Brother PocketJet PJ-523 manual

User ’ s Guide PJ-522/523/562/563 Mobile Printer  Before using this printer , be sure to read this User’ s Guide.  W e suggest that you k eep this manual in a handy place for future reference.[...]

Thank you for your purchasing Brother mobile printer PocketJet PJ-522 / PJ-523 / PJ-562 / PJ-563. The printers (hereafter PJ-522, PJ-523, PJ-562 or PJ-563 called “the printers”) are ultra mobile thermal printers. Before using the printer , be sure to read this User ’ s Guide. W e suggest that you keep this manual in a handy place for future r[...]

Page i Contents Chapter 1 – Setting Up the Printer ............................................................................ 1 Connecting to an AC Outlet (Optional) ................................................................. 1 Connecting to a DC Supply (Optional) ................................................................. 2 Using t[...]

Page ii Chapter 3 – T ips on Using Paper ............................................................................. 39 Inserting Paper ..................................................................................................... 39 Use Brother Genuine Thermal paper ................................................................... 40 [...]

Page 1 Connecting to an A C Outlet (Optional) Connect the printer to a nearby AC power outlet to run it on AC power or to charge the battery (See “Charging the Battery”, page 37). 1. Connect the AC adapter to the printer as shown in Figure 2. 2. Connect the AC power cord to the AC adapter . 3. Plug the AC power cord into a nearby AC power outle[...]

Page 2 Connecting to a DC Suppl y (Optional) The PocketJet can be powered from its internal Ni-MH battery or from a vehicle DC supply . T o install the battery , See page 34. T o connect your PocketJet to a “12-volt” vehicle DC supply to print or maintain the battery charge, follow the steps below . 1. Connect a P A-AD-500CG / WR (either with a[...]

Page 3 Using the Oper a tion P anel The operation panel consists of the main switch and three indicator lights. See Figure 4. Figure 4. Operation panel Main Switch Functions Power ON : Push once while the printer is OFF . Power OFF : Push twice quickly . Manual Form Feed : W ith power ON and paper inserted, press and hold the main switch to feed (o[...]

Page 4 NOTE : Additional functions such as Auto On, Auto Off, and Pr e-Feed ar e available for your printer thr ough the PocketJet 3 Utility or PocketJet 3Plus Utility . See pages 16-33 for details. Indicator Lights The three indicator lights—POWER, DA T A, and ERROR— show both normal operation and error conditions. Each light may appear as gre[...]

Page 5 Chapter 2 - Using the Printer Printing Solutions Brother provides printing solutions for many different operating systems and device types. Device types include: • W indows systems For most printer applications, your printer requires driver software to communicate with your computer . A CD with drivers and installation information is provi[...]

Page 6 Driv er Installation NOTE: Please do NO T connect your PocketJet printer to your computer via the USB cable UNTIL you hav e performed the driv er installation. If you accidentally do so, cancel the “Ne w Hardware W izard”, disconnect the printer, and be gin the dri ver installation described belo w . Using a Bluetooth Interface - Be sure[...]

Page 7 Manual Install Y ou may want to manually install a W indows version. V iew the “Readme.txt” fi le on the CD for more information. Note that every driver can be installed manually if necessary . 1. Place the installation CD into the host CD drive. 2. Browse the CD to fi nd the directory for your printer model. 3. Browse the CD to fi nd[...]

Page 8 The following three features (Modes) can be accessed using the software dialog boxes and methods discussed below . In W indows V ista, permanently change the advanced features using “Start:Control Panel:Printers: Brother PJ-522: Printing Preferences: Advanced or the settings may be temporarily changed using the “Print Setup” from your [...]

Page 9 Selecting Media Cut Sheet Paper 1. Select “Fixed Page” mode. 2. Select the appropriate paper size (Letter , A4, or Legal). 3. In W indows V ista / XP / 2000 Professional, set the Paper T ype to “Cutsheet”. Non-Perforated Roll Paper T o use roll paper , you must select from either fi xed page length using “Fixed Page Mode” or var[...]

