FCC ID: GDI-Q10055
SP55 Printer Guide
554733-001
September 2003
Information resources for the SP55 Printer
Installation To install the printer:
To install one printer to a PC using a USB cable,
see the Installation Map, shipped at the top of the
printer carton.
For detailed installation information or for special
situations (such as network inst al l a ti on ), see
e-Guide/SP Series/SP_Info_Central.chm on the
driver CD-ROM.
Message Help If you see a message, click Help on the message
Really! Help topics are short and to the point.
box.
Insert thumbnail of Installation Map here.
Printer Guide This Printer Guide contains operating information
for the printer and driver.
SP Info Central
and e-Guide
FAQs
Dealer
Customer Care
For in-depth information about using the printer or
driver, click the SP Info Central icon on the desktop.
(Insert the CD-ROM and choose User Information
to install SP Series Info Central if the icon is not on
the desktop.)
Service and Support FAQs at www.datacard.com provide answers to questions about the SP55 printer.
For help with questions not addressed by other SP55 information, contact your dealer.
Contact the Datacard Customer Care Center at 1.800.328.3996 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.952.988.2316
(worldwide).
Insert thumbnail of Printer Guide here.
Contents
About the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Loading cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Loading print ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Check the PC connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Status light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Opening Properties or Printing Preferences . . 13
Open the Printer Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Cleaning the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Printer supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Getting the most out of your printer . . . . . . . 23
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Site requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Legal Notices (FCC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
539355-001 Rev. 01 Page iii
About the printer
The outside of the printer
Printer Cover.
Latch: Lift the latch to open the printer cover.
Input Hopper: Open the cover to load blank cards.
Output Hopper: Remove completed cards.
Ready button: Push to pause or unpause
the printer.
The status light helps you
understand printer operation.
See “Status light” on page 11 for details.
Page 1
Ports are located on the left side of the
printer.
Manual Advance Knob: Use to release
a card in the printer or to turn rollers.
Power Receptacle: Plug in the power
supply to power on the printer.
Securit lock receptacle: Connect the
optional security lock to the printer (not
visible in this drawing).
Cable Guides: Hold the data cable
securely.
Optional Smart Card USB Port: See
“Features and options” on page4.
Optional Smart Card Serial Port: See
“Features and options” on page4.
USB Data Port: Connect the data cable
to the printer. ALL printers use this
port.
Page 2
The inside of the printer
Cover Arm: Holds the cover and printhead cartridge in place.
Printhead Cartridge: Applies the image to the card. The label
includes ”YMC” for color or “K” for monochrome printheads.
Print ribbon cartridge with print ribbon.
Printer Label: Includes the serial number and model information
(located on the left side of the printer and not visible in this drawing).
Cleaning roller (not visible in this drawing): Removes dust
and debris from cards.
Page 3
Tip: Lift the latch to open the printer and see inside.
Features and options
Features and options are identified on the printer label.
• Printers with “K” printing can print one color (monochrome). “C”
printing is full-color printing.
• All SP55 printers use a USB connection.
• SP55 printers can include a duplex module.
•A magnetic stripe module can be a three-track (IAT) or single-
track (NTT) module. It is visible inside the printer.
Printing: C or K
Connection: USB
Magnetic Stripe: MS3 or MS1
Smart Card
• An optional sm ar t ca r d mod u l e ca n ha ve:
• Contact coupler (SC1x0 on the label): Visible inside the
printer. Includes a USB port on the printer.
• Contactless (RF) coupler (SC20x): Includes a serial or
USB port.
• Contact station (SC300): Visible inside the printer.
Includes a serial port.
• C ombination smart card coupler (SC4xx): Contact and
contactless couplers. Visible inside the printer. Includes a
USB or serial port. See SP Series Info Central for codes.
Model: SP55 SN:
020120
Config: SP55CUSBIATSC110
Page 4
Loading cards
1 Open the input hopper cover.
2 Remove cards from the original package.
Tips: Handling cards
Do not touch the surface of cards before printing
them. (Oils on hands will reduce printing quality.)
Handle cards by the edges or wear gloves.
Cards can stick together: Slide or fan cards to
separate the edges.
Orient all unprinted cards the same way.
Page 5
3
Place the cards in the card tray.
The diagram shows the typical locations for the
magnetic stripe and smart card chip.
4 Close the input hopper cover. Push the cover
closed to align cards.
See SP Series Info Central for information about
cards to use in the printer.
Magnetic stripe
Smart card chip
Page 6
Loading print ribbon
1 Open the printer.
2 Remove the ribbon cartridge with the used
ribbon.
