Zebra Encore 3, Encore 3N User Manual
Portable Printer
User's Manual
Part No. UMAN-EN3 Rev. R March, 2003
Proprietary Statement
This manual contains proprietary information of Zebra Technologies Corporation. It is
intended solely for the information and use of parties operating and maintaining the
equipment described herein. Such proprietary information may not be used, reproduced, or disclosed to any other parties for any other purpose without the expressed
written permission of Zebra Technologies Corporation.
Product Improvements
Since continuous product improvement is a policy of Zebra Technologies Corporation,
all specifications and signs are subject to change without notice.
FCC Compliance Statement
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provided
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a
commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment
in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be
required to correct the interference at his own expense.
WARNING: Exposure to Radio Frequency radiation. To conform to FCC RF exposure
requirements this device shall be used in accordance with the operating conditions and
instructions listed in this manual. This will vary depending on which radio is installed.
See pages O-24 and O-25 for warning information specific to the radio.
NOTE: This unit was tested with shielded cables on the peripheral devices. Shielded
cables must be used with the unit to insure compliance
Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by Zebra Technologies
Corporation could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.
Canadian Compliance Statement
"IC:" before the equipment certification number signifies that the Industry Canada technical specifications were met. It does not guarantee that the certified product will operate
to the user's satisfaction.
Liability Disclaimer
Inasmuch as every effort has been made to supply accurate information in this manual,
Zebra Technologies Corporation is not liable for any erroneous information or omissions.
Zebra Technologies Corporation reserves the right to correct any such errors and disclaims liability resulting therefrom.
No Liability for Consequential Damage
In no event shall Zebra Technologies Corporation or anyone else involved in the creation, production, or delivery of the accompanying product (including hardware and software) be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for
loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or the results of use of or inability to use such
product, even if Zebra Technologies Corporation has been advised of the possibility of
such damages. Because some states do not allow the exclusion of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply to you.
Copyrights
The copyrights in this manual and the system described therein are owned by Zebra
Technologies Corporation. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of this
manual or the software in any of the system modules may result in imprisonment of up
to one year and fines of up to $10,000 (17 U.S.C.506). Copyright violators may be subject to civil liability.
All products and brand names are trademarks of their respective companies. All rights
reserved.
©
2003 Zebra Technologies Corporation
ii
CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................ O-1
Printer Specifications ........................................ O-2
Physical..................................................................................... O-2
Environmental ........................................................................... O-2
Printing Characteristics ............................................................. O-2
Communications Interface ........................................................ O-2
Communications Protocol ......................................................... O-3
Pin Assignments ....................................................................... O-3
Media Type ............................................................................... O-4
Media Handling ......................................................................... O-4
Software Features .................................................................... O-4
Formats ..................................................................................... O-5
Accessories and Options .......................................................... O-5
Power ........................................................................................ O-5
Controls .............................................................. O-6
Keypad Functions ..................................................................... O-6
Self Test .................................................................................... O-6
Batteries and Charging ...................................... O-7
Removing and Replacing Batteries .......................................... O-7
Battery Conditioning ................................................................. O-7
Chargers ................................................................................... O-8
Low Battery Shutdown .............................................................. O-9
Battery Safety Warnings ........................................................... O-9
Installation of Media Using Peeler .................. O-11
Installation of Media Without Peeler.............. O-13
Troubleshooting ............................................... O-14
Maintenance ..................................................... O-17
Cleaning The Print Head ........................................................ O-17
Cleaning The Platen ............................................................... O-18
Cleaning The Peeler Roller: ................................................... O-19
Cleaning Sensors ................................................................... O-19
Linerless Printers .................................................................... O-19
Communicating to the Printer ......................... O-20
Cable Communications........................................................... O-21
IR Communications ................................................................ O-21
Bluetooth™ Networking Overview .......................................... O-22
Wireless Local Area Network (LAN) ....................................... O-24
continued on next page
iii
APPENDIX A
Interface Cables.........................................................................A-1
APPENDIX B
Media Supplies .......................................................................... A-4
APPENDIX C
Maintenance Supplies ............................................................... A-5
APPENDIX D
Product Support .........................................................................A-6
Patent Information...................... inside back cover
iv
Operation Section
Battery Latch
IR Window
FIG. 1 E
Keypad
Cable
Communications
Port
Head Latch/
Peeler Assy.
NCORE
3N P
Keypad
RINTER
Battery Latch
IR Window
FIG. 1A E
Cable
Communications
Port
Head Latch/
Peeler Assy.
NCORE
3 P
RINTER
INTRODUCTION
The Encore™ 3 Portable Printer utilizes the latest in
direct thermal printing technology. This product is designed for portable printing and is ideally suited to print
shelf labels, tickets, price change stickers, receipts,
linerless labels and any other mobile applications where
printing is required on-site.
The Encore 3N Network Printer in addition offers the
ability to be integrated into a wireless LAN environment.
Integrated battery status and hardware diagnostics
circuits, as well as its extremely small size, make the
Encore 3 ideal for mobile printing. Some models of the
Encore 3 offer wireless communications options such as
Bluetooth™ or infrared (IrDA) interfaces.
