AMT Datasouth 400 manual

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Table of contents for the manual

  • Page 1

    Fastmark 400 Series Barcode Label Printer User’s Guide Part No. 110021 A[...]

  • Page 2

    User's Guide 1 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS AND OTHER NOTICES  This label printer complies with the requ irements in Part 15 of FCC rules for a Class B or A computing device. Operation of this equipm ent in a reside ntial area may cause unacceptable interface to radio and TV reception, requiring the operator to take whatever steps are nece[...]

  • Page 3

    User's Guide 2 CONVENTIONS Some of the procedures in thi s guide contain special notices t hat highlight im portant inform ation: Note Indicate inform ation that you should know to hel p your printer run properly and efficientl y. Caution Indicate guidelines that, i f not followed, can cause damage to equipment. Warning Indicate a situation wh[...]

  • Page 4

    User's Guide 3 Table of Contents PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................... 6 Unpacking and Inspection.......................................................................................... 8 INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION .......................................................[...]

  • Page 5

    User's Guide 4 Internal Fonts ......................................................................................................... 56 Courier Font Set ..................................................................................................... 61 Internal Bar Codes .................................................................[...]

  • Page 6

    User's Guide 5 Table of Figures Figure 1 - Fastmark 400 series................................................................................................................. 7 Figure 2 - Include d Materials .................................................................................................. ................ 8 Figure 3 - Switche[...]

  • Page 7

    User's Guide 6 (this page intenti onally left blank)[...]

  • Page 8

    User's Guide 7 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION This label printer is a high-p erformance, low-cost di rect thermal/thermal transfer labeling system. Its user-friendly design a nd affordable price set a new standard for the Desktop Label Printer in retail, office, industrial, and m any other applicat ions. The printer is designed wit h the most efficient m[...]

  • Page 9

    User's Guide 8 UNPACKING and INSPECTION This printer is packed in a h eavyweight carton and custom recy clable foam for environmental protection. Inspect the shippi ng carton and contact the carrier directly to report any suspected damage. Consider the following when unpacki ng: ♦ The container should stay right side up. ♦ Lift the printer[...]

  • Page 10

    User's Guide 9 INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION Figure 3 - Switches, Indicators and Connections Finding a Location for the Printer Before setting up the pri nter you should first consider t he following: ♦ Find a solid flat surface with adequate room fo r the printer. Make sure there is enough room on the top side for the media and ribbon acce[...]

  • Page 11

    User's Guide 10 Connecting the Power Cord 1. Make sure that the source voltage ma tches that on the input voltage on t he power adapter. Caution: Incorrect voltage could cause dam age to the printer and/or the power adapter. 2. Make sure that th e power switch is set to the Off, ” O ”, position. 3. Connect the power supply plug to the powe[...]

  • Page 12

    User's Guide 11 Connecting the Printer to Your Host 1. You can connect the p rinter with any standard Centronics Parallel cable to the p arallel port of the host computer. 2. Alternatively you can connect the printer with a serial cable to the RS-232C port of your computer or term inal. (For PC com patibles, the RS-232C port i s COM1, COM2 or [...]

  • Page 13

    User's Guide 12 Loading the Ribbon Thermal Transfer Media only 1. Lift the printer t op cover and to the open position. 2. Slide the two printhead lat ches toward the back of the printer to unlock the printhead m odule. Figure 6 - Printhead Latches Printhead Latch Printhead Latch Top Cover in O p en Position[...]

  • Page 14

    User's Guide 13 3. Raise the printhead module to the vertical position. 4. Verify that the Supply Core and the Take-up Core have two slots on the le ft side of the ribbon core when the ribbon is positioned to go into the printer. These notches will be inserted into the notches on the Left Ribbon Holders. Note: The notches are the drive mechani[...]

  • Page 15

    User's Guide 14 5. Unwrap the ribbon roll and place the supply ro ll into the supply holder of the printhead module. Insert the left end of the ri bbon supply onto the supply holder spi ndle first, and then insert the right end. Make sure that t he Ribbon Core Slots ma tch the notches on the Ribbon Drive Mechanism. 6. Place the Take-up core in[...]

