Intermec F4 User Manual

Installation & Operation, IPL Version

P/N 1-960490-02
Edition 3
August 2001

EasyCoder F4

Bar Code Label Printer

Preface

Contents

Preface

Tab le o f Contents.................................................................................1

Copyright Information........................................................................3

Trademarks ..........................................................................................3

FCC Notice (U.S.A.)...........................................................................4

DOC Notice (Canada).........................................................................4

GS Notice (Germany).........................................................................4

EU Standard EN 55022 (The European Union)...............................4

Declaration of Conformity (CE)........................................................5

1. Introduction

Safety Precautions...............................................................................7

Product Labeling.................................................................................7

2. In s ta l l a t i o n

Front View...........................................................................................9

Rear View ..........................................................................................10

Media Compartment.........................................................................1 1

Print Mechanism...............................................................................14

Connections .......................................................................................15

• Power.............................................................................................15

• Computer.......................................................................................15

Controls and Indicators .....................................................................16

• Control Lamps..............................................................................16

• Display...........................................................................................1 6

• Keyboard.......................................................................................1 7

• Beeper ...........................................................................................17

3. Starting Up

4. Media Load

T ear-Off (Straight-through) with Quick-Load.................................23

Peel-Off (Self-strip)...........................................................................25

External Supply (fanfold)..................................................................29

5. Thermal Transfer Printing

6. Setting Up the Printer

Default Setup .....................................................................................34

Setup Parameters:..............................................................................35

• Serial Communication:................................................................35

EasyCode r F4

- Baud Rate ...................................................................................35

Installation & Operation

- Data Bits......................................................................................35

IPL Ve rsion

- Parity...........................................................................................35

Edition 3, August 2001
Part No. 1-960490-02

Description...........................................................................................6

Unpacking............................................................................................8

Switching On.....................................................................................18

T ear -Off (Straight-through) ..............................................................19

Ribbon Load ......................................................................................30

Description.........................................................................................34

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 1

Preface

Contents, cont.

6. Setting Up the Printer, cont.

- Protocol.......................................................................................36

• T est/Service: .................................................................................38

- T estprint......................................................................................38

- Data Dump .................................................................................39

- Memory Reset............................................................................39

- Label Rest Dots..........................................................................39

- Form Adj Dots X........................................................................39

- Form Adj Dots Y........................................................................39

• Media: .......................................................................................... 40

- Media T ype................................................................................ 40

- Paper T ype................................................................................. 40

- Label Length ............................................................................. 40

- Sensitivity .................................................................................. 40

- Darkness .....................................................................................4 1

7 . Setup Mode

Navigating in Setup Mode................................................................42

Setup Mode Overviews.....................................................................43

8. Options

DTP Model ........................................................................................47

Side Doors and Megatop...................................................................47

Integral Liner T akeup U nit...............................................................47

Media Supply Hub.............................................................................47

3-inch Adapter...................................................................................47

Quick-Load Guides...........................................................................48

Label Taken Sensor...........................................................................48

Interface Boards ................................................................................48

9. T roubleshooting

10. Maintenance

External Cleaning..............................................................................53

Cleaning the Media Guides..............................................................54

Printhead Replacement.....................................................................55

11. Adjustments

Label Stop Sensor Position...............................................................59

Printhead Pressure............................................................................ 60

Ribbon Break Shaft Adjustment ......................................................61

Entering the Setup Mode..................................................................42

Introduction....................................................................................... 46

Troubl eshooting List..........................................................................49

Printhead Cleaning............................................................................50

Narrow Media Adjustment...............................................................58

- Stop Bits......................................................................................35

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 32

Contents, cont.

