Warning: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed in accordance with
the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try and correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
•
Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
•
Connect the equipment into an outlet or a circuit different from that
•
to which the receiver is connected.
Consult an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
•
Caution: The FCC warns the users that changes or modifications of the unit
not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void
the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or issued
to third parties in any form whatsoever without the express permission of
BAR CODE SATO ELECTRONICS (S) PTE LTD. The material in this
document is provided for general information and is subject to change without
notice. BAR CODE SATO ELECTRONICS (S) PTE LTD
responsibility for any errors that might appear.
PN9001091
Rev. A
assumes no
Page 3
BAR CODE SATO ELECTRONICS (S) PTE LTD
438A Alexandra Road
#02-01/04 Alexandra Technopark
Singapore 119967
Page 4
CX208 User Guide
Table of Contents
WhatYouGet ...............................1
Controls, Indicators, and Connections ..................2
Printer Power Connection.....................2
Printer Interface Connection....................4
Setup...................................4
Loading Labels or Tags......................4
Loading Ribbon ..........................6
Sensor Calibration.........................8
Selecting the Label Sensor Type..................8
The required AC voltage is marked on the power supply.
Confirm that your AC voltage matches the power supply
requirements. Do not use any power supply other than
the one provided with the printer.
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CX208 User Guide
Printer Interface Connection
1.Connect the supplied interface cable to the parallel printer port on the
computer.
2.Connect the other end to the parallel input port on the printer.
ReadyLEDIndicator/ON-OFFButton
FEEDButton
TopCover
PrintHeadRelease
PaperGuide
ExternalMediaFeedKnockout
ParallelPort
SerialPort
Ribbon
Cover
PrintHeadRelease
WallMountSlots
PowerCableRoutingChannel
PowerInput
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Page 8
Media Loading
Paper Guide Lock
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CX208 User Guide
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CX208 User Guide
Setup
Loading Labels or Tags
1.Lift the top cover.
2.Press the two print head releases back to unlock the print head.
3.Unwrap the new media, and unwind a few labels from the roll. La-
bels should be wound face-in for the best results.
4.Slide the centre justified Paper Guides apart until the label roll will
drop down between them.
5.Place media roll in the paper tray such that the media unwinds from
the bottom of the roll toward the front of the printer. The label imaging surface must face up as it passes under the print head.
6.Lock the Paper Guides in place by pressing down on the green lock-
ing tab.
7.Lift the print head and slip the free end of the media under the print
head and out the front paper exit
8.Lower the print head and press it down firmly until it locks closed on
both sides.
9.Close the top cover.
10. Wait until the Ready Indicator glows green and press the FEED but-
ton to feed a label or to resume printing.
Loading Ribbon
The CX208TT thermal transfer printer transfers ink from a ribbon to
the label to produce an image.
1.Lift the top cover.
2.Press the two print head releases back to unlock the print head and
open the Ribbon Cover to expose the ribbon take-up spindles.
3.Unwrap the new ribbon and unwind about 4" from the roll. The end of
the ribbon is attached to a take-up core.
4.Observe the notches on both ends of the supply core and the take-up
core. These notches must fit on the corresponding nibs on both the supply and take-up spindles.
5.Roll several turns of ribbon on the take-up core, winding to the underside as shown. The dull (coated) side of the ribbon must be on the outside of the take-up roll.
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Page 10
R
ibbon Loading
Take-upCore
LeftTake-upCoreSpindle
LeftSupplySpindle
CX208 User
RibbonSupplyRoll
SpringLoadedTake-upSpindle
SpringLoadedSupplySpindle
Guide
SpindleNotches
Page 6
RibbonCover
RibbonPath
Take-upCore
SupplyRoll
SupplyRollMountedonSpindles
SpringLoadedTake-upSpindle
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CX208 User Guide
6.Place the take-up core (ribbon unrolling from the top side) into the left
take-up spindle. The take-up spindles are the top set of spindles.
7.Pull out the spring loaded knob on the right take-up spindle and place
the right end of the take-up core into the right spindle, lining up the
notches with the spindle nibs.
