattern

• Whether to apply topcoat or overlay material to the front of the card, back of the

card, or both

• Magnetic stripe encoding formats and coercivity

• Printer type

• Port to which the printer is attached

• Cleaning interval

e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers for more

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

6-4 Using the printer driver

Use the Properties dialog box

Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC. 1 Select Start from the Windows taskbar. 2 From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Printers. The Printers

window appears. 3 Click once on the SmartDriver icon. 4 Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Properties. The

SmartDriver Properties dialog box appears.

If you have the Printer Toolbox open, you can click the Properties button on the

Status page to open the Properties dialog box. The General, Details, Color

Management and Sharing tabs are not displayed.

5 Select the tab with the information to view or change.

To view help for settings, click on the What's This help button and then click a

setting. 6 If you make changes, click Apply to save the settings. Click OK to close the dialog

box.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Figure 6-1: Properties dialog box, Windows Me and 98

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Using the printer driver 6-5

Properties & Printing Preferences for Windows 2000 & XP

The Printing Preferences dialog box includes the following settings or data:

• Print on both sides (duplex printing)

• Print ribbon type

• Card design settings, such as landscape or portrait orientation

• Printer type

• Print blocking pattern

• Cleaning interval

• Whether to apply topcoat or overlay material to the front of the card, back of the

card, or both

• Magnetic stripe encoding formats, coercivity, and other settings

If you use a card creation application specifically designed to create cards, that application might send settings with cards that override driver settings.

The Printing Preferences dialog box also provides access to the About dialog box, which shows the printer driver version.

Settings that control the non-printing operation of the printer are in the Properties dialog box for the printer. These settings include:

• Port to which the printer is attached

• Permissions for other users of the PC

• Printer sharing

The SmartDriver provides help for the Printing Preferences dialog box, and

Windows 2000 or XP provides help for the Properties dialog box. Help provides

information about specific settings of the printer driver . Help does not include step-

by-step procedures or detailed conceptual information.

Use the Properties dialog box

Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC. 1 Select Start from the Windows 2000 or XP taskbar. 2 From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Printers (2000) or

Printers and Faxes (XP). The Printers (and Faxes) window appears. 3 Click once on the SmartDriver icon. 4 Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Properties. The

SmartDriver Properties dialog box appears.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

6-6 Using the printer driver

Figure 6-2: Properties dialog box, Windows 2000 and XP

5 Select the tab that contains the information you want to view or change. 6 If you make changes, click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box. If you

do not want to make changes, click Cancel to close the Properties dialog box. 7 If you change the port, reboot the PC and power the printer off and on.

♦

Use the Printing Preferences dialog box

Printers and Faxes (XP). The Printers (and Faxes) window appears. 3 Click once on the SmartDriver icon. 4 Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Printing Preferences. The

Printing Preferences dialog box appears.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer driver 6-7

Figure 6-3: Printing Preferences dialog box, Windows 2000 and XP

5 If the setting you want to change appears, select the setting. 6 If the setting you want to change does not appear, click the Advanced button to

display the Advanced Options dialog box. Click the plu s sign (+) if need e d to see

all selections. When you click a selection, a list of choices appears next to the

selection. Click the arrow on the box to see the selections available.

If you have the Printer Toolbox open, you can click the Printing Preferen ces button

on the Status page to open the Printing Preferences Advanced dialog box.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

Figure 6-4: Advanced Options, Windows 2000 and XP

6-8 Using the printer driver

If the selections you want to use are not available (are grayed out), make sure the

feature is available in the printer. Also make sure that the printer is powered on

and connected to the PC, and then resume the Printer Toolbox. See “Using the

Printer Toolbox” on page 6-10. For a network-connected printer, see the

for ImageCard IV Printers

To view help for settings, click on the What's This help button and then click

any setting in the Printer Features list. A list of settings is displayed. Selec t the

setting for which you want help. 7 If you make changes, click OK on each dialog box to save the settings and close

the dialog box.

e-Guide

♦

Properties and Default Document Properties for Windows NT

Settings that control the printing and personalization of the card are in the Default Document Properties dialog box for the printer. These settings include:

• Print on both sides (duplex printing)

• Print ribbon type

• Card design settings, such as landscape or portrait orientation

• Print blocking pattern

• Printer type

• Whether to apply topcoat or overlay material to the front of the card, back of the

card, or both

• Magnetic stripe encoding formats and coercivity

If you use a card creation application specifically designed to create cards, that

application might include settings with cards that override driver settings. Settings that control the non-printing operation of the printer are in the Properties

dialog box for the printer. These settings include:

• Port to which the printer is attached

• Permissions for other users of the PC

• Printer sharing

The SmartDriver provides help for the Default Document Properties dialog bo x,

and Windows NT provides help for the Properties dialog box. Help provides

information about specific settings of the printer driver . Help does not include step-

by-step procedures or detailed conceptual information.