3 Remove both used ribbon spools from the
cartridge.
Tips: Handling print ribbon
Keep unused ribbon in the original package.
Don’t place ribbon on a dusty or dirty surface–
dirt could damage the printhead.
4 Run a cleaning card and replace the cleaning
sleeve at the same time that you load a new
print ribbon. See “Cleaning the printer” on
page 17 for the steps to follow.
5 Load the new roll of print ribbon on the
cartridge.
• Put the full spool of ribbon on the supply
spindle of the ribbon cartridge. Push until
the spool clicks onto the spindle.
Page 7
• Put the empty take-up spool on the spindle with
the solid black gear. Push until the spool clicks
onto the spindle.
6 Replace the loaded ribbon cartridge in the printer.
• Make sure both spindles rest in the black supports
on the left side of the printer.
• Make sure the ribbon cartridge handle rests in the
supports on the right side of the printer.
• Make sure to install the full, new spool toward the
input hopper of the printer.
7 Close the printer cover. Press down firmly to latch it.
Page 8
Check the PC connection
The printer and PC are connected when the printer is
set up. Before beginning card processing, make sure the
connection is complete.
The USB data cable should be connected to a USB port
on the PC and to the USB data port on the printer.
The printer can be connected in these other ways:
Through a direct network connection, where the
printer is connected to a network (using a print
server) and the PC is connected to the same
network.
As a shared printer, where the printer is connected
to another PC on the network and the user’s PC is
connected to the network.
SP Info Central
See
connecting the printer.
for more information about
Page 9
Power on the printer
Plug in the printer to power it on.
The printer does not have a power switch.
1
Make sure the power supply cord connects to
the printer power receptacle (1).
2 Connect the power cord to the power supply (2).
3 Connect the power cord to the power outlet (3).
4 The printer powers on and initializes.
Tips for printer power
Wait while the printer initializes.
The printer Status Light displays steady green
when the printer is ready to print cards. See
“Status light” for details.
Follow the guidelines for your location to power
the printer on and off.
Page 10
Status light
The front of the printer has a light that provides information about the current state of the printer.
At startup, the status light displays steady amber for several seconds, the red-amber-green sequence, and
blinking green for several seconds. When the printer is ready to print, the status light is steady green.
Status Light Description Meaning
Red-Amber-Green The printer is starting. The light displays colors while
the printer initializes.
Steady Green The printer is ready and waiting to print cards.
Blinking Green The printer is busy, such as when printing cards or
initializing.
Steady Amber The printer is paused (without an error) or is initializing.
Page 11
Status Light Description Meaning
Blinking Amber The printer has an error. Check the following:
• See the PC for a message.
• If you used the Power-on/Ready sequence to
• If you changed the printer name, power the PC
Steady Red The printer has a problem that requires service or the
printer had a power-on problem. Power the printer off
and on before calling for service.
Off The printer power is off.
print a test card, check the printer for problems.
off and on.
Page 12
Opening Properties or Printing Preferences
Begin with the printer connected to the PC and
powered on so values are saved correctly.
1 Choose Start from the Windows task bar.
2 Choose Settings and then Printers (and Faxes).
The Printers (and Faxes) window opens.
3 Click once on the SmartDriver printer icon to
select it.
• T he driver must be installed for the printer icon
to be present.
• SmartDriver is the default name of the printer.
The name of your printer might be different.
4 From the menu bar, choose File and then one of
the following:
• For Windows Me or 98, choose Properties.
• F or Windows 2000 or XP, choose Printing
Preferences, and then click the Advanced
button.
Properties dialog box for Windows 98 SE and
Windows Me
Page 13
5
The dialog box opens.
6 View settings or change settings.
• Make sure that driver settings match printer
features and supplies used.
• The Print Ribbon Type setting depends on
the printer and cannot be changed.
• If you change the card design, review and
update all settings for the new card design.
• Use the default settings of “S pool printing so
program finishes printing faster.” and
“Enable bi-directional support.”
7 Choose OK to save and close or choose
Cancel to close without saving changes.
See SP Series Info Central for detailed setup
information, including information about settings for
card features.
Printing Preferences dialog box for Windows
2000 and Windows XP
Page 14
Open the Printer Toolbox
The Printer Toolbox icon is located in the lower right
corner of the Windows desktop. The icon shows the
status of communication between the printer and driver.
SP Series Info Central for details about the icon.
See
By default, the Printer T oolbox dialog box is displayed. If
it is not, do one of the following to display it:
• Double-click the icon.
• Open the Properties or Printing Preferences
dialog, and click Printer Toolbox.
Use the Printer Toolbox to:
• Run a cleaning card.
