Zebra GX420d, GX430d Users Guide

Download

Zebra® GX420d™ / GX430d™

Desktop Thermal Printer

User Guide

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

©2010 ZIH Corp. G-Series,GX420d, GX430d, ZBI, ZBI 2.0, ZBI-Developer, ZebraDesigner, Uni-Ribbon, ZebraNet, EPL, EPL2, ZPL, ZPL II, OpenACCESS and all product names and numbers are Zebra trademarks, and Zebra, the Zebra head graphic, and ZebraNet are registered trademarks of ZIH Corp. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

iii

This product may contain ZPL®, ZPL II®, and ZebraLink™ programs; Element Energy

Equalizer™ Circuit; E

®; and Monotype Imaging fonts. Software ©ZIH corp. All rights

reserved worldwide. ZebraLink and all product names and numbers are trademarks, and Zebra, the Zebra logo,

ZPL, ZPL II, Element Energy Equalizer circuit, and E3 Circuit are registered trademarks of ZIH Corp. All rights reserved worldwide.Monotype®, Intellifont® and UFST® are trademarks of Monotype Imaging, Inc. registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain jurisdictions.

CG Triumvirate is a trademark of Monotype Imaging, Inc. and may be registered in some jurisdictions.

TrueType® is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certancertain jurisdictions.

Proprietary Statement

This manual contains proprietary information of Zebra Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Zebra Technologies”). 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 express written permission of Zebra Technologies.

Product Improvements

Continuous improvement of products is a policy of Zebra Technologies. All specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.

Liability Disclaimer

Zebra T echnologies takes steps to ensure that its published Engineering specifications and manuals are correct; however, errors do occur. Zebra Technologies reserves the right to correct any such errors and disclaims liability resulting therefrom.

Limitation of Liability

In no event shall Zebra Technologies 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, consequential damages including loss of business profits, business interruption, or loss of business information) arising out of the use of, the results of use of, or inability to use such product, even if Zebra Technologies has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.

Canadian DOC Compliance Statement

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

FCC Compliance Statement

This device complies with Part 15 rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

This device may not cause harmful interference, and

This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B Digital Devices, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These li mits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a residential environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the product manuals, may cau se 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 ra dio or television reception, the user is encouraged to do one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit dif fere nt from that t o which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced RF service technician for help.

The user is cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved by Zebra Technologies could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. To ensure compliance, this printer must be used with fully shielded communication cables.

Caution • The optional RTC assembly has a three volt lithium battery. Battery replacement must be performed by a qualified service technician. Only use a Zebra approved replacement battery.

Important • Recycle batteries according to local your guidelines and regulations. Wrap the battery when disposing (or storing) to avoid a short circuit.

DO NOT short circuit the battery. Short circuiting the battery may result in heat generation, fire or bursting.

DO NOT heat, disassemble or dispose of battery in fire.

Environmental Management

Do not dispose of this product in unsorted municipal waste. This product is recyclable, and should be recycled according to your local standards.

For more information, please see our website at:

Web address: www.zebra.com/environment

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

About This Document

This section provides you with contact information, document structure and organization, and additional reference documents.

Contents

Who Should Use This Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

How This Document Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Contacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

About This Document

Who Should Use This Document

This User Guide is intended for use by any person who needs to operate or to troubleshoot problems with the printer.

How This Document Is Organized

The User Guide is set up as follows:

Section Description

Introduction on page 1 This section describes what you get in your

Getting Started on page 13 This section describes how to set up your printer

shipping box and provides an overview of printer features. This section also has procedures that describe how to open and close the printer and report any problems.

for the first time and use the most common operating procedures for loading media.

Print Operations on page 31 This section provides media and print handling,

font and language support, and the set up of less common printer configurations.

Printer Options on page 45 This section covers the common printer options

and accessories with brief descriptions and how to get you started using or configuring your printer option or accessory.

Control Panel Operation on page 69 This section describes the operation, navigation

and parameters displayed by printers equipped with the LCD control panel option.

Maintenance on page 75 This section provides routine cleaning and

maintenance procedures.

Troubleshooting on page 85 This section provides information about printer

error reporting that you might need for printer troubleshooting. Assorted diagnostic tests are included.

Appendix: Interface Wiring on page 99

Appendix: Dimensions on page 105 This section provides external printer dimensions

This section provides additional interface information and wiring diagrams to assist with printer to host system integration (typically a PC).

for the standard printer and printer with options.

Appendix: ZPL Configuration on page 109

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

This section briefly covers printer configuration and includes a cross-reference to ZPL printer configuration commands.

Contacts

About This Document

Technical Support via the Internet is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Contacts

vii

Web Site: E-mail Back Technical Library:

•

Self Service Knowledge Base: Online Case Registration:

Which Department

Do You Need?

Regional Headquarters

Technical Support

For questions on the operation of Zebra equipment and software, please call your distributor. For additional assistance, contact us.

Please have your model and serial numbers available.

Repair Service Department

For back-to-base service and repair.

Technical Tr aini ng Department

For Zebra product training courses.

Inquiry Department

For product literature and distributor and dealer information.

Customer Service Department (US) Internal Sales Department (UK)

For printers, parts, media, and ribbon, please call your distributor or contact us.

Key:

T: Telephone F: Facsimile E: E-mail

www.zebra.com

E-mail address: Subject line:

emb@zebra.com

Emaillist

www.zebra.com/techrequest

The Americas

Zebra Technologies In ternational, LLC 333 Corporate W oods Parkway Vernon Hills, IL 60061-3109 U.S.A.

T: +1 847 793 2600 Toll-free +1 800 423 0422 F: +1 847 913 8766

T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327) F: +1 847 913 2578

Hardware: ts1@zebra.com Software: ts3@zebra.com

T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327) F: +1 847 821 1797

E: repair@zebra.com To request a repair in the U.S.,

go to www.zebra.com/repair T: +1 847 793 6868

T: +1 847 793 6864 F: +1 847 913 2578

E: ttamerica@zebra.com

T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327) E: inquiry4@zebra.com

T: +1 877 ASK ZEBRA (275 9327) E: clientcare@zebra.com

www.zebra.com/knowledgebase

Europe, Africa,

Middle East, India

Zebra Technologies Europe Limited Dukes Meadow Millboard Road Bourne End Buckinghamshire, SL8 5XF United Kingdom

T: +44 (0) 1628 556000 F: +44 (0) 1628 556001

T: +44 (0) 1628 556039 F: +44 (0) 1628 556003

E: Tseurope@zebra.com

T: +44 (0) 1772 693069 F: +44 (0) 1772 693046

New requests: ukrma@zebra.com Status updates:

repairupdate@zebra.com

T: +44 (0) 1628 556000 F: +44 (0) 1628 556001

E: Eurtraining@zebra.com

T: +44 (0) 1628 556037 F: +44 (0) 1628 556005

E: mseurope@zebra.com

T: +44 (0) 1628 556032 F: +44 (0) 1628 556001

E: cseurope@zebra.com

Asia Pacific

Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. 120 Robinson Road #06-01 Parakou Building Singapore 068913

T: + 65 6858 0722 F: +65 6885 0838

T: +65 6858 0722 F: +65 6885 0838

E: China: tschina@zebra.com

All other areas:

tsasiapacific@zebra.com

T: +65 6858 0722 F: +65 6885 0838

E: China: tschina@zebra.com

All other areas:

tsasiapacific@zebra.com

T: + 65 6858 0722 F: +65 6885 0838

E: China: tschina@zebra.com

All other areas:

tsasiapacific@zebra.com

E: China: GCmarketing@zebra.com

All other areas:

AP ACChannelmarketing@zebra.com

T: +65 6858 0722 F: +65 6885 0836

E: China: order-csr@zebra.com

All other areas:

csasiapacific@zebra.com

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

About This Document

viii

Document Conventions

The following conventions are used throughout this document to convey certain information.

Alternate Color (online only) Cross-references contain hot links to other sections in this guide. If you are viewing this g uide online in .pdf format, you can click the cross-reference (blue text) to jump directly to its location.

Command Line Examples Command line examples appear in Courier New font. For example, type

Files and Directories File names and directories appear in Courier New font. For example, the

Icons Used

ZTools

to get to the Post-Install scripts in the

Zebra<version number>.tar

bin

file and the

directory.

/root

directory.

Caution •

harm to you.

Caution •

physical harm to the hardware.

Important •

Note •

Warns you of the potential for electrostatic discharge.

Warns you of a potential electric shock situation.

Warns you of a situation where excessive heat could cause a burn.

Advises you that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in physical

(No icon) Advises you that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in

Advises you of information that is essential to complete a task.

Indicates neutral or positive information that emphasizes or supplements important

points of the main text.

Example •

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Provides an example, often a scenario, to better clarify a section of text.

About This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Who Should Use This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

How This Document Is Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Document Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

1 • Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

GX Series Thermal Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

What’s in the Box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Unpack and Inspect the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Your Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Operator Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2 • Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Attaching Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Loading Roll Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Preparing Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Placing the Roll in the Media Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Pre-install Windows® Printer Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Connecting your Printer to a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Interface Cable Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

After Your Printer is Connected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

3 • Print Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Determining Printer Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Localizing the Printer Status Configuration Label. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Long Term Printer In-activity or Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Thermal Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Modes of Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Print Media Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Determining Thermal Media Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Replacing Supplies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Adjusting the Print Width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Adjusting the Print Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Media Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Printing on Fan-Fold Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Printing with Externally Mounted Roll Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Fonts and Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Identifying Fonts in Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Localizing the Printer with Code Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Asian fonts and Other Large Font Sets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Getting Asian Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Stand Alone Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Sending Files to the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Print Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

EPL Line Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

4 • Printer Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Label Dispenser Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Moveable Blackline Sensor Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Adjusting the Moveable Sensor for Black Marks or Notches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Adjusting the Moveable Sensor for Web (Gap) Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Cutter Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Loading Media with the Cutter Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

ZebraNet® 10/100 Internal (Wired) Print Server Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Printer Network Configuration Status Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Printer Network Configuration Status Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Bluetooth Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Printer Network Configuration Status Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

RTC and Full Flash Memory Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Asian Fonts - Printer Accessory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Zebra® KDU — Printer Accessory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

KDU Plus™ — Printer Accessory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

ZBI 2.0™ — Zebra Basic Interpreter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

5 • Control Panel Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

LCD Display Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Menu Customization and WML. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Normal Operation Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Printer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

802.11 WLAN Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Bluetooth Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

6 • Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Cleaning the Printhead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Media Path Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Platen Cleaning and Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Other Printer Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Replacing the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

7 • Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Status Light Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Status Light Error Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Manual Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Troubleshooting Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Printing a Configuration Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Recalibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Resetting the Factory Default Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Communications Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Feed Button Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

A • Appendix: Interface Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Parallel Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Ethernet Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Serial Port Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

B • Appendix: Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

External GX Printer Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

C • Appendix: ZPL Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Managing the ZPL Printer Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

ZPL Configuration Status to Command Cross-reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Printer Memory Management and Related Status Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

ZPL Programming for Memory Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

xii

Notes •

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Introduction

This section describes what you get in your shipping box and provides an overview of printer features. This includes procedures that describe how to open and close the printer and report any problems.

Contents

GX Series Thermal Printers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

What’s in the Box?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Unpack and Inspect the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Operator Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Introduction

GX Series Thermal Printers

The Zebra® GX models are the Best in Class™ desktop thermal printer with the widest range of features. The GX420d™ printer provides direct thermal printing at speeds up to 6 ips (inches per second) at a 203 dpi (dots per inch) print density. The GX430d™ printer provide direct thermal printing at speeds up to 4 ips at a 300 dpi print density. Both the GX420d™ and GX430d™ support both ZPL™ and EPL™ Zebra printer programming languages and a wide variety of interface and feature options.