Page 10 3. If the fi xed length desired is not one of these sizes, use the Advanced Features setup as explained in #2 above to select User De fi ned Paper Size. Set the width and length as desired. D. Multipage Documents with “tear off” for EACH page Note: This feature has recently been added to the W indows V ista / XP / 2000 Professional dr[...]

Page 1 1 W indo ws-Speci fi c Oper ating System F eatures Windows V ista Notes: 1) The “Roll Paper Pause” feature is not available in V ista. 2) This system supports both 32-bit and 64-bit V ista. Windows XP / 2000 Professional Notes: 1) Paper T ype Control – Select Cut Sheet, Roll, or Perforated Roll. This modi fi es the printable area of [...]

Page 12 Connecting to Y our Computer There are two ways to connect your PocketJet to your computer , via USB cable and via Infrared ( IrDA). For PJ-562 and PJ-563, you can connect via a wireless Bluetooth. V ia USB Cable CAUTION : Install the driver software before connecting the printer to the computer via the USB cable. 1. Install the printer dri[...]

Page 13 V ia Infrared ( IrDA) If a USB cable is not connected to the PocketJet printer when it is turned on, the infrared connection is automatically enabled. Make sure your computer is set properly to send data via its infrared port, make sure the two infrared ports are aligned each other , and proceed to print. V ia Bluetooth (Bluetooth Models On[...]

Page 14 Printing 1. Make sure that you have installed a charged battery , have connected the printer to an AC power outlet, or have the DC adapter plugged in. 2. T urn the printer on by pressing the main switch once quickly . The POWER indicator lights up. See Figure 8. Figure 8. T urning the printer ON 3. Insert a sheet of Brother Genuine (P A-C-4[...]

Page 15 4. Print one or more pages from any software application. The green DA T A indicator light blinks to indicate that the printer is receiving data from your computer . NOTE : If you have inserted paper into the input slot and the gr een DA T A light stays on (without blinking), the printer has r eceived insuf fi cient data to print an entir [...]

Page 16 P ock etJet Utility (Con fi gur a tion Utility) The CD supplied with the printers (PJ-522, PJ-523, PJ-562 and PJ-563) contains a PocketJet Utility , a printer setup program, that allows the user to modify storable con fi guration options for the printer . Changes to the default con fi guration options are in most cases relevant only wher[...]

Page 17 Using the PocketJet 3 Utility : • Connect an external power source, or be sure that the battery is freshly charged. • Assure that the Printer Driver has been installed and is functional. • Connect the supplied USB cable between the printer and host computer , or align the computer and printer Infrared ports. • From the Start Menu, s[...]

Page 18 Menu Bar File Menu: • Import – Load a con fi guration fi le that was saved previously using the Export feature. NOTE : Y ou must then Save Con fi g to set the printer to this con fi guration. • Export – Save a con fi guration to a fi le. NOTE : Bluetooth information is no longer stor ed in this fi le. If an old fi le has bee[...]

Page 19 Selecting “Bluetooth Settings” will display the following screen where you will have the choice of setting two parameters, the PIN code and the Local Name. Setting a new PIN code limits access to your printer to only a host that has the correct PIN code. Setting a new Local Name allows identi fi cation of this particular printer where [...]

Page 20 Con fi guration Options (Dropdown Menu Selections) NOTE : These con fi guration options are in most cases r elevant only where the host computer will be sending simple text data to the printer and does not have a Brother-supplied driver available. The options which ar e common to all operating systems include Auto-On, Auto-O ff , and Pre[...]

Page 21 For standard paper sizes, this setting determines default margins and expected length for each printed page. For ‘Custom’ sizes, margins and length may be set using the commands ‘Form Length’, ‘Bottom Margin’, ‘Left Mar gin’ and ‘Right Mar gin’. ‘Letter ’ size assumes an 8-1/2 x 11” page, and sets a total printable[...]

Page 22 Form Feed Mode: This setting affects what the printer will do in response to a Form Feed command from any source. Different modes are appropriate depending upon the type of paper being used. ‘Fixed Page’ mode is typically appropriate. It assumes a known page length (based upon the ‘Form Length’ and/or ‘Paper Size’ settings). It [...]