  • Page 16

    User's Guide 15 Loading Media 1. Lift the printer t op cover to the open position. 2. Slide the two printhead lat ches toward the back and unlock the printhead modul e. Figure 9 - Open Printhead Module 3. Raise the printhead m odule. Printhead Latch Printhead Latch[...]

  • Page 17

    User's Guide 16 4. Insert the medi a spindle into core of the label m edia (the Retai ner Disk should be on the right). Figure 10 - Media Spindle and Retainer Disk 5. Insert the spindle and m edia into the slots in the printe r. The media should feed from the top of the roll. 6. Slide the media to the far left and slide in the guide until it i[...]

  • Page 18

    User's Guide 17 8. Pull out 6 inches of m edia and thread the end of the medi a between the Right and Left Medi a Guides. 9. Slide in the Right Media Guide until it is snug with the media. Note: If the guides are positioned incorrect ly, the media sensor may not sense the form properly. If too loose the media may sli de out from under them, un[...]

  • Page 19

    User's Guide 18 Loading Media when Peel and Present Option is Installed 1. Follow the same procedures in " Loading Media " up to closing of the Printhead Module. 2. Peel off 6 inches of labels from its backing. 3. Thread the label backing over the plat en roller, over the Peel and Present Bar then back under the Peel and Present Bar [...]

  • Page 20

    User's Guide 19 Loading Media When Cutter is Equipped 1. Follow the same procedure as “ Loadi ng Media ”. 2. After you thread the m edia over the platen roller, t hread the media through the horiz ontal gap at the cutter m odule. Note: The printer must be configured for P eel and Present Mode. This setting may be made in the windows driver[...]

  • Page 21

    User's Guide 20 OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS Figure 14 - Switches and Indicators Switch, Indicators and Connections Device name Function Usage On/Off switch (power switch) Controls printer power On – normal operation Off – loading paper and ribbon Press once to advance a label. Press and Hold while powering on to run Label Sensor Calibration tes[...]

  • Page 22

    User's Guide 21 Label Sensor Calibration Procedure The Label Sensor Calibratio n procedu re allows the printer to calibrate the Label Sensor to the media type and length being used. The Label Sensor in this procedure looks at the back of the m edia sensing for: Black Bar Media Gap Media Or, Continuous Feed Medi a 1. Power the printer on while [...]

  • Page 23

    User's Guide 22 Printer's Internal Self Test Procedure and Configuration Report 1. Make sure that media is installed. 2. Press and hold down the Feed Button whi le powering on the printer. 3. The printer will begin the Label Sensor Calib ration test. 4. Continue to ho ld the Feed button until the Self Test begin s. 5. After feeding 12 inc[...]

  • Page 24

    User's Guide 23 Self Test Pattern for PPLA Figure 15 - Self Test Sample - PPLA Em ulation Emulation designation[...]

  • Page 25

    User's Guide 24 Self Test Pattern for PPLB Figure 16 - Self Test Sample - PPLB Emulation Emulation designation[...]

  • Page 26

    User's Guide 25 Resetting the Printer to Factory Default Settings Resetting the printer back to Fact ory settings will set the printers non-volatile mem ory back to a known condition. To reset the pr inter to its factory defaults: 1. Printer m ust be powered On. 2. Press and hold the “FEED” button for about 10 seconds. 3. The “READY” L[...]

  • Page 27

    User's Guide 26 COMMAND QUICK REFERENCE This section lists all software commands of the printer. Command Set for the PPLA System Setting Commands These commands will cause related param eters to be saved in the non-volatile mem ory. These parameters will be stored unless other commands or a front panel reset changes th em. Command Description [...]

  • Page 28

    User's Guide 27 Interaction Commands These comm ands only apply to the serial port . They allow the host to request the status and configuration of the printe r. Command Description Response Contents <SOH># Reset Y <XOFF><XON>T <SOH>A Send a readable status string Y <8 bytes, Y/N> <CR> byte 1 : Y - printer b[...]

  • Page 29

    User's Guide 28 System Lev el Commands Command Description Remarks <STX>a Enable page/job echo characters <STX>c xxxx Set continuous paper length and disable edge sensor <STX>D xxxxxxx Memory dump ** xxxxxxx : memory address in HEX value <STX>E xxxx Set copy count for stored label <STX>e Enable edge sensor <STX[...]

