Zebra Technologies ZD500 User Manual

ZD500 Series™

User’s Guide

Thermal Transfer Printer

P1062653-002 Rev. A

label printer and accessories described therein are owned by ZIH Corp. Unauthorized reproduction of this manual or the software and/or firmware in the label printer may result in imprisonment of up to one year and fines of up to $10,000 (17 U.S.C.506). Copyright violators may be subject to civil liability.

This product may contain ZPL

Equalizer

Circuit; E3®; and Monotype Imaging fonts. Software © ZIH Corp. All rights

reserved worldwide.

, ZPL II®, and ZebraLink™ programs; Element Energy

ZD500 Series, ZD500R, ZebraLink and all product names and numbers are trademarks, and

Zebra, the Zebra logo, ZPL, ZPL II, Element Energy Equalizer Circuit, and E

Circuit are

All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

For additional copyright and trademark information, please see “Copyright” on the Zebra website.

www.zebra.com/copyright

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 Technologies 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.

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ Thermal Transfer Printer User’s Guide 1/16/2014

Compliance and Regulatory Statements

FCC Compliance Statement (USA)

This device complies with Part 15 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.

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 limits 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 cause 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 radio or television reception, the user is encouraged to do one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

iii

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

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

Important •

1. The radio must be installed with a minimum 20 cm separation between the user and the

antenna.

2. The radio must not be co-located or used in simultaneous transmitting condition with

another radio.

3. The host system shall have a label to indicate that the system contains a certified module.

An example is “Contains FCC ID : I28MD-EXLAN11N , IC ID: 3798B-EXLAN11N”.

4. The radio is for indoor use only in the 5150-5250 GHz frequency range.

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.

Mexico — NOM-121-SCT1-2009

Este equipo ha sido diseñado para operar con las antenas que enseguida se enlistan y para una ganancia máxima de antena de [x] dB. El uso con este equipo de antenas no incluidas en esta lista o que tengan una ganancia mayor que [x] dB quedan prohibidas. La impedancia requerida de la antena es de [y] ohms.

auden - p/n 220370-09

• Gain = 2.77dbi @ 2.4 GHz

• Gain = 2.69 - 3.19dBi @ 5 GHz

• Impedance = 50 ohms

1/16/2014 ZD500 Series™ TThermal Transfer Printer User’s Guide P1062653-002Rev. A

Canadian DOC Compliance Statement

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

Industry Canada (IC) Warning

Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d’Industrie Canada applicables aux appareils radio exempts de licence. L’exploitation est autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes : (1) l’appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage, et (2) l’utilisateur de l’appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est susceptible d’en compromettre le fonctionnement.

This device complies with Industry Canada license-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1) This device may not cause interference., 2) This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.

Brasil — Aviso da Anatel

Este equipamento opera em caráter secundário, isto é, não tem direito a proteção contra interferência prejudicial, mesmo de estações do mesmo tipo, e não pode causar interferência a sistemas operando em caráter primário.

“Este produto está homologado pela ANATEL, de acordo com os procedimentos regulamentados pela Resolução 242/2000, e atende aos requisitos técnicos aplicados”

Para maiores informações, consulte o site da ANATEL www.anatel.gov.br

This equipment's operation is of a secondary character; that is, it doesn't have the right to protection against damaging interference, even from stations of the same type, nor can it cause interference to systems with a primary operating character.

Este produto utiliza internamente o modulo de RF M6E- micro numero de homologação pela ANATEL 3059-13-8108 e o modulo WYSBMVGXB numero de homologação pela ANATEL 3825-13-9965

Japan Restricted Frequencies

この周波数帯は 5.725 5.825 GHz の日本で利用できるされません。

For 5.725 - 5.825 GHz, this frequency band will not be available in Japan.

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ Thermal Transfer PrinterUser’s Guide 1/16/2014

Taiwan Restricted Frequencies

5.15-5.25 GHz, 該頻段將在臺灣不可用。 For 5.15 - 5.25 GHz, this frequency band will not be available in Taiwan.

Korean Compliance Statement

이 기기는 가정용 (B 급 ) 전자파 적합기기 로서 주로 가정에서 사용하는 것을 목적으로 하며 , 모든 지역에서 사용할 수 있습니다 .

The equipment is for home use (Class B) and has acquired electromagnetic conformity registration, so it can be used not only in residential area but other areas as well.

This radio device is not allowed to be used for human safety since it has possibility of radio interference during operation.

European Regulatory Information

Note • Member states in the EU with restrictive use for this device are crossed out. This

device is also authorized for use in all EFTA member states (CH, IS, LI, NO).

1/16/2014 ZD500 Series™ TThermal Transfer Printer User’s Guide P1062653-002Rev. A

NCC

經型式認證合格之低功率射頻電機，非經許可，公司、商號或使用者均不得擅自變更頻率、加大功率或變更原設計之特性及功能。低功率射頻電機之使用不得影響飛航安全及干擾合法通信；經發現有干擾現象時，應立即停用，並改善至無干擾時方得繼續使用。前項合法通信，指依電信法規定作業之無線電通信。低功率射頻電機須忍受合法通信或工業、科學及醫療用電波輻射性電機設備之干擾。

According to "Administrative Regulations on Low Power Radio Waves Radiated Devices" Without permission granted by the NCC, any company, enterprise, or user is not allowed to change frequency, enhance transmitting power or alter original characteristic as well as performance to an approved low power radio-frequency devices. The low power radiofrequency devices shall not influence aircraft security and interfere legal communications; If found, the user shall cease operating immediately until no interference is achieved. The said legal communications means radio communications is operated in compliance with the Telecommunications Act.

The low power radio-frequency devices must be susceptible with the interference from legal communications or ISM radio wave radiated devices.

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ Thermal Transfer PrinterUser’s Guide 1/16/2014

WLAN Radio Specification

802.11 b

•2.4 GHz

• DSSS (DBPSK, DQPSK and CCK)

• RF power 63 mW (ZebraNet n Print Server)

802.11 g

•2.4 GHz

• OFDM (16-QAM and 64-QAM with BPSK and QPSK)

• RF power 63 mW (ZebraNet n Print Server)

802.11 n

•2.4 GHz

• OFDM (16-QAM and 64-QAM with BPSK and QPSK)

• RF power 63 mW (ZebraNet n Print Server)

vii

802.11 a/n

• 5.15-5.25 GHz, 5.25-5.35 GHz, 5.47-5.725 GHz, 5.725-5.825 GHz

• OFDM (16-QAM and 64-QAM with BPSK and QPSK)

• RF power 50 mW (ZebraNet n Print Server)

Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

•2.4 GHz

•FHSS

• RF power 0.4 mW

RFID Radio Specification

• 902 - 928 MHz (US); 865 - 868 MHz (EU)

• ISO-18000 - 6B; ISO 18000-6C

• RF power <30 dBm ERP

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viii

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

Document Conventions

Alternate Color

If you are viewing this guide on-line, you can click the blue text used for cross-references or hyper-links to jump directly to other sections in the guide or to web sites on the Internet.

Command Line Examples, File Names, and Directories

Table 1 • Document Conventions

Command line examples, file names, and directories appear in a Typewriter style (Courier) mono-spaced font. For example:

ZTools to get to the Post-Install scripts in the /bin directory.

Type Open the

Icons and Advisory Words

The following icons and advisory words are used to draw your attention to certain areas of text.

Caution • Warns you of the potential for electrostatic discharge.

Caution • Warns you of a potential electric shock situation.

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

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

harm to you.

(No icon)

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

harm to the hardware.

Zebra<version number>.tar file in the /root directory.

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

Note • Indicates neutral or positive information that emphasizes or supplements important

points of the main text.

Tools • Tells you what tools you need to complete a given task.

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ Thermal Transfer PrinterUser’s Guide 1/16/2014

Compliance and Regulatory Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Environmental Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii

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

• Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

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

ZD500 Series™ Thermal Printers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The ZD500 Series™ printer features:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The ZD500 Series™ printer options: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

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

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

Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Control Panel Display Menu and Status Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Printer Control Panel Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Navigating through Screens in the Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Control Panel Menu Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2 • Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Select a Location for the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Attaching Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Preparing and Handling Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Media Storage Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Setting the Printer Menu and Report Display Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Loading Roll Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Loading Transfer Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Test Printing with Configuration Report Printouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

1/16/2014 ZD500 Series™ User’s Guide P1062653-002 Rev. A

Contents

Connecting your Printer to a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Interface Cable Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

USB Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Serial Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Wired (Ethernet) Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Bluetooth Option Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Connecting to a Windows Vista® SP2 or Windows 7® Master Device . . . . . . . . . . . 45

After Your Printer is Connected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

3 • Printer Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Changing Printer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

SETTINGS Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

TOOLS Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

NETWORK Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

RFID Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

LANGUAGE Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

SENSOR Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

PORTS Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

BLUETOOTH Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Manual Calibration - Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

RFID Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

4 • Print Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Determining Printer Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Thermal Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Modes of Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Setting the Thermal Print Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Types of Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Determining Thermal Media Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Media Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Attaching the 3 inch Core Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Loading 3 inch I.D. Media rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Removing the 3 inch Core Adapters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Ribbon Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

When to Use Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Coated Side of Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Ribbon Test with Adhesive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Ribbon Scratch Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Replacing Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Adding a New Transfer Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Replacing a Partially Used Transfer Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ User’s Guide 1/16/2014

Contents

Adjusting the Print Width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Adjusting the Print Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Media Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Using the Movable Black Mark Sensor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Adjusting the Movable Sensor for Black Marks or Notches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Adjusting the Movable Sensor for Web (Gap) Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Printing on Fan-Fold Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Printing with Externally Mounted Roll Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Sending Files to the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Fonts and Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Identifying Fonts in Your Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Localizing the Printer with Code Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Asian fonts and Other Large Font Sets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Getting Asian Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

5 • Printer Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Label Dispenser Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Cutter Option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Loading Media with the Cutter Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Bluetooth Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Printer Network Configuration Status Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

6 • Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Cleaning the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Media Path Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Sensor Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Platen Cleaning and Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Other Printer Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

RTC Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Replacing the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

7 • Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Printing Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Ribbon Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Communications Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Miscellaneous Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

RFID Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

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Contents

xii

Printer Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Power-On Self Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Configuration Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Print Quality Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Reset Printer Factory Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Reset Network Factory Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Communication Diagnostics Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Sensor Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

A • Appendix: Interface Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Serial Port Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Connecting the Printer to a DTE Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

B • Appendix: Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

External ZD500 Series™ Printer Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Label Dispenser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Cutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

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Introduction

This section introduces you to your new Zebra® ZD500 Series™ desktop thermal label printer. It describes what you get in your shipping box and provides an overview of printer features. It also includes procedures that describe how to open and close the printer and report any problems.

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

This users guide provides all the information you need to operate your printer on a daily basis.

ZD500 Series™ Thermal Printers

The Zebra® ZD500 Series™ models are desktop thermal label printers with the widest range of features and options including an internal UHF RFID encoder option.

• The 203 dpi (dots per inch print density) version printer provides thermal transfer and direct thermal printing at speeds up to 6 ips (inches per second).

• The 300 dpi version printer provides thermal transfer and direct thermal printing at speeds up to 4 ips.

• These printers support ZPL™ Zebra printer programming language and a wide variety of interface and feature options.

