Zebra ZXP Series 1 Card Printer ZXP Series 1 and ZXP Series 3 Mac OS X Driver User's Guide (en)

ZXP Series 1™
ZXP Series 3™

P1086665-001

Mac OS X Driver

User’s Guide

Corporate Headquarters

[phone]
[e-mail]

Asia-Pacific Headquarters

[phone]
[e-mail]

EMEA Headquarters

zebra.com/locations
[e-mail]

Latin America Headquarters

[phone]
[e-mail]

http://www.zebra.com/locations

©2016 ZIH Corp. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Zebra and the stylized Zebra head are trademarks of ZIH Corp., registered in many jurisdictions
worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contents

Operation .........................................................................................................................1

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

Launching Printer Properties .................................................................................................................2

Card Setup ............................................................................................................................................. 4

Printer Information .................................................................................................................................9

Encoding .............................................................................................................................................. 11

Tools ..................................................................................................................................................... 13

About ....................................................................................................................................................15

Printing from an Application .................................................................................................................16

P1086665-001 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide i

ii ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide P1086665-001

Introduction

The purpose of this document is to describe how to use the Zebra ZXP Series 1 and
ZXP Series 3 Card Printer driver on a computer running the Mac OS X operating
system.

The Zebra ZXP Series 1 and ZXP Series 3 Card Printer driver for Mac OS X supports
monochrome and color printing, single- and double-sided printing, mag encoding,
and provides information about the printer and ribbon.

Operation

The Zebra ZXP Series 1 and ZXP Series 3 Card Printer driver for Mac OS X
supports—and has been tested on—the following version of Mac OS X:

• Mac OS X Yosemite (Version 10.10) 64 bit OS

• Mac OS X El Capitan (Version 10.11) 64 bit OS

P1086665-001 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide 1

Operation

Launching Printer Properties

Launching Printer Properties

Open System Preferences and double-click on the Zebra Printer Icon.

2 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide P1086665-001

Operation

Launching Printer Properties

The printer selection window will be displayed; select the desired printer from the list
window.

The Printer Properties window is displayed.

P1086665-001 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide 3

Operation

Card Setup

Card Setup

The Card Setup tab is used to adjust selected card and print job parameters.

Printing options:

• Print on both sides: Selection for single-sided or dual-sided printing. The
options are No (single-sided) and Yes (dual-sided).

• Rotate 180°: Selection for rotating the image 180 °. The options are None, Front,
Back, and Front & Back. (Note: Back and Front & Back are only available when
Print on both sides is set to Yes).

• Monochrome Conversion: Species the method of monochrome conversion
used in printing. Different selections have different effects on the way the image
is printed. The options are: Diffusion, Halftone, Barcode, and Text.

4 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide P1086665-001

• Diffusion: Error diffusion is used primarily where you

have a full color (RGB with 8 bits per pixel) or full gray
(single color but still 8 bits per pixel) image that you
need to print with binary printing (can only print full-on
or full-off; i.e., 1 bit per pixel). Typically preferred over
halftoning (see below) for most images.

• Halftone: To simulate gray in graphics, halftones are

printed. Halftones are arrays of dots arranged in a grid
(e.g., 6x6 or 8x8) to represent each image pixel as a
shade of gray. For dark gray, more grid dots are black.
For light gray, more grid dots are white. As the grid size
goes up so does the number of possible output levels;
6x6 cell has 36 possible output levels while 8x8 has 64.
However, as cell size increases, there is a corresponding
decrease in resolution.

Operation

Card Setup

• Barcode: This is the simplest method for converting

from 8 bits per pixel to 1 bit per pixel. For example, the
input pixel can be a value from 0 to 255. If the threshold
is 128, any pixel over 128 becomes full on (1), and any
pixel that is less than 128 becomes full off (0). This mode
works best for large text, barcodes, line art, logos -­everything except continuous-tone pictures.

• Text: This mode is similar to Barcode mode, except

lines appear thicker. Thus, it is best for small text and
anti-aliased text. Anti-aliased text is typically black in
the center; but on the edges, it has shades of gray that
get lighter as you move out form the center of the text.
Anti-aliased text will have a softer looking edge that is
less sharp than non anti-aliased text. The thicker lines of
Text mode will make the black center of anti-aliased text
appear larger, making the text more legible. Conversely,
Text mode is not recommended for barcodes, as thicker
bars often bleed into each other and make the barcode
unreadable.

• Printing Mode: Sets the type of printing required. The options are Print (which
allows printing as well as printing with magnetic encoding), Encode Only (which
allows magnetic encoding only; printing will not occur), and Print and Encode
on Same Side (which prints on the same side as the magentic encoding stripe).
(note: the Print and Encode on Same Side option only appears when Print on
both sides is set to No).

