ExpressCard 500 User Guide The ExpressCard 500 delivers dual-sided color printing, magstripe encoding, and contact and contactless smart card personalization all in the fastest flat card printer on the market. The ExpressCard 500 personalizes cards in bulk or individually for sophisticated, premium-quality, edge-to-edge production for a variety of card applications.
Copyright© 2014 MagTek®, Inc. Printed in the United States of America Information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of MagTek, Inc. MagTek® is a registered trademark of MagTek, Inc.
Table of Contents Getting started 5 Help 24 Unpacking 5 Warnings and Diagnosis 25 Description 6-