Zebra 2684 User Manual

2684

Thermal Printer
User’s Manual

User’s Manual No. 980350-001 Rev. A

©2001 Zebra Technologies Corporation

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980350-001 Rev. A

FOREWORD

This manual provides installation and operation information for the LP 2684 and TLP 2684 print
ers, manufactured by Zebra Technologies Corporation, Camarillo, California.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This document contains information proprietary to Zebra Technologies Corporation. This docu
ment and the informationcontainedwithin is copyrightedby Zebra Technologies Corporation and
may not be duplicated in full or in part by any person without written approval from Zebra. While
every effort hasbeen made to keep the information contained within current and accurate as of the
date of publication, no guarantee is given or implied that the document is error-free or that it is ac
curate with regardto any specification.Zebra reserves the right tomake changes, forthe purpose of
product improvement, at any time.

TRADEMARKS

LP 2684 and TLP 2684 are service marks of Zebra Technologies Corporation. Windows and
MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.All other marks are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.

CE Compliance

European Council Directive Compliance to Standards

89/336/EEC EMC Directive EN55022-B 1995 RF Emissions control

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92/31/EE EMC Directive EN50082-1 1992

73/23/EEC Low Voltage Directive EN60950 IEC950 Product Safety

Immunity to Electromagnetic

Disturbances

FCC NOTICE:

This equipment hasbeen tested and found to comply withthe limits of a Class A digitaldevice, pur
suant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses and canradiate radio frequency energy and, ifnot installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference toradio communications. How
ever, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. Operation of
this equipment ina residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the userwill
be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

INDUSTRY CANADA NOTICE:

This device complies with Industry Canada ICS-003 class A requirements.

Cet equipement est conforme a l’ICS-003 classe A de la norm Industrielle Canadian

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980350-001 Rev. A

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980350-001 Rev. A

Table of Contents

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

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

Unpacking Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The FEED Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The STATUS Indicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The Label Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Loading Labels Tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Loading Transfer Ribbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Replacing Transfer Ribbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Removing A Partially Used Transfer Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . 27

Top Of Form Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Using AutoSense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Cleaning Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Cleaning the Print Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Cleaning Under the Sensor Bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Using the Label Dispenser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Where to Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Serial Interface Communication Configuration. . . . . . . . . 41

Serial Interface Cable Wiring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Parallel Interface Cable Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Tag Media Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Supplies and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Using the Media Cutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

980350-001 Rev. A

v

General Cautions and Warnings

These pages describe general safety and maintenance warnings and cautions for the printer.
They are referenced throughout the manual. The manual may also include other warnings and
cautions not displayed here.

Warning - Shock Hazard

The printer should never be operated in a location where it can
get wet. Personal injury could result.

Warnung - Stromschlaggefahr - Der Drucker sollte nie an
feuchten Standorten in Betrieb genommen werden. Es besteht
erhöhte Verletzungs und Unfallgefahr.

Warning - Static Discharge

The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the
surface of the human body or other surfaces can damage or
destroy the print head or electronic components used in this
device. DO NOT TOUCH the print head or the electronic
components under the print head assembly.

Caution - Printer Setup & Handling

1)When installing or modifying the printer setup or
configuration, ALWAYS TURN POWER OFF Before

A) Connecting any cables.
B) Performing any cleaning or maintenance operations.
C) Moving the printer.

2) Damage to the printer interface connector, accessories or
enclosure may result from placing the printer on it’s front bezel
or backside during unpacking or handling.

:

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980350-001 Rev. A

Media Cautions & Tips

1) Always use high quality, approved labels and tags. Approved
supplies can be ordered from your dealer.

2) If poor quality, adhesive backed labels are used, that DO
NOT lay flat on the backing liner, the exposed edges may stick
to the label guides and rollers inside the printer, causing the
label to peel off from the liner and jam the printer.

3) DO NOT use non-approved transfer ribbon. Permanent
damage to the print head may result if a non-approved ribbon is
used. Non-approved ribbons may be wound incorrectly for the
printer or contain chemicals that may damage the print head.

4) IMPORTANT - If a transfer ribbon is installed incorrectly by
the operator, damage to the print head may result.

5) DO NOT use a ribbon when printing with direct thermal
media.

Media Reload Tip

If you should run out of labels or ribbon while printing, DO NOT
turn the power switch OFF (0) while reloading or data loss may
occur. The printer will automatically resume printing when a
new label or ribbon roll is loaded.

