Rice Lake GK420t User Manual

Zebra GK420t

Desktop Thermal Printer

User Guide

©2008 ZIH Corp. The copyrights in this manual and the software and/or firmware in the label printer described therein are owned by ZIH Corp. Unauthorized reproduction of this manual or the software and/or firmware in the label printer may result in imprisonment of up to one year and fines of up to $10,000 (17 U.S.C.506). Copyright violators may be subject to civil liability. All trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

This product may contain ZPL®, ZPL II®, and ZebraLink™ programs; Element Energy

Equalizer™ Circuit; E

®; and Monotype Imaging fonts. Software ©ZIH corp. All rights

reserved worldwide.

ZebraLink and all product names and numbers are trademarks, and Zebra, the Z ebra logo, ZPL , ZPL II, Element Energy Equalizer circuit, and E3 Circuit are registered trademarks of ZIH Corp. All rights reserved worldwide.Monotype®, Intellifont® and UFST® are trademarks of Monotype Imaging, Inc. registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions.

CG Triumvirate is a trademark of Monotype Imaging, Inc. and may be registered in some jurisdictions.

TrueType® is a trademark of Apple Computer, I nc. registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certancertain jurisdictions.

Proprietary Statement

This manual contains proprietary information of Zebra Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Zebra Technologies”). It is intended solely for the information and use of parties operating and maintaining the equipment described herein. Such proprietary inform ation may not be used, reproduced, or disclosed to any other parties for any other purpose without the express written permission of Zebra Technologies.

Product Improvements

Continuous improvement of products is a policy of Zebra Technologies. All specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.

Liability Disclaimer

Zebra Technologies takes steps to ensure that its published Engineering specifications and manuals are correct; however, errors do occur. Zebra Technologies reserves the right to correct any such errors and disclaims liability resulting therefrom.

Limitation of Liability

In no event shall Zebra Technologies or anyone else involved in the creation, production, or delivery of the accompanying product (including hardware and software) be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, consequential damages including loss of business profits, business interruption, or loss of business information) arising out of the use of, the results of use of, or inability to use such product, even if Zebra Technologies has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.

Canadian DOC Compliance Statement

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

980610-001 Rev. A GK420t User Guide 12/14/07

FCC Compliance Statement

This device complies with Part 15 rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and

2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause

undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B Digital Devices, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a residential environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the product manuals, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, the user is encouraged to do one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

iii

• Consult the dealer or an experienced RF service technician for help.

The user is cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved by Zebra Technologies could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. To ensure compliance, this printer must be used with fully shielded communication cables.

G Series Printers

Caution • CLA SS 1M LAS ER PRODUC T

• Vi ewin g th e la ser outpu t wi th certai n opt ical i nstru men ts (f or exam pl e, eye l oops, magnifiers and mi croscopes) within

a dis tance of 100mm m ay pose an ey e h azard.

• Use of cont rol s or adjust men ts or perf ormance of procedu res oth er than thos e specif ied herei n may resul t in haza rdous

radi ati on ex posure.

• Do not tam per or attem pt to repai r any se nsor i nside this product. No servi ceable sensors insi de.

• Do not star e into Gap ( Web) or Dis penser ( Peel) s ensors . Avoid pos sibl e exposure t o haz ardous lase r radi ati ons.

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Environmental Management

Do not dispose of this product in unsorted municipal waste. This product is recyclable, and should be recycled according to y our local standards.

For more information, please see our website at:

Web address: www.zebra.com/environment

980610-001 Rev. A GK420t User Guide 12/14/07

About This Document

This section provides y ou with contact information, document structure and organization, and additional reference documents.

Contents

Who Should Use This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

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About This Document

Who Should Use This Document

This User Guide is intended for use by any person who needs to operate or to troubleshoot problems with the printer.

How This Document Is Organized

The User Guide is set up as follows:

Section Description

Introduction on page 1 This section describes what you get in your

Getting Started on page 9 This section describes how to set up your printer

shipping box and provides an overview of printer features. This section also has procedures that describe how to open and close the printer and report any problems.

for the first time and use the most common operating procedures for loading media.

Print Operations on page 25 This section provides media and print handling,

font and language support, and the set up of less common printer configurations.

Printer Options on page 43 This section covers the common printer options

and accessories with brief descriptions and how to get y ou started using or configuring your printer option or accessory.

Maintenance on page 53 This section provides routine cleaning and

maintenance procedures.

Troubleshooting on page 67 This section provides information about printer

error reporting that you might need for printer troubleshooting. Assorted diagnostic tests are included.

Appendix on page 79 This section provides additional interface

information and wiring diagrams to assist with printer to host system integration (typically a PC).

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Contacts

Web Site

The Americas

About This Document

Visit us at: http://www.zebra.com

Technical Support via the Internet is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Go to http ://w ww.zeb ra.com/support.