8.Pull the ribbon down and over the print head and insert the supply core
onto the left supply spindle, making sure the notches in the core fit over
the nibs.
9.Pull out the spring loaded knob on the right supply spindle and place
the right end of the supply core into the right spindle, lining up the
notches with the spindle nibs.
Note:
Make sure the (coated) dull side of the ribbon is to the outside where it will
be in contact with the label media.
10. Turnthesupplyspindletopulltheribbonovertheprintheadwithout
any slack. Check to make sure there are no ribbon wrinkles.
11. Close the Ribbon Cover and lower the print head. Press the print head
down firmly until it locks closed on both sides.
12. Closethetopcover.
13. Wait until the Ready Indicator glows green and press the FEED button
to feed a label or to resume printing.
Sensor Calibration
The CX208 uses a single sensor element for both direct thermal (without a ribbon) and thermal transfer (with a ribbon) printing. The method of
printing can be selected by using configuration settings in the software program or by sending the command directly to the printer (Please refer to the
Print
HeadGapSensorLightSource
Programming Guide).
The mode of operation
can be determined by
running a Self Test Label.
The CX208DT direct thermal
LabelGapandEyeMarkSensor
printer cannot be used for
thermal transfer printing
since there is no provision for controlling a ribbon and it is always in the
DirectTThermal mode. It
will ignore any com-
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CX208 User Guide
mands that try to set it to the ThermalTTransfer mode.
A CX208TT unit is calibrated at the factory for use with SATO Stan-
dard ribbon and media. Other ribbon/media combinations may or may not
index properly with these settings. If you are experiencing difficulty with label indexing and are not using SATO labelsand/orribbon, it may be necessary to recalibrate the unit for your particular ribbon/media. This can be
done by selecting the Calibration buttons provided in the Label Wizard CX CX
software or the CX208 Windows Printer Driver.Ifyouarenotusingeither of these, you will have to send the calibration command directly to the
The ribbon must be installed in the printer when calibrating in the thermal transfer mode.
Selecting the Label Sensor Type
CX208 printers can use Eye-Mark, gap, or notch label sensing. The
sensing method used by the printer must match to the media being used. If
you are using label printing software, it should provide a means to set up
these parameters. See your software documentation for details. If you are
writing your own software or controlling the printer using direct commands,
you must use printer commands to set up the print mode and sensing
method. Refer to the programming information provided in the Program.pdf
file for further information.
CX200 printers can use Eye-Mark, gap, or notch label sensing. The sensing
method used by the printer must match to the media being used. If you are
using label printing software, it should provide a means to set up these parameters. See your software documentation for details. If you are writing
your own software or controlling the printer using direct commands, you
must use printer commands to set up the print mode and sensing method.
Refer to the programming information provided in the Program.pdf file for
further information.
Printing a self-test label checks the printer’s overall operability. To run a
self-test, confirm that the printer is loaded and connected to AC power and
no print jobs are in process. Then:
1.Press and hold in the READY Indicator.
2.Press and release the FEED button.
3.The printer should begin printing a self-test label. Release the
READY indicator after printing starts.
4.After the self-test label finishes printing, press the READY indicator
twice to reset the printer and restore normal operation.
Important!
The printer will be in hex dump mode after printing the
self-test label. It cannot print normal labels in hex dump
mode. The printer will return to normal operation after
you reset it as described in step 4 above.
Feeding Blank Labels
To feed a label, press and release the FEED button with the printerOffLine. Press and hold in the FEED button to feed multiple labels.
Label Reprint
If the last label printed has not been cleared from the print buffer by pressing the READY indicator to take the printer Off-Line,thenpressingtheFEED button will cause the last printed label to be reprinted. (the label
Re-print feature may be disabled via software. See the Programming Manual
for details.
Sending Data to the Printer
To print labels using data sent from a host computer or terminal:
1. Connect the host and printer serial or parallel ports together using a
correctly wired interface cable (see page 16 for wiring information).
2.If you are using the serial port, confirm that the host and printer are
using the same communications parameters.
3. Confirm that the READY indicator is glowing green.
4.Send your data to the printer.
