RTI Vortex 850R Series User Manual

1

User Guide for Vortex 850R Series

2

Last saved:

16/09/2014

Updated by:

3

Copyright statement

This document, attachments, and information contained herein are the confidential and
proprietary property of Reprographic Technology and their suppliers. As such, this
document, attached files, and information contained herein are subject to all
nondisclosure and proprietary information agreements currently in effect with your
organization. Copies of this document, any portion of this document, or attachments may
not be transmitted or disclosed to any third party without the prior written permission of
Reprographic Technology.

All content is the confidential property of, or licensed to, Reprographic Technology (“RTI,”
“we,” or “us”) and is protected under Hungarian and Foreign copyright, trademark and
other intellectual property laws.

The following statements will be included in the Appendix:

Warranty

Safety precautions

Regulatory information

Environmental policy and information

Recycling

4

1 Introduction 7

1.1 Introduction to MemjetR print technology 7

2 Printer parts and their functions 9

2.1 Printer 11

2.2 Print engine 11

2.3 Printhead 12

2.4 Printhead Cartridge Dock 12

2.5 Print Mechanism 13

2.6 Cutter 13

2.7 Ink Cartridges 13

2.8 Ink Connection Ports 15

2.9 Ink Delivery System (IDS) 16

2.10 Bulkhead Assembly 16

2.11 Other IDS Components 17

2.12 Maintenance Module 17

2.13 Wiper station 19

Printing platen 19

Capping/spittoon station 20

2.14 Printhead servicing events 20

2.15 Print Zone 21

2.16 Onboard Print Engine Controller (OmniPEC) and Main Board 21

2.17 The Control System 21

2.18 Control Panel 22

2.19 Unwind/Rewind 22

Description of the Unwinder 23

3 Installing the Printer 24

3.1 Choose a location 24

3.2 Unpacking and Setup 24

3.3 Checking the contents 24

3.4 Connecting the Vortex850R 26

5

3.5 Turning Power On/Off 27

3.6 Setting up the Printer 27

Maintenance Module (MM) 28

Installing Ink Cartridges 31

The Printhead 33

Priming the Printhead 33

Installing the Printhead 34

Switch on the Printer 39

Unwinder Setup 40

3.7 Media Handling 43

Print Area 43

Load Media 44

3.8 Connect the printer to a computer 46

Connecting to a local area network 46

Direct connection to a personal computer 46

3.9 Install the printer driver 47

Driver Specifications – Printer Preferences 51

Label printing, generating print jobs. 58

Printing labels from softwares 58

Printing labels from print jobs. 58

3.10 Installing Liberty Application 59

Starting the Installation 59

Installing .Net Framework 60

Setting up Your License File 61

Installing the Application 63

Updating the Firmware 64

4 Liberty 65

4.1 Overview 65

4.2 The main screen 65

Left hand side status bar 66

Right hand side status bar 67

Notification Bar 68

Ink Status Display 68

6

Job Status Display 69

Main Buttons 70

Job Control Buttons 70

Version Numbers 71

4.1 Paper Handling & Print Configuration 72

Material Type 73

Media Edge Detection 73

Print Mode 74

Cut Mode 74

Adjustments 75

Start of Job cut 75

Batch Mode 75

Sensor Calibration 76

Paper Profiles 77

4.2 My Labels – Stored Jobs 79

Creating a Stored Job 79

Printing a Stored Job 83

4.3 One Touch Maintenance 84

Fixing print quality issues 85

Service station eject/home 85

Replace Printhead 85

Network Settings 86

Troubleshooting Window 86

Tilt Calibration 88

4.4 Statistics 89

7

1 Introduction

The purpose of this manual is to describe the operation of the Vortex850R label printer.
The first section provides and overview of the Memjet™ print technology to make you
familiar with the terms and basics of this new technology that forms the basis of the
Vortex850R printer series. The following sections walk you through the installation steps,
explain the components of the printer and their roles, and then teach you how to
operate your printer. The manual ends with a maintenance and troubleshooting guide.

1.1 Introduction to Memjet

R

print technology

Memjet™ Technology is a revolutionary printing technology developed by Silverbrooks
Research (Sidney, Australia). The core of this technology is a full paper width printhead
capable of printing the entire page width at the same time without head movement.
The result of this setup is a breakthrough 12 inch (305 mm) per second printing speed.
The printhead is manufactured with state-of-the art semiconductor technology; an A4
head contains 70,400 nozzles delivering 1600 dpi native resolution at full colour. The
nozzles are arranged in 10 rows having 2 rows for each ink channels. The fixed head
spans the width of the label and feeds an entire label at a time similar to a laser printer.
This architecture dramatically improves performance and ink drop placement accuracy
during printing, while decreasing noise and vibration

Figure 1

Printing with a traditional moving head

and

with the Memjet

printhead.

8

Figure 2

The Memjet 8.5” printhead cartidge showing the ink

inlet,

outlet ports, various print-related parts

and the

printhead

a

b

Figure 3

The Memjet printhead contains 70,400 nozzles in 10 rows (brown stripe in Figure a)

An

electron microscope image of a single nozzle (Figure

b).

The small size of the nozzles results in very small (1-2 picolitre) paint drops,
approximately
14 micron drop diameter on paper, effectively achieving the highest print resolution the
human eye can see.
Printing with this type of precision requires many technical details to be solved
including printhead cooling, using special fast drying inks, feeding paper accurately,
controlling the operation of the unit, etc. A unique property of Memjet printing is
the special print processor that uses a custom hardware print pipeline processing engine
to render images

at a

very high speed. The level of technical standards are reflected by
the fact that Silverbrooks Research hold 2500 patents related to Memjet Technology
along with another 2000 pending.

9

2 Printer parts and their functions

Touchscreen

Top cover

Integrated cutter

Ink cartridge compartment cover

Adjustable legs

Figure 4

Printer View Nr.1

Paperguide

Handle
Service

slot

USB Connectors

(4x)

Figure 5

Printer View Nr.2

10

Power switch

Power connector

VGA – use for external monitor/tv
LAN – use for Network printing mode

NOTE: Opto In/Out, Dig.In, Relay Out, USB and RS-232 are not in use at
the moment.

Figure 6

Printer View Nr.3

11

2.1 Printer

The Vortex850R printer is a state-of-the-art Memjet printer designed for maximum
usability and performance. The major components of the printer are the print engine,
the controller and the control panel.

Figure 7

Picture of the Vortex850R printer

2.2 Print engine

The print engine is the heart of the Vortex850R printer. It is responsible for the actual
print process. The major subsystems of the engine are the mechanics (paper transport),
ink delivery system (including print head and ink tanks), the print controller and a paper
cutter. The Vortex850R controller is responsible to control the operation for the print
engine. You do not need to access and use the print engine directly except when changing
print heads and ink tanks.

Figure 8

Picture of the Print Engine

12

2.3 Printhead

Figure 9

Picture of the Printhead

2.4 Printhead Cartridge Dock

The printhead cartridge dock positions the page-wide, static, high-speed Memjet
printhead in the correct location to maintain correct position with the print zone.

Figure 10

Picture of Fluidic Connectors and Memjet Printhead Cartridge

13

2.5 Print Mechanism

During printing, the print mechanism moves the paper through the print zone below
the static printhead.

2.6 Cutter

The NorthStar cutter is designed to provide a complete cut of continuous media in the
cross- web direction. This will provide the ability to singulate labels and enable a break
in continuous media to allow servicing of the printhead.The cutter has a design target
of providing a 400,000 cut life on thin tag media. Cuts are expected to execute in 0.4
seconds at up to 80 8.5inch cuts/minute.
The cutter unit can be removed or replaced, if necessary, without affecting the
performance of the NorthStar.

