The Eltron Company P600, P500 User Manual

User’s Guide

P500 and P600

User’s Manual No. 980179-001 Rev. A

 1997 Eltron International Inc.

FOREWORD

This manualcontains installation and operation information for the Privilege Series card printers
manufactured by EltronInternational Incorporated, Simi Valley, California.

RETURN MATERIALS AUTHORIZATION

Before returning any equipment to Eltronfor in-warranty or out-of-warranty repair, contact Re­pairAdministrationfora Return MaterialsAuthorization(RMA)number.Repacktheequipment in
the originalpacking material and mark the RMA number clearly on theoutside. Ship theequip­ment, freight prepaid,to the address listed below:

Eltron Repair Administration, USA

41 Moreland Road

Simi Valley, CA. 93065

Phone: [phone]

FAX: [phone]

Label Printers: Card Printers:

Eltron International, Europe Eltron International, Europe

Eltron House Zone Indutrielle, Rue d'Amsterdam

Molly Millars Lane 44370 Varades, France

Wokingham RG41 2QZ England Phone: [phone]

Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]

FAX: [phone]

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This document containsinformation proprietaryto EltronInternational Incorporated.This docu­ment and the information contained within is copyrighted by Eltron International Incorporated
and maynot be duplicated in fullor in partby any person without written approval from Eltron.
While every effort has beenmade tokeep theinformation containedwithin currentand accurate
as ofthe date of publication, no guarantee isgiven or impliedthat the document is error-free or
thatitisaccurate with regard toanyspecification.Eltronreservestherightto make changes,forthe
purpose of productimprovement, at any time.

TRADEMARKS

Privilege, Privilege P500 and Privilege P600 are service marks. PrivilegeCard is a trademarkof
PrivilegeCard,S. A., asubsidiaryofEltronInternationalIncorporatedand Eltron isatrademarkof
Eltron International Incorporated.Windows andMS-DOS areregistered trademarksof Microsoft
Corp. All othermarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

980179-001 Rev. A iii

WARRANTY INFORMATION

We Need To Hear From You!

To Establish Your Warranty Period And Provide Access To Technical Support,

Send Us Your Product Registration Card Today!

Eltronwarrantsthemechanism, control electronicsandpowersupply,undernormaluse and serv­ice, to be free from defects inmaterial andworkmanship fora periodof twelve(12) monthsfrom
the dateof purchaseby theend user.Eltron warrants the print headand Laminatorhead, under
normal useand service,to befree from defects in materialand workmanshipfor a period of one
yearor 40,000passes(whichever occursfirst)from thedateof purchasebythe enduser.Proof of
purchaseor productregistrationisrequired. Ifproofof purchase orproductregistration cannot be
established,shipment datetothe originalbuyer(dealer ordistributor)will beusedto establishthe
warranty period.

Failureto exercise cautiontoprotect the equipmentfromelectrostatic dischargedamage,adverse
temperatureandhumidityconditions or physicalabusemayvoidthewarranty.Failure to useonly
Eltron approved media may void the warranty. Eltron will, at it’s option, repair or replace the
equipment or any parts which are determined to be defective within this warranty period, and
which are returnedto Eltron F.O.B. factory of origin.

The warranty set forth above is exclusive and no other warranty, whether written or oral, is ex­pressed or implied. Eltron specifically disclaims the implied warranties of merchantability and fit­ness for aparticular purpose.

FCC NOTICE:

This equipment hasbeen tested and foundto comply with the limits of a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part15 ofthe FCC Rules.These limitsare designedtoprovide reasonableprotection
against harmful interferencewhen theequipment isoperated in acommercial environment.This
equipment generates, uses and can radiateradio frequencyenergy and,if notinstalled andused
in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there isno guaranteethat interference willnot occurin aparticularinstallation. Opera­tionof thisequipmentin aresidentialarea islikelyto causeharmfulinterference inwhichcase the
user will berequired to correct the interference at his own expense.