The G-Series™ printer features:

• Automatic printer language detection and switching between ZPL and EPL programming and label formats.

• OpenAccess™ design for simplified media loading.

• The industry’s easiest ribbon loading design.

• Color-coded operator controls and media guides.

• Zebra™ Global Printing Solution – su pports Mic rosoft Windows keyboard encoding (and ANSI), Unicode UTF-8 and UTF 16 (Unicode Transformation Formats), XML, ASCII (7 and 8 bit used by legacy programs and systems), basic single and double byte font encoding, JIS and Shift-JIS (Japanese International Standa rds), Hexadecimal encoding, and custom character mapping (DAT table creation, font linking, and character remapping).

• On–The –Fly OpenType and TrueType font scaling and import, Unicode, prelo aded Swiss 721 Latin 1 font, one resident scalable font, and a selection of resident bitmap fonts.

• Improved printer performance: faster print speeds and a 32-bit processor.

• Adaptive auto serial port cable sensing and configuration for plug-and-play integration.

• A complete suite of free software applications and drivers to configure printer settings, design and print labels and receipts, get printer status, import graphics and fonts, send programming commands, update firmware, and download files. Clone printer settings and

send graphics, files, fonts, and firmware (updates) to one or more Zebra

Ethernet and

locally connected printers with ZebraNet™ Bridge.

• Printhead test and maintenance reporting enabled and customizable by the user.

• The G-Series™ direct thermal printer models also include support for Li ne Mode printing to support EPL1 legacy programming based printing applications.

The GX printers offer a wide range of printer options:

• Label Dispense (Peel-Off).

• Internal 10/100 Print Server and Ethernet Interface.

• Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) with user display.

• Bluetooth with user display.

• Moveable Blackline Sensor: A full width moveable black mark sensor and multi position transmissive (label gap) sensor.”

• General purpose media cutter .

• On-board RTC (Real Time Clock) and 68MB Full Flash memory (12MB Full Flash Memory prior to July 24, 2009).

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Introduction

GX Series Thermal Printers

• Asian Language support with printer configuration options for the large Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese, or Korean character sets.

•Zebra

ZBI™ 2 (Zebra BASIC Interpreter) programming language. ZBI allows you to

create custom printer operations that can automate processes, use peripherals (i.e.

scanners, scales, keyboards, Zebra

KDU or KDU Plus™, etc.) all without being attached

to a PC or network.

This users guide provides all the information you need to operate your printer on a daily basi s. T o crea te labe l formats, re fer to your programming guides or l abel design appl ications such as ZebraDesigner™.

Your printer, when connected to a host computer, functions as a complete system for printing labels and tags.

Note •

Many printer settings may also be controlled by your printer’s driver or label design

software. Refer to the driver or software documentation for more information.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Introduction

Power Cord

varies by locale or region

Documentation

and Software

Power

Supply

USB Cable

Printer

Cleaning

Pen

What’s in the Box?

Save the carton and all packing materials in case you need to ship or store the printer later. After unpacking, make sure you have all parts. Follow the procedures for inspecting the printer to familiarize yourself with printer parts so you can follow the instructions in this book.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Unpack and Inspect the Printer

When you receive the printer, immediately unpack it and inspect for shipping damage.

• Save all packing materials.

• Check all exterior surfaces for damage.

• Open the printer and inspect the media compartment for damage to components.

If you discover shipping damage upon inspection:

• Immediately notify the shipping company and file a damage report. Zebra Technologies Corporation is not responsible for any damage to the printer incurred during shipment, and will not cover the repair of this damage under its warranty policy.

• Keep all packaging material for shipping company inspection.

• Notify your authorized Zebra

reseller .

Your Printer

Interface

Connectors

Feed

Button

Status

Light

Release Latches

DC Power

Receptacle

Power

Switch

Fan-Fold

Media

Entry Slot

Introduction

What’s in the Box?

Opening the printer

To access the media compartment, you must open the printer. Pull the release latches towards you and lift the cover. Check the media compartment for loose or damaged components.

Caution •

human body or other surfaces can damage or destroy the printhead or electronic components used in this device. You must observe static-safe procedures w hen working with the printhead or the electronic components under the top cover.

The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Introduction

Sensor

Peel Bar

Platen

Roller

Dispenser Option

Black-Line

Sensor

Gap

Sensor

Roll Holder and

Media Guides

Head-Up Sensor

(inside)

Pinch Roller

Dispenser Door

(open)

Printhead

What’s in the Box?

Printer Features

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Introduction

Moveable Blackline

Sensor (Option)

Media Cutter

(Option)

What’s in the Box?

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Introduction

Wireless Printer Display and Controls

(Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Options)

What’s in the Box?

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Operator Controls

Power OFF

Power ON

Power Switch

Press up to turn ON or down to turn OFF the printer.

Introduction

What’s in the Box?

Caution •

communications and power cables.

Feed Button

• Tap the Feed button once to force the printer to feed one blank label.

The printer power should be turned off before connecting or disconnecting the

• Press the Feed button to take the printer out of a “pause” condition. The printer is put into “pause” by either a programming command or an error condition. See What the Status

Light is Telling You on page 86 in the Troubleshooting chapter.

• Use the Feed button for printer setup and status (see Feed Button Modes on page 96 in the Troubleshooting chapter).

Scroll Button (Wireless Printers Only)

Press the Scroll button to step through the menu, displayed printer parameters or settings.

Select Button (Wireless Printers Only)

Press the Select button to choose a menu branch or select a printer setting.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Introduction

Feed

Button

Status

Light

Feed Button

Scroll Button Select Button

Display

Status Light

What’s in the Box?

Status Light

Located on the top case next to the feed button, the status light functions as a printer operational indicator (see Status Light Descriptions on page 86).

Wireless Printer Display and Controls (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Options)

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Closing the printer

Lower the top cover.

Introduction

What’s in the Box?

Press down until the cover snaps closed.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Introduction

Notes •

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

What’s in the Box?

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Getting Started

This section describes how to set up your printer for the first time and use the most common operating procedures for loading media.

Contents

Attaching Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Loading Roll Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Pre-install Windows® Printer Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Connecting your Printer to a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

After Your Printer is Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Getting Started

Power Connector

Power

Switch

Plug Varies by Country

Active Power Light

Power

Receptacle

AC Power Cord

Printer

Power Supply

IEC 60320 C-13

Attaching Power

Important •

Set up your printer so that you can handle the power cord easily if needed. To make certain the printer cannot carry electrical current, you must separate the power cord from the power supply receptacle or AC electrical outlet.

Caution •

Serious personal injury could result!

Never operate the printer and power supply in an area where they can get wet.

Make sure the printer’s power switch is in the off position (down). Insert the AC power cord into the power supply. Plug the other end of the cord into an appropriate AC electrical outlet. Note: The active

power light will go on if power is on at the AC outlet.

Insert the power supply’s power connector into the printer’s power receptacle.

Note • Ensure the appropriate power cord with a three (3) prong plug and an IEC 60320-C13 connector are used at all times. These power cords must bear the relevant certification mark of the country in which the product is being used.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Loading Roll Media

When you load media, you must place the roll onto the media hangers. You must use the correct media for the type of printing you require.

Preparing Media

Whether your roll media is inside or outside wound, you load it into the print er the same way.

• Remove the outside length of media. During shipment, handling, or storage, the roll may become dirty or dusty. Removing the outside length of media avoids dragging adhesive or dirty media between the printhead and platen.

Getting Started

Loading Roll Media

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Getting Started

Loading Roll Media

Placing the Roll in the Media Compartment

Open the printer . Remember that you need to pull the release latch le vers toward the front of the printer.

Open the media roll holders. Pull the media guides open wi th your free hand and place the media roll on the roll holders and release the guides. Orient the media roll so that its printing surface will face up as it passes over the platen (drive) roller.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Printer Optional:

Moveable

Blackline Sensor

Off Center

Blackline Sensing Only

Default - Gap (Web) Sensing

Standard Operating Position

Getting Started

Loading Roll Media

If your printer includes the moveable blackline sensor option, verify that the sensor is aligned in the center default posi tion. This is the standard operating position for media sensing. When the sensor is moved from the default label web (gap) sensing area, the printer will only detect blackline, black mark and die-cut notched media. See Moveable

Blackline Sensor Option on page 49 for more details on adjusting this sensor option.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Getting Started

Under Media

Guides

Loading Roll Media

Pull the media so that it extends out of the front of the printer. Verify the roll turns freely. The roll must not sit in the bottom of the media compartment. Verify that the media’s printing surface is facing up.

Push the media under both of the media guides.

Close the printer. Press down until the cover snaps closed.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label

Before you connect the printer to your computer, make sure that the printer is in proper working order.

You can do this by printing a configuration status label.

Make sure the media is properly loaded and the top cover of the printer is closed. Then, turn the printer power on if you have not already done so. If the printer initializes with the status light blinking green (pause mode), press the Feed button once to set the printer in Ready (to print) mode. See the Troubleshooting on page 85 if the printer’s status light does not turn solid green (Ready).

Press the Feed button two to three times to allow the printer to calibrate the printer for the installed media. The printer may feed several labels during this process.

When the status light is solid green, press and hold the Feed button until the status light flashes once.

Release the Feed button. A configuration label will print. If you cannot get this label to print, refer to Getting Started on page 13.

Getting Started

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Getting Started

Pre-install Windows® Printer Drivers

Zebra is changing the way you install and use your printer with your Windows based PC

systems. We recommend that at minimum, the ZebraDesigner™ Windows

driver be pre-

installed to take advantage of the advancements in ease of use and simplicity of the Windows

operating systems since the release of Windows XP Zebra provides the Zebra Setup Utilities (ZSU); a suite of Zebra

SP2.

printer drivers, utilities, and communications and installation tools for use with most Windows PC operating systems. Zebra Setup Utilities and Zebra Windows pri nter drivers are available on the user’ s CD and the Zebra web site (www.zebra.com

) for latest versions.

ZebraDesigner™ Driver and Zebra Setup Utilities (includes the driver): Supports

Windows 7 and Windows Server

, Windows Vista®, Windows XP®, Windows® 2000®, Windows Server® 2008,

2003 operating systems. The driver supports 32 bit and 64 bit Windows operating systems and is Microsoft Certified. Zebra Setup Utilities and the ZebraDesigner driver support the following G-Series printer communication interfaces: USB, parallel, serial, Wired and Wireless Ethernet and Bluetooth (using a Bluetooth virtual printer port).

Install the Zebra Setup Utilities before

applying power to the printer connected to the PC

(running a Zebra driver supported Windows operating system). The Zebra Setup Utility will prompt you to apply the printer power. Continue to follow the instructions to complete your printer installation.

Plug’N’Play (PnP) Printer Detection and Windows® operating systems

More recent Windows operating systems automaticall y detect the printer when it is connected via the USB interface. Depending on the hardware configuration and the Windows version, your printer may be Plug-and-Play (PnP) detected when connecting to the USB, parallel, or serial port interfaces. The printer drivers do not support serial port PnP installation at this time.The printer’s PC interface configuration for the parallel port must support and have bidirectional communications for PnP operations.

The operating system automatically starts a “Add new hardware’ wizard when connecting the printer for the first time to the PC. If you have pre-loaded the driver suite with the Zebra Setup Utility , then the printer driver will automatically install. Go to your Windows printer directory and right-click and select ‘Properties’. Click on the ‘Print test page’ button to verify a successful installation.