Use the Properties dialog box

Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer driver 6-9

1 Select Start from the Windows NT taskbar. 2 From the Windows NT S t art menu, sele ct Settings and then Printe rs. The Printers

window appears. 3 Click once on the SmartDriver icon. 4 Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Properties. The

SmartDriver Properties dialog box appears.

Figure 6-5: Properties dialog box, Windows NT

5 Select the tab that contains the information you want to view or change. 6 If you make changes, click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box. If you

do not want to make changes, click Cancel to close the Properties dialog box. 7 If you change the port, restart Windows and power cycle the printe r.

♦

Use the Default Document Properties dialog box

Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC. 1 Select Start from the Windows NT taskbar. 2 From the Windows NT S t art menu, sele ct Settings and then Printe rs. The Printers

window appears. 3 Click once on the SmartDriver icon. 4 Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Document Defaults. The

SmartDriver Default Document Properties dialog box appears.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

6-10 Using the printer driver

If you have the Printer Toolbox open, you can click the Default Document

Properties button on the Status page to open the Default Document Properties

dialog box.

Figure 6-6: Default Document Properties dialog box, Windows NT

5 Select the tab that contains the information you want to view or change. On the

Advanced tab, click the plus sign (+) if needed to see all selections available.

When you click a selection, choices appear in the “Change

value you want.

If the selections you want to use are not available (are grayed out), make sure the

feature is available in the printer. Also make sure that the printer is powered on

and connected to the PC and resume communication using the Printer Toolbox.

See “Opening and using the Printer Toolbox” on page 6-12.

To view help for settings, click on the What's This help button and then click

any setting in the Printer Features list. A list of settings is displayed. Selec t the

setting for which you want help. 6 If you make changes, click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box.

Using the Printer Toolbox

The St atus p age of the Printe r Toolbox tracks communication between the ImageCard IV printer and its printer driver. The Printer Toolbox icon is located in the lower right corner of the Windows desktop (see Figure 6-7).

. . . “ box. Click the

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User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer driver 6-11

Figure 6-7: Printer Toolbox icon

The Printer Toolbox starts as part of Windows startup and is displayed by default. If you exited the Printer Toolbox, it starts again after a card is printed or after the Properties, Printing Preferences, or Default Document Properties dialog box is opened.

The Printer icon shows the state of communication between the printer and driver, listed in the table below.

Icon Description Indicates

This printer icon is white with a green dot.

The driver and printer are communicating. The printer and PC are connected using a USB or parallel cable.

This printer icon is gray. Communication between the driver and

printer is suspended. The driver is not reporting printer information such as errors. The printer and PC are connected using a USB or parallel cable.

This printer icon is white with green card trays and a white exclamation point in a red circle.

The Printer Toolbox is active but is not communicating with the printer. The printer might be off, cables might be loose, or a problem might exist. The printer and PC are connected using a USB or parallel cable.

This printer icon is white with a blue magnifying glass.

The Printer Toolbox is in advanced setup mode. Use advanced setup when changing printing intensity, the position of printing, or settings for laminator material.

The printer icon is white, includes a PC, and has a green stripe on top.

The Printer Toolbox is running on a client PC using printer sharing over a network. The Printer T oolbox displays the client status and provides access to color settings.

The printer icon is white with a green stripe and dot.

The driver and printer are communicating. The driver is installed on a PC that uses a direct network connection to the printer. The printer is not currently printing cards.

The printer icon is white with a green stripe and yellow hourglass.

The driver is active but is not communicating with the printer. The driver is installed on a PC that uses a direct network connection to the printer.

The printer icon is gray with a green stripe.

Communication between the driver and the network is temporarily suspended. The driver is installed on a PC that uses a direct network connection to the printer.

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6-12 Using the printer driver

Use the Help button on the Printer Toolbox for more information about each window.

Opening and using the Printer Toolbox

You can use the Printer Toolbox to do the following:

• View information about the printer and driver

• Run a cleaning card cycle (see “Using the cleaning card” on page 7-2)

• Suspend communication between the printer and driver

• Minimize the Printer Toolbox dialog box

• Use color settings

• Start or quit advanced setup

Open the Printer Toolbox

The Printer Toolbox dialog box is open by default when you start Windows. You can display the Printer Toolbox dialog box (if it is minimized) by double -clicking the icon in the system tray that looks like your printer.