Preface

Appendix 1
Appendix 2

• Direct Thermal Media................................................................ 64

• Thermal Transfer Media............................................................. 64

• Media Roll Size ............................................................................65

• Media.............................................................................................66

- Non-Adhesive Strip....................................................................66

- Self-A dhesiv e S trip ....................................................................67

- Self-A dhesiv e Labels.................................................................68

- Tickets with Gap........................................................................69

- Tickets with Black Mark............................................................70

• Transfer Ribbons ..........................................................................71

• Setting the Media Sensitivity Number........................................72

Appendix 3

• RS-232 Interface...........................................................................75

• IEEE 1284 Parallel Interface Board (option).............................76

• EasyLAN 100i Interface Board (option)....................................77

Appendix 4

Information in this manual is subject to change without prior notice and does not represent a commitment
on the part of Intermec Printer AB.

© Copyright Intermec Printer AB, 2001 . All rig hts reserved. Published in Sweden.
EasyCoder, EasyLAN, Finge rprint, and LabelShop are registered trademarks of Intermec Technologies

Corp. T he word Interm ec, the Inter mec logo, Prin tSet, a nd Durather m are tradem arks of Inter mec
Technologies Corp.
Kimdura is a registered trademark of Kimberly Clark.
Centronics is a registered trademark of Genicom Corporation
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
To rx is a reg ister ed trademark of Camcar Division of T extron Inc.
T rueDoc is a registered trademark of Bitstream, Inc.
T rueType is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc.
Unicode is a trademark of Unicode Inc.
Valeron is a re g istered tr ademark of Van Leer Worldwide
Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

T echnical Data...................................................................................62

Media Specifi cations........................................................................ 64

Interfaces............................................................................................75

Supported IPL- 3 commands.............................................................78

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 3

Preface

FCC Notice (United States of America)

WARNING

This equ ipment generates, uses, and ca n rad iate ra dio f requency energy a nd i f not insta l led a nd used i n
accordance with the i nstr uctions manual, may cause inter ference to radio communications. It has been
tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A computing device pursuant to Subpart J of Part
15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference when
operated i n a commercial environm ent. Operation of this e quipment in a residential ar ea is likely to
cause interference in which case the user at his own expense will be required to ta ke whatever measures
may be required to correct the interference.

DOC Notice (Canada)

Canadian Dept. of Communication

REGULATIONS COMPLIANCE (DOC-A)

This digital apparatus does not exceed the class A limits for radio noise emissions from a digital apparatus
as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department of Communication.

Ministère des Communications du Canada

CONFORMITE DE REGLEMENTS (DOC-A)

Le présen t appareil numériq ue n ’émet pas de bruits radio-électriques dépassant les limites applicables aux
appareils numériques de classe A prescrites dans le règlemen t sur brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le
Ministère des Communications du Canada.

GS Notice (Germany)

ALLGEMEINE VORSCHRIFT

Reparaturen oder sonstige Eingriffe, die sich nicht auf normale Bedienung der Maschine beziehen, dürfen
ausschließlich nur von einem ausgeb ildeten, zuständigen F achmann vorgenommen werden.

EU Standard EN 55022 (The European Union)

WARNING

This is a Class A I TE pro duct. In a domestic environment t his product may cause rad io inter ference in
which case the user may be required to take adequate measures.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 34

Declaration of Conformity

We,

Intermec Printer AB

Idrottsvägen 10

Box 123

S-431 22 Mölndal

Sweden

declare under our sole responsibility1 that the product

EasyCoder F4

to which this declaration relates

is in conformity with the following standards

EMC:

EN 50 081-1:1992

EN 55 022:1994

EN 61 000-3-2:1995, class A

EN 50 082-2:1995
EN 61 000-4-2:1995
EN 61 000-4-3:1996

ENV 50 204:1995
EN 61 000-4-4:1995
EN 61 000-4-6:1996

Electrical Safety:

EN 60 950

following the provisions of Directives

89/336/EEC and 73/23/EEC

Mölndal 1999-09-01

Preface

...................................................................