Printer Ready/Standby/Reset Control
The CX208 does not have a power switch, but you can effectively turn
it "off" by pressing the READY indicator. This resets the printer's micro-
processor and places the printer inOff-Line.Resettingthemicroprocessor
will:
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CX208 User Guide
stop any printing.
•
delete the label format in process from memory.
•
reset the printer communication ports.
•
return all printer parameters to their default (first power-on) state.
•
Pressing the READY indicator a second time will return the printer to OnLine mode (its default condition). Resetting the printer in this manner
does not harm it in any way, nor does it affect the contents of nonvolatile
RAM or remove any stored objects. The effect is the same as if you had
unplugged and reconnected the printer power supply.
Printing Labels
To print labels, the host computer sends commands to the printer via the serial or parallel communications port. If you are using the Label Wizard CX
label printing software supplied on the CD-ROM, the computer and software control the entire printing process. You only need to set up the printer,
start your label printing program, and follow its instructions. If you are using another vendor’s software package, contact the software supplier or
manufacturer if you encounter difficulties. A complete Reference Manual
for the Label Wizard CX label design and printing software is included on
the CD-ROM. If you want to print labels from another Windows applica-
tion, the CX208 Windows Printer Driver must be installed. It is found
on the CD-ROM and must be loaded using the standard Windows printer installation instructions.
Controlling the Printer Using Direct Commands
You can also produce labels by sending commands directly to the printer.
Simple ASCII commands control the printer. You can write command files
using any text editor program that can output ASCII text (including the control codes). Since printer programming is potentially complex, programming information is not provided here. A printer command reference and
basic programming procedures are provided on the CD-ROM packed with
the printer. The file CXManual.pdf on the disk is in Adobe Acrobat format,
readable using the Adobe Acrobat Reader provided in the AcroRead directory on the CD-ROM or can be downloaded free of charge from
http://www.adobe.com. This program will allow you to search the contents
of the manual and/or print a hard copy. If you need programming information and are not using Windows (or cannot read the CXManual.pdf file for
any other reason), contact our Service Hotline at (65) 273 6455 for assistance.
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CX208 User Guide
Routine Maintenance
SATO Singapore printers need very little maintenance other than occasional
cleaning. Clean the printer body as required, using soft cloth moistened with
a mild detergent cleaner. Clean the print head if it appears dirty or if print
quality is poor. Print head cleaning is easy and fast:
1.Unlatch and raise the print head if it is not already raised and latch it
in the open position.
2.Using a SATO Direct Thermal Print Head Cleaning Sheet or a soft
cotton sheet moistened with 99% pure isopropyl or denatured alcohol, clean all dirt and label residue from the print head, paying particular attention to the “burn line” (this is the thin black line near the
front edge of the print head). DO NOT USE SATO THERMAL
PRINT HEAD AND PLATEN CLEANER, it contains solvent that
can attack the plastic frame.
Caution!
Do not clean the print head or drive roller using abrasive
or metallic objects, ammonia-based cleaners or other
harsh chemicals. These practises can cause serious dam-
age and will void the warranty.
3.Wipe the drive roller with the cleaning cloth. To reach all portions of
the drive roller, press the FEED button. The roller will rotate 1/4 turn
each time you press the FEED button when the print head is
unlatched.
Caution!
Keep all objects clear of the drive roller when you press
the FEED button.
4.Confirm that the label sensor is unobstructed. Clean away any obstruction with a soft brush if necessary.
5.Resume the media loading procedure, or if there is already media in
the printer, lower and lock the print head.
6.Resume normal operation.
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CX208 User Guide
What To Do If...
SATO printers are very reliable, so printing problems are unlikely. If you do
think you have a printer problem, proceed as follows:
1.Confirm that the printer has the right media installed, and that it is
loaded correctly. See page 4 for media loading instructions.
2.Confirm that the printer is connected to its power supply and the supply is plugged into an AC outlet having the proper voltage.
3.Open the print head and inspect the media path. Remove any obstructions, and clean the print head and drive roller according to the instructions on page 11.
4.Press down firmly on both print head latches to confirm that they are
closed.
5.Confirm that the printer READY indicator glows green.