If the Printer icon is not visible, do one of the following:

• Open Properties (Windows 98 and Me), select the Printer Info tab, and click the

"Open Toolbox" button.

• Open Printing Preferences (Windows 2000 and XP), click the Advanced button,

and select "Printer Toolbox:Open".

• Open Document Default Properties (Windows NT), and select "Printer

Toolbox:Open".

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Figure 6-8: Printer Toolbox

Using the printer driver 6-13

Viewing Printer Toolbox information

The Printer Toolbox displays the following status information:

• The top line displays the current printer or driver status.

• If the printer is directly connected to this PC, the second line displays any

messages. If the printer is shared through a network, this line indicates where to

find information about messages. (This line is blank on a locally connected PC

when there are no errors or when any message has been cleared and processing

resumes.)

• The third line displays information about how the printer and PC are connected,

which can be “parallel,” “USB,” “client PC,” or “directly networked.” If printer is

connected using a parallel port that is not supported, the line also instructs you to

change the port mode to ECP. See “Setting parallel port values” on page C-6.

• The fourth line displays the printer type.

• At the bottom of the dialog box, the Printer Toolbox displays the driver version and

the printer firmware version.

• At the bottom of the dialog box, the “Display Printer Toolbox when the PC starts”

checkbox allows you to determine whether the Printer Toolbox is displayed when

Windows starts.

Suspending the Printer Toolbox

To suspend communication, do one of the following:

• Right-click on the printer icon in the lower right corner of the Windows desktop.

From the pop-up menu, click Suspend.

• On the Printer Toolbox, click Suspend.

You cannot suspend communication while printing a card. Suspend communication before power off to avoid interrupted communication.

Communication automatically resumes when you print a card, or when you open Properties, Document Default Properties, or Printing Preferences.

Exiting the Printer Toolbox

Exiting the Printer Toolbox stops the Printer Toolbox program and closes the dialog box. The icon does not appear in the lower right corner of the Windows desktop.

To exit or stop communication, right-click on the printer icon in the lower right corner of the Windows desktop. From the pop-up menu, select Exit. You should exit the Printer Toolbox when you receive instructions to do so.

You cannot exit from the Printer Toolbox while printing a card. The Printer Toolbox automatically restarts when you print a card, or when you open

Properties, Document Default Properties, or Printing Preferences. If you need to restart the Printer Toolbox, open Properties, as described in “Opening and using the

Printer Toolbox” on page 6-12.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

6-14 Using the printer driver

Minimizing the Printer Toolbox

The Minimize button closes the Printer Toolbox dialog box. The program continues to run.

Starting or quitting Advanced Setup

The Advanced Setup button on the Printer Toolbox changes the printer driver from printing mode to Advanced Setup mode. After you start Advanced Setup, additional tabs appear on the Printer Toolbox where you can change printin g intensity , position of printing, and laminator settings.

You cannot start Advanced Setup while printing a card. Wait until all cards are

printed, and then click Advanced Setup. For information about using the features available in Advanced Setup, see the

e-Guide for ImageCard IV Printers.

While in Advanced Setup, the button on the Status page is named “Quit Advanced Setup.” Click the Quit Advanced Setup button to remove the additional tabs a nd return to printing mode.

For directly networked PCs, Datacard recommends that you use Advanced Setup

only from an Administrative PC, and that you suspend communication at other

PCs connected to the printer.

Color settings

The Color Settings tab is available from the Printer Toolbox at any time. For directly networked and shared PCs, color settings affect cards sent from the PC.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Figure 6-9: Color Settings page and preview

Using the printer driver 6-15

Changing operational settings

This section describes the operational settings for the printer that you can change using the printer driver. These settings can be used to customize the performance of your printer to meet the demands of your card design.

Detailed information about how to change settings is available in help for each tab.

Overview

You must use a PC to which the printer is directly connected to change

operational settings (locally attached or directly networked). You cannot change

operational settings from a client PC using shared printing. You can work with the following:

• Printer values

Before changing many operational settings, record the current values in the

printer using the Printer Values tab. This record will allow you to return to current

settings if the changes you make do not address you r co nce r ns.

You can view or save printer values only from the PC to which the printer is

directly connected (locally or using a network).

• Shade count

For each type of ribbon panel, you can change the shade count (the number of

shades printed). When you change the shade count, the corresponding intensity

changes. The printer requires more time to print a larger number of shades. Use

the Printhead tab of Advanced Setup to change the shade count.

