Printronix T2N User Manual

T2N User’s Manual

This document contains proprietary information protected by copyright. No part of this document may be reproduced, copied, translated, or incorporated in any other material in any form or by any means, whether manual, graphic, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Printronix.

Printronix makes no representations or warranties of any kind regarding this material, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Printronix shall not be held responsible for errors contained herein or any omissions from this material or for any damages, whether direct or indirect, incidental or consequential, in connection with the furnishing, distribution, performance, or use of this material. The information in this manual is subject to change without notice.

Trademark Acknowledgements

CG Triumvirate is a trademark of Agfa Corporation. CG Triumvirate Bold Condensed font is under license from the Monotype Corporation. Printronix and T2N are trademarks of Printronix, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 9

Product Overview ................................................................................................................ 9

Applications ..................................................................................................................... 9

Product Features ...............................................................................................................10

Printer Standard Features ..............................................................................................10

Printer Optional Features ...............................................................................................12

RS-232C Pin Configuration ................................................................................................12

Printer Specifications .........................................................................................................12

Print Specifications ............................................................................................................13

Ribbon Specifications ........................................................................................................13

Media Specifications ..........................................................................................................14

2 Operations Overview .........................................................................................................15

Unpacking and Inspection ..................................................................................................15

Unpacking the Printer .....................................................................................................15

Printer Overview ................................................................................................................16

Front View ......................................................................................................................16

Interior View ...................................................................................................................17

Rear View .......................................................................................................................18

Operator Controls ..............................................................................................................20

Front Panel and Keys .....................................................................................................20

Setting Up the Printer .........................................................................................................21

Ribbon Installation .............................................................................................................22

Loading Ribbon ..............................................................................................................22

Media Installation ...............................................................................................................26

Loading a Label Roll .......................................................................................................26

Loading Fanfold Media ...................................................................................................30

Loading Media in Peel-Off Mode ....................................................................................31

Loading Media in Cut Mode ............................................................................................34

Printhead Pressure Adjustment Knobs ...............................................................................35

3 Troubleshooting .................................................................................................................37

Fault Handling ....................................................................................................................37

Identifying the Fault ............................................................................................................37

Fault Recovery ...................................................................................................................39

Printer Configuration ..........................................................................................................41

Common Problems ................................ ................................................................ ............42

Mechanism Fine Adjustment to Avoid Ribbon Wrinkles ......................................................46

4 Maintenance ......................................................................................................................49

Replacing the Platen Roller Assembly ...............................................................................51

Replacing the Printhead Assembly.....................................................................................54

5 Configuration Utility ............................................................................................................57

Access ...............................................................................................................................57

System Requirements ........................................................................................................57

Installing the Application ....................................................................................................58

Launching the Application ..................................................................................................58

Version Number .................................................................................................................58

Utility Overview ..................................................................................................................59

Language Selection ................................ ................................................................ ...........60

Tool Interface .....................................................................................................................61

Test the Connection ...........................................................................................................63

Printer Configuration ..........................................................................................................63

Printer Information ..........................................................................................................64

Configuration Overview ..................................................................................................65

Basic Configuration Control ........................................................................................65

Parameter Values .......................................................................................................66

Unit Preference: mm or inch .......................................................................................67

Configurations as Files ...............................................................................................68

Compatibility Challenges.............................................................................................68

Media/Sensor Tab ..........................................................................................................71

Interface Tab ..................................................................................................................77

USB Setup ..................................................................................................................78

Serial RS-232 Setup ...................................................................................................78

Ethernet Setup ............................................................................................................79

Ethernet Connection ...................................................................................................80

Web Setup ..................................................................................................................82

PGL Tab .........................................................................................................................83

ZGL Tab ................................................................ .........................................................88

EGL Tab .........................................................................................................................93

Printer Functions ................................................................................................................95

Calibrate Sensor .............................................................................................................96

Active Emulation .............................................................................................................99

RTC Setup (Real-Time Clock) ...................................................................................... 100

Show Configuration ...................................................................................................... 100

Print Test Page ............................................................................................................. 101

Reset Printer ................................................................................................................ 102

Factory Default ............................................................................................................. 102