Page 23 power source is connected to the printer . This can be useful in certain mobile installations where access to the Main Switch is dif fi cult or unavailable. If Auto-On is set to ‘Enabled-No Main Switch’, the printer will power up as soon as an external power source is connected, and furthermore, the Main Switch cannot be used to turn t[...]

Page 24 This command determines what the ESC/P ® emulation does with ASCII characters 10 and 13. These are the ‘line feed’ (LF) and ‘carriage return’ (CR) characters. The “LF” causes the printer to move down to the next print line, and the “CR” causes the printer to move back to the left margin position. In most cases, these are se[...]

Page 25 Form Length: This command can be used to set the form length of a ‘Custom’ size page. Y ou may specify the vertical print area in text lines as de fi ned by the ‘T ext Line Spacing’ setting, or in inches. If using the ‘Lines’ method for setting “custom” form length, the physical height of the page is determined by the verti[...]

Page 26 Bottom Margin: This setting will modify the bottom margin when ‘Page Size’ is set to ‘Custom’. ‘Lines’ allow you to set a bottom margin equal to the height of a speci fi c number of text lines. The actual space that is left depends upon the current setting of the ‘T ext Line Spacing’ setting. For example, if ‘T ext Line S[...]

Page 27 Left Margin: This setting can modify the left margin when the ‘Custom’ ‘Page Size’ is selected. Y ou may choose to avoid any changes by selecting ‘Use Paper Size’ which will assume you wish to use the full 8” available print width. Y ou may also choose to set a number of columns of unprinted left margin. The actual empty width[...]

Page 28 Right Margin: This setting can modify the right margin when the ‘Custom’ ‘Page Size’ is selected. Y ou may choose to avoid any changes by selecting ‘Use Paper Size’ which will assume you wish to use the full 8” available print width. Y ou may also choose to set a number of columns of unprinted right margin. The actual empty wi[...]

Page 29 Default Font: This command determines which of the two internal typefaces is the default when printing ASCII text. From the factory , a Serif font (similar to Courier) and a Sans Serif font (similar to Letter Gothic) are supplied. Default Pitch: This command determines default horizontal size of characters when printing ASCII text. Smaller [...]

Page 30 Character Set Map: This menu allows you to select the use of special characters appropriate for one of the languages selected. See Appendix I for a chart of the special characters available.[...]

Page 31 Printer Commands (Function Buttons) See the buttons across the bottom of the window . T est Page : Y ou can print a test page using the Con fi guration Utility or you can print test pages using the Main Switch (See “Self -T est Feature”, page 52). Clicking on ‘T est Page’ will print a page showing the current printer con fi gurati[...]

Page 32[...]

Page 33 Clean : Clicking on this button places the printer in “Cleaning Mode”. Refer to that maintenance procedure in this manual for further instructions. Factory Reset : Clicking on this button will return the printer to its original factory settings for fonts and con fi guration. The con fi guration data from the fi le “PJ3Factory .cfg?[...]

Page 34 Installing the Batter y (Optional) 1. Open the printer ’ s battery cover by pressing the cover latch. Push the cover away from the AC adapter receptacle. See Figure 10. Figure 10. Opening the Battery Cover 2. Swing the cover open and remove it. 3. Gently push the battery connector into the terminal on the inside of the printer ’ s batte[...]

Page 35 4. Grasp the battery removal ribbon, which is attached to the inside of the battery compartment. See Figure 12. NOTE : If you for get to hold on to the ribbon, you may accidentally insert the battery on top of it. Then you won’ t be able to r emove the battery by pulling the ribbon. Figure 12. Placing the battery inside the battery compar[...]

Page 36 R emo ving the Batter y 1. Open the printer ’ s battery cover by pressing the cover latch. Swing the cover open and remove it. 2. Pull out on the battery removal ribbon as shown in Figure 13 until the battery starts to tilt out of its compartment. NOTE: If the battery r emoval ribbon is caught behind the battery , insert a thin metal obje[...]