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Introduction

ZD500 Series™ Thermal Printers

The ZD500 Series™ printer features:

• A user display and control panel for easier installation and direct access feature

• OpenAccess™ design for simplified media loading.

• Color-coded operator controls and media guides.

• Zebra™ Global Printing Solution – supports Microsoft Windows keyboard encoding

• On–The –Fly OpenType and TrueType font scaling and import, Unicode, resident

• XML-Enabled printing—allows XML communications for bar code label printing,

controls typically found only in premium printers.

(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 Standards), Hexadecimal encoding, and custom character mapping (DAT table creation, font linking, and character remapping).

scalable font, and a selection of resident bitmap fonts.

eliminating license fees and print server hardware and lowering customization and programming costs.

• Movable Sensor: A full width movable black mark or notch sensor, and multi center position transmissive (label gap/web) sensor.

• 56 MB of user accessible flash memory for storing forms, fonts, and graphics.

• USB 2.0, Serial RS-232 and bi-directional parallel ports.

• Internal ZebraNet10/100 Print Server—supports 10Base-T, 100Base-TX and fast Ethernet 10/100 auto-switching networks.

• On-board RTC (Real Time Clock).

• Printhead maintenance reporting enabled and customizable by the user.

The ZD500 Series™ printer options:

• Internal UHF RFID Encoder (See the RFID Programmimg Guide 3 for details)

• Label Dispense (Peel-Off Liner and Present Label for Operator).

• General purpose media cutter.

• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)

• Bluetooth 3.0

• Pre-loaded Swiss 721 Latin 1 font (for EU zone printers). Font is available for download.

• Asian Language support with printer configuration options for the large Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese, or Korean character sets. Printers sold in China have the Simplified Chinese SimSun font pre-installed.

• Zebra® ZBI 2.0™ (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® ZKDU™, etc.) all without being attached to a PC or network.

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Introduction

ZD500 Series™ Thermal Printers

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

To create label formats, refer to your programming guides or label design applications such as the free label and form design software: ZebraDesigner™.

The printer includes a complete suite of free Link-OS 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.

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Introduction

Power Cord

varies by locale or region

Documentation

and Software

Power

Supply

USB Cable

Printer

Ribbon Core

3in (76.2 mm) I.D.

Media Roll Adapters

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.

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ Thermal Transfer Printer User’s Guide 1/16/2014

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.

Printer Features

Interface

Connectors

Control Panel

Release Latches

DC Power

Receptacle

Power

Switch

Fan-Fold Media

Entry Slot

Figure 1 shows features on the outside and Figure 2 shows features inside the media

compartment of your printer. Depending on the printer model and the installed options, your printer may look slightly different.

Figure 1 • Printer Features

Introduction

Printer Features

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Introduction

Label Taken

Sensor

Peel Bar

Platen

Roller

Printhead

Movable

Black Mark

Sensor

Ribbon Trailer Sensor

(hidden from view)

Roll Holders and

Media Guides

Head-Up Sensor

(inside)

Pinch

Roller

Dispenser Door

(open)

Take Up Spindles

Supply Spindles

Ribbon Roll Holders

Dispenser Option

Web (Gap)

Sensor

Media Guide Stop

Adjustment

RFID Antenna

(inside)

Printer Features

Figure 2 • Printer Features Continued

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Figure 3 • Printer Features - Cutter Option

Media Cutter

(Option)

Introduction

Printer Features

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Introduction

6 5811 9 7

Figure 4 • ZD500 Series™ Control Panel

Control Panel

The control panel indicates the printer’s operating status and allows the user to control basic printer operation.

STATUS light Shows the current status of the printer. For more information, see

The PAUSE button starts or stops printer operation when pressed.

The FEED button forces the printer to feed one blank label each time the button is pressed.

The CANCEL button cancels print jobs when the printer is paused.

The RIGHT ARROW button, which is active only in the menu system, navigates to the right

through the main menu and to previous items in sub-menus.

The DOWN ARROW button changes the parameter values. Common uses are to decrease a value

or to scroll through choices. The SELECT () button operates as follows:

• When on the Home screen, pressing enters the menu system.

• When in the menu system, pressing  accepts the values shown.

The UP ARROW button changes the parameter values. Common uses are to increase a value or to

scroll through choices.

The LEFT ARROW button, which is active only in the menu system, navigates to the left through

the main menu and to the next item in sub-menus.

RIGHT OPTION button These buttons execute the actions or commands shown directly above

LEFT OPTION button

The display shows the printer’s operating status and allows the user to navigate the menu system.

Table 1 on page 9.

them in the display.

Add

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Table 1 • Printer Status Indicator Light

STATUS light steady green

The printer is ready.

STATUS light steady amber

This indicator light on steady indicates one of the following:

• The printer is not ready.

• The printhead is over temperature.

Caution • The printhead may be hot and could cause severe burns. Allow

the printhead to cool.

STATUS light flashing amber

This indicator light flashing indicates one of the following:

• The printhead is under temperature.

STATUS light steady red

This indicator light on steady indicates one of the following:

• The media supply is out.

• The ribbon supply is out.

• The printhead is open.

• Cutter malfunction.

The printer needs attention and cannot continue without user intervention.

Introduction

Control Panel

STATUS light flashing red

This indicator light flashing indicates one of the following:

• The printer is unable to correctly identify the printhead type.

• The main logic board (MLB) is over temperature.

• The printhead is extremely over temperature.

Caution • The printhead may be hot and could cause severe burns. Allow

the printhead to cool.

The printer needs attention and cannot continue without user intervention.

STATUS light flashing amber followed by alternating amber/ green

This status light condition indicates the printer is in Forced Download Mode. Forced Download Mode is used to download new firmware to the printer. This

mode should only be used by trained personnel.

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Introduction

Error

Cover Unlocked

Ribbon In

Media In

Data

Ethernet

Bluetooth

Signal Strength

WiFi

Previous Menu Shortcut

Language Menu

Settings Menu Sensors Menu

Tools Menu Ports Menu

Network Menu

Bluetooth Menu

RFID Menu

Control Panel Display Menu and Status Icons

Figure 5 • Typical Home Menu

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Printer Control Panel Display

PRINTER READY

V74.19.1Z

SETTINGS

The printer’s control panel includes a display, where you can view the printer’s status or change its operating parameters. In this section, you will learn how to navigate through the printer’s menu system and change values for menu items.

After the printer completes the power-up sequence, it moves to the Idle Display (Figure 6). If a print server is installed, the printer cycles through the information shown and the printer’s IP address.

Figure 6 • Idle Display

Introduction

Printer Control Panel Display

The printer’s current status

Information that you set through TOOLS Menu on page 56 - IDLE DISPLAY

Home menu shortcut

The printer’s operating parameters are organized into several user menus, which you can access through the printer’s Home menu (Figure 7). For detailed information about changing the printer settings, see Printer Configuration on page 51.

Figure 7 • Home Menu

See SETTINGS Menu on page 52.See LANGUAGE Menu

on page 69.

See TOOLS Menu on page 56.See SENSOR Menu on page 71.

See NETWORK Menu

on page 61.

See RFID Menu on page 65 See BLUETOOTH Menu

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Exit and return to the Idle Display (Figure 6).

See PORTS Menu on page 72.

on page 74

Introduction

SETTINGS menu icon

SETTINGS menu icon highlighted and active for selection.

Printer Control Panel Display

Navigating through Screens in the Menu

Idle Display

Home Menu

Table 2 shows navigating through the screens in the control panel display.

Table 2 • Navigation

At the Idle Display (Figure 6 on page 11), press LEFT SELECT to go to the printer’s Home menu (Figure 7 on page 11).

To move from icon to icon in the Home menu, press the ARROW buttons.

To select the highlighted menu icon and enter the menu, press

SELECT (

) button.

Press LEFT SELECT to exit the Home menu and return to the Idle Display.

When an icon is selected, its image reverses to highlight it.

Note • The printer automatically returns to the Idle Display after 15 seconds of inactivity in the Home menu.

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Introduction

XXXXXXX

XXX

Printer Control Panel Display

Table 2 • Navigation

User Menus

Press LEFT SELECT to return to the Home menu. ▼and ▲ indicate that a value can be changed. Any

changes that you make are saved immediately.

Press the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW to scroll through accepted values.

To scroll through the items in a User menu, press the LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW.

A word in the bottom-right corner of the display indicates an available action.

Press SELECT (

) button or press RIGHT

SELECT to perform the action shown.

Note • The printer automatically returns to the Home menu after 15 seconds of inactivity in a User menu.

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Introduction

Control Panel Menu Map

Home Menu Items

Menu Item also in other Menus

Printer Option. May not be present.

Go to next Menu group

Printer Ready

V74.xx.xxZ

Darkness

Print Speed

Media Type

Print Method

Tear Off

Print Width

Print Mode

Label Top

Left Position

Reprint Mode

Label Length

Max

Language

Tools Menu

Information

LCD Contrast

LCD Backlight

Idle Display

Power Up

Action

Head Close

Action

Load Defaults

Manual

Calibration

Diagnostic

Mode

ZBI Enabled?

Yes No

Run ZBI

Program

Stop ZBI Program

Network Menu

Wired IP

Address

Wired Subnet

Mask

Wired

Gateway

Wired IP Protocol

Wired MAC

Address

Wired Port

WLAN

Installed

WLAN

Reset Network

Active Print

Server

Primary Network

Information

WLAN IP

Address

WLAN Subnet

Mask

WLAN

Gateway

WLAN IP

Protocol

WLAN MAC

Address

WLAN Port

ESSID

Channel

Signal

IP Port

IP Alternate

Port

RFID Status

RFID Calibrate

RFID Read

Data

RFID Test

RFID Program

Position

RFID Read

Power

RFID Write

Power

RFID Valid

Count

RFID Void

Count

Language

(Menu)

Language

ZPL Override

Command Character

Control

Character

Delimiter Char

ZPL Mode

Sensors Menu

Sensor Type

Manual

Calibration

Information

Label Sensor

Take Label

Ports Menu

Baud Rate

Data Bits

Parity

Host

Handshake

Parallel Mode

WML Version

Settings

Bluetooth

Address

Mode

Discovery

Connected

BT Spec

Version

Min Security

Mode

Settings Menu

htooteulBstroPsrosneSDIFRkrowteNslooTsgnitteS

Load Defaults

RFID Menu

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ Thermal Transfer Printer User’s Guide 1/16/2014

This section assists you in setting up and operating your printer for the first time.

Basic Printer Setup (Overview)

The setup process to can be broken down to two (2) phases: hardware setup and host system (software/driver) setup.

Setup

• Place the printer in a safe location with access to power and where cable or the wireless option communications can access your printer.

• Attach the printer to a grounded AC power source.

• Select and prepare media for your printer.

• Load the media.

• Load the transfer ribbon if you are using thermal transfer media.

• Turn the printer ON. Print a ‘Configuration Report’ to verify basic printer operation.

• Turn the printer OFF.

• Choose method to communicate to your printer - Local connection via USB, Serial, or Parallel ports; Local network via Ethernet (LAN); or using the printer’s wireless option that supports Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n WLAN) and Bluetooth 3.0.