Cut Fwd and Cut Rev ................................................................................................... 102

Job Capture .................................................................................................................. 102

Ignore AUTOFR ........................................................................................................... 103

Password Setup ........................................................................................................... 103

Firmware Upgrade ........................................................................................................ 104

Printer Status ................................................................................................................... 105

File Manager .................................................................................................................... 106

File Information ............................................................................................................. 107

File Download............................................................................................................... 108

File Delete .................................................................................................................... 108

File Format ................................................................................................................... 109

Command Tool ................................................................................................................ 109

Advanced Setup............................................................................................................... 111

File System and Memory .............................................................................................. 112

Statistics Control .......................................................................................................... 113

PrintHead Reset ....................................................................................................... 113

Cutter Reset.............................................................................................................. 114

Media/Sensor Control ................................................................................................... 114

Scalable Font Control ................................................................................................... 115

PGL Text Printing ......................................................................................................... 117

Help ................................ ................................................................................................ . 118

Character Sets ................................................................................................................. 119

PGL Character Sets ..................................................................................................... 119

ZGL Character Sets...................................................................................................... 121

A Customer Support ................................ ................................................................ ............ 123

Printronix Customer Support Center ................................................................................ 123

Printronix Supplies Department ........................................................................................ 123

Corporate Offices ................................................................................................ ............. 124

B Warranty Information ....................................................................................................... 125

1 Introduction

Product Overview

The T2NTM series of industrial thermal label printers are designed to offer the right features at the best value. The T2N series features a small footprint and low profile design that fits where larger industrial printers do not.

Its quiet operation and fast label throughput is equally functional in the office or on the shop floor. The printer’s metal construction and die cast aluminum print mechanism is durable enough to withstand the toughest production environment.

The moveable media sensor design can accept a wide range of label media. The most frequently used bar code formats are included. Fonts and bar codes can be printed in any one of the four directions.

This printer comes with emulations PGL, ZGL, and EGL. Both PGL and ZGL include the MONOTYPE IMAGING® system with access to five resident scalable fonts, including the ability to download True Type

fonts into the printer’s memory for label printing. PGL and ZGL also have access to over 30 barcode

symbologies. Both PGL and ZGL are compatible with other Printronix thermal products, making migration across Printronix platforms easy.

The EGL emulation is designed to be compatible with EPLTM protocol and comes with five different sizes of alphanumeric bitmap, OCR-A, and OCR-B fonts. By integrating these three emulations with rich features, it is the most cost effective and high performance printer in its class.

To print label formats, refer to the instructions provided with your labeling software. To write the custom programs, visit the Printronix website http://www.printronix.com.

Applications

 Compliance labeling for shipping and receiving  Pallet labeling  Inventory control labeling  Drum labeling  Warning labels  Custom signage  Brand marketing featuring graphics, logos and texts  Multiple-up labels (two or three labels across)

Product Features

Printer Standard Features

The printer offers the following standard features for 203 dpi and 300 dpi models.

 Thermal transfer printing  Direct thermal printing  Die-cast based print mechanism  Metal cover with large clear media view window  Position adjustable gap sensor  Position adjustable black mark sensor  Ribbon end sensor  Ribbon encoder sensor  LED indicators  Real time clock  USB 2.0 (full speed) interface  Ethernet interface  Serial RS-232C (2400-115200 bps) interface  32 MB SDRAM memory  8 MB FLASH memory  SD memory card reader for expansion up to 4 GB  PGL, ZGL and EGL language support.  Resident alpha-numeric bitmap fonts (EGL)  Internal Monotype Imaging® true type font engine (PGL, ZGL)  Graphic/Font/Barcode Rotation (0, 90,180, 270 degree)  Downloadable fonts from PC to printer memory  Downloadable firmware upgrades  Text, barcode, graphics/image printing (Refer to the appropriate programming manuals

for supporting code.)