The Windows operating system will detect and re-link a previously installed printer if it is reconnected to the USB interface or if printer power is turned on after the PC has finished its restart of the operating system. Ignore the new device detected warnings and close the Task bar prompts. Wait several seconds for the operating system to match the printer to the driver software. The warnings will quit and the printer now should be ready to begin printing.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Device Communications

The printer is a terminal device (not a host or hub) when using a USB interface. You can refer to the USB Specification for details regarding this interface.

Note •

USB port) to send data to the printer.

Scanners, scales or other data input (terminal) devices must use the serial port (not the

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Serial Port and Windows® operating systems

The Windows operating system default settings for the serial port communication closely match the printer’s defaults settings with one exception; the data Flow Control settings. The Windows default data Flow Contr ol setting is NONE. The G-Series printer requires data Flow Control set to Hardware.

Note • The G-Series™ printer does not support W indows® Serial Port Plug and Play (PnP) device detection at this time.

Ethernet

This printer option has a variety of methods and utilities to assist with printer connection to a network (WAN or LAN) and to configure Wired and Wireless (WiFi) printers. The Zebra Setup Utility configuration wizards support creating a connection to the printer on a shared network with Windows based systems by using the printer’s IP address. The printer includes internal Web pages to provide easy access to printer and network configuration. The web pages are accessible via the printers IP address using any web browser. The free version of ZebraNet™ Bridge software allows you to centrally deploy , manage, and monitor your Zebra printers with automatic Zebra anywhere on your global network. ZebraNet™ Bridge Enterprise is available for purchase to manage larger numbers of Zebra

printer discovery up to 3 printers from a single PC screen

printers.

Getting Started

Pre-install Windows® Printer Drivers

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Getting Started

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

The Zebra® G-Series™ printers support a variety of interface options and configurations. These include: Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, RS232 Serial, Parallel (IEEE 1284.4) and 10/100 Ethernet.

• USB, Serial and Parallel

• Optional: USB, Serial, and Ethernet (Wired)

• Optional: USB, Serial, and Ethernet (Wireless-WiFi) with LCD display

• Optional: USB, Serial, and Bluetooth with LCD display

The Zebra Setup Utility is designed to assist you with installing these interfaces. The cabling and unique parameters for each of these physical printer communication interfaces is discussed in the following pages to assist you with making con figuration setup choic es prior to and immediately following applying power. The Zebra Setup Utilities configuration wizards will instruct you to turn the printe r’s power on at the appropriate time to complete the installation of your printer .

For Connecting to Wireless Communication Interfaces:

• Wi-Fi (Ethernet), see the ZebraNet® 10/100 Internal Print Server manual.

• Bluetooth, see the Bluetooth Option on page 61.

Caution •

The power cord must be inserted into the power supply and the power receptacle on the back of the printer before connecting or disconnecting the communications cables.

Keep the power switch in the OFF position when attaching the interface cable.

Interface Cable Requirements

Data cables must be of fully shielded construction and fitted with metal or metallized connector shells. Shielded cables and connectors are required to prevent radiation and reception of electrical noise.

To minimize electrical noise pickup in the cable:

• Keep data cables as short as possible (6 foot [1.83 m] recommended).

• Do not tightly bundle the data cables with power cords.

• Do not tie the data cables to power wire conduits.

Important •

Equipment, using fully shielded data cables. Use of un-shielded cables may increase radiated emissions above the Class B limits.

This printer complies with FCC “Rules and Regulations,” Part 15, for Class B

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

USB Interface Requirements

USB Cable

Universal Serial Bus (version 2.0 compliant) provides a fast interface that is compatible with your existing PC hardware. USB’s “plug and play” design makes installation easy. Multiple printers can share a single USB port/hub.

When using a USB cable (not supplied with your printer), verify that the cable or cable packaging bears the “Certified USB™” mark (see below) to guarantee USB 2.0 compliance.

Getting Started

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Getting Started

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

Serial Communications

The printer automatically detects and switches the serial port to match common serial port cabling and signal connection configurations for DTE and DCE communications. The required cable must have a nine-pin “D” type (DB-9P) male connector on one end whi ch plugs into the mating (DB-9S) serial port located on the back of the printer. The other end of this signal interface cable connects to a serial port on the host computer. This allows for the use of two common cable types and drop-in replacement for Zebra and other printer models. Zebra printers use a Null Modem (cross-over) cable. Early models of Zebra running the EPL programming utilized a straight through (no cross-over) signal connections cable. For pinout information, refer to Appendix A.

The serial port communication settings between the printer and host (typically a PC) must match for reliable communication. The Bits per second (or Baud rate) an d Flow control are the most common settings that get changed. The host (typically a Wi ndows PC) needs to have the data Flow control changed to match the printer’s default communication method: Hardware and is noted by the Host Handshake setting DTR/Xon/Xoff for legacy printer. This combined hardware (DTR) and software (Xon/Xoff) mode may need to change depending upon the non-Zebra application software and the serial cable variation in use.

Serial communications between the printer and the host computer can be set by:

printers (a DCE device)

• Autobaud synchronization

• ZPL programming ^SC command

• EPL programming Y command

• Resetting the printer to its default printer configuration.

Autobaud

Autobaud synchronization allows the printer to automatically match the communication parameters of the host computer. To autobaud:

1. Press and hold the feed button until the green status LED flashes once, twice, and then three times.

2. While the status LED flashes, send the ^XA^XZ command sequence to the printer.

3. When the printer and host are synchronized, the LED changes to solid green. (No labels will print during autobaud synchronization.)

ZPL ^SC Command

Use the Set Communications (^SC) command to change the communications settings on the printer.

1. With the host computer set at the same communications settings as the printer, send the ^SC command to change the printer to the desired settings.

2. Change the host computer settings to match the new printer settings.

Refer to the ZPL Programming Guide for more information about this command.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Getting Started

Tighten

Serial Cable

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

EPL Y Command

Use the serial port setup (Y) command to change the communications settings on the printer.

1. With the host computer set at the same communications settings as the printer, send the Y command to change the printer to the desired settings. Note: the Y command does not support setting the data flow control, use the Xon/Xoff setting.

2. Change the host computer settings to match the new printer settings.

Refer to the EPL Page Mode Programming Guide for more information about this command.

Resetting the Default Serial Port Parameters

Do the following to reset the communications parameters on the printer to the fa ctory defaults (serial communication settings are: 9600 baud, 8 bit word length, NO parity, 1 stop bit, and DTR/XON/XOFF data flow control).

1. Press and hold the feed button until the green status LED flashes once, waits a moment and flashes twice, and then waits again before flashing three times (release immediately).

2. While the status LED rapidly flashes amber and green, press the feed

button. Serial communications between the printer and the host computer can be set by the ZPL ^SC command or the EPL Y command.

Note •

baud, NO

Early models of Zebra® printers running the EPL programming

language had

parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit and a HARDWARE and SOFTWARE (merged) data

9600

control (essentially DTR/Xon/Xoff) as the defa ul t serial port settings. The Windows operating system flow control setting was Hardware for most applications.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Getting Started

Parallel Cable

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

Parallel Port

The required cable must have a 25 pin “D” type (DB-25P) male connector on one and a Centronics on the end (IEEE 1284 A-B parallel interface specification). Early models of GSeries printers originally supported parallel cables with two 25 pin “D” type (DB-25P) male connectors on both ends (IEEE 1284 A-A parallel interface specification).

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Ethernet

Ethernet Cable

(RJ45 Connector)

Green LED Amber LED

The printer requires UTP RJ45 Ethernet cable rated CAT-5 or better. For more information on configuring your printer to run on a compatible Ethernet based

network, see the ZebraNet® 10/100 Internal Print Server manual. The printer must be configured to run on your LAN (local area network) or WAN (wide area network). The print server on board your printer can be accessed through the printer’s Web pages.

Getting Started

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

Ethernet Status/Activity Indicators

LED Status Description

Both OFF No Ethernet link detected

Green 100 Mbps link detected

Green with the Amber

flickering on and off

Amber 10 Mbps link detected

Amber with the Green

flickering on and off

100 Mbps link and Ethernet activity detected

10 Mbps link and Ethernet activity detected

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Getting Started

After Your Printer is Connected

Now that you have basic communication to your printer, you may want to test printer communications and then install other printer related applications, drivers or utilities.

Testing Communications by Printing

Verifying the print system’s operation is a relatively simple process. For Windows operating systems, the Zebra Setup Utility or the Windows ‘Printers and Faxes’ Control Panel to access and print a test label. For non-W in dows operat ion syste ms, coping a basic ASCII text fil e with a single command (~WC) to print a configuration status label.

Test Printing with Zebra Setup Utility:

Open the Zebra Setup Utility.

Click on the newly install printer’s icon to select the printer and active the print er configuration buttons below it in the window.

Click the ‘Open Printer Tools’ button.

In the ‘Print’ tab window, click on the ‘Print configuration label’ line and click on the ‘Send’ button. The printer should print a configuration status label.

Test Printing with Windows ‘Printer and Faxes’ menu:

Click on the Windows ‘Start’ menu button, to access the ‘Printers and Faxes’ menu or ‘Control Panel’ to access the ‘Printers and Faxes’ menu. Open the menu.

Select the newly install printer’s icon to select the printer and right-click the mouse to access the printer ‘Properties’ menu.

From the printer’s ‘General’ tab window, click on the ‘Print Test Page’ button. The printer should print a Windows test print page.

Test Print on a Ethernet printer connected to a network (LAN or WAN) with a (MS-DOS) ‘Command Prompt’ (or ‘Run’ from the Windows XP Start menu):

Create a text file with the following ASCII three characters: ~WC

Save the file as: TEST.ZPL (an arbitrary file name and extension name).

Read the IP address off the printer’s Configuration S tatus Label’s Network Status printout. On a system that is connected to the same LAN or WAN as the printer, type the following in the Web browser window’s address bar and enter:

fpt (IP address)

(for IP address 123.45.67.01 it would be: ftp 123.45.67.01)

Type the word ‘put’ followed by the file name and enter. For this ‘test print’ file, it would be: put TEST.ZPL The printer should print a new Print Configuration Status label.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Getting Started

After Your Printer is Connected

Test Print with a Copied ZPL Command File for Non-Windows Operating Systems:

Create a text file with the following ASCII three characters: ~WC

Save the file as: TEST.ZPL (an arbitrary file name and extension name).

Copy the file to the printer. For DOS, a file sent to a printer connected to the system’s parallel port would be as simple as:

COPY TEST.ZPL LPT1

Other interface connection types and operating systems will have different command strings. See your operating system documentation for detailed instructions to copy to the appropriate printer interface for this test.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Getting Started

Notes •

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

After Your Printer is Connected

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Print Operations

This section provides media and print handling, font and language support, and the setup of less common printer configurations.

Contents

Determining Printer Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Localizing the Printer Status Configuration Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Long Term Printer In-activity or Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Modes of Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Print Media Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Replacing Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Adjusting the Print Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Adjusting the Print Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Media Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Printing on Fan-Fold Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Printing with Externally Mounted Roll Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Fonts and Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Localizing the Printer with Code Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Asian fonts and Other Large Font Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Stand Alone Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Sending Files to the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Print Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

EPL Line Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Print Operations

Determining Printer Configuration

The G-Series™ printer uses a ZPL printer configuration status label to report the printer’s configuration status for both EPL and ZPL operations.The ZPL style label provides a more intuitive and functionally descriptive naming conventions than the EPL style printer status label. Operational status (darkness, speed, media type, etc.), installed printer options (network, interface settings, cutter , etc.) and printer desc ription information (serial number, model name, firmware version, etc.) are all includes on the status label. See Printing a Test (Printer

Configuration) Label on page 19 to print this label. See Appendix: ZPL Configuration on page 109 for detail on printer configuration and the ZPL commands that control the printer

settings listed on the Printer Configuration Status Label. To get an EPL style printer configuration status label, send the printer the EPL U command.