INDUSTRY CANADA NOTICE:

This device complieswith Industry Canada ICS-003 class B requirements.
Cet equipement estconforme a l’ICS-003 classe B de la norm Industrielle Canadian

iv 980179-001 Rev. A

Icon Descriptions

Indicatesamechanicalhazard,suchas one as­sociated with moving parts, capable of result­ing in equipment damage or personal injury.

Indicates an electrical hazard, such as an ex­posedvoltagepoint, capableofcausing electri­cal shock and personal injury if touched.

Indicates information of particular interest that
requires consideration in the associated con­text.

Indicatesapartthatcan operate at anelevated
temperature capable of causing pain or a burn
if touched.

Indicates an area where an electrostatic dis­charge (ESD) can cause component damage.
Use a grounding wrist band.

Indicatesthatfiberdeposits from fibrousclean­ing materials (e.g., cotton swabs) can reduce
print quality.

Indicates that exposure to dust and other air­borne particles can contaminate the printer
and reduce print quality.

Indicates that except for card and ribbon load­ing and maintenance, the cover must remain
closed.

980179-001 Rev. A v

ELTRON INTERNATIONAL, INC.

declaresthat the

déclareque le

bescheinigt,daß dasGerät

declaraque el

dichiarache

P500 Card Printer
P600 Card Printer

isin conformancewiththe requirements oftheEuropean CouncilDirectiveslistedbelow:

estconforme auxspécificationsdes directives del'UnionEuropéenne ci-dessous:

dernachstehend angeführtenDirektivendes EuropäischenRats:

cumple

conlos requisitosdelas Directivas delConsejoEuropeo, segúnlalista siguiente:

èconforme allespecifichedelle sequenti direttivedell’UnioneEuropea:

89/336/EEC EMC Directive
92/31/EE EMC Directive
73/23/EEC Low Voltage Directive

Onthe approximationofthe lawsof MemberStatesrelating toElectromagneticCompatibility andProductSafety.

Baséessur lalégislation desEtatsmembres relativeà lacompatibilitéélectromagnétique età lasécurité desproduits.

Ü

berdie AnnäherungderGesetze der Mitgliedsstaateninbezug aufelektromagnetischeVerträglichkeit und

Basadoen

laaproximación delas leyesdelos PaísesMiembros respectoala Compatibilidadelectromagnética

Basatesulla legislazionedeglistati membrirelativa allacompatibilitáelettromagnetica ealla securezza deiprodotti.

Thisdeclaration isbasedupon compliance oftheproduct tothefollowingstandards:

Cettedéclaration reposesurla conformité duproduitaux normessuivantes:

DieseErklärung basiertdarauf,daß das Produktdenfolgenden Normen entspricht:

Estadeclaración sebasaen el cumplimientodelproducto conlassiguientes normas:

Questadichiarazione sibasasulla conformitá delprodottoalle normesequenti:

Produktsicherheitentspricht.

ylas Medidasdeseguridad relativasal producto.

EN 55022-A, CISPR 22RF Emissions Control
EN 500082-1 IEC 801Immunity to Electromagnetic Dicturbances
EN 60950 IEC 950 Product Safety

HughGagnier, President
ELTRONINTERNATIONAL, Inc.
41Moreland Road
SimiValley, CA93065-1692 U.S.A.