SupportedBarcodes

Symbology

PGL

ZGL

EGL

Code 39

x x x

Interleaved 2/5

x x x

Code 128

x x x

EAN-8 x x

EAN-13 x x

UPC-A x x

UPC-E x x

UPC-E0

x x x

UPC-E1

x x

MSI x x

Codabar

x x x

Code 93

x x x

EAN/UCC-128

x x x

UPCSHIP

UPC Interleaved 2/5

Industrial 2/5

FIM x x

Code 11

Matrix 2 of 5

UPS-11

Telepen

ITF-14

Logmars

Planet x x

Plessey x x

BC 412 x x

Code 3 of 5

Mail

USPS Intelligent Mail

Postnet x x

German 2 of 5

x x x

Japanese Postnet

Australian Post

PostBar (4-State)

Royal Mail

Stacked

RSS-14 x x

PDF417 (+Micro)

x x x

DataMatrix

x x x

Maxicode

x x x

Aztec

x x

QR x x

Printer Optional Features

Product option feature

User

options

Dealer

options

Factory options

Peel-off module



Cutter module



CONFIGURATION

+5 V

TXD

RXD

CTS

GND

RTS

N/C

RTS

N/C

Physical dimensions

286 mm (W) x 259 mm (H) x 434 mm (D)

11.26 in (W) x 10.20 in (H) x 17.09 in (D)

Weight

11 kg (22 lbs)

Electrical

Internal switching power supply Input: AC 100-240V, 50 - 60 Hz Output: DC 24V 3.3A

Environmental condition

Operation: 5 ~ 40˚C (41 ~ 104˚F), 20~85% non-condensing Storage: -40 ~ 60 ˚C (-40 ~ 140˚F), 10~90% non-condensing

The printer offers the following optional features.

RS-232C Pin Configuration

Printer Specifications

Print Specifications

203 dpi models

300 dpi models

Printhead resolution

203 dots/inch (8 dots/mm)

300 dots/inch (12 dots/mm)

Printing method

Thermal transfer and direct thermal

Dot size (width x length)

0.125 x 0.125 mm (1 mm = 8 dots)

0.084 x 0.084 mm

(1 mm = 11.8 dots)

Print speed (inches per second)

2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ips

Max. print width

104 mm (4.10 in.)

Max. print length

2,512 mm (99 in.)

1,223 mm (48 in.)

Ribbon outside diameter

Max. 81.3 mm (3.2 in.)

Ribbon length

450 meter (1476 feet)

Ribbon core inside diameter

25.4 MM (1 in.)

Ribbon width Max. 110 mm (4.33 in.)

Min. 40 mm (1.575 in.)

Ribbon wound type

Outside wound

Print Specifications

Ribbon Specifications

Media Specifications

203 dpi models

300 dpi models

Label roll capacity

203.2 mm (8 in.) OD

Media alignment

Edge alignment

Media type

Continuous, die-cut, black mark, fanfold, notch

Media wound type

Printing face outside wound

Media width (label + liner) Max. 118 mm (4.6 in.)

Min. 25.4 mm (1.0 in.)

Media thickness (label + liner) Max. 0.28 mm (0.0110 in.)

Min. 0.06 mm (0.023 in.)

Media core diameter

25.4 mm - 76.2 mm (1 in. ~ 3 in.)

Label length (Tear-Off Strip, Continuous Mode)

5 - 2,286 mm (0.2 in. 90 in.)

5~1,016 mm (0.2 in. - 40 in.)

Label length (Peel-Off mode) Max. 152.4 mm (6 in.)

Min. 25.4 mm (1 in.)

Label length (Cut mode) Max. 2,512 mm (99 in.)

Max. 1,223 mm (48 in.)

Min. 25.4 mm (1 in.)

Gap, notch, and hole height

Min. 2 mm (0.08 in.)

Black mark height

Min. 2 mm (0.08 in.)

Black mark width

Min. 8 mm (0.31 in.)

2 Operations Overview

Unpacking and Inspection

This printer is packaged to withstand damage during shipping. Upon receiving, inspect the packaging and printer. Keep all packaging materials in case you need to reship the printer.

Unpacking the Printer

The following items are included in the carton:

 Printer unit  Software/Windows driver CD disk  Quick Setup Guide  Power cord  Ribbon take up paper core  3” Media Core Adapters (2)

Figure 1. Printer Package Contents

If any parts are missing, contact the Customer Service Department of your purchased reseller or distributor.