Figure 11

Picture of the Cutter

2.7 Ink Cartridges

Vortex850R Series Printers use a single Printhead Cartridge and five Ink Tanks (two Black,
one Cyan, one Magenta, and one Yellow). During installing the ink cartridges the Printer
should be turned off.

Figure 12

Picture of the ink cartridge

14

Figure 13

Parts of the Ink Cartridge

Figure 14

Picture of Ink Cartridge Cross-Section

15

Figure 15

Picture of Ink Cartridge Cross-Section with Air Vent Path Detail

2.8 Ink Connection Ports

Ink connection ports allow the connection of the external ink supply hoses to the print
engine. Unique, zero insertion-force, ganged connectors allow all 10 ink hoses to be
engaged with the printhead in one movement. The printhead can be removed or installed
without disconnecting any of the ink hoses.

Figure 16

Ink Connection Ports

16

2.9 Ink Delivery System (IDS)

The Ink Delivery System (IDS) is a complex system designed to cleanly and reliably deliver
ink to the printhead while minimizing color mixing, drop weight variation, and
dehydration.

The major components of the Ink Delivery System (IDS) are:

 The disposable ink cartridges
 The printhead
 The tubing
 The peristaltic pump
 The pinch valve assembly
 The QA and ink level sensing electronics
 The buffer box

2.10 Bulkhead Assembly

The bulkhead assembly includes the ink cartridges, the septum for connecting to the
bulkhead plate, ink level PCAs, the QAI chip for each ink cartridge, and the buffer boxes
for each ink cartridge.

Figure 17

Picture of Bulkhead Assembly

17

2.11 Other IDS Components

Figure 18

Picture of IDS Components

2.12 Maintenance Module

Aka Service Station (SS)
The multi-station, maintenance module (MM) maintains and cleans the printhead by
wiping off waste ink and contamination. In addition, the MM assists with printing by
priming the printhead, as well as protecting it when not in use, and guiding the paper as
it passes under the printhead.

Figure 19

Picture of the Maintenance Module

18

The maintenance module (MM) is a sled that contains stations for wiper, cap/spittoon,
and print zone platen.
To position the correct station into place, a stepper motor moves the sled horizontally,
and a
DC motor moves the sled vertically. The maintenance module:

 Cleans the printhead of excess ink and debris.
 Keeps the printhead protected and hydrated while not in use.
 Provides a safe place to spit ink that is used to keep the nozzles clear.
 Provides a suitable base for supporting the media during printing. This is done with the

print zone platen station.

Figure 20

Picture of Maintenance Module (MM) Assembly (exploded view)

The maintenance module should be replaced as part of annual maintenance or after
printing one million inches.

NOTE: The maintenance module is not intended to be end-user serviceable, although it is
a service part for technicians.

19

2.13 Wiper station

The printhead must be wiped to remove ink cross-contamination and particulates. The
cylindrical wiper rotates to wipe the entire width of the printhead. The roller rotates for
the duration of the lift-dwell-lower cycle. The intent is not to merely blot the nozzles but
to have functionally translational wiping. The wiper is programmable and can be rotated
numerous times to perform multiple wiping operations. Once wiping is complete the
station drops back down. A metal transfer roller cleaned by a doctor blade helps remove
ink from the wiper. The removed ink dries or evaporates within the wiper station.
When the wiper becomes contaminated to such an extent that it is no longer effective,
the wiper must be replaced by unlatching the two wiper retaining clips. These clips can
be released while the maintenance module is in the wipe position.

Figure 21

Picture of Wiper station

Printing platen

The platen provides a smooth writing surface and the correct spacing between the
media and the printhead. During printing, the paper below the printhead is maintained
at a fixed dive angle from the drive roller nip and platen below the nozzles to ensure
print quality. Along the center of the platen there are four Porex (tm) micro sponges to
collect ink overspray.

Figure 22

Picture of Printing platen

20

Capping/spittoon station

The printhead should not be allowed to dry out after priming. The cap station is used
when the printer is idle. The cap station limits evaporation from the printhead by sealing
around the nozzles and maintaining a humid environment. The cap is an elastomer
seal that fits around and over the printhead nozzles. It is held against the printhead by
the lift springs on the maintenance module. The cap aligns with the printhead by features
at each end of the maintenance module. The spittoon portion of the station has a waste
ink receptacle used to capture ink ejected during maintenance processes. The used ink
wicks and drains into the waste tank. The wicking bar is a plastic frame and channel of
absorbent material. The absorbent material can be replaced by trained service personnel.

Figure 23

Picture of Capping/spittoon station

2.14 Printhead servicing events

The printhead requires cleaning after any of the following events occur:

 A new printhead is installed and primed
 The printhead is removed and then replaced
 The printhead is primed or re-primed with ink
 The printhead is showing signs of contamination

Be aware that ink is used by the print engine during printhead maintenance as well as
during printing. All waste ink from the printhead nozzles is contained by the maintenance
carousel, either in the spittoon (holds waste ink generated by priming/cleaning) or in the
platen (holds waste ink generated during printing). Therefore, periodic maintenance
will be required to remove the waste ink

21

2.15 Print Zone

The clamshell design allows for accessibility during paper loading and paper jam clearance
in the print zone.

2.16 Onboard Print Engine Controller (OmniPEC) and Main Board

The OmniPEC controls all electronic aspects of the printing and print engine operation.
The custom 95-pin WaveTech connector connects the printhead to the printhead board,
which is connected by cables to the OmniPEC main board. The OmniPEC allows
connections to paper motors, ink level sensors, ink pump and additional sensors.

 Dual resolution file format to
 Achieve crisp Print Quality (PQ) yet
 Reasonable file size
 1600 dpi lossless text expansion
 800 dpi contone JPEG expansion
 Two processors: 650MHz RISC CPU with customized HW assist (image processing

focus) and 192MHz SPARC CPU dedicated to the printing pipeline

 Dedicated printing pipeline in HW
 Real-time JPEG compression
 Color Space conversion
 Half-toning
 Dead nozzle compensation
 Printhead data formatting

2.17 The Control System

The Printer engine is controlled by the OmniPEC, the Quality Assurance Infrastructure
(QAI), and the firmware.

Full-page array printing:

 Calculates 900 million drops/sec
 Drives 70,400 nozzles on the printhead
 JPEG expansion in hardware
 On-chip memory
 Extensive motor control and I/O
 Xscale – compatible 650 MHz CPU
 > 40 million transistors
 USB 2.0

22

2.18 Control Panel

The Vortex850R printer has a large, user-friendly touch screen-based interface. This
control panel provides vital printer status information and enables operators to control
and monitor the printer in an effective way. The detailed description of the user interface
can be found in the ‘Using the Printer’ section.

Figure 24

Picture of the Vortex850R control panel

2.19 Unwind/Rewind

Unwinder/Rewinder is the official part for Vortex850R Printers to handle the different
type of medias. NOTE: It is not replaceable with other company’s products.

Figure 25

Picture of an Unwinder/Rewinder

23

Description of the Unwinder

Figure 26

Unwinder Parts (1)

Figure 27

Unwinder Parts (2)

Speed

determining

arms

Media roll

Motorized

core

Axle

holder

stand

Paperguide

Mandre

Media

Spindle

24

3 Installing the Printer

3.1 Choose a location

The Vortex850R should be placed on a properly leveled worktable or cabinet which is
able to handle the printer’s weight and minimum 61 cm (24 inch) wide.

