CG Trium virate is a trademar k of Agfa Corporation.
CG Times based upon Times New Roman under license from the Monotype Corporation.
Wi ndows i s a r egistered trademar k of t he Microsoft Corporation.
All other brand and product names are trademarks, service marks, r egistered trademar ks, or r egistered service marks of t heir
respective companies.
Firmware (Software) Agreement
The enclosed Firmware (Software) resident in the Printer is owned by Licensor or its suppliers and i s l icensed for used only on a
single printer in the user’s Trade or Business. The User agrees not to, and not t o aut hor ize or permit any other per son or par t y to, duplicat e or copy the Fir mware or the infor mation contai ned i n t he non-volatile or progr ammabl e memory. The firmware
(Software) is protected by applicable copyright laws and Licensor retains all r i ght s not expressly granted. In no event will Licensor or
its suppliers be liabl e for any damages or loss, includi ng direct, incidental, econom i c, special, or consequential damages, arising out
of the use or inability to use the Firmware (Software).
Inform at ion in this document is subject to change without noti ce and does not represent a commitment on the part of Dat amax
Barcode Products Corporation. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transm i t ted in any form or by any means, for any
purpose other than the purchaser's personal use, without the expressed written permissi on of Dat amax Corporation.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
FCC: This device complies with FCC CFR 47 Part 15 Class A.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules . T h ese
UL60950 Information Technology Equipment
C22.2 No. 950-M93
EN60950
For 230 Volt Operation (Europe): Us e a cord set, marked "HAR," consisting of a
min H0 5 VV-F cor d which ha s a minimum 0.75 squ are mm diameter condu ct ors,
provided with an IEC 320 receptacle and a male plug for the country of
ins tallation rated 6A, 250V
Für 230 Volt (Europa): Benützen Sie ein Kabel, das mit "HAR" markiert ist,
bestehend mindestens aus einem H05VV-F Kabel, das mindestens 0,75
Quadratmillimeter Drahtdurchmesser hat; sowie eine IEC320 Steckdose und
ein en f ür das Land geeigneten Stecker , 6A, 250 Volt.
As an Energy Star Partner, the manufact urer has determined that this product
meets the Energy Star guidelines for energy efficiency.
The manu fa ct u r er decla r es u nder sol e responsibility that this product conforms to
the following standards or other normative documents:
EMC: EN 55022 (1993) Class B
EN 50024 (1998)
Safety: This product com p lies with the requirem e nts of EN 60950 /A11:1997
Gost-R
lim its ar e d esi gned to pr ovide reas onabl e pr otec ti on agai ns t har mf ul int erf er enc e when t he eq uip ment is oper ated i n a c ommer ci al envi ron ment .
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions in this
manu al, it may cau se har mf ul in terf eren ce to r adio c ommu nic ations . O perat ion of thi s equi pment in a resi denti al area is likely to cause harmful
interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own e xpense.
Important Safety Instructions
This p rinter has been caref ully designed to provide many years of safe, reliabl e p erforma nc e. As with all electr ic al
equipment, there a re a few b asic precautions you should ta ke t o avoid hurting yourself or damaging the printer:
• Ca refully r ead the inst allation and op erating instr uctions provided with you r printer.
• Read a nd f ollow all war ning instr u c tion lab els on the printer.
• Place the printer on a flat, firm, solid surface.
• To protect your printer from overheating, make sure all openings on the printer a re not bl oc ked.
• Do not place the printer on or nea r a heat source.
• Do not us e you r printer nea r wat er, or spill liqu id into it.
• Be certain that your power sour c e matches t he rat i ng listed on your pr inter. I f you are unsure, c heck with your dealer or
with your local power company.
•Do not place the power c ord where it will be walked on. If t he p ower c ord becomes damaged or fr ayed replace it
immediately.
• Do not insert a nything into the vent ilation s lots or openings on the printer .
• Only qualif ied, tr ained service t echnic i ans should attempt to repair your printer.