  • Page 30

    User's Guide 29 Formatting Commands Command Description : xxxx Set cut amount A n Set print mode n : ‘1’- exclusive, ‘2’ - transparent C xxxx Set horizontal offset c xx Set cut amount D wh Set pixel width and height E Form feed and return to system level command mode G Store previous data to global register <STX>S n Retrieve from[...]

  • Page 31

    User's Guide 30 Editing Commands Command format Description General format rthveee yyyyxxxx<string ><CR> See below Print direction r ‘1’, ’2’, ’3’ or ‘4’ (rotation) Object type t ‘0’ to ‘9’ and ‘:’ (fonts) ** , ‘A’ to ‘Z’ and ‘a’ to ‘z’ (bar codes), ‘X’ (lines or boxes), ‘Y’ (grap[...]

  • Page 32

    User's Guide 31 Object Table The following table is used for t he Object Type, 't', i n the Editing Comm and Table. Object String Description L : line Lwwwhhh www : width, hhh : height. L : line Lwwwwhhhh wwww : width, hhhh : height. B : box Baaabbbcccddd aaa : horizontal width bbb : vertical height ccc : thickness of top and bottom [...]

  • Page 33

    User's Guide 32 Font Dow nloading Commands Such comm ands are only used for soft fonts with PCL format. Command Description ESC *c###D assign the soft fonts ID number (### : 100 ~ 999) ESC )s###W download font descriptor (### : length of font descriptor) ESC *c###E set character code (### : 1 ~ 255) ESC (s###W download character descriptor and[...]

  • Page 34

    User's Guide 33 Command Set for the PPLB All PPLB commands m ust end with <LF> or <CR >+<LF> codes. No spaces are allowed between parameters and leading com mand character. Command Description Parameter A x , y , rot , font , hm , vm , nr , string Print text. font : 1to 5 for internal font and A to Z for soft font. B x , y , [...]

  • Page 35

    User's Guide 34 Command (Cont) Description Parameter I p1 , p2 ,001 Select symbol set ** p1 : 7 or 8 data bits p2 : symbol set JB JF Disable back feed ** Enable back feed ** LE x , y , hlen , vlen Line draw by exclusive hlen: horizontal length vlen: vertical length LO x , y , hlen , vlen Line draw by OR LW x , y , hlen , vlen Draw white line N[...]

  • Page 36

    User's Guide 35 Command (Cont) Description Parameter d0, euro Enable/disable European dollar mark ** 0: disable European dollar mark. 1: enable d1, hadj Set horizontal position adjustment ** hadj : adjustment in dots. d2, hadj Same as d1 except the parameter is not saved to non- volatile memory. Notes: 1. x and y represents horizontal and ve r[...]

  • Page 37

    User's Guide 36 PRINTER DRIVER The bundled printer driver is used for appl ications under Windows 95/98/2000 and Windows NT. You may run any popul ar software application, such as MS-Word, as long as they are for Windows and printing the contents t o the printer through the designated dri ver. Before starting inst allation you shoul d: ♦ Che[...]

  • Page 38

    User's Guide 37 10. You may wish to change the Printer Name to be more descriptive. Also select this printer as the Default prin ter. Click "Next". 11. Select whether you want a te st page to be printed, then click on Fini sh. 12. After the related files have been cop ied to your system, the procedu re is complete. Notes: 1. If you a[...]

  • Page 39

    User's Guide 38 How to Use the Driver After the driver is installed, you can open the Printer's dialogue box and m ake parameter settings: Windows 95/98/2000/NT4.0 - Start ➩ Settings ➩ Printers ➩ Printer Name ➩ Properties Parameter setting: After entering the Selected Printe r you can change the parameters to meet your configurati[...]

  • Page 40

    User's Guide 39 Details Tab Print to the following port This allows you to select the IO p ort to link with th e printer. The por t may be one of parallel (LPT), serial (C OM), network port or file. If the comm unication port is the serial port (COM1: or COM2:), check the baud rat e and flow control as they m ust be consistent bet ween host an[...]

  • Page 41

    User's Guide 40 Paper Paper size Select the label size for your printer. Th e selected label size may be a little longer than that of the physical lab el. Orientation Set portrait or landscape accord ing to the print direction.[...]