This manual should be read in its entirety before attempting operation of this product. Further information
regarding this printer’s features and operation can be
found in the Mobile Printing Systems Programming
Manual available on diskette as Zebra p/n DISKPTRPRO-MAN or on-line at our website at:
http://www.zebra.com/SS/manuals.htm
O-1
UMAN-EN3
PRINTER SPECIFICATIONS
Physical
Encore 3 Encore 3N
Height: 5.6" (142 mm) 6.8” (173 mm)
Width: 5.0" (127 mm) 5.0" (127 mm)
Depth: 4.00" (102 mm) 4.00" (102 mm)
Weight: 2.25 lbs. (1.02 kg) 2.75 lbs. (1.25 kg)
(without stock)
Environmental
Operating temperature: 14° to 104°F (-10° to 40°C)
Storage temperature: -4° to 140°F (-20° to 60°C)
Relative humidity: 95% non-condensing
• Automatic head temperature compensation while
printing.
• Protection circuitry prevents damage from excessive
print head temperatures.
Printing Characteristics
Print Head Life: 1,964,160" (nominal)
(estimated) (50 Km)
Technology: Direct Thermal
Print Speed: 2-3 IPS (50.8-76.2 mm)
Print Head Width: 3" (76.2 mm)
Print Head Density: 203 DPI (8 dots/mm)
Number of Dots: 576
Communications Interface
• Built-in RS-232 port for one-way or two-way communication to terminal or other host up to 19.2K BPS.
• The Encore 3 with wireless options offers in addition:
Infrared communications via IrDA specifications, or
Bluetooth™ protocol.
• Encore 3N offers a 2.4 GHz frequency hopping
spread spectrum radio module which meets communications standard 802.11 Compliant at 1 Mbps to 2
Mbps.
UMAN-EN3
O-2
Communications Protocol
The Encore 3 supports RTS/CTS (hardware) and XON/
XOFF handshaking protocols to synchronize with the
host terminal. The handshaking protocol and the baud
rate is programmable. The default cable communications
parameters are:
Handshaking = RTS/CTS Baud Rate = 19,200
Parity = None Data Bits = 8
Stop Bits = 1
Pin Assignments
The following are the pin assignments for the 8-pin DIN
RS232C serial connector.
Signal Signal
Pin Name Type Description
1 RXD input Receive Data
2 TXD output Transmit Data
3 CTS input Clear To Send from host
4RTS output Request To Send
set high when printer
is ready to accept command
/data
5 GND Ground
6NC No Connect
7 DSR input Data Set Ready
low to high transition turns
printer on, high to low
transition turns printer off
8 DTR output Data Terminal Ready
set high when printer is on
(set to battery voltage for
“S” versions)
O-3
UMAN-EN3
Media Type
• Paper Labels
• Synthetic Labels
• Plain paper
•Tags
•Two-part thermal receipts
• Linerless labels (on linerless models only)
Media Handling
Media Width: Max. 3.125" (79.3 mm)
Min. 1.5" (38.1 mm)
Maximum Print Width: 2.8" (71.1 mm)
Media Core Size: .75" (19 mm)
1.37” (31.8 mm) optional
• Adjustable stock width
• Easy stock loading system
• Automatic label peeler
• Optional label present sensor
Software Features
•Vertical or horizontal printing
• Left, right, or center justification
• Scale to fit
• Concatenation
• Line print mode
• Programmable label odometer with on-demand terminal reporting
• Serial number reporting to terminal on demand
• Automatic print head temperature and battery compensation
• Programmable inactivity shut-off
• Out of paper/head-up error LED indicator
UMAN-EN3
O-4
• Power On/Off from terminal or built-in keypad
• Black bar/gap sensing
Formats
• 25 Resident fonts
• Standard international character sets
• Flash memory for down-loadable programs, label
formats, fonts and graphics
• Fully scalable fonts
• Built-in graphics support
Accessories and Options
• Single-bay battery fast charger/conditioner
• Four battery pack fast charger/conditioner
• Extra NiMH battery
• Belt holster and shoulder strap options
•Variety of interface cables
• IrDA Option
• Bluetooth™ wireless interface option
Power
The Encore 3 utilizes a removable battery. If not connected to a terminal with DTR present, the Encore 3 will
automatically power off to conserve battery life. The
time-out value can be programmed from the host terminal; the factory default time-out is two minutes.
Additional power features include:
• Removable NiMH battery
• Full charge can print 2000 typical labels
• Low battery indicated by flashing LED and reported to
terminal on demand
• Power on/off controlled from terminal or built-in key-
pad
O-5
UMAN-EN3
Keypad Functions
CONTROLS
Feed Switch:
Advances media to
next label or sense
mark without printing.
Power Light:
Indicates
Printer is
turned on
Status Light: Steady
light indicates printer is
either out of media, or
head release latch is
open.
Flashing during data
transmission between
host and printer
indicates normal
wireless operation.
On switch:
momentary on action
turns printer on
Low Battery Light:
Flashes when battery is
near its shut off voltage.
Steady light indicates
battery must be
recharged or replaced.
Fig. 2 Encore 3 Controls
Off switch: turns
printer off.
Self Test
The Encore 3 can perform a self test which will print a
line of interlocking “x” characters to insure all elements of
the print head are working, and then print out the version
of software loaded in the printer. Refer to the Troubleshooting section for more details on interpreting the selftest.
The self test is activated by the following key sequence:
1. Press the "FEED" key
2. While still holding down the "FEED" key, turn on
the printer by pressing and releasing the "ON" key.
3. Release the "FEED" key
The Encore 3 will remain on after running the self test.
UMAN-EN3
O-6
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