P4000 Printer Guide
566372-002 Rev B
January 2006
Information resources for the P4000 ID card printer:
Installation 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 installation), see e-Guide/
InfoCent.chm on the driver CD-ROM.
Message Help If you see a message, click Help on the message box.
Help topics are short and to the point.
Printer Guide This Printer Guide contains operating information for the
printer and driver.
Info Central For in-depth information about using the printer, install
Info Central on a Windows PC, then click the icon on the
desktop. (Insert the PCID Driver CD-ROM and choose
User Information to install Info Central.)
FAQs
Dealer
Customer
Care
The Support and Service area at www.polaroid-id.com provides a
area where you can search for information about a problem you experience.
For help with questions not addressed by other P4000 ID card printer information,
you purchased your product from for technical support. If your reseller is not available or cannot assist
you, please contact Polaroid Commercial ID Systems at 1-866-484-0611. Please make sure you have
the serial number of the printer available at the time of your call.
Contact
number of the printer available at the time of your call.
Polaroid Commercial ID Systems at 1-866-484-0611. Please make sure your have the serial
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
contact the reseller
Contents
About the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Loading cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Loading print ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Check the PC connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Power on the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Status light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Opening Printing Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Open the Printer Toolbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Cleaning the printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Printer supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Getting the most out of your printer . . . . . . . . . 21
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Site requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Legal Notices (FCC) . . . . . . . . Inside back cover
539335-401 Rev A Page iii
About the printer
The outside of the printer
Duplex Module: Optional module at the back 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 resume
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.
USB Data Port: Connect the data cable to the
printer. ALL printers have this port.
Manual Advance Knob: Use to move a card in the
printer or to turn rollers.
Power Receptacle: Plug in the power supply to
power on the printer.
Cable Guides: Hold the data cable securely.
Security Lock Receptacle: Connect the optional
security lock to the opening under the ledge of the
printer (not visible in this drawing).
Tip: Lift the latch to open the printer and see
inside.
1
1
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 (shown with color 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
Features and options
Features and options are identified on the printer label.
• Printers with “U” printing can print one color
(monochrome) only. Printers with “C” printing are full-color
or monochrome printing.
• All P4000 ID card printers have a USB connection.
• P4000 ID card printers can include a duplex (2) module.
•A magnetic stripe module can be a three-track (IAT)
module. It is visible inside the printer.
• P4000 ID card printers can have a 100-card (H1) or 200card (H2) Input Hopper. The Input Hopper can have a
lock (K1).
• An optional smart card module can have:
— Combination smart card reader (SC347) with contact
and contactless reader. Visible inside the printer;
includes a USB port on the printer.
— Contactless iCLASS® (SC205) or HID® prox (SC202)
reader; includes a USB port.
— Contact station (SC400): Visible inside the printer;
includes a serial port.
— See illustration on page 2 for printer port locations.
Page 4
Loading cards
1 Open the input hopper cover.
2 Remove cards from the original package.
Tips: Handling cards
• Cards can stick together: Slide or fan cards to
separate the edges.
• 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.
• Orient all cards the same way.
Page 5
3 Place the cards in the input hopper.
The diagram shows the typical locations for the
magnetic stripe and smart card chip.
4 Push the input hopper cover closed until it
latches.
See Info Central for current information about cards
to use in the printer.
Page 6
Loading print ribbon
1 Open the printer cover.
2 Remove the ribbon cartridge.
3 Remove both used ribbon spools from the
cartridge (if present).
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.
6 Put the empty take-up spool on the spindle with
the solid black gear. Push until the spool clicks
onto the spindle.
Page 7
1
1
7 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.
8 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, such as
®
Jetdirect® 175x) and the PC is connected to
an HP
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.
See Info Central for more information about connecting the
printer.
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” on page 11 for details.
• Follow the guidelines for your organization about
when 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, a red-amber-green sequence, and then
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 condition that requires service or the
printer did not power-on correctly. To attempt to correct
the condition, 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 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 PCID Driver printer icon to select it.
— The driver must be installed for the printer icon to
be present.
— PCID Driver is the default name of the printer.
