SATO CL608e,CL612e Operation Manual

CL608e/612e Printers

Operation Manual

Issued December 2000

SATO Group of Companies

www.satoworldwide.com

SATO INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD

SATO EUROPE NV

438A Alexandra Road #05-01/ 02,

Alexandra Technopark,

Singapore 119967

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

SATO UK LTD

Valley Road, Harwich, Essex England

Co12 4RR, United Kingdom

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

SATO POLSKA SP Z O.O.

Ul Okolna 2, 50-422 Wroclaw

Leuvensesteenweg 369,

1932 Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Brussels,

Belgium

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

SATO DEUTSCHLAND GMBH

Schaberweg 28, 61348

Bad Homburg, Germany

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

SATO FRANCE S.A.

Parc d'activités - rue Jacques Messager

Poland

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

SATO AMERICA INC.

10350 Nations Ford Road Suite A,

Charlotte, NC 28273, USA

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

59175 TEMPLEMARS, France

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

SATO ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD

438A Alexandra Road #05-01/02,

Alexandra Technopark, Singapore 119967

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Warning: This equipment complies with the requirements in Part 15 of FCC rules for a
Class A computing device. Operation of this equipment in a residential area may cause
unacceptable interference to radio and television reception requiring the operator to take
whatever steps necessary to correct the interference.
All rights reserved. This document, nor any part of it, may be reproduced or issued to
third parties in any form without the express permission of SATO Europe. The material in
this document is provided for general information only and is subject to change without
notice. SATO Europe does not assume responsibility for any errors or omissions.

Warning

It is essential that the safety and operating procedures contained
within this manual be brought to the attention of, and are used by,
all personnel likely to operate this printer/product.

This printer/product must only be used for the purpose for which it
was designed.

This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment this product
may cause radio interference in which case the user may be
required to take adequate measures.

Electrostatic discharges on the connector pins and on the memory
card may damage the printer.

In the case of fire, water must not be used on the product to extin­guish the fire, and the appropriate type of fire extinguisher should
be readily available.

No modifications, either mechanical or electrical, should be made
to this printer/product or accessory without the written consent of
SATO Europe N.V. Any modifications made without this consent
may invalidate guarantee claims.

Other manuals relating to this printer include additional information
relating to other aspects of the safe operation of the printer, and are
available from your SATO supplier.

All consumable waste, such as the label backing paper and used
carbon ribbon must be disposed of carefully, and in a manner that
will cause the minimum of environmental pollution.

Should you have any doubts regarding the setting, operating or any
safety aspects of this printer/product, please contact your SATO
supplier.

SATO Europe N.V. makes no guarantee that all the features
described in this manual are available in all models, and, due to
SATO’s policy of continuous development and improvement, spec­ifications are liable to change, without notice.

Consumables

Always use SATO carbon ribbons or equivalent. The use of incor­rect materials may cause malfunctions of the printer and void the
warranty.

Conventions

Text that appears bold italic and all in capitals such as LABEL
refers to a key or an LED on the operation panel.

Text that appears enclosed in brackets such as <ESC> refers to an
Escape sequence of a data string.

Text that appears bold italic such as On-Line refers to a function or
to a result.

Text that appears in bold such as VR1 refers to electrical compo­nents like pins, resistors connectors and so on.

Warranty and Copyright

SATO Europe N.V. makes no guarantee of any kind with regard to
this material, including, but not limited to, the implied guaranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

SATO Europe N.V. shall not be liable for errors contained herein or
for any incidental consequential damages in connection with the
furnishing, performance, or use of this material.

This document contains proprietary information which is protected
by copyright.

All rights are reserved.

No part of this document may be reproduced or issued to third par­ties in any form whatsoever without the express permission of
SATO Europe N.V.

The information in this document is subject to change without
notice.

© Copyright 2000 SATO Europe N.V.