4 7

Printer Overview

Front View

1. STATUS Indicator

2. Pause Key

3. Feed Key

4. Media Exit

5. Lower Front Cover

6. Media Window

7. Media Cover (Handle)

Figure 2. Printer Front View

10 7

3 1

12 6

Interior View

1. Ribbon Take-Up Spindle

2. Ribbon Supply Spindle

3. Printhead Pressure Adjustment Knobs

4. Pivoting Deck

5. Deck Lock Lever

6. Label Roll Guide

7. 3” Core Adapters (2)

8. Media Hanger Beam

9. Ribbon Guide Bar

10. Media Guide Bar

11. Printhead

12. Platen Roller

13. Media Sensor

14. Label Width Guide

Figure 3. Printer Interior View

Rear View

4 1 5

1. Internal Ethernet Interface

2. Fanfold Label Entrance

3. RS-232C Interface (Max. 115,200 bps)

4. USB Interface (USB 2.0/ Full speed mode)

5. SD Card Slot*

6. Power Switch

7. Power Socket

NOTE: The interface picture is for reference only. Refer to the product specification for

interface availability.

*Recommended SD specification. See Table 1 on page 19.

Figure 4. Printer Rear View

SD Card

Specification

SD Card

Capacity

Approved SD Card

Manufacturer

V1.0, V1.1

128 MB

SanDisk, Transcend

V1.0, V1.1

256 MB

SanDisk, Transcend, Panasonic

V1.0, V1.1

512 MB

SanDisk, Transcend, Panasonic

V1.0, V1.1

1 GB

SanDisk, Transcend, Panasonic

V2.0 SDHC CLASS 4

4 GB

V2.0 SDHC CLASS 6

4 GB

SanDisk, Transcend, Panasonic

V1.0, V1.1

microSD 128 MB

Transcend, Panasonic

V1.0, V1.1

microSD 256 MB

Transcend, Panasonic

V1.0, V1.1

microSD 512 MB

Panasonic

V1.0, V1.1

microSD 1 GB

Transcend, Panasonic

V2.0 SDHC CLASS 4

microSD 4 GB

Panasonic

V2.0 SDHC CLASS 6

microSD 4 GB

Transcend

V1.0, V1.1

miniSD 128 MB

Transcend, Panasonic

V1.0, V1.1

miniSD 256 MB

Transcend, Panasonic

V1.0, V1.1

miniSD 512 MB

Transcend, Panasonic

V1.0, V1.1

miniSD 1 GB

Transcend, Panasonic

V2.0 SDHC CLASS 4

miniSD 4 GB

Transcend

V2.0 SDHC CLASS 6

miniSD 4 GB

 The DOS FAT file system is supported for the SD card.  Folders/files stored in the SD card should be in the 8.3 filename format.

Table 1. SD Card Specifications

Operator Controls

Off

Printer is offline, no error.

Printer is online, no error.

Blinking

Printer is in error state: Head Open, Paper Jam, Out of Paper, Ribbon Errors, Cutter Error, Printhead Overheat, Calibration Error

ONLINE Indicator

Off

Printer is offline and/or in error state. The printer can receive data while offline.

The printer is online and ready to process data.

Blinking

Printer is processing data.

PAUSE Key

Toggles printer between online and offline mode.

FEED Key

Printer advances media one label length if online.

STATUS Indicator

POWER Indicator

Off

Printer power is turned off.

Printer power is turned on.

Front Panel and Keys

LED Indicators

LED

State

Indication

POWER

Off

Printer power is turned off.

Printer power is turned on.

ONLINE

Off

Printer is offline or error occurred.

Printer is online.

Blinking

Printer is receiving data.

STATUS

Off

Printer is offline.

Printer is online.

Blinking

Printer is in error state: Head Open, Paper Jam, Out of Paper, Ribbon Errors, Cutter Error, Printhead Overheat, Calibration Error

Key Combination

Function

FEED Key

Printer will power-up and print a test page.

PAUSE Key

Printer will power-up and by default, force Auto-Calibration regardless of the configuration option. (See Chapter 5, Media/Sensor tab on page 71).

FEED + PAUSE Keys

Printer will reset to its factory default parameters.