— From the menu bar, choose File and choose
Printing Preferences, and then click the Advanced
button.
It might take a few moments for the dialog box to
appear.
4 The dialog box opens.
Page 13
Printing Preferences dialog box for Windows
2000 and Windows XP.
5 View settings or change settings.
— Make sure that driver settings match printer
features and supplies used.
— The Print Ribbon Type setting is read from
the printer and cannot be changed (for most
connection types).
— If you change the card design, review and
update all settings for the new card design.
— Use the default settings of “Spool printing so
program finishes printing faster.” and
“Enable bi-directional support.”
— To open the Printer Toolbox, choose “Open
Printer Toolbox.”
6 Choose OK to save and close or choose Cancel
to close without saving changes.
See 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 PC. See Info
Central for details about the icon.
By default, the Printer Toolbox dialog box is displayed. If it is
not, do one of the following to display it:
— Double-click the icon.
— Open the Printing Preferences dialog box, and use
the Printer Toolbox choices.
Use the Printer Toolbox to:
• Run a cleaning card.
• Change color settings.
• Print a sample card or magnetic stripe test card.
• View the status of communication between the printer
and PC.
• Suspend communication when not printing a card.
• Change edge to edge settings.
• Use Advanced Setup to change 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 Toolbox are not available (grayed)
when a card is ready to print or is printing, when there is a
message, or when the printer is powered off. Wait until
printing is done before printing a sample card, running a
cleaning card, or using advanced setup. Some buttons do
not apply to this printer and are always gray.
See Info Central for information about using the Printer
Toolbox.
Page 16
Cleaning the printer
Run a cleaning card and change the cleaning sleeve when changing
the print ribbon. Make sure that all cards sent to the printer have
completed printing before cleaning.
1 Open the printer cover and remove the ribbon cartridge.
2 Remove the cleaning roller.
3 Open the input hopper cover.
4 Remove unprinted cards from the input hopper.
5 Open the Printer Toolbox (if needed, see ”Open the Printer
Toolbox” on page 15).
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 Insert the cleaning card into the input hopper, just past the roller.
9 Click OK on the message box. The printer moves the card
through the printer several times and ejects the card. Wait a few
minutes to allow the rollers to dry.
Page 17
Clean
Printer
Button
10 Slide the used cleaning sleeve off the spindle.
11 Discard the used cleaning card and used sleeve.
12 Place a new cleaning sleeve on the spindle (1).
13 Remove the protective cover from the sleeve (2).
14 Insert the cleaning roller (with a new cleaning sleeve) into the
printer (3).
15 Replace the ribbon cartridge, close the printer cover, load cards,
and resume printing.
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.
• Printing with a monochrome print ribbon requires more frequent
cleaning.
• Clean printer rollers regularly, such as every time you change the
ribbon.
• If you use adhesive-backed cards, use a cleaning card after every
100 cards. The printer might also need additional cleaning.
• See Info Central for more cleaning information.
Page 18
Printer supplies
Ribbon kits and cleaning supplies are available for the P4000 ID card printer. Ribbon kits contain a roll of print
ribbon, a cleaning card, and a replaceable cleaning sleeve. For best results, run a cleaning card and replace the
cleaning sleeve each time you change the print ribbon.
Color print ribbon
Color print ribbon for the P4000 ID card printer is available as follows:
• YMCKT Color Ribbon Kit, part number 3-0104, prints up to 250 images
• YMCKT Color Ribbon Kit, part number 3-0100, prints up to 500 images
• YMCKT-KT Color Ribbon Kit, part number 3-4102, prints up to 300 images (for duplex printing)
Color print ribbons are designed for full-color card printing. The ribbons use the following color panels: Y=yellow,
M=magenta, C=cyan/blue, K=black, and T=topcoat (clear).
Monochrome and Topcoat ribbon
Ribbon with alternating Black (K) and Topcoat (T) panels is available as part of the KT Ribbon Kit, part number
3-0150, which prints up to 1000 images.