3.2 Unpacking and Setup

The printer is shipped in a strong cardboard box. Before opening the box, check that the
box is not damaged in any way and was not turned upside down during shipment. If
signs of damage are found, contact your reseller and inspect the box together.

If the box is undamaged, carefully cut the tape on the box, open the box. Before taking
the printer out of the box, make sure a strong and level work surface is prepared for the
printer.

NOTE: The printer is heavy. Never attempt to lift and take it out of the box on your own
as it can cause lasting injuries. The printer should always be lifted by two persons.

Place the printer on the desk and inspect that no damages are found on the unit.

Unpack the unwinder and the optional rewinder units and place them on the desk next
to the printer.

3.3 Checking the contents

Check the parts list to ensure you have received all required components. If the shipment
is complete, proceed to the next chapter.

 Vortex850R Printer
 3 set of CMYKK ink cartridges (5 cartridges per set)
 3 printheads
 1 service station
 1 main power cable
 1 paper guide
 Unwinder (Rewinder optional)

25

Figure 28

Printer and Contents

Figure 29

Rewinder/Unwinder

NOTE: 2 sets of ink cartridges and two printheads are part of the spares kit supplied and
are priced separately. We need to clarify that the printer pricing includes on set of
cartridges and

one printhead.

26

3.4 Connecting the Vortex850R

Make sure the printer is used with the mains cable suited to the requirements of
the electrical system of your country. The internal power supply in the Printer is rated
115 to 240VAC, 50/60 Hz.

 Insert the cable into the printer first. The cable connector should sit in the

socket securely.

 Insert the cable into the mains socket.

Figure 30

Connecting the Printer

Do not use an outlet that shares the same circuit with large

electrical machines and appliences

27

3.5 Turning Power On/Off

Powering Up

1. Press the Main Power Button on the back of the Printer.

Powering Down

1. Press the Power button within the Liberty software and choose „Shut Down Printer”.

2. Waint for the printer to stop processing (The screen will turn to black).

3. Press the Main Power Button on the back of the Printer to switch it off.

3.6 Setting up the Printer

After the printer has passed inspection, install the maintenance module, the printhead,
and the ink cartridges, as explained in the following sections.

To set up the printer you need to do the following

 Install the Service Station (if shipped as a separate unit)
 Install the ink cartridges
 Install the printhead
 Turn on the Printer
 Unwinder setup
 Load label media
 Install the printer driver

Whenever powering down the unit

 Never remove the power cable during the shutdown process
 Never switch off the printer with the Main Power Button when Liberty

is still running

28

Maintenance Module (MM)

In case your printer is shipped with a MM as a separate unit, before switching on the
printer, you need to install the MM (After module has passed inspection).

Figure 31

Service Station (aka Maintenance Module)

The Service Station cleans the Printhead Cartridge of excess ink and debris, keeps the
Printhead hydrated and protected when not in use, captures ink used to keep nozzles
clear, and acts as a base to support media during printing.

Installation steps

 Unpack the Maintenance Module
 Check that each part of the station is complete and functional
 Open the printer and the ink tank cover
 Open the print engine clamshell
 Locate the MM ribbon cable
 Connect the ribbon cable to the MM connector at the back of the service station
 Insert the station into the print engine

29

Figure 32

The Service Station fits in the port immediately above the Ink Tank Station.

 Plug in the white flat flex cable to the motor PCA on the maintenance module.

Slide the Latch open on the Maintenance Station Circuit Board:

Figure 33

Maintenance Module Installation (1)

 Plug the ribbon connector (blue side up) into the space under the Latch than close the

Latch:

Figure 34

Maintenance Module Installation (2)

30

 Slide in the connected Service Station.

Figure 35

Maintenance Module Installation (3)

 Slowly turn the gear on the print engine until the maintenance module engages.

Figure 36

Maintenance Module Installation (4)

 Close the clamshell gently to avoid causing vibration on the printhead.

NOTE: The MM must be perfectly aligned with bar to prevent misalignment!

31

Installing Ink Cartridges

Vortex850R Series Printers use a single Printhead Cartridge and five Ink Tanks (two Black,
one Cyan, one Magenta, and one Yellow). During installing the ink cartridges the Printer
should be turned off.

 Remove the ink tanks from the shipping box.
 Open the ink tank latches in the front of the printer by pushing the bottom of the

latch upward. The latch has a marker for signalling the place of the C, M, Y and K

 tanks. (The reason why K is used for Black: in RBG color mode B is reserved for Blue)
 Locate the place where each tank should go than slowly but firmly push the tank into

the tank socket. The pressure in the ink tanks and the septums may prevent the
cartridge to fully engage for the first insertion.

 To make sure you have a good contact, remove the ink tank and re-insert twice.

Figure 37

Inserting Ink Cartridges (1)

32

Figure 38

Inserting Ink Cartridges (2)

 Cyan (C), inserted in the top left slot.
 Black (K) – two cartridges – inserted in the bottom left and bottom right slots.
 Yellow (Y), inserted in the top middle slot.
 Magenta (M), inserted in the top right

slot.

Cyan

Yellow

Magent

Black

Black

WARNING

The ink in the ink tank may be harmful if swallowed. Keep new and used tanks out

of the reach of children! Discard empty tanks immediatelly!

33

The Printhead

The printhead is the core of the print engine. As sensitive electromechanical equipment,
it requires careful and special handling to avoid damage and ensure quality printing.

NOTE: The printhead is sensitive to electro-static discharge (ESD). Use ESD protection
when handling the printhead.

Priming the Printhead

Before the printhead can be used, it must be primed. Priming helps purge both the

liquid

and

air in the ink lines to allow reliable printing. Priming can also help to remove air
bubbles from a previously primed printhead. The priming process is designed to use less
than 5ml of ink.

To prime the printhead manually

 Fill the main channels of the printhead.
 Generate a pressure pulse to push out any bubbles.
 Clean and dispose of the ink pushed out onto the nozzle plate.
 Print out color mixed ink.
 Cap the printhead to prevent dehydration.

Figure 39

Picture of Printhead

34

Installing the Printhead

 Ensure your printer is switched on and the Power button is lit and steady.
 Open the cover of your printer to reveal the printhead latch with a screw driver

(ONLY at first use!)

Figure 40

Installing the Printhead (1)

 If the printhead latch is not raised, press the Printhead Eject button for three

seconds. This will automatically initiate printhead latch opening. This process may
take several seconds.

 DO NOT touch the printhead cartridge ink couplings, nozzle surface

or the electrical contacts when installing the printhead cartridge.
Hold the printhead cartridge ONLY by the handles.

 DO NOT unpack the Printhead Cartridge until the Printer is ready for

Once unwrapped, delay in installing the Printhead can

compromise print quality due to dehydration.

 DO NOT place an unwrapped Printhead on any surface before

installing. Protect the Printhead from at all times from dust, fibers,

dirt and other contaminants

35

 Remove the fluidic cap protectors from the two fluidic couplings.

Figure 41

Installing the Printhead (2)

 Open the end of the printhead package outer box and slide out the foil bag.

Figure 42

Installing the Printhead (3)

 Inspect the integrity of the foil vacuum sealing. The foil bag should be formed tightly

to the contours of the printhead cartridge as shown above. If the foil is loose to any
degree then the seal has been compromised.

If a poor seal is suspected, DO NOT USE the printhead cartridge. Report the issue to
your supplier.

 Carefully rip the foil packaging open at the notch. Use scissors if your foil bag does not

have a notch or you are finding it difficult to tear the bag .