See the EPL programmer’s guide for more information on the various EPL U commands and interpreting the settings displayed on these labels.

Localizing the Printer Status Configuration Label

The printer configuration status label can be localized for up to 16 languages. Use the ZPL

^KD

programming command label.

to modify the displayed language for most status items on this

See Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label on page 19 or Feed Button Modes

on page 96 for information on accessing the printer configuration status label.

Long Term Printer In-activity or Storage

Overtime the printhead may stick to the platen (drive) roller. To prevent this, always store the printer with a piece of media (a label or paper) between the printhead and platen roller. Do not ship the printer with a roll of media installed or damage to the printer or media may result.

Thermal Printing

Caution •

printhead and risk of personal injury, avoid touching the printhead. Only use the cleaning pen to perform printhead maintenance.

Caution •

The printhead becomes hot while printing. To protect from damaging the

The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Modes of Printing

You can operate this printer in many different modes and media configurations:

• Direct thermal printing (which uses heat sensitive media to print).

• Standard Tear-Off mode allows you to tear off each label (or batch print a strip of labels) after it is printed.

• Label Dispense Mode: If an optional dispenser is installed, the backing material can be peeled away from the label as it is printed. After this label is removed, the next one is printed.

• Media Cutting: If an optional media cutter is installed, the printer can cut the label liner between labels, receipt paper or tag stock depending upon the cutter option purchased.

• Stand-alone: The printer can print without being connected to a computer using the printer’s auto running label form feature (programming based) or by using a data input device connected to the printer’s serial port. This mode accommodat es data input devices, such as scanners, weigh scales, Zebra with a KDU Adapter, etc.

• Shared network printing: Printers configured with the Ethernet interface option include an internal print server with ZebraLink™ printer configuration web page and ZebraNet™ Bridge software for managing and monitoring status of Zebra

Print Operations

Modes of Printing

KDU Plus™ or KDU (Keyboard Display Unit)

printers on a network.

Print Media Types

Important •

high-quality printing. A wide range of paper, polypropylene, polyester, and vinyl stock has been specifically engineered to enhance the printing capabilities of the printer and to prevent premature printhead wear. To purchase supplies, go to http://www.zebra.com/howtobuy.

Your printer can use various types of media:

• Standard media—Most standard (non-continuous) media uses an adhesive backing that sticks individual labels or a continuous length of labels to a liner.

• Continuous roll media—Most continuous roll media is direct thermal media (similar to FAX paper) and is used for receipt or ticket style printing.

• Tag stock—Tags are usually made from a heavy paper (up to 0.0075in./0.19mm thick). Tag stock does not have adhesive or a liner, and it is typically perforated between tags.

For more information on basic media types, see Table 1. The printer typically uses roll media, but you can use fan-fold or other continuous media too.

Use the correct media for the type of printing you require. You must use direct thermal media.

Zebra strongly recommends the use of Zebra-brand supplies for continuous

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Print Operations

Print Media Types

Table 1 • Types of Media Roll and Fanfold Media

Media Type How It Looks Description

Non-Continuous Roll Media

Roll media is wound on a core that can be 0.5 to 1.5 in. (12.7 to

38.1 mm) in diameter. Labels have adhesive backing that sticks them to a liner, and they are separated by gaps, holes, not ches, or black marks. Tags are separated by perforations. Individual labels are separated by one or more of the following methods:

• Web media separates labels by gaps, holes, or notches.

• Black mark media uses pre-printed black marks on the back side of the media to indicate label separations.

Non-Continuous Fanfold Media

Continuous Roll Media

• Perforated media has perforations that allow the labels or tags to be separated from each other easily. The media may also have black marks or other separations between labels or tags.

Fan-Fold media is folded in a zigzag pattern. Fanfold media can have the same label separations as non-continuous roll media. The separations would fall on or near the folds.

Roll media is wound on a core that can be 0.5 to 1.5 in. (12.7 to

38.1 mm) in diameter. Continuous roll media does not have gaps,

holes, notches, or black marks to indicate label separations. This allows the image to be printed anywhere on the label. A cutter can be used to cut apart individual labels. With continuous media, use the transmissive (gap) sensor so the printer can detect when the media runs out.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Determining Thermal Media Types

Thermal transfer media requires ribbon for printing while direct thermal media does not. To determine if ribbon must be used with a particular media, perform a media scratch test.

To perform a media scratch test, complete these steps:

Scratch the print surface of the media with a finger nail or pen cap. Press firmly and quickly while dragging it across the media surface. Direct thermal media is chemically treated to print (expose) when heat is applied. This test method uses friction heat to expose the media.

Did a black mark appear on the media?

If a black mark... Then the media is...

Does not appear on the media Thermal transfer. A ribbon is required. Your printer

Appears on the media Direct thermal. No ribbon is required.

does not support this media.

Print Operations

Replacing Supplies

If media runs out while printing, leave the printer power on while reloading (data loss results if you turn off the printer). After you re-load media, press the Feed button to restart.

Always use high quality, approved labels and tags. If adhesive backed labels are used that don’t 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.

Adjusting the Print Width

Print width must be set when:

• You are using the printer for the first time.

• There is a change in media width.

Print width may be set by:

• The Windows printer driver or application software such as ZebraDesigner™.

• The five-flash sequence in Feed Button Modes on page 96.

• Controlling printer operations with ZPL programming; refer to the Print Width (^PW) command (consult your ZPL Programming Guide).

• Controlling printer operations with EPL Page Mode programming, refer to the Set Label

Width (

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

) command (consult your EPL Programmer’s Guide).

Print Operations

Adjusting the Print Quality

Print quality is influenced by the heat (density) setting of the printhead, the print speed, and the media in use. Experiment with these settings to find the optimal mix for your application. Print quality can be set with the Zebra Setup Utility’s ‘Configure Print Quality’ routine.

Note • Media manufactures may have specific recommendations for speed settings for your printer and the media. Some media types have lower maximum speeds than your printer’s maximum speed.

The relative darkness (or density) setting can be controlled by:

• The six-flash sequence in Feed Button Modes on page 96. This will overwrite any ZPL and EPL programmed darkness/density settings.

• The Set Darkness (

• The Density (D) EPL command (consult your EPL Programmer’s Guide).

If you find that the print speed needs to be adjusted, use:

• The Windows printer driver or application software such as ZebraDesigner™.

• The Print Rate (^PR) command (consult your ZPL Programming Guide).

~SD

) ZPL command (consult your ZPL Programming Guide).

• The Speed Select (

) command (consult your EPL Programmer’s Guide).

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Media Sensing

The G-Series™ printer has automatic media sensing capability. The printer is designed to continuously check and adjust media length sensing for minor variations. Once the printer is printing or feeding media, the printer continually checks and adjusts the media sensing to accommodate for minor changes in media parameters from label to label on a roll and from roll to roll of media. The printer will automatically initiate a media length calibration if the expected media length or the label to label gap distance has exceeded the acceptable variation range when starting a print job or feeding media. The automatic media sensing in the G-Series printers works the same for printer operations that use EPL and ZPL label formats and programming.

If the printer does not detect labels or black marks (or notches with blackline sensing) after feeding the media the default maximum label length distance of 39 inches (1 meter), then the printer will switch to continuous (receipt) media mode. The printer will keep these setti ngs until changed by software, programming or a manual calibration with different media.

Optionally , the printer can be set to do a short media calibration after printer power up or when closing the printer with power on . The printer will then feed several labels while calibrating.

The printer’s media settings can be verified by printing a Printer Configuration label. See the

Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label on page 19 for more details.

Print Operations

Media Sensing

The maximum distance that the automatic media type detecti on and se nsing will check can be reduced by using the ZPL Maximum Label Length command (^ML). It is recommended that this distance be set to no less than two times the longest label being printed. If the la r gest label being printed was a 4 by 6 inch label, then the maximum label (media) length detection distance can be reduced from the default distance of 39 inches down to 12 inches.

If the printer has difficulty automatically detecting the media type and auto-calibrating, see

Manual Calibration on page 92 to perform an extensive calibration. It includes a printed graph

of sensor operation for your media. This method disables the printer’s automatic media sensing capability until the printer’s default parameters are reset to the factory defaults with the four flash Feed button mode. See the Feed Button Modes on page 96 for more details.

The automatic media calibration can be modified, turned on or turned off to meet your needs. Sometimes print job conditions require that the printer use all the media on a roll. The two automatic media conditions, power up with media loaded and closing the printer with power on, can be controlled individually with the ZPL Media Feed command, ^MF. The feed action discussed in the ZPL programmers guide for the ^MF command is primarily for automatic media sensing and calibration. The automatic media calibration that controls the dynamic media (label to label) calibration is the ^XS command. If multiple media types of different lengths, material or detection methods (web/gap, black mark, notches or continuous) are used, you should not change these settings.

The media calibration and detection process can also be refined to match the media type loaded into the printer. Use the ZPL Media Tracking command (^MN) to set the media type. Sometimes the printer can detect preprinted media as the gap between labels or the liner backing with print as a black marks. If the ^MN parameter for continuous media is set, the n the print does not preform the automatic calibration. The ^MN command also includes an automatic calibration parameter (^MNA) to return the printer to its default setting to automatically detect all media types.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Print Operations

Fan-Fold

Media Path

Printing on Fan-Fold Media

Printing on fan-fold media requires you to adjust the media guide’s stop position.

Open the top cover.

Adjust the media guide stop position with the green thumb wheel. Use a piece of the fanfold media to set the stop position. Rotate the wheel toward you to open the guides wider. Rotate the wheel away from you to make the media guide narrower.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Insert the media through the slot at the rear of the printer.

Run the media between the media guide and roll holders.

Print Operations

Printing on Fan-Fold Media

Close the top cover.

After printing or feeding several labels: If the media does not track down the center (moves from side to side) or the sides of the media (liner , tag, pape r, etc.) are frayed or damaged when exiting the printer, then the media guides may need further ad justment. If this does not correct the problem, then the media can be routed over the two roll holding pins on the media guide. An empty roll core of the same width as the stack of the fan-fold media can be placed between the roll holders to provide additional support for thin media.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Print Operations

Printing with Externally Mounted Roll Media

The G-Series printer accommodates externally mounted roll media similar to the printer’s support of fan-fold media. The printer requires the media roll and stand combination to have a low initial inertia to pull the media off the roll. The G-Series™ motor has 30% more torque than the Zebra speed.

Zebra at this time does not offer an extern al media option for the G-Series™ prin ter.

Externally Mounted Roll Media Considerations:

• The media ideally should enter the printer directly behind the printer through the fan-fold media slot in the rear of the printer. See Printing on Fan-Fold Media on page 38 for media loading.

• Lower the print speed to decrease the chance of motor stalls. The roll typically has the highest inertia when trying to start the roll moving. Larger media ro ll diameters require the printer to have more torque applied to get the roll moving.

• The media should move smoothly and freely. The media should not slip, skip, jerk, bind and then move, etc. when mounted on your media stand.

2800™ Series desktop printers to provide improved media handling and

• The printer should not touch the media roll.

• The printer should not slip or lift up off the operating surface.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Fonts and Your Printer

The G-Series™ printer supports your language and font req uirements with a variety of internal fonts, on-board font scaling, international font sets and character code page support, Unicode support, and font download.