Monochrome print ribbon
Several colors of monochrome (single-color) print ribbon are available for the P4000 ID card printer. A roll of
ribbon prints 1500 or more images. The Ribbon Saver feature is enabled by Polaroid-certified monochrome
ribbons. Ribbon Saver increases the number of cards printed with each roll of ribbon.
Page 19
Available monochrome colors include:
Color Part number Color Part number
Black 3-0200 Silver 3-0208
Black HQ 3-4200 Gold 3-4206
Dark Blue 3-0202 Metallic Silver 3-4204
White 3-0204 Metallic Gold 3-4208
Red 3-0206 Scratch-off 3-0210
Green 3-4202 Metallic Holo Fleck 3-4210
Cleaning supplies
In addition to the cleaning supplies included in the ribbon kit, it is recommended 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 3-1002.
• A package of 10 cleaning cards is available. The part number is 3-1001.
See Info Central for complete information about supplies and replacement parts for the P4000 ID card 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
print them only once. Make sure options, such as a 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 (using the PCID Driver) and the card design (using ID Card
Maker version 5.0 or greater).
— 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. Obtain information from your card manufacturer about card
features and placing design elements on the card.
— Do not apply topcoat over a magnetic stripe, signature panel, or smart card
chip.
— Avoid placing an image or important data on the other side of the card from a
magnetic stripe, smart card chip, or signature panel.
with a smooth, glossy PVC surface, and
Page 21
— Follow instructions carefully when replacing supplies, correcting problems,
cleaning the printer, and replacing parts.
• Use cables that meet specifications and connect them correctly.
• Keep cards and supplies on hand and store them safely.
• Keep the printer clean and keep the area around the printer clean.
See Info Central for detailed information about:
• Setting up the printer for the card design
•Making cards
• Changing printer settings
• Troubleshooting
• Supplies and parts, and specifications for them
Page 22
Troubleshooting
What is the problem? Try this:
1 A message appears on the PC. • Click the Help button on the message box to see possible causes
and the solution for each cause. See the “Related Topics” to fix
the problem.
2 The printed cards do not look the
way that was intended.
3 Cards jam often. • The brand of cards might be heavily powdered, dirty, or bowed
4 The ribbon has broken. • Trim the end of the broken ribbon evenly. If ribbon on the take-up
• If you moved the ribbon while the printer was powered off, print
another card. If the problem persists, see Info Central for detailed
information about solving card appearance problems.
(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 Info Central for steps to
clean the printer rollers.
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 Info Central.
Page 23
What is the problem? Try this:
5 The printer does not respond when
printing a card or when clicking
“Resume” on the Printer Toolbox.
6 The printer cover will not close. • Make sure no extra items are inside the printer.
• Make sure the printer is plugged in. See ”Power on the printer” on
page 10 for more information.
• Make sure the printer is connected to the computer.
• If the Status Light on the printer is blinking amber (yellow), press
the Ready button.
• Power the printer off and on (disconnect the power cord from the
side of the printer and then connect it again) to see if
communication resumes.
• See Info Central for more detailed communication
troubleshooting information.
• 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 Production in Info Central.
• Push down firmly on the front edge of the cover to latch it.
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 external 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 11.5 pounds (5.3 kg). The
weight depends on the supplies and options installed.
• The 100-card input hopper is 9.5 inches (241 mm) high
and the 200-card hopper is 11.9 inches (302 mm) high.
• The clearances required are 1 inch (25 mm) at the back,
2 inches (51 mm) on the left side, and 10.5 inches (267
mm) above the printer latch 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 product has been built to the high standards of Polaroid ID Card Systems. See Info Central for the statement
of liability.
Regulatory compliance
This product conforms to FCC and regulatory requirements as specified in North America, Europe, and Asia. See
Info Central for detailed regulatory compliance information.
Trademark acknowledgments
Trademark, service mark, and copyright acknowledgments are listed in Info Central.
Proprietary Notice
All drawings and information herein are the property of the copyright owner.
The design and information contained in these materials is protected by US and international copyright law.
4650 Executive Boulevard
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46808
Dealer information:
Toll free: 866-484-0611
www.polaroid-id.com
Polaroid ®; TM: Polaroid and pixel design.
January 2006 566372-002 Rev B
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