Figure 43

Installing the Printhead (4)

36

 Remove the printhead cartridge from the foil bag.
 Remove the orange protective plastic cover from the printhead cartridge.
 Holding the printhead cartridge by the handle

 Release the flaps covering the ink ports (1 and 2).
 Release the clip retaining the cover near the center of the printhead cartridge

(3).

 Carefully remove the protective cover (4).

Figure 44

Installing the Printhead (4)

 Remove the protective strip from the electrical contacts. While holding the printhead

cartridge by the handle with one hand, grasp the pull tab with the other hand and,
slowly and carefully, peel back the plastic strip covering the electrical contacts.

Figure 45

Installing the Printhead

 Dispose of the removed strip immediately and do not allow the removed strip to

contact the electrical contacts.

 Remove the protective strip from the printhead nozzles. While holding the printhead

37

cartridge by the handle with one hand, grasp the pull tab with the other hand and
slowly and carefully peel back the plastic strip covering the printhead nozzles.
Maintain an angle of no less than 45° with the printhead surface when pulling on the
strip.

Figure 46

Installing the Printhead (5)

 Dispose of the removed strip immediately and do not allow the removed strip to

contact the electrical contacts or the printhead nozzles.

 Raise the printhead latch fully until it is upright so you can insert the printhead into

the printer at an angle.

Figure 47

Installing the Printhead (6)

 When the printhead cartridge is fully inserted into the printer rotate it to a vertical

position as shown.

38

Figure 48

Installing the Printhead (7)

 Slowly close the printhead latch. The fluidic couplings should advance and seal to the

printhead cartridge.

Figure 49

Installing the Printhead (8)

 Close the printhead latch. When the printhead latch is closed, the printer will prime,

clean and cap the printhead automatically. This operation will generally take a
minute or two, and will be obvious from sounds emanating from the printer.

NOTE: The Printer may take up to 12 minutes to set itself up during initial startup. This is
normal. The machine will emit a number of chirps, whirrs and other noises as it circulates
ink and runs systems.

39

Switch on the Printer

After the print head and the ink tanks are installed, switch on the printer by switching on
the main switch on the back of the printer. This will power up the print engine and the
controllers.

After few seconds, you will hear the ink pump starting to prime the system, then the
wiper will wipe the print head and starts its first maintenance. During this process Liberty
software is starting to build up the connection to the print engine. This can take up to
10-15 minutes but it is normal so please wait until the GUI for the system indicates that
it is in the ready state.

While the print engine is starting up, the Vortex850R control panel also starts and displays
the following window. All menu buttons are disabled in the main screen. They become
functional once the engine is up and functional. This is also displayed by status and
operation mode messages on the screen.

Figure 50

Liberty - Powering up the Print Engine

40

After the software connected to the Print Engine the printer (Printer status will be
‘Standby’) is ready to use.

Figure 51

Icons Showing Printer Status Change from Offline to Standby

Unwinder Setup

1

Install the first guide

2

Install the second guide

3

Install outer disk

4

Insert the motorized core
holder into the roll.

41

5

Install the second outer
disk.

6

Turn the knob to fix the roll.

7

Install the motorized core
holder into the guides

IMPORTANT : turn the
holder with the connector
to the tower side with the
power cable.

8

Insert the power cable

9

Switch on the unit

WRONG

CORRECT

42

Figure 52

Installing the Unwinder

10

Install the baseplates

11

Elevate the printer and
move the printer onto the
plate

12

Fix the plates to the printer with two knobs

43

3.7 Media Handling

Print Area

Print area can be found on the back of the printer where the operator needs to feed the
materials. Any media type must go through the metal paper guide in order to avoid any
movement during printing.

Figure 53

Paper Guide

Printing Area is dedicated with the green bar. Left edges of Label (Gap) Sensor

and

Blackmark

(Tickmark) Sensor is shown with the blue marks. During printing the operator
has to align the actual material to these blue marks otherwise the sensors won’t be able
to recognize the media and the printer could run into an error.

Figure 54

Printing Area

44

Load Media

Lead the paper from the roll through the unwinder’s roller to keep the media tight during
printing.

Figure 55

Load Media (1)

Drag on the paper and lead through the roller of the paper guide’s antistatic brushes. Feed
the paper in the printer until you feel some resistance.

Figure 56

Load Media (2)

45

Click the Paper Handling button on the start screen of Liberty application to popup the
Paper Handling Window.

Figure 57

Liberty Application's Paper Handling Window

Select the Feed Paper button to feed the paper to its starting position.
Choose Material Type according to the media inserted to the printer.

46

3.8 Connect the printer to a computer

Vortex850R printer uses an Ethernet connection for printing. There are different
configuration steps to follow depending whether or not you have a local area network
at your location.

NOTE: Although the printer has a USB connector it is not activated as all
communication between the Embedded PC and the Print Engine is working only via
Ethernet connection. This means that this printer cannot be used as a USB printer!

Connecting to a local area network

 IP address configuration

 If your LAN has a DHCP server that assigns IP addresses dynamically, you

can use the default configuration of the Vortex850R controller. After
power up, the controller will connect to your DHCP server and request
the IP address. Later, you can check the assigned IP address in the
Configuration menu under Network Settings.

 If you want to assign a fixed IP address to the printer manually, you can

do this in the hosting operating system after closing the Liberty
controller.

 Connect the printer to your local area network using a standard Ethernet cable.

Direct connection to a personal computer



IP address configuration

 First assign an IP address to the printer in the hosting operating

system after closing the Liberty controller. Then, assign an IP address to
your personal computer.

 NOTE: Make sure the addresses belong to the same segment.

 Connect the printer to your local area network using a crossover Ethernet cable.

47

3.9 Install the printer driver

Start Vortex Printer Series Driver Installer for Windows on your PC or laptop: Run
WinSetup.exe.

Figure 58

Driver Installation (1)

Figure 59

Driver Installation (2)

Accept the license agreement.

48

Figure 60

Driver Installation (3)

On the printer connections screen select network printer.

Figure 61

Driver Installation (4)

During the setup process the installer detects Vortex850R printers connected to the
network.

49

Figure

62

Driver Installation (4)

Select your printer and click next to continue setup.

Figure

63

Driver Installation (5)

Select Unblock to let the firewall unblocking cepting connections.

50

Figure 64

Driver Installation (6)

If the above dialog appears or setup asks you to let run firmware update answer NO.

Restart your PC or Laptop to complete installation!

NOTE: When installing the driver on Windows 7, you can skip the Reboot process by

selecting Don’t reboot. The system will prompt you whether the software was installed
properly.

IMPORTANT: Unselect 'Bidirectional Printing' at printer’s property page otherwise the
printer will not print any jobs.