Regional Headquarters Technical Support Customer Service Dept.

Zebra Tech nol ogi es Intern ati onal , LLC 333 Corporate Woods Parkway Vernon Hi ll s, Il li nois 60061.3109 U.S.A T: +1 847 793 2600 Toll -free +1 800 423 0422 F: +1 847 913 8766

T: +1 877 A SK ZEBR A (275 9327) F: +1 847 913 2578

Hardwar e: t s1@zebra.com Softw are: ts3@ze bra.com

For prin ters, par ts, medi a, and ribbon , pleas e call your di stribu tor, or contact us.

T: +1 877 A SK ZEBR A (275 9327) E: cl ien tcare@z ebra.com

Contacts

vii

Europe, Africa, Middle East, and India

Regional Headquarters Technical Support Internal Sales Dept.

Zebra Tech nol ogi es Europe L im ited Zebra H ouse Th e Val ley Cen tre, G ordon R oad Hi gh Wycomb Buckinghamshire, HP13 6EQ, UK

T: +44 (0) 1494 472872 F: +44 (0) 1494 450103

T: +44 (0) 1494 768298 F: +44 (0) 1494 768210 Germany: Tsgermany@zebra.com France: Ts fran ce@zebr a.com Spain /Portu gal : Tsspai n@z ebra.com Al l ot her are as: Tseu rope@z ebra.com

Asia Pacific

Regional Headquarters Technical Support Customer Service

Zebra Techn ologies Asi a Paci fic, LLC 120 Robi nson Road #06-01 Parakou Bu i ldi ng Sin gapore 068913

T: +65 6858 0722 F: +65 6885 0838

E: China: tschi na@zebra.com

Al l ot her are as: tsasi apaci fi c@zebra.com

For prin ters, par ts, medi a, and ribbon , pleas e call your di stribu tor, or contact us.

T: +44 (0) 1494 768316 F: +44 (0) 1494 768244 E: cseur ope@zebra.com

For prin ters, par ts, medi a, and ribbon , pleas e call your di stribu tor, or contact us.

T: +65 6858 0722 F: +65 6858 0836

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About This Document

viii

Document Conventions

The following conventions are used throughout this document to convey certain information.

Alternate Color (online only) Cross-references contain hot links to other sections in this guide. If you are viewing this guide online in .pdf format, you can click the cross-reference (blue text) to jump directly to its location.

Command Line Examples Command line examples appear in Courier New font. For example, type

Files and Directories File names and directories appear in Courier New font. For example, the

Icons Used

Caution • Warns you of the potential for electrostatic discharge.

ZTools to get to the Post-Install scripts in the bin directory.

Zebra<version number>.tar file and the /root directory.

Caution • Warns you of a potential electric shock situation.

Caution • Warns you of a situation where excessive heat could cause a burn.

Caution • Advises you that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in physical

harm to you.

Caution • (N o icon) Advises you that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in

physical harm to the hardware.

Important • Advises you of information that is essential to complete a task.

Note • Indicates neutral or positive information that emphasizes or supplements important

points of the main text.

Example • Provides an example, often a scenario, to better clarify a section of text.

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About This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Who Should Use This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

How This Document Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

The Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Europe, Africa, Middle East, and India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Asia Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Document Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

1 • Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

GK Series Thermal Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

What’s in the Box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Unpack and Inspect the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Your Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Operator Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 • Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Attaching Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Loading Roll Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Preparing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Placing the Roll in the Media Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Loading Transfer Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Hooking Up the Printer and Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Interface Cable Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Communicating with the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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3 • Print Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Determining Printer Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Thermal Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Modes of Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Print Media Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Determining Thermal Media Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Replacing Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Adding a New Transfer Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Replacing a Partially Used Transfer Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Adjusting the Print Width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Adjusting the Print Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Media Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Ribbon Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

When to Use Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Coated Side of Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Printing on Fan-Fold Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Printing with Externally Mounted Roll Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Fonts and Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Identifying Fonts in Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Localizing the Printer with Code Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Asian fonts and Other Large Font Sets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Getting Asian Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Stand Alone Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Sending Files to the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Transferring files with the Firmware Downloader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Print Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

4 • Printer Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Label Dispenser Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

10/100 Internal Print Server Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Printer Network Configuration Status Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

KDU — Printer Accessory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

KDU and G-Series Printer Serial Port Adapter Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

KDU Plus — Printer Accessory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

5 • Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Cleaning the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Media Path Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Platen Cleaning and Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Other Printer Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Replacing the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

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6 • Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Status Light Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Status Light Error Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Manual Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Troubleshooting Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Printing a Configuration Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Recalibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Resetting the Factory Default Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Communications Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Feed Button Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

A • Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Ethernet Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Serial Port Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

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Notes • ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

980610-001 Rev. A GK420t User Guide 12/14/07

Introduction

This section describes what you get in your shipping box and provides an overview of printer features. This includes procedures that describe how to open and close the printer and report any problems.

