950 USER’S GUIDE www.P-touch.com • Read this User’s Guide before you start using your P-touch. • Keep this User’s Guide in a handy place for future reference.
INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing the P-touch 1950! Your new P-touch will allow you to create labels for any need. Its versatility enables you to design custom labels by choosing from a variety of frame designs and from many characters sizes and styles. In addition, the four tape widths (6 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm and 18 mm) and variety of tape colours allow you to print personalised labels, useful for colour-coded filing. You no longer have to worry about urgent tasks that require professional printing.
CONTENTS Getting Started GENERAL DESCRIPTION .................................................................................... 1 GENERAL PRECAUTIONS................................................................................... 3 BATTERIES .......................................................................................................... 3 AC ADAPTOR ..................................................................................................... 4 TAPE CASSETTE ...........................
LENGTH FUNCTION ........................................................................................ 41 AUTO CUT FUNCTION.................................................................................... 42 PRINT KEY ........................................................................................................ 43 FEED & CUT FUNCTION .................................................................................. 43 NUMBERING FUNCTION ........................................................
Getting Started GENERAL DESCRIPTION TOP VIEW Tape compartment cover AC adaptor connector Navigation dial USB port Keyboard LCD display BOTTOM VIEW Tape exit slot Battery compartment cover 1
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GENERAL PRECAUTIONS ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● • Use only Brother TZ tapes with this machine. Do not use tapes that do not have the mark. Do not pull on the tape being fed from the P-touch. This may damage the tape cassette. Do not use the machine in dusty places, and keep it out of both direct sunlight and rain. Do not expose the machine to high temperatures or high humidity. Never leave it on the dashboard or in the back of your car.
☞ Be sure to insert the new batteries within five minutes of removing the old ones, otherwise the text shown in the display and any text files stored in the memory will be lost (unless the machine is plugged into an AC outlet with the AC adaptor). Remove the batteries and disconnect the AC adaptor if you do not intend to use this machine for an extended period of time. When the power is disconnected, all text shown in the display and stored in the memory will be lost.
TAPE CASSETTE TZ tape cassettes are available for this machine in a wide variety of colours and sizes. It is possible to make distinctive colour-coded and stylised labels. In addition, this machine has been designed to allow you to change the tape cassettes quickly and easily. To change the tape cassette: 1 Lift open the tape compartment cover. The installed cassette is also released. 2 If a tape cassette is already installed, remove it by pulling it straight up.
ATTACHING LABELS LAMINATED TAPE The enclosed stick enables you to easily remove the backing from labels printed on laminated tapes. 1 Hold the tape in your left hand, with the printed surface facing up, and hold the stick in your right hand. 2 Pass the tape halfway through the long narrow hole in the stick. 3 Turn the stick three-quarters of a turn towards you and pull the stick away from you as shown below. 4 Peel off the label backing.
PRINT HEAD & ROLLERS Occasionally, specks of dust or dirt become attached to the machine’s print head and rollers. This is particularly likely when you are using the unit outdoors or in a very dusty environment. If a section of the print head is covered with dust, a blank horizontal streak may appear through the label text. Therefore, as with a tape recorder, the machine’s print head may need to be cleaned from time to time. To clean the print head and rollers: Turn off the machine.
USING WITH A PERSONAL COMPUTER By installing the P-touch Editor, Quick Editor and Printer driver, you can easily print labels from your personal computer. Various auto format templates are available in the software for easy label making. What to prepare : ■ Software Installation Guide ■ USB interface cable ■ CD-ROM The CD-ROM contains software, etc., to install on a personal computer. Keep for future reference. Use this cable to connect the PT-1950 to the USB port of a personal computer.
Notes on using with a personal computer ● ● When connected to the personal computer, the machine will automatically turn off if no operation is performed within 60 minutes. The label length can be set up to 310 mm long. About CHAIN print mode : When printing labels continuously, you can reduce the margin size by selecting the “Chain Printing” option on the computer. The Auto cut function will be off in Chain printing, so you will need to press c + _ when finally cutting the tape.
For Your Information POWER KEY The power key ( o ) is located in the lower-right corner of the keyboard. If batteries have been installed or the machine has been plugged in using the AC adaptor, the previous session’s information is displayed when the machine is turned on. The machine will automatically turn off if no operation is performed within the selected time. See below chart for detail.
