Zebra Technologies 600 manual

® For the Zebra 400™ and 600™ Printers SS Customer order # 44885L Manufacturer part # 44885LB Rev . 2 User ’s Guide 1[...]

Proprietary Statement Product Improvements FCC Compliance Statement Canadian DOC Compliance Statement Liability Disclaimer No Liability for Consequential Damage Copyrights 2[...]

I have determined that the Zebra printers identified as the S tripe Series 400 and 600 SS manufactured by: Zebra T echnologies Corporation 333 Corporate W oods Parkway V ernon Hills, Illinois 60061-3109 U.S.A. have been shown to comply with the applicable technical standards of the FCC for Home, Office, Commercial, and Industrial use if no unauthor[...]

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Contents Introduction Unpacking ..................................1 Reporting Damage ..............................1 Site Requirements ..............................2 Introduction to Printers ...........................2 Tear-Off Mode ..............................2 Peel-Off Mode ..............................3 Cutter Mode .........................[...]

Printing a Test Label ............................1 8 Connecting the Printer and Computer ...................1 8 RS-232 Interface Requirements .....................1 8 Parallel Interface Requirements .....................1 9 Serial and Parallel Cabling Requirements ................1 9 Communicating with the Printer ......................1 9 Via the[...]

Resetting Factory Defaults .......................4 6 Resetting Communications Parameters .................4 6 Resetting Ribbon Parameters ......................4 6 Printer Diagnostics .............................4 7 Power-On Self Test ...........................4 7 Additional Printer Self Tests ......................4 7 CANCEL Key Self Test .....[...]

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Intr oduction Congratulations! You have just purchased a high-quality thermal label printer manufactured by the industry leader in quality, service, and value. For over 25 years, Zebra Technologies Corporation has provided customers with the highest caliber of products and support. This user's guide provides all the information you will need t[...]

Site Requirements CAUTION: To insure that the printer has proper ventilation and cooling, do not place any padding or cushioning material under the unit, because this restricts air flow. This printer may be installed on any solid, level surface of sufficient size and strength to accommodate the physical dimensions and weight of the unit. The area e[...]

This printer (Figure 2) operates in Peel-Off mode. In Peel-Off, backing material is peeled away from the label as it is printed. After this label is removed from the printer, the next one is printed. To load media, refer to “Loading the Media -- Peel-Off Mode” in Getting Ready to Print . Printers like this (Figure 3) are equipped for Cutter mod[...]

4 S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide 12 13 14 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Media Access Cover Ribbon T ake-up Spindle Ribbon Supply Spindle Media Supply Hanger Media Supply Guide Media Guide Front Cover T ear Plate Printhead 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Control Panel Platen Roller AC Power Cable Connection Parallel Interface Serial Interface Fuse Power On/Off [...]

Getting Ready to Print AC P ower Cable The AC power cable has a three-prong female connector on one end (see Figure 5). This connector must be plugged into the mating connector on the left side of the printer. See Figure 6. The connector at the other end of the AC power cable will be one of the following: US Standard 110 VAC three-prong plug Great [...]

6 S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide AC P ower Cable Connection P ower On/Off Switch F use RS -232 (Serial) Interface P arallel Interface Figure 6 14[...]

Loading the Media Media widths and thicknesses vary between applications. To maintain print quality from one application to another, refer to “Print Quality Adjustments” in Routine Care and Adjustments . NOTE: Zebra recommends using media that is outside wound (you can see the labels on the outside of the roll). T ear- Off Mode 1. Refer to Figu[...]

4. Adjust the media supply guide and the media guide against the outer edge of the media. These guides must not cause pressure or excessive drag on the media. 5. Close the head open lever, and see “Adjusting the Media Sensor” later in this chapter to adjust the media sensor position. For loading fanfold media: 6. Refer to Figure 8. Make sure th[...]

P eel- Off Mode (Optional) Refer to Figure 9 and follow the procedure below. 1. Slide the media supply guide (a), media guide (b), and the outer edge guides on both the platen guide rod (c) and the lower guide rod (d) as far out from the printer frame as possible. 2. Open the head open lever (e) to raise the printhead (f). 3. Remove the hold down h[...]

8. To hold the media against the spindle, place the hold down hook over the backing and insert both ends into the small slots in the round plate at the far end of the spindle. Again, rotate the backing rewind spindle counterclockwise to remove any slack in the backing material. 9. Adjust all of the guides: Push the media supply guide inward until i[...]

Cutter Mode (Optional) To insure proper media loading, follow the directions for the Tear-Off Mode with the exception that the end of the media must be positioned on top of the platen roller. See Figure 10. With the end of the media positioned directly on top of the platen roller (a), close the head open lever. The printer will automatically calibr[...]

Loading the Ribbon Before you load the ribbon, make sure the ribbon supply spindle is adjusted properly. Ribbon Supply Spindle: Normal Position In the normal position, the “dual-tension” ribbon supply spindle provides the desired amount of ribbon back tension for different ribbon widths. To place the spindle in the normal position, firmly pull [...]

Ribbon Loading Instructions NOTES: Zebra recommends the use of ribbon that is wider than the media. The smooth backing of the ribbon protects the printhead from wear and premature failure due to excessive abrasion. (For the direct thermal print method, ribbon is not used and should not be loaded in the printer.) Zebra recommends the use of ribbon t[...]

Ribbon Removal Refer to Figure 12. When it’s time to change the ribbon, cut the ribbon where it is stretched between the upper ribbon guide arm and the takeup spindle. To remove ribbon from the takeup spindle, press the release button (d) and slide the ribbon off the spindle. 14 S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide a d c b Figure 12 22[...]

Adjusting the Media Sensor This adjustment aligns the position of the light sensor with the notch or edge of the label, so the printer can determine the correct label size. See Figure 13. With the printhead open, look through the side of the print mechanism and locate the media sensor adjustment lever (a). Reposition the sensor until the top of the[...]

Auto Calibration This procedure occurs whenever the printer is turned on or the printhead is opened and closed. During this procedure, the printer automatically determines the media type, label length, media and ribbon sensor settings, and printing method (direct thermal or thermal transfer). This procedure is set at the factory but may be changed [...]

If the button is pressed, the label format that is currently printing is canceled. If pressed when no label format is printing, then the next format to be printed is canceled. Press for at least three seconds to cancel all label formats the printer has received and return the printer to an idle state. When in the configuration mode, functions as th[...]

AC P ower ON/OFF Switch This switch is located on the left side of the printer near the AC power cord and fuse (see Figure 6). The AC power switch should be turned off before connecting or disconnecting any cables. Turning the switch on activates the printer and causes it to perform a Power ON Self Test, which can take up to 30 seconds, as it begin[...]

For pinout information, as well as information on how to interconnect to either a DTE or DCE device, refer to the Appendix . P arallel Interface Requirements Refer to Figure 6. An IEEE 1284 compatible bi-directional parallel data cable is required when this communication method is selected. The required cable must have a standard 36-pin parallel co[...]

length, no parity, 1 stop bit, and XON/XOFF), press and hold the PAUSE, FEED, and MODE buttons while turning on the printer, then release the buttons when the CALIBRATE LED goes out. All of the LEDs will go on, while the DARKEN, POSITION, and CALIBRATE LEDs will flash. Press and hold the MODE button until all of the lights go out, then release the [...]

Routine Car e and Adjustments Cleaning CAUTION: Use only the cleaning agents indicated below. Zebra Technologies Corporation will not be responsible for any other products be- ing used on this printer. N o lubricants are needed. The following table provides a brief cleaning schedule. Specific cleaning procedures are provided on the following pages.[...]

22 S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide j c e d a b l f g h i k Figure 15 30[...]

Cleaning the Exterior The exterior surfaces of the printer may be cleaned with a lint-free cloth. Do not use harsh or abrasive cleaning agents or solvents. If necessary, a mild detergent solution or desktop cleaner may be used sparingly. Cleaning the Interior Remove any accumulated dirt and lint from the interior of the printer using a soft bristle[...]

2. Open the printhead (a) by moving the head open lever (b) to the open position. 3. Remove the media and ribbon (if present). 4. With a swab, wipe the print elements (c) from end to end (the print ele- ments are the grayish/black strip just behind the chrome strip.) Allow a few seconds for the solvent to evaporate. 5. Rotate the platen roller (d) [...]

S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide 25 b a Figure 17 a b Figure 18 33[...]

26 S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide a b Figure 19 a a c b Figure 20 34[...]

II. Disassembling the cutter module. 1. See Figure 20. Hold the cutter module as illustrated. Put your thumbs on the two wire spring loops (a) and your index fingers on the top of the rear cutter blade guard (b). It may help to lay the cutter module on a table or other surface throughout this process. 2. To remove the rear cutter blade guard, first[...]

28 S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide a a a a b b c b CUTTER SIDE P ANEL CUTTER SIDE P ANEL d Figure 21 Figure 22 36[...]

V. Reinstalling the cutter module. 1. See Figure 19. Position the cutter module above the cutter mounting posts (a). Press down on the cutter module until the mounting slots (b) engage the mounting posts on the printer. 2. See Figure 18. Tighten the mounting screw (b) in a clockwise direction to hold the cutter module in position. 3. See Figure 18.[...]

Lubrication No lubricating agents of any kind are required on this printer. Some commercially available lubricants will damage the finish if used. AC P ower Fuse R eplacement A user-replaceable AC power fuse (see Figure 6) is located just to the left of the power on/off switch. For use with both voltage ranges, the replacement fuse is a 5x20 fast b[...]

Mechanical Adjustments This printer has been designed with minimal operator adjustments required. Print Quality Adjustments When changing from one media/ribbon combination to another, only slight changes in print darkness or toggle pressure may be required. For these situations, refer to the toggle pressure adjustment in this chapter. I. Checking t[...]

The pressure applied by the toggle assembly may need to be increased or reduced when different thicknesses or widths of media are used in the printer. NOTE: Before increasing toggle pressure to achieve darker print darkness, perform the print quality adjustments. Refer to Figure 23. Turn the two knurled toggle pressure adjust knobs (a) on top of th[...]

Media Rest P osition Adjustment This procedure sets the end-of-label position relative to the Tear-Off plate or cutter. Adjust this if your label is not being torn or cut at the correct point. 1. Briefly press the MODE button twice. The PAUSE and POSITION LEDs turn on. 2. Press UP (FEED) or DOWN (CANCEL) to adjust the current setting. 3. Briefly pr[...]

Backing Rewind P ower Roller Adjustment (PEEL-OFF OPTION REQUIRED) NOTE: This roller is only present on printers with the Peel-Off option. Zebra presets this roller during manufacture for proper operation with most applications. Only adjust this roller when necessary. In the Peel-Off mode, proper media tracking is critical. The rewind power roller [...]

Figure 24 illustrates an improperly adjusted backing rewind power roller (a). On the left side, the backing material (b) is not contacting the power roller. The backing has more tension on the right edge (c) than on the left edge (d). Use a coin or screwdriver to turn the power roller adjustment (e). The adjustment mechanism changes the position of[...]

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T r oubleshooting If the printer operates in an abnormal fashion, consult the troubleshooting table below. The printer diagnostics following the troubleshooting table may also help you to determine the problem. The troubleshooting of some problems may be beyond the abilities of the operator. In these cases, call a service technician to perform addi[...]

Symptom Diagnosis Action Printer stops, PAUSE LED and PAPER/RIBBON LED both on. Media incorrectly or not loaded. Load media correctly, then turn the printer off and on. See Getting Ready to Print . Cutter error. Clear jam, then open and close the printhead. Calibration error. Re-calibrate printer. Misadjusted media sensor. Check position and sensit[...]

Symptom Diagnosis Action DATA LED is single flashing. CANCEL button was pressed and a format was deleted. No action required. PAUSE LED and DATA LED alternately flashing, but all other LEDs on. Firmware error. Call a service technician for instructions on how to download and install firmware. DATA LED is flashing. Printer is receiving data. Printin[...]

Symptom Diagnosis Action Truncated print, no print, or FEED button operates incorrectly while using non-continuous media. Media or ribbon improperly loaded. See “Loading the Media” and “Loading the Ribbon” in Getting Ready to Print . Incorrect media sensor position or sensitivity. See “Adjusting the Media Sensor” in Getting Ready to Pri[...]

Symptom Diagnosis Action Changes in parameter settings did not take effect. Parameters are set or saved incorrectly. Reload the factory defaults (see “FEED Key and PAUSE Key” later in this chapter), calibrate the printer, then cycle the power on/off switch. If problem continues, there may be a problem on the main logic board. Call a service tec[...]

In cutter mode, skewed, stuck, improperly cut or partially cut labels. Cutter is dirty. Follow cutter cleaning procedure in Routine Care and Adjustments . Cutter blades are dull. Call a service technician. The cutter is jamming up with labels, or labels are being cut more than once. Cutter is dirty. Follow cutter cleaning procedure in Routine Care [...]

Printer Status Sensors The printer contains several status sensors. These sensors alert the operator to various conditions by either stopping the printing or turning on an LED. Sensor What it Monitors How it Works Printhead sensor Checks the open/ closed status of the printhead lever. If the printhead is open, the PRINTHEAD LED flashes. Media senso[...]

44 S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide Edge Guide Mark T ear - Off/ P eel- Off Plate Label Available Sensor Figure 25 Rewind Spindle F ull Sensor Figure 26 52[...]

Manual Calibration Perform a manual calibration whenever you are using pre-printed media, if the printer is in manual calibration mode, or when the printer will not auto calibrate. During this procedure, the media type, label length, media and ribbon sensor settings, and printing method are determined. Media type is determined by sensing either con[...]

Resetting P rinter P arameters Resetting Factory Defaults If it is ever necessary to reset all of the factory default values, press and hold the FEED and PAUSE buttons while turning on the power. Permanently save these values in memory by pressing the MODE button four times; the DARKEN, POSITION, and CALIBRATE LEDs will flash, indicating the change[...]

Printer Diagnostics P ower- On Self T est A Power-On Self Test (POST) is performed automatically each time the printer is turned on. This test checks for proper initialization of various electronic circuits and establishes starting parameters as those stored in the printer’s memory. During this test sequence, the front panel lights will turn on a[...]

CANCEL Key Self T est This self test prints the printer’s configuration parameters (for example, printing darkness, label length, and media type) that are currently stored in configuration (Flash) memory. See Figure 27. To perform the CANCEL key self test: 1. Press the CANCEL button while turning on the printer. 2. Release the button when the CAL[...]

P AUSE K ey Self T est This self test can be used to provide the test labels required when making adjustments to the printer’s mechanical assemblies. See Figure 28. To perform the PAUSE key self test: 1. Press the PAUSE button while turning on the printer. 2. Release the button when the front panel LEDs turn on. 3. To return to printing mode, tur[...]

FEED Key Self T est The results of this self test will be used to determine the best darkness setting for a specific media/ribbon combination. Refer to Figure 29. To perform the FEED key self test: 1. Press the FEED button while turning on the printer. 2. Release the button when the front panel LEDs turn on. 3. To return to printing mode, turn off [...]

MODE Key Self T est This self test places the printer in a communications diagnostics mode. In this mode, the printer prints the ASCII characters and their corresponding hexadecimal values for any data received from the host computer. See Figure 30. To perform the MODE key self test: 1. Press the MODE button while turning on the printer. 2. Release[...]

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Specifications NOTE: Printer specifications are subject to change without notice. NOTE: Your printer may not have all of the options described in these specifications. General Specifications Height 13" 330 mm Width 8.25" 210 mm Depth 17" 432 mm Weight (option-dependent) 17 lbs 7.71 kg Electrical Auto range 110 VAC +/-20% or 230 VAC +[...]

Printing Specifications Printing Specifications S 400 Printer S 600 Printer Resolution 203 dots per inch (8 dots per mm) Dot size (square) 0.005" (0.127 mm) Maximum print width 4.09" (104 mm) Print length Minimum 0.005" (0.127 mm) Maximum 36" (914 mm) 39" (991 mm) Bar code modulus (“X”) dimension 5 mil to 55 mil Program[...]

Media Specifications Total media width Minimum 0.75" 19 mm Maximum 4.5" 114 mm Maximum (cutter installed) 4.0" 102 mm Label length Minimum Tear-Off 0.63" 16 mm Peel-Off 1.00" 25 mm Cutter 1.50" 38 mm Maximum See “Printing Specifications” Total thickness (includes liner) Minimum 0.0023" 0.058 mm Maximum (printh[...]

Options 4 MB flash expansion 8 MB flash expansion *Peel-Off mode with backing-only rewind feature *Cutter with label catch tray Scalable and bitmap smooth fonts available for text Ethernet * Factory installed Contact your authorized Zebra distributor for information. Zebra Programming Language (ZPL II) 56 S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide Downloadab[...]

Bar Codes Standard Printer Fonts Zebra fonts A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, GS, 0 ( S 600) Zebra fonts A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, GS, 0, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V ( S 400) CG Triumvirate Bold Condensed  scalable smooth font IBM Code Page 850 International characters Optional Printer Fonts There are many optional character fonts that can be purchased for your pr[...]

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Appendix RS -232 Connector T echnical Information NOTE: When XON/XOFF handshaking is selected, data flow is controlled by the ASCII control codes DC1 (XON) and DC3 (XOFF). The DTR control lead will have no effect. Interconnecting to DTE Devices The printer is configured as data terminal equipment (DTE). To connect the printer to other DTE devices ([...]

60 S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide 1 (TD) (TD) (RD) (RD) (RTS) (RTS) (DSR) (DSR) (SG) (SG) (DTR) (DTR) DTE DTE 1 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 99 Figure 31 TRANSMIT DA T A (TD) RECEIVE DA T A (RD) REQUEST T O SEND (RTS) CLEAR T O SEND (CTS) DA T A SET READ Y (DSR) SIGNAL GROUND (SG) CARRIER DETECT (CD) DA T A TERMINAL READ Y (DTR) 1 DCE DTE 1 22 33 44 55 6[...]

P arallel Interface T echnical Information S 400 & S 600 User’s Guide 61 Parallel Connector Pinouts Pin. No. Description 1 nStrobe/Host Clk 2-9 Data Bits 1-8 10 nACK/PtrClk 11 Busy/Per Busy 12 PError/ACK Data Req. 13 Select/Xflag 14 nauto Fd/Host Busy 15 Not Used 16-17 Ground 18 +5V @ 1A Fused 19-30 Ground 31 nlnit 32 nFault/nData Avail. 33-3[...]

Storage and Reshipping If you are not placing the printer into operation immediately, repackage it using the original packing materials. The printer may be stored under the following conditions: Temperature: -40° to 140° F (-40 to 60° C) Relative humidity: 5% to 85% non-condensing To ship the printer, carefully pack it in a suitable container to[...]

Glossary alphanumeric Indicating letters, numerals, and characters such as punctuation marks. backfeed Backfeed is when the printer pulls the media and ribbon (if used) backward into the printer so that the beginning of the label to be printed is properly positioned behind the printhead. Backfeed occurs when you’re operating the printer in tear-o[...]

font A complete set of alphanumeric characters in one style of type. Example: Times, Helvetica. ips “inches-per-second” The speed at which the label or tag is printed. Zebra offers printers that can print from 2 ips to 12 ips. label An adhesive-backed piece of paper, plastic, or other material on which information is printed. label available se[...]

ribbons also have a back coating that protects the printhead from damage. The ribbon transfers ink onto the media when heated by the printhead. ribbon wrinkle A wrinkling of the ribbon caused by improper alignment of the strip plate and/or printhead pressure. This wrinkle can be seen just above the strip plate. Ribbon wrinkle can cause voids in the[...]

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Index A AC power cable ...........5 AC power fuse, replacing ......3 0 Adjustments Backing rewind power roller . . 34 Label top position ........3 3 Media rest position .......3 3 Media sensor ..........1 5 Media sensor position ......3 3 Print darkness ..........3 1 Print quality ...........3 1 Print quality check .......3 1 Ribbon supply spindle [...]

F Factory defaults, resetting .....4 6 Fanfold media loading ........8 Fonts Optional .............5 7 Standard .............5 7 Front panel buttons CANCEL button ........1 6 DOWN button .........1 6 FEED button ..........1 6 MODE button ..........1 7 PAUSE button .........1 6 UP button ............1 6 Front panel LEDs CALIBRATE ..........1 7 DARKE[...]

Printer diagnostics CANCEL key self test .....4 8 FEED key self test .......5 0 MODE key self test .......5 1 PAUSE key self test ......4 9 Power-on self test ........4 7 Printer identification .........2 Printer status sensors Backing rewind spindle full ...4 3 Label available .........4 3 Media ..............4 3 Printhead ............4 3 Ribbon .[...]

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