• Attach the printer to the network or host system, and configure the printer as required for communicating to the print system host/network.

For supported Windows Operating systems (most common) with a Local (cabled) connection:

• ‘Run’ the Zebra Setup Utilities for systems from the User’s CD.

• Click on ‘Install New Printer’ and run the install wizard. Select ‘Install Printer’ and select the ZD500R from the list of ZDesigner printers.

• Select the port (USB, Serial or Parallel) that you connected to the PC.

• Turn the printer ON and configure printer communications for your interface type.

• Print a Windows driver ‘Test Print’ to verify operation with Windows.

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Setup

Select a Location for the Printer

The printer and media need a clean safe area with moderate temperatures to have optimal print operations.

Select a location for the printer that meets these conditions:

• Surface: The surface where the printer will be located must be solid, level, and of sufficient size and strength to hold the printer.

• Space: The area where the printer will be located must include enough space for ventilation, opening the printer (media access and cleaning), and for accessing the printer components and connectors. To allow for proper ventilation and cooling, leave open space on all sides of the printer.

Caution • Do not place any padding or cushioning material under or around the base

of the printer because this restricts air flow and could cause the printer to overheat.

• Power: The printer should be within a short distance of an appropriate power outlet that is easily accessible.

• Data communication interfaces: The printer must be within range of your WLAN or Bluetooth radio (if applicable) or within an acceptable range for other connectors to reach your data source (usually a computer).

Data cables should not be routed with or near power cords or conduits, fluorescent lighting, transformers, microwave ovens, motors or other electrical noise and interference sources. These interference sources may interfere with communications, host system operation, and printer functionality.

• Operating conditions: Your printer is designed to function in a wide range of environmental and electrical conditions, including a warehouse or factory floor. Table 4 shows the temperature and relative humidity requirements for the printer when it is operating.

Table 3 • Operating Temperature and Humidity

Mode Temperature Relative Humidity

Thermal Transfer 41° to 104°F (5° to 40°C) 20 to 85% non-condensing

Direct Thermal 32° to 104°F (0° to 40°C)

Table 4 • Non-Operating and Storage Temperature and Humidity

Mode Temperature Relative Humidity

Both -40° to 140°F (-40° to 60°C) 5 to 85% non-condensing

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ Thermal Transfer Printer User’s Guide 1/16/2014

Attaching Power

Power Connector

Power

Switch

Plug Varies by Country

Active Power Light

Power

Receptacle

AC Power Cord

Printer

Power Supply

IEC 60320 C-13

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

Serious personal injury could result!

1. Make sure the printer’s power switch is in the off position (down).

2. Insert the AC power cord into the power supply.

3. 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.

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

Setup

Attaching Power

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.

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Setup

Preparing and Handling Media

Carefully handling and storing media is important for the print quality in addition to using the right media (such as Genuine Zebra™ Supplies) and the right printer, your Zebra ZD500 Series™ printer. If the media becomes contaminated or dirty, it can damage or degrade the printhead or the printer, as well as, cause defects in the printed image (voids, streaks, discoloration, compromise the adhesive, etc.).

During manufacturing, packaging, handling and storage, the outside length of media may become dirty or contaminated when handled or dusty when stored. To prevent this type of contamination, we ask you to remove the outside layer of the media roll or stack. This will remove any contaminates or adhesive from labels or tape used to secure the media to the roll that may transfer to the printer or printhead.

Media Storage Tips

• Store media in a clean, dry, cool, dark area.

• Direct thermal media is chemically treated to be heat sensitive. Direct sunlight or heat sources may ‘expose’ the media.

• Do not store media with chemicals or cleaning products.

• Leave media in its protective packaging until it is to be placed in the printer for use.

• Many media types and label adhesives have a ‘shelf life’ or expiration date. Always use the oldest, viable (non-expired) media first.

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ Thermal Transfer Printer User’s Guide 1/16/2014

Setting the Printer Menu and Report Display Language

The printer supports many languages for menu display, time and date format, and configuration reports.

The primary method used to configure language is the control panels menu. Use the following procedure to set your printer’s language when the printer is turned on and in the ‘Ready’ state.

1. Press the menus ‘Home’ ( ) button.

2. Navigate to the ‘LANGUAGE’ ( ) menu button and press the ‘Select’ () button.

3. Use the ‘Up’ () and ‘Down’ () navigation arrows to browse the languages.

4. Stop browsing when you have found the language you wish to use for operating the

printer. The language displayed will be your selected language.

Set Media Print Method

Set the printer’s PRINT METHOD using the printer control panel. See SETTINGS Menu

on page 52 - PRINT METHOD for the full procedure.

Setup

The ZD500 Series™ printer has been designed to print with DIRECT THERMAL (direct thermal media which uses heat sensitive media to print) or THERMAL TRANS (thermal transfer printing which uses ribbon to heat transfer print to the media).

The direct thermal and thermal transfer settings each have optimized Darkness control characteristics to allow similar visual Darkness and Print Quality at the same DARKNESS and PRINT SPEED settings.

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Setup

Loading Roll Media

Use the instructions in this section to load roll media in Tear-Off mode and Gap/Web media sensing set by default. This mode also works for most full width black mark (black line) media.

For other common media and setting variations see one of the following:

• Using the Movable Black Mark Sensor on page 89

• Printing on Fan-Fold Media on page 93

• Cutter Option on page 103

• Label Dispenser Option on page 100 after you have loaded media using this procedure.

Instructions for media loading:

1. Open the printer. Pull the release latch levers toward the front of the printer.

2. Open the media roll holders. Pull the media guides open with 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.

P1062653-002 Rev. A ZD500 Series™ Thermal Transfer Printer User’s Guide 1/16/2014

Movable

Black Mark Sensor

Off Center

Black Mark Sensing Only

Default - Web (Gap) Sensing

Standard Operating Position

Setup

Loading Roll Media

3. Verify that the movable black mark sensor is aligned in the center default position. 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 black mark and die-cut notched media.

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Setup

Under Media

Guides

Loading Roll Media

4. 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.

5. Push the media under both of the media guides.

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

Your media may need a ‘Manual Calibration’ to adjust the printer’s sensors and label length setting to operate properly. See the Manual Calibration - Media on page 75. If you are using RFID media, run a RFID Calibration procedure, see the RFID Menu on page 65 - RFID CALIBRATE for details.

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Loading Transfer Ribbon

Notch

Adhesive Strip

Right Side

(printer and roll)

Setup

Loading Transfer Ribbon

Transfer ribbons come in several varieties and in some cases colors to match your application

needs. Genuine Zebra brand media. Using non-Zebra media or ribbons not approved for use in your Zebra

transfer ribbons are specifically designed for your printer and Zebra

printer

may damage your printer or printhead.

• The media and ribbon types should be matched to provide you with optimal print results.

• Always use ribbon that is wider than the media to protect the printhead from wear.

• For direct thermal printing, do not load ribbon in the printer.

Before following these steps, prepare the ribbon by removing its wrapping and pulling its adhesive strip free.

Important • DO NOT USE early model desktop printer ribbon cores! The older ribbon cores

can be identified by notches on only one side of the ribbon core. These older cores are too large and will cause take-up spool to bind.

Note • DO NOT USE ribbon cores with damaged notches - rounded, frayed, smashed, etc. The

core notches should be square to lock the core on the spindle or the core may slip causing ribbon wrinkle, poor end of ribbon sensing or other intermittent failures.

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Setup

Loading Transfer Ribbon

1. With the printer open, place a new ribbon roll on printer’s lower ribbon supply spindles.

Rotate the roll until the notches align and lock into the left side of the supply hub.

2. Place an empty ribbon core on printer’s take-up spindles. Rotate the ribbon core until the

notches align and lock into the left side of the take-up hub.

You can find your first ribbon take-up core in the packing box. Subsequently, use the empty supply core to take up the next roll of ribbon.

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Setup

Loading Transfer Ribbon

3. Pull the transfer ribbon’s leader off the roll and attach it with the adhesive strip on the

leader to the empty ribbon core on the take-up spindle. Center the ribbon on the ribbon core.

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Setup

Loading Transfer Ribbon

4. Rotate the thumb wheel on the left side of the supply spindle towards the rear of the

printer until the ribbon is pulled tight across the printhead.

5. Verify that the media is loaded and ready to print and then close the printer cover.

6. Press the Feed button to have the printer feed a minimum of 10 cm (4 inches) of media to

remove slack and ribbon wrinkle, and to align the ribbon on the spindles.

7. Change the print mode setting from direct thermal printing to thermal transfer to set the

printer’s temperature profiles for thermal transfer media. This can be done with the printer driver, application software, or printer programming commands.

• When controlling printer operations with ZPL programming, refer to the Media Type (^MT) ZPL II command (follow the instructions in the ZPL Programming Guide).

8. To verify the mode change from direct thermal printing to thermal transfer printing, use

the Test Printing with Configuration Report Printouts on page 27 to print a configuration label. The ‘PRINT METHOD’ should read ‘THERMAL-TRANS’ on the printer configuration status label.

Your printer is now ready to print.

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Test Printing with Configuration Report Printouts

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 report.

1. Make sure the media is properly loaded and the top cover of the printer is closed.

2. Press and hold CANCEL button while setting the printer power switch to on (I).

3. Hold CANCEL button down until the printer status light turns green for the first time and

release.

4. The Printer and Network Configuration Reports (below) will be printed a couple of

seconds after the printer’s display reports ‘PRINTER READY’.

Setup

If you cannot get these reports to print and you have checked your printer installation with this document, then see the Troubleshooting section of the User’s Guide or the Zebra Website for guidance.

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Setup

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

The printer supports a variety of interface options and configurations. These include: Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, RS232 Serial, Parallel (IEEE 1284.4), 10/100 Wired Ethernet, and an optional internal Wireless Ethernet (WiFi) and Bluetooth radio.

Pre-install Windows® Printer Drivers

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.

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 configuration setup choices prior to and immediately following applying power. The Zebra Setup Utilities configuration wizards will instruct you to turn the printer’s power on at the appropriate time to complete the installation of your printer.

For more details on installing Ethernet (network) and Bluetooth interfaces:

•ZebraNet® Wired and Wireless Print Servers User Guide

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

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.

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

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

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USB Interface

USB Cable

Parallel 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.

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

Setup

Parallel Interface

The required cable must have a 25 pin “D” type (DB-25P) male connector on one and a Centronics on the other end (IEEE 1284 A-B parallel interface specification).

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Setup

Tighten

Serial Cable

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

Serial Interface

The printer uses a Null Modem (cross-over) cable for DTE communications. The required cable must have a nine-pin “D” type (DB-9P) male connector on one end which 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. 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) and Flow control are the most common settings that get changed.

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

• Using the printers Control Panel ‘PORTS’ menu.

• ZPL programming ^SC command

• Resetting the printer to its default printer configuration.

Factory defaults for serial communication settings are: 9600 baud, 8 bit word length, NO parity, 1 stop bit, and XON/XOFF (‘Software’ data flow control in the Windows based host system).

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Wired (Ethernet) Interface

The printer requires UTP RJ45 Ethernet cable rated CAT-5 or better.

