DuraLabel 9000 ® User’s Guide Graphic Products, Inc. 1-800-788-5572 Local: 503-644-5572 www.DuraLabel.com www.GraphicProducts.com E-mail: info@GraphicProducts.
INTRODUCTION Welcome... And congratulations on the purchase of your new DuraLabel® 9000 Thermal Transfer Printer! We've included this guide to get you printing as quickly as possible. In this guide you'll find information on setting up your printer, configuring your software, and creating custom labels. We know that all topics cannot be addressed in any document and are ready to answer your questions.
CONTENTS Warranty ............................................................... pg. 3 Getting Started ..................................................... pg. 4 Minimum System Requirements...................... pg. 4 Supplies ............................................................. pg. 4 Prepare Printer .................................................. pg. 4 Load Printer .......................................................... pg. 5 Printer Inside Parts ...........................................
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WARRANTY The Graphic Products DuraLabel 9000 is warranted to be free from defects in materials or workmanship for a period of two years from the date of purchase with the following exception: The DuraLabel 9000 print head is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase. Within this period, Graphic Products, Inc. will, at its sole option, repair or replace any components which fail in normal use.
GETTING STARTED Minimum System Requirements Operating System: Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista Memory: 128 MB RAM Additional Requirements: IT Administration Privileges Supplies ® The ribbon and various print media for the DuraLabel 9000 have been optimized for compatibility and print quality. Only authorized supplies from Graphic Products will ® print correctly in the DuraLabel 9000.
LOAD PRINTER Printer Inside Parts 10 9 8 7 6 1 5 2 3 4 Fig. 1 Parts of the DuraLabel 9000 for Loading Label Stock 1. Media Sensor (green) 2. Printed Label Opening 3. Platen Roller (black) 4. Print Head Release Lever (green) 5. Adjustable Media Guide(s) (white) 6. Media Guide Bar (metal) 7. Supply Bar 8. Supply Guides 9. Adjustable Pressure Knobs (green) 10.
Load Supplies **IMPORTANT** Always turn OFF the power first! The ribbon and various printer media for the DuraLabel 9000 have been optimized for compatibility and print quality. Only authorized supplies from Graphic Products will print correctly in the Duralabel 9000. If the following procedure is not clear, please view the instructional supply loading video on the DuraLabel 9000 CD. Load Label Stock 1. Ensure that the printer is turned OFF before loading supplies. 2.
4. Remove the outside supply guide from the supply bar and set aside. Supply Guide Supply Bar Fig. 3 Both Supply Guides still on Supply Bar 5. Adjust the inside supply guide to cover the number corresponding to the size of vinyl supply being loaded. (see Figure 4 & 5) Fig. 4 The inside supply guide is set for 6" vinyl supply/media Fig. 5 The inside supply guide is set for 8" vinyl supply/media 6. Place the vinyl supply onto the supply bar.
8. Pull the leading edge of the vinyl supply and thread the vinyl supply under the media guide bar and through the adjustable media guides. Supply Guides Print Head Mechanism Adjustable Media Guides (white) Platen Roller Supply Bar Media Guide Bar Fig. 7 Direction of loaded Vinyl supply 9. Pull the vinyl supply over the black platen roller and through the printed label opening. NOTE: Make sure the label supply threads under the green media sensor, located under the print head mechanism.
Printer Ribbon Parts 1 6 2 3 5 4 Fig. 1 Inside of Printer with Print Head Mechanism in an upright position 1. Ribbon Rewind Spindle (front) 2. Ribbon Guides 3. Ribbon Sensor (black) 4. Print Head Release Lever (green) 5. Print Head Mechanism 6.
Load Ribbon IMPORTANT! Always turn OFF the printer when loading supplies. Always wait at least 5 seconds before turning ON the power. Turn printer power OFF first! 1. Set the ribbon guides on the ribbon spindles based on the size of ribbon loaded. a. For 4.33" ribbon, move each ribbon guide to the line indicated on the label on the ribbon spindles and tighten the screw on the top of each of the ribbon guides. b. For 8.66" ribbon, move the ribbon guides against the inside wall of the printer. 2.
3. Slide a roll of ribbon supply onto the ribbon spindle, flushed against the ribbon guide with the leading edge hanging down, towards the back of the printer. 4. Pull the leading edge of the ribbon supply towards the back of the printer to provide enough ribbon to go through the printer. 5. Then pull it down and thread it underneath the print head mechanism and above the ribbon sensor (black bar above green media sensor).