  • Page 42

    User's Guide 41 Paper source Select one of the follo wing items: T/T & Media with Gap T/T & Media with Black Line T/T & Continuous Medi a D/T & Media with Gap D/T & Media with Black Line D/T & Continuous Me dia T/T stands for therma l transfer (ribbon) mode and D/T for di rect thermal m odel (without ribbon). Media choi[...]

  • Page 43

    User's Guide 42 Device Options Print speed for the FM402TT can be set at 1 to 3 IPS. Print speed for the FM402DT and FM403TT can be set for 1 t o 2 IPS.[...]

  • Page 44

    User's Guide 43 TROUBLESHOOTING AND MAINTENANCE Troubleshooting Generally, when a malfunction or an abnorm a l condition occurs, the “POWER” LED will keep blinking. Prin ting and communication between th e host and prin ter will stop. Pow er and Ready LEDs blink together at the same time Possible Problems Solutions Remarks Missing gap Chec[...]

  • Page 45

    User's Guide 44 Host and Data related errors Possible Problems Solutions Verify that the communication cable is connected securely to the parallel or serial port on the PC and to the connector on the printer. Host Displays: "Printer Time Out" Verify that the Power LED is illuminated. If not, verify that the power cord is connected, t[...]

  • Page 46

    User's Guide 45 Print Quality Problem Solutions Verify printer is set for Thermal Transfer stock. Verify that a certified ribbon is installed. Verify that the Media is certified to work with the ribbon. Note: Direct Thermal media can be used with a ribbon, however inadequate heat transfer may result in light print. It is not recommended to use[...]

  • Page 47

    User's Guide 46 Preventive Maintenance Before performing any Preventive Maintenance be sure to t urn off the printer's power and unplug the power cable. Cleaning the Thermal Printhead (TPH) It is recomm ended at a mini mum that t he Printhead should be cleaned: Each time a Ri bbon is changed. Each time a new roll of media is installed. 1.[...]

  • Page 48

    User's Guide 47 Cleaning the Platen Roller It is recomm ended that the platen roll er should be cleaned when: Excessive dusty condition exi sts. Following a media jam where the adhe sive comes in contact with it. 1. Turn off the printer and open the top cover. 2. Lift the printhead module to the vertical position. 3. Rub the full length of the[...]

  • Page 49

    User's Guide 48 Cleaning the Paper Compartment It is recomm ended that the Paper Compart ment be cleaned regularly if exposed to a dust environment. This will keep dirt and d ust from contaminating or damaging your pr inter (Printhead and Platen). 1. Turn off the printer and open the top cover. 2. Remove paper dust by blowing using compressed [...]

  • Page 50

    User's Guide 49 Appendix A: Printer Specifications Specification FM402DT FM402TT FM403TT Print method Direct thermal Dir ect thermal and thermal transfer Resolution 203 DPI (8 dots/mm) 300 DPI (12 dots/mm) Maximum print width 4.2 in. (107 mm) 4.10 in. (104 mm) Maximum print length 43 in. (1090 mm) ** 29 in. (736 mm) ** Maximum print speed 2 in[...]

  • Page 51

    User's Guide 50 Fonts, Bar Codes and Graphics The specifications of fonts, bar codes and graphics depend on the printer emulat ion. The emulation i s a printer programm ing language, through which t he host can communi cate with your printer. There are two printer-program ming languages: PPLA and PPLB . Only one emulation can be resident at a [...]

  • Page 52

    User's Guide 51 Optional Accessories ♦ Serial (RS-232) cable ♦ External me dia suppler (for media rol l with max. 8 i nch OD) ♦ Peel and Present ♦ Cutter ♦ Fla sh memo ry ♦ Font board ♦ Extension RAM ++ (0.5M for models FM402DT, FM402TT and FM 403TT and 1M for the FM403TT model) Notes: ** : Since this printer uses band buff ers t[...]

  • Page 53

    User's Guide 52 Appendix B: INTERFACE SPECIFICATIONS Introduction This appendix presents the interface specifications of I/O ports for the printer. These specifications include pin assignments, protocols and detailed inform ation about how to properly interface your printer with your h ost or terminal. Serial Pin Configuration The RS-232 conne[...]