vi 980179-001 Rev. A

Table of Contents

Getting Started .......................1

Introduction ..........................1

Unpacking Privilege Card Printers ...............4

Check List ...........................5

Installation ...........................7

Upgrading to Expanded Memory ...............13

Expanded Memory Board Installation .............15

Operation ..........................17

Major Components ......................17

Controls & Indicators .....................18

Ribbon Preparation ......................20

Ribbon Loading ........................21

Handling the Media ......................25

Card Gate Adjustment .....................26

Printer Access and Usage ...................30

Printing ............................31

Adjustments ..........................32

Physical Processes .......................33

Cleaning The Printer......................37

Cleaning Stationary Card Path Items .............40

Cleaning the Card-Feed Roller.................41

Cleaning the Upper and Lower Cleaning Rollers........42

Print Head Cleaning ......................44

Cleaning the Transport and Platen Rollers ...........45

Cleaning Laminator Rollers ..................49

Magnetic Card Stripe Encoder ................51

Introduction ..........................51

Media Loading Orientation ..................52

Ensuring Data Reliability....................52

Encoding ...........................53

When to Clean the Encoder ..................55

Cleaning the Encoder .....................55

Adjustments ..........................55

Smart Card Contact Station .................57

Introduction ..........................57

Media Loading Orientation ..................58

Adjustments ..........................58

Smart Card Chip Interface ...................59

Media Jams ..........................60

980179-001 Rev. A vii

Appendix A

Trouble Shooting ......................61

Other Support Resources ...................64

Parallel Interface Cable Wiring.................65

Supported Card Media and Ribbon ..............65

Printer Features and Options .................68

Appendix B

Supplies and Accessories ..................71

Accessories ..........................71

Print Ribbons .........................72

Special Ribbons ........................72

Card Media ..........................73

Miscellaneous Supplies ....................73

Installable Options .......................73

Appendix C

Windows Card Printer Driver ................75

Installation of Printer Drivers..................75

Using the Windows 95 Driver .................83

Using The Windows 3.1 Driver ................92

Glossary ...........................101

viii 980179-001 Rev. A

Getting Started

Eltron

Privilege Multiple-

Station Card Printers

Thissectioncontainsinformation ontheinstal­lation of Eltron’s P500 and P600 Privilege
Multiple-Station card printers.

Introduction Eltron’s Privilege Series card printers offer a

low cost, high quality solution to those re­quiring computer-controlled printing and en­coding of credit card style plastic cards. Card
applications include personalized identifica­tion, access control, visitor, membership, pro­motion and luggage card, badges and tags.

1

980179-001 Rev. A 1

Getting Started

Features

• 300 dots-per-inch print resolution for crisp,
clear printing.

• High resolution color dye sublimation tech­nology supporting 32.7K colors for photo
quality imaging, along with:

Monochrome thermal transfer technology
for solid imaging of Bar Codes, Text and
Graphic Objects, each producable from
command parameters, making related bit
map downloads unnecessary.

• A Bar Code command thatcanproduceen­codedcardprinting inanyof 10 residentbar
codeformats,and aTextcommand thatcan
produce text using 2 resident fonts.

• A 3-Track Magnetic Stripe Encoder option
that writes and then read-verifies data,
supporting cards with high- or low­coercivity magnetic stripes. P500s can have
either up- or down-facing stripe encoders.

• P500s have Windows™ design and print
user software and a Windows™ printer con­trol driver that supports True Type fonts.

• Efficiently designed to fit in minimum foot­print,with asee-through coverthat offersus­ers a view of the process while offering
protection from exposure to environmental
contaminants.

• Produces duplex (two-sided) Prints on ei­ther plain or preprinted plastic card materi­als.

2

980179-001 Rev. A

Getting Started

Models All printers have parallel printer ports. P500s

Include WindCard™ Classic Software. Printers
may be ordered in any of the following stan­dard configurations:

Model No. Description

P500CF

120385-001

P600

120284-001

Option

No.’s

104525-001 •
104674-001 • •
104674-002 • •
104674-003 • •
104674-004 • •
300020-001 120V
300020-002 230V

Color Printer withLaminator

Multiple Station ColorPrinter

Options

Expanded Mem-

ory (P500)

Low Coercivity

Encoder

High Coercivity

Encoder

Encodes Down-

facing Stripe

Encodes Up-

facing Stripe

Power Cord

980179-001 Rev. A 3

Getting Started

Unpacking

Privilege Card

Printers

Packing Materials

Supply Kit:

Supply Kit:

• Printer Cable

• Printer Cable

• Power Cord

• Power Cord

• Manuals

• Manuals

• Card Weight

• Card Weight

• Card Catcher

• Card Catcher

• Software (P500)

• Software (P500)

Printers ship in a carton and protective bag.
Keep all packing material in case the need to
move or reship the printer arises.Avoidtouch­ingtheelectricalconnectorstoprevent electro­static discharge damage while setting up the
printer.

