FARGO electronic S000256 User Manual

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Persona® C25 Card Printer User Guide (Rev. 4.0)

Part Number:

S000256

Persona® C25 Card Printer User Guide (Rev. 4.0)

RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics, Inc.

Persona® C25 Card Printer User Guide (Rev. 4.0), property of FARGO Electronics, Incorporated

Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 by FARGO Electronics, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Exclusive permission is granted to authorized resellers of FARGO products to reproduce and distribute this copyrighted document to authorized FARGO customers, who have signed a “no disclosure agreement” regarding the restricted, proprietary use of said document.

The revision number for this document will be updated to reflect changes, corrections, updates, and enhancements to this document.

Revision Control

Date Document Title

Number

Revision 4.0 15 April 2003 Persona C25 Card Printer User Guide (Rev.

4.0)

These reference documents were thoroughly reviewed to provide FARGO with professional and international standards, requirements, guidelines, and models for our technical, training, and user documentation. At all times, the Copyright Protection Notice for each document was adhered to within our FARGO documentation process. This reference to other

ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q9001-2000 American National Standard, (sub-title) Quality Management

• Systems - Requirements (published by the American Society of Quality, Quality Press, P.O. Box 3005, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-3005)

•

The ASQ ISO 9000:2000 Handbook (editors, Charles A. Cianfrani, Joseph J. Tsiakals, and John E. West; Second Edition; published by the American Society of Quality, Quality Press, 600 N. Plankinton Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203)

•

Juran's Quality Handbook (editors, Joseph M. Juran and A. Blanton Godfrey; Fifth Edition, McGraw-Hill)

documents does not imply that FARGO is an ISO-certified company at this time. Any questions regarding changes, corrections, updates, or enhancements to this document

should be forwarded to:

FARGO Electronics, Incorporated Support Services 6533 Flying Cloud Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (USA) (952) 941-9470 (800) 459-5636 FAX: (952) 941-7836 www.fargo.com E-mail: sales@fargo.com

Persona® C25 Card Printer User Guide (Rev. 4.0)

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How to use the guide

The Persona C25 Card Printer User Guide (Rev. 4.0) is, in fact, the troubleshooting and user guide for the entire Persona C25 Card Printer. The guide is designed to provide installers and technicians with quick, efficient lookup of related procedures, components, and terms. The guide can be used effectively in either soft or hard copy, depending on the preference of the installer or technician.

Refer to Section 5: Printer Setup (as needed).

Manual Description

Sequence of Operations, Glossary of Terms, and Technical/Functional Specifications (hyper-linked)

Table of Contents (hyperlinked)

Troubleshooting, Replacement, Removal, Diagnostic, and Navigation Procedures (in hyper-linked Sections)

Cross-Referencing (hyperlinked)

Comprehensive Index (hyper-linked)

You can go directly to the Sequence of Operations, Glossary of Terms, Technical Specifications, and Functional Specifications to learn how to use the processes, procedures, functions, and windows for the Persona C25 Card Printer within concise, correlative Tables.

You can use the automated Table of Contents to quickly locate, for example, an error message, a procedure, the index, or an appendix.

You can go directly to Specifications, General Troubleshooting, Printer Adjustments, and Printer Packing to find troubleshooting, removal, and replacement procedures. The section titles are always labeled according to their function for consistent usage.

You can use the cross-referencing links to quickly locate, for example, an error message or a procedure.

You can use the COMPREHENSIVE INDEX to quickly locate information on the Persona C25 Card Printer, relating to a specification, a procedural step, a window or screen, a component, a term, a qualifier, or a related feature to this printer.

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Safety Messages (review carefully)

Symbol Critical Instructions for Safety purposes

Danger:

Caution:

Failure to follow these installation guidelines can result in death or serious injury.

Information that raises potential safety issues is indicated by a warning symbol (as shown to the below).

• To prevent personal injury, refer to the following safety messages before performing an operation preceded by this symbol.

• To prevent personal injury, always remove the power cord prior to performing repair procedures, unless otherwise specified.

• To prevent personal injury, make sure only qualified personnel perform these procedures.

This device is electrostatically sensitive. It may be damaged if exposed to static electricity discharges.

Information that raises potential electrostatic safety issues is indicated by a warning symbol (as shown to the below).

• To prevent equipment or media damage, refer to the following safety messages before performing an operation preceded by this symbol.