Print Mode Control (TLP 2684)

The printer is reconfigured for direct thermal (or thermal
transfer) printing with the “O” command for the TLP thermal
transfer printer. See the EPL2 programmer's manual for details.

Print Quality Tip

Print density (darkness) is affected by the heat energy (density
setting) applied and by the print speed. Changing both Print
Speed and Density may be required to achieve the desired
results.

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980350-001 Rev. A

Installation

1

Installation

This section provides information on the
installation of the printer and software.

Introduction The printer models are low cost, manufacturing

oriented, thermal printers. The LP can do direct
thermal printing. The TLP can do both thermal
transfer and direct thermal printing. The print­ers handle large labels, hazardous material la­bels, small signs, fan-fold media, and shipping
and receiving labels while operating the range
from office to industrial enviornments.

The printer features sturdy construction, a small
footprint, a heavy-duty motor, and sharp 203
dpi (8 dots/mm) reliable printing up to 8.5
inches (216 mm) wide.

The printer can print letter (8.5”x 11”) and A4
(210mm x 297mm) sizes. It can print forms up
to 8.5 inches (216 mm) wide and 22 inches
(558.8 mm) long or two times A4 (210mm x
594mm) size with optional memory added.

980350-001 Rev. A

1

Installation

Unpacking Your

Printer

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980350-001 Rev. A

Installation

Part No. : 120XXX-XXX

Serial No. : XXXXXXXX

Input Power: 115VAC 6.3A 50/60Hz

Installation The following steps will guide you through the

installation of the printer and software.

Step ➊ Attach Power

Power OFF

Attach Power Cord

Check Voltage

O = Off

O

O

Plug Power Cord

Into AC Outlet

980350-001 Rev. A

See Warnings - Page vi

PartNo.: 120XXX-XXX

SerialNo.: XXXXXXXX

InputPower:115VAC 6.3A 50/60Hz

3

Installation

Parallel interface

Serial interface

Step ➋ Attach Interface Cable

4

For additional information on serial cable wir
ing, refer to Appendix A.

980350-001 Rev. A

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Step ➌ Apply Power

Installation

I = On

O

O

Green

980350-001 Rev. A

If the indicator fails to light, refer to Appendix A ­Troubleshooting.

5

Installation

Step  Install Software

Start your computer and follow the installation
instructions on the compact disk (CD).

Refer to Section 2 - Operation, for information
on loading labels and using your printer.

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980350-001 Rev. A

Operation

2

Operation

This section provides information on the opera­tion of the printers, identifying parts, how to use
the Feed button, understanding the Status indi­cator, preparing a media roll, loading media,
performing the AutoSense procedure, cleaning
the printer, and using the optional label dis­penser (if present).

980350-001 Rev. A

7

Operation

Your Printer

Cover Release Buttons

1

Cutting Edge

2

FEED Button

3

STATUS Indicator

4

Upper Media Stand

5

(Loading Position)

Lower Media Stand

6

(Printing Position)

Media Roll Retainers

7

8

Media Roll Holder

8

Carriage Lock/Release Lever

9

Transmissive (Gap) Sensor

:

Adjustment Gear

Transmissive (Gap) Sensor

;

Position Indicator

Ribbon Sensor

<

Platen Roller

=

Label-Taken Sensor

>

980350-001 Rev. A

Operation

Batch/Dispense Select Switch

1

Serial Interface

2

Parallel Interface

3

Power Cord Receptacle

4

On/Off Switch

5

Fan-Fold Media Entry

6

Ribbon Take-up Spindle

7

980350-001 Rev. A

Ribbon Supply Spindle

8

Reflective (Black Mark) Sensor

9

Media Guides

:

Dispenser Bar

;

Label Liner Exit

<

Release for Sensor Bracket

=

Releases for Front Bezel

>

Media Guide Adjustment Knob

?

9

Operation

The FEED Control The FEED button controls specific printer

functions: feeding media (labels, tags or
continuous media), loading media, pausing
printing, and initiating AutoSense (Dump
Mode).

10

Use the FEED control button in normal opera
tion by tapping or holding the button.

•

Tapping the FEED Button with media
loaded performs a "Form Feed." The media
advances to the top of the next label.

•

While Printing, Tapping the FEED Button
pauses batch printing (at the next label gap)
with indicator green flashing red. Pressing
the FEED Button again resumes printing with
the next label in the batch process.

980350-001 Rev. A

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