Foam End

Foam End

Cushons

Cushons

Printer in

Printer in

Shipping Bag

Shipping Bag

Thedischargeof electrostaticenergythat accu­mulates on the surface of the human body or
other surfaces can damage or destroy the
print head or other electronic components
used in this device.

4

980179-001 Rev. A

Getting Started

When unpacking the Privilege card printer
(and card media), be aware that a clean and
nearly dust free environment is required for
properoperation andstorage.Theprintquality
can be effected by dust, body oils and acids
(i.e., finger prints) and exposure to other for­eignmaterialsduringunpacking orhandlingof
the printer and media.

Check List Your PrivilegeCard Printershipswiththeitems

listed below:

• Printer (Check for proper Model):

• Interface Cable

• Power Cord

980179-001 Rev. A 5

Getting Started

• Card Feeder Weight

• Card Catcher

• Manuals:

- Printer User’s Guide

• Software

• CD-ROM

- WindCard Software

- Windows Driver(s)

Ifanyitems aremissing,contact yourdealerfor
replacement parts.

6

980179-001 Rev. A

Getting Started

Cardmedia,ribbon, andsuppliesare available
from yourEltrondistributororcallELTRONat
[phone] for the distributor nearest
you.Refer toAppendixBforcompletesupplies
ordering information.

Installation The following sections serve as a guide to

printer,WindCard™software,andWindows™
card printer driver installations.

Step Ê

Unpacking

Step Ë

Attach Power

Figure 1-1

Printer

Rear Panel

With help from another person, remove the
printer from the carton and protective plastic
bag.

AC power supplied to Privilege card printers
must be current limited to 16-amps or less us­ing an associated circuit breaker or other such
electrical device.

Place the printer in a clean, dust free loca-
tion that allows easy access to all sides of the
printer. Never operate the printer while it rests

on a side or upside down.

Set the AC power switch to the OFF (0) posi­tion.

AC Power Switch:

AC Power Switch:

1 = ON

1 = ON

O = OFF

O = OFF

980179-001 Rev. A 7

Getting Started

Power Switch

Connection

Figure 1-2

Positions

Switch OFF Switch ON

Never operate the printer in a location where
the operator, computer, or printer can get wet.
Personal injury could result.

Attach the AC power cord to the AC power re­ceptacle in the rear of the printer.

Figure 1-3

Power

Attach the AC power cord to a grounded elec­tricaloutlet ofthe propervoltageandplugtype.

Figure 1-4

AC Outlet

Connection

8

980179-001 Rev. A

Getting Started

Step Ì

Attach Interface

Cable

Figure 1-5

Interface

Cable

Attachandsecurethesupplied DB-25 (female)
to DB-25 (male) parallel printer cable between
the parallel port of the host computer and the
parallel interface connector on the back of the
printer.

Interface

Interface

Cable

Cable

Secure

Secure

Connector

Connector

Intermittent or unpredictable operationmay
occur from unsecured connectors.

See Appendixes A and B for cable specifica­tions and ordering information.

Step Í

Applying Power

Setthepowerswitchto ON (1). Notethatmes­sagesappearon the LCDscreensasthe printer
cycles through the power-on sequence. Also
note that READY appears at the end of the se­quence. If theseeventseitherfailtooccuror an
ERROR message appears instead of READY,
refer to Appendix A - Trouble Shooting.

980179-001 Rev. A 9

Getting Started

Step Î

Windows™ 3.1

Software

Installation

Startthehostcomputer.AfterDOShasloaded,
start Windows™. Insert the WindCard™ disk­ette into a floppy disk drive. From the Win­dows™ Program Manager‘s File pull-down
menu, select R

un....

Enter A:SETUP (or B:SETUP if you placed
the diskette in drive B). Press the Enter key.

10

Follow the installation instructions on the
screen to install the software.

Refer to Section 2, Operation, for information
on loading cards and ribbons and for initializ­ing the printer for operation.

980179-001 Rev. A

Getting Started

See Appendix C for loading WindCard™ soft­ware into other operating platforms and the
Windows™ Printer Driver file.