Figure 65

Driver Installation (7)

51

Driver Specifications – Printer Preferences

General Tab

Figure 66

Vortex Printer Series Driver Printing Preferences (1)

Print setting options on the General Tab:

Field

Options

Media Type

 Default
 SpeedJet Glossy Label
 SpeedJet Matte Label
 SpeedJet Standard Label
 SpeedJet Vellum

52

Field

Options

Media Size

 Letter 8 ½ x 11 in
 Legal 8 ½ x 14 in
 Statement 5 ½ x 8 ½ in
 Executive 7 ¼ x 10 ½ in
 A4 210 x 297 mm
 A5 148 x 210 mm
 A6 105 x 148 mm
 4 x 6 in
 5 x 7 in
 5 x 8 in
 4 x 10 in
 4 x 11 in
 4 x 12 in
 8 x 10 in
 Env. Monarch 3 7/8 x 7 ½ in
 Env. Com 10 4 1/8 x 9 ½ in
 Env. DL 110 x 220 mm
 Hagaki 100 x 148 mm
 100 x 150 mm
 1 x 1 in

Print Speed
(and Quality)

 12 IPS
 6 IPS

Color Section

 Color
 Monochrome

My Print Settings

 Defaults

53

Layout Tab

Figure 67

Vortex Printer Series Driver Printing Preferences (2)

Field

Options

Multi-Page
(N-Up)

 Pages per Sheet: 1, 2, 4, 9, 16

Arrange
Pages

 Right, then down
 Down, then right
 Left, then down
 Down, then left

My Print
Settings

 Defaults

54

Media Tab

Figure 68

Vortex Printer Series Driver Printing Preferences (3)

Field

Option

Position Adjusment

 Horizontal Offset
 Vertical Offset

Offset units

 Inches
 Millimeters
 Pixels

55

Media Layout

 Inter-Label Gap
 Black Mark
 Cut Sheet
 Continuous
 Use Printer Setting

Page Cutting

 Job Cut (cut at end of job)
 Sheet per cut (number of pages

before cutting)

 Use Printer Settings

My Print Settings

 Defaults

NOTE: This section of the driver is not recommended to use, as Liberty has most of these
settings on Paper Handling window. Changing values here may cause unexpected errors!

56

Import / Export Tab

Figure 69

Vortex Printer Series Driver Printing Preferences (4)

Field

Options

Include these custom
settings

 Watermarks
 Media Sizes
 Print Settings

57

Services Tab

Figure 70

Vortex Printer Series Driver Printing Preferences (5)

Field

Services

Maintenance

 Clean Printheads
 Print Demo Page
 Print Configuration Page

Other Services

 Order Supplies
 Get Support

58

Label printing, generating print jobs.

For printing labels the operator has two options:

 Print label from a labelling/graphical or other software
 Print labels from print jobs.

Printing labels from softwares

Printing labels from any kind of software is quite easy. The operator just needs to set all
prefrences within the Vortex850R Series Driver (paper size, printing speed, number of
copies, etc.)

Printing labels from print jobs.

To help the whole process it is recommended to install the driver on the personal
computer then change the following:

 Go to Start/Devices and Printer
 Right click on Vortex850R Series
 Go to Printer Configuration
 Go to Ports tab
 Change port from TCP/IP to FILE (or Print to File)

NOTE: When saving a print job don’t forget to put ’.prn’ at the end of the filename because
the driver won’t do it automatically!

Print jobs are pre-defined jobs which for later use. The Vortex850R printer works with
with .PRN files which can be generated with the driver of the printer. All .PRN files must
be uploaded to the printer to this location: D:\Vortex850R\Labels
A JPG thumbnail also needs to be created and copied to the same folder for each print job.
Try to use a descriptive name for the print jobs (for the .PRN and JPG as well).
For example: barcode_6ips_21labels_150x100.prn/jpg barcode – description of the label
6ips – printing speed
21labels – number of copies
150x100 – media size

NOTE: Liberty needs both the .PRN files and the JPG files from Liberty. If one of these files
is missing either have an error message appears or the print job won’t be available at all!

59

3.10 Installing Liberty Application

Vortex 850R Liberty Installer updates your printer’s settings and installs all the files and
resources that your printer needs to run Liberty 2.0. The installer will give you the option
to retain your original database and stored labels from the previous version. Please follow
the steps below during the installation process!

Starting the Installation

Before the installation make sure the USB-AB cable is connected to the engine so that the
installer can communicate your printer.

Figure 71

Connecting the USB-AB Cable

The name of installer file is ’LibertyInstaller.exe’. As the installer has to run on the printer
itself, make sure your can access the file form the printer and start it.

The installer consists of two phases, the first one updates your printer’s software

environment, and the second one updates you Liberty control software. If your software
environment is already updated you will not see the first phase at all.

60

Installing .Net Framework

Liberty runs in on .Net Framework 4.0. If the proper version of this framework cannot be
found on your printer the installer opens up a separate install dialog called: .Net
Framework Setup Dialog. Please complete this separate setup by accepting the License
Agreement and selecting the Install button on the dialog and wait until the installation is
complete. Do not let the .Net installer to restart Windows.

Figure 72

.NET Framework Setup Dialog

Similarly a second dialog might appear after this one, installing .Net Framework Updates.
Please complete the installation as before.
After .Net Framework or .Net Framework Updates installation a restart is needed. Please
restart the printer by clicking the Restart button on the Vortex 850R installer. After restart
the installation process resumes automatically, please wait for the installer to start and
appear on the screen and press start to continue the installation.

61

Setting up Your License File

Liberty 2.0 is introducing a licensing module, so if you are updating from previous
versions, you need to acquire a license to use it, and since Liberty cannot start without a
valid license the installer will help you set it up before updating your printer with the new
control software.

Figure 73

Vortex 805R Installer Licensing Screen

If you don’t have a valid license installed on your printer the installer stops and lets you

set it up.
As the installer informs you as well, you need to have an account for Vision Center –

https://visioncenter.rti-digital.com and have your printer added to your account. In case

of any of it missing, please contact your retailer!

Start the licensing process with saving a License Enquiry File.
Select the installer’s Save License Enquiry button to generate the enquiry file and save it
with the help of the Save File Dialog to the place of your choice.

The next step is uploading your enquiry file to Vision Center.

62

Figure 74

License Enquiry Upload at Vision Centre

Please visit https://visioncenter.rti-digital.com and log in to your account. Select the
License menu to navigate to License Upload page, where first choose your printer from
the dropdown then browse for your previously saved License Enquiry file and hit Upload!

After uploading the enquiry the website navigates you to the page you can download
your freshly created license file from. The default name of the license file is Guid.rti.

Figure 75

License Download at Vision Centre

Copy the downloaded file to your printer and resume installation. In case you closed the
installer please restart it and let it open the licensing screen again.
Select the Install License button to popup an Open File Dialog which allows you to select
your license file to install.

NOTE: Licenses are hardware dependent so make sure that you are installing the license
on the correct printer.

Once you have successfully installed the license the installation of Liberty 2.0 and the
firmware updating can commence.

63

Installing the Application

Migrating your data

The installer attempts to find your previous Liberty version and present you with the
choice of migrating data to the new system.

Figure 76

Data Migration Preferences in Liberty Installer

Migrating your saved labels: You can access your saved labels from Liberty application if

Copy labels box is checked. The installer can locate your stored labels if they are saved in
the default working directory of the previous version of the application.

Accessing your previous data: In case you would like to access your previous data from
Liberty you can pass an existing database file to the setup. If the installer can locate your
database file it offers its path. If the automatic routine is unable to find your previous
installation, you can still browse for your old database to use. Optionally you can set up
a blank database selecting the Use blank database checkbox.

64

Updating the Firmware

The installer checks the firmware version on your printer, and will automatically update
it if necessary, this process can take more than 20 minutes, please be patient. If you are
already running the latest version of the firmware, the installer will ask you to re-burn it
or continue. Re-burning the firmware puts unnecessary strain of the flash memory of the
printer, so please only re-burn the firmware only if you have firmware related issues.

Figure 77

Firmware Update Screen in Liberty Installer

65

4 Liberty

4.1 Overview

Vortex850R printer has a unique control panel with an easy to handle touch-based user
interface. The purpose of this interface is to provide real-time information and feedback
to the user about the operation and status of the printer in order to give the user full
control of the printer and a frustration free printing experience.