RIGHT CURSOR KEY To move the cursor one character to the right: ● Press w once. ☞ If this key is pressed when the cursor is at the end of a line followed by another line, the cursor moves to the beginning of the next line. To move the cursor several characters to the right: ● Hold down w until the cursor moves to the desired position. To move the cursor to the end of the current line: ● Hold down c and press w. UP CURSOR KEY To move the cursor up to the previous line: ● Press h once.
NAVIGATION DIAL The navigation dial in the upper-right corner of the keyboard provides a quick way to access many of the P-touch functions and to select from the various settings. Refer to the description of each function for a detailed explanation on how to use the navigation dial. To select a function or setting: Rotate + either clockwise or counterclockwise until the desired function or setting is displayed. ● ☞ To return to the text without making a selection, press *.
ALT KEY To type in characters printed in color on the right-hand side of the keys: 1 Press a once to enter Alt mode. The Alt indicator on the left side of the display comes on. 2 To type in a character written in colour in the lower-right corner of the key, press the key of the desired character. To type in a character written in colour in the upper-right corner of the key, hold down s and press the key of the desired character. 3 To exit Alt mode, press a again. The Alt indicator goes off.
SHIFT KEY To type in an uppercase letter or a symbol printed in the top left-hand corner of a key: ● Hold down s and press the key of the desired letter or symbol. EXAMPLE To type in “%”: 1: 5 _ ● Hold down s and press 5. 1: 5 % _ The Caps mode is similar to holding down s. It allows you to type uppercase letters continuously. To type in many uppercase letters: 1 Hold down c and press a. The Caps indicator on the left side of the display comes on.
SPACE KEY The Space key ( _ ) lets you add blank spaces between characters in your text. It is different from the right cursor key ( w ), which just moves the cursor without adding blank spaces. To add a space: Press _. ● EXAMPLE To add a space: 1: J . _ ● Press _. 1: J . _ RETURN KEY Like on a typewriter or word processor, this machine’s return key ( r ) is used to end a line of text and start another one.
Tape widths Maximum number of lines that can be printed 6 mm 2 9 mm 2 12 mm 3 18 mm 5 The return key can also be used to select an item from a list (e.g., add a symbol or accented character to the text) or to apply a selected setting. Some questions asking you to confirm a command may appear on the LCD display, especially when the function that you have chosen will delete or affect files. In these cases, pressing r is like answering “yes”. ☞ To answer “no”, press *.
To set the tab length: 1 Rotate + until 08/19 TAB LENGTH is displayed, and then press + (OR hold down c and press W once). The current tab length is displayed. 2 Rotate + (OR press h or e) until the desired length is displayed, or use the number keys to type in the length. 3 Press + (OR press r). To add a tab to the text: ● Hold down c and press Q once. The tab mark ( ) appears in the text to indicate the position of the tab.
2 Rotate + (OR press e) until 2.0cm is displayed. 3 Press + (OR press r). TAB LENGTH 2.Ocm To add a tab to the text: ● Hold down c and press Q once. 1: a r t NO. _ DELETE KEY The delete key ( * ) allows you to remove characters to the left of the cursor’s current position. It differs from the left cursor key ( f ), which only moves the cursor without deleting any characters. The delete key can also be used to quit most functions and return to the previous display without changing the text.
To delete a sequence of characters: 1 Press f, w, h or e to position the cursor below the character immediately to the right of the last character that you wish to delete. 2 Hold down * until all of the characters that you wish to delete are deleted. To quit a function without changing your text: Press * to return to your text. ● To answer “no”: Press *. ● LINE OUT FUNCTION With the Line Out function, you can easily remove an entire line of text.
CLEAR FUNCTION When clearing the display before entering new text, the Clear function can be used to choose whether all of the text is erased and all format functions (Font, Size, Wide, Style, Underline, Frame, Tape margin, Alignment, Tab length, Mirror printing, and Length) are returned to their default settings, or whether just the text is erased. To delete all of the text and return all formats to their default settings: 1 Hold down c and press *.