6.Print a self-test label as described on page 9.
7.Press FEED to confirm that the printer will feed a label.
8.Review the common problems described in the following section.
9.If these steps do not correct the problem, contact your dealer or our
Double-check the AC source and the power supply connections. Disconnect
the cable between the printer and host, then reset the printer. If the READY
light glows green with the host disconnected, suspect a host computer or cabling problem.
READY light glows red
1.Press the FEED switch to assure that the printer is not paused in
batch mode printing.
2.Confirm that the print media is not exhausted.
3.Confirm that the print head is securely latched down on both sides.
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CX208 User Guide
4.If you have been printing many labels, the printer may have over-
heated. Normal operation will resume after the printer has cooled sufficiently.
Self-test label will not print
1.If printing in the direct thermal mode, confirm that you have loaded
direct thermal media.
2.Disconnect the cable between the printer and the host computer.
Reset the printer and try to print a self-test label again.
Labels will not feed
1.Confirm that the print media is loaded correctly.
2.Reset the printer and confirm that the printer LED indicator
glows green. Press the FEED button.
3.If the printer still does not feed, disconnect the communications cable
and repeat step 2. If the printer feeds with the cable disconnected,
suspect a problem with the host computer or cable.
Host stops responding or displays “printer not ready” message
1.Review your software setup, following the instructions provided with
the software.
2.Confirm that the host-to-printer communication cable is connected
and undamaged. If using the serial port, confirm that you are using a
null modem cable or adapter.
3.If using the serial port, confirm that the host and printer are both us-
ing the same serial port parameters. The self-test label shows the current printer serial port parameters.
4.If using a communications switch between the host and printer, re-
move the switch and connect the printer directly to the host.
5.Reset the printer and reset the host computer and software, and
try printing again.
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CX208 User Guide
Labels feed continuously
1.Check that the print media is loaded correctly.
2.Confirm that the sensor type (Eye-Mark or gap) in your software
setup matches your print media.
Poor print quality
1.Confirm that the print media is properly loaded, and there is no sideto-side motion of the paper as it feeds through the printer.
2.Check your software’s print darkness and print speed settings. These
settings may need adjustment for optimum results.
3.Try different print media. Old or inferior quality media will degrade
print quality.
4.If you are printing in the direct thermal mode, make sure you are using direct thermal labels.
Technical Support
Please contact your local dealer for technical support. Your dealer is
knowledgeble about SATO printers, printing software, and your unique
system. If you still need technical assistance on your CX208 after contacting
your dealer, 90 days of free telephone support is provided to all users who
have returned the filled in registration card. The 90 day period starts with
the receipt of your first telephone support call. If you are having difficulty
with application software vendor for support. BAR CODE SATO
ELECTRONICS (S) PTE LTD cannot provide support for third party
software problems.
The Service Hotline can be reached at (65) 273 6455, Monday through
Friday, or FAX them at (65) 273 6011. If you must return any products
to the factory, first obtain a returned material authorisation number (RAM)
from our Technical Support Department. When calling, please have your
printer model number and serial number handy.
Support for the CX208 is provided via E-mail at technical@satosingapore.com.
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CX208 User Guide
SPECIFICATIONS
CX208 TTCX208 DT
Print MethodThermal Transfer / Direct ThermalDirect Thermal
Max Ribbon Length459 ft-- N.A --
Max Ribbon Roll Diameter42.4mm (1.67”)-- N.A --
Carbon RibbonInner: 12.7mm (0.5”)
Core DiameterOuter: 19mm (0.75”)
Weight2.68Kg (5.9Ib.)2.64Kg (5.8lb.)