• To prevent equipment or media damage, observe all established Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) procedures while handling cables in or near the Circuit Board and Printhead Assemblies.

• To prevent equipment or media damage, always wear an appropriate personal grounding device (e.g., a high quality wrist strap grounded to avoid potential damage).

• To prevent equipment or media damage, always remove the Persona C25 Ribbon and Cards from the printer before making any repairs, unless otherwise specified.

• To prevent equipment or media damage, take jewelry off of fingers and hands, as well as thoroughly clean hands to remove oil and debris before working on the printer.

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Table of Contents

How to use the guide ____________________________________________________________ 3

Safety Messages (review carefully)________________________________________________ 4

Section 1: Specifications_________________________________________________________ 9

Regulatory Compliances ________________________________________________________ 9 Agency Listings______________________________________________________________ 10 Technical Specifications _______________________________________________________ 10 Functional Specifications_______________________________________________________ 12

Printer Components: Top Cover to Power Port ___________________________________ 13 Printer Components: Centronics-Type Parallel Interface____________________________ 16 Printer Components: Print Ribbons ____________________________________________ 17 Printer Components: Resin-Only Print Ribbons___________________________________ 18 Printer Components: Dye-Sublimation-Only Print Ribbons _________________________ 19 Printer Components: Dye-Sublimation/Resin Ribbons _____________________________ 20 Printer Components: Blank Cards _____________________________________________ 21

Section 2: General Troubleshooting ______________________________________________ 22

Safety Messages (review carefully)_______________________________________________ 22 LCD and SmartGuard Messages _________________________________________________ 23

Reviewing the Top Line LCD Messages_________________________________________ 23 Reviewing the Bottom Line LCD Error / Status Messages___________________________ 28

Communications Errors________________________________________________________ 30

Resolving the Communication Errors ___________________________________________ 30

Card Feeding Errors___________________________________________________________ 34

Resolving the Card Feeding Errors _____________________________________________ 34 Resolving the Flipper Jam error message ________________________________________ 37

Card Jam Errors______________________________________________________________ 38

Resolving the Card Jam: Print Error Message ____________________________________ 38 Resolving the Card Jam: Mag Error / Smart Error Message__________________________ 39 Resolving the Card Jam: Flip Error Message _____________________________________ 39

Print Process Errors ___________________________________________________________ 40

Resolving the Headlift error message ___________________________________________ 40

Ribbon Errors________________________________________________________________ 40

Resolving the Skipping Ribbon Panel problem____________________________________ 40 Resolving the Wrong Ribbon error (being displayed incorrectly)______________________ 41 Resolving the Ribbon Low error message________________________________________ 42 Resolving the Ribbon Breaking problem_________________________________________ 43

Encoding Errors______________________________________________________________ 44

Resolving the Mag Verify error message ________________________________________ 44

Magnetic Offset Adjustment ____________________________________________________ 44

Resolving the Printer cannot read Encoded Data problem ___________________________ 44 Resolving the Data intended for the Magnetic Stripe (printed on the Card) problem_______ 45

Diagnosing Image Problem _____________________________________________________ 47

Resolving the Pixel Failure problem ____________________________________________ 47 Resolving the Card Surface Debris problem ______________________________________ 48 Resolving the incorrect Image Darkness problem__________________________________ 49 Resolving the Ribbon Wrinkle problem _________________________________________ 50 Resolving the excessive Resin Printing problem___________________________________ 51

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Resolving the incomplete Resin Printing problem _________________________________ 52 Resolving the Image Placement problem ________________________________________ 53 Resolving the poor Image Quality problem_______________________________________ 56

Diagnostics and Calibration_____________________________________________________ 57

Running the Standard Self Test Print ___________________________________________ 57 Reviewing the Standard Self Test Print__________________________________________ 57 Reviewing the 15 Shade Self Test______________________________________________ 58 Reviewing the Standard Self test_______________________________________________ 58 Reviewing the Pin Assignments _______________________________________________ 59 Reviewing the Centronics Parallel Pin Assignments________________________________ 60 Reviewing the Printer Timing Diagram__________________________________________ 62 Reviewing the Printer Timing _________________________________________________ 63

Section 3: Printer Adjustments __________________________________________________ 64

Safety Messages (review carefully)_______________________________________________ 64 Dye-Sub and Resin Intensity Adjustments _________________________________________ 65