Congr atul ations on your purchase of an M-C lass print er. The M-Cl ass family, hereaft er referred to as ‘the printer’, blends
the ru gged du rability of die-cast c onstr uction wit h sta te-of-t he-art electronics and user- f riendly features to redefine the
standard in indust rial thermal printer s. The print ers, available in direct and optional t hermal transf er configurat ions, use
unique front panel designs to simplify operation, while its USB, RS232 serial, IEEE 1284 compliant parallel, and an
optional internal printserver (M-4208 and M-4306 only) inter faces allow eas y c onnection to your host system.
This manual provides all the infor ma tion necessary to opera te the printer.
To print labels or tags simply refer to the instructions included with the software you have chosen to create the labels. A
Windows™ pri nter driver c an be found on our website (www. datamax c orp.com) or on the included CD- ROM . If you wish
to wr ite a cu stom progra m, a cop y of the Class Series Programmer’s Manual can also be found on the CD-ROM.
M-Class 1
1.1 About this P rinter
This p rinter offers the following standard and op tional features:
1.1.1 Standard Features
Printing
Direct Ther ma l Print i ng
On Demand and Bat c h Printing
203 DPI (M-4206 and M-4208) 300 DPI (M-4306) Printhead
Date and Time Sta mp
AGFA Scalable Font Engine
2 Resi dent Scal eable fonts, CG Triumvirate™ r egu lar and bold-condens ed (M-4208 and M-4306 only)
Memory
2 MB FLASH Memory
(256K available to user, designated: Module B)
4 MB DRAM Memory (M-4206)
8 MB DRAM Memory (M-4208 and M-4306))
Interfaces
USB i nter face
DB-9 RS-232 serial interface
IEEE 1284 Centronics
Operational
Simple Media L oading
Media Tearbar
Fa n- f old media c ompatible f rom the bottom and rea r of printer
®
parallel inter f ace
2 M-Class
1.1.2 Optional Features
Thermal Transfer
A printing method tha t uses ribbon to pr oduce exceptional image cla rity, as c ompared t o most direct therma l media
types. This option mu st be specified for use with either ‘coa ted side in’ r ibbon or ‘ c oated si de ou t’ ribbon.
Media Cutter
A rotary-type mechanism to automatically cut material with a maximum thickness of .010” (.254 mm) into minimum
lengths of 1 .25 inc hes (31.8 mm). Designed f or ease of opera tion, t he M edia Cutter is automatic ally detected,
configured, and enabled when installed on the printer.
Peel and Present Mechanism (requires the Internal Rewind option)
An outp ut contr ol device that automat ically sep ara tes pr inted labels f rom the backing mater ial and allows subsequent
print ing to occu r only af ter the r emoval of a previous ly printed lab el. Minimum label length is 1 .5 inches (38 mm).
Designed for ease of operation, the Peel and Present Mechanism is automatically detected, configured, and enabled
when installed on t he p rinter .
Internal Rewind
An internal mechanism to wind f ou r-inch ou ter dia meter rolls of print ed labels, or the la bel backing ma teria l when u sing
the Peel a n d Pr esent opti o n .
Present Sensor
An outp ut cont rol device tha t allows subsequent printing t o oc c u r only af ter t he removal of a previous ly print ed label.
Designed for ease of operat ion, the Present Sensor is automatic ally detected, configured, a nd enabled when installed on
the printer.
FLASH Memory Expansion (requires new main PCB)
An optiona l ma in PCB assembly is a vailable wit h 4 MB (M-4206) 8MB (M-4208 and M-4306)) Flash memory
expa nsion for I nterna tional Langua ge Print ing Cap ability (ILP C) and/or additiona l f onts a nd grap hic s.
ILPC
The Int ernational La nguage Print C apability consisting of one of the following:
CG-Times (western European) Scalable font
Kanji Gothic B Scalable font
Simplified Chinese GB Scalable font
Korean Hangul font
The DMX100 External Print Server is an external Network Interface Controller (NIC) that enables the printer to
®
provide E thernet
connectivit y.