The G-Series™ printer’s font capabilities are programming language dependent. The EPL™ programming language provides for basic bitmapped fonts and international code pages. The ZPL™ programming language provides advanced font mapping and scaling technology to support outline fonts (T rueType™ or OpenType™) and Unicode character mapping as well as basic bitmapped fonts and character code pages. ZPL and EPL programming guides describe and document the fonts, code pages, character access, listing fonts, and limitations for their respective printer programming languages. See the printer programming guides for information on Text, Fonts and Character support.

The G-Series printer includes utilities and application software that support font download into the printer for both printer programming languages.

Identifying Fonts in Your Printer

Print Operations

Fonts and Your Printer

Fonts and memory are shared by the programming languages in the printer. Fonts can be loaded in many memory areas in the G-Series printer. ZPL programming can recognize EPL and ZPL fonts. EPL programming can only recognize EPL fonts. See the respective programmer guides for more information on fonts and printer memory.

ZPL Fonts:

• To manage and download fonts for ZPL p rint operation, use the Zebra Setup utility or ZebraNet™ Bridge.

• To display all of the fonts loaded in your G-Series printer, send the printer the ZPL command ^WD. See the ZPL Programmers Guide for details.

• Bitmap fonts in the various printer memory areas are identified by the .FNT file

extension in ZPL.

• Scalable fonts are identified with the .TTF, .TTE or .OTF file extensions in ZPL.

EPL does not support these fonts.

EPL Fonts:

• To download fonts for EPL print operations, use the Zebra Setup Utility or ZebraNet™ Bridge to send files to the printer.

• To display Soft Fonts (ext.) available to EPL, send the printer the EPL command EI.

• Optional Asian Fonts in G-Series printers are displayed as Soft Fonts, but are still accessible as documented in the A command in the EPL programmer’s guide.

• All EPL fonts displayed are bitmap fonts. They do not include the .FNT file extension or the horizontal (H) or vertical (V) designators that are displayed with the ZPL command ^WD as described above in ZPL Fonts.

• To remove non Asian EPL fonts with EPL programm ing, use the EK command.

• To remove EPL Asian fonts from the printer, use the ZPL ^ID command.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Print Operations

Fonts and Your Printer

Localizing the Printer with Code Pages

Asian fonts and Other Large Font Sets

The G-Series™ printer supports two sets of language, region and character sets for permanent fonts loaded into the printer for each printer programming language, ZPL and EPL. The printer supports localization with common international character map code pages.

• For ZPL code page support, including Unicode, see the ^CI command in the ZPL programmer’s guide.

• For EPL code page support, see the I command in the EPL programmer’s guide.

Asian language pictographic fonts have large character sets with thousands of characters that support single language code page. In order to support the large Asian cha ra cte r sets, the industry adopted a double-byte (67840 maximum) character system instead of the single-byte characters (256 maximum) used by Latin based language characters to address large font sets. In order to address multiple languages with a single font set, Unicode was invented. A Unicode font supports one or more code points (relate these to code page character maps) and is accessed in a standard method that resolves character mapping conflicts. The ZPL programming language supports Unicode; EPL does not. Both of the printer’s programming languages support the large pictographic double-byte character Asian font sets.

Asian language support requires additional memory support by the G-Series printer configured with the RTC and Full Flash Memory factory option. The number of fonts that can be downloaded is dependent upon the amount of available flash memory not already in use and the size of the font to be downloaded.

Some large Unicode fonts are too large to be installed in the early model G-Series printers (12MB Full Flash Memory prior to July 24, 2009) with the RTC and Full Flash Memory factory option such as MS (Microsoft) Arial Unicode font (23MB) available from Microsoft or the Andale font (22MB) offered by Zebra. These large font sets typically support a large number of languages as well.

Getting Asian Fonts

Asian bitmap font sets are downloaded into the printer by the user or integrator. The ZPL fonts are purchased separately from the printer. EPL Asian Fonts are available for free to download from the Zebra Web site.

• Simplified and Traditional Chinese (ZPL and EPL)

• Japanese — JIS and Shift-JIS mappings (ZPL and EPL)

• Korean (ZPL including Johab and EPL)

• Thai (ZPL only)

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Stand Alone Printing

Your printer can be configured to work without being attached to a computer. The printer has the ability to automatically run a single label form. One or more downloaded label forms can be accessed and run with a terminal or wedge device or a Zebra to call a label form. These methods allow the developer to incorporate dat a input devices, such as scanners or weight scales, to the printer via the serial port.

Label formats can be developed and st ored in the printer to support label s that have:

• No data entry required and print when the Feed button is pressed.

• No data entry required and print when a label is removed from the printer’s optional la bel dispenser.

• One or more data variables to be entered via the terminal or wedge device. The label will print after the last variable data field has been input.

• One or more label formats that are called by scanning bar codes containing programming to run a label form.

• Label forms designed to work as a process chain with each label including a bar code containing the programming to run the next label in the process sequence.

Print Operations

Stand Alone Printing

KDU (keyboard display unit)

Both printer programming languages support special label forms that will automatically run after a power cycle or reset. The ZPL looks for a file named AUTOEXEC.ZPL and EPL looks for a label form named AUTOFR. If both files are loaded in the G-Series printer, then only the AUTOEXEC.ZPL will run. The EPL AUTOFR form runs until it is disabled. Both files must be deleted from the printer followed by a reset or a power cycle to completely remove the files.

Note • The G-Series EPL AUTOFR command can only be disabled with NULL character (00 hex or ASCII 0). The G-Series™ printer will ignore the other character that normally disables the AUTOFFR form operation in most other EPL printers, the XOFF character (13 hex or ASCII 19).

The G-Series™ printer can source up to 750mA through the serial port’s 5 volt line; see Appendix A for more information on the printer’s serial port interface.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Print Operations

Sending Files to the Printer

Graphics, fonts and programming files can be sent to the printer from the Microsoft Windows operating systems by using the Zebra Setup Utilities (and driver), ZebraNet™ Bridge or

Zebra common for both programming languages and the G-Series printers.

ZDownloader found on the user's CD or at

Print Meter

The G-Series printer has the capability to report printhead maintenance alerts. The printer can provide cleaning and early warning of end of calculated printhead life alerts. If t he RTC (Real Time Clock) is installed in the printer, the printhead life and history reporting will also include the date. By default, print metering alerts are disabled.

Many of the print meter messages and reports are customize able. See the ZPL or EPL Programming Guides for more information on the Print Meter.

To active the Print Meter Alerts, send one of the following commands to the printer:

• EPL command oLY

www.zebra.com

. These methods are

• ZPL command ^JH,,,,,E

EPL Line Mode

Your direct thermal printer supports Line Mode printing. EPL Line Mod e prin tin g i s desig ne d to be command compatible with EPL1 programming language used in early model LP2022 and LP2042 printers. The Zebra 2800 series direct thermal printers also included Line Mode printer language support. The G-Series continues Zebra’s support of Line Mode.

Line mode printing is ideal for basic retail (point of sale - POS), shipping, inventory, work flow control, and general labeling. EPL printers with Line Mode, are versatile and are capable of printing a wide range media and bar codes.

Line Mode printing only prints single lines the height of the largest element present in the l ine of text and data - bar code, text, a logo or simple vertical lines. Line mode has many limitations due to the single line of print: no fine element placement, no overlapping elements, and no horizontal (ladder) bar codes.

• Line Mode printer operation is entered by sending the printer the EPL OEPL1 command. See the EPL Programmers Guide (Page Mode) or the EPL Line Mode Programmers Guide.

• Line Mode printer operation is exited by sending the printer the escOEPL2 Line Mode command. See the EPL Line Mode Programmers Guide.

• With Line Mode active, ZPL and EPL (EPL2) Page Mode programming will be pro cessed as Line Mode programming and data.

• With the default ZPL and EPL (EPL2) Page Mode active, Line Mode programming will be processed as ZPL and/or EPL programming and data.

• Verify printer programming modes by printing out a printer configuration.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Printer Options

This section covers the common printer options and accessories with brief descriptions and how to get you started using or configuring your printer option or accessory.

Contents

Label Dispenser Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Moveable Blackline Sensor Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Cutter Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

ZebraNet® 10/100 Internal (Wired) Print Server Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Bluetooth Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

RTC and Full Flash Memory Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Asian Fonts - Printer Accessory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Zebra® KDU — Printer Accessory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

KDU Plus™ — Printer Accessory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

ZBI 2.0™ — Zebra Basic Interpreter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

Label Dispenser Option

The factory installed label dispenser option allows you to print a label with backing (liner/web) being removed from the label as it prints, ready for application. When printing multiple labels, removing the dispensed (peeled) label notifies the printer to prin t and dispense the next label.

To use dispenser-mode correctly, use your printer driver to activate the label (taken) sensor along with these typical label settings which include but are not limited to length, noncontinuous (gap), and web (liner). Otherwise, you must send the ZPL or EPL programming commands to the printer.

When programming in ZPL, you can use the following command sequences shown below and refer to your ZPL Programming Guide for more information on ZPL programming.

When programming in EPL, send the Options (O) command with the ‘P’ command parameter ( included with the Options command string. Refer to your EPL Programmer’s Guide for more information on programming with EPL and the Options (

^XA ^MMP ^XZ

^XA ^JUS ^XZ

) to enable the Label T aken sensor. Other printer option parameters may also be

) command behaviors.

Load your labels into the printer. Close the printer and press the Feed button until a minimum of 4 inches or 100 millimeters of exposed labels exit the printer. Remove the exposed labels from the liner.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Lift the liner over the top of the printer and open the dispenser door.

Printer Options

Label Dispenser Option

Insert the label liner between the dispenser door and the printer body.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

Label Dispenser Option

Close the dispenser door.

Press the Feed button to advance the media.

During the print job, the printer will peel off the backing and present a single label. Take the label from the printer to allow the printer to print the next label. Note: If you did not activate the label taken sensor to detect the removal of the dispensed (peeled) label with software commands, the printer will stack and eject peeled labels.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Moveable Blackline Sensor Option

Printer Optional:

Moveable

Blackline Sensor

Off Center

Blackline Sensing Only

Default - Web (Gap) Sensing

Standard Operating Position

The factory installed moveable blackline sensor option allows the printer to use media with black marks or notches (holes) on the back side of the media (or media liner) that are not located in the center of the media.

Printer Options

Moveable Blackline Sensor Option

The moveable sensor’s second functional feature is a djusta ble t ransmissi ve web (gap) sensing

to positions that match legacy Zebra

desktop printer sensor locations and in between. This

provides for use of some non standard media variations or irregularly shaped media. The moveable blackline sensor can not properly sense continuous media or labels (for inter-

label gap sensing) if the sensor is not in the default sensing area for web (gap) sensing. See

Adjusting the Moveable Sensor for Web (Gap) Sensing on page 52

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

Black Marks

Moveable Blackline Sensor Option

Adjusting the Moveable Sensor for Black Marks or Notches

The blackline sensor looks for non-reflective surfaces such as black marks, black lines, notches or holes in the media which do not reflect the sensor’s beam back to the sensor’s detector. The sensor and it’s black mark detector are next to each other under the sensor cover (dark plastic cover translucent to the sensor’s non-visible light).

The sensor can be adjusted by two methods:

1) Preferred - Aligning the movable sensor’s alignment arrow to the right side of a black mark or notch located in the center or left side of the printer, or

2) Align the center of the sensor cover under the oval notch or a right hand black mark (or notch).

The sensor should be set as far as possible from the edge of media. The media can move from side to side and notches cut into the side of the media can become damaged.