980179-001 Rev. A 11

Getting Started

12 980179-001 Rev. A

Getting Started

Upgrading to

Expanded Memory

Users can field upgrade P500 printers to in­clude ExpandedMemory.P600salreadyhave
thismemory.Onlythe CPUboardofModule 1
(the Print Station board) exhibits improved
performance with the Expanded Memory in­stalled. The Memory Extension Board plugs
intotheCPU boardof Module 1. Accesstothis
board requires removal of the rearprintercase
assembly.

Avoid unnecessary risks! Removal of the
RearCase ofthe printerexposes CircuitBoards
thatcontainalithium batteries. These batteries
operate for long periods of time and, replace­ments may never become necessary. Anyone
replacing these batteries subjects his or herself
to the following risk:

WARNING:

• A Danger of Explosion exists if a
battery is incorrectly replaced.

• Replace only with the same or
equivalent type recommended by the
manufacturer.

• Dispose of used batteries according
to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Case removal exposes circuit points that, if
touched with power on, can present a hazard.
Therefore, never remove any case

component without first unplugging the
Power Cord.

980179-001 Rev. A 13

Getting Started

Case Removal

Step ¶

Figure 1-6

Screws Holding Rear

Case

Case Removal

Step ·

Using a one-millimeter Allen wrench, remove
the two screws holding the top of the case.
Then, using amediumPhillipsscrewdriver,re­move the eight screws that secure the back of
the case.

Remove Allen

Remove Allen

Screws

Screws

Remove

Remove

Philips

Philips

Screws

Screws

Without letting the rear case move backward
fromitspositionwhilesecured, lifttherear case
straight up. Wires attached to the switches and
LCDs restrict how far the rear case can sepa­rate from the printer. Therefore, after freeing
therearcasefrom the printer,resttherear case
at a position that does not stress the wires.

Figure 1-7

Rear Case Removed

14

980179-001 Rev. A

Getting Started

Case Removal

Step 3

Figure 1-8

Bracket Removal

Expanded Memory

Board Installation

Removal of the upper Phillips screws frees a
bracket. First note the proper position of this
bracket, and then remove the bracket. If
replaced improperly, the rear case screws can­not be refastened.

The addition of an Expanded Memory board
in Module 1 of a P500 allows the host com­puter to download all image data in a continu­ous stream, instead of the single color
downloadsfollowed byassociated printingthat
occur without this addition. Multiple-card
printing occurs much faster with this option in­stalled. Rear case removal gives access for this
upgrade.

Before touching any of the circuit components
on either the printer or the Expanded Memory
board,be sureto dischargeany staticchargeby
touching the metal chassis. Better yet, wear a
grounding wrist band.

980179-001 Rev. A 15

Getting Started

Installing the

Memory Board

Step ¶

Figure 1-9

Expanded Memory

Installation

Plug the Expanded Memory Board into the
two connectors on the upper right section of
theCPU boardof Module1. Matchtheconnec­torssuchthat the ExpandedMemoryboardre­mains confined within the boundaries of the
CPU board, not oriented to extend over the
edge.

Installing the

Memory Board

16

Replacethebracketand printer casebyrevers­ing the steps performed during their removal.

Step ·

980179-001 Rev. A

2

Operation

This section contains information on the op­eration of the Privilege card printer.

Major

Components

Figure 2-1 shows a P600 Card Printer. Note
that both models have similar
appearances—except,the P500hasaLamina­torwhere theP600 hasasecondPrintStation.

Card-Feed

Figure 2-1

Card-Flip

Major Components

Card

Card

Catcher

Catcher

Print or

Print or

Lamination

Lamination

Station

Station

980179-001 Rev. A 17

Card-Feed

Hopper

Hopper

Print

Print

Station

Station

Operation

Controls &

Indicators

The Power

Switch

Figure 2-2

Printer Controls

and Indicators

All the card printer controls and indicators, ex­cept for the power switch, reside on the top of
the printer.

The POWER SWITCH is located on back
panel of the printer. Placing the switch in the
ON (1) position applies power to the printer.
Placingtheswitchin the OFF(0)positionturns
off the printer. See Figures 1-1 and 1-2 in Sec­tion 1.