The printer has a built-in network print server. For more information on configuring your printer to run on a compatible Ethernet based network, see the ZebraNet® Wired and Wireless Print Server users guide. 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 print server Web pages.

Assigning a IP Address for Network Access All devices on a Ethernet network require a network IP (Internet Protocol) address. The printer’s IP address is needed to access the printer for printing and printer configuration. The four different ways to assign an IP address are:

• DHCP (Dynamic Host Connection Protocol) - Default setting

• ZebraNet Bridge

• Using the printer’s Control Panel ‘NETWORK’ menu

•Telnet

Setup

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

• Zebra Setup Utilities (includes the ZebraDesigner Windows printer driver)

DHCP for Personal Networks The printer by default is set to operate on LAN or WAN with DHCP by default to aid end-user installations. This is intended primarily for personal networks. The network automatically provides a new network IP address each time the printer is turned on. The Windows printer driver uses a Static IP address to connect to the printer. The IP address set in the printer driver will need to be changed to access the printer if its assigned IP address has changed after the printer’s initial installation.

Managed Networks Using the printer in a structured network (LAN or WAN) requires a network administrator to assign the printer a Static IP address and other settings needed to operate on the network properly.

Viewing the Printer’s IP Address Use the printer’s control panel to access the Ethernet settings in your printer.

1. Press the menus ‘Home’ ( ) button.

2. Navigate to the ‘NETWORK’ ( ) menu button and press the ‘Select’ () button.

3. Use the ‘Up’ () and ‘Down’ () navigation arrows to browse to the

‘WIRED IP ADDRESS’ setting. You can read the assigned IP address or set the IP address. The printer’s default address (all 0’s - zeros) is not a valid address. With assistance of your network administrator, you can set all of the ‘WIRED’ network setting in this ‘NETWORK’ menu branch.

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Setup

Ethernet Cable

(RJ45 Connector)

Green LED Amber LED

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

Print Server - Default User ID and Password

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There are some features that require the default User ID and/or default password to access printer’s print server or if you have the Wi-Fi option in the printer. The Factory Default Values are shown below:

• User ID: admin

• Password: 1234

ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server Option

This section covers basic configuration of your ZebraNet Internal Wireless Print Server option for operation. For more detailed information, refer to the ZebraNet Wired and Wireless Print Servers User Guide.

Important • A wireless option board must be installed on your printer before you can

configure the printer to communicate using the wireless radio option.

You may configure your printer for wireless operation in the following ways. This basic guide covers only the first option, the Connectivity Wizard.

• Through the Connectivity Wizard, which writes a ZPL script for you. On the last screen of the utility, you may choose to send the command directly to your printer, or you may choose to save the ZPL script to a file. The saved ZPL file has several purposes:

• The file can be sent to the printer through any available connection (serial, parallel, USB, or wired print server).

• The file can be resent to the printer after the network settings have been restored to factory defaults.

Setup

• The file can be sent to multiple printers that will use the same network settings.

• Through ZPL script that you write yourself. Use the ^WX command to set the basic parameters for security type. You can send the command through any available connection (serial, parallel, USB, or wired print server). Refer to the ZPL Programming Guide for more information on this option.

• Through Set/Get/Do (SGD) commands that you send to the printer. Begin with wlan.security to set the wireless security type. Depending on which security type that you select, other SGD commands will be necessary to specify other parameters. You can send the commands through any available connection (serial, parallel, USB, or wired print server). Refer to the ZPL Programming Guide for more information on this option.

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Setup

Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

The ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise utility resides on the User CD for your printer and is available through http://www.zebra.com/software. ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise version 1.2.5 or later is required to configure the printer correctly for use.

The Connectivity Wizard, which is part of this software, allows you to configure your printer easily for wireless operation by writing the appropriate ZPL script for you. Use this utility when you are first installing the wireless print server or after you set the network options back to factory defaults.

Note • You can only set up one print server at a time with the Connectivity Wizard. To

configure multiple print servers (wired and wireless), run the program once for each print server.

To use the Connectivity Wizard, complete these steps:

1. If it is not already installed, install ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise on your computer.

You can get the program from the user CD that came with your printer, or you can download it at http://www.zebra.com/software.

2. Launch the ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise program.

If you are prompted for a serial number, you may click use the Connectivity Wizard.

3. From the Menu bar, select Tools > Connectivity Wizard.

The Connectivity Wizard opens.

Cancel. You will still be able to

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Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

4. From the Choose Port list, select the port to which your printer is connected.

• If you will save the file without sending it to the printer, you may select any available port.

• If you select File:, you will be asked to browse to the location of the file you want to save.

• If you select a serial port, the serial configuration information appears below the Choose Port list. If necessary, change the serial communication settings to match your printer’s settings.

Note • If a port is in use by another device, it will not be included in the drop-down

list.

5. Click Next.

The wizard prompts for the print server device to configure.

Setup

6. Select Wireless and then click Next.

The wizard prompts you for the type of printer you are using.

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Setup

Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

7. Select the type of printer you are using and then click Next.

The wizard prompts for the wireless IP information.

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Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

8. Enable the DHCP (dynamic) or static IP option.

If you will be using... Complete the following steps...

DHCP a. Select DHCP and click Next.

b. Continue with step 9.

Static

a. Select Static.

The IP settings fields are activated.

a. Enter the IP Address, Default Gateway, and Subnet

Mask for the wireless print server. Contact your network administrator for the correct values.

b. Continue with step 9.

9. Click Next.

The Wireless Settings window opens.

Setup

10. Enter the ESSID.

Important • The ESSID and pass phrase, if used, must be set at your access point before

completing these steps.

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Setup

Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

11. From the drop-down, select your Security Mode.

If you select… Then…

None Continue with step 12.

WEP 40-Bit WEP 128-Bit

EAP-TLS EAP-TTLS EAP-FAST WPA-EAP-TLS

PEAP LEAP WPA-EAP-TTLS WPA-PEAP WPA-LEAP

WPA-PSK In the WPA section of the window:

WPA-EAP-FAST

KERBEROS

a. In the WEP Options section of the window, enter the

following values:

• Authentication type

• WEP Index

• Encryption Key Storage

• WEP Keys

b. Click Next and continue with step 12.

In the EAP section of the window, if necessary:

a. Enter the Optional Private Key. b. Click Next and continue with step 12.

In the General Security section of the window:

a. Enter the Security Username and Password. b. Click Next and continue with step 12.

a. Select the PSK Type. b. Enter the PSK Name. c. Click Next and continue with step 12.

a. In the General Security section of the window, enter the

Security Username and Password.

b. In the EAP section of the window, if necessary, enter the

Optional Private Key.

c. Click Next and continue with step 12.

a. In the Kerberos Settings section of the window, enter the

following values:

• Kerberos User

• Kerberos Password

• Kerberos Realm

• Kerberos KDC

b. Click Next and continue with step 12.

c.KERBEROS is not supported on Internal

Wireless Plus print servers or radio cards.

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Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

12. Click Advanced Options in the Wireless Settings window. step 12

The Advanced Wireless Settings window opens.

Setup

13. Review the settings in the Advanced Wireless Settings window. Change the settings as

necessary, and then click

OK.

The Wireless Settings window returns.

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Setup

Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

14. Click Next.

Based on your selections in the Wireless Setup Wizard, the program writes the appropriate ZPL commands and displays them for your review.

If you selected… Then a dialog box similar to this displays.

Tabletop/Desktop

Mobile

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Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

15. Determine if you will send the script immediately, or save it for use at a later time.

To... Then...

Setup

Complete setup by sending the ZPL script to the printer through the port selected at the beginning of this procedure

Save the ZPL script to a file for later use or for use on other printers

a. Verify that the printer is connected to the computer

through the port you selected.

Note • For serial connections, use a serial null

modem cable.

b. If you have not already done so, turn on (I) the printer. c. On the Review and Send ZPL for Wireless window,

Finish.

click

The printer sends the ZPL script to the printer through the selected port. The Wireless Setup Wizard screen closes.

d. Turn the printer off (O) and then back on (I).

Note • You can send the ZPL script file to

multiple printers that use the same configuration, or you can send the file to a printer that had the network settings restored to the factory defaults. This saves you from having to go through the Wireless Setup Wizard more than once.

a. On the Review and Send ZPL for Wireless window,

highlight the script, right-click, and select

b. Open a text editor, such as Notepad, and paste the

Copy.

script into the application.

c. Save the script. d. In the Connectivity Wizard, click Cancel to exit

without sending the script at this time.

e. If you have not already done so, turn on (I) the printer. f. Send the ZPL file to the printer through the connection

of your choice.

16. Observe the wireless status on the printer’s control panel, and confirm that you have set up

your printer for wireless connectivity. Printers that have an LCD display text or symbols (see Tab le 5 and Ta ble 6).

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Setup

Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

LCD Link Status and Wireless Signal Indicators

This section applies to printers and print engines other than the HC100 printer.

• Link Status Indicator (Table 5) The wireless link status indicator appears at the upper right of the LCD, providing a

real-time display of the printer’s network status.

Status Indicator Meaning

Table 5 • Link Status Indicators

The wireless radio is associated with the WLAN.

The wireless radio is not associated with the WLAN. Verify that your printer’s wireless settings match those of the WLAN.

The wireless radio is associated and authenticated to the WLAN.

blank

• The printer is checking for a wired print server.

• The printer is running a wired print server.

• The wireless print server board is not installed or not installed correctly.

• Wireless Signal Indicators (Table 6) The wireless signal indicators appears at the upper right of the LCD, providing a real-

time display of the signal strength and quality.

Table 6 • Wireless Signal Indicators

Wireless Signal Indicator Description

These bars indicate relative strength of the wireless signal. The more bars shown, the better the connection is between the printer and the network.

If your printer indicates a signal strength but you cannot communicate with the printer from your computer, move the printer to a different location to try to get a better signal strength or signal quality. This situation could also indicate that the printer is associated with, but not authenticated with, your access point.

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Bluetooth Option Configuration

The Zebra Setup Utilities provides a quick and easy way to configure a Bluetooth wireless connection with your printer.

1. Double-click the Zebra Setup Utilities icon on your desktop.

2. Connect a USB cable from your printer to your computer.

3. On the first ZSU screen, highlight the printer displayed in the window and click on the

Configure Printer Connectivity where shown.

4. Select “Bluetooth” on the Connectivity Type screen and click on the Next button.

Setup

Bluetooth Option Configuration

5. On the Bluetooth Settings screen, check “Enabled” to enable Bluetooth functionality.

6. In the Friendly Name text field, set the Bluetooth name of the device. This name appears

during device discovery and the master device will label the printer with this name.

7. Set Discoverable to “On” or “Off” to set whether the device will appear when master

devices are looking for new devices to pair with.

8. Set Authentication to “On.” (Note: This setting does not exist in Link-OS, but you need to

turn on if you want to enter a PIN in ZSU. Actual authentication setting on the printer is set in the Security Mode on the Advanced Settings menu.)