Mats Gunnarsson

President

1

/. Intermec assumes no responsibility regarding the CE Directive if the

printer is handled, modifi ed, or installed in other manners than those described in

Intermec’s manuals.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 5

Chapter 1

Introduction

Description

The EasyCoder F4 is a sturdy medium-duty direct thermal/thermal
tr ans fer pr inte r with a p rin the ad res oluti on of 8 dot s per m m
(20 3.2 dots p er inch ) and a ma xim um pri nt widt h of 104 mm
(4.095 inches).

The Easy Coder F4 is delivered with the I ntermec P rogramm ing
Language (IPL- 3) installed. There is also a version of the EasyCoder
F4 tha t uses the I nterme c Finger print P rogra mmin g Langua ge.
Mechanically, the IPL version is iden tical to the Intermec Fingerprint
version, but a f ew options are not supported by IPL-3, f or ex ample:

• Optional double serial and industrial interface boards

• Electronic keys

• Memory cards (except for fi rmware upgrading)

• EasySet Bar Code Wand

• Real Time Clock Circuit

In most respects, the EasyCoder F4 IPL version is compatible with
other IPL pri nters f rom Inter me c. Please refer to Appendix 4 for a
list of supported IPL- 3 commands.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 36

Chapter 1 Introduction

Safety
Precautions

Product Labeling

Intermec a ssumes no responsibility regarding the CE Dire ctive if
the printer is handled, modifi ed, or installed in a ny way other than
described in Intermec’s manuals.

Caution

• Read this manual carefully before connecting the printer.

• Moving parts are exposed when the side door is open, so ensure

that the door is closed before you operate the printer.

• Do not open the front/left-hand cover. Dangerous v o ltage!

• Do not remove the bottom plate. Dangerous vol tage!

• Do not put your fi ngers inside the print mechanism when

the powe r i s o n .

• Place the printer on an even surface which can support its wei ght
of approximately 7 kg ( 1 5 .5 lb ) pl us supp lies.

• Do not spray the printer with water. If you are using a hose to clean
the premises in an industrial environment, remove the printer or
protect it carefully from spray and moisture.

• Carefully read the war ning text on the envelope before using
a cleaning card.

The machine label is attached to the printer’s rear plate and contains
information on type, model, and serial number a s well as AC input
voltage range. I t also contains various signs of approval.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 7

Chapter 2

Installation

Unpacking

Before you inst all the p rinter, exam ine the p ackage for possible
damage or missing parts:

• Open the box and lift the printer out.

• Check that the printer has not been visibly damaged during

transpor tat ion. Keep the packing mat erials i n case you need to
move or reship the printer.

• Check the label on the printer’s rear plate, which giv es the voltage,
the part number, and the serial number.

• Check that any options you ordered are included.

• Check that all accessories are included. As standard, the

box contains:

- Intermec EasyCoder F4 printer

- Two sets of Quick-Load guides (wide and narrow)

- Power cord (at least one depending on model)

- Quality check card

- Cleaning card

- Short strip of labels

- Adapter for 3-inch media roll core (only in models fi tted

with a rotating media supply hub)

- Starter pack of thermal transfer ribbon (thermal transfer

models only)

- User’s Guide (multilingual)

- Installation & Operation manual

- Supporting software and product information on CD.

• Check that the power cord is appropriate for the local standard. The
printer works within 100 to 240 VAC, 50 to 60Hz.

1

1

1

/. T ype and quantity may vary,
or labels/ribbon may be omit­ted completely, dependi ng on
area of distribution.

European-type US/Canadian-type GB-type
230V mains plug 115V mains plug 230V mains plug

If the pr inter has b een da maged in a ny way during tra nspor tat ion,
complain to the carrier immediately.

If t he del iver y is inc orr ect or a ny par ts a re mi ssing , repo rt it
immediate ly to the di s trib u t o r.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 38

Chapter 2 Installation

Front View

Control Lamps

Display Window

Keyboard

Print Mechanism

At the front of the printer are the display window, the control lamps,
and the keyboard. These featu res a l low the operator to cont rol and
set up the printer manually .