Internal Ethernet Connectivity (printers with front display only)
The Internal Ethernet Print Server is an internal Network Interface Controller (NIC) that enables the printer to provide
®
Ethernet
connectivit y. Featur es inc lude:
Automatic selection of 10BaseT (Thinnet) or 100BaseT Fast Ethernet connection.
Integr al HTTP Ser ver to a llow monit oring a nd ma nagement fr om a sta ndard W eb brows er pr ogram.
FT P printing to allow printing dir ectly from a Web browser or other FTP client.
LPR/LPD over TCP/IP for UNIX platf orms a nd Micr osoft’ s Windows.
Raw sockets support over selectable TCP/IP port with filters for selected UNIX environment.
IP SNMP support of MIB-2, proprietary NIC MIB and public and proprietary (private) Printer MIB.
SNMP traps to alert administrators of printer errors (paper/ribbon out, head up, etc).
DHCP, BootP, and RARP services supported
MCL (printers with front display only)
A soft ware t ool suite designed for data collection applicat ions. Onc e ena bled, the p rinter c an acc ep t input dat a fr om
periphera l devic es such as barcode scanners, weigh s cales, and keyboards without the need of a host computer,
requesting and s ending data to locally resident looku p files or remote dat aba ses, enhancing communication cap abilit ies
within your system while reducing you r hardware investment.
4 M-Class
2.0 Before Using the Printer
Removing the Packaging
Inspect the ship ping container(s ) for damage; if damage is evident not ify the shipping company to report t he nature and
extent of the dama ge.
The printer is carefully packaged t o avoid any damage dur i ng transit. In order to operat e t he p rinter you will need to remove
the packaging materials (i.e., tape and foam) that were placed in the printer for shipment. Complete the following steps prior
to connect ing power or attempting to load media.
Ensure that the arrow on the box is pointing up, and then open the box.
Remove the top piece of pa c king foam.
Lift the printer from the box.
Remove the printer from the plastic bag.
Remove any tape or additional pa c king f oam from the ins ide of the printer.
Note: It is a good idea to save all packaging mat eri al s in the event that shipping the printer is ever required.
M-Class 5
Inspecting the Printer
After removing the printer from the pa c kaging material, check the cont ents. The following items s hould be included:
Printer
Power Cord
CD-ROM and Docu mentation
Any special or a dditionally p urchased items.
Additional Requirements
The following items are necessary for generating labels from your printer. Contact your customer support or sales
representa tive for advice on which media a nd software may b es t be su ited for you r applica tion.
Serial, USB or Pa rallel cable
Ether net cab le for opt ional LAN connectivity
Applica ble Media
Applica b le S of tware
6 M-Class
3.0 Introduction
This c hapter explains how to c onnect your printer, load media (and ribbon, if equip ped for t hermal trans f er).
3.1 Connecting the Printer
3.1.1 Power Connection
Note: When connecting the AC Power Cord or interface cables to the printer, ensure the Power On/Off Switch is in the ‘Off’
position.
1. P lace the printer on a fir m, level surface.
2. Ensure that the Power Switch on the Printer is in the ‘Off’ position.
3. Connect t he AC Power Cord to the rec ep tacle on the bac k of the Printer, a nd then plug the AC P ower Cord into a
properly grounded outlet. (The power supply automatically detects and then adjusts to the applied line voltage; see
Section 8.0 f or the a c c ep table voltage ranges. )
M-Class 7
3.1.2 Interface Connection
The printer c an be connect ed to the host via a USB, s erial or pa rallel c able. The Pr inter will automati cally connect to the
first port (USB, serial or pa rallel) that transmits valid dat a. Af ter this connection has been made, the printer’s power must
be cycled ‘Off’ and ‘On’ to change the interface connection.
USB Connection:
The USB Interface is supported in Windows®95 and grea ter.