4.2 The main screen

Figure 78

Parts of the Main Screen of Liberty

There are 7 main parts of the controller

 Left Hand Status Bar
 Right Hand Status Bar
 Notification Bar
 Ink Status Display
 Job Status Display
 Main Buttons
 Job Control Buttons

LEFT HAND

STATUS BAR

RIGHT HAND

STATUS BAR

NOTIFICATION

BAR

MAIN

BUTTONS

INK

STATUS

JOB STATUS

JOB CONTROL

BUTTONS

66



Left hand side status bar

These three icons show the current working status of the printer.

Figure 79

Left Hand Side Status Bar

Media Types

The first label shows the current media type by changing its pictograms, and its color will
change according to paper status.

Media Type

Continuous media

Die-cut labels

Blackmark media

Color key

Paper pinched,
ready to print.

No paper in
the printer.

Paper is under
the head *

Paper related
error.

*This happens in roll to roll mode, during this time the printer cannot maintain itself

Engine states

The second label corresponds to the engine’s current state, once again it can change its
pictograms its background color and it has a progress ring as well. This icon will track the
engine state in real time.

Engine State

Standby

Maintenance

Offline

Powering down

Restarting

67

Cut Modes

The third labels shows the current cut mode setting.

Print Mode

Cut Mode

Roll to Cut

End of job cut

Cut after N labels

Roll to Roll

No cuts

Right hand side status bar

Labels next to language selection button inform about the state of RTI Service, Engine and Local
LAN connections.

Figure 80

Right Hand Side Status Bar

Language Selection Button

The language selection button opens a dropdown where the application language can be set.

RTI Service States

RTI Service label color reflects to license state and RTI Service status.

RTI Service State

Uninitialized

RTI Service checking license

No connection to RTI Service

Valid license

Invalid license

68

Engine and Local LAN Labels

Engine LAN is Liberty’s connection to the print engine, while Local LAN denotes the printer’s link

state to the local network.

Engine LAN and Local LAN States

Connected

Reduced link state

Connection error

Notification Bar

Notification bar messages appear on the top of the main buttons.

Figure 81

Notification Bar

There are 3 levels of notification messages – query, warning and error.
You can handle the messages with the icons on them. The rightmost list icon popups all
messages, the garbage icon removes the message. Query messages contain additional icons
that allow entering the answer.

Ink Status Display

The CMYKK ink volume display chart shows the actual amount of ink in each tank. This
display automatically refreshes after ink consumption and it can also be instantly
refreshed by clicking on it!

Notification Bar Message Levels

Query

Warning

Error

69

Figure 82

Ink Status Display

Job Status Display

Liberty updates the Job Status Display area according to the processing states of the
current job.

Job Status Display Fields

Labels Printed (complete / all)

Remaining Labels

Time to Finish

Cost / Label

Job Status

The following chart shows various states of the print process which are displayed in the
Job Status field.

CONNECTING PREPARING TRANSFERING

SENTPRINTINGFINISHED

DISCARDING PAUSED

ERROR

STOPPED

70

Main Buttons

Figure 83

Main Buttons

Main buttons navigate you to the following windows of Liberty application:

Job Control Buttons

Job Control buttons allow you to control the printing process. Stop buttons stops
printing in any state while Pause button pauses the print in the Printing state.

Figure 84

Job Control Buttons

Button

Navigates to

Paper

Handling

Paper Handling Window

Statistics

Statistics Window

Maintenanc

e

Maintenance Window

My Labels

My Labels Window

71

Version Numbers

Liberty application version and firmware version numbers can be found on the Main
Screen under the Vortex logo.

LIBERTY VERSION

FIRMWARE

VERSION

72

4.1 Paper Handling & Print Configuration

Paper Handling Window provides ways to control print configuration and perform paper­related operations.

Figure 85

Paper Handling

Window

Paper Handling and

Print Configuration

Tab

The following table shows the function of the buttons on Paper Handling Window:

Button

Function

Feed Paper

Feeds the paper into the printer

Unfeed
Paper

Removes paper from the printer.
You need this function when you want to change non/empty
rolls or have a paper jam and need to clear the paper path.

Cut Paper

Performs a manual cut operation.
Under normal conditions, the printer cuts the paper
automatically, hence you rarely need to perform cut
manually.

Save Profile

Makes possible to store a paper profile that can be loaded
later from the Load Profiles tab.

Close

Closes Paper Handling window.

73

Material Type

Figure 86

Material Type Options

There are three material type options to select:

Media Edge Detection

Figure 87

Media Edge Detection Options

The following table describes media edge detection options:

Material Type

Die-cut with gaps (label material)
Continuous

Tick marks on back (also known as blackmark)

Edge

Detection

Description

Automatic

Edge detection relying on the printer sensors.

Supervised

The liner-label distance (the distance between the liner edge and the
label edge in millimeters) can be set. In this case liner edge is
detected and the liner-label distance is added to it resulting the final
left offset of the print job.

NOTE: This option is media dependent and should be updated each
time a media with different liner-label distance is used. The liner edge
detection is usually more stable and therefore in this case the whole
detection might be more stable. This mode can be also be used for
non-die-cut materials where a left offset adjustment is needed.

Turn off

Turns the left offset sensor off and lets the operator to give the
left offset manually (in millimeters).

74

Print Mode

Figure 88

Print Mode Options

The following table describes the print mode options:

Print Mode

Description

Roll to Roll

When a Roll to Roll mode is selected the printer forwards long
enough blank media through the printer to attach it to the
rewinder. After forwarding the paper the printer stops for 30
seconds to wait the operator to attach the paper before the job
starts.

Roll to Cut

There is no possibility to attach the media to the rewinder.

Cut Mode

Figure 89

Cut Mode Options

The following table shows cut mode options:

Print Mode

Roll to Cut

Roll to Roll

Cut Mode

End of job

cut

Cuts at the end of each job

Cut after N

labels

Cuts after every N

th

label.

This option enables you to create e.g.

individually cut labels.

No cut

No cut

75

Adjustments

Figure 90

Adjustment Settings

The table below shows the adjustment setting possibilities:

NOTE: The values are set in microns. 1000 micron = 1 millimeter.

Start of Job cut

Figure 91

Start of Job Cut

If the Start of Job Cut checkbox is checked the printer executes a cut before starting a
new job, which ensures the top edge of the paper to be straight.

Batch Mode

Figure 92

Batch Mode

If batch mode is enabled the printer will wait for the specified timeout before starting
to print. All the jobs arriving during the timeout will be combined into a single job. Every
new job arriving during the timeout will reset the timer to its set value! This feature only
works with jobs arriving from the network!

Adjustment

TOF – Top of Form

BOF – Bottom of Form

Cutter

76

Sensor Calibration

Figure 93

Sensor Calibration Button

The Sensor Calibration button opens the Sensor Calibration window, where the Black
Mark and Label Gap sensors’ sensitivity can be enhanced.

The below table shows the range of the sensitivity enhancement setting of the two
sensors:

Sensor

Range

Label Gap
Sensor

0 (default) – 7 (max)

Black
Mark
Sensor

0 (default) – 50 (max)

The leftmost position of the slider corresponds to the factory settings and the represent
0 enhancement over those settings.
The bigger the value set on the sliders the more sensitive the sensors will be! The values
set here are saved with the Paper Profiles!

Figure 94

Sensor Calibration Sliders

Note: Settings these values
to Max will likely result in constant false detection making the sensors unable to perform
their function. Please experiment in small increments! Every media type is different,
requires different sensitivity!

77

Paper Profiles

A paper profile is a print configuration that can be saved for later use.

Paper Profile Settings

Print Mode

Cut Mode

Material Type

Media Edge Detection

Adjustments

A paper profile can be created by setting the above properties on Paper Handling window
and saving it. Save Profile button opens a dialog box asking the name of the currently set
profile to save it to the database.