6. Tape the end of the ribbon supply to the front of the empty supply core. 7. Roll the ribbon rewind spindle clockwise a few times, towards the back of the printer to tighten the ribbon and remove flaws and fingerprints. Fig. 3 Ribbon supply tightened 8. With both hands on each side of the print head mechanism, close the print head mechanism by pressing down. NOTE: Make sure the print head release lever latches closed Print Head Mechanism Fig. 4 Print Head Mechanism closed 9. Close the printer cover.
IMPORTANT! You must have administrative rights in order to install driver. NOTE: Find out your Windows version by right-clicking on the My Computer icon (located on your desktop). Select the Properties option. Your Windows version is located under the System heading. Make sure you have installed the latest updates from Microsoft, including service packs. CONNECT PRINTER Connect the power supply from the DuraLabel® 9000 to an electrical outlet.
Install Using USB Cable The following instructions (pages 13-14) are only for those using a USB Cable. Skip to page 15 of the User's Guide if installing manually. IMPORTANT! You must have IT administrator privileges in order to install driver. IMPORTANT! If you are upgrading from an existing DuraLabel installation, see the inside cover of the QuickStart Guide. A Found New Hardware dialog box may appear. If so, select No, not this time. Insert the DuraLabel® 9000 CD into the CD-ROM drive.
When prompted to continue, click Continue Anyway. A dialog box will appear showing the progress of the files being copied. It will close after copying is complete. A Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box will appear after completion. Click Finish to exit and close the screen. A Found New Hardware notification may appear. Skip to page 19 of User's Guide, section “Configure Windows 2000/XP/Vista Printer Driver.
Install Using Parallel Cable The following instructions (pages 15-18) are only for those using a Parallel Cable. IMPORTANT! You must have IT Administrative Privileges in order to install driver. Insert the Installation CD into the CD-ROM drive. (If you encounter a dialog box that says you must have .NET Framework, follow the instructions in the box.) NOTE: If the CD does not automatically run, go to Start >>> My Computer and double-click on the DL9000 icon. A “Found New Hardware” dialog box may appear.
A screen may appear showing the progress of installation. An Add Printer Wizard window should have appeared on your screen; click Next. Select either Local or Network for your printer driver. If you select Local, make sure the “Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer,” is unchecked. Check Use the following port, and select LPT1 and click Next. Select Graphic Products DuraLabel 9000 and click Next.
IMPORTANT! If you had previous Seagull Scientific drivers installed, press Cancel then reload the cd and refer to the inside cover of the QuickStart Guide for instructions on how to "Upgrade Drivers". Keep existing printer name as Graphic Products DuraLabel 9000 and select Yes if you wish for it to be set as your default printer, then click Next. Decide if you would like to share the printer with other network users, then click Next.
Select No to “Do you want to print a test page,” then click Next. Make sure your settings are correct. If so select Finish, otherwise select Back and change to the correct settings. If prompted to continue, click Continue Anyway. A dialog box will appear regarding Completing the DuraLabel 9000 Driver Setup, click Finish. Your driver should be installed and you should be ready to set up for printing.
CONFIGURE DRIVER Configure Windows 2000/XP/Vista Printer Driver IMPORTANT! Perform the driver configuration before opening the document you wish to print. Access the DuraLabel 9000 Printer Properties by clicking the Start >>> Settings >>> Printers. This will bring up the Printers folder. Right-click on the Graphic Products DuraLabel 9000 and select Printing Preferences from the drop-down menu. This will bring up the DuraLabel 9000 Printing Preferences. Click on the Page Setup Tab.
Continuous Vinyl Printing Instructions To set the cutter, select the Stock Tab. Set the Media Settings “Type” to Continuous. In order for the automatic cutter to cut after each label, under Media Handling next to “Post-Print Action,” select Cut and then next to “Occurrence” select After Every Page. These settings may be later adjusted to your specifications in the Printer Properties as you are printing your labels. Select Apply on the bottom of the Printing Preferences window.
Media Sensor Adjustment for Die-Cut Labels with Headers For optimum printing using the various die-cut labels, the media sensor needs to be adjusted either to the right or left.
Media Sensor Adjustment for RTK Color Bar Die-Cut Labels For RTK Color Bar Die-Cuts which have a blank printable-area at the top, the media sensor should be adjusted so that it is centered over the printable-area (blank white section of label) at the top of the RTK Color Bar die-cut label. To do so, slide the Media Sensor until the end of the Media Sensor is located over the the printable-area of the RTK Color Bar label. Correct: Fig.
