Zebra P420i User Manual
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
Appendix C
Welcome to your new
P420i User's Manual
User's Manual No. 980457-001 Rev. A
© 2003 ZIH Corp
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
FOREWORD
This manual contains installation and operation information for the Zebra P420i by
Zebra Technologies Corporation.
RETURN MATERIALS AUTHORIZATION
Before returning any equipment to Zebra Technologies Corporation for
in-warranty or out-of-warranty repair, contact Repair Administration for a Return
Materials Authorization (RMA) number. Repack the equipment in the original packing
material and mark the RMA number clearly on the outside. Ship the equipment,
freight prepaid, to the address listed below:
For USA, and Latin America
Zebra Technologies Corporation
Card Imaging Division
1001 Flynn Road
Camarillo, CA. 93012-8706. USA
Phone: +1 (805) 579 1800
Fax: +1 (805) 579 1808
Toll Free in US: (800) 452-4056
For Europe, Asia and Pacific:
Zebra Technologies France
Card Imaging Division
Zone Industrielle, Rue d’Amsterdam
44370 Varades, France
phone: +33 (0) 240 097 070
Fax: +33 (0) 240 834 745
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
This document contains information proprietary to Zebra Technologies Corporation.
This document and the information contained within is copyrighted by Zebra
Technologies Corporation and may not be duplicated in full or in part by any person
without written approval from Zebra. While every effort has been been made to keep
the information contained within current and accurate as of the date of publication,
no guarante is given or implied that the document is error-free or that it is accurate
with regard to any specification. Zebra reserves the right to make changes, for the
purpose of product improvement, at any time.
TRADEMARKS
P420i is a service mark and Zebra is a registered trademark of Zebra Technologies
Corporation. Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. All
other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
PRODUCT WARRANTY STATEMENT
Printers
All Zebra Card Printers are warranted against defects in material or
workmanship for twelve (12) months from the purchase date.
Proof of purchase or shipment date is required to validate the warranty
period. The warranty becomes void if the equipment is modified,
improperly installed or used, damaged by accident or neglect, or if any
parts are improperly installed or replaced by the user.
Note: Products returned must be packaged in the original or
comparable packing and shipping container. In the event equipment is
not so packaged, or if shipping damage is evident, it will not be
accepted for service under warranty. Surface transportation charges
for return to customers in the continental United States is paid by
Zebra. Otherwise, Zebra pays CPT (carriage paid to) nearest airport,
customer pays customers, duties, taxes, and freight from airport to
destination. If Zebra determines that the product returned for warranty
service or replacement is not defective as herein defined, the customer
will pay all handling and transportation costs.
Printheads
Since printhead wear is part of normal operation, the original printhead
is covered by a twelve (12) month warranty. Warranty period begins on
purchase date.
To qualify for this warranty, the printhead must be returned to the
factory or to an authorized service center. Customers are not required
to purchase Zebra supplies (media and/or ribbons) for warranty
qualification. However, if it is determined that the use of other
manufacturer supplies has caused any defect in the printhead for which
a warranty claim is made, the user is responsible for Zebra’s labor and
material charges required to repair the defect. The warranty becomes
void if the printhead is physically worn or damaged; also if it is
determined that failure to follow the preventive maintenance schedule
listed in the User’s Guide has causes defect in the thermal printhead for
which a warranty claim is made.
Spare Parts
All parts, maintenance kits, options kits, and accessories are warranted
to be free of defects in material and workmanship for 90 days (except
where otherwise denoted) from date of purchase. This warranty
become void if the item is modified, improperly installed or used, or
damaged by accident or neglect.
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
DECLARATIONS OF CONFORMITY
Supplemental Information:
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference , and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
Note:
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmfull interference when the equipment is
operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmfull interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmfull
interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his
own expense.
INDUSTRY CANADA NOTICE
This device complies with Industry Canada ICS-003 class A requirements.
Cet équipement est conforme à l’ICS-003 class A de la Norme Industrielle
Canadienne.
European Council Directive
73/23/EEC modified
by 93/68/EEC
EMC Directive
EN 500082-1,1992
Immunity to
Electromagnetic
Disturbances
Compliance to Standards
89/336/EEC
modified by
92/31/EEC and
93/68/EEC
RF Emissions
control
Low voltage
Directive
EMC Directive
EN 60950
EN 55022-B
Product safety
Model: P420i conforms to the following specification:
FCC Part 15, Subpart A, Section 15.107(a) and Section 15.109(a) Class
B digital device
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for choosing the Zebra P420i Plastic Card Printer.