Figure 95

Saving a Paper Profile

78

The saved profiles can be accessed and managed through the second tab of the Paper
Handling window. Tabs can be selected on the top of the window!

Figure 96

Load Profiles Tab on the Paper Handling Window

The Load Profiles Tab show a list of your stored profiles. The list can be sorted by profile
name or by the time of creation of the profile. To change the sort order click the column
headers!
To load or delete a profile first select it from the list then use the buttons on the bottom
of the window!

LOAD

PROFILES TAB

PAPER

HANDLING

TAB

79

4.2 My Labels – Stored Jobs

Stored jobs are pre-set jobs for future retrieval and printing. Vortex850R printer allows
you to save jobs. Liberty displays stored jobs on My Labels window.

Figure 97

Stored Jobs

Creating a Stored Job

 To create a stored job first configure your Vortex Printer Series Driver to Print to File!

Figure 98 Creating a

Stored Job (1)

PRINT TO FILE

80

 Choose a file you would like to print and right click it and select Print to open the Print

dialog!

Figure 99

Creating a Stored Job (2)

 On Print Dialog select the Options link!

Figure 100 Creating

a Stored Job (3)

 On the Print Settings Dialog Select the Printer Properties link to open the Vortex Printer

Series Driver to configure the print!

OPTIONS LINK

PRINT

81

Figure 101

Creating a Stored Job

(3)

 Configure your print!

Figure 102

Creating a Stored Job

(4)

 Make sure Media Layout and Page Cutting on Media tab are set to Use Printer Settings!

PRINTER

PROPERTIES

LINK

82

Figure 103

Creating a Stored Job

(5)

 Click OK to return to the Print dialog and start print!

 Save the print output to a .prn file! The name of the .prn file has to match exactly the

name of the image file (e.g. penguin.png – penguin.prn).

 Copy both the image and the .prn file to the Labels folder of Liberty’s working

directory. Liberty’s default working directory is d:\Vortex. Now your label’s preview

appears on My Labels window.

MEDIA

LAYOUT

PAGE CUTTING

83

Printing a Stored Job

 Select your job on My Labels window! Scroll your job list with the help of the arrow

buttons on the bottom of the screen. You can search for a job by typing its name to
the search textbox on the top of the screen.

Figure 104

The My Labels

Window

 Enter the number of copies of the job you would like to print!

Note: The number of copies of the job is not the number of labels. The number of labels
within the job is set during the stored job creation. (See Figure 101).
If there is a stored job with 12 labels setting Copies to 2 will result 24 labels.

 If the In Separate Jobs checkbox is not checked the copies of the job are combined

into a single job. If you prefer to print in separate jobs please check the checkbox!

 Start the pint pressing the Print button!
 You can hold on the print queue with the Hold Queue button.

You can delete a stored job from by deleting the image and .prn file from the Labels
folder.

SCOLL

BUTTONS

SEACH

TEXTBOX

NUMBER OF

COPIES

84

4.3 One Touch Maintenance

The role of the maintenance window is to make printer maintenance functions
accessible and control the quality of printing.

Figure 105

Maintenance Window

Maintenance Window Functions

Clear Color Mixing

Fix Drooling

Fix Streaks

Fix Fading Lines

Fix Other Artifacts

Wipe

Circulate Ink

Eject Service Station

Replace Printhead

Network Settings

Troubleshooting

Clear Engine Error

Prime Printhead

Restart Engine

Clean Rollers

Wash Engine

Save Debug Info

Restore Network

Total System Deprime

Update License

Disable KWS

Tilt Calibration

85

Fixing print quality issues

Figure 106

Buttons for Fixing Print Quality

These buttons perform special head cleaning steps. Normally the engine’s internal
maintenance is sufficient for assuring good print quality. However in cases of visible print
quality degradations the manual cleaning buttons can be used. Most options are self­explanatory.
Fix Other Artifacts will perform a light pressure prime added to light cleaning to push
bubbles out of the printhead.

NOTE: These buttons are disabled during maintenance.

Service station eject/home

Figure 107

Eject Service Station Button

This button ejects the service station for removal. Home service station button
automatically replaces the Eject Service station button if there is no Service Station in the
printer!

NOTE: The print engine has to be opened to eject the service station!

Replace Printhead

Figure 108

Replace Printhead Button

Changing the Printhead is an automatic process. It consists of removing the ink from
the head, removing the old head, inserting the new one, then filling the system with ink
again. Follow the steps and wait the process to finish.

86

Network Settings

The network settings button opens the Network Interfaces dialog to display LAN
connection settings.

Figure 109

Network Interfaces

.

Troubleshooting Window

The Troubleshooting window can be accessed via clicking on the Troubleshooting button
in the Maintenance window!

Figure 110

Troubleshooting Window

87

Button

Troubleshooting Function

Clear Engine Error

The controller attempts to discover error states and guide the user in
order to recover from these. In cases when this is not sufficient or the
controller failed to detect the engine error and react to it, pressing this
button may help clearing engine error states (eg after paper jam).

Prime Printhead

Fills the Printhead with ink.

Restart Engine

This button executes a soft restart, during this operation Liberty
will temporally lose connection to the Print engine!

Clean Rollers

This button will move the paper back and forth in the print zone to
clean the rollers, thus preventing contamination of the printed
labels afterwards.

NOTE: This feature requires paper to be fed into the printer!

Wash Engine

Wash Engine opens the Engine Washing Dialog, which will guide
the user through the engine washing process! Make sure you
always read the instructions given carefully and execute them
before continuing!

Save Debug Info

Save Debug Info button starts Liberty to collect debug information
from the printer and writes it to a file.

NOTE: Liberty needs an USB connection to for this operation,
please connect the USB-AB cable before saving debug information!

Restore Network

After clicking the Restore Network button Liberty tries to restore
network settings.

NOTE: Liberty needs an USB connection to for this operation,
please connect the USB-AB cable before saving debug information!

Update License

This button allows you install a new license file.

NOTE: Make sure you have a valid license before updating! The
update uninstalls your current license. Installing an invalid license
makes Liberty locked.

Disable KWS

This button disables Keep Wet Spitting.

NOTE: Disabling KWS shortens the lifetime of the printer!

88

Tilt Calibration

Tilt Calibration button navigates you to Calibration window.

Figure 111

Tilt Calibration Button

The printer has built-in tilt sensor which should be calibrated once the printer is installed.
It should also be recalibrated if the unit is moved.

Figure 112

Tilt Calibration Window

89

4.4 Statistics

Liberty collects several printer-related data and stores them in a database. You can see
these data on the statistics window. Statistics data can help you to follow-up the the
number of jobs printed, printing costs, printhead and ink-usage, the printed length or
area etc.

Figure 113

Statistics Window

There are 3 tabs on the upper part of the window – Last Job, Printhead, Printer. Tabs
can be selected on the top of the window!

Figure 114
About Box

The About box shows basic information: version of Liberty application and the Firmware,
the serial numbers of the print engine and the print head. The value Service Tag field is
used when connecting to support.

LAST JOB TAB

PRINTHEAD

TAB

PRINTER TAB

90

Figure 115

Service Contact Box

The Service Contact box displays contact information. You can edit contact information
with the help of the Configuration Editor application.

Figure 116

Last Job Tab

The Last Job show the latest print job data. The printer records the state, size, ink
consumption etc. of the job. To calculate the print cost per label please set the cartridge
cost.

Figure 117

Cartridge Cost Dialog

Change Cartridge Cost button pops the cartridge cost setting dialog up.