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Setup

Bluetooth Option Configuration

9. The values set in the Authentication PIN field will vary depending on the Bluetooth

version of the master device. If the master uses BT v2.0 or older, enter a numeric value in this field. You will be prompted to enter this same value on the master device to verify pairing. Security Mode 2 or 3 in Advanced Settings should also be selected for PIN paring.

10. If the master device uses BT v2.1 or newer, this setting has no effect. BT v2.1 and newer

uses Secure Simple Paring (SSP) which does not require the use of a PIN.

11. Clicking on the Advanced Settings button will display the Advanced Bluetooth Settings

window. For more information on Advanced Settings, refer to the Wired and Wireless Print Server Guide.

12. Click Next to continue configuring your printer.

13. The SGD commands to properly configure your printer will be displayed. Click Next to

continue to the Send Data screen.

14. On the Send Data screen, you may click on the Printer that you want to immediately send

the commands to or you may click on the File button to save the commands to a file on your computer that can be sent to one or more printers at a later time.

15. To send the commands to the printer, click on the Finish button and the printer will be

updated and then reboot. You may disconnect the USB interface from your printer now.

16. To complete the Bluetooth paring process, enable Bluetooth device discovery on your

master device and follow the directions provided with the master device.

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Connecting to a Windows XP® SP2 Master Device

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

1. 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.

2. Leave the ‘Local’ radio button with the ‘Automatic detect ...’ checkbox (checked)

selected and click ‘Next’.

3. 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’.

4. Select the ‘Create a new port’ radio button and select ‘Bluetooth Printer Port’ from the

associated pull down menu.

5. 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.

6. 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.

Setup

Bluetooth Option Configuration

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

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

9. 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).

Connecting to a Windows Vista® SP2 or Windows 7® Master Device

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 ‘ and then clicking ‘

• Windows 7: Open Devices and Printers by clicking the ‘ on the ‘

• Some non-Microsoft Bluetooth dongles and built-in Bluetooth devices in the host PC’s have marginal driver support for may not complete the ‘

Bluetooth Devices’ in the ‘Control Panel’ or from the system tray on the

‘ Windows ‘ are installing. Install the printer to a local printer (USB or Serial Port for your ZD500 Series™ printer) and then change the ‘Port’ after the install has completed to the SPP (virtual serial port) COM port.

Control Panel’, clicking ‘Hardware and Sound’, clicking ‘Printers’,

Add a printer’.

Start’ button, and then,

Start’ menu, clicking ‘Devices and Printers’

Secure Simple Paring (SSP) printing and

Add printer’ wizard normally. You may need to go to the

Start’ bar and activate SPP for the ‘device’, your Bluetooth printer you

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Setup

Bluetooth Option Configuration

1. Access the ‘Devices and Printers’ from the Windows Start menu ( ).

2. Check for Bluetooth devices in the ‘Devices and Printers’ window. Note the generic

Windows Bluetooth icon below.

3. Hover over the Bluetooth icon with the mouse pointer and the icon will highlight. Right-

Click on the high-lighted Bluetooth icon. Select ‘Bluetooth Settings’ from the pop-up menu. Verify that both of the Connections check boxes are checked. Verify that the ‘Turn off the Bluetooth adapter’ is not checked. Click the ‘Apply’ button. Click the ‘OK’ button to close the window.

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Setup

Bluetooth Option Configuration

4. Click on the ‘Add a device’ in the top bar of the “Devices and Printers’ window. After

a few moments the “Add a device’ windows will populate with Bluetooth devices near you.

5. Turn the Bluetooth 3.0 enabled Zebra printer on. After a few moments the

“Add a device’ windows will add your new printer. Click on the printer icon. Right-Click and select ‘Add device’.

6. The ‘Add a device’ window changes to a code pairing screen, see an example below. The

pairing code displayed is randomly generated by the Window operating system. Complete the next two steps quickly

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Setup

Bluetooth Option Configuration

7. Check the printer’s display for the following screen. Verify that the pairing numbers

match. If the numbers match, then press the ‘Next button’ in the ‘Add a device’ window and then press the OK/Check Mark button on the printer’s control panel. If the numbers do not match, use the printer’s control panel arrow keys to change the highlighted ACCEPT to REJECT and then press the OK/Check Mark button on the printer’s control panel.

8. When the paring process successfully completes, the following message will be displayed.

Note • Note the COM port number displayed in the task bar pop-up. It will only remain for a

few seconds.

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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-Windows operation systems, coping a basic ASCII text file with a single command (~WC) to print a configuration status label.

Test Printing with Zebra Setup Utility:

1. Open the Zebra Setup Utility.

2. Click on the newly install printer’s icon to select the printer and active the printer

configuration buttons below it in the window.

3. Click the ‘Open Printer Tools’ button.

Setup

After Your Printer is Connected

4. 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:

1. 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.

2. Select the newly install printer’s icon to select the printer and right-click the mouse to

access the printer ‘Properties’ menu.

3. 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):

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

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

3. Read the IP address off the printer’s Configuration Status 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:

ftp (IP address)

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

4. 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.

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Setup

After Your Printer is Connected

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

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

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

3. 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.

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

This section presents the printer settings that you can change and identifies the tools for changing them. These tools include the following:

• The control panel menu

• ZPL and Set/Get/Do (SGD) commands (See the Zebra more information.)

Programming Guide for

• The printer’s web pages when the printer has an active wired or wireless print server connection (See the ZebraNet Wired and Wireless Print Servers User Guide for more information.)

Copies of the referenced manuals are available at http://www.zebra.com/manuals or on the user CD that came with your printer.

This section contains the following subsections:

• SETTINGS Menu on page 52

• TOOLS Menu on page 56

• NETWORK Menu on page 61

• RFID Menu on page 65

• LANGUAGE Menu on page 69

• SENSOR Menu on page 71

• PORTS Menu on page 72

• BLUETOOTH Menu on page 74

• Manual Calibration - Media on page 75

• RFID Calibration on page 76

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

SETTINGS Menu

Table 7 • SETTINGS Menu

Print Darkness

Set the darkness to the lowest setting that provides good print quality. If you set the darkness too high, the label image may print unclearly, bar codes may not scan correctly, the ribbon may burn through, or the printhead may wear prematurely.

If desired, use the Print Quality Report on page 135 to determine the best darkness setting.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

0.0 – 30.0

^MD, ~SD

print.tone

View and Modify Printer Settings > General Setup > Darkness

Print Speed Select the speed for printing a label (given in inches per second). Slower print speeds

typically yield better print quality.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

2, 3, 4, 5, 6

^PR

media.speed

Printer web page: N/A

Media Type Select the type of media that you are using.

• If you select CONTINUOUS, you must include a label length in your label format (^LL

if you are using ZPL).

• If you select GAP/NOTCH or MARK for various non-continuous media, the printer

feeds media to calculate the label length.

See Types of Media on page 79 for more information.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

• CONTINUOUS

• GAP/NOTCH

• MARK

^MN

ezpl.media_type

View and Modify Printer Settings > Media Setup > Media Type

Print Method Specify if the printer is to use Direct Thermal mode (no ribbon) or Thermal Transfer mode

(using thermal transfer media and ribbon).

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

• THERMAL TRANS

• DIRECT THERMAL

^MT

ezpl.print_method

View and Modify Printer Settings > Media Setup > Print Method

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Table 7 • SETTINGS Menu (Continued)

Media direction

Factory-set tear line location at position 000

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Tear-Off Position

If necessary, adjust the position of the media extending out of the printer after printing.

• Higher numbers move the media out (the tear line moves closer to the leading edge of

the next label).

• Lower numbers move the media in (the tear line moves closer to the edge of the label

just printed).

• Note - Tear-Off does not affect RFID program position.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

–120 to 120

~TA

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

ezpl.tear_off

View and Modify Printer Settings > General Setup > Te ar O ff

Print Width Specify the width of the labels being used. The default value is the maximum width for the

printer, based on the printhead’s DPI value.

Note • Setting the width too narrow can result in portions of a label format not being

printed on the media. Setting the width too wide wastes formatting memory and can cause the printer to print off of the label and onto the platen roller. This setting can affect the horizontal position of the label format if the image was inverted using the ^POI ZPL II command.

Accepted values:

0000 to 0832 dots (200 dpi printers)

0000 to 1280 dots (300 dpi printers)

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

^PW

ezpl.print_width

View and Modify Printer Settings > Media Setup > Print Width

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Table 7 • SETTINGS Menu (Continued)

Print Mode Select a print mode that is compatible with your printer options.

Accepted values:

• TEAR OFF

• PEEL OFF (use this value for Label Dispensing:

Separates the liner from the label and presents a peeled label to the operator)

• REWIND

• CUTTER

• DELAYED CUT

• LINERLESS PEEL

• LINERLESS REWIND

• LINERLESS TEAR

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

^MM

media.printmode

View and Modify Printer Settings > General Setup > Print Mode

Label Top If necessary, shift the print position vertically on the label. A negative value moves the

format towards the top of the label; a positive value moves the format away from the top of the label.

Accepted values:

–120 to 120

Related ZPL command(s): ^LT

SGD command used:

zpl.label_top

Label Left Position

Reprint Mode

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > Advanced Setup > Top Position

If necessary, shift the print position horizontally on the label. Positive numbers move the left edge of the image toward the center of the label by the number of dots selected, while negative numbers move the left edge of the image toward the left edge of the label.

Accepted values:

–9999 to 9999

Related ZPL command(s): ^LS

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

zpl.left_position

View and Modify Printer Settings > Advanced Setup > Left Position

When reprint mode is enabled, you can reprint the last label printed by pressing and holding PAUSE + CANCEL on the printer’s control panel.

Accepted values:

• ON

• OFF

Related ZPL command(s): ^JZ

SGD command used:

ezpl.reprint_mode

Printer web page: N/A

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Table 7 • SETTINGS Menu (Continued)

Label length (including interlabel gap)

Interlabel gap

Set the maximum label length to approximately this value

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Maximum Label Length

Set the maximum label length to a value that is at least 1.0 in. (25.4 mm) greater than the actual label length plus the interlabel gap. If you set the value to one that is smaller than the label length, the printer assumes that continuous media is loaded, and the printer cannot calibrate.

For example, if the label length is 6.0 inches (152 mm) including the inter-label gap, set the parameter for at least 7.0 inches (178 mm).

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s): ^ML

SGD command used: ezpl.label_length_max

Printer web page:

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0 to the maximum label length supported by the printer

View and Modify Printer Settings > Media Setup > Maximum Length

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

TOOLS Menu

Table 8 • TOOLS MENU

Print Information

Prints the specified information on the media, if non-continuous media the information will be displayed on one or more labels (tags, tickets, etc.).

Accepted values:

• SETTINGS—prints the printer configuration

report.

• NETWORK—prints the settings for any print

server that is installed.

• FORMATS—prints the available formats stored

in the printer’s RAM, Flash memory, or optional memory card.

• IMAGES—prints the available images stored in

the printer’s RAM, Flash memory, or optional memory card.

• FONTS—prints the available fonts in the printer,

including standard printer fonts plus any optional fonts. Fonts may be stored in RAM or Flash memory.

• BARCODES—prints the available bar codes in

the printer. Bar codes may be stored in RAM or Flash memory.