To delete just the text: 1 Hold down c and press *. 2 Rotate + (OR press h or e) until TEXT ONLY is selected (flashing). ☞ To return to the text without erasing anything, press *. 3 Press + (OR press r). EXAMPLE To clear just the text: 1: G a r d e n 2: 3 4 5 – 6 7 8 9 _ 1 Hold down c and press *. TXT&FORMAT TEXT ONLY 2 Rotate + (OR press e) until TEXT ONLY is flashing. TXT&FORMAT TEXT ONLY 3 Press + (OR press r).
COMPOSITE CHARACTER KEYS This machine can display and print composite characters, which consist of a letter and a diacritical mark. The diacritical marks available are ˆ, ¨, ´, ` and ~. Several composite characters can be found on the key tops. Characters such as ü, ç, and ñ can be entered using a. Before inputting a composite character as described below, check whether it is already available as a keytop character.
2 Press E. 1: N o ë _ ACCENT FUNCTION The Accent function can also be used to add accented characters to your text. Many of these characters can also be found on the keys and typed in using a (refer to page 12), or they can be entered using the composite character keys (refer to page 22). The accented characters are grouped according to the uppercase or lowercase letter that they are combined with.
☞ To type an uppercase letter, hold down s (OR hold down c and press a to turn on Caps mode) before pressing the letter key. 3 Press + (OR press r). The accented character is added to the text. To type in a series of accented characters, hold down c before pressing + ☞ (OR r). Then, continue adding accented characters by selecting them as explained in step 2, and holding down c while pressing + (OR r). Press just + (OR r) after selecting the last character in the series.
SYMBOL FUNCTION In addition to the letters, symbols and numerals on the key tops, there are 56 additional marks available with the Symbol function. The following symbols are available: Group Symbol 1 ± ÷ × \ 2 i # § β 3 ° 4 ✏ $ Fr 5 [ ] < > ¿ µ D ƒ ★ ← → ↑ _ ↓ ~ ☞ The use of the CE mark is strictly governed by one or more European Council directives. Ensure that any labels you produce which use this mark conform with the relevant directives.
2 Rotate + (OR press h or e until the row containing “ ” appears, and then press f or w) until “ ” appears in the frame. 3 Press + (OR press r). 1: D A N G E R _ AUTO FORMAT FUNCTION With the Auto format function, you can select from a variety of preset formats, allowing you to quickly and easily create the perfect label for your specific need.
Auto format setting Length setting Tape margin setting Horizontal alignment setting AUDIO CASSETTE 8.9 cm NARROW CENTRE DAT CASSETTE 5.6 cm NARROW CENTRE MINI DISK 5.2 cm NARROW CENTRE ORGANISER L 8.2 cm NARROW CENTRE ORGANISER S 6.5 cm NARROW CENTRE FILE LONG 18.3 cm NARROW CENTRE FILE SHORT 9.4 cm NARROW CENTRE To select a pre-formatted layout: 1 Rotate + until 12/19 A.FORMAT is displayed, and then press + (OR hold down c and press Y).
3 Press + (OR press r). 1: FONT FUNCTION With the Font function, you can choose one of two fonts for your text. The following font settings are available: (Helsinki) (Brussels) The default font setting is FONT 1. The font indicator at the bottom left of the display shows the currently selected font setting. To change the font setting: 1 Rotate + until 01/19 FONT is displayed, and then press + to display the current font setting.
EXAMPLE To select the FONT 2 font setting: 1 While holding down c, press 1 once, and keep c held down. FONT 1 2 While still holding down c, continue pressing 1 until FONT 2 is displayed. FONT 2 A 3 Release c. SIZE & WIDE FUNCTIONS The character size can be adjusted using both the Size and Wide functions. Since the character size that can be used depends on the width of the tape, the following table shows the character sizes that can be used with each tape width.
☞ With the AUTO setting selected and 12-mm- or 18-mm-wide tape installed, text consisting of just one line of only uppercase letters (and no accented characters) will be printed with a character size slightly larger than a similar sentence also containing lowercase letters (i.e., 29 points for 12-mm-wide tape and 52 points for 18-mm-wide tape).
☞ The current size setting is shown by the size indicators at the top of the display. If the selected character size is too large for the installed tape cassette, the message “CHR SIZE AUTO?” appears when p is pressed. Pressing p(or r) changes the character size to the maximum possible for the installed tape and continues printing. To stop the character size from being changed and stop printing, press *.
EXAMPLE To select the ON wide setting: 1 While holding down c, press 3 once, and keep c held down. WIDE OFF 2 While still holding down c, continue pressing 3 until ON is displayed. WIDE ON 3 Release c. STYLE FUNCTION You can choose from nine different character styles to apply to your text. Characters printed using the smaller sizes may be difficult to read if certain style settings (e.g., I+SHAD) are selected.
2 While still holding down c, continue pressing 4 until the desired style setting is displayed. 3 ☞ Release c to apply the selected style setting to the text. The current style setting is shown by the style indicator at the bottom right of the display. EXAMPLE To select the I+SHAD style setting: 1 While holding down c, press 4 once, and keep c held down. STYLE NORMAL 2 While still holding down c, continue pressing 4 until I+SHAD is displayed. STYLE I+SHAD 3 Release c.
Font setting Style setting I+BOLD I+OUTL I+SHAD VERT FONT 1 FONT 2 UNDERLINE FUNCTION You can emphasise your text by underlining it. The default underline setting is OFF. When the Underline function is set to ON, the underline indicator (ABC) on the right side of the display comes on. UNDL ON (Sample) To change the underline setting: 1 Rotate + until 05/19 UNDERLINE is displayed, and then press + to display the current underline setting.
EXAMPLE To select the ON underline setting: 1 While holding down c, press 5 once, and keep c held down. UNDL OFF 2 While still holding down c, continue pressing 5 until ON is displayed. UNDL ON 3 Release c. FRAME FUNCTION With the Frame function, you can choose from various frames and highlights to design a more decorative or emphasised label. The default setting is OFF; however, 5 frame settings are also available. Refer to Reference at the end of this section for samples of the available settings.
2 While still holding down c, continue pressing 6 until the desired frame setting is displayed. 3 ☞ Release c to apply the selected frame setting to the text. The ABC indicator comes on when a setting other than OFF is selected. EXAMPLE To select the rounded frame setting: 1 While holding down c, press 6 once, and keep c held down. FRAME OFF 2 While still holding down c, continue pressing 6 until the rounded frame is displayed. 3 Release c.
TAPE MARGIN FUNCTION The Tape margin function allows you to adjust the size of the margins on the left and right sides of your text. The default tape margin setting is FULL; however, three other settings are also available. FULL (24 mm margins) NONE (2 mm margins) NARROW (4 mm margins) HALF (12 mm margins) ☞ After printing using the NARROW and HALF tape margin settings, use scissors to cut along the cutting guide (:) to centre the text within the label.
EXAMPLE To select the HALF tape margin setting: 1 While holding down c, press E once, and keep c held down. TAPE FULL 2 While still holding down c, continue pressing E until HALF is displayed. TAPE HALF 3 Release c. HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT FUNCTION You can choose to align the text in one of three ways. In addition, if the Length function was used to set the length of the label, the text will align within the label according to the selected horizontal alignment setting.
2 Rotate + until the desired horizontal alignment setting is displayed, and then press + to apply it to the entire text. OR 1 While holding down c, press R once, and keep c held down to display the current horizontal alignment setting. 2 While still holding down c, continue pressing R until the desired horizontal alignment setting is displayed. 3 Release c to apply the selected horizontal alignment setting to the entire text.
The default mirror printing setting is OFF. ON To turn on or off the mirror printing setting: 1 Rotate + until 15/19 MIRROR is displayed, and then press + to display the current mirror printing setting. 2 Rotate + until the desired mirror printing setting is displayed, and then press + to apply it to the entire text. OR 1 While holding down c, press p once, and keep c held down to display the current mirror printing setting.
LENGTH FUNCTION Although the length of the printed label automatically adjusts to fit the length of the entered text, there may be times when you will want to make a label with a specific length. The Length function allows you to set the label length between 4.0 cm and 30.0 cm. The default length setting is OFF. When the Length function is set to ON, the Length indicator on the right side of the display comes on.
2 While still holding down c, continue pressing T until ON is displayed. LENGTH ON 3 Release c. LENGTH 10.0cm 4 Press h until 12.0cm is displayed. LENGTH 12.0cm 5 Press r. AUTO CUT FUNCTION The Auto cut function allows you to set whether or not the machine will automatically cut each label after it is printed. Turn on the Auto cut function before starting to print in order to cut the labels automatically after printing them.
PRINT KEY After you have entered your text and chosen the desired format settings, you are ready to print the label. To print a label: ● Press p once. The message “COPIES” followed by the number of the label being printed is displayed. EXAMPLE To print a label: ● Press p once. COPIES 1/ 1 FEED & CUT FUNCTION The Feed & Cut function is used to feed out 24 mm of tape and automatically cut it off. For example, after printing with the Auto cut function set to OFF or when printing has been interrupted.
NUMBERING FUNCTION This function can be used to print many copies of the same text while increasing a certain number after each label is printed. This type of automatic incrementation is very useful when printing serial number labels, production control labels or other labels requiring ascending numbers. To use the Numbering function: 1 Press f, w, h or e until the cursor is positioned below the number that you wish to increase.
EXAMPLE To print three labels with numbers 1, 2 and 3: 1 Rotate + until 14/19 NUMBER is displayed, and then press + (OR hold down c and press O.) 1: S T U D I O 1 _ 2 Rotate + (OR press h) until 3 is displayed. NUMBER UNTIL 3 3 Press + (OR press p or r ).
REPEAT PRINTING FUNCTION This function allows you to print up to 9 copies of the same text. To use the Repeat printing function: 1 Rotate + until 13/19 REPEAT is displayed, and then press + (OR hold down c and press I). The message “COPIES” appears in the display. ☞ To cancel the Repeat printing function, hold down c and press I (or press just * ). 2 Rotate + (OR press h or e) until the desired number of copies is displayed, or use the number keys to type in the number.
3 Press + (OR press p or r ). COPIES 1/ 3 COPIES 2/ 3 ✂ ✂ COPIES 3/ 3 CURRENCY CONVERSION FUNCTION With the easy-to-use Currency conversion function, euros are automatically converted to or from any currency that you select, and the two prices are added to your text. Simply set up the function by selecting which currency you wish to convert and how you want the prices to appear, and then you can quickly create labels containing prices in both euros and one other currency.
☞ The following currency settings are available: CHF (Swiss franc), DKK (Danish krone), GBP (British pound), NOK (Norwegian krone), SEK (Swedish krona), AUD (Australian dollar), CAD (Canadian dollar), HKD (Hong Kong dollar), USD (US dollar), ANY1 (in the format X.XXX,XX), ANY2 (in the format X,XXX.XX) 3 Press + (OR press r). 4 The message “RATE” appears. Type in the exchange rate for converting a euro into the desired currency, and then press r.
4 Press r. The value is converted and values in both currencies are added to the text at the cursor’s current position. ☞ The currency values are added to the text using the formats shown below. Currency Format Euro format CHF X’XXX.XX SwF X’XXX.XX DKK DKK X.XXX,XX X.XXX,XX GBP £X,XXX.XX X,XXX.XX NOK Nkr X.XXX,XX X.XXX,XX SEK SEK X.XXX,XX X.XXX,XX AUD A$ X,XXX.XX X,XXX.XX CAD CA$ X,XXX.XX X,XXX.XX HKD HK$ X,XXX.XX X,XXX.XX USD US$ X,XXX.XX X,XXX.XX ANY1 X.XXX,XX X.
STORING TEXT To store a text file: 1 Do either of the following: • Rotate + until 07/19 MEMORY is displayed, and then press +. Then, rotate + until STORE is displayed, and then press +. OR • Hold down c and press 7. The message “STORE” appears in the display with the first available file number. ☞ To quit the Store function without storing the text, hold down c and press 7 (or press just * ). 2 Rotate + (OR press h or e) until the desired file number where you wish to store the text is displayed.
RECALLING TEXT To recall a text file: 1 Do either of the following: • Rotate + until 07/19 MEMORY is displayed, and then press +. Then, rotate + until RECALL is displayed, and then press +. OR • Hold down c and press 8. The message “RECALL” appears in the display with the file number and beginning of the most recently stored or recalled text. ☞ To quit the Recall function without recalling text, hold down c and press 8 (or press just * ).
2 Rotate + (OR press h or e) until the file number containing the text that you wish to delete is displayed. The text stored under the selected file number is shown. ☞ To see other parts of the selected text file, press f or w. To display the text stored under other file numbers, rotate + (OR press h or e). 3 Press + (OR press r). The message “OK TO CLEAR?” appears. ☞ 4 To go back and select a different text file, press *. Press + (OR press r). The text file that was selected is deleted.
To recall the text from file number 1: 1 Hold down c and press 8. RECALL [4]J. Smit 2 Rotate + (OR press h or e) until file number 1 is displayed. RECALL [1]Bill Re 3 Press r. 1: _ Bill Reyn To delete the text stored under file number 4: 1 Hold down c and press 9. CLEAR [1]Bill Re 2 Rotate + (OR press h or e) until file number 4 is displayed. CLEAR [4]J. Smit 3 Press r. OK TO CLEAR? 4 Press r.
TROUBLESHOOTING Problem Remedy 1. The display stays blank after you have turned on the machine. • Check that the AC adaptor is connected correctly. • If you are using alkaline batteries, check that they are correctly inserted. • If the batteries are low, replace them with new ones. 2. The machine does not print or the printed characters are blurred. • Check that the tape cassette has been inserted properly. • If the tape cassette is empty, replace it with a new one.
ERROR MESSAGE LIST Error Message Cause Remedy 5 LINE LIMIT! This message appears if five lines Limit the number of lines to five. BATTERIES WEAK! This message appears when the installed alkaline batteries become weak. Replace the batteries or use the AC adaptor. BUFFER EMPTY! • This message appears if you hold • Enter some text before starting this function. already exist when you press r. down c and press T, but no text has been entered in the display.
Error Message Cause Remedy INTERFACE ERROR! This message appears if an error occurs while data is being sent from the computer to the P-touch. • Press any key on the P-touch to clear the error message. • Make sure that the computer is working correctly and that the USB cable is properly connected. • Try printing again. LENGTH LIMIT! • This message appears if the text is longer than 1 metre when you try to print. • Shorten the text to less than 1 metre before trying to print.
Error Message ROM PROBLEM! Cause This message appears if there is a problem with the machine’s read only memory. Remedy Turn off the machine, and then while holding down c and R, turn the machine back on. Contact your service representative. TAB LIMIT! This message appears if the maximum number of tabs has already been added to the text when you Limit the number of tabs in the text to 50. hold down c and press Q.
SPECIFICATIONS HARDWARE Input Device: Keyboard - 51 keys LCD: 10 characters × 2 lines 20 indicators (including Alt and Caps) Print Tape: Pressure-sensitive, Adhesive-based 8 metres long Four widths available: 6 mm 9 mm 12 mm 18 mm Power Supply: Six AA alkaline batteries (AM3, LR6) or AC adaptor (model H/H1) Print Head: 112 dot / 180 dpi Dimensions: 181.4 mm (W) × 232.5 mm (D) × 61.
ACCESSORIES ● Supplies Obtain tape cassettes from your nearest authorised dealer. Use only Brother TZ tapes with this machine. Brother cannot be held responsible for trouble caused by the use of unauthorised supplies. Do not use tapes that do not have the mark. Tape supply may differ by country. Availability of accessories subject to change without notice. Stock No.
Stock No.
Stock No. Description TZ-N531 Black characters on blue adhesive TZ-N631 Black characters on yellow adhesive TZ-N731 Black characters on green adhesive TZ-NF31 Black characters on purple adhesive 9-mm-wide non-laminated tapes TZ-N221 Black characters on white adhesive 6-mm-wide non-laminated tapes TZ-N211 Black characters on white adhesive Strong adhesive tapes Stock No.
INDEX A E AC adapter............................................... 4 accented characters ............................... 23 adding new lines............................................ 15 spaces ................................................ 15 tabs .................................................... 16 aligning.................................................. 38 Alt key ................................................... 13 automatic formatting ..............................
N T navigation dial ....................................... 12 Numbering function............................... 44 tab length............................................... 17 tabs ........................................................ 16 tape cassette............................................. 5 tape length ............................................. 41 text alignment ........................................... 38 size .................................................... 29 style ................
Printed in China LN6234001