The p rinte d labels, t ickets, or t ags are pr esente d at the fr ont of
the print mechanism.

Side Door

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 9

Chapter 2 Installation

Rear View

The r ear plat e conta ins th e On/ Off sw itch, the AC power c ord
receptacle, and various interface connectors and slots.

(not used)

(not used)

Provision for one Interface Board

On/Off Switch
AC Power Cord Receptacle

RS-232 Serial Interface Socket

Memory Card Slot (for fi rmware upgrade)

(not used)

Machine Label

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 310

Chapter 2 Installation

Media Compartment

Thermal Transf er Mechanism

(optional)

The media compa rt ment is either covered by a long side door that
completely encloses the print mechanism and media compartment,
an 8-inch Megatop for extra large media rolls, or a short side door that
only covers the print mechanism and giv es easy access to the media
stock. The door is held by a magnetic lock. It can be opened 180° so
to provide full access to the media compartment.

The media supply can be from a supply post, or from an exter nal
supply of fan folds beh ind the pri nter. There is a lso an optiona l
rotating media supply hub, see Chapter 8 “Options.”

Media Supply

Roll Post

with Edge Guide

Print Mechanism

Long Side Door

Optional Integral Liner
Takeup with Guide Shaft

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 11

Chapter 2 Installation

Media Compart­ment, cont.

Since the EasyCoder F4 has a modular design, it uses a media supply
roll post that can be fi tted in three different positions inside the
media compartment. The position depends on the type of side door
(long, short, or Megatop) and whether or not the printer is fi tted with
an integral liner takeup. Alternatively, an external media supply
(for example a box of fan folded tickets) behind the printer ca n be
used. A rotating med ia supply hub is also available as an option,
see Chapter 8, “Option s.”

Media Supply Roll Post

The media supply roll post fi ts b oth 38-40 m m (1.5 inches) an d
76 mm (3.0-inches) cores, since it can be moved vertically in the
slot i n the ce nter s ectio n. The b otto m posit ion is int ende d for
small cores and t he top position for large cores only. The post is
locked by a straight-slot screw and has a moveable edge guide to
fi t various media widths.

76 mm

(3 inches)

Edge Guide

CORE

38 - 40 mm

(1.5 inches)

Screw

T o mo v e the post to a different slot; remov e the screw, twist the post
a quarter of a turn, and pull it out.

To fi t the post; rotate it a quarter of a turn, insert it into the approp-
riate slot in the c enter section (see next page), and twist back so
the l ips enga ge the cut outs in t he sides of t he slot. M ove it up
(large core) or down (small core) as far as it goes and secure it
with the screw .

Caution!

Make sure to adjust the posit ion o f the p ost a ccording to the size
of the media roll core. W he n th e pos t is fi tted in the top position ,
the head of the screw will interfere with small (38 mm/1.5 inches)
cores, causing media misalignment.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 312

Chapter 2 Installation

Media Compart­ment, cont.

Media Supply Positions

There are four sets of slots and threaded holes in the printer’s center
section for th e media supply roll post or rot ating hub (optional) .
The se slots a llow th e large st possib le roll si ze to fit, given t he
limitati ons o f any liner take up uni t and/or the fu ll enc los ure pro vide d
by the long side door or Megatop. The positions are indicate d by
numbers engraved in the center section.

• Position 1 is used when the media compartment is fully enclosed
by a long si de door, regardless of the existence of any integral liner
takeup unit. Maximum roll size is 152 mm (6 inches).

• Position 2 is used when the printer has a short side door that only
encloses the print mechanism, but does not hav e an integral liner
takeup unit. Maximum roll size is 213 mm (8.38 inches).

• Position 3 is used when the printer has a short side door a nd an
integral liner takeup unit. This position is also used with the
optional 8-inch Megatop, see Chapter 8, “Optio ns.” Maximum
roll size is 21 3 mm (8.38 inches).

• Position 4 is reserved for possib le future devel opment.