  • Page 54

    User's Guide 53 Three Wire connection: This method i s the simplest method of connecting t he printer to a host or term inal. This met hod requires Software Protocol Hands haki ng (Xon/Xoff flow control). Host 25S Printer 9P Host 9S Printer 9P (PC or compatible) (PC or compatible) TX 2 ----------- 2 RX TX 3 ----------- 2 RX RX 3 ----------- 3 [...]

  • Page 55

    User's Guide 54 Parallel (Centronics) Pin Configuration The parallel port is a st andard 36-pin Centronics. Pin Direction Definition Pin Direction Definition 1 In /STROBE 13 Out SELECT 2 In Data 1 14,15 NC 3 In Data 2 16 - Ground 4 In Data 3 17 - Ground 5 In Data 4 18 NC 6 In Data 5 19 to 30 - Ground 7 In Data 6 31 NC 8 In Data 7 32 Out /Fault[...]

  • Page 56

    User's Guide 55 Appendix C: ASCII TABLE 01234567 0 NUL 0 @ P ` p 1 SOH XON ! 1 A Q a q 2 STX “ 2 B R b r 3 XOFF # 3 C S c s 4 $4 D Td t 5 NAK % 5 E U e u 6 ACK & 6 F V f v 7 BEL ‘ 7 G W g w 8 BS ( 8 H X h x 9 )9 I Yi y A LF * : J Z j z B ESC + ; K [ k { C FF , < L l | D CR - = M ] m } E SO RS . > N ^ n ~ F SI US / ? O _ o DEL[...]

  • Page 57

    User's Guide 56 Appendix D: FONTS AND BAR CODES FOR THE PPLA Emulation Internal Fonts Note: The fonts in the f ollowing tables are relative si zes and formatted for this manual. The actual printed fon t size may be different. Fonts 0 to 8 have single sy mbol set.[...]

  • Page 58

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  • Page 60

    User's Guide 59 Font 9 This font is an ASD sm ooth font set and can be printer using 8 sy mbol sets: USASC II, UK, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedis h, and Danish/Norwegian. Font 9 can be printed in point sizes of 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 18. The 4-point font is only available in the FM403TT model.[...]

  • Page 61

    User's Guide 60[...]

  • Page 62

    User's Guide 61 Courier Font Set The Courier font set is for t he models FM402DT and FM402TT onl y. It includes Roma n-8, PC, PC- A, PC-B, EAMA-94, Legal, Greek and Russian sym bol sets.[...]

  • Page 63

    User's Guide 62[...]

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    User's Guide 63[...]

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    User's Guide 64[...]

  • Page 66

    User's Guide 65 Internal Bar Codes This PPLA supports 20 one-dim ensional bar codes and 2 two dim ensional bar codes. Note: The following bar codes are scanned reproduc tions, actual bar codes will be of a greater quality.[...]

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    User's Guide 68[...]

  • Page 70

    User's Guide 69 Appendix E: FONTS AND BAR CODES FOR PPLB Emulation Internal Fonts There are 5 internal fonts for the PPLB emulation. Each has 6 eight-bit and 9 seven-bit sy mbol sets. Font 5 does not contain any lower-case characters. 8 bit sym bol sets code page 437, 850, 852, 860, 863 and 865 7 bit symbol sets USA, British, German, French, D[...]

  • Page 71

    User's Guide 70 Symbol Set[...]

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    User's Guide 71[...]

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    User's Guide 72[...]

  • Page 74

    User's Guide 73 Internal Bar Codes The PPLB supports 26 one-dim ensional bar c odes and 2 two dimensi onal bar codes.[...]

  • Page 75

    User's Guide 74[...]

  • Page 76

    AMT Datasouth Corp. Corporate Headquarters 4765 Calle Quetz al Camarillo, CA 93012 (805) 388-5799 PH (805) 484-5282 FX Charlotte Operation 4216 Stuart Andrew Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28217 (704) 523-8500 PH (704) 525 6104 FX AMT Datasouth International Unit B, Pinnacle 15 Gowerton Rd, Brackmills Northampton, NN4 7BW England +44 1604 763394 PH +44 1604 7[...]