• Use color settings.
• Print a sample card or magnetic stripe card.
• View the status of communication between printer
and driver.
• Suspend communication when not printing a card.
• Start or quit advanced setup to change the position
of printing or printing intensity.
Page 15
The Printer Toolbox displays:
• The current state of communication between the
driver and printer.
• Message text, if there are any messages.
• The current port mode, which can be USB, Shared
Mode, or Directly Networked.
• The printer type.
• The driver and printer firmware version numbers.
Communication automatically resumes when you print a
card, or when you open the Properties or Printing
Preferences dialog box.
Buttons on the Printer To olbox are grayed out when a
card is ready to print or is printing, when there is a
message, or when the printer is powered off. Fix the
problem or wait until printing is done before printing a
sample card, running a cleaning card, or using advanced
setup.
SP Series Info Central for more information about the
See
Printer Toolbox.
Page 16
Cleaning the printer
Run a cleaning card and change the cleaning sleeve
when changing the print ribbon.
1 Open the printer cover and remove the ribbon
cartridge.
2 Remove the replaceable cleaning roller.
3 Open the input hopper cover (1).
4 Remove unprinted cards from the input hopper (2).
5 Open the Printer Toolbox (if needed, see page 15).
Make sure that all cards are printed so the Clean
Printer button is enabled.
6 Click the Clean Printer button. A prompt to insert the
cleaning card appears.
7 Open the cleaning card package and remove the
cleaning card.
8 Place the cleaning card in the input hopper (3).
9 Click OK on the message box. The printer moves the
card through the printer several times and then ejects
the card.
Page 17
Clean Printer
button
10
Slide the used cleaning sleeve off the spindle.
11 Place a new cleaning sleeve on the spindle (1).
12 Remove the protective cover from the sleeve (2).
13 Insert the replaceable cleaning roller (with a new cleaning
sleeve) into the printer (3).
14 Replace the ribbon cartridge, close the printer cover, and resume
printing.
15 Discard the used cleaning card and used sleeve.
Cleaning tips
Use the cleaning card as soon as you open the package. The
cleaning solution on the card evaporates after a few minutes.
Some card features, such as signature panels and magnetic
stripes, can require more frequent cleaning of the printer.
Clean printer rollers regularly , such as every time you change the
ribbon. See SP Series Info Central for details.
If you use StickICards™, clean the card tracks after every 100
cards. Use the cleaning pen to reach most areas of the card
track. Use isopropanol and a swab (not included in the cleaning
kit) to reach hidden areas of the card track.
Page 18
Printer supplies
Ribbon kits and cleaning supplies are available for the printer .
Ribbon kits contain a roll of print ribbon, a cleaning card, and a replaceable cleaning sleeve. Datacard
recommends that you run a cleaning card and replace the cleaning sleeve each time you change the
print ribbon.
Color print ribbon
Color print ribbon is available as follows:
• YMCKT Color Ribbon Kit, part number 552854-504, prints up to 500 images.
• YMCKT Color Ribbon Kit, part number 552854-204, prints up to 250 images.
• YMCKT-KT Color Ribbon Kit, part number 552854-506, prints up to 300 images.
Color print ribbon has Y-yellow, M=magenta, and C=cyan/blue panels, a K=black panel, and a
T=topcoat panel. Datacard color print ribbon for SP series printers uses Advanced Imaging
Technology™.
Monochrome and Topcoat ribbon
Ribbon with alternating Monochrome (K) and Topcoat (T) panels is available as part of the KT Color
Ribbon Kit, part number 552854-509. A roll of ribbon prints up to 1000 images.
Monochrome print ribbon
Several colors of monochrome (single-color) print ribbon are available for the SP55 printer. A roll of
ribbon prints up to 1500 images (if ribbon-saver is not used).
Page 19
Available colors include:
Color Part number
Black 552954-501
Black HQ 552954-601
Dark Blue 552954-502
White 552954-503
Red 552954-504
Green 552954-506
Gold 552954-508
Silver 552954-507
Scratch-off 552954-513
Cleaning supplies
Datacard recommends that you order additional cleaning supplies to have on hand to address unusual situations.
A package of 5 replaceable cleaning sleeves is available. The part number is 549716-002.
A package of 10 cleaning cards is available. The part number is 552141-002.
See the Supplies section of SP Series Info Central for complete information about supplies and replacement
parts for the SP55 printer.
Page 20
Getting the most out of your printer
To get the best quality cards and to maintain printer
performance, follow these tips for success:
• Use the best quality cards available with a smooth,
glossy PVC surface and print them only once. Make
sure options, such as a mylar signature panel or a
magnetic stripe, are high quality.