• ALL—prints the previous six labels.

• SENSOR PROFILE—shows the sensor settings

compared to actual sensor readings. To interpret the results of the sensor profile, see Sensor Profile

on page 140.

Related ZPL command(s):

Settings: ~WC

Network: ~WL

Sensor profile: ~JG

Others: ^WD

SGD command used: none

Control panel key(s):

Settings and Network: Do one of the following:

Sensor profile: Hold FEED + CANCEL during printer power-up.

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > Print Listings on Label

• Hold CANCEL during printer power-up.

• Hold FEED + CANCEL for 2 seconds when

the printer is in the Ready state.

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Table 8 • TOOLS MENU (Continued)

LCD Contrast Change the contrast on the printer’s display.

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Accepted values:

3 to 15

Related ZPL command(s): none

SGD command used:

display.contrast

Printer web page: N/A

Idle Display Select the information shown on the printer’s display when the printer is idle.

Accepted values:

• FW VERSION

• IP ADDRESS

• MM/DD/YY 24 HR

• M/DD/YY 12 HR

• DD/MM/YY 24 HR

• DD/MM/YY 12 HR

Related ZPL command(s): none

SGD command used:

device.idle_display_format

Printer web page: N/A

Power-Up Action Set the Power-Up Action

Set the action for the printer to take during the power-up sequence.

• CALIBRATE adjusts sensor levels and thresholds, determines the label length, and

feeds the media to the next web.

• FEED—feeds the labels to the first registration point.

• LENGTH determines the label length using current sensor values, and feeds the

media to the next web.

• NO MOTION tells the printer not to move the media. You must manually ensure

that the web is positioned correctly, or press feed to position the next web.

• SHORT CAL sets the media and web thresholds without adjusting sensor gain,

determines the label length, and feeds the media to the next web.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

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• CALIBRATE

• FEED

• LENGTH

• NO MOTION

• SHORT CAL

^MF

ezpl.power_up_action

View and Modify Printer Settings > Calibration

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Table 8 • TOOLS MENU (Continued)

Head-Close Action

Set the Head-Close Action

Set the action for the printer to take when you close the printhead.

• CALIBRATE adjusts sensor levels and thresholds, determines the label length, and

feeds the media to the next web.

• FEED—feeds the labels to the first registration point.

• LENGTH determines the label length using current sensor values, and feeds the

media to the next web.

• NO MOTION tells the printer not to move the media. You must manually ensure

that the web is positioned correctly, or press feed to position the next web.

• SHORT CAL sets the media and web thresholds without adjusting sensor gain,

determines the label length, and feeds the media to the next web.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

• CALIBRATE

• FEED

• LENGTH

• NO MOTION

• SHORT CAL

^MF

ezpl.head_close_action

View and Modify Printer Settings > Calibration

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Table 8 • TOOLS MENU (Continued)

Load Defaults Load Printer or Print Server Defaults

• FACTORY—Restores all printer settings other than the network settings back to the

factory defaults. Use care when loading defaults because you will need to reload all settings that you changed manually.

• NETWORK—Reinitializes the printer’s wired or wireless print server. With a

wireless print server, the printer will also reassociate with your wireless network.

• LAST SAVED—Loads settings from the last permanent save.

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Control panel key(s):

Printer web page:

• FACTORY

• NETWORK

• LAST SAVED

Factory: ^JUF

Network: ^JUN

Last saved: ^JUR

none

Factory: Hold FEED + PAUSE during printer power-up to reset the printer parameters to factory values.

Network: Hold CANCEL + PAUSE during printer power-up to reset the network parameters to factory values.

Last saved: N/A

Factory: View and Modify Printer Settings > Restore Default Configuration

Network: Print Server Settings > Reset Print Server

Last saved: View and Modify Printer Settings > Restore Saved Configuration

Manual Calibration

Calibrate the printer to adjust the sensitivity of the media and ribbon sensors.

For complete instructions on how to perform a calibration procedure, see Manual

Calibration - Media on page 75.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Control panel key(s):

N/A

~JC

ezpl.manual_calibration

Hold PAUSE + FEED + CANCEL for 2 seconds to initiate calibration.

Printer web page:

The calibration procedure cannot be initiated through the web pages. See the following web page for settings that are set during sensor calibration:

View and Modify Printer Settings > Calibration

Important • Do not change these settings

unless you are told to do so by Zebra Technical Support or by an authorized service technician.

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Table 8 • TOOLS MENU (Continued)

Communication Diagnostics Mode

Use this diagnostics tool to cause the printer to output the hexadecimal values for all data received by the printer.

For more information, see Communication Diagnostics Test on page 139.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Control panel key(s):

• DISABLED

• ENABLED

~JD to enable, ~JE to disable

device.diagnostic_print

Hold PAUSE + FEED for 2 seconds when the printer is in the Ready state.

Printer web page: N/A

Enable ZBI Zebra Basic Interpreter (ZBI 2.0™) is a programming option that may be purchased for

your printer. If you would like to purchase this option, contact your Zebra reseller for more information.

Accepted values: N/A

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

none

zbi.key (identifies if the ZBI 2.0 option is enabled or disabled on the printer)

Printer web page: N/A

Run a ZBI Program

Stop a ZBI Program

If you have ZBI installed, you may choose to run a ZBI program that you have downloaded to your printer.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

N/A

^JI, ~JI

zbi.control.run

Directory Listing

If your printer is running a ZBI program, you may stop that program.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

N/A

~JQ

zbi.control.terminate

Directory Listing

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NETWORK Menu

Table 9 • NETWORK Menu

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

WIRED or WLAN IP Address

WIRED or WLAN Subnet Mask

View or Set the Printer’s IP Address

View and, if necessary, change the printer’s IP address.

Changes to this setting are saved only if IP PROTOCOL is set to PERMANENT. To allow any saved changes to take effect, reset the print server (see RESET NETWORK in this section).

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

000 to 255 for each field

^ND

SGD command used: Wired: internal_wired.ip.addr

Wireless: ip.addr, wlan.ip.addr

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > TCP/IP Settings

View or Set the Subnet Mask

View and, if necessary, change the subnet mask.

This menu item appears only if a wired or wireless print server is installed on your printer. To save changes to this setting, set

IP PROTOCOL to PERMANENT, and then

reset the print server (see RESET NETWORK in this section).

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

000 to 255 for each field

^ND

WIRED or WLAN Gateway

SGD command used: Wired: internal_wired.ip.netmask

Wireless: wlan.ip.netmask

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > TCP/IP Settings

View or Set the Default Gateway

View and, if necessary, change the default gateway.

This menu item appears only if a wired or wireless print server is installed on your printer. To save changes to this setting, set

IP PROTOCOL to PERMANENT, and then

reset the print server (see RESET NETWORK in this section).

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

000 to 255 for each field

^ND

SGD command used: Wired: internal_wired.ip.gateway

Wireless: wlan.ip.gateway

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > TCP/IP Settings

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Table 9 • NETWORK Menu (Continued)

WIRED or WLAN IP Protocol

WIRED or WLAN MAC Address

Set the IP Resolution Method

This parameter tells if the user (permanent) or the server (dynamic) selects the IP address. If a dynamic option is chosen, this parameter tells the method(s) by which the wired or wireless print server receives the IP address from the server.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

• ALL

• GLEANING ONLY

• RARP

• BOOTP

• DHCP

• DHCP & BOOTP

• PERMANENT

^ND

SGD command used: Wired: internal_wired.ip.protocol

Wireless: wlan.ip.protocol

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > TCP/IP Settings

View the MAC Address

View the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the print server that is installed in the printer (wired or wireless).

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used: Wired: internal_wired.mac_addr

Printer web page:

ESSID View the ESSID Value

The Extended Service Set Identification (ESSID) is an identifier for your wireless network. This setting, which cannot be modified from the control panel, gives the ESSID for the current wireless configuration.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used: wlan.essid

Printer web page:

N/A

none

Wireless: wlan.mac_addr

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > Wireless Setup

32-character alphanumeric string (default 125)

none

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > Wireless Setup

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Table 9 • NETWORK Menu (Continued)

Channel View the Channel Value

This parameter retrieves the current WI-FI channel the printer is using.

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used: wlan.essid

Printer web page:

Signal View the Signal Value

This parameter returns the signal strength of the connection to the access point as a percentage value between zero (not connected) and 100 (strongest signal). Values below 40% represent a very poor signal and radio communication is not reliable.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used: wlan.signal_strength

Printer web page:

IP Port View the IP Port Value

This printer setting refers to the wireless print server’s port number that the TCP print service is listening on. Normal TCP communications from the host should be

directed to this port.

N/A

none

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > Wireless Setup

N/A

none

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > Wireless Setup

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used: wlan.ip.port

Printer web page:

IP Alternate Port View the IP Alternate Port Value

This command sets the port number of the alternate WLAN port.

Note - Print servers supporting this command will monitor both the primary port and the alternate port for connections at the same time.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used: wlan.ip.port_alternate

Printer web page:

N/A

none

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > Wireless Setup

32-character alphanumeric string (default 125)

none

View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > Wireless Setup

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Table 9 • NETWORK Menu (Continued)

Reset Network This option resets the wired or wireless print server. You must reset the print server to

allow any changes to the network settings to take effect.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

N/A

~WR

device.reset

Print Server Settings > Factory Print Server Settings

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RFID Menu

See the latest version of the RFID Programming Guide 3 for more information on using this printer’s RFID module. Go to the Zebra Web site: www.zebra.com

Table 10 • RFID Menu

RFID Status Display the status of the RFID subsystem of the printer.

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

N/A

^HL or ~HL

rfid.error.response

N/A

RFID Calibrate Use this command to initiate tag calibration for RFID media. (Not the same as manual

calibration for media.) During the process, the printer moves the media, calibrates the RFID tag position, and determines the optimal settings for the RFID media being used.

Important • Before you use this command, load the printer with RFID media, ensure that the printer is calibrated for the media, and close the printhead. Feed one label. See Manual Calibration - Media on page 75 to calibrate the media (and RFID

Calibration on page 76 for a menu accessible alternative method to this command).

Depending on the printer, these settings include the programming position, the antenna element to use, the read/write power level to use, and it read's the tag's TID to determine the chip type.

To restore the printer’s default programming position at any time, use the "restore" option in the rfid.tag.calibrate SGD command.

Leave all transponders before and after the tag that is being calibrated. This allows the printer to determine RFID settings which do not encode the adjacent tag. Allow a portion of media to extend out the front of the printer to allow for backfeed during the tag calibration procedure.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

N/A

^HR

SGD command used: rfid.tag.calibrate

Printer web page: N/A

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Table 10 • RFID Menu (Continued)

Read RFID Data Read and return the specified tag data from the RFID tag located over the RFID

antenna. No printer movement occurs while tag data is being read. The printhead can be open or closed.

Accepted values:

EPC = reads the first 128 bits of EPC data

memory bank sizes = reads the EPC, TID, and

USER memory banks sizes. Determines the sizes of the EPC, TID, and USER memory banks.

protocol bits = reads the protocol bits from the EPC

memory banks and converts that value to the EPC size

TID information = reads the first 32 bits of the TID

(Tag ID)

password status = reads the tag’s access and kill

passwords

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

^RF

rfid.tag.read.content

and

rfid.tag.read.execute

Printer web page: N/A

RFID Test During the RFID test, the printer attempts to read and write to a transponder. No printer

movement occurs with this test.