Load the media. Before closing the printer, adjust the moveable blackline sensor as follows:

Flip the media back over the roll to expose the black marks or notches on the backside (non printing side) of the media.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Printer Options

Moveable Blackline Sensor Option

Slide the moveable sensor from the center default position to align with the black marks. The arrow on the moveable sensor should line up with the right edge of the black mark. This is true for marks or notches located on either side of the media (left side shown).

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

Default Gap Sensing Position

Adjustment Range - Left to Right

DefaultCenter Aligned

Moveable Blackline Sensor Option

Adjusting the Moveable Sensor for Web (Gap) Sensing

The moveable sensor supports the web/gap positions used by the legacy Zebra® desktop printer models and for some non standard media configurations. The G-Series™ printer’s web (gap) sensing in the standard (fixed position) or the moveable sensor’s default position are offset from the center of the printer to allow for gap sensing of labels that are side by side on a roll - see below.

Web (Gap) sensing with the movable sensor can only function when the sensor’s alignment arrow points to any position on the alignment key. The sensor must be aligned with the labels (or other media) to sense the gap between the labels. The example above shows where the sensor is set if center aligned positioning is used. It will miss sensing labels with a 2-up label configuration and with the sensor in the ‘default’ position, it will be able to the detect labels and the gaps between them.

• Default — Zebra Models: G-Series™ fixed position sensors, LP/TLP 2842™, LP/TLP 2844™, LP/TLP 2042™

• Center Aligned — Zebra Model: LP/TLP 2742™

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Cutter Option

The printer supports a factory installed media cutter option for full width cutting of label liner, tag or receipt media. These cutter options are all supported in a single cutter housing design. The type of cutter option installed in your printer can be verified by printing a printer configuration status label. The cutter options are:

• A medium duty cutter for cutting label liner and light tag media (LINER/TAG)

• Cut Width: 4.25 inches (108 mm) maximum to 0.75 inches (19 mm) minimum

• Minimum distance between cuts (label length): 1 inch (25.4 mm). Cutting shorter

• By default, the cutter operations include a self cleaning preventive maintenance

Printer Options

Cutter Option

Maximum Paper Weight (thickness): up to 180 g/m2 (0.0077 in.) Life*: 2 million cuts: 0.5 mil to 5 mil stock (10-120 g/m2)

1 million cuts: 5 mil to 7.5 mil stock (120-180 g/m2)

750,000 cuts: 7.5 mil to 10 mil (180-200 g/m2)

* - Exceeding the maximum media weight (density/hardness) and thickness will

shorten the cutters usable life or can cause the cutter to fail (jam or other error).

media lengths between the cuts may cause the cutter to jam or error.

cleaning cut after every twenty-fifth cut. This feature can be disabled via ZPL or EPL SGD (Set/Get/DO) programming command (

cutter.clean_cutter

) but is not

recommended.

Warning • There are no operator serviceable parts in the cutter unit. Never remove the

cutter cover (bezel). Never attempt to inser t ob jects or fingers in to the cu tte r me ch a nism.

Important •

Tools, cotton swabs, solvents (including alcohol), etc. all may damage or shorten

the cutter’s usable life or cause the cutter to jam.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

Cutter Option

Loading Media with the Cutter Option

Open the printer . Remember that you need to pull the release latch le vers toward the front of the printer.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Printer Options

Moveable Sensor

Off Center

Blackline Sensing Only

Default - Gap (Web) Sensing

Standard Operating Position

Cutter Option

If your printer includes the moveable blackline sensor option, verify that the sensor is aligned in the slightly right of center default position. This is the standard operating position for media sensing. When the sensor is moved from the default position, the printer will only detect blackline, black mark and notched marked media.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

Under Media

Guides

Cutter Option

Thread the media through the cutter’s inside slot so that it extends out of the front of the printer. Verify the roll turns freely. The roll must not sit in the bottom of the media compartment. Verify that media’s printing surface is facing up.

Push the media under both of the media guides.

Close the printer. Press down until the cover snaps closed.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

ZebraNet® 10/100 Internal (Wired) Print Server Option

Printer Options

The ZebraNet® 10/100 Internal Print Server (PS) is an optional factory installed device that

connects the network and your ZebraLink with a browser interface for printer and print server settings. If you use the ZebraNet

-enabled printer. The print server provides you

Bridge

Zebra network printer management software, you can easily acce ss t he speci alized features of

a ZebraLink

enabled printer.

Printers with the 10/100 Internal PS provide the following features:

• Print server and printer setup using a browser

• Remote monitoring and configuration capability of the 10/100 Internal PS using a browser

• Alerts

• The ability for you to send unsolicited printer status messages via E-mail-enabled devices

ZebraNet

Bridge — ZebraNetTM Bridge is a software program that works with the 10/100 Internal PS and enhances the features of ZebraLink resident within ZPL-based printers. The features include the following:

•ZebraNet

Bridge allows you to locate printers automatically. ZebraNetTM Bridge searches on parameters such as IP address, subnet, printer model, printer status, and many other user-defined characteristics.

• Remote Configuration — Manage all your Zebra label printers throughout the enterprise without having to travel to remote sites or physically handle any printers. Any Zebra printer connected to the enterprise network can be accessed from the

ZebraNet

Bridge interface and configured remotely through an easy-to-use

graphical user interface.

• Printer Alerts, Status, Heartbeat Monitoring and event Notification — ZebraNet Bridge lets you configure multiple event alerts per device with dif ferent alerts directed to different people. Receive alerts and notifications by e-mail, cell phone/pager, or

through the ZebraNet

Bridge Events tab. V iew alerts by printer or gr oup, and fi lter

by date/time, severity, or trigger.

• Configure and Copy Printer Profiles — Copy and paste settings from one printer to another or broadcast them to an entire group. ZebraNet™ Bridge allows you to copy printer settings, printer-resident files (formats, fonts, and graphics), and alerts with a click of the mouse. Create printer profiles — virtual “golden printers” — with desired settings, objects, and alerts, and clone or broadcast them as if they were real printers, providing extensive savings in setup time. Printer profiles are also an excellent way to back up a printer’s configuration for crisis recovery.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

ZebraNet® 10/100 Internal (Wired) Print Server Option

Printer Network Configuration Status Label

G-Series™ printers with the ZebraNet® 10/100 Internal Print Server option on-board print an additional printer configuration status label for information needed to establish and trouble shoot network printing. The following printout is printed with the ZPL

~WL

command.

The regular printout of the configuration status label has some of the printer’s network settings such as IP Address, on the lower half of the printout.

The printer’s IP address is needed to identify and configure the printer fo r operations on your

network. See the ZebraNet

10/100 Internal Print Server manual for more information.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server Option

Printer Options

The ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server (PS) is an optional factory installed device that

connects to Wi-Fi network access point on your network and your ZebraLink

-enabled

printer. The print server provides you with a browser interface for printer and print server

settings. If you use the ZebraNet you can easily access the specialized features of a ZebraLink

Bridge, Zebra® network printer management software,

enabled printer.

Printers with an Internal Wireless Print Server provide the following features:

• A printer status display for alerts, configuration settings and network settings.

• Print server and printer setup using a browser

• Remote monitoring and configuration capability of the Internal Wireless PS using a browser

• Alerts

• The ability for you to send unsolicited printer status messages via E-mail-enabled devices

ZebraNet

•ZebraNet

Bridge allows you to locate printers automatically. ZebraNetTM Bridge searches on parameters such as IP address, subnet, printer model, printer status, and many other user-defined characteristics.

ZebraNet

Bridge interface and configured remotely through an easy-to-use

graphical user interface.

• Printer Alerts, Status, Heartbeat Monitoring and event Notification — ZebraNet

Bridge lets you configure multiple event alerts per device with dif ferent alerts directed to different people. Receive alerts and notifications by e-mail, cell phone/pager, or

through the ZebraNet

Bridge Events tab. V iew alerts by printer or gr oup, and fi lter

by date/time, severity, or trigger.

• Configure and Copy Printer Profiles — Copy and paste settings from one printer to another or broadcast them to an en tire group. ZebraNet Bridge allows you to copy printer settings, printer-resident files (formats, fonts, and graphics), and alerts with a click of the mouse. Create printer profiles — virtual “golden printers” — with desired settings, objects, and alerts, and clone or broadcast them as if they were real printers, providing extensive savings in setup time. Printer profiles are also an excellent way to back up a printer’s configuration for crisis recovery.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server Option

Printer Network Configuration Status Label

G-Series™ printers with the ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server option on-board print an additional printer configuration status label for information needed to establish and trouble shoot network printing. The following printout is printed with the ZPL

~WL

command.

The regular printout of the configuration status label has some of the printer’s network settings such as IP Address, on the lower half of the printout.

The printer’s IP address is needed to identify and configure the printer fo r operations on your

network. See the ZebraNet

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Internal Wireless Print Server manual for more information.

Bluetooth Option

Bluetooth is an optional factory installed (internal wireless) device that can connect to other Bluetooth enabled devices and computers. The Bluetooth radio inside G-series printe rs complies with Bluetooth Specification 2.0 and supports the Serial Port Profile (SPP), a Windows virtual serial port. All print jobs sent to the printer on Windows PC’s will be done through the SPP , which is basically a Bluetooth emulation of an RS-232 serial communication. This printer option includes a LCD display to provide connection status and configuration information to assist with installation and connection to a Bluetooth enabled host system.

Microsoft has supported most Bluetooth devices since the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Prior to that, Bluetooth devices for earlier versions of Windows requi red drivers to be supplied with the device. Windows XP SP2 and above also include ‘Add a Printer’ wizard support for printers. The G-Series printer is accessed via a Bluetooth virtual serial port connection (SPP). The printer only needs Bluetooth 2.0 driver that supports SPP to be able to communicate with the Windows PC’s Bluetooth devices.

In the Windows environment, the printer requires the ZebraDesigner™ driver to be installed on the computer to enable printing after Bluetooth communication has been established. Use the Zebra Setup Utility’s printer install wizards to help you con figure your Bluetooth connection.

Printer Options

Bluetooth Option

Printer Network Configuration Status Label

G-Series printers with the ZebraNet® Internal Bluetooth option on-board prints an additional printer configuration status label for information needed to establish and trouble shoot network printing. The following printout is printed with the ZPL

~WL

command.

The printer’s Bluetooth settings help ident ify the printer for installation and print operations.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

Shows Disconnected or

Connected Status

Bluetooth Option

Preparing the Windows PC for Bluetoo th communication.

• Install a Bluetooth dongle or verify that the existing Bluetooth is enabled. Note that some systems with on-board Bluetooth share the Bluetooth radio with Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi maybe disabled, which may disable Bluetooth also.

Preparing the Printer for Bluetooth Printing

• The printer must have the factory option Bluetooth installed. The printer will include a LCD display. The printer’s main menu screen will display the word Bluetooth.

• The printer should have media loaded to print configuration status labels (and Windows test print labels later).

• Install the printer using the Zebra Setup Utility (ZSU) using the USB interface cable (or a standard serial port cable). Verify printing using the printer properties or the ZSU to print a printer configuration status label.

• With the ZSU installed and open, select your printer. The buttons below the installed

Zebra

printers will activate. Click on the ‘Configure Printer Connectivity’ button to start

the ‘Connectivity Setup Wizard’.

• Select Bluetooth and click ‘Next’.

• Enter an unique name for the printer to the ‘Friendly name’ text input box.

• Leave ‘Enabled’ checked, Discoverable’ On, and ‘Authentication’ to Off.

Click ‘Next’ to continue.

• The window will display the SGD (Set/Get/Do) commands to be sent to the printer. Click ‘Next’.