Reviewing the RP1 Potentiometer location (Printhead Darkness RP1 Pot) ______________ 65 Adjusting the Dye-Sub and Resin Intensity Level__________________________________ 66 Reviewing the Self Test Output Samples (RPI Potentiometer)________________________ 67

Card Offset Adjustments _______________________________________________________ 68

Adjusting the Card Offset for the Print Station ____________________________________ 68 Adjusting the RP3 Card Offset Location_________________________________________ 68 Adjusting the RP3 to center print the Card _______________________________________ 69 Magnetic Intensity Adjustment (magnetic encoding installed)________________________ 70 Reviewing the RP5 Location (Main Circuit Board Layout) __________________________ 70 Calibrating the RP5 Potentiometer _____________________________________________ 71

Magnetic Offset Adjustment ____________________________________________________ 72

Using the Magnetic Offset (RP7 Potentiometer location)____________________________ 72 Determining the Magnetic Card Offset (process description)_________________________ 73 Using the RP7 Offset Mag Potentiometer ________________________________________ 73 Reviewing the Encoding Module (Display A)_____________________________________ 74 Reviewing the Encoding Module (Display B)_____________________________________ 75 Reviewing the Data (being encoded to the Magnetic Stripe of Card)___________________ 76

Sensor Calibration ____________________________________________________________ 77

Calibrating the Color Ribbon Sensor____________________________________________ 77 Using the C25 Card Printer Advanced Document Settings_____________________________ 79 Determining Paper/Output______________________________________________________ 80

Selecting the Card Size ______________________________________________________ 80

Determining the number of Copies _____________________________________________ 81

Selecting the Default Graphic Resolution ________________________________________ 82 Using the Device Options ______________________________________________________ 83

Selecting from the Ribbon Type options_________________________________________ 84

Selecting from the Color Matching options_______________________________________ 86 Using the Picture Controls______________________________________________________ 88

Controlling the Dye-Sub Intensity (YMCB) ______________________________________ 89

Controlling the Resin Heat ___________________________________________________ 90

Using the default Dither Mode ________________________________________________ 91

Selecting the K Panel Graphics Mode option _____________________________________ 92

Selecting the Split Ribbon Print option __________________________________________ 93

Selecting the Print Back Side Only option _______________________________________ 95

Selecting the Print Edge-to-Edge option _________________________________________ 96

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Selecting the Rotate 180 Degrees option_________________________________________ 97

Selecting the Pause for Low Ribbon option ______________________________________ 98

Selecting the Overlay option _________________________________________________ 100

Selecting the SmartShield option______________________________________________ 102 Using the Magnetic Encoding Options ___________________________________________ 104

Using the Coercivity option__________________________________________________ 105

Using the Magnetic Encoding Mode option _____________________________________ 106

Selecting the Magnetic Track Options__________________________________________ 107

Selecting the Track Bit Density option _________________________________________ 108

Selecting the Track LRC Generation option _____________________________________ 109

Selecting the Track Character Size option_______________________________________ 110

Selecting the Track Character Parity option _____________________________________ 111

Selecting the Track Character ASCII Offset option _______________________________ 112

Selecting the Shift Data Left option ___________________________________________ 113

Reviewing the Enable MLE Support checkbox___________________________________ 114

Selecting the Verify Magnetic Encoding option __________________________________ 115

Reviewing ISO Track Locations ______________________________________________ 116

Sending Track Information __________________________________________________ 117

Entering Track Information__________________________________________________ 117

Reviewing Tracks 1, 2, and 3 (in Table format) __________________________________ 118

Reviewing the Track Data Note_______________________________________________ 118

Reviewing the ASCII Code and Character Table _________________________________ 119 Selecting the Custom Non-Printable Area _________________________________________ 120

Using the Non-Printable Area Setup window ____________________________________ 121 Selecting the Smart Encode Mode option _________________________________________ 122

Selecting the Disable Printing option __________________________________________ 123

Selecting the Buffer Single Card option ________________________________________ 124 Selecting the Calibration window _______________________________________________ 125

Using the Image Placement controls ___________________________________________ 126

Using the Sensor Calibration_________________________________________________ 128

Selecting the Self Test button ________________________________________________ 129

Section 4: Cleaning___________________________________________________________ 130

Safety Messages (review carefully)______________________________________________ 130

Cleaning the Printhead______________________________________________________ 131

Cleaning the Printer’s Exterior _______________________________________________ 132