-- N.A --
Common Specifications
Print Head Density8 dots/mm (203dpi)
Print Speed38mm/sec (1.5") or 50mm/sec (2”) or 76mm/sec (3”), Selectable
MediaContinuous Paper, Paper Labels, Vinyl Labels, Tag
Media Width51 - 118mm (2” to 4.65”)
Max Roll Diameter127mm (5.0”)
Label Roll Core Diameter38.1mm (1.5”)
Max Print Width104mm (4.1”)
Max Print Length513mm (20")
Min Label Length6.35mm (0.25”)
Min Inter-Label Gap3.2mm (0.125”)
Max Inter-Label Gap25.4mm (1")
Media SensingCentre-justified, See-through sensor for die-cut gap or notched media
Centre-justified reflective sensor for Eye-mark Continuous Material
Interface Ports9-pin RS232 Serial 36-pin Centronics
Baud Rates600 - 38400 bps
Flow ControlXon/Xoff and RTS/CTS protocols
Memory512Kb total RAM 512Kb flash memory
Bar Codes SupportedUPC, EAN, EAN128, Code39, Plessey, MSI/MSI1, Code 16K
Code 128, Codeabar, MaxiCode, PDF417, Code93, I 2 of 5
o
Bar Code Rotations0
Bar Code Ratios1:2 1:3 2:5
FontsCompatible with all SATO CL Printers Code Page 858,
CX208 printers are configured as Data Terminal Equipment (DTE)
equipment, and use Request-To-Send/Clear-To-Send (RTS/CTS) handshaking or X-On/X-Off flow control (control characters are DC2 and DC4). The
serial port supports the following parameters:
ther cables may require an external null modem adapter.
Othercablesmayrequireanexternalnullmodemadapter.
CX208 Software
Two basic software packages are supplied on the Ready-To-Go CD-ROM
included with each CX208 printer. Each package allows you to easily
change the configuration of the printer and print labels.
Label Wizard CX
Label Wizard CX is a full-featured label design and production software
package. It supports only the CX Series printers and cannot be used with
other SATO Singapore printers. Windows 3.1 or Windows 95/98/ME must be
installed and operating on your computer to use the software. You can upgrade to the complete Label Wizard PRO package that supports all SATO
Singapore printers, including the CX208. Please contact your dealer for
upgrade information. The CD-ROM will Autorun under Windows
95/98/ME. To manually load the software, place the CD-ROM in your CD
drive and then select RUN from the Start Menu. Enter X:\CXWizard\Disk1\Install (where X is the drive letter associated with your CD
drive). Follow the instructions on the screen. After the software has been installed, you must must then install the SATO Generic printer (not the CX208
Windows Driver) using the Add New Printer selection in the Printer Folder.
When asked for the disk with the driver, enter C:\CXWizard\Drivers\Win3X95 as the location of the driver.
Label Wizard CX stores the printer configuration with each label format.
When you enter the program for the first time, a Label Definition dialog
box is opened. You enter the basic information about your label (width,
length, etc.) in this box. Selecting the Printer button in the lower right corner will take you to the Advanced Printer Setup
dialog box.
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CX208 User Guide
Selecting Immediate will bring up thg Immediate Commands dialog box al-lowing you to set the RS232 serial parameters. The printer configuration
and calibration information is stored in non-volatile RAM. The settings will
remain active until new information is sent. The current settings can be verified by printing a test label (page 9). Complete operation and instructions
are contained in the CXWizard.PDF fileinthe Manuals directory on the
CD-ROM.
Windows Drivers
The CX208 Windows Driver lets you print labels using virtually any
Windows application program. The driver is loaded like any other Windows
printer. The driver is located in the Windrive directory on the CD-ROM. After the driver is installed, you can send data to the CX208 just like any
other printer on your system: simply specify proper CX model in the Print
dialog box of yourWindows application. Printer configuration is managed
using the Advanced dialog box. To print bar codes, you must first define a
bar code font using the Barcodes dialog box.
Media and Supplies
The CX208 comes from the factory set up to operate with the SATO
media supplies that are shipped with the printer. These supplies have been
carefully selected to give optimum results with your printer. Contact SATOsales at (65) 271 5300 for ordering information.
Other media supplies may or may not give acceptable results. It is also
probable that you will have to calibrate the sensors and heat settings before
acceptable results is obtained. Calibration is accomplished by using the
Windows Driver or by selection of the Printer button in the Label Wizard
CX Label Setup dialog box. Instructions for calibrating the printer for use
with different media supplies is contained in the CX208 Printer Programming Guide found on the CX Series Ready-To-Go CD-ROM.
Page 18
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