Black Mark Label Instructions Black Mark Calibration In order to print labels with black marks, the label stock needs to be calibrated. To do so, from the DuraLabel 9000 Control Panel select Menu >>> Setup >>> Printer Setup >>> Sensor >>> Calibration >>> Bmark Mode >>> Automatic. Once this process is complete follow the "Driver Settings for Black Mark Labels" to change the driver settings.
Cut Labels in Intervals To cut labels in intervals, you may do so by setting the “Occurrence” to After Specified Interval under the Stock Tab. Set the Interval to the number of labels needed. Click Apply to save your settings. Adjust Print Speed Print Speed is adjustable from 2.0" to 3.0"/ sec. Choose the print speed from the Option Tab by clicking on the arrow to the right of the “Print Speed” box. Adjust Darkness The Darkness is adjusted from 0 to 15 in increments of 1.
LABEL CREATION Before We Begin... This documentation describes how to make standard labels. If you are printing RTK labels, please see the RTK software documentation. The RTK documentation was installed on your computer at the same time the RTK software was installed. The examples in this tutorial were tested with Microsoft Word 2000. Some variations may occur with different versions of Word, or with different word ® processors, but the basic principles will be the same.
Use Templates ® We have provided a variety of templates on the DuraLabel 9000 to help get you printing labels in no time. To get to these templates, you should install from the start-up screen on your Installation CD. This should only take a minute or two. Click on Install Templates and Symbols on the start-up screen. Follow the on screen instructions to install the templates. The Templates will install into a folder on the Desktop of our computer.
Set Up Microsoft Word Document Once you open a new or existing document, you must change the paper size and margins. Word processors will default to 8.5" x 11", but changing these settings is generally very simple. The steps are outlined for Microsoft Word below: Select Printer Before you make any changes to the page layout you must first select the DuraLabel 9000 as your printer.
To Change the Automatic Cutter Setting: You can change the automatic cutter settings without going back into the printer driver. Go to File >>> Print , then click on the Properties button next to DuraLabel 9000. Choose the Stock tab. A new dialog will open which allows you to change the cutter options. If you do not want to cut between labels select None under Media Handling next to “Post-Print Action.” If you want to cut between labels, select Cut and next to “Occurrence” select After Every Page.
Change Page Setup Click on the File menu, then the Page Setup selection. Now click the Margins tab. Set all of your margins and edges to 0. This will allow you to print on the entire area of your tape with the exception of *9" supply. Set the orientation to desired layout. Depending on your operating system, the orientation may be on another Tab. Select the Paper Size tab. Set your paper size to the size of the label you wish to create.
Orientation Create the label with the width and height of the label. If the height of the label is the width of the tape installed in the printer, set the orientation to Landscape. If the width of the label is the width of the tape installed in the printer, then set the orientation to Portrait. Click OK to commit your changes.
LABEL DESIGN Text Working with text for label creation is only slightly different from working with text in a normal document. In a document, text can be treated as a whole: formatting, layout and design can be universal. With a label, each section of text has to be handled separately. Titles will have to be moved and adjusted, portions of text will have to be moved around independently and with more detail than in a normal document.
Format the text inside the box to any size and style, then position the box for the desired layout. Initially, the text box will have a border around it. To get rid of the border, double-click the text box. When you do this, the Format Text Box dialog will appear. Click the Colors & Lines Tab. Click the Color drop-down menu under Line and select No Line. Then, click OK, and the border will be gone.
Graphics Drawing Tools Many word processors have built-in drawing tools. You can use these tools to enhance the look of your labels. Designs can be as complex as you desire, but colors should be kept to black and white. Black and white will give you the best contrast, and the best printing output. Actual print color depends on the ribbon and ® vinyl loaded in the DuraLabel 9000 and is unaffected by the colors shown on your computer screen.
You can insert other objects, graphics, and clip art from the same pull-down menu. When working with images it is important to remember the type of printer you are using. Images should be formatted so that your printing output matches the ® capabilities of the printer. The DuraLabel 9000 is designed for label creation, and has a monochromatic output (meaning it can only print one color at a time.) With MS Word it is easy to make your images print in monochrome.
Symbols Symbols can be used on labels and signage to get your point across visually. When safety is a concern, it is important to have a language that is universal, and symbols accomplish just that. For your convenience we've included more than 400 ready-to-use symbols, which ® are divided by category, on your DuraLabel 9000 CD. Just choose a symbol, insert it into your document, then print a visually appealing and informative label or sign.