These printers produce cards ideal for personalized identification, access control,
visitor, membership, promotion and luggage card, badges and tags.
This manual guides you to an efficient start up and operation of your new Card
Printer.
P420i PRINTER MODELS
The Zebra Product Number tells a story:
Here is a quick review of the Zebra Card Printer Series numbering and lettering
system to help you.
The P420i Plastic Card Printer employs Dye Sublimination and Resin Thermal
Transfer Technologies. Model numbers include identifiers that specify options are
shown using the following lettering conventions:
Smart card :
O = No
E = Yes
Magnetic encoder option:
O = No
1 = Stripe Down HICO
2 = Stripe Down LOCO
3 = Stripe Up HICO
4 = Stripe Up LOCO
Memory :
O = Standard
Interface :
P = Parallel (Centronics 36 broches)
U = USB + Centronic Parallel
Software :
O = Demo software
Magnetic encoder:
O = No
M = Yes
Languages :
D = Drivers & Documentation CD’s
Power cord:
O = None
I = 120 VAC - 220 VAC
U = UK
P420i - XXXXX-XXX
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
Important general information.
Mechanical hazard, such as one associated with
moving parts, capable of resulting in equipment
damage or personal injury.
Electrical hazard, such as an exposed voltage point,
capable of causing electrical shock and personal
injury.
An area where electrostatic discharge (ESD) can
cause component damage. Use a grounding wrist
band.
Elevated temperature hazard, capable of producing
a burn.
Keep Card Printer clean by minimizing cover open
time.
ICONS
Throughout this manual, different icons highlight
important information, as follows:
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
1
2
3
4
5
6
Table of contents
GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1•1 Unpacking your card printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1•2 Indicators and control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1•3 Printer Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
OPERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2•1 Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2•2 Loading ribbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2•3 Loading cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
A- Card Feeder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
B- Card Cleaning Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
C- Card Thickness Control Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
D- Card Output Hopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2•4 Reject Card Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2•5 Feeding one card at a time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2•6 Printing a test card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2•7 Printer menu information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
PRINTING A SAMPLE CARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
A- Install Driver on windows 95/98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
B- Install Driver on windows NT4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
C- Set Printer Driver Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
D- Printing a Sample Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
CLEANING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4•1 Cleaning system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4•2 Cleaning the print head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4•3 Card Cleaning Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
TROUBLESHOOTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5•1 Interpreting LCD Display messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5•2 Print Quality Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
APPENDIX A - MAGNETIC CARD STRIPE ENCODER . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
A- Media Loading Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
B- Magnetic Encoder Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
APPENDIX B - SMART CARD CONTACT STATION . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
A- Media Loading Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
B- Magnetic Encoder Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
APPENDIX C - ACCESSORIES AND SUPPLIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Ribbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
Your P420i printer ships in a carton and protective anti-static bag. Keep all
packing material in case you need to move or re-ship the printer.
While unpacking, inspect the carton to ensure that no damage occurred
during shipping.
Please ensure that you have a clean and nearly dust free environment for
proper operation and storage of the printer.
1•1 Unpacking your card printer
GETTING STARTED
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
In addition to user documentation, make sure the following items are included with
your P420i printer:
If any items are missing, please contact your dealer.
To reorder, please refer to Appendix C of this manual.
CLEANING CARTRIDGE
POWER CABLE
CARD OUTPUT HOPPER
PRINTER DRIVER DISK (floppy or/and CD)
CLEANING KIT
Centronic Parrallel
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
1•2 Indicators and Control
Your P720 printer has an LCD Display, two LED’s and two Panel Buttons.
The 16 character LCD Display is used for:
• Showing the printer’s current status
• Providing operator and service messages (chapter 5)
The two LEDs are used for:
• Green: Power LED
• Amber: Alert LED (with Beeper)
This Alert LED is on when an error condition exists.
The Beeper will sound three alert "Beeps" and the LCD
Display will show the associated error message.
The Menu Button (left) is a push button used for:
• Bringing printer into Menu Mode when pressed with the
printer showing READY on the LCD Display.
• Using in Menu Mode to scroll through Menu Options.