Cleaning the Printer’s Interior ________________________________________________ 132

Cleaning the Card Feed Rollers_______________________________________________ 133

Cleaning the Drive Rollers __________________________________________________ 135

Maintaining the Cleaning Rollers _____________________________________________ 135

Cleaning the Platen Rollers __________________________________________________ 138

Cleaning the Magnetic Encoder_______________________________________________ 139

Section 5: Printer Setup _______________________________________________________ 140

Choosing a good location ___________________________________________________ 140

About Moisture Condensation________________________________________________ 140 Unpacking and Packing the Printer ______________________________________________ 140

Unpacking the Persona C25 Card Printer _______________________________________ 140

Packing the Persona C25 Card Printer__________________________________________ 141 Applying Power_____________________________________________________________ 142 Loading Cards into the Printer__________________________________________________ 144 Using your Card Printer_______________________________________________________ 146

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Connecting the Printer to your Computer _______________________________________ 146 Installing the Windows Printer Driver____________________________________________ 148 Installing the Printer Driver From the Software Installation CD________________________ 149 Installing Printer Driver Updates________________________________________________ 149

Downloading _____________________________________________________________ 150

Installing ________________________________________________________________ 150

Installing the 32-Bit Print Spooler for Windows 95/98_____________________________ 151 Setting up the Printer Driver ___________________________________________________ 153

Windows 95/98 ___________________________________________________________ 153

Windows NT _____________________________________________________________ 153

Section 6: FARGO Technical Support ___________________________________________ 154

Contacting FARGO Technical Support___________________________________________ 154

Glossary of Terms ____________________________________________________________ 155 Index _______________________________________________________________________ 176

Persona® C25 Card Printer User Guide (Rev. 4.0)

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Section 1: Specifications

Regulatory Compliances

Term Description

FCC The Persona C25 Card Printer complies with the requirements in

Part 15 of the FCC rules for a Class A digital device. These requirements are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.

If, however, operation of this equipment in a residential area causes unacceptable interference to radio and TV reception, the operator is required to take whatever steps are necessary to correct the interference.

UL The Card Printer is listed under UL 1950 INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT file number E145118. File Number E145118, Volume 1, Section 15. CSA The Printer manufacturer has been authorized by UL to represent

the Card Printer as CSA Certified under CSA Standard 22.2. File Number LR 88198. TÜV-GS The Card Printer has been tested and complies with IEC950 and

bears the TÜV-GS mark. License Number S9674046 ITS-EMC The Printer has been tested and complies with CISPR 22-13 and

EN55022 standards for EMI emissions and have been tested and

comply with IEC801,-2,-3,-4 standards for susceptibility, Class B.

(Note: Based on the above testing, the Printer manufacturer

certifies that the Card Printer complies with all current EMC

directives of the European Community and has placed the CE

mark on the Card Printer.) License Number V9674047

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Agency Listings

Term Description

Safety Standards

Emissions Standards

UL 1950, CSA C2.2 No.950-95 and TüV-GS (IEC 950).

FCC Class B, CRC c1374, Class B and TüV-EMC (IEC-801 –2, -3, -4; CISPR 22, Class B) CE and BCIQ Class A (Taiwan).

Technical Specifications

Term Description

Printing Method Dye Sublimation / Resin Thermal Printer Printing

Resolution Colors Up to 16.7 million colors and 256 shades per pixel. Print Speed Here are the print speeds:

300 x 300 dpi (11.8 dots / mm)

• Approximately 8 seconds (K)

• Approximately 15 seconds per card (KO)

• Approximately 25 seconds per card (YMCO)

• Approximately 30 seconds (YMCKO)

Print Area Standard CR-80:

• Card Size: 2.125 inches (54mm) x 3.375 inches (85.6mm)

• Print Area: 2.11 inches (53.5mm) x 3.37 inches (85.5mm)

Accepted Card Sizes

Accepted Card Width

Accepted Card Length Range

• CR-80 (3.375 inches L x 2.125 inches W / 85.6mmL x 54mmW)

2.1 inches to 2.13 inches W (53mm to 54mmW)

Single Sided: 3.25 inches to 3.88 inches L (82mm to 98mmL) Double Sided: 3.25 inches to 3.37 inches L (82mm to 85.3mmL)

Continued on the next page

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Technical Specifications (continued)

Term Description

Accepted Card

.010 in. (.254 mil) to .030 in. (.75 mil)

Thickness Accepted Card

Types Input Hopper Card

PVC or Polyester cards with polished PVC finish. Monochrome resin ribbon required for straight polyester cards.