Depending up on the operating system of your host c omputer,
installat ion ma y dif fer slight ly.
Parallel Connection:
The parallel interface requires a Centronics® IEEE 1284 cable
with a 36 pin male connect or. Bi-direct ional mode is IEEE 1284
Compliant, using forward and reverse channel communications.
In this mode, data can be sent to the host provided it is also IEEE
1284 Compliant and has supporting software. Default is unidirectional, f or pr inters with front display, see C hapter 5.
Serial Connection:
The serial interface supports RS-232C
communicat i ons via a DB-9 connector. The
following list of serial por t sett ings is menuselecta ble and must match the host compu ter’s serial
port sett i ngs; see Chapter 4, f or non-disp lay printers
or C hapter 5 for display print ers.
• Baud Rate (Default 9600 bps)
• Word Length (Default 8 bits)
In addition to the port settings, the serial interface
cab le wiring must have specific connections (pinouts) for prop er dat a exchange between the host and
printer. The differ ent serial ca ble pin-outs a nd par t
numbers ar e in the following ta ble (contact you r
reseller for ordering information).
Optional Internal Ethernet Print Server:
(printers with front display only)
Part # 32-2483-01 Part # 32- 2301- 01
The printer is ava ilable with an optional Internal Ethernet Print Server. When using this connect ion please r ef er to
Appendix C or t he instructions inc l uded with the option for prop er setu p and configuration.
8 M-Class
3.2 Loading Media
Load media int o the print er as f ollows :
1. Open the media cover and lower t he M edia Hub G uide and Media Guide.
2. P ress in on the Pr inthead Latch and raise the Printhea d Assembly.
M-Class 9
3. S lide the Roll Media onto the Media H ub and rais e the Media Hu b Guide. The Media H ub Gu ide s hou ld be pushed
inward so that it is ju st tou c hing the Roll Media.
4. R oute the Media thr ough the printer as s hown. Ra ise the Media Guide. The Media G uide should be p ushed inward so
that it is just t ouching the edge of the Media .
10 M-Class
5. C lose the Printhead As sembly and press down until it locks into pla c e.
FEED
6. Close the cover and press the
If the p rinter does not correctly s ens e t he t op of each label, as denoted b y the
Printers without front display: Perf orm the Aut o Media Sensor C alibr ation, see sect ion 4.7.1.
Printers with front display: Pr es s and hold t he
but ton several times to position the media and ensure proper tracking.
ERROR
light, it may be necessary to:
FEED
but ton until at least one lab el gap or ma rk is advanced then
releas e. For additional calib rat i on procedures, see section 5.4
Note: The printer is fact or y set t o use 4-inch media (and ribbon, i f t hermal transfer equipped). When using a different width of
media/ribbon, please refer to section 6.2.
M-Class 11
3.3 Medi a Sensor Adjustment
The Media Sensor needs to be positioned so that the printer can detect the presence of media and the top-of-form (except for
continuous stock, where the TO F is set throu gh the front panel.
To a dju s t:
With media loaded, as descr ibed in S ection 3. 2, gr as p t he Slide Ta b a nd move the Sens or E ye Mar k int o posit ion over
media according to the table below.
If loading media, ret urn to the media loading instruc tions.
Media Sensor Selection and Adjustment
Media Type
Die-cut Near the middle of the label Gap
Notched Centered over the notch Gap
Reflective Cent ered over the black mark Reflective
Continuous Near the middle of the media Continuous
Sensor Eye Mark Position
Sensing Required*
12 M-Class
3.4 Loading Ribbon
Ribbon is requ ired with thermal trans f er media. It is r ecommended that the width of the ribbon be slight ly wider than the
media being used. Depending upon the type of Ribbon Supply Hub (see 3.4.1 for examples), the printer must use either
rib bons with the ‘coating side in’ or
Note: Using a ribbon that is slightly wider than your media (and liner, if any) will help protect against printhead wear.