P1086665-001 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide 5

Operation

Card Setup

• Auto detect start of image for half panel ribbons: When half panel ribbon is
installed in the printer, this option is used to automatically detect the location on
the card to start printing with the color panels. When this option is unchecked,
the user should enter the HALF command in the command line on the Tools page

along with a location parameter (from 0 to 568), that tells the printer a specic

location on the card (in number of pixels from the leading edge) to start printing
with the color panels.

Single Feed options:

• Current Status: Selection for the location where the card is taken from. The
options are Card feeder, Single feeder slot, and Auto feed. Card feeder is
accessed via a door on the top of the printer. Single feeder slot requires the user
to insert a card into the slot at the front of the printer, either before sending the
print job, or when prompted after sending the print job. Auto feed is a combination
of the previous two options. It allows the user to insert a card into the single
feeder slot before sending the print job, otherwise the card will be taken from the
Card feeder.

Ribbon info and options

• Ribbon type: Selection for the type of ribbon installed in the printer. For all
ribbons with a SIM chip (typically ribbons with multiple panels), the selection is
automatic. For monochrome ribbons (which do not typically have a SIM chip), the
options are Standard Black Monochrome (1000 image capacity), Standard White
Monochrome (850 image capacity for ZXP3, 500 image capacity for ZXP1), High
Capacity Black Monochrome (2000 image capacity), and High Capacity White
Monochrome (1400 image capacity). (note: High Capacity selections are only
available for ZXP3).

• Ribbon combination: Available selections are based on ribbon type. For
example, for YMCKO ribbon, when Print on both sides is set to No:

• Front YMCKO

• And when Print on both sides is set to Yes:

• Front YMCO, Back K

• Front YMCKO, Back YMCKO

• Front YMC, Back KO

6 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide P1086665-001

Operation

Card Setup

The Job Log button is used to create and manage a database of card transactions.

The database created by the Job Log resides on the printer’s host computer. The Job
Log records data such as what is encoded on the card’s magnetic stripe, together
with date, time, and the printer’s serial number.

The data set can be uploaded at any time to a central archive, thus providing a

means for security ofcers to validate a card by comparing it with tamper-proof real

data.

• Enable logging: If this box is checked, the logging feature is enabled.

• Log File Denition: Choose one of the following options:

• If the “Create new log le each day” box is unchecked, the data is saved to a

log le of your choice (Filename).

• If the box is checked, the data is saved to log le ZXPLog with the day’s date;

e.g., ZXPLog_2012_6_4 .

• In addition to the Filename, you may wish to enter a special eld Separator

Character. The default eld Separator Character is “|”.

• The Delete log les button deletes the log les.

• Log File Contents: The Log File Contents group selects the data to be logged

in the le you specied above. The data will be logged in the order displayed on
the screen, each eld being separated by the character specied in the Logle
Denition, Separator.

P1086665-001 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide 7

Operation

Card Setup

Log File Contents selections include:

• Time: Logs the time a which the card was sent to the printer in the

HH:MM:SS format. The 24-hour clock is used, so 13:00:00 = 1:00 pm, and
05:00:00 = 5:00 am.

• Date: Logs the date the card was sent to the printer in the MM/DD/YYYY

format.

• Printer serial number: Logs the serial number of the printer that printed the

card.

• IP address: Logs the IP address of the PC that sent the card to the printer.

• User name: Logs the username of the person submitting the card print job.

• Spooler job number: Logs the number which the card print job was

assigned in the Windows print spooler.

• Magnetic Track 1, 2, 3 Data: Logs the data sent to the printer to be encoded

on the card’s magnetic stripe.

• Static text: Adds to the record text in the box at right, 16 characters

maximum.

Note • Log les are stored in the /Library/Caches/ZXPS3S1Log/ directory.

• The Save Job Log Settings button saves the Job Log settings.

• The Close button closes the page without saving any changes.

The Restore Defaults button restores the defaults for all of the settings.

The Apply button applies any changes that have been made to the settings.

The Close button exits Printer Properties without saving any changes.

8 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide P1086665-001

Printer Information

Operation

Printer Information

The Printer Information tab contains the following information about the printer:

• Model: Species the printer model number.

• Firmware version: Species the installed rmware version.

• Serial Number: Species the printer serial number.

• Ribbon type: Species the ribbon installed in the printer.

• Head resistance: Species the printhead resistance value.

• Mag encoder: Species if this option is present.

• Panels: Shows the total number of panels printed for the lifetime of the printer.

• Remaining Count: Shows the remaining card count for the ribbon installed. For
monochrome ribbons, this will display Unknown.

• Smart card: Species if a smart card encoder is present and type of encoder.