Page 37 Char ging the Batter y NOTE: Batteries ar e shipped fr om the factory unchar ged. Br other r ecommends that a complete char ging cycle (following steps 1 thr ough 3 below) be completed befor e using the battery for the fi rst time. 1. Make sure the printer is connected to an AC power outlet with the AC adapter and power cord or a DC power [...]

Page 38 Tips on Using the Ba tter y Darker prints discharge the battery faster than lighter prints do. Use the density adjustment from the driver dialog on your computer or use the Set-Up Utility to adjust lightness and darkness. See “Accessing Advanced Software Features” on page 7.[...]

Page 39 Chapter 3 - Tips on Using P a per Inser ting Paper 1. Use both hands to hold the paper straight while you insert it into the printer ’ s paper input slot. Make sure the bottom edge of the paper is parallel to the feed roller . 2. Press the paper gently into the printer ’ s input slot until the roller pulls it into the starting position,[...]

Page 40 See “Form Feed Modes”, page 8 and “Non-Perforated Roll Paper”, page 9 and “Perforated Roll Paper”, page 10. Use Br other Genuine T her mal paper Brother guarantees optimum compatibility with your PocketJet printer when you use Brother Genuine Thermal paper . This paper is a thermal paper , which eliminates the use of toner , rib[...]

Page 41 Clearing a P aper Ja m Method 1 Press and hold the green Main Power switch. The drive motor will start and move slowly for a few seconds, then move faster as long as you hold the switch down. This can be repeated as many times as necessary . If this does not move the jammed paper out of the printer , use Method 2 below . Method 2 1. Gently [...]

Page 42 2. Gently pull the paper out of the printer . Pulling in either direction is acceptable. See Figure 16. Figure 16. Pulling jammed paper out of the printer 3. Close the release cover . 4. Reinsert a new sheet of paper in the printer and restart the job.[...]

Page 43 Chapter 4 - Maintaining the Printer Cleaning the Print Head T o maintain high print quality , clean the print head after 500 prints or whenever you detect broken or light characters on the page. NOTE : Defective or wrinkled paper can also cause br oken or light characters. If the pr oblem does not go away after you clean the print head, try[...]

Page 44 Figure 17. Inserting the cleaning cloth NOTE : Do not attempt to clean the print head with any material other than the cleaning cloth. The cleaning cloth is for head and r oller cleaning only . Do not use it to clean any other part of the printer . Don’ t thr ow the cleaning cloth away after you clean the print head. It should last for th[...]

Page 45 Cleaning the Pla ten R oller Dirt and debris on the platen roller can make the roller feed paper into the printer at an angle, degrade the quality of the printed image, or both. 1. Make sure the printer is powered on without paper loaded. NOTE : If paper is loaded and detected by the printer when you attempt to initiate Cleaning Mode, a For[...]

Page 46 Figure 18. Cleaning the platen roller . NOTE : Do not attempt to clean the platen r oller with any material other than the cleaning cloth. The cleaning cloth is for head cleaning and platen r oller cleaning only . Do not use it to clean any other part of the printer . Don’ t thr ow the cleaning cloth away after you clean the platen r olle[...]

Page 47 Cleaning the Printer’ s Exterior Should the outside of the printer become dirty , clean it using a dry cloth. NOTE: A void saturating the cloth. Do not allow water to get inside the printer . A void the use of benzene, alcohol, paint thinner , or cleaners that ar e abrasive, alkaline, or acidic. Such cleaners may damage the printer ’ s [...]

Page 48 Notes:[...]

Page 49 Chapter 5 - R eference Indica tor Lights The indicator lights tell you about the current status of the printer . Indicator Light T able = Solid = Blinking = Alternating Blinking POWER DA T A ERROR = Doesn’t matter External power in use Battery in use, > 14.0 V olts Battery in use, > 13.1 V olts Battery in use, > 10.0 V olts Batte[...]

Page 50 POWER DA T A ERROR Bad checksum of fl ash data No battery found when charging T ime-Out when charging Low Thermal Head temperature High Thermal Head temperature Data Receive Error Indica tor Light W ar nings The POWER indicator light does not light The printer is receiving no power . If you are using the AC adapter , make sure it is connec[...]

Page 51 T ime-Out When Charging The printer believes that too much time was required to bring the battery up to a normal charge voltage. A maximum of 150 minutes is allowed for the charging cycle. This is an indication that the battery should be replaced. Low Thermal Head T emperatur e The temperature of the thermal head is too low for reliable pri[...]

Page 52 Self-T est F ea tur e The Self-T est Feature can be used to print a letter-size page test page without connection to a host computer . The test page (See page 32) contains fi rmware level, image quality , and con fi guration information. 1. T o print a test page, the printer must be turned on and idle, and paper must not be loaded in the [...]

Page 53 Chapter 6 - T r oubleshooting Ov er view If you have dif fi culty getting your printer to work properly , fi rst check to make sure you have done the following tasks correctly (See Chapter 1, “Setting Up the Printer”). • Installing the battery or connecting the printer to an AC outlet • Connecting the printer to your computer Make[...]

Page 54 P aper Pr oblems The paper is jammed in the printer See page 41, “Clearing a Paper Jam”. Paper moves through the printer , but nothing appears on the paper Make sure you are using Brother Genuine Thermal paper and that you are loading it properly with the print side away from you. See page 39, “Inserting Paper”. Also, check the Prin[...]

Page 55 The image is compr essed and stretched in many places Make sure the release cover was not left open during printing. If it is open, close it completely . Make sure the paper is not slipping in the printer . If it is, make sure the print head and platen roller are clean. See Chapter 4, “Maintaining the Printer”. Make sure the paper is no[...]

Page 56 The top margin is incorr ect Make sure the correct margins have been set in the con fi guration utility and your software application. If not, set the margins for the top and bottom of the page as needed. Make sure you are not inserting the paper into the paper input slot with excessive force. Always insert the paper gently . The image for[...]

Page 57 P a ges Don ’t Print The gr een DA T A indicator remains lit but does not blink The print buffer contains unprinted data from the software application. If you have already inserted paper in the printer , take the paper out and re-insert it to make sure the printer knows paper is ready . If that doesn’t work, you may need to turn the pri[...]

Page 58 Chapter 7 - T ec hnical Inf or ma tion Pr oduct Speci fi ca tions (PJ-522 / PJ-523) Printer speci fi cations Model Name PJ-522 PJ-523 Dimensions 255 (W) x 55 (D) x 30 (H) mm / 10.04 x 2.17 x 1.18 in. W eight Approximately 390g (excluding Battery , paper) 0.80 lb. Printing Method Direct thermal printing Print Speed A verage: 24 sec./page o[...]

Page 59 Softwar e Printer font size 10 cpi, 12 cpi, 15 cpi and Proportional sizes. Printer font face Serif and Sans Serif Barcode generation No Operating environment W indows 2000 Professional / XP / W indows V ista (USB, Bluetooth, IrDA) ENVIRONMENT AL Operation temperature: 5 - 35 °C / 41 - 95 °F Operation humidity: 30 - 80 % (No condensation) [...]

Page 60 Pr oduct Speci fi ca tions (PJ-562 / PJ-563) Printer speci fi cations Model Name PJ-562 PJ-563 Dimensions 255 (W) x 55 (D) x 30 (H) mm / 10.04 x 2.17 x 1.18 in. W eight Approximately 395g (excluding Battery , paper) 0.86 lb. Printing Method Direct thermal printing Print Speed A verage: 24 sec./page or 12.4 mm/sec. (under our standard envi[...]

Page 61 Softwar e Printer font size 10 cpi, 12 cpi, 15 cpi and Proportional sizes. Printer font face Serif and Sans Serif Barcode generation No Operating environment W indows 2000 Professional / XP / W indows V ista (USB, Bluetooth, IrDA) ENVIRONMENT AL Operation temperature: 5 - 35 °C / 41 - 95 °F Operation humidity: 30 - 80 % (No condensation) [...]

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