Accepts up to 100 standard CR-80 PVC cards (30 mil).

Capacity Print Speed

• Approx. 8 seconds per card / 450 cards per hour (K)*

• Approx. 15 seconds per card / 240 cards per hour (B,O)*

• Approx. 25 seconds per card (YMCO)

• Approx. 30 seconds per card / 120 cards per hour (Y,M,C,K,O)*

* Indicates the ribbon type and the number of ribbon panels printed where Y=Yellow, M=Magenta, C=Cyan and K=Resin Black, O=Overlay, B=Dye Sublimination Black

System Requirements

Windows 3.1x and Windows 95 driver included for IBM-PC's and

compatibles. 32-Bit Print Spooler available for Windows 95 Interface Standard 8-bit Centronics-type parallel (ECP compatible) Operating

65 º F to 80 º F (18 º C to 27 º C). Temperature

Humidity Non-Condensing 20% to 60%. Dimensions 9.05" H x 17.43" W x 10.94" D (229mmH x 442mmW x 278mmD) Weight 26 lbs. (11.8 kg). Supply Voltage 100 to 240 VAC (2 A) Supply Frequency 50 Hz / 60 Hz.

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Functional Specifications

The Card Printer utilizes two different, yet closely related printing technologies to achieve its remarkable direct-to-card print quality for dye-sublimation and resin thermal transfer. (Note: The Card Printer will print from any IBM-PC® or compatible running Windows® 95/98/ME, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP.)

The following describes how each of these technologies works:

Function Description

DyeSublimation

Resin Thermal Transfer

Dye-Sublimation is the print method the Persona C25 Card Printer uses to produce smooth, continuous-tone, photographic images. (Note: This process uses a dye-based ribbon roll that is partitioned by a number of consecutive color panels.)

• The panels are grouped in a repeating series of these three process colors along the entire length of the print ribbon: yellow, magenta, and cyan (YMC).

• The Printer always prints the yellow panel (first), the magenta panel (second), and the cyan panel (third).

• As the print ribbon passes beneath the Printhead, thermal elements within the Printhead heat the dyes on the ribbon. (Note: When these dyes are heated, the dyes vaporize and diffuse into the surface of the card. A separate pass is made for each of the three color panels on the ribbon.)

By combining the colors of each panel and by varying the heat used to transfer these colors, it is possible to print up to 16.7 million different shades of color. (Note: This blends one color smoothly into the next, producing photo-quality images with no dot pattern.)

Resin Thermal Transfer is the print method the Printer uses to print sharp black text and crisp bar codes that can be read by both infrared and visiblelight bar code scanners.

Like dye-sublimation, this process uses the same thermal Printhead to transfer color to a card from a resin-only print ribbon or the resin black (K) panel of a full color print ribbon.

The difference, however, is that solid dots of resin-based ink are transferred and fused to the surface of the card to produce durable, saturated printing.

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Printer Components: Top Cover to Power Port

Component Description

Print Top Cover

Cover Release Buttons

Printhead Printer component that prints. (Note: This component is fragile and must

Card Cleaning Cartridge

LCD Display The LCD display shows the User the current status of the Printer. The top

Opens to allow access to the Printhead, print ribbon, and card path. (Note: This cover must be closed in order for the Printer to begin printing.)

Unlatches the Top Cover.

not be bumped or touched with anything other than a cleaning pen.) Automatically cleans cards for higher print quality.

line of the LCD reports the status of the printing functions. When the Printer is first powered ON, the Printer's startup screen will

appear displaying the current firmware version and the amount of installed Printer memory (4MB or 16MB).

Once the Printer has finished its startup system check, it will then display Printer Ready to indicate that the Printer is ready for operation.

During operation, the LCD will also indicate the specific ribbon panel being printed, and if any printing errors have occurred.

On LED Light Indicates the Printer power is either ON or OFF.

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Printer Components: Top Cover to Power Port (continued)

Component Description

Ready LED Light

On / Cancel Button

Pause / Resume

Button

When ON, this light indicates the Printer is ready for operation. When OFF, this light indicates the Printer is either OFF or paused and will not operate.

If this light is flashing, a Printer error has occurred. (Note: Refer to the Printer's LCD display for the specific type of error that occurred. See the LCD/SmartGuard Messages in Section 2, page 9.)