The printer can also use an external media supply located behind the
printer, unless it has an optional 8-inch Megatop .

3

2

1

4

Pos. 3
Pos. 2
Pos. 1

(Pos. 4)

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 13

Chapter 2 Installation

Print Mechanism

The print me chanism features a h igh-performa nce 8 dots-per-mm
(203.2 dots-per-inch) thermal printhead with quick-mount fi ttings
to facilitate replacemen t. The thermal transfer ribbon mechanism is
omitted in dedicated direct thermal printing models.

Ribbon Supply Hub

Ribbon Rewind Hub

Thermal Printhead

Tear Bar

Platen Roller

Pressure Arm

Printhead Lift Lever

Edge Guide

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 314

Connections

Chapter 2 Installation

Power

Computer

1 Place the printer on a lev el surface near an AC outlet. Y ou should

be able to easily access the printer to load media, to load ribbon,
and to remove the printout

2 Check that the printer is switched off.
3 Connect the power cord between the receptacle on the rear plate

and an electrical outlet (>90 to <264 VAC).

The EasyCoder F4 is fi tted with one 25pin D-style submi niature
(DB25) socket for the RS-232 serial interface port (see Appendix

3). The p rinter is a lso prepared for one opt ional inter face board

(auto-sensing).

• RS-232 Serial Interface

Use the serial interface when you need a two-w ay communication

between printer and host computer. Before you can use the
serial interface, you may need to set up the communication
parameters, such as baud rate, parity, etc. as described in Chapter
6, “Setting Up the Printer.”

• Parallel Interf ac e Board

Optional. Refer to Appendix 3 a nd the separ ate documentat ion

delivered with the board for connection and setup instructions.

• EasyLAN 100i Interface Board

Optional. Refer to Appendix 3 and t he separat e documentat ion

delivered with the board for connection and setup instructions.

Switch of f both t he PC and t he prin ter before c onnect ing them
together.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 15

Chapter 2 Installation

Controls and
Indicators

Control Lamps

The EasyCoder F4 has several ways of communicating directly with
its operator: thre e control lamps, a display window, a membrane­switc h k eyboard wi th 2 2 k e ys, a bi g “Feed” button on the printer’s
front, and a beeper. Only some of the key s are used with IPL.

The control lamps a re colored LEDs (Light Emitt ing Diodes) and
indicate the following conditions:

• Power (green):
On Power on
Off Power off

• Ready (green):
On Media fault detected
Flashing Printer offl ine
Off Printer online

• Error (red):
On System fault detected
Flashing Printer overtemperature
Off OK

Display

The d isplay window con tain s an LCD ( Liquid Cryst al Displ ay)
with background illumination and two lines of text, each with
16 characte rs. It guides t he operator t hrough upg rading, st art up,
and se tup.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 316

Controls and Indicators, cont.

Chapter 2 Installation

Keyboard

Beeper

The keyboard is of membra ne-switch type and has 22 keys. The
keyboard is supplemented by a large “Feed” button on the printer’s
front. Only four of these keys plus the “Feed” button are work ing
with I PL (except in the Set up Mode where t he keyboard work s
differently, see Chapter 7, “Setup Mode”).

Condition <Feed> <C> <Pause> <Setup>

Idle Feed/Reload – Toggle offl ine/online Enter Setup Mode
Printing – – Hold printing –
Paused Feed/Reload Cancel print job Resume printing Enter Setup Mode

“Feed” means advanci ng the media one form, whereas “Reload”
means notifying the hardware when certain confi guration commands
have been entered.

The be ep e r n o ti fi es the operator that a key has been pressed.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 17

Chapter 3

Starting Up

Switching On

Before switching on the pri nter, make the necessa ry connect ions
and c he c k tha t the p rin the ad i s engag e d.

Switch on the power us ing the On/Off switch on the rear plate. The
“Power” control lamp on the front pa nel lights up when the power
is on. Wait for a few moments, while the printer loads the program
and runs some self-diagnostic tests.