• Leave the printer selected and click ‘Finished’. The printer will reset to activate all the new Bluetooth commands.

Bluetooth - Installing the Printer with a Windows XP® SP2

This process covers the printer installation for Windows XP SP2 (or above)

From the Windows ‘Start’ menu, open the ‘Printers and Faxes’ window. Click on ‘Add Printer’ and a wizard will start. Click ‘Next’ when the “Welcome” window displays to continue.

Leave the ‘Local’ radio button with the ‘Automatic detect ...’ checkbox (checked) selecte d and click ‘Next’.

No printer should be found. If there is one or more new printers detected, then do not select any of those printers and click ‘Next’.

Select the ‘Create a new port’ radio button and select ‘Bluetooth Printer Port’ from the associated pull down menu.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Printer Options

Bluetooth Option

From the new ‘Bluetooth Printer Port’ window, select your printer from the Bluetooth devices in the list. This may take several minutes. Click on the ‘Connect’ button.

The ‘Install Printer Software’ window will open. Select ‘ZDesigner’ as ‘Manufacture’ to select supported Zebra printer models, and then select your printer model in the ‘Printers’ selection. Click ‘Next’ to continue.

Select ‘Keep the existing drivers’ and click ‘Next’.

Name your printer and choose your default printer setting as desired. Click ‘Next’.

Answer ‘Yes’, you want to print a test page. Click ‘Next’ to continue.

10.

Click ‘Finish’ on the ‘Completing the Add Printer Wizard’ window and the Bluetooth printer will complete installation and print a Windows test print page (a Windows logo at minimum).

Bluetooth - Installing the Printer with a Windows Vista® SP2 and Windows 7

The Windows Vista (SP2 or higher) and Windows 7 bluetooth install differs from the XP install.

• Windows Vista: Open the ‘Add Printer’ wizard by clicking the ‘Start’ button, clicking ‘Control Panel’, clicking ‘Hardware and Sound’, clicking ‘Print ers’, and then clicking ‘Add a printer’.

• Windows 7: Open Devices and Printers by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then, on the Start menu, clicking Devices and Printers

• Some non-Microsoft Bluetooth dongles and built-in Bluetooth devices in the host PC’s have ma rginal driver support for SPP printing and may not complete the ‘Add printer’ wizard normally. You may need to go to the ‘Bluetooth Devices’ in the ‘Control Panel’ or from the system tray on the Windows ‘Start’ bar and activate SPP for the ‘device’, your Bluetooth printer you are installing. Install the printer to a local printer (USB or Serial Port for your G-Series printer) and then change the ‘Port’ after the install has completed to the SPP (virtual serial port) COM port.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

RTC and Full Flash Memory Option

Printers with the factory installed RTC (Real Time Clock) and Full Flash Memory option allow you to create highly customizable printer applications, improve printer productivity and flexibility, and provide extra memory to store more forms, graphics (logos), fonts, and the large Asian font sets.

The RTC allows the label form developer to include:

• Time Date Stamping

• Pre or Post Dating

• Allows Date/Time date to be included on printed form without altering the form

• Provide dates and times without needing to generate them with the host system, application software or programmatically by another process (e.g. a database report).

The RTC enhances the printer’s ability to operate in a stand-alone configuration (e.g. not connected to a host or PC). A common use would be to provide a date stamp to a tag, ticket, label or receipt printed on demand. See Stand Alone Printing on page 43 for more details.

The RTC feature supports both ZPL and EPL printer programming. The two programming behaviors that display time and date change

the time and date are independent of each other. The commands that set

them for both printer languages.

Caution • The optional R TC assembly has a three volt lithium bat tery. Y ou can disce rn a low or flat battery if the printer provides a consistently delayed date stamp. Battery repl acement must be performed by a qualified service technician. Only use a Zebra approved replacement battery.

Important • Recycle batteries according to local your guidelines and regulations. Wrap the battery when disposing (or storing) to avoid a short circuit.

DO NOT short circuit the battery. Short circuiting the battery may result in heat generation, fire or bursting.

DO NOT heat, disassemble or dispose of battery in fire.

The Full Flash Memory provides an additional 64 Megabytes to the printer’s standard 4 Megabytes of printer memory for a total of 68 Megabytes printer memory. This option originally supported only 12MB of Full Flash Memory for printer built prior to July 24, 2009.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Asian Fonts - Printer Accessory

Asian font sets are downloaded into the printer by the user or integrator . Your G-Series printer must have the RTC and Full Flash Printer Memory option installed to support the large Asian font files. The fonts are obtained separ at ely from the printer.

• Simplified and Traditional Chinese (ZPL and EPL)

• Japanese — JIS and Shift-JIS mappings (ZPL and EPL)

• Korean (ZPL including Johab and EPL)

• Thai (ZPL only)

See Fonts and Your Printer on page 41 for more details on Asian fonts.

Printer Options

Asian Fonts - Printer Accessory

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Printer Options

Zebra® KDU — Printer Accessory

The Zebra KDU (keyboard display unit) is a small terminal unit that interfaces with the printer for accessing EPL label forms stored in the printer.

The KDU is strictly a terminal and does not have the capability to store data or set up parameters. The KDU is used for the following functions:

• List label forms stored in printer

• Retrieve label forms stored in printer

• Input variable data

• Printing labels

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

KDU Plus™ — Printer Accessory

45mA*

120mA*

25mA*

( 45mA + 120mA + 25mA ) + 50mA

Max. Current

50mA

* - Not real values

Current Draw

The KDU Plus is a terminal device with memory for storing files and maintaining one or more remote printers. The KDU Plus has a larger laptop style keyboard than the Zebra’s original KDU design.

The KDU Plus is designed for the following functions:

• List label forms stored in printer

• Retrieve label forms stored in printer

• Input variable data

• Printing labels

• File storage and transfer

The KDU Plus is designed to work with ZPL and EPL printers by dynamically detecting and switching the printer’s communications configuration (DTE or DCE) to match your Zebra printer. By default, the KDU Plus will start up forms mode. This is compatible with the operation of Zebra’s original KDU. The KDU Plus is configurable to work in ZPL or terminal modes too.

Printer Options

KDU Plus™ — Printer Accessory

The KDU Plus has file transfer and storag e capabilities. This is great for maintaining remote and stand alone printers with label forms, logos and smaller font sets.

The KDU Plus has two configurable serial port and a PS/2 port to connect to other data input devices such as scanners, weigh scales, etc..

The +5 volts from the printer’s serial (pin 9) provides power for the KDU Plus and any additional input devices attached to the KDU Plus.

Maximum total current draw for the G-S eries printer’s serial port: 750mA The KDU Plus’s current without external input devices attached is: 50mA

Caution • The KDU Plus’s input ports (AUX1, AUX2, an d PS/2 style) are not fused.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Exceeding the total current draw available could damage an input device, KDU Plus, or the printer.

Printer Options

ZBI 2.0™ — Zebra Basic Interpreter

Customize and enhance your printer with ZBI 2.0 optional programming language, ZBI 2.0 allows Zebra printers to run applications, prompt users through LCD menu commands & take input from scales, scanners and other peripherals—all without a PC or network connection. ZBI 2.0 works with the ZPL printer command language so that printers can understand non-ZPL data streams and convert them into labels. That means the Zebra printer can create bar codes and text from input received, non-ZPL label formats, sensors, keyboards and peripherals. Printers can also be programmed to interact with PC based database applications to retrieve information to be used on printed labels.

ZBI 2.0 can be activated by ordering a ZBI 2.0 Key Kit, or activated by purchasing a key from the ZBI 2.0 store at www.zebrasoftware.com

Use the ZDownloader utility to apply the key. Zdownloader is available on the users CD or at the Zebra Web site: www.zebra.com

An intuitive ZBI-Developer™ programming utility is used to create, test and distribute ZBI 2.0 applications

www.zebra.com

is available on the users CD or at the Zebra Web site:

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Control Panel Operation

This section describes the operation, navi gation and parameters displayed by printers equipped with the LCD control panel option.

Contents

LCD Display Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Normal Operation Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Printer Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

802.11 WLAN Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Bluetooth Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Introduction

100

OOO OO OOOOOOOOMENU

PRINTER READY

Wireless Connection

Status Messages

Scroll Button

Select Button

Feed Button

Printer Status and

Alert Messages

LCD Display Overview

The LCD display for G-Series printers with the Wi-Fi (Wireless) or Bluetooth options provide user feedback for printer operations, some basic controls for printer functionality, printer display controls, and wireless connectivity information.

The control panel features three operator controls: the Feed button, the Scroll button and the Select button. The Feed button is used to advance one label or a pre-set length of continuos media. You can control display operation by using the Scroll and Select buttons. The Scroll button allows scrolling through the various options and settings. The Select button allows selection of the option or function displayed on the screen.

Note •

While the control panel can be used to change some printer settings, many settings can only be changed using Set / Get / Do (SGD) commands. Refer to the ZPL II Programming Guide for information on the use of SGD commands.

When the number of selections are too numerous to be displayed on one screen, MORE will be listed at the bottom of the display. To access the additional selections, use the Scroll button to move down through the current screen and the display will list the next set of choices.

Menu Customization and WML

The G-Series™ printers allows for the use of Zebra’s WML menu customization language. The WML languge features both display and command abilities. See the WML section in the ZPL Programmer’s guide (for this printer) for details.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Normal Operation Display

Bluetooth Enabled

Normal Operation Display

802.11 WiFi Enabled

Normal Operation Display

Bluetooth Installed

Indicator

Wi-Fi Installed

Indicator

When the printer is On and Ready, the LCD display will resemble one of the examples shown in the figure below.

Introduction

Normal Operation Display

Display Settings

The display has a back light feature which allows viewing the display in dark environments. The back light will illuminate the display when the Select button is pressed, entering the printers option menus. If there is no activity, the back light will extinguish after a selectable time-out. You can also adjust the display contrast as well as select an appropriate language for the display. The user selectable Display settings and are shown in the t able below.

Setting Default Value Optional Values

BACK LIGHT ON ON / OFF

TIMEOUT 10 10 / 20 / 30

LCD CONTRAST 4 1 - 7

LANGUAGE ENGLISH ENGLISH

Display Settings

ESPANOL

FRANCAIS

DEUTSCH ITALIANO

NORSK

PORTUGUES

SVENSKA

DANSK

EASANOL2

NEDERLANDS

SUOMI

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Introduction

Printer Settings

The user selectable and programmable Printer settings are shown in the tab le below.

Printer Settings

COMM. (user selectable COM port settings)

Setting Default Value Optional Values

BAUD 9600 300

600 1200 9600

14400 19200

28800 32400 57600

115200

DATA BITS 8 7

PARITY NONE NONE

EVEN

ODD

FLOW DTR & XON / XOFF XON / XOFF

DTR & XON / XOFF

DSR / DTR

RTS / CTS

MEDIA (display only)

Setting Default Value Optional Values

MEDIA GAP GAP

MARK

RECEIPT

RIBBON YES YES

PRINT (display only)

Setting Default Value Optional Values SPEED 6 IPS 2 IPS

3 IPS 4 IPS 5 IPS 6 IPS

ZPL Darkness 10.0 0.0 - 30.0

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

802.11 WLAN Settings

The programmable 802.11 WLAN settings are shown in the table below.

Setting Default Value Optional Values

IP ADDRESS 000.000.000.000

DEFAULT GATEWAY 000.000.000.000

SUBNET MASK 000.000.000.000

WLAN SECURITY OPEN

ESSID 125

Bluetooth Settings

The programmable Bluetooth settings are shown in the table below.