The On/Cancel button turns the Printer power ON and OFF. It also serves to cancel the current print job and reset the Printer for the next print job if an unrecoverable print error has occurred.

If a card is left within the Printer after a print job is canceled, it will automatically be ejected when the Printer is turned back ON. (Note: With the Top Cover(s) open, this button can also be used to guidely rotate the feed Rollers forward. This is helpful when cleaning the Printer or if clearing jammed media.)

The Pause/Resume button allows the User to pause the Printer at any time during operation. Note, however, that the Printer will always finish its current task before pausing.

If the Pause/Resume button is pressed in the middle of printing the magenta ribbon panel, the Printer will pause only after the entire magenta panel has printed. (Note: The Ready LED Light will turn OFF when the Printer is paused and ON again when operation is resumed. With the Top Cover(s) open, this button can also be used to guidely rotate the feed Rollers backward. This is helpful when cleaning the Printer or if clearing jammed media.)

Access Card Slot

This is the slot in which a SmartGuard Access Card is inserted when using the Printer's included SmartGuard Security Feature. (Note: This unique option prevents the Printer from operating unless a custom access card is inserted. It also allows the User to print custom SmartShield Security Images which glow under ultraviolet light.)

Card Input

Load blank cards into this Hopper.

Hopper

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Printer Components: Top Cover to Power Port (continued)

Component Description

Card Output

Stores printed cards; up to 100, 30 mil cards.

Hopper E-card Docking

Station Port - For Smart Card

Provided only if the Printer includes an optional E-card Docking Station. This is necessary for support of third party smart card encoding features.

Support Parallel Interface

Connects to a Windows PC with a parallel cable.

Port Power Port Connects to the included power.

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Printer Components: Centronics-Type Parallel Interface

The Card Printer is equipped with a standard 8-bit Centronics-type parallel interface port. (Note: This communication port is the means through which the Printer receives data from the computer. The Printer's parallel interface connector is a standard 36-pin Amp type with two metal-wire retaining clips and is ECP (Extended Capabilities Port) compatible. It mates with a standard, bi-directional PC to Printer parallel cable.)

This section describes the pin assignments and signal specifications for this port.

Caution: Keep the interface cable to less than 6 feet in length.

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Printer Components: Print Ribbons

The Card Printer utilizes both dye-sublimation and/or resin thermal transfer methods to print images directly onto blank cards. Since the dye-sublimation and the resin thermal transfer print methods each provide their own unique benefits, print ribbons are available in resinonly, dye-sublimation-only, and combination dye-sublimation/resin versions. (Note: A letter code has been developed to indicate the type of ribbon panels found on each ribbon.)

This letter code is described as follows:

= Dye-Sublimation Yellow Panel

= Dye-Sublimation Magenta Panel

= Dye-Sublimation Cyan Panel

= Resin Black Panel

= Dye-Sublimation Black Panel

= Clear Protective Overlay Panel

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Printer Components: Resin-Only Print Ribbons

Resin-only print ribbons consist of a continuous roll of a single resin color. (Note: No protective overlay panel (O) is provided since resin images do not require the protection of such an overlay.)

Type Description

Standard Resin Black (K) (provides 1,000 prints)

Premium Resin Black (K) (provides 1,000 prints)

Colored Resin (provides 1,000 prints)

Metallic Resin (provides 1,000 prints)

This ribbon provides high resin durability ideal for most general purpose, monochrome ID card applications.

Resin black bar codes are readable by both infrared and visiblelight bar codes scanners.

This ribbon provides maximum resin durability that is ideal for applications such as access control where cards are repeatedly swiped through a Magnetic Stripe reader.

Resin black bar codes are readable by both infrared and visiblelight bar codes scanners.

Colored resin ribbons are available in different colors for customizing or color-coding resin-only ID cards.

Metallic resin ribbons are available for printing resin images with a unique metallic sheen.

Scratch-Off Resin (provides 1,000 prints)

Persona® C25 Card Printer User Guide (Rev. 4.0)

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Printer Components: Dye-Sublimation-Only Print Ribbons

A dye-sublimation-only print ribbon is available in a monochrome version. This ribbon consists of dye-sublimation ribbon panels which alternate with a clear protective overlay (O) panel. Dye-Sublimation images must have an overlay panel applied to them or they will quickly begin to wear or fade.