Whi le the pri nter is init ialize d, the progre ss of the initia lizat ion
is indicated by an increasing number of colons on the lower line
in the display:

Initializing
:::

When the in itialization is completed, a label is fed out. Then t he
follow ing mess age appe ars, i ndica ting t hat the p rint er is rea dy
for operation:

IPL Ver 1.3
9600-8-N-1-X/X

The uppe r line ind icates the I PL version number and lower line
shows t he eithe r the pr esent s eria l commu nica tion set up or a n
error message:

- Paused

- Printhead Up

- Press Feed

- Paper Out

- Ribbon Out

- Printhead Hot

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 318

Media Load

Chapter 4

Tear-Off

(Straight-through)

Important!

Sa ve the l abe l ind ica ting t he
sensitivity num ber attached to
th e medi a roll . You will n eed
th is nu mber t o set t he me dia
sensitivity, see Appendix 2.

1

The EasyCoder F4 can print on labels, tickets, tags, and continuous
stock in various forms. Th is chapter describes the case when the
media is to be torn off manually against the pr i nter’s tear bar. This
method is also known as “straight-through printing”.

T ear-off can be used for:

• Non-adhesive continuous stock

• Self-adhesive continuous stock wi th liner

• Self-adhesive labels with liner

• Tickets with gaps, with or without perforations

• Tickets with black marks, with or without perforations

2

Turn the printhead lift lever clockwise to raise

Open the side door.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 19

the printhead.

Chapter 5 Ribbon Load

Tear-Off, cont.

43

3

2

1

4

Remove any empty core from the media supply

roll post.

5

3

2

1

4

Fit a new roll of media on the supply post and

adjust the edge guide so the roll becomes fl ush

with the center section.

6

Route the media through the print mechanism.

Then push it inwards as far as it will go. This diagram shows the media path.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 320

Tear-Off, cont.

7 8

Chapter 4 Media Load

Turn the printhead lift lever counterclockwise

to engage the printhead.

9

Close the side door.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 21

Adjust the position of the green edge guide so

the media is guided with a minimum of play.

10

Press the Feed key to advance the media and

adjust the media feed.

Chapter 4 Media Load

Tear-Off, cont.

11

To tear off the media, grab the outer edge and

pull downwards.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 322

Chapter 4 Media Load

Tear-Off with Quick-Load

(Straight-through)

Important!

Sa ve the l abe l ind ica ting t he
sensitivity num ber attached to
th e medi a roll . You will n eed
th is nu mber t o set t he me dia
sensitivity, see Appendix 2.

1

In addition to the media load procedure for tear-off (s traight-through)
operation described e arlier in this chapter, the Ea syCoder F4 can
optionally be fi tted with a set of Quick-Load guides that makes media
load much easier and quicker , especially if the printer has a short side
door. See Chapter 8, “Options” for installation instructions.

The p rint er is nor mally de livered wit h two set s of Quick-Loa d
guides: wide and narrow . The wide type generally guides the media
better, but the media must be at least of 80 mm (3.15 inches) wide.
The nar row type a llows a media width as nar row as 40 mm (1.57
inches), but may be less suited for wide and thin media. Illustrations
in this chapter show the narrow type of guides.

Quick-Load cannot be combined with peel-off (self-strip) opera­tion .

2

Fit a new roll of media on the supply post and

Remove any empty core from the media supply

roll post.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 3 23

adjust the edge guide so the roll becomes fl ush

with the center section.

Chapter 4 Media Load

Tear-Off with Quick-Load, cont.

3 4

Insert the media between the guides and feed

If necessary, adjust the outer Quick-Load

guide to fi t the width of the media.

it forward until the media reaches the platen

roller and cannot be inserted any further.

5

Keep pushing the media forward while

pressing the Feed key.

6

To tear off the media, grab the outer edge and

pull downwards.

Intermec EasyCoder F4 – Installation & Operation IPL Version, Ed. 324