1. Open the media cover. Press in on t he Print head Latch
and ra i se th e pri n thead assemb l y .
rib b ons with the ‘ c oating s ide ou t’. To load:
2. Slide the Ribbon Roll onto the Ribbon Supply Hub until
it r es ts a gainst the hub’s flange. Ensure the r ibbon
unwinds in t he correct direct ion (see 3.4.1 f or
examples ) . Illus trations depi c t a ‘Coat ed Side In’
assembly.
3. R oute t he ribb on under the Ribbon I dler and t hen ou t the
front of the printer approximately 12 inches.
M-Class 13
4. C l ose the Pr inthead Assembly and press down u ntil it
locks into p l ace.
5. Route t he ribbon up a nd then ar ound to the Ribbon
Take-Up Hub, winding it several times in a clockwise
direction to secure it in place.
FEED
6. Close the cover and press the
but ton several times t o position the ribbon and ensure proper tracking.
7. The ‘Media Type’ setting within the printer’s setup must be set to ‘Thermal Transfer’ to print using a ribbon;
Printers without front display: See section 4.5.2
Printers with front display: See section 5.1.2
14 M-Class
3.4.1 Ribbon Routing (Coated Side In & Coated Side Out)
Note: Directional Arrows near the Ribbon Supply Hub indicate the correct ribbon route. Ribbon types are available with the ink
(coating) layer wound ‘in’ or ‘out’. These types are NOT interchangeable for use with the printer.
Note: Ensure the inked side of the ribbon faces the media and NOT the printhead.
Ribbon Routing Diagrams
‘Coating Side In’ Ribbon Supply Hub
‘Coating Side Out’ Ribbon Supply Hub
M-Class 15
16 M-Class
4.0 Introduction
The Front Panel consists of three indica tor light s and t hree funct i on
but tons. The functions of t hes e light s and controls are listed in the
following sect ions.
4.01 DMXConfig
DMXConfig Features:
Simpli fy Printer Setup Process
Allows Real-Time Cont r ol/Query of Print er Configur ation
Defi ne and S ave Optimal Configur ations for Applications i.e.
Sav ed Configurations can be Shared with other P r inters and
Download Files, Format s and Fonts
Query Memory Modules
DMXConfi g (located on the M- c lass CD-R O M) is a windows ba sed configuration utility that c an simplify the
printer setup process. This application allows the user to make changes to the existing printer setup without using
the front panel but tons. Visit our website at www.datamaxc orp.com/soft ware/m-class / for the lates t releases.
Ribbon / Label S tock Combinations
Sent via Email
(sample screenshot)
M-Class 17
4.1 Lights
(Normal power-up)
Normal Mode
STOP
ERROR
READY
Solid O n:
Flashing:
a label is presented to the operator.
Indicates a top of form or mechanical error has occurred
Solid On: Indicates the printer is on and ready for printing
Flashing: Indicates the printer is receiving data from the host
Indicates the printer is in the ‘Paused’ state
(When using the Peel & Present Option) Indicates
Both the
READY
and
STOP
Lights will b e on du ring power- up initialization and a warm res et .
4.2 Buttons
The three bu tto ns,
operationa l mode. The pr inter operat es in one of the following modes:
PAU SE
,
FEED
, a nd
Norma l : Normal printer functions. See Section 4.3.
Express Setup: Allows quick access to the most common printer settings, (Sensor Type, Media Type, and Option Control. See
Section 4.4.
Printer Setup: Allows changes to the printer’s operational settings. See Section 4.5.
Calibration: Allows the ‘calibration’ of the media being used for the correct sensing of the top of form. See Section 4.7.
CANCEL
perf orm different f unctions based on the pr inter’s
18 M-Class
4.3 Normal Mode - Button Funct ions
In ‘Normal’ mode, t he p rinter ’ s buttons control normal oper ations such as pause, f eed, and ca nc el, as well as the t es t and
reset f unctions by using b utton c omb inations as detailed below.