The Clear Button (right) is a push button used for:
• Clearing an error status (when LCD Display shows an
error and Alert LED is on).
• Invoking automatic retry of the operation which gave the
error.
• Selecting a Menu Option when in Menu Mode.
Note: The buttons beep when pressed.
LCD Display
Menu Button “Next”
Clear Button “Select”
Power LED
Alert LED
LCD
Display:
LEDs:
Panel
Buttons:
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
1•3 Printer Installation
The following will guide you through the installation of your P420i printer.
CAUTION: Limit AC power supplied to the P420i
Printer to 110 - 230 V AC, 60 - 50 Hz for an associated
680 mA - 310 mA. Limit excess current draw to 16
amps or less, using an associated circuit breaker or
other such device. Never operate the printer in a
location where operator, computer, or printer can get
wet. Personal injury could result. The printer must be
connected to an earthed electrical power supply and
properly protected against electrical surges and
grounding faults.
1.·
Place the printer in a location that allows easy
access to all sides. The printer should never be
operated while resting on its side or upside down.
2.·Place the printer's power swith in the OFF (0)
position.
3.·Insert the power cable to the printer power socket
and attach to grounded electrical socket of the proper
voltage and type.
4.·Attach interface cable to printer and computer and
then secure.
5.·Switch power on.
CAUTION: Intermittent or unpredictable operation may
occur from unsecured connectors. If damaged, the
power cable must be replaced by an exact equivalent.
Use only Parallel Cable under 3 Meters in length.
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
OPERATION
2•1 Printer Features
The following shows the features found on your P420i Printer:
STANDARD FEATURES OPTIONAL FEATURES
1. Print Head A. Magnetic Encoding Station
2. Print Head Unlock Lever B. Smart Card Contact Station
3. Manual Holder
4. Card Output Hopper
5. Card Cleaning Cartridge
6. Rejected Card Box
7. LCD Display & 2 Panel Buttons
8. Card Feeder + cover
9. Card Thickness Control Lever
PLEASE NOTE: Any blue items inside the printer can be operated by the user.
1
2
3
A
4
9
8
7
6
5
B
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
2•2 Loading Ribbons
The P420i Printer requires approved ribbons (see Appendix C). The Resin Thermal
Transfer and Dye Sublimation ribbons and Lamination are specifically designed for
your P420i Printer. i Series printers require the use of i Series ribbons for full color
printing
DO NOT TOUCH the print head or the electronic
components on the print head carriage. Discharges of
electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of
the human body or other surfaces can damage the
print head and other electronic components used in
the device.
1.·Remove ribbon from packaging.
2.·With printer power ON and READY status,
open cover and press down on the Print Head
Unlock Lever to open the print head carriage. The
print head carriage will pop open.
Continued on next page .......
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
Please note that the ribbon automatically synchronizes
whenever the print head lock down occurs.
With i Series ribbons, the printer automatically detects
the ribbon type inserted.
The card flipper will not operate and an error will be
indicated if you try to flip a card when the cover is
open.
3. Load ribbon onto the supply spindle (under print
head carriage) and empty core (with tape attached)
onto the take-up spindle. Make sure the ribbon comes
off of the top of the supply spindle and feeds to the
top of the take-up spindle.
4. Push down on the Print Head Lock Lever until an
audible 'click' signals the locked-down position.
5. Close Cover.
SUPPLY SPINDLE
TAKE-UP SPINDLE
`CLICK'
Card
Printer
Solutions
General information
Getting started
Operation
Cleaning
Specifications
Appendix A
Appendix B
Troubleshooting
Printing a card
P420i Plastic Card Printer
Appendix C
2•3 Loading Cards
To help you load, print, and collect cards, the P420i has the following items:
A -CARD FEEDER
This items is used for loading cards.
DO NOT bend cards or touch print surfaces as this can
reduce print quality. The surface of the cards must
remain clean and dust free. Always store cards in an
enclosed container. Ideally, use cards as soon as
possible. If cards stick together, carefully shuffle them.
1.·Open Card Feeder Cover by putting your
fingers on both sides and rotating the cover in a
clockwise direction to the open position.
2.·Install cards into Feeder* as shown.
3.·Close Card Feeder Cover.
* See Chapter 6, Technical Specifications, for card requirements and capacities.
Card
Printer
Solutions
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