The symbols folder is located inside the DL9000 Templates and Symbols folder. Just choose the symbol you want from any of the categorized folders of symbols and insert into your document. Once your symbol is inserted into your text document, you can resize and move it to your desired layout. Helpful Hint: When trying to determine the size of your label or the size of the symbol you place on it, take into consideration the distance from which the sign or label will be viewed.
Barcodes The barcode program we have included easily displays and prints barcodes from your Windows based word processing program. Install the dBest Barcode Package from the CD. When the DuraLabel 9000 start-up screen appears upon inserting the installation CD in the CD drive, simply click on dBest Barcode Package and follow the on-screen instructions.
If you do not see the dBest Barcodes Toolbar, you need to run the toolbar as a macro. Refer to the following: 1. Go to the top menu bar in MS Word. Select: Tools >> Macro >>Macros 2. A window will appear with a list: Macros in: All Active Templates & Documents. 3. Select: Barcode Toolbar and click Run NOTE: To force the toolbar to display every time you start Word, go to Start >>> Search >>> For Files and Folders and type in BCFONT. Click OK. Once the file is found, right click it and choose “copy.
Sequencing How to do Number Sequencing using Word and Excel. Sequencing is most commonly used to increment a numeric value to be used in labels for wire wrapping. You can use of an Excel spreadsheet template as well as a Word template (included on your installation CD): 1. Open an existing template from the DuraLabel CD or start a new Word document. 2. Because Excel uses Pixel measurement instead of inches, you will want to set this to match in Word.
Now that you have the desired label size, its time to add the text to it. Keeping Word open, browse to the provided Excel template: Number Sequence.xls This is a predefined template with the formula already in place to increment a numeric value by one. 1. Open the existing Excel template Number Sequence.xls 2. First, format the cells to match the size of label you have. Click on the upper left corner of the spreadsheet Fig. 2 to highlight the entire document. See Fig. 1. Fig. 3 3.
Fig. 4 4. Now that you have the correct size matching your label, change the value in the first cell (column A, row 1) and enter any static text you want. Leave it blank for none. In the next cell (column B, row 1) enter the number you would like to increment. See Fig. 4. The next cell (column C, row 1) enter the value you would like to increment by Default is 1. Fig. 5 After setting this, you should see the increment in each cell below cell 1.
Once you're satisfied with the amount of increments and cell span, its time to copy this into your Word template. Go back to the Word document that you previously created. !!Remember!! The page layout of the Word template must match the cell size you specified in your Excel template. Select the entire Column you just created by clicking on the top header of the cell. In this case, the “A.” Go to Edit >>> Copy, to copy the entire column.
Import from Excel How to transfer Excel spreadsheet information into a Word label NOTE These instructions are for users of Windows 2000. If you are using Windows XP, please follow the directions on page 35. A. Merging One Column from a Spreadsheet to a Label: 1. Make sure the Excel file you are going to merge has been saved. 2. Open up the Word Document with the label template. 3. Alter the font in Word to the size of your choosing. 4. Open up the Excel file you intend to merge into the Word label.
5. Click on column header A, right click the mouse, and select Copy. 6. Toggle (Alt-Tab) over to the Word document and find the Edit button on the Windows Tool Bar (top left of screen) and then click and select Paste Special. 7. Next, select Unformatted Text and click OK. 8. The Excel column should now be in the Word label. You are now ready to print your labels. B. Merging Multiple Columns from a Spreadsheet to a Label: 1. Open the saved Excel document you plan to merge into Word. 2.
3. On the toolbar on top of Word, click on Insert, then click Text box. 4. Use the cross hair cursor. Click in the field of the document, a text box will appear. 5. Resize the text box to your preference. See below 6. When the text cursor is blinking in the text box, click on the Insert menu and select Field. 7. The box on the left should remain with the blue highlighting of the word “All”. 8. On the right column, move the cursor so the blue highlight is over MergeField.
9. In the long horizontal box below, “MERGEFIELD” will appear. 10. Put a space after “MERGEFIELD” then type in the column heading from your Excel document that you will want to merge into the label (i.e., “Input.”) 11. It will then look like this: “MERGEFIELD Input.” See below 12. Click OK and the box will vanish. 13. At this point, you should have the word “Input” (for example) in your text box. 14.
21. On the next box you see, “ENTIRE WORKBOOK” will be blue highlighted. Click OK. 22. You will then see a pop up box with a question mark. Click OK. 23. On your Word document, click on Tools, then Mail merge. 24. Click on Create, then Form Letters, then click Active Window. See below 25. Click on Get Data, then click on Open Data Source. 26. At the bottom, you will see Files of Type. 27. Click on the drop down of All Files at the bottom. 28. Find and double-click on the file name of your Excel document.
Configure Ethernet Card The internal Ethernet card can be configured by using the front display panel buttons and LCD on the DL9000. ‘MENU’ button on the front display panel will provide access to the printer menu. ‘UP’ and ‘DOWN’ buttons will navigate through the menu. To enter data, ‘UP’ button will increment the highlighted digit by 1 and the ‘DOWN’ button will shift one over and highlight the next digit. Pressing ‘SELECT’ will accept the selection. Pressing ‘MENU’ will take you to the previous screen.
CLEANING & GENERAL MAINTENANCE Cleaning of the Cutter, Print Head and Platen Roller IMPORTANT! Always turn the printer OFF before cleaning, performing maintenance, or loading supplies. Always wait at least 5 seconds before turning ON the power. Basic cleaning of the print head, cutter and platen roller will prolong the life of the printer and will aid in producing crisp, clear labels and signs with every print. Please refer to page 4 & 8 of the User's Guide for better clarification of Printer Inside Parts.
5. Clean the front and underside of the Print Head. Fig. 3 The front of the print head should be cleaned to remove any ribbon residue Fig. 4 The entire area outlined in red should be cleaned Cutter 1. Open the Duralabel 9000 top cover. 2. Rewind any supply that may be loaded away from the cutting mechanism. Fig. 5 Cutting Blades at the printed label opening 3. Using a magnetic screwdriver, remove the two recessed screws on the front of the cutter mechanism. Fig.
4. Lift slightly up and pull the cutter mechanism away from the printer body. Fig. 7 Detached Cutter Mechanism, exposing blades 5. Open a cleaning swab by placing swab between your forefinger and thumb. Squeeze swab until it snaps. Alcohol will be distributed to cotton side of the swab. 6. Run the swab back and forth several times across all sides of the blades in the cutting mechanism to remove any buildup of labeling adhesive. Fig. 8 Cleaning blades inside Cutter Mechanism 7.
Platen Roller 1. Open a cleaning swab by placing swab between your forefinger and thumb. Squeeze swab until it snaps. Alcohol will be distributed to cotton side of the swab. 2. Run the swab back and forth several times across the Platen roller to remove any buildup. Rotate the Platen roller to clean all sides of the roller. Fig. 9 Cleaning Platen Roller 3. Give the Platen roller a couple minutes to dry, then reload your ribbon and supply. Your DuraLabel 9000 is now cleaned and ready for use.
TROUBLESHOOTING The following are simple solutions to the most common printing challenges that ® occur with the DuraLabel 9000. Please call Graphic Products for free customer support. 1. SYMPTOM: Speckles appear throughout label a. Possible Cause: Supply has not been stored properly and dirt has contaminated the supply Solution: Replace the label supply if the problem persists after 1st few prints. Store supplies in a dust free environment. 2. SYMPTOM: Fig.
5. SYMPTOM: Missing horizontal line(s) of print a. Possible Cause: If the horizontal line(s) runs partially through label, there may be foreign particles on the print head Solution: Clean the print head b. Possible Cause: Horizontal line(s) runs through Fig. 5 Burnt-out pixel entire label (See Fig. 5) Solution: Replace the print head 6. SYMPTOM: Wrinkles appear on one-half of label a.
Fig. 9 Top-down view of the printer with the two left Adjustable Pressure Knobs set Fig. 10 Front view of printer with the two left Adjustable Pressure Knobs set NOTE: You may need to use trial and error to determine which is the best setting to adjust to based on the type of label or sign being printed. Set Right Adjustable Pressure Knobs: For wrinkles on the left side of the label when printed: Set the two right Adjustable Pressure Knobs.
SPECIFICATIONS Printer ▪ Type: Thermal Transfer ▪ Print Speed: Selectable speeds of 2 and 3 inches per second ▪ Resolution: 300 DPI ▪ Max. Print Width: 9 in. ▪ Max. Print Length: 50 in. Indicators & Buttons ▪ Indicators: POWER, ON-LINE & ERROR ▪ Buttons: POWER, UP, DOWN, SELECT, PAUSE, FEED & MENU Communication Interface ▪ Communications: USB 2.
1-800-788-5572 P.O. Box 4030 Beaverton, OR 97076 © 2009, Graphic Products, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.DuraLabel.com v. 1.