Caution: All color or monochrome dye-sublimation images must have the ribbon's clear overlay panel applied to them. If a protective layer is not applied, the card's dyesublimation image will quickly begin to wear or fade. Cards printed solely with monochrome resin text, bar codes, or images do not require any type of protective overlay.

• To apply the ribbon's clear overlay panel, select the Printer Driver’s Overlay / Print Area

tab. (Note: By default, the Printer Driver is setup to automatically apply the overlay panel for a selected a ribbon type that provides an overlay (O) panel.) (Note: The Printer requires specialized print ribbons in order to function properly.)

Type Description

DyeSublimation Black (BO)

(provides 500 prints)

Full-Color (YMCBO) (provides 250 prints)

This ribbon provides a dye-sublimation black panel (B) along with an overlay panel (O) and is used to print smooth, photo-quality black and white photo ID cards.

Dye-Sublimation bar codes are readable only by visible-light bar codes scanners.

This ribbon allows you to print full-color photo ID cards. Since the black panel of this ribbon is dye sublimation black (B), bar codes printed with this ribbon can only be read by visible-light bar code scanners.

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Printer Components: Dye-Sublimation/Resin Ribbons

The Dye-Sublimation/resin print ribbon combines the yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) dye-sublimation panels with a resin black (K) panel.

By combining both types of ribbon panels, this ribbon can be used to print full-color, photoquality images with the dye-sublimation panels along with sharp, black text and bar codes with the resin black panel.

A clear overlay panel (O) is also included on most ribbons to protect the dye-sublimation images. Dye-Sublimation images must have an overlay panel applied to them, or they will quickly begin to wear or fade.

Type Description

Full-Color (YMCKO)

(provides 250 prints)

Full-Color (YMCKOK)

(provides 250 prints)

Full-Color (YMCKK)

(provides 250 prints)

This ribbon is used to print full-color photo ID cards along with resin black text and bar codes. Both infrared and visible-light bar code scanners can read bar codes printed with resin black.

An overlay panel (O) is included to protect the full-color dyesublimation printing.

This ribbon is used for dual-sided printing. By supplying two resin black panels, this ribbon used to print full-color with resin black on one side and resin black-only on the other, without wasting an entirely new set of ribbon panels for the black-only side.

An overlay panel (O) is also included to protect the side of the card with full-color dye-sublimation printing. No overlay is necessary for the resin black-only side. Both infrared and visible-light bar code scanners can read bar codes printed with resin black.

This ribbon is intended to be used for dual-sided printing. By supplying two resin black panels, this ribbon lets you print full-color with resin black on one side and resin black-only on the other, without wasting an entirely new set of ribbon panels for the black-only side.

Both infrared and visible-light bar code scanners can read bar codes printed with resin black.

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Printer Components: Blank Cards

Caution: Never run cards with a contaminated, dull, or uneven surface through the Printer. Printing onto such cards will ultimately lead to poor print quality and will greatly reduce the life of the Printhead. Always store the card stock in its original packaging or in a clean, dust-free container. Do not print onto cards that have been dropped or soiled. Printhead damage caused by contaminated or poor quality cards will automatically void the Printhead's factory warranty.

Type Description

Card Size The Standard CR-80 card size is 2.125 inches (54mm) x 3.375 inches

(85.6mm). The Oversize card size is

Card Design

Card Surface

The Printer will print onto any card with a clean, level, and polished PVC surface.

Although the Printer is equipped with card cleaning Rollers, it is very important to always print onto cards specifically designed for direct-to-card dye-sublimation printing.

Suitable cards must have a polished PVC surface free of fingerprints, dust, or any other types of embedded contaminants. In addition, cards must have a completely smooth, level surface in order for the Printer to achieve consistent color coverage.

Certain types of Proximity cards have an uneven surface that will inhibit consistent color transfer.

Certain types of smart card chips are raised slightly above the cards surface which also results in poor color transfer.

Persona® C25 Card Printer User Guide (Rev. 4.0)

RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics, Inc.

Section 2: General Troubleshooting

The purpose of this section is to provide the User with specific procedures relating to the LCD/SmartGuard Messages, Communication Errors, Card Feeding Errors, Print Process Errors, Card Jam Errors, Ribbon Errors, Encoding Errors, Diagnosing Image Problem, Running the Self-Test, and Interfacing Information for the Persona C25 Card Printer.