802.11 WLAN Settings (display only)

Introduction

802.11 WLAN Settings

Bluetooth Settings (display only)

Setting Default Value Optional Values

ADDRESS

DISCOVERABLE ON ON / OFF

AUTHENTICATION OFF ON / OFF

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Introduction

Notes •

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Bluetooth Settings

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Maintenance

This section provides routine cleaning and maintenance procedures.

Contents

Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Cleaning the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Media Path Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Platen Cleaning and Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Other Printer Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Replacing the Printhead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Maintenance

Cleaning

When you clean the printer, use one of the following supplies that best suits your needs:

Cleaning Supplies

Order

Quantity

Intended Purpose

Cleaning pens (105950-035) Set of 12 Clean printhead Cleaning swabs (105909-057) Set of 25 Clean media path, gu ide s and senso r s

You can obtain cleaning supplies at

www.zipzebra.com

The cleaning process takes just a couple of minutes using the steps outlined below.

Printer Part Method Interval

Printhead Let the printhead to cool for a minute, then use a

new cleaning pen to swab the dark line on the

After every roll of

media. printhead cleaning from the center to the outside edges of the printhead. See Cleaning the Printhead on page 77

Platen roller Remove the platen roller to clean. Clean the

As needed. roller thoroughly with 90% medical-grade alcohol and a cleaning swab or lint-free cloth. See Platen Cleaning and Replacement

on page 80

Peel bar Clean it thoroughly with 90% medical-grade Media path

alcohol and a fiber-free cleaning swab. Let alcohol dissipate and the printer dry

completely.

Exterior Water-dampened cloth. Interior Gently brush out printer.

Caution •

components along the media path including the platen and printhead. This build-up can accumulate dust and debris. Failure to clean the printhead, media path and platen roller could result in inadvertent loss of labels, label jams and possible damage to the printer.

Important •

Adhesives and media material can over time transfer onto the printer

Using too much alcohol can result in contamination of the electronic

components requiring a much longer drying time before the printer will function prop erly.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Cleaning the Printhead

Always use a new cleaning pen on the printhead (an old pen carries contaminants from its previous uses that may damage the printhead).

Maintenance

Cleaning

Caution •

printhead and risk of personal injury, avoid touching the printhead. Use only the cleaning pen to perform maintenance.

The printhead becomes hot while printing. To protect from damagin g the

When you load new media, you can also clean the printhead.

Rub the cleaning pen across the dark area of the printhead. Clean from the middle to the outside. This will move adhesive transferred from the edges of media to the printhead outside of media path.

Wait one minute before closing the printer.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Media Guides

Ridges

Platen

Peel

Bar

Pinch

Roller

Ridges

Maintenance

Cleaning

Media Path Considerations

Use a cleaning swab to remove debris, dust or crust that has built-up on the holders, guides and media path surfaces.

Use the alcohol in the cleaning swab to soak the debris to break up the adhesive.

Wipe the ridges to remove accumulated debris.

Wipe the inside edges of both edge guides to remove any built-up residue.

Wait one minute before closing the printer.

Discard the cleaning swab after use.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Sensor Cleaning

Black-Line

Sensor

Gap

Sensor

Label Taken

Sensor

Dust can accumulate on the media sensors.

Gently brush away dust; if necessary, use a dry swab to brush away dust. If adhesives or other contaminates remain, use an alcohol moistene d swab to break it up.

Use a dry swab to remove any residue that may be left from the first cleaning.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 as required until all residue and streaks are removed from the sensor.

Maintenance

Cleaning

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Maintenance

Cleaning

Platen Cleaning and Replacement

The standard platen (drive roller) normally does not require cleaning. Paper and liner dust can accumulate without effecting print operations. Contaminates on the platen roller can damage the printhead or cause the media to slip or stick when printing. Adhesive, dirt, general dust, oils and other contaminates should be cleaned immediately off the platen.

Clean the platen (and media path) whenever the printer has significa ntl y poorer performance, print quality or media handling. The platen is the print surface and drive roller for your media. If sticking or jamming continues even after cleaning, you must replace the platen.

The platen can be cleaned with a fiber-free swab (such as a Texpad swab) or a lint free, clean, damp cloth very lightly moistened with medical grade alcohol (90% pure or better).

Open the cover (and dispenser door). Remove media from platen area.

Press the tabs on the right and left sides out. Then rotate them up.

Lift the platen out of the printer’s bottom frame.

Clean the platen with the alcohol moistened swab. Clean from the center out. Repeat this process until the all of the roller surface has been cleaned. If there has been heavy adhesive build-up or label jam, repeat with a new swab to remove residual contaminates. Adhesives and oils, for example, may be thinned by the initial cleaning but not comple tely removed.

Install the platen in the printer. Discard the cleaning swabs after use - do not reuse.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Maintenance

Make sure the bearings are on the shaft of the platen.

Align the platen with the gear to the left and lower it into the printer’s bottom frame.

Cleaning

Rotate the tabs back and snap them into place.

Allow the printer to dry for one minute before closing the dispenser door, media cover or loading labels.

Other Printer Maintenance

There are no user level maintenance procedures beyond those detailed in this section. See the

Troubleshooting on page 85 for more information on diagnosing printer and print problems.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Maintenance

Replacing the Printhead

If you need to replace the printhead, read the procedure and review the removal and installation steps before actually replacing the printhead.

Caution •

must be static-safe and include a properly grounded conductive cushioned mat to hold the printer and a conductive wrist strap for yourself.

Caution •

printhead.

Prepare your work area by protecting against static discharge. Your work area

Turn the printer power off and unplug the power cord before replacing the

Before following the steps in this procedure, open the printer by pulling the release latches forward then lifting the top cover.

Printhead Removal

Push the printhead’s right side catch to the right.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Pull the printhead forward and pull it free of the top case if necessary.

Unplug both bundles of printhead wires from their connectors.

Maintenance

Replacing the Printhead

Align the printhead to plug th e left and right connectors into the wire bundles.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Maintenance

Replacing the Printhead

Slide the printhead into the left side and jog it into the right side catch.

Clean the print head as described under Cleaning the Printhead on page 77.

Reload media. Plug in the power cord, turn on the printer and print a status report to ensure proper function. See Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label on page 19

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Troubleshooting

This section provides information about printer error reporting that you might need for printer troubleshooting. Assorted diagnostic tests are included.

Contents

Status Light Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Status Light Error Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Print Quality Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Manual Calibration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Troubleshooting Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Resetting the Factory Default Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Communications Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Feed Button Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Troubleshooting

Status Light Descriptions

What the Status Light is Telling You

LED Status and Color Printer Status

For a Resolution, Refer to Number:

Off Off 1

Solid Green On 2

Solid Amber Stopped 3

Flashing Green Normal Operation 4

Flashing Red Stopped 5

Double Flashing Green Paused 6

Flashing Amber Paused 7

Alternately Flashing Green and Red Needs Service 8

Flashing Red, Red and Green Needs Service 9

Flashing Red, Amber Green

(* - Do NOT reset or turn off power!)

Memory

Defragmentation

10*

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Status Light Error Resolutions

The following Status Error Light Resolution numbers correspond to the Status Light Description table on the previous page. Each error number may have one o r more resolu tion to correct that error listed.

1. The printer is not receiving power.

• Have you turned on the printer power?

• Check power connections from the wall outlet to the power supply, and from the power supply to the printer. See Attaching Power on page 14.

• Disconnect the printer from the wall outlet for 30 seconds and then reconnect the printer to the wall outlet.

2. The printer is on and in an idle state.

No action necessary.

Troubleshooting

Status Light Error Resolutions

3. The printer has failed its power on self test (POST).

• If this error occurs right after you turn on the printer, contact an authorized reseller for assistance. When the printer is operating normally, the printer status light will be amber for about 10 seconds before turning green (solid or blinking).

There is a memory error.

• If this error occurs after you have been printing, turn the printer power off and on, and then resume printing.

The printhead needs to cool down.

• If this error continues, turn the printer power off for five minutes or more, and then turn on. If the amber light persists, then the printer requires service.

4. The printer is receiving data.

• As soon as all of the data has been received, the status LED will turn green and the printer will automatically resume operation.

5. The media is out.

• Follow the instructions for Loading Roll Media on page 15 in the Getting Started section, and then press the Feed button to resume printing.

The printhead is open.

• Close the top cover and then press the Feed button to resume printing.

8/4/10 GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 980611-001 Rev. C

Troubleshooting

Status Light Error Resolutions

6. The printer is paused.

7. The printhead is over temperature.

8. FLASH memory is not programmed.

9. The printhead or motor has had a critical failure.

10. The printer is defragmenting memory.

• Press the Feed button to resume printing.

• Printing will stop until the printhead cools to an acceptable printing temperature. When it does, the printer will automatically resume operation.

• Return the printer to an authorized reseller.

Caution •

the printer.

• Defragmentation is a normal operation of the printer – necessary to manage the memory space for optimal use. The printer will defragment its memory both after a factory default and when the printer detects that a defragment is required.

When the printer is in this condition, allow it to finish defragmenting. If this warning occurs frequently, check the label formats. Formats that frequently and repeatedly write to and erase from memory my cause the printer to defragment often. Using formats that avoid frequent and repeated memory write/erase event will minimize the need for defragmentation.

• If this warning condition does not go away, contact Technical Support. The printer

Do NOT turn off the printer power during defragmentation. Doing so can damage

requires service.

980611-001 Rev. C GX420d™ / GX430d™ User Guide 8/4/10

Zebra GX420d, GX430d Users Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

About This Document

Who Should Use This Document

How This Document Is Organized

Contacts

Document Conventions

Contents

Introduction

GX Series Thermal Printers

What’s in the Box?

Unpack and Inspect the Printer

Your Printer

Printer Features

Operator Controls

Getting Started

Attaching Power

Loading Roll Media

Preparing Media

Placing the Roll in the Media Compartment

Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label

Pre-install Windows® Printer Drivers

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

Interface Cable Requirements

After Your Printer is Connected

Print Operations

Determining Printer Configuration

Localizing the Printer Status Configuration Label

Long Term Printer In-activity or Storage

Thermal Printing

Modes of Printing

Print Media Types

Determining Thermal Media Types

Replacing Supplies

Adjusting the Print Width

Adjusting the Print Quality

Media Sensing

Printing on Fan-Fold Media

Printing with Externally Mounted Roll Media

Fonts and Your Printer

Identifying Fonts in Your Printer

Localizing the Printer with Code Pages

Asian fonts and Other Large Font Sets

Getting Asian Fonts

Stand Alone Printing

Sending Files to the Printer

Print Meter

EPL Line Mode

Printer Options

Label Dispenser Option

Moveable Blackline Sensor Option

Adjusting the Moveable Sensor for Black Marks or Notches

Adjusting the Moveable Sensor for Web (Gap) Sensing

Cutter Option

Loading Media with the Cutter Option

ZebraNet® 10/100 Internal (Wired) Print Server Option

Printer Network Configuration Status Label

ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server Option

Printer Network Configuration Status Label

Bluetooth Option

Printer Network Configuration Status Label

RTC and Full Flash Memory Option

Asian Fonts - Printer Accessory

Zebra® KDU — Printer Accessory

KDU Plus™ — Printer Accessory

ZBI 2.0™ — Zebra Basic Interpreter

Control Panel Operation

LCD Display Overview

Menu Customization and WML

Normal Operation Display

Display Settings

Printer Settings

802.11 WLAN Settings

Bluetooth Settings

Maintenance

Cleaning

Cleaning the Printhead

Media Path Considerations