• Preheat

You can change the print performance and appearance of cards you print by

changing the preheat value. The preheat value determines the temperature of the

printhead during the print process but when the printhead is not actually printing .

A higher preheat value keeps the printhead closer to the temperature needed to

print a color , so it more read ily print s p ale sh ades or thin line s. Too high a preheat

value prints a color where the card image does not contain that color (such as an

empty background). The preheat usually does not need to be changed from the

recommended default values. The reco mm e nde d de fa ult value s ar e 96 for Black

(K), 47 for YMC and Tonal, and 7 for Topcoat. Use the Printhead tab of Advanced

Setup to change the preheat values.

• Printing intensity

You can fine-tune the appearance and function of cards you print by changing the

intensity used to print types of ribbon panels. For full-color printing (YMC p anels) ,

intensity affects the lightness or darkness of printing. For black (K) panels,

intensity affects the thickness of letters and barcodes–higher intensity prints

thicker letter or barcodes. For topcoat (T) panels in the print ribbon, intensity

affects the degree of topcoat coverage. Use the Printhead t ab of Advanced Setu p

to change the printing intensity.

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

6-16 Using the printer driver

• Position of printing on the card

You can change where the printing is positioned on the card. When you select

“Edge to edge” as the Print Margin value, you should set the position of printing on

the card for best appearance and smooth operation. (Print Margin is set in the

Properties, Document Default Properties, or Printing Preferences dialog box.) Y ou

can also change the position of printing to address card quality concer ns. Use the

Printhead tab of Advanced Setup to change the position of printing on the card.

• Particle detection sensitivity

If your printer has an optional particle detector, you can change the particle

detection sensitivity if your card stock has a feature, such as a signature panel,

that is detected as a particle. You can also return to a higher level of sensitivity if

you have previously lowered it. As you lower the sensitivity, you increase the

chance of not detecting potentially damaging particles. Use the Printhead tab of

Advanced Setup to change the particle detection sensitivity.

• Type of laminate and topcoat material

If you change the type of overlay or topcoat material you use, you should select

the new material type using the Laminator– Material tab of the Printer Toolbox. The

ImageCard IV printer is factory-set for the type of material you specified when

ordering the printer. Use these factory settings unless you change the type of

material. When you select a material type, defa ult values for the mate rial are sen t

to the printer and current values are erased.

• Laminate and topcoat settings

You can change the temperature, pressure, and speed used to apply laminate or

topcoat to cards. You can also change the position of the laminate on the card.

The combination of your cardstock and the supply material might require values

different from the defaults. Use the Laminator–Advanced tab of Advanced Setup

to change laminate and topcoat settings .

Your service representative can guide you in making settings that will meet your

specific needs.

Operational settings should be changed only by someone familiar with the

operation of the printer and with Windows. Allow enough time to perform all steps

of the procedures to achieve the card quality desired.

If this information does not result in the print quality that you want, contact your

service representative for assistance.

Process for changing settings

Help contains several procedures which help you make specific changes to settings. All of the procedures use the following basic steps.

1 Assemble materials, including:

– Blank cards, for making “test cards” before and after chan ging se ttings. If you

will be making printer test cards and the printer includes a magnetic stripe

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

Using the printer driver 6-17

module, make sure the magnetic stripe test cards and the printer have the same coercivity.

– Permanent marker (for recording data on cards) or a pen (if you record data

on paper).

– Paper and tape, if you want to create log pages. A log page has “test cards”

taped to it with corresponding data (such as setting values) written on the page. Only one side of the card is visible when it is taped to th e log page, but you can write more information on a log page than on a test card or sample card.

2 Save printer values. 3 Identify the setting to change and the result you want. (S t ating the desired result in

a measurable way can help you identify when you have met your goal.) 4 Make a test card and record the current values for the setting to change. Also

record the date and sequence number (beginning with 1).

“Test cards” for this process can be sampl e cards or pr inter te st cards, or they can be printed from the card creation application. If you are changing color

settings, print representative cards from the card creation application. 5 Change the setting and apply the change. 6 Make a test card. Record the new setting and sequence number. 7 Evaluate the result on the test card.

– If the result meets the goal, you have completed the process. – If the result does not meet the goal, return to step 5. Rep eat steps 5, 6, and 7

until you meet the stated goal.

– If you have repeated the steps several times but are not making progress

toward the stated goal, consider whether the goal is possible and whether

changing this setting will lead to the goal. Return to the settings recorded in

step 4.

♦

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Print er

6-18 Using the printer driver

User’s Guide for the ImageCard® IV Printer

DataCard ImageCard IV User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual