Datacard® SD/CD™ Series Card Printers User’s Guide April 2013 Part No. 527248-001 Rev.
Notice Please do not attempt to operate or repair this equipment without adequate training. Any use, operation, or repair you perform that is not in accordance with the information contained in this documentation is at your own risk. Proprietary Notice All drawings and information herein are the property of DataCard Corporation. All unauthorized use and reproduction is prohibited.
Compliance Statements Liability Statement The WARNING and CAUTION labels have been placed on the equipment for your safety. Please do not attempt to operate or repair this equipment without adequate training. Any use, operation or repair in contravention of this document is at your own risk. Safety All Datacard® products are built to strict safety specifications in accordance with CSA/ UL60950‐1 requirements and the Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC.
Regulatory Compliance Notice for USA (FCC notice) This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class A computing devices, pursuant to Part 15 of FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy.
Notice for Taiwan (Traditional Chinese) Notice for Japan Japanese Voluntary Control Council for Interference (VCCI) class A statement Korea Communications Commission (KCC) statement California Proposition 65 Compliance WARNING: This product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.
Revision Log SD/CD Series Card Printers User’s Guide Revision Date Description of Changes A June 2012 First release of manual B Nov. 2012 Updates for XPS Card Printer Driver v. 4.0 C April 2013 Updates for XPS Card Printer Driver v. 4.
Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ____________________________________________________________ About this Manual______________________________________________________________ Intended Audience ____________________________________________________________ Technical Support ______________________________________________________________ 1 1 1 1 Chapter 2: About the Printer ________________________________________________________ About the SD and CD Series Card Printers________________________________________ P
Optional Multi-Hopper _____________________________________________________ 33 Prepare the Printer for Cleaning ________________________________________ 33 Clean the Printer_______________________________________________________ 34 Clean the Hopper Rollers _______________________________________________ 35 Prepare the Printer for Use ______________________________________________ 36 Chapter 6: Troubleshooting _______________________________________________________ 37 Locate a Problem Within the Card Product
113: Close cover to continue ___________________________________________ 59 114: Cover opened during job __________________________________________ 59 116: Magstripe not available ___________________________________________ 60 117: Reader not available ______________________________________________ 60 118: Print ribbon type problem __________________________________________ 61 119: Print ribbon not supported _________________________________________ 61 120: User paused the printer __________________________
x
Chapter 1: Introduction About this Manual This manual provides user information for the SD and CD Series Card Printers. The manual includes: • An overview of printer components and options, and a description of the system label. • How to use the printer, including how to power the printer on and off, how to use the front panel and LCD menus, card processing basics, how to print a test card, and how to load and replace supplies. • How to perform routine maintenance and troubleshooting tasks.
2 Introduction
Chapter 2: About the Printer About the SD and CD Series Card Printers The card printer applies images, text, and encoded data to plastic cards. It can print full‐color and monochrome images, depending on the type of print ribbon installed. A busy issuance site might issue up to 10,000 cards a month. During these busy times, the site might use more than one printer to keep up with demand. The printer issues cards either one at a time or in batches—up to 100 cards at a time.
Printer Components Single Hopper Printhead Optional Multi-Card Hopper Configuration label Cable lock receptacle Manual advance knob Printer access cover lock Printer connection 4 Printhead The printhead transfers images to cards using the print ribbon. Configuration label The label shows the location and date of manufacture, and lists the options installed. Manual advance knob The knob moves a card in the track to clear a card jam.
Print Ribbon Cartridge Print ribbon cartridge Print ribbon Replaceable cleaning sleeve Print ribbon cartridge The cartridge holds the ribbon for printing. Print ribbon The ribbon applies images to cards. Replaceable cleaning sleeve The cleaning sleeve removes dust and other particles from cards to maintain print quality.
Printer with Input Hopper Cover Latch Ribbon Cartridge handle Card input hopper Front panel Output hopper 6 Cover Open the cover to access the printhead and ribbon. Latch Push the latch to release the cover and open the printer. Ribbon cartridge handle The handle allows you to remove the print ribbon cartridge from the printer. Card input hopper The input hopper loads card to print. The hopper holds up to 100 cards (0.030 in. or 0.762mm thickness).
Printer with Optional Multi-Card Hopper Multi-card hopper cover Card Hoppers H1 through H6 The H1 through H6 hoppers hold up to 100 cards each. Multi-Card Hopper Cover Unlock the printer and open the access cover to load card stock.
Printer with Duplex Option Duplex module Reject card tray Duplex module The duplex module automatically turns the card for two-sided printing. Reject card tray Unfinished cards or cards not processed properly are placed in the optional reject card tray, System Label The printer configuration label on the side of the cover swingarm shows the components installed. It provides information that is useful when requesting service.
SD/CD Series Card Printers User’s Guide 9
10 About the Printer
Chapter 3: Using the System This section provides information on how a card travels through the printer, the printer as part of a card production system, printer controls, printing a test card, loading and replacing supplies, and cleaning the printer. How the Card Travels The card is verified and sent to print from the PC. The hopper pick mechanism picks a card and moves the card into the printer for processing.
2. Capture devices, such as: • A digital camera connected to the PC to take photos for ID badges and other cards. • A signature capture pad or fingerprint reader. 3. The printer with supplies and a facility power source. 4. A data connection between the printer and PC, which can be a USB connection or a network connection. (Do not use both with one printer.
LCD Panel Menus The LCD panel shows the printer’s menus and displays printer messages or conditions. Refer to “Respond to Messages” on page 55 for more information. The menu system has four major branches: • Use the Maintenance menu to run a cleaning card or a test card. • Use the Status menu to see settings and data about the printer. • Use the Configuration menu to change settings. • Use the Activate menu to enable or disable secure features of the printer.
User Button and Light The printer’s USER button displays with a border of light that indicates the system status. Use the USER button to: • Suspend printer activity – press the USER button when the LCD panel displays Ready. • Clear a message – press the USER button once. • Clear all messages – press the USER button for 2 seconds or more. • Clear all cards currently printing – press and hold the USER button for two or more seconds. (Make sure that this action is allowed in your card system.
Ribbon Light The ribbon indicates the status of the print ribbon in the printer. Indicators include the following: Off The print ribbon is okay. Blinking Amber A blinking light indicates one of the following: • The printer problem applies to the print ribbon • The print ribbon is low • The print ribbon is out Card Light The card light indicates the status of cards in the printer. Indicators include the following: Off Cards are okay.
Retrieve the Printer IP Address The printer can display the network IP address it uses when connected to the network. It also displays the subnet mask, gateway address, and MAC address. Begin with the printer power connected, and the printer connected to the network. 1. Press the POWER button (if needed) to power on the printer. 2. Access the Network Status menu in the LCD menu: A. Press the USER button to suspend the printer. B. Press the E NTER key to enter the menu system. C.
7. Press E NTER to return to the Network Status menu. Gateway Address displays on line 2. 8. Press E NTER to display the gateway address. Record it, if necessary. 9. Press E NTER to return to the Network menu. 10. Press the down arrow key to scroll to Exit on line 2. 11. Press E NTER. Then, press the USER button to return the printer to Ready. The USER button glows green. Print a Test Card The printer includes a test card that runs without using a driver or other source of card data.
Load and Replace Supplies To prepare the printer to print cards, load blank card stock into the input hopper (optional), and load print ribbon and a cleaning sleeve onto the print cartridge. Load Cards Single Hopper If you are using a manual feed printer, skip this step and keep a supply of blank cards close to the printer. For printers with an input hopper, do the following: 1. Open the input hopper. Unlock the printer, if necessary. 2. Load the cards into the input hopper.
Optional Multi-Card Hopper 1. Unlock the printer and open the multi‐card hopper. 2. Load the cards into the hoppers. The input hoppers are labeled H1 through H6. You can load up to 100 cards into each hopper. (Fan the cards before placing them in the hoppers—optional.) • Insert magnetic stripe cards with the stripe down and toward the right side of the input hopper. • Insert smart cards with the smart card chip on top toward the back of the hopper. 3.
4. Load a full roll of print ribbon onto the spindle closest to the cartridge handle. 5. Place the empty spool on the spindle with the black gear. 6. Wind the empty spool counterclockwise one full turn. Load the Cleaning Sleeve Load a new cleaning sleeve with each new roll of print ribbon. The printer ships with the cleaning roller spindle installed on the print ribbon cartridge. 1.
Install the Ribbon Cartridge Install the assembled print ribbon cartridge into the printer. 1. Open the printer cover. 2. Hold the print ribbon cartridge by the handle and lower it into the printer with the handle toward the front of the printer. 3. Make sure that the ribbon cartridge is correctly positioned in the guides. 4. Close the printer cover (and the supplies access door on the optional multi‐ card hopper). Lock the printer, if necessary.
22 Using the System
Chapter 4: Printing Cards Before Starting to Print This section explains how to print a card to a printer. Make sure that: • Cards are loaded in the printer or available to insert. • Ribbon is loaded in the printer. For the steps to follow, refer to “Load the Print Ribbon” on page 19. • The card design is set up. If you need to set up or modify the design, refer to “Elements of Card Design” in your card printer’s Installation and Administrator’s Guide.
Print Cards Make sure that cards are loaded in the printer or available to insert when prompted. For the steps to follow, refer to “Load Cards” on page 18. Print from ID Software 1. From the ID software, use the template or design for the card. 2. Select the printer if you use more than one printer. 3. Enter the data for the card. Follow the instructions for your software. 4. Capture the photo for the card, if necessary. 5. Click the Print button to send the card to the printer. 6.
6. Click Print to send the card to the printer. 7. At the printer, insert a card in the single feed slot, if necessary. HINTS & TIPS • The printer can receive card jobs from more than one PC. It prints cards in the order they are received. • Orient all cards the same way. • Do not touch the card surface to be printed. Handle cards by their edges or wear gloves.
26 Printing Cards
Chapter 5: System Maintenance Clean the Printer The printer performs best when it is cleaned on a regular basis. Follow the cleaning guidelines for your site to keep the printer in good working condition. Clean the printer when: • The printer displays a message for which cleaning is a solution. • There is debris on completed cards. • A new roll of print ribbon was installed.
Clean the Printhead Clean the printhead when: • The printhead is replaced. • There are unprinted lines on the finished card. This usually indicates dirt or contaminants on the printhead. • The printhead is touched accidentally. Oils from hands can affect print quality and damage the printhead. Do the following to clean the printhead: 1. Power off the printer. 2. Open the printer cover and remove the print ribbon cartridge. 3. Open and remove a cleaning swab from its package.
4. Use gentle pressure to move the cleaning swab back and forth along the full length of the printhead edge until it is completely clean. 5. Replace the print ribbon cartridge. Avoid bumping the printhead when you install the print ribbon cartridge. 6. Close the printer cover. 7. Power on the printer. 8. Print a sample card to verify the quality of printing. Refer to “Print a Test Card” on page 17 for more information. HINTS & TIPS • Avoid touching the printhead edge with your fingers.
Run a Cleaning Card Run a cleaning card to clean debris from the inside of the printer and from the hopper rollers. The cleaning card can remove most contaminants from the printer. Run a cleaning card after every 250 cards processed by the printer, or every 6 months. Single Hopper 1. Prepare the printer for cleaning. A. Power on the printer. B. Open the printer cover and remove the print ribbon cartridge. C. Close the cover. D. Open the input hopper and remove any unprinted cards. E.
2. Use the LCD menu system to start the cleaning cycle. A. Begin when the printer displays Ready and the USER button shows steady green. Press the USER button. Suspended displays on Line 1 of the LCD panel. B. Press the E NTER key to enter the menu system. C. Maintenance displays on line 2 of the LCD panel. Press the ENTER key to enter the Maintenance menu. D. Cleaning Card displays on line 2 of the LCD panel. Press the ENTER key to enter the Cleaning Card menu. E.
F. Insert cleaning card displays on the LCD panel. Press the USER button to start the cleaning cycle. The printer moves the card through the printer several times and ejects it in the output hopper. 3. Remove the used cleaning card. Wait a few minutes for the rollers to dry. 4. Prepare the printer for use. A. Replace the cards in the input hopper. B. Install a new cleaning sleeve on the ribbon cartridge and remove the protective cover.
Optional Multi-Hopper Cleaning a printer equipped with the optional multi‐card hopper involves two steps: cleaning the printer and cleaning the hopper rollers. Prepare the Printer for Cleaning 1. Power on the printer. 2. Unlock the printer and open the printer supplies access door. 3. Open the printer cover and remove the print ribbon cartridge. 4. Remove the cleaning sleeve from the ribbon cartridge. (The ribbon must remain installed on the ribbon cartridge.) 5.
Clean the Printer 1. Press the U SER button. Suspended displays on line 1 of the LCD panel. 2. Press the E NTER key. 3. Maintenance displays on line 2 of the LCD panel. Press the ENTER key to enter the Maintenance menu. 4. Cleaning Card displays on line 2 of the LCD panel. Press the E NTER key to enter the Cleaning Card menu. 5. Printer displays on line 2 of the LCD panel. Press the E NTER key. 6. Start displays on line 2 of the LCD panel. Press the ENTER key to start the cleaning process.
7. Insert cleaning card displays on the LCD panel. Press the USER button to start the cleaning cycle. The printer picks the cleaning card from hopper 2 and moves it through the printer several times. The used card is placed in the reject card tray. The printer returns to Ready when the cleaning cycle completes. Clean the Hopper Rollers 1. Access the LCD menu system and enter the Cleaning Card menu. 2. Select the hoppers for cleaning. A.
Prepare the Printer for Use 1. Unlock the printer and open the multi‐hopper door. 2. Remove the used cleaning cards from the hoppers. 3. Replace the unprinted cards in the input hoppers. 4. Open the printer supplies access door and the printer cover. Remove the print ribbon cartridge. 5. Install a new cleaning sleeve on the ribbon cartridge and remove the protective cover. Refer to “Load the Cleaning Sleeve” on page 20 for the steps to follow. 6.
Chapter 6: Troubleshooting This section helps you identify and fix basic issues that can occur during printing. Also refer to your printer’s Driver Guide or OpenCard manual for additional troubleshooting information.
Locate a Problem Within the Card Production System For typical components of the system, refer to “Card Printer System Overview” on page 11. If any one of the following components does not work properly, printing cards can be affected. • The XPS Card Printer Driver Should you need to reinstall the driver to fix a problem, we recommend you download the latest version of the driver from http://www.datacard.com. Select Support & Drivers > Drivers & Downloads from the menu.
Locate a Problem with Basic Printer Functions If the system is not working as expected, follow these steps in the order listed to isolate the source of the problem before you contact your service provider. 1. Check that the power cord is plugged in and the printer is powered on. 2. Does the printer power on and display Ready on the front panel within 1 minute? • If the printer powers on correctly, continue to step 3.
5. If you use the XPS Card Printer Driver, print a driver sample card. For the steps to follow, refer to your printer’s Driver Guide. • If the sample card prints, the printer and driver are working correctly. Continue to step 6. • If the sample card does not print, the printer and driver have a communication problem. Determine the cause of the problem and try the sample card again. If you are not using the driver, ask your service provider or software provider for assistance. 6.
USB Installation Troubleshooting Problem Solution The cable is loose. Reconnect the USB cable to the ports on the PC and the printer. Power the printer OFF, and then back ON. If the PC and printer still do not communicate, restart the PC. The data cable is damaged or frayed. Power off the printer. Replace the cable if you have a spare. Contact your service provider to order a new data cable. The system has a temporary communication problem.
Network Installation Troubleshooting Problem Solution The network cable is loose. Reconnect the data cable to the network port and the printer. Restart the printer. The Status page of Printer Properties shows the printer is not available, but the printer shows “Ready” on the LCD panel. Follow your network troubleshooting procedures to isolate and test each component of the computerto-printer communication link.
The card printer driver does not detect the networkconnected printer Problem Solution The Printer Properties > Status tab shows the printer is not available. Make sure that you use the same type of data cable–USB or network–that was used when the printer was installed. You cannot switch the type of data cable after installation. Make sure that the current printer IP address is the same as the IP address on the Printer Properties > Ports tab.
Driver status or Windows print queue does not provide expected data Problem Solution The Driver Sample Card or magnetic stripe test cards do not print. Check the following: • Enable bidirectional support must be selected on Printer Properties > Ports tab to allow printing from the Card Printer Driver. • If Print directly to printer is selected in the Printer Properties > Advanced tab, clear the selection to allow printing of the driver sample cards.