Note - Ensure that the RFID tag is positioned over the printer's RFID antenna.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

quick = performs a read EPC test and a write EPC

test (using random data)

read = performs a read EPC test

write = performs a write EPC test (using random

data)

N/A

rfid.tag.test.content

and

rfid.tag.test.execute

N/A

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Table 10 • RFID Menu (Continued)

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Programming Position

RFID Read Power

If the desired programming position (read/write position) is not achieved through RFID tag calibration, a value may be specified. See the Zebra RFID Programming Guide 3 for more details.

Accepted values: F0 to Fxxx (where xxx is the label length in

millimeters or 999, whichever is less) The printer feeds the label forward for the specified distance and then begins programming.

B0 to B30

The printer backfeeds the label for the specified distance and then begins programming. To account for the backfeed, allow empty media liner to extend out of the front of the printer when using a backward programming position.

Related ZPL command(s):

^RS

SGD command used: rfid.position.program

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > RFID Setup > PROGRAM POSITION

If the desired read power is not achieved through RFID tag calibration, a value may be specified.

RFID Write Power

RFID Valid Counter

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

0 to 30

^RW

SGD command used: rfid.reader_1.power.read

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > RFID Setup > RFID READ PWR

If the desired write power is not achieved through RFID tag calibration, a value may be specified.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

0 to 30

^RW

SGD command used: rfid.reader_1.power.write

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > RFID Setup > RFID WRITE PWR

Resets the RFID valid label counter to zero.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

N/A

~RO

SGD command used: odometer.rfid.valid_resettable

Printer web page: N/A

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Table 10 • RFID Menu (Continued)

RFID Void Counter

RFID Tag Calibration

Resets the RFID void label counter to zero.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

N/A

~RO

SGD command used: odometer.rfid.void_resettable

Printer web page: N/A

Initiate tag calibration for RFID media. (Not the same as manual calibration for media.)

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

N/A

^HR

SGD command used: rfid.tag.calibrate

Printer web page: N/A

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LANGUAGE Menu

Table 11 • LANGUAGE Menu

Language If necessary, change the language that the printer displays.

This change affects the words shown on the following:

• the Home menu

• the user menus

• error messages

• the printer configuration label, the network configuration label, and other labels that you

can select to print through the user menus.

Note • The selections for this parameter are displayed in the actual languages to

make it easier for you to find one that you are able to read.

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

ZPL Override

Accepted values:

See the ZPL programmer’s guide - ZPL and SGD enter the values differently.

Related ZPL command(s): ^KL

SGD command used: display.language

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > General Setup > Language

Enable ZPL Override

Enable this menu item to prevent the following ZPL commands from changing the printer’s current settings:

• ^MM (print mode)

• ^MT (Direct Thermal or Thermal Transfer print method)

• ^MN (media type non-continuous or continuous)

When this menu item is disabled, these commands override the printer’s settings.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

• DISABLED

• ENABLED

none

zpl.zpl_override

N/A

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Table 11 • LANGUAGE Menu (Continued)

Command Character

Control Character

Set the Format Command Prefix Value

The format command prefix is a two-digit hex value used as a parameter place marker in ZPL/ZPL II format instructions. The printer looks for this hex character to indicate the start of a ZPL/ZPL II format instruction.

Set the format command character to match what is used in your label formats.

Important • You cannot use the same hex value for the format command prefix,

control character, and delimiter characters. The printer must see different characters to work properly. If you are setting the value through the control panel, the printer will skip any value that is already in use.

Accepted values: 00 to FF

Related ZPL command(s): ^CC or ~CC

SGD command used: zpl.caret

Printer web page:

View and Modify Printer Settings > ZPL Control

Set the Control Prefix Character Value

The printer looks for this two-digit hex character to indicate the start of a ZPL/ZPL II control instruction.

Set the control prefix character to match what is used in your label formats.

Accepted values: 00 to FF

Related ZPL command(s): ^CT or ~CT

SGD command used: zpl.control_character

Printer web page:

Delimiter Character

Set the Delimiter Character Value

The delimiter character is a two-digit hex value used as a parameter place marker in ZPL/ZPL II format instructions.

Set the delimiter character to match what is used in your label formats.

Accepted values: 00 to FF

Related ZPL command(s): ^CD or ~CD

SGD command used: zpl.delimiter

Printer web page:

ZPL Mode Set the ZPL Mode

Select the mode that matches what is used in your label formats.

This printer accepts label formats written in either ZPL or ZPL II, eliminating the need to rewrite any ZPL formats that already exist. The printer remains in the selected mode until it is changed in one of the ways listed here.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s): ^SZ

View and Modify Printer Settings > ZPL Control

• ZPL II

• ZPL

SGD command used: zpl.zpl_mode

Printer web page:

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View and Modify Printer Settings > ZPL Control

SENSOR Menu

Table 12 • SENSOR Menu

Sensor Type Select the Media Sensor

Select the media sensor that is appropriate for the media that you are using. The reflective sensor can be used with all media types. The transmissive sensor should be used only for simple gap media.

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

• TRANSMISSIVE

• REFLECTIVE

^JS

device.sensor_select

View and Modify Printer Settings > Media Setup

Label Sensor Set the Sensitivity of the Label Sensor

Important • This value is set during sensor calibration. Do not change this

setting unless you are told to do so by Zebra Technical Support or by an authorized service technician.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

0 – 255

none

ezpl.label_sensor

View and Modify Printer Settings > Calibration

Take Label Set the Intensity of the Take Label LED

Important • This value is set during sensor calibration. Do not change this

setting unless you are told to do so by Zebra Technical Support or by an authorized service technician.

Accepted values:

0 – 255

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

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none

ezpl.take_label

View and Modify Printer Settings > Calibration

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

PORTS Menu

Baud Rate Set the Baud Rate

Select the baud value that matches the one being used by the host computer.

Table 13 • PORTS Menu

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

Data Bits Set the Data Bits Value

Select the data bits value that matches the one being used by the host computer.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

• 115200

• 57600

• 38400

• 28800

• 19200

• 14400

• 9600

• 4800

^SC

comm.baud

View and Modify Printer Settings > Serial Communications Setup

• 7

• 8

^SC

comm.data_bits

View and Modify Printer Settings > Serial Communications Setup

Parity Set the Parity Value

Select the parity value that matches the one being used by the host computer.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

• NONE

• EVEN

• ODD

^SC

comm.parity

View and Modify Printer Settings > Serial Communications Setup

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Table 13 • PORTS Menu (Continued)

Host Handshake Set the Host Handshake Protocol Value

Select the handshake protocol that matches the one being used by the host computer.

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

• XON/XOFF

• RTS / CTS

• DSR/DTR

^SC

comm.handshake

View and Modify Printer Settings > Serial Communications Setup

Parallel Mode Set the parallel port to allow two-way or one-way host to printer communication.

Select the method that matches the one being used by the host computer for various error and status messages from the printer.

Accepted values:

Related ZPL command(s):

SGD command used:

Printer web page:

• "bidirectional"

• "unidirectional"

^SC

parallel_port.mode

View and Modify Printer Settings > Serial Communications Setup

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Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

BLUETOOTH Menu

Table 14 • BLUETOOTH Menu

Bluetooth Address

Mode Displays the Bluetooth connection pair printer’s device type - Slave (typical) or Master.

Discovery Sets and displays if the printer is ‘Discoverable’ for Bluetooth device pairing.

Connected Displays the Bluetooth connection status to it’s paired device - Yes or No

BT Spec Version Displays the Bluetooth operational specification level. This printer’s Bluetooth radio is

Displays the printer’s Bluetooth Device Address

Accepted values:

SGD command used:

Accepted values: N/A

SGD command used:

Accepted values:

SGD command used:

Accepted values: N/A

SGD command used: N/A

operating to Bluetooth Spec. 3.0

Accepted values:

SGD command used:

N/A

bluetooth.address

N/A

"on" = enables Bluetooth discoverable mode "off" = disables Bluetooth discoverable mode

bluetooth.discoverable

N/A

bluetooth.radio_version

Min. Security Mode

Displays the printer’s Bluetooth minimum level of applied security - Security Mode 1

Accepted values:

SGD command used: N/A

N/A

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Manual Calibration - Media

Center

Position

Media

Guide

The printer may need to have the sensors and the label length adjusted for a new media. Small variations in media from manufacture to manufacture and even from batch to batch of media may necessitate recalibrating the printer for the media being used.

Use the Manual Calibration procedure when you change media unless to it media from the same batch you have been using.

The primary method used to set the printer for media in use is the control panels SENSORS menu to access the MANUAL CALIBRATION procedure. Use the following procedure to set your printer’s language when the printer is turned on and in the ‘Ready’ state.

Procedure for calibration of label media with liner and inter-label ‘GAP’ between labels.

1. Load the printer with your chosen label media. Verify the media sensor is in the center

position for label gap (transmissive) sensing, see below.

Printer Configuration

Manual Calibration - Media

2. Remove the first 3 inches or 80 mm of labels from the liner. Place the label-less liner over

the platen (driver roller) and the leading edge of the first label under the media guides.

3. Close the printer. Turn the printer power ON. Press the menus ‘Home’ ( ) button.

4. Navigate to the ‘SENSORS’ ( ) menu button and press the ‘Select’ () button.

5. Use the ‘Left’ () and ‘Right’ () navigation arrows to browse to the ‘MANUAL

CALIBRATION’ procedure.

6. Press the select button (—) below the START on the lower right hand of the display.

7. The display will have a message:

LOAD BACKING PRINTER PAUSED

8. Press the Pause button once to start the calibration procedure.

9. When it has finished the first part of the calibration, the display will read:

RELOAD ALL CONTINUE.

10. Press the Pause button once again to continue the calibration procedure. The printer will

begin feeding several labels and then it will stop with the display message reading: READY

Remove excess media. Media calibration has finished and you are ready to print.

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Printer Configuration

RFID Calibration

RFID calibration sets communication parameters for your tag type. This procedure should be done after the printer has been calibrated for the media (length and gap settings), typically a Manual Media Calibration. During the RFID calibration process, the printer moves the media, calibrates the RFID tag position, and determines the optimal settings for the RFID media being used.

These settings include the programming position, the read/write power level to use, and reads the tag's TID to determine the chip type (or choose F0 from the front panel RFID menu).

To restore the printer’s default programming position at any time, use the "restore" option in the rfid.tag.calibrate SGD command.

Do not remove any labels or tag from the liner (label backing or ‘web’). This allows the printer to determine RFID settings which do not encode adjacent tags. Allow a portion of media to extend out the front of the printer to allow for backfeed during the tag calibration procedure.

Always do a Manual Media Calibration and RFID Calibration when you change media type. It should not be necessary when simply replacing an empty roll of the same media.

Before beginning, load RFID media into the printer and perform the manual media calibration.