Contents

1. Specifications ................................................................................. 1

2. Introduction .................................................................................... 3

2.1 Installation Considerations ................................................. 3

2.2 Ribbon ................................................................................ 3

2.3 Dimensions ......................................................................... 4

2.4 Operator Panel ................................................................... 5

2.5 Rear Panel .......................................................................... 7

2.6 Switches And Sensors ........................................................ 8

2.7 Computer Connections ....................................................... 9

2.7.1 Bi-directional parallel interface (standard) ................ 9

2.7.2 Optional interface (RS-232C) ................................. 10

2.7.3 Optional Interface (USB) .........................................11

2.7.4 Optional Interface (LAN) ..........................................11

3. Printer Configuration .................................................................... 13

3.1 DIP Switch Settings .......................................................... 13

3.1.1 RS232 Transmit/Receive Setting ........................... 14

Selecting Protocol Control Codes .......................... 17

3.1.2 External Connector PIN Assignments .................... 21

External Output Signal Types ................................. 22

Repeat Print ........................................................... 23

Error Signals ........................................................... 24

3.2 Default Settings ...................................................... 25

3.3 Printer Adjustments .......................................................... 26

3.3.1 Normal Mode .......................................................... 26

3.3.2 User Mode .............................................................. 26

3.3.3 Print Darkness Setting ............................................ 27

3.3.4 Print Speed Adjustment .......................................... 27

3.3.5 Pitch Offset and Direction ....................................... 28

3.3.6 Cancel print Job ..................................................... 29

3.3.7 Advanced Settings ................................................. 29

4. Media Loading ............................................................................. 31

4.1 Loading Labels or Tags .................................................... 31

4.2 Insert Carbon Ribbon ....................................................... 34

5. Troubleshooting ........................................................................... 37

i

5.1 Troubleshooting Tables ..................................................... 37

5.2 Print Quality Problems ...................................................... 38

6. Cleaning and Maintenance .......................................................... 41

6.1 Introduction ....................................................................... 41

6.2 Cleaning the Print Head, Platen and Rollers .................... 42

6.3 Cleaning the Label Sensor Unit ........................................ 46

Appendix A Advanced Settings ......................................................... 47

Appendix B Declaration of Conformity .............................................. 51

ii

Operation Manual 1. Specifications

1. Specifications

The major difference in the CL608e and the CL612e printers is the
resolution of the Print Head. The CL608e with its 203 dpi Print
Head provides an economical labeling solution for most applica­tions. The CL612e provides a higher print resolution, 305 dpi, to
give laser quality printing. It is useful when higher resolution is
needed for detailed graphic images.

CL608e CL612e

Print Type Direct Thermal, Thermal Transfer

Resolution 0,125 mm (8 dot/mm, 203 dpi) 0,083 mm (12 dot/mm, 305 dpi)

Speed User selectable from 100 mm/sec to 200 mm/sec

Darkness 3 steps; selectable by printer driver (<ESC> codes) or via display

Print Area Pitch Width

178 mm 152 mm Standard
356 mm 152 mm <AX>
1249 mm 152 mm <EX>

Media Width 47~177 mm (50~180 mm incl. backing paper)

Media Length
and Calliper

Label Roll Maximum Roll Diameter:

Media Types Die-Cut Label, Continuous Material, Tag Material.

Carbon Ribbon 450 Metre Long, Face-In, I.D. 25.4 mm, Thickness: 4.5 Micron, Black and

Barcodes UPC A/E, EAN 8 & 13, Code 39, Code 128, UCC/EAN 128, Interleaved 2 of 5,

Batch:
Dispense:
Cutter:
Tear-Off

Label Inner Core Diameter:

Roll Type: Face-In or Face-Out, Fan-Fold Type.

Coloured

Industrial 2 of 5, Matrix 2 of 5, Codabar, MSI, Bookland, Postnet

16~356 (19~359 mm incl. backing paper) 0,08~0,21 mm
22~356 (25~359 mm incl. backing paper) 0,1~0,16 mm
32~356 (35~359 mm incl. backing paper) 0,1~0,25 mm
16~356 (19~359 mm incl. backing paper) 0,08~0,21 mm

200 mm (Face-In)
76 mm Standard (40mm optional)

Pitch Width

178 mm 165 mm Standard
356 mm 165 mm <AX>
704 mm 165 mm <EX>

Barcode Ratios 1:2, 1:3, 2:5

Barcode Sizes Height: 4 dots to 600 dots; Width: User definable

Rotational
Capability

2-D Codes Data Matrix, Maxicode, PDF 417, QR-Code

Fonts U, S, M, WB, WL, XU, XS, XM, XB, XL, OCR-A/B, Outline Font (50-999)

90° steps

Rasterizer Font Triumvirate & Times (08 – 99 points or 16 – 999 dots)

CL608e/612e 1

1. Specifications Operation Manual

Label Sensing Reflective Sensor (I-mark), bottom reading

See-through Sensor (Gap), movable

CPU 32 bit SH3 RISC Processor/ 133MHz

Memory
Capacity

Interfaces ECP Parallel (IEEE 1284)

Front Panel Operation Switches:

16MB SDRAM; 2,9MB Input Buffer; 2MB Flash Memory Internal (standard)
Memory Expansion Optional:

- Internal: 4MB Flash Memory SIMM Card

- External: up to 4MB S-RAM Card or up to 16MB Flash Card

Centronics Parallel
RS232C Standard (2400 – 19.200 Baud)
RS232C Highspeed (9600 – 57.600 Baud)
USB (12Mbit/s)
LAN (TCP/IP protocol 10/100 Base T)
Twinax/Coax
RS422 / 485

Setting Switches:
LED:

LCD:

Potentiometers:

Online Key, Feed Key
2 x 8 Dip-Switches
Power ON, Online, Label End, Ribbon End, Error Con­dition
Menu Controlled Printer Configuration and Error Mes­sages
Supported Languages:
English (default), German, French, Spanish, Italian,
Portuguese
Display Contrast, Pitch, Offset, Print Darkness

Dimensions Height: 298 mm Width: 352 mm Depth: 429 mm

Weight 19 kg (standard)

Power 110 - 240V (/+/- 10%), 50/60 Hz, Idle 50 W, maximum 490 W

Environmental Operating: +5 ~ +40°C, humidity 30 ~ 80% RH non-condensing

Storage: -5 ~ +60°C, humidity 30 ~ 90% RH non-condensing

Approvals CE, TÜV-GS, UL, CSA

Options Rotary Cutter, Dispenser with External Backing Paper Rewinder,

External Label Rewinder R610, Memory Expansion, Keyboard, Real Time Clock

2 CL608e/612e

Operation Manual 2. Introduction

2. Introduction

The SATO CL608e/612e Printer Operation Manual provides infor­mation for installing and maintaining the SATO CL608e/612e
printer. Step-by-step maintenance instructions are included in this
manual with typical problems and solutions. It is recommended that
you become familiar with each section in this manual before install­ing and maintaining the printer. This manual is divided into the fol­lowing six sections:

• Chapter 1 - Specification

• Chapter 2 - Introduction

• Chapter 3 - Printer Configuration

• Chapter 4 - Media Loading

• Chapter 5- Troubleshooting

• Chapter 6 - Cleaning and Maintenance

• Appendix

2.1 Installation Considerations

Printer operation can be affected by the printer environment. The
location of the printer should be free from dust, humidity, and sud­den vibrations. To obtain optimum results from the printer, avoid
locations influenced by:

• Direct or bright sunlight since bright light will make the label sen­sor less responsive and may cause the label to be sensed incor­rectly.

• Warm temperatures which can cause electrical problems within
the printer.

2.2 Ribbon

Use only SATO thermal transfer ribbons which were formulated
expressly for use in all SATO printers. Use of other than approved
ribbons may result in unsatisfactory print quality and/or damage to
the print head and may void your warranty.

CL608e/612e 3

2. Introduction Operation Manual

2.3 Dimensions

NOTE: The exact position of components may vary,

depending on the model.

High

Depth

W

i

d

t

h

Printer Footprint

Width Depth High

Standard 355mm 429mm 299mm

With dispenser 355mm 545mm 299mm

With cutter 355mm 460mm 299mm

4 CL608e/612e

Operation Manual 2. Introduction

2.4 Operator Panel

Parts of the operation panel
The operation panel consists of a LCD display, five LED indicators,

two push-buttons, two DIP switch arrays and four adjustment
potentiometers. All of these are accessible from the front of the
printer. They are used to set the printer operating parameters and
to indicate the status of the printer to the operator. After you power
on the printer, familiarize yourself with the keys and indicators, as
it will help you understand the configuration process.

Display:

LCD display for:

• printer status (error messages)

• Printer setup

• Quantity

• Offline

CL608e/612e 5

2. Introduction Operation Manual

LEDs:

POWER: LED illuminated when the power is on.
LABEL: LED illuminated when label supply is out.
RIBBON: LED illuminated when ribbon motion sensor does not

detect any ribbon motion.
ERROR: LED illuminated when there is a system fault such as

open print head, interface or system error.
ONLINE: LED illuminated when printer is ready to receive data. It

is turned on and off by toggling the LINE key.

Push-buttons:

LINE Push-button. Pressing this key toggles the printer between

the On-Line and Off-Line mode. When the printer is On-Line, it is
ready to receive data from the host. This key can act as a pause
during a print job, by taking the printer Off-Line.

FEED Push-button. Pressing this key feeds one blank label through
the printer when it is Off-Line. When the printer is On-Line, the last
label of the print buffer will be repeated.

DIP switches:

DSW: DIP switch array to set operational parameters of printer.