Something did not print Problem Probable Cause Solution Nothing is printed on the card. The Disable Printing option in the Card Printer Driver is set to All, Front, or Back. Open the Preferences > Layout > Advanced tab and change Disable Printing to Off. The print ribbon is loaded incorrectly. Remove the print ribbon and install it correctly. The page size was not set to ISO ID-1. Use your card production application to access the printer’s print setup and select ISO ID-1 for the page size.
The color printing has flaws Problem Probable Cause Solution One or more unprinted lines appear on the card. The printhead is dirty or damaged. Clean the printhead. Refer to “Clean the Printhead” on page 28. One color panel is not aligned correctly with other color panels. The cards are slipping in the track. Run a cleaning card. Refer to “Run a Cleaning Card” on page 30. The cards are not the correct size for the printer. Use cards that meet the size requirement for the printer.
Problem Probable Cause Solution Part of the printed image is discolored. Cards have fingerprints or other dirt on them. Handle cards carefully. Refer to “Card Quality Guidelines” in your printer’s Installation and Administrator’s Guide. A signature panel is located on the other side of the card. Design the card to avoid printing photos over signature panel residue. The rollers are dirty or the card packaging contains debris. Run a cleaning card. Refer to “Run a Cleaning Card” on page 30.
The printing is too dark Problem Probable Cause Solution The card shows wrinkles in darkly colored areas. The card’s images or large blocks of color include very dark areas. Change the design to use smaller areas of dark color. The printhead is not aligned correctly. Contact your service provider. Color adjustment is too dark. Using different card stock changes the appearance of printed cards. Change the color adjustment settings. All color printing is darker than intended.
Magnetic Stripe Problems To begin troubleshooting a magnetic stripe problem, first print a magnetic stripe test card from the Printer Manager or the driver. For the steps to follow, refer to the “Printer Manager” section of the printer’s Installation and Administrator’s Guide or “Printing a Driver Sample Card” in the card printer’s Driver Guide. The printer uses the coercivity set using the LCD panel or the Printer Manager, and the data format set using the Printer Manager.
Problem Solution The magnetic stripe data was sent in an encoding format not supported by the track. Check the encoding format setting for the tracks by using Printer Manager. Refer to the Printer Manager’s “Printer Setting Menu” in the Installation and Administrator’s Guide. Make sure that the application is using the selected encoding format for the track. If the application and track are set to the same format, and the message appears repeatedly, contact the application provider for assistance.
Card Jams The card did not reach the position for the next action, such as printing or ejecting the card. You usually can resolve the error by pressing the USER button so that the printer displays Ready. If the error persists, do the following to remove the card from the printer. 1. Open the printer. 2. Remove the print ribbon cartridge. 3. Turn the manual advance knob to move the jammed card until it is accessible from the rollers. 4. Remove the card. 5.
Messages and Conditions When the printer cannot process the card sent, it issues a condition. The LCD panel on the front panel shows these conditions. If your system uses the XPS Card Printer Driver, the printer driver also displays the condition as a message on the PC. In a shared printer environment, messages might differ slightly from the messages and conditions described in this section.
No.
Messages from the XPS Card Printer Driver on the PC • The Card Printer Driver displays the same messages as those on the printer LCD panel. The messages that display on the PC provide additional information about the condition that caused the message and contain recovery instructions. Click the appropriate button in the message box to clear the message. • Messages display on the PC that sent the card print job. • If you cancel a job at the printer, the message is removed from the PC.
Respond to Messages You can respond to printer messages using the printer front panel buttons or by clicking the appropriate response in the message box displayed by the Card Printer Driver on the PC. Printer Messages The following messages display on the printer LCD panel and in a message box on the PC that issued the card print job when you use the Card Printer Driver. 100: Request not supported The printer does not support the personalization being requested for the card. The card will be canceled.
103: Printer problem The printer had an error. The card will be canceled. 1. Press the printer POWER button to power off the printer. 2. Press the POWER button again to power on the printer. Click OK in the message box to clear the message. 104: Critical problem The printer had a serious error. The card will be canceled. 1. Press the printer POWER button to power off the printer. 2. Request service. The system must remain powered off. Click OK in the message box to clear the message.