Contents

GK Series Thermal Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

What’s in the Box?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Unpack and Inspect the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Operator Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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Introduction

GK Series Thermal Printers

The Zebra GK model is your best value in a basic desktop thermal printer. The GK420t printer provides thermal transfer and direct thermal printing at speeds up to 5 ips (inches per second) at a 203 dpi (dots per inch) print density. The GK420t supports both ZPL and EPL Zebra printer programming languages and a wide variety of interface and feature options.

The G-Series™ printer features:

• Automatic printer language detection and switching between ZPL and EPL programming and label formats.

• OpenAccess™ design for simplified media loading.

• The industry’s easiest ribbon loading design.

• Color-coded operator controls and media guides.

• Resident scalable font, supports font download, Unicode fonts and resident bitmap fonts.

• Improved printer performance: faster print speeds, 32-bit processor, and VCSEL laser media sensing.

• Printhead test and maintenance reporting.

The GK printers offer basic printer options:

• Label Dispense (Peel-Off)

• Internal 10/100 Print Server and Ethernet Interface

This users guide provides all of the information y ou will need to operate your printer on a daily basis. To create label formats, refer to your programming guides or label design applications such as Zebra Designer.

Your printer, when connected to a host computer, functions as a complete system for printing labels and tags.

Note • Many printer settings may also be controlled by your printer’s driver or label design

software. Refer to the driver or software documentation for more information.

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What’s in the Box?

Save the carton and all packing materials in case y ou need to ship or store the printer later. After unpacking, make sure you have all parts. Follow the procedures for inspecting the printer to familiarize yourself with printer parts so you can follow the instructions in this book.

Documentation

and Software

Prin ter

Introduction

What’s in the Box?

Cl ean in g

Pen

varies by locale or region

Unpack and Inspect the Printer

When you receive the printer, immediately unpack it and inspect for shipping damage.

• Save all packing materials.

• Check all exterior surfaces for damage.

• Open the printer and inspect the media compartment for damage to components.

If you discover shipping damage upon inspection:

• Immediately notify the shipping company and file a damage report. Zebra Technologies Corporation is not responsible for any damage incurred during shipment of the printer and will not cover the repair of this damage under its warranty policy.

Power

Supply

Powe r Cord

• Keep all packaging material for shipping company inspection.

• Notify your authorized Zebra reseller

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Introduction

What’s in the Box?

Your Printer

Status

Light

Feed

Button

Release Latches

Opening the printer

To access the media compartment, y ou must open the printer. Pull the release latches towards you and lift the cover. Check the media compartment for loose or damaged components.

Interface

Connectors

DC Power

Receptacle

Power

Switch

Caution • The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the

human body or other surfaces can damage or destroy the printhead or electronic components used in this device. You must observe static-safe procedures when working with the printhead or the electronic components under the top cover.

980610-001 Rev. A GK420t User Guide 12/14/07

Printer Features

Ribbon Roll Holders

Take Up Spindles

Supply Spindles

Printhead

Introduction

What’s in the Box?

Ribbon Trailer Sensor

Roll Holders and

Media Guides

Black-Line

Sensor

Plat en Roller

Head-Up Sensor (inside)

GAP

Sensor

Dispenser Option

Dispenser Door

(open)

Sensor Peel Bar

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Pinch Roller

Introduction

What’s in the Box?

Operator Controls

Power Switch

Press up to turn ON or down to turn OFF the printer.

Caution • The printer power should be turned off before connecting or disconnecting the

communications and power cables.

Power Switch

Feed Button

• Tap the Feed button once to force the printer to feed one blank label.

• Press the Feed button to take the printer out of a “pause” condition. The printer is put into “pause” by either a programming command or an error condition. See What the Status

Light is Telling You on page 68 in the Troubleshooting chapter.

• Use the Feed button for printer setup and status (see Feed Button Modes on p age 77 in the Troubleshooting chapter).

Power Switch

Power OFF

Power ON

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Status Light

Located on the top case next to the feed button, the status light functions as a printer operational indicator (see See What the Status Light is Telling You on page 68 in the Troubleshooting chapter).

Status

Light

Feed

Button

Introduction

What’s in the Box?

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Introduction

What’s in the Box?

Closing the printer

1. Lower the top cover.

2. Press down until the cover snaps closed.

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Getting Started

This section describes how to set up y our printer for the first time and use the most common operating procedures for loading media.

Contents

Attaching Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Loading Roll Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Loading Transfer Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Hooking Up the Printer and Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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Getting Started

Attaching Power

Important • Set up your printer so that y ou can handle the power cord easily if needed. To

make certain the printer cannot carry electrical current, you must separate the power cord from the power supply receptacle or AC electrical outlet.