(Normal power-up)
Normal Mode
PAU S E
FEED
Pauses/Un-pauses the printer
Feeds one label. Clears fault conditions
Press and Hold to perform “Label Alignment”, see section 4.6
Button Combinations (push buttons simultaneously)
PAU S E
PAU S E
FEED
+
+
+
FEED
CANCEL
CANCEL
CANCEL
Cancels the current batch of labels. Press the Pause button to
print the next batch of labels in the printer’s buffer
Prints the Test Label, see Section 4.8.2.
Performs a warm reset and returns to the Normal Mode of operation.
Produces Database Configuration an d T est Labels, see Section 4.8.1
M-Class 19
4.4 Expr ess Setup M ode - Button Functions
The Express Setup is a unique printer feature that allows users quick access to the most commonly used printer settings.
The selected setting is repres ent by a specific co mbina tion o f the pri n ter’s in d i cator l ights for ea ch of the three items,
(Sensor Type, Media Type, and Option Control). To enter the Express Setup…
T urn the printer OFF to save settings.
20 M-Class
4.5 Print e r Setup Mode - But t on Func t ions
In ‘Printer Setu p’ mode, the buttons contr ol the sett ing of the printer’s opera tional it ems s uch as media settings ,
communicat i ons, a nd options as detailed below.
Notes: It is recommended that the Printer Setup Mode not be entered while in Peel Mode or with the optional Pr esent Sensor
Printer and cutter faults are disabled during
If at any time you wish to discard your changes and revert back to the previous values, simpl y t ur n of f power to the
If you wish to restore Factory Defaults see Section 6.7.
To change Printer Setup:
enabled. Depending on label size this can cause unpredictable results.
but can still occur while printing “test” labels.
,
printer.
PAU SE
(Press and hold during power-up until the light turns off)
Printer Setup Mode
STOP
PAU SE
FEED
FEED
CANCEL
PAU SE
+
Prints the ‘Printer Setup Menu List’, see section 4.5.1
The Printer Setu p Menu List la bel, shown b elow, contains the p rinter ’ s current values f or each menu it em that can be
modified via the front panel (See Section 4.5 .2 for a detailed item descri p tion.)
The Menu I tem Numbers c orres pond to the it em’s position in the Menu List for selection when pressi ng the
during the Printer Setup Procedure (see Section 4.5). For example to “ Dir ect Select” th e B AUD RATE Menu Item p ress
and hold the
FEED
but ton for 7 flashes of t he
ERROR
light and then releas e or for the TOF GAIN it em hold
for 12 flashes, etc.
FEED
but ton
FEED
Menu Item
Values
Numbers
1)DIRECT= MEDIA TYPE
2)EDGE= SENSOR TYPE
3)NO= PRESENT SENSOR
4)NO= CUTTER EQUIPPED
5)127= SOP ADJUST, 0.005 in.
6)127= PRESENT ADJUST, 0.005 in.
7)9600= BAUD RATE, bps
8)8= DATA BITS
9)STD= CONTROL CODES
10)100= CONT FORM LENGTH, 0.01 in.
11)3= OOS MAXV OLT, 0.1 Vol ts
12)12= TOF GAIN
13)1 0= TOF DELTA, 0.1 Volts
14)0= TOF LOW, 0.1 Volts
15)426= LABEL WIDTH, 0.01 in.
16)6 4= SCALABLE FONT, 4KB
17)128= INTERNAL MODULE, 4KB
18)NO= LABEL ALIGNMENT
19)100= ALIGNMENT LENGTH, 0.01 i n.
20)AUTO= OPTION CONTROL
21)DPL= INPUT MODE
22)STANDARD= DPL EMULATION
23)10= HEAT
24)NO= EXACT TIME
25)NO= GPIO
26)NO= NO REPRINT
Note: When using narrow media, t he ‘Menu Items’ colum n may be truncated.
Menu
Items
22 M-Class
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