106: Magstripe data not found The printer did not find magnetic stripe data on card. 1. Make sure that you are using magnetic stripe cards that match the printer settings. 2. Make sure that the cards are placed in the printer correctly. Press the USER button on the printer. In the message box, click Retry, or click Cancel to cancel the card. HINTS & TIPS • The card might not match printer settings or the data sent.
108: Magstripe read no data The printer did not find any magnetic stripe data on card. The card will be canceled. 1. Make sure that you are using magnetic stripe cards that match the printer settings. 2. Make sure that the cards are placed in the printer correctly. Press the USER button on the printer, or click OK in the message box to clear the message. HINTS & TIPS • The card might have been turned the wrong way. • The card might not have a magnetic stripe.
111: Card not picked The printer did not pick a card. To complete the current card: For printers with an input hopper, open the input hopper, add or reposition cards, and close the hopper. For printers with single card feed, push the card in until the printer picks it. Press the USER button on the printer. In the message box, click OK, or click Cancel to cancel the card. 112: Card hopper empty The printer did not detect cards in the input hopper. Add cards to the input hopper.
116: Magstripe not available The printer does not have a magnetic stripe option. The card will be canceled. Remove magnetic stripe data from the card or use a printer that has a magnetic stripe option installed. Press the USER button on the printer, or click OK in the message box to clear the message. HINTS & TIPS To remove magnetic stripe data, you or your system administrator may need to: • Clear a check box in the card production application.
118: Print ribbon type problem The printer cannot use the ribbon installed. The card will be canceled. Use ribbon designed for this printer. Press the USER button on the printer, or click OK in the message box to clear the message. HINTS & TIPS • Purchase ribbon from your dealer or authorized reseller. • Check the website for newer firmware that supports new ribbon types. 119: Print ribbon not supported The printer cannot use the ribbon installed. The card will be canceled.
121: Print ribbon not identified The printer cannot use the ribbon installed. The card will be canceled. Use ribbon designed for this printer. Press the USER button on the printer, or click OK in the message box to clear the message. HINTS & TIPS Ask your dealer or authorized reseller for a replacement. 122: Magstripe format problem The magnetic stripe data sent does not match the format set in the printer. The card will be canceled.
149: Option not installed The printer does not support the personalization being requested for the card. The card will be canceled. Change the card data to match the printer’s options and settings, or print to a printer that is configured to support the personalization being requested. Press the USER button on the printer, or click OK in the message box to clear the message. HINTS & TIPS Don’t include references in the card format to hardware that cannot be accessed by the system.
153: Insert same card side 2 up 1. Take the card from the printer and turn it over end to end so side 2 is facing up. 2. Insert the card in the printer. 3. If the card is not immediately picked, press the printer’s USER button or click OK. Click Cancel in the message box if you want to cancel the card. 170: Insert new card side 1 up 1. Insert a new card in the printer with side 1 facing up. 2. If the card is not immediately picked, press the printer’s USER button or click OK.
Driver-Only Messages The following messages are issued by the Card Printer Driver and display in a message box on the PC that sent the card print job. These messages do not display on the printer LCD panel. 500: The printer is not available The computer cannot communicate with the printer. To complete the current card: 1. Make sure that the printer is powered on and in the Ready state. 2. Make sure the printer is connected to the computer using a USB or network cable, but not both.
505: USB communication issue An important driver component is not running. The card will be canceled. 1. Restart the computer. The component should start automatically. 2. If this message is displayed after restarting, notify your printer support contact. Click OK to clear the message. 506: A card is currently processing The printer is busy processing an interactive job. The card will be canceled. Wait until the current card is complete and then try again. Click OK to clear the message.
510: The printer is unlocked The printer must be locked to resume printing. Make sure that all access doors are closed securely and locked. Click OK to clear the message, or click Cancel to cancel the card. Driver SDK Messages The following messages are issued if you are using the Card Printer Driver Software Development Kit (SDK) to define your card printing. The messages display in a message box on the PC that issued the card print job. These messages do not display on the printer LCD panel.
68 Troubleshooting