Special Power-Up Key Combinations

To simplify operation, a few functions can be performed by holding down certain keys at power-up.

Clearing Data from the Buffers

This product does not have a CLEAR key or method of clearing the data within the internal buffers. Turn the printer off/on to clear the buffer.

Setting Up the Printer

1. Place the printer on a flat, secure surface.

2. Ensure the power switch is off.

3. Plug the power cord into the AC power cord socket at the rear of the printer, then plug the power cord into a properly grounded power outlet.

4. Connect the printer to the computer interface with the appropriate cable.

Ribbon Installation

1. Open the printer media cover.

2. Load the ribbon onto ribbon supply spindle and ribbon core onto ribbon take-up spindle.

3. Push the paper core and ribbon roll to the inboard end of each spindle.

4. Push the deck lock lever back to open the pivoting deck.

Ribbon Core

Ribbon Take-Up Spindle

Ribbon

Ribbon Supply

Loading Ribbon

5. Thread the ribbon under ribbon guide bar and through ribbon sensor slot. (See page 25 for ribbon loading diagram or refer to diagram on printer media cover.)

6. Tape ribbon leader onto ribbon core. Keep ribbon wrinkle-free.

Ribbon Sensor Ribbon Guide Bar

Ribbon Leader

Ribbon Core

Ribbon Leader

7. Rotate ribbon take-up spindle clockwise 3 to 5 full turns until ribbon is wrinkle-free.

8. Push both sides of the pivoting deck down to close it, ensuring the latches engage properly.

Note: Pressing down only one side of the pivoting deck may result in the pivoting deck opening during printing. This can put the printer in an unknown state. Be sure to push both sides of the pivoting deck down and verify that the latch is in locked position.

Ribbon Loading Path

Ribbon Take-Up Spindle

Ribbon Guide Bar

Ribbon Supply Spindle

Ribbon Sensor Ribbon

Media Installation

1. Open the media cover.

2. Push the deck lock lever back to open the pivoting deck.

3. Move the label roll guide to the end of the media hanger then place it in horizontal position. (If paper core is 3 inches, install 3 inch core adapters on the beam.)

See Note on next page.

Loading a Label Roll

Note: For 3 inch core adapters, ensure arrows point vertical (see below). If using 1 inch core media, remove the 3 inch core adapter from the media hanger beam.

3 inch media core

1 inch media core

4. Place media roll on hanger beam. Place label roll guide in up position.

5. Thread leading edge of label through media guide bar onto the platen roller.

Media Hanger Beam

Media Guide Bar

Media Sensor

6. Adjust media width guide to fit label width. Adjust media sensor ensuring the gap/black mark passes underneath the media sensor indicator (marked by a triangle) for sensing.

7. Push both sides of the pivoting deck down to close it, ensuring the latches engage properly.

8. Use the Configuration Utility to set the media sensor type and calibrate the selected sensor.

Note:

 Recalibrate the gap/black mark sensor when changing media.  The sensor location is marked by a triangle ▽ on the sensor housing.  The media sensor position can be moved horizontally. Ensure the gap or black mark is at the

location where media gap/black mark will pass through for sensing.

Media Sensor Indicator

Media Width Guide

Label Roll Loading Path

Media sensor

Fanfold Media Entrance Slot

Media Hanger Beam

Media guide bar Platen Roller

Loading Fanfold Media

1. Open the printer media cover.

2. Push the deck lock lever back to open the pivoting deck.

3. Move the label roll guide to the end of media hanger beam then place roll guide to horizontal position.

4. Remove the 3 inch core adapters from the media hanger beam.

5. Insert fanfold media through the rear label entrance slot.

6. Thread leading edge of fanfold label under the media guide bar onto the platen roller.

7. Adjust the media width guide to fit label width.

8. Push both sides of pivoting deck down to close it, ensuring the latches engage properly.

9. Use the Configuration Utility to set the media sensor type and calibrate the selected sensor.

Note: Calibrate the gap/black mark sensor when changing media.

Fanfold Media

Label Roll Guide

3 Inch Core Adapters (2)

Fanfold media feeds through rear label entrance slot or opening.

+ 120 hidden pages