91

4.5 Configuration Editor

Configuration Editor is a separate application for editing Liberty’s settings. The

application installs to c:\Vortex\Versions\Liberty2.0 folder and can be started from there.
The application edits the LibertyConfig.ini file which is used for the initialization of
Liberty.

Figure 118

Configuration Editor

Location

92

Figure 119

Configuration Editor

Configuration Entries are grouped in sections. Sections appear as different tabs on the
screen. Tabs can be selected on the top of the window.
Entries consist of a key and a value. Values are editable.

CONFIGURATION

SECTIONS

(GROUPS)

CONFIGURATION

ENTRY

WARNING

Please edit configuration entries carefully! Changes may cause Liberty to

malfunction!

93

Section

Key

Description

Contact Info

Contact Information

Liberty

WorkingDirectory

The folder Liberty stores
labels and .prn files by
default.

Modify carefully!

DatabaseDirectory

The folder Liberty’s

database is stored in.

LabelDirectory

The folder labels are stored
in.

PrnDirectory

The folder .prn files are
stored in.

hideMouse

Makes the mouse pointer visible /
invisible.

lang

Application language.

enableJobRecovery

Sets if Liberty recovers incomplete
jobs on startup.

Tuning

left_adjustment

Mechanical offset of the
head.
(in microns)

Modify carefully!

tof_adjustment

Top of form adjustment. (in
microns)

cutter_adjustment

Bottom of form
adjustment.
(in microns).

Passwords

pwd_maintenancemenu

Password for accessing maintenance
menu.

pwd_maintenanceFeatures

Password for

pwd_ejectSS

Password for ejecting service station.

pwd_supervisor

Supervisor password.

94

Entry Context Menus

Entry context menu can be accessed with the button next to the value textbox.

Figure 120

Config Entry Context Menu

The below table shows the functions of entry context menu items.

Menu item

Function

Comment

Makes an entry commented / uncommented.
Commented entries are ignored.

Remove

Deletes an entry.

Rename

Renames an entry.

Move up

Moves an entry up in the list.

Move down

Moves an entry down in the list.

Move to…

Moves the entry to a different section.

Change type

Entry values have different types – numeric, list, interval
etc.
This menu item changes the type of the entry.

95

5 Maintenance Guide

5.1 Maintenance Overview

To ensure reliable operation and high print quality while using the product, the regular
inspection and maintenance steps are required to be performed. These include
mechanical subsystems checks, occasional cleanings, consumables changing and print
head cleaning.

Cleaning

The most essential maintenance operation is automatic – cleaning the print head and
preventing it from dehydration. The print engine performs various maintenance
operations before and after print jobs and in the background. Normally manual print
head cleaning is not required.

Regular checks

At regular intervals (say at the beginning of a shift or day) inspect that the maintenance
station is in cap position, the cutter is not obstructed, the paper path is clean (there are
no paper clippings present), sensors are not covered. Check that wires are not loose,
there is no ink leaking.
If the operator detects print quality problems, check the troubleshooting part for steps
to perform in order to solve the issues.

Consumable change

The main consumables in the printer are the ink and the print head. The most frequent
user intervention during the life time of the printer is the ink cartridge and print head
change.

When the printer is running out of a particular ink, the Liberty controller will display a
message on the screen specifying which tank is out of ink. Remove the empty tank and
insert a new one and the printer will operate again as before.

NOTE: The printer is working only with all cartridges installed!

If the operator need to change a print head due to unrecoverable printing defects,
open the Maintenance menu and select Replace Printhead command. This starts a
wizard that will guide you through the print head change procedure. Follow the steps
and wait until the wizard finishes its operation.

5.2 Standard Maintenance

General and periodic maintenance procedures are needed to keep the Print Engine in
good condition. In anticipation of industrial applications, an extensive list of service parts
are available for the printer. Please contact you Reseller for futher details.
High volume usage and specific use cases/configurations may require more frequent
maintenance.

96

NOTE: Repair and replacement tasks, are referred to qualified technicians! For some
maintenance tasks it is better to remove the engine from the printer!

Use the table below to determine which maintenance task (inspection, cleaning,
lubrication, or replacement, etc.) to perform at a given time period or usage interval.
The following tasks are to be performed by the operator only with very basic supplies, no
special tools are needed.

General

Maintenance

Tasks

Interva

l

Daily

Bi-weekly

Monthly

Annually

As Needed

Printhead
(manual wipe)

Wipe

PPCA Contact Cleaning

Every PH
Removal

IDS Fluidic Couplings

Every PH
Removal

Aerosol &

Debris

Remova

l

Clean

Clean

Clean

Clean Clean

Optical Sensors –
PaperPat

h

Clean Clean

Clean

Wiper Inspection

Inspect

Inspect

Inspect

Wiper Cleaning

Clean

Clean

Waste Ink Absorber

Inspect

Inspect

Replace

Ink Tubing

Inspect

Inspect

Lift Motor Gear

Inspect

Inspect

Grit Rollers – Paper
Path

Inspect

Clean

Moving Parts – Mo

tor

Test

Test

Maintenance Module

Clean

Ink Tank Latches

Inspect

Cutter

Inspect

97

In order to avoid personal injury, always use appropriate personal protection when
performing maintenance tasks

 Clothing protection


Powder-free nitrile gloves

 Lint-free cloth wipes – It is critical that the wipes used be soft to avoid scratching the

printhead, and lint-free to avoid contaminating the printhead.

 De-ionized (DI)/Distilled water (electronics grade) – Use only deionized or distilled

water for cleaning the unit. Take care to avoid contaminating the printhead with
cleaners, lubricants, or other chemicals.

Daily Maintenance Tasks

Aerosol and debris removal

Ink may transfer from printer components into media path. Remove excess ink and debris
daily to ensure optimal printing.

NOTE: If the operator finds paper debris on a starwheel, check to see whether or not it is
aligned with the edge of the media. If so, you may need to adjust the paper guide and
margin so that the starwheel no longer rubs the edge of the paper.

 Perform this procedure with the printer powered on, so the platen is raised.
 Pinch the clamshell latches to release, as shown on the pictures. Open the clamshell

and allow the upper portion to rest on the hard stops.

Figure 121

Picture of the clamshell opening procedure

WARNING

Always power down the Print Engine before investigating any cable connections!

The printer runs off a 24-volt DC supply. Although this is considered low voltage,

the current is sufficient enough to cause injuries.

98

Figure 122

Picture of the opened clamshell

 Dampen a lint-free cloth with distilled water.
 Wipe the system components and paper path surfaces (uppen and lower), with a

clean, damp lint-free cloth, to remove ink overspray (aerosol) and debris.

NOTE: Do not wipe the starwheels as they may release and fall out. Do not clean the
printhead nozzle plate at this time; it will be cleaned during another task.

 5. Use a clean, dry lint-free cloth dry the inside of the unit. Avoid the grit rollers since

they can snag on the cloth and create debris.

Figure 123

Wipe Lower Surfaces

PLATEN

HOUSING

GRIT

ROLLERS

99

Figure 124

Wipe Upper Surfaces

Figure 125

Removing Aerosol from Housing Surface

 Fold the cloth between wipes to ensure a clean, uncontaminated surface is used each

time.

STARWHEELS

PINCH

ROLLERS

AEROSOL

100

 Use a vacuum cleaner if necessary to remove debris inside and outside surfaces of the

clamshell.

Bi-Weekly Maintenance Tasks

 Aerosol and debris removal


Paper path optical sensor cleaning



Wiper inspection

Aerosol and debris removal – see at daily maintenance tasks

Optical Sensor Cleaning

Clean the four optical sensors in the paper path every two weeks.

 Pinch the clamshell latch to release and open the clamshell.