P1086665-001 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide 9

Operation

Printer Information

Click Save/Restore to save your printer and/or driver settings; these settings can be
restored later.

To save settings:

Step 1. Click on the desired Save button (Printer Settings or Driver Settings).

Step 2. The Save window is displayed showing the default le save location:

/Users/<home folder>/Documents. Files can be saved in any folder that the
user selects.

Step 3. Enter le name and click Save. Note that a prex (P_ or D_) will be added

to the le to denote printer or driver settings, respectively.

To restore settings:

Step 1. Click on the desired Restore button (Printer Settings or Driver Settings).

Step 2. Navigate to the folder where the conguration les are saved.

Step 3. Select the desired le, and click Open. Note that prexes P_ and D_

indicate printer or driver settings respectively.

10 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide P1086665-001

Encoding

Operation

Encoding

The Encoding tab is for setting Magnetic Encoder parameters. This feature is not
enabled if the printer does not have the magnetic encoder option.

• Track (1, 2, or 3) Settings: Select the Mode (ISO1, ISO2, ISO3, 3 bit, 4 bit, 5 bit,
6 bit, or 7 bit) and Density (75bpi or 210 bpi) for the tracks.

• HiCo/LoCo: Select the type of coercivity of magnetic stripe cards to be used.

• Encoder Position: This selection is not enabled at this time.

• Encoder Type: This selection is not enabled at this time.

• Direct Encoding - For writing data and reading encoded data.

Track selection:

• To read encoded data: Click on the checkboxes to select Track 1, Track 2, and/
or Track 3; click on the Read button, and validate the data read.

• To write data: Click on the checkboxes to select Track 1, Track 2, and/or Track
3; enter the data to be written; and click on the Encode button.

• To eject the card: Click on the Eject Card button to eject the card.

P1086665-001 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide 11

Operation

Encoding

The Restore Defaults button restores the defaults for all of the settings.

The Apply button applies any changes that have been made to the settings.

The Close button exits Printer Properties without saving any changes.

12 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide P1086665-001

Tools

Operation

Tools

The Tools tab is used to send commands to the printer, print test cards, clean the

printer, set offsets, download rmware, and send PRN les to the printer.

• Command to send to printer: Enter an EPCL command, often with one or more
parameters, and press the Execute button to set or return information from the

printer. The printer response is shown in the Printer Status eld.

• Print test card: Select a test card, and press the Print button. Settings from
the Card Setup tab will be used (i.e., if the ribbon is YMCKO and the ribbon
combination is Front YMCO, Back K, then the test card will be printed with this
combination of panels). Included test cards are Standard, Printer Parameters,
and Encoder Parameters. (Note: Encoder parameters is not included if the printer
does not have an encoder).

• Cleaning: Select a type of cleaning, and press the Clean button. Types of
cleaning are Printer only (feeder and card path are both cleaned) and Magnetic
Encoder (only the card path is cleaned).

• Offset setting: The front and back offsets can be adjusted if the printed image is
not centered on the card. Press the Set offsets button to save the adjustments.

P1086665-001 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide 13

Operation

Tools

• Firmware download: This option is used to install the ZXP Series 3 rmware,
downloaded from the Zebra website at http://zebra.com under Drivers &
Downloads.

Important • Do not turn off the power to the printer until the download has completed
and the printer LCD shows READY. If the download process is interrupted, the
printer will not operate.

Step 1. Download the rmware from the Zebra web site (http://www.zebra.com),

and save it to the computer.

Step 2. Click Select File.

Step 3. From the Browse window, navigate to the saved rmware le (.bin) and

click Open.

Step 4. Click Download to install the rmware.

Send PRN File: This option is used to send a PRN le to the printer.

Step 1. Save the PRN le to the computer.

Step 2. Click Select File.

Step 3. From the Browse window, navigate to the saved le (.prn) and click Open.

Step 4. Click Send File to print the PRN le.

The Close button exits Printer Properties.

14 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide P1086665-001

About

Operation

About

The About tab shows the Printer Model, the Driver Version, and the Zebra
Technologies Corporation Copyright.

The Close button exits Printer Properties.

P1086665-001 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide 15

Operation

Printing from an Application

Printing from an Application

To print a card from any application, rst set up the printer using Printer Properties.

Then follow these steps:

Select File > Print to open the Print window.

• Printer: Select the printer from the drop-down list.

• Presets: Leave set to Default Settings.

• Copies: Enter the number of cards to be printed.

• Pages: Select All, or enter a Range.

• Paper Size: Select CR80 as the paper size.

• Orientation: Select the desired orientation. The preview should look correct.

• Click Print to print the card.

16 ZXP Series 1 and 3 Mac OSX Driver User's Guide P1086665-001