• Match the card design and the supplies you use to
obtain the results you want.
• Edge to edge printing requires high-quality cards
and can require fine-tuning the printer and the card
design.
• Avoid placing an image or important data on the
other side of the card from a magnetic stripe, smart
card chip, or signature panel.
• Locate bar codes at least 0.25 inches from other
printing and from the edge of the card. Make sure
the color used to print the bar code works in your
bar code readers.
• Do not print closer than 0.1 inch from a signature
panel, magnetic stripe, or smart card chip.
Page 21
• Do not apply topcoat over a magnetic stripe,
signature panel, or smart card chip.
• Follow instructions carefully when replacing supplies,
correcting problems, cleaning the printer, and replacing
parts.
• Use the correct cables and connect them correctly.
• Keep supplies on hand and store them safely.
• Keep the printer clean and keep the area around the
printer clean.
See SP Series Info Central for detailed information about:
• Setting up the printer for the card design
• Making cards
• Troubleshooting
• Supplies
Page 22
Troubleshooting
What is the problem? Try this:
Page 23
1 A message appeared on the PC.
2 The printed cards do not look the
way that I want them to.
3 Cards jam often.
4 The ribbon has broken.
• Click the Help button on the message box. The help topic
describes possible causes and the solution for each cause.
Follow the information in help to fix the problem.
• Y ou might have moved the ribbon while the printer was powered
off. The next card will print correctly.
• SP Series Info Central contains detailed information about
solving card appearance problems.
• The brand of cards might be dirty, heavily powdered, or bowed
(curved). Consider buying a different brand of cards or clean the
printer more often to use the cards.
• The printer rollers might be dirty. See SP Series Info Central for
steps to clean the printer rollers.
• Trim the end of the broken ribbon evenly. If ribbon on the takeup spool is not wound firmly or is uneven, remove it. Tape the
end of the ribbon onto the same take-up spool, making the
edges of the ribbon and spool even.
• If the ribbon breaks repeatedly, settings might not be correct for
the card design and ribbon. See Setup in SP Series Info Central.
What is the problem? Try this:
5
The printer does not respond when
I print a card or when I click
“Resume” on the Printer Toolbox.
6 The printer cover will not close.
• Make sure the printer is plugged in. See “Power on the printer”
on page 10.
• Make sure the printer is connected to the PC. See “Check the
PC connection” on page 9.
• If the Status Light on the printer is blinking amber (orange),
press the Ready button for 5-7 seconds.
• Power off the printer and power it on to see if communication
resumes.
• See SP Series Info Central for more detailed communication
troubleshooting information.
• Push firmly on the front edge of the blue cover to latch it.
• Make sure no extra items are inside the printer.
• Make sure the print ribbon cartridge is installed correctly. See
“Loading print ribbon” on page 7.
• If you installed or bumped the printhead cartridge, make sure it
is installed correctly. See SP Series Info Central.
Page 24
Site requirements
Operating environment
• Relative humidity: 20% to 80% non-condensing
• Temperature: 60° F to 95° F (15° C to 35° C)
Electrical requirements
• The power supply is rated at 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz, 1.8 amp.
(It adjusts to any power within this range.)
• Single phase, 3-wire, grounded receptacle only.
Physical requirements
• The printer weighs less than x pounds (4 kg). The weight
depends on the options installed.
• Printer dimensions are 21.5 inches (544 mm) long and 6.25
inches (159 mm) wide. The 100-card input hopper is 9.5
inches (241 mm) high and the 200-card hopper is 12 inches
(305 mm) high.
• The clearance required 1 inch (25 mm) at the back, 2 inches (5
cm) on the left side, and 10.5 inches (267 mm) above the
printer to open the cover.
Do not use the printer in a dirty environment. Do not use the printer
in a closed compartment. Do not block air flow around the printer.
Page 25
Legal Notices (FCC)
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 DataCard® Corporation. See SP Series Info
Central for the statement of liability.
Regulatory compliance
This Datacard© product conforms to FCC and regulatory requirements as specified in North America and Europe.
See SP Series Info Central for detailed regulatory compliance information.
Trademark acknowledgments
Trademark, service mark, and copyright acknowledgments are listed in SP Series Info Central.
Proprietary Notice
All drawings and information herein are the property of DataCard® Corporation.
© 2003 DataCard® Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
11111 Bren Road West
Minnetonka, MN 55343-9015
952.933.1223
952.933.7971 FAX
www.datacard.com
Datacard is a registered trademark of DataCard Corporation.
Septermber 2003 553772-001
Dealer information:
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