The POWER SWITCH also works in con­junction with the Panel Button. See the
Panel Button on the following pages.

Module-2 LCD

Module-2 LCD

and Button

and Button

Module-1 LCD

Module-1 LCD

and Button

and Button

The following LCD messages can appear:

18 980179-001 Rev. A

Operation

REPORTING LCD

LCD MESSAGES DESCRIPTIONS

Module 1 Print

Station

Module 2 Print

Station (P600)

INITIALIZING Printer Initializing • • •
WARMING UP P500 Laminator Wait •
READY Ready to Print • • •
PRINTING Printing in Progress • •
LAMINATING Lamination in Progress •
OUT OF RIBBON New Ribbon Required • • •
OUT OF CARD More Cards Required • • •
COMMAND ERROR Command/Parameter Error • • •
MECHANICAL ERROR Mechanical Problem • • •
ENCODING ERROR Read Verify Error • •
READING ERROR Error Reading Mag.Stripe • •
ROTATION ERROR Card-Flip Error •
TEMPERATURE ERROR Laminator Temp. Wait •
COVER OPEN To Proceed, Close Cover • • •

Module 2 Lami-

nation Station

See Appendix A for troubleshooting tips.

980179-001 Rev. A 19

Operation

Ribbon

Preparation

Figure 2-3
Ribbon and
Empty Core

Ribbon

Preparation

Step 1

Ribbon

Preparation

Step 2

Both the Print Stations and the P500 Lamina­tion Station require the same pre-installation
ribbon preparations. To prepare a ribbon, the
taped end must be refastened to an empty
core. Eltron recommends the following:

Lamination

Place both the ribbon and an empty core on
end, next to one another, and touching. For
Lamination ribbons, the notched end of the
empty core must face up.

Untape the end that fastens the ribbon end to
the roll while leaving the tape attached on the
supply side.

Print

20

Ribbon

Preparation

Step 3

Figure 2-4

Ribbon

Preparation

Unwind enough ribbon to reach the empty
coreandtapetheend down. If boththeribbon
rollandthe emptycoreare kept touchingwhile
the tape is refastened, ribbon should be cen­tered on thecore.Animproperlypreparedrib­boncanresultin wrinkling in theprinterduring
ribbon advances.

980179-001 Rev. A

Operation

Ribbon

Preparation

Wind one or two turns of ribbon onto the rib­bon core.

Step 4

Ribbon Loading Ribbon loading involves the placement of the

prepared ribbon onto the Supply and Take-up
spindles.Similarprocedures applytoPrint Sta­tions and Laminators, as follows:

Ribbon Loading

Lift open the cover.

Step 1

Figure 2-5

Raising the Cover

Ribbon Loading

Step 2

Press down on the Print/Lamination Head Re­lease Latch to raise the Print Head. The Print
Head springs upward when released.

Press Here

Figure 2-6

Raising the Print

Press Here

to Raise

to Raise

Print Head

Print Head

Head

980179-001 Rev. A 21

Operation

DO NOT TOUCH the Print Head or nearby
electronic components. Discharged electro­static energy from a person’s body or from
equipment can damage or destroy print heads
and other printer components.

Atthis pointconsider interruptingribbon instal­lation to perform a cleaning, as described fur­ther on in this section. At the very least, wash
off any buildup on the Cleaning Rollers.

Ribbon Loading

Step 3

Using a prepared ribbon, unroll a comfortable
amount from the supply side to span the dis­tance between the Supply and Take Up spin­dles. Then, at the same time, slide the Supply
and Take Up Cores onto their respective spin­dles.

Make suretopushbothfullyontothespindles.
Also make very sure that the ribbon comes off
ofthetop oftheSupply Spindleandfeeds onto
the top of the Take Up Spindle.

Note that for proper seating the take-up
cores of Lamination Ribbons have a slot
that must align with a screw on the take­up spindle.

Take extra care when installing a Print Station
ribbon. Printing with a reversed ribbon can
damage the Print Head or make an extensive
cleaning necessary.

22

980179-001 Rev. A