1. Press the Feed button once to feed (advance) one label.

2. Press the menus ‘Home’ ( ) button. Navigate to the ‘RFID’ ( ) menu button and press

the ‘Select’ (

3. Use the ‘Left’ () and ‘Right’ () navigation arrows to browse to the ‘RFID

CALIBRATE’ procedure. Press the select button (—) below the right hand of the display.

4. The printer will slowly feed a label while adjusting the location and RFID read/write

communication settings for your chosen RFID tag/label.

The printer will feed an additional label in some cases when calibration has completed successfully with the display message reading: READY

5. Remove excess media. Media calibration has finished and you are ready to print.

) button.

START on the lower

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Print Operations

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

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Print Operations

Determining Printer Configuration

The ZD500 Series™ printer uses the configuration report to provide the printer’s status for both ZPL. Operational status (darkness, speed, media type, etc.), installed printer options (network, interface settings, cutter, etc.) and printer description information (serial number, model name, firmware version, etc.) are all includes on the status label. See Test Printing with

Configuration Report Printouts on page 27 to print this label.

Thermal Printing

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

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

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

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

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).

• Thermal transfer printing (which uses ribbon to heat transfer print to the media).

• 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 accommodates data input devices, such as scanners, weigh scales, a Zebra Keyboard Display Unit (ZKDU), 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

printers on a network.

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Setting the Thermal Print Method

The ZD500 Series™ printer has been designed to print in direct thermal and thermal transfer modes. Press the menus ‘Home’ ( ) button. Navigate to the ‘SENSORS’ ( ) menu button and press the ‘Select’ ( browse to the ‘PRINT METHOD’. Use the Up ( THERMAL or THERMAL TRANS (transfer) media.

) button. Use the ‘Left’ () and ‘Right’ () navigation arrows to

Types of Media

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

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.

Note - Zebra does not offer RFID media for sale at this time.

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.

Print Operations

Types of Media

) and Down () arrows to select DIRECT

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

• Ta g s t oc k —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 15 .

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. When printing without a ribbon, you must use direct thermal media. When using ribbon, you must use thermal transfer media.

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

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

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Print Operations

Types of Media

Table 15 • 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, notches, or black marks. Tags are separated by perforations. Individual labels are separated by one or more of the following methods:

• We b m edi a 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.

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Media Loading

Use the 3 inch Core Adapters for media mounted on a 3 inch I.D. (Inner Diameter) rolls. The maximum outside diameter of the roll is 5 inches.

Attaching the 3 inch Core Adapters

1. Open the printer.

2. Open the media roll holder. For easier access, the media guide stop adjustment can be

turned toward the front of the printer to lock open the media roll holders for easier access to those roll holders.

3. Snap the core adapters onto the media roll holders. The hole on the adapter align with the

roll holder roll mount. the extended part of the adapter goes under the media guide in the front of the media roll holder.

Print Operations

Media Loading

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Print Operations

Media Loading

Loading 3 inch I.D. Media rolls

1. With the printer open and the 3 inch media core adapters installed, open the media roll

holders.

2. Place the media roll on the hangers on the top of the core adapters and let the media guides

close to hold the roll. Note you may need turn the media guide stop adjustment toward the rear of the printer to allow the media roll holders to fully close on the media roll.

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Removing the 3 inch Core Adapters

1. Open the printer and remove any media from the printer.

2. Push the locking tab on the backside of the core adapter. Push it up and towards the middle

of the printer. The core adapter will pop off the media roll holder.

3. Remove the other core adapter the same way.

Print Operations

Media Loading

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Print Operations

Outside Inside

Ribbon Overview

Ribbon is a thin film that is coated on one side with wax, resin, or wax resin, which is transferred to the media during the thermal transfer process. The media determines whether you need to use ribbon and how wide the ribbon must be. When ribbon is used, it must be as wide as or wider than the media being used. If the ribbon is narrower than the media, areas of the printhead are unprotected and subject to premature wear.

When to Use Ribbon

Thermal transfer media requires ribbon for printing while direct thermal media does not. Direct thermal media should never be used with ribbon. Bar codes and graphics can get distorted. To determine if ribbon must be used with a particular media, perform a media scratch test.

Coated Side of Ribbon

Ribbon can be wound with the coated side on the inside or outside. This printer can only use ribbon that is coated on the outside. If you are unsure which side of a particular roll of ribbon is coated, perform an adhesive test or a ribbon scratch test to determine which side is coated.

To determine which side of a ribbon is coated, complete these steps:

Ribbon Test with Adhesive

If you have labels available, perform the adhesive test to determine which side of a ribbon is coated. This method works well for ribbon that is already installed.

To perform an adhesive test, complete these steps:

1. Peel a label from its liner.

2. Press a corner of the sticky side of the label to the outer surface of the roll of ribbon.

3. Peel the label off of the ribbon.

4. Observe the results. Did flakes or particles of ink from the ribbon adhere to the label?

If ink from the ribbon... Then...

Adhered to the label The ribbon is coated on the outside and can be used with

Did not adhere to the label The ribbon is coated on the inside and can not be used in

the printer.

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Ribbon Scratch Test

Perform the ribbon scratch test when labels are unavailable.

To perform a ribbon scratch test, complete these steps:

1. Unroll a short length of ribbon.

2. Place the unrolled section of ribbon on a piece of paper with the outer surface of the

ribbon in contact with the paper.

3. Scratch the inner surface of the unrolled ribbon with your fingernail.

4. Lift the ribbon from the paper.

5. Observe the results. Did the ribbon leave a mark on the paper?

If the ribbon... Then...

Left a mark on the paper The ribbon is coated on the outside and can be used with

the printer.

Print Operations

Ribbon Overview

Did not leave a mark on the paper

The ribbon is coated on the inside and can not be used in the printer.

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Print Operations

Replacing Supplies

If labels or ribbon run out while printing, leave the printer power on while reloading (data loss results if you turn off the printer). After you load a new label or ribbon roll, press the Feed button to restart.

Always use high quality, approved labels, tags and ribbons. 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. Permanent damage to the printhead may result if a non-approved ribbon is used as it may be wound incorrectly for the printer or contain chemicals corrosive to the printhead.

Adding a New Transfer Ribbon

If ribbon runs out in the middle of a print job, the indicator lights red and the printer waits for you to add a fresh roll.

1. Keep the power on as you change ribbon.

2. Open the top cover, then cut the used ribbon so you can remove the cores.

3. Load a new ribbon roll and empty ribbon core. If necessary, review the Ribbon Loading

steps. Note: Do Not Use ribbon cores with damaged notch. The notches should have square corners.

4. Close the top cover.

5. Press the Feed button to restart printing.

Replacing a Partially Used Transfer Ribbon

To remove used transfer ribbon, perform the following steps.

1. Cut the ribbon from the take-up roll.

2. Remove the take-up roll and discard used ribbon.

3. Remove the supply roll and tape the end of any fresh ribbon to prevent it from

unwrapping. When reinstalling a partially used supply roll, tape the cut end onto the empty take-up roll.

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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™.

• Using the control panel. Navigate as follows:

• Press the menus ‘Home’ ( ) button. Navigate to the ‘SETTINGS’ ( ) menu button and press the ‘Select’ (

browse to ‘PRINT WIDTH’.Use the ‘Up’ () and ‘Down’ () navigation arrows to change the print width. The print with is expressed in dots/pixels.

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

Print Operations

Adjusting the Print Width

) button. Use the ‘Right’ () navigation arrow to

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:

• Using the control panel. Navigate as follows:

• Press the menus ‘Home’ ( ) button. Navigate to the ‘SETTINGS’ ( ) menu button and press the ‘Select’ (

browse to ‘DARKNESS’. Use the ‘Up’ ( change the darkness setting.

• The Set Darkness (

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).

) button. Use the ‘Right’ () navigation arrow to

) and ‘Down’ () navigation arrows to

Use the printer’s ‘Print Quality Report’ (also know as FEED Self Test) to print a range of labels used to allow you to identify changes to print DARKNESS and SPEED settings to optimize general print and bar code quality. See the Print Quality Report on page 135 for details.

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Print Operations

Media Sensing

The ZD500 Series™ printer media controls are set via a control panel setting or by sending commands to the printer.

Table 16 • Media Settings

Menu Item

MEDIA TYPE SETTINGS Menu on page 52 for media sensing method

TEAR OFF SETTINGS Menu on page 52 for setting the media

position after printing or a feed action.

PRINT MODE SETTINGS Menu on page 52 to set media handling after

printing or a feed action.

LABEL LENGTH MAX SETTINGS Menu on page 52 (see below for description).

POWER UP ACTION TOOLS Menu on page 56 to set what the media does on

power up.

HEAD CLOSE ACTION TOOLS Menu on page 56 to set what the media does when

the printer is closed.

MANUAL CALIBRATION Manual Calibration - Media on page 75 for the procedure

to automatically adjust the printer for typical label media.

TOOLS Menu on page 56 to start the manual calibration

process.

SENSOR PROFILE Sensor Profile on page 140 to observe and possibly

change media sensing for hard to calibrate media that for example ‘has printing on the liner’ or ‘has pre-printe’ media‘ that can interfere with a manual calibration.

Setting

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

Test Printing with Configuration Report Printouts on page 27 for more details.

The maximum distance that the automatic media type detection and sensing 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 largest 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.

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Zebra Technologies ZD500 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Introduction

ZD500 Series™ Thermal Printers

The ZD500 Series™ printer features:

The ZD500 Series™ printer options:

What’s in the Box?

Unpack and Inspect the Printer

Printer Features

Control Panel

Control Panel Display Menu and Status Icons

Printer Control Panel Display

Navigating through Screens in the Menu

Control Panel Menu Map

Setup

Select a Location for the Printer

Attaching Power

Preparing and Handling Media

Media Storage Tips

Setting the Printer Menu and Report Display Language

Loading Roll Media

Loading Transfer Ribbon

Test Printing with Configuration Report Printouts

Connecting your Printer to a Computer

Interface Cable Requirements

USB Interface

Serial Interface

Wired (Ethernet) Interface

ZebraNet® Internal Wireless Print Server Option

Configure Using the Connectivity Wizard

Bluetooth Option Configuration

Connecting to a Windows Vista® SP2 or Windows 7® Master Device

After Your Printer is Connected

Printer Configuration

Changing Printer Settings

SETTINGS Menu

TOOLS Menu

NETWORK Menu

RFID Menu

LANGUAGE Menu

SENSOR Menu

PORTS Menu

BLUETOOTH Menu

Manual Calibration - Media

RFID Calibration

Print Operations

Determining Printer Configuration

Thermal Printing

Modes of Printing

Setting the Thermal Print Method

Types of Media

Determining Thermal Media Types

Media Loading

Attaching the 3 inch Core Adapters

Loading 3 inch I.D. Media rolls

Removing the 3 inch Core Adapters

Ribbon Overview

When to Use Ribbon

Coated Side of Ribbon

Ribbon Test with Adhesive

Ribbon Scratch Test

Replacing Supplies

Adding a New Transfer Ribbon

Replacing a Partially Used Transfer Ribbon

Adjusting the Print Width

Adjusting the Print Quality

Media Sensing