Potentiometers:

PRINT (VR1): Potentiometer to adjust print darkness (fine tuning).
OFFSET (VR2): Potentiometer to adjust amount of back/forward

feed for dispenser or cutter function (± 3.75mm). Independent from
pitch adjustment.

PITCH (VR3): Potentiometer to adjust home position of the label (±

3.75mm). After the media pitch has been set using the pitch offset
adjustment in the user mode, it is sometimes desirable to make
minor adjustments. This can be done by using the PITCH potenti­ometer on the operation panel. This potentiometer is set at the fac­tory so that it has a range of ± 3.75mm. The midpoint setting should
have no effect on the pitch. Turning the potentiometer all the way
clockwise (minus offset) should move the print position 2.0mm up
towards the top edge of the label. Turning it all the way counter­clockwise (plus offset) should move the print position down 2.0mm.
Affects stop position of label feed, print position and dispense posi­tion.

DISPLAY (VR4): Display contrast

6 CL608e/612e

Operation Manual 2. Introduction

2.5 Rear Panel

Power switch: To switch power on or off
AC input: Input 230V 50/60Hz connector. Use the ca-

ble provided.

AC fuse: Input power protection. Type 3A/250V,

20x5mm.

Modular Interfaces: IEEE 1284 ECP Parallel, RS 232C High

Speed Serial up to 57600bps; LAN Ether­net; USB, Twinax/Coax, RS422/485,
RS232C up to 19200bps and Standard Par-

allel.
EXT: External signal connector.
Memory Card Slot: Optional for PCMCIA cards.

Fan-Fold
Opening

Memory Card Slot

Modular
Interface

Power
Switch

EXT

Backing Take Up Opening

CL608e/612e 7

Fuse

AC in

2. Introduction Operation Manual

2.6 Switches And Sensors

Ribbon End Sensor: This sensor is a motion detector sensor that

signals the printer when the ribbon supply is
turning.

Head Open Switch: When the print head is opened, this switch

is activated and the printer will stop printing.

Label Sensor Unit: This sensor unit contains two types of sen-

sors, one for label gap (movable, 25 - 90mm
from the inner label edge)) and one for
I-Mark sensing (fixed).

Ribbon Motion
Sensor

Label Sensor
Unit

8 CL608e/612e

Operation Manual 2. Introduction

2.7 Computer Connections

2.7.1 Bi-directional parallel interface (standard)

1. Turn off the power of the printer. Using an interface cable con-

nect the computer to the bi-directional parallel interface connec­tor at the rear panel of the printer.

2. Be sure to use a IEEE 1284 compatible cable.
Connector: 36 PIN Amp
Max. Cable length: 1,8 m Centronic

5 m IEEE 1284

Wire Connection Table for IEEE 1284 compatible cable:

Host

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

9
10
11
12
13

Strobe

D0

D1

D2

D3

D4
D5

D6
D7

AKN
Busy

PE

Select

Printer

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

9
10
11
12
13

Host Printer

14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Shield

LF

Error

Init

Select in

GND
GND
GND

GND

GND
GND

GND

GND

14
32
31
36
33
19
21
23
25
27
29
30

Shield

CL608e/612e 9

2. Introduction Operation Manual

2.7.2 Optional interface (RS-232C)

This printer operates by being connected to a computer.

1. Turn off the power of the printer. Using an interface cable con­nect the computer to the optional interface connector at the rear
panel of the printer.

2. Interface Cable
The wire connection varies depending on the communication
product.
Prepare an appropriate cable for the communication protocol.

Connector: DSUB-25S.
Cable length: Less than 5 meters.

ER Control
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

20

1

2
3
4
5
6
7

20

Status 3/4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

20

1
2

3
4
5
6
7

20

10 CL608e/612e

Operation Manual 2. Introduction

2.7.3 Optional Interface (USB)

This printer operates by being connected to a computer.

1. Turn off the power of the printer. Using an interface cable con­nect the computer to the optional interface connector at the rear
panel of the printer.

2. Interface Cable
USB connector for a printer is specified as a Type B Receptacle.
Please use a Type B cable when you connect it with the printer.

2.7.4 Optional Interface (LAN)

This printer operates by being connected to a Network.

1. Turn off the power of the printer. Using an interface cable con­nect the computer to the optional interface connector at the rear
panel of the printer.

2. Interface Cable
Please use a cross-cable when you connect one printer to one
computer. If you connect a printer to a HUB, please use a
straight cable.

CL608e/612e 11

2. Introduction Operation Manual

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12 CL608e/612e