Caution • Never operate the printer and power supply in an area where they can get wet.

Serious personal injury could result!

1. Make sure the printer’s power switch is in the off position (down).

2. Insert the AC power cord into the power supply.

3. Plug the other end of the cord into an appropriate AC electrical outlet. Note: The active

power light will go on if power is on at the AC outlet.

4. Insert the power supply’s power connector into the printer’s power receptacle.

Printer

Power

Receptacle

Power

Switch

Power Connector

Active Power Light

Plug Varies by Country

AC Powe r Cord

Powe r Suppl y

IEC 60320 C-13

Note • Ensure the appropriate power cord with a three (3) prong plug and an IEC 60320-C13

connector are used at all times. These power cords must bear the relevant certification mark of the country in which the product is being used.

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Loading Roll Media

When you load media, you must place the roll onto the media hangers.

You must use the correct media for the type of printing you require.

Preparing Media

Whether your roll media is inside or outside wound, you load it into the printer the same way.

• Remove the outside length of media. During shipment, handling, or storage, the roll may become dirty or dusty. Removing the outside length of media avoids dragging adhesive or dirty media between the printhead and platen.

Getting Started

Loading Roll Media

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Getting Started

Loading Roll Media

Placing the Roll in the Media Compartment

1. Open the printer. Remember that you need to pull the release latch levers toward the front

of the printer.

2. Open the media roll holders. Pull the media guides open with your free hand and place the

media roll on the roll holders and release the guides. Orient the media roll so that its printing surface will face up as it passes over the platen (drive) roller.

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Getting Started

Loading Roll Media

3. Pull the media so that it extends out of the front of the printer. Verify the roll turns freely.

The roll must not sit in the bottom of the media compartment. Verify that media’s printing surface is facing up.

4. Push the media under both of the media guides.

Under Media

Guides

5. Close the printer. Press down until the cover snaps closed.

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Getting Started

Loading Transfer Ribbon

Transfer ribbons come in several varieties and in some cases colors to match y our application needs. Zebra brand transfer ribbons are specifically designed for your printer and Zebra brand media. Using non-Zebra brand or media or ribbon not approved for use in your Zebra printer may damage your printer or printhead.

• The media and ribbon types should be matched to provide y ou with optimal print results.

• Alway s use ribbon that is wider than the media to protect the printhead from wear.

• For direct thermal printing, do not load ribbon in the printer.

Your printer needs to use Zebra Uni-Ribbons (universal ribbon). Uni-Ribbons have a ribbon out trailer (reflector) to stop printing when empty. Zebra Uni-Ribbons will work on older model Zebra desktop printers too.

Uni-Ribbons are identified with a color coded leader.

• Blue - Performance Wax (5319)

• Silver - Premium Wax/Resin (3200)

• Gold - Performance Resin (5095) for sy nthetics (6 ips max. speed) and coated paper (4 ips max. speed)

• Red - Premium Resin (5100) for synthetics (4 ips max. speed)

Before following these steps, prepare the ribbon by removing its wrapping and pulling its adhesive strip free.

Notch

Adhesive Strip

Right Side

(printer and roll)

See Ribbon Overview on p age 32 for more information on ribbon use.

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Getting Started

Loading Transfer Ribbon

1. With the printer open, place a new ribbon roll on printer’s lower ribbon supply spindles.

Rotate the roll until the notches align and lock into the left side of the supply hub.

2. Place an empty ribbon core on printer’s take-up spindles. Rotate the ribbon core until the

notches align and lock into the left side of the take-up hub.

You can find your first ribbon take-up core in the packing box. Subsequently, use the empty supply core to take up the next roll of ribbon.

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Getting Started

Loading Transfer Ribbon

3. Pull the transfer ribbon’s leader off the roll and attach it with the adhesive strip on the

leader to the empty ribbon core on the supply spindle. Center the ribbon on the ribbon core.

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Getting Started

Loading Transfer Ribbon

4. Rotate the thumb wheel on the left side of the supply spindle until the ribbon is pulled

tight across the printhead.

5. Verify that the media is loaded and ready to print and then close the printer cover.

6. Press the Feed button to have the printer feed a minimum of 10 cm (4 inches) of media to

remove slack and ribbon wrinkle, and to align the ribbon on the spindles.

7. Change the print mode setting from direct thermal printing to thermal transfer to set the

printer’s temperature profiles for thermal transfer media. This can be done with the printer driver, application software, or printer programming commands.

• When controlling printer operations with ZPL programming, refer to the Media Type

^MT) ZPL II command (follow the instructions in the ZPL Programming Guide).

(

• When controlling printer operations with EPL Page Mode, refer to the Options (O)

EPL2 command (follow the instructions in the EPL2 Programmer’s Guide).

Your printer is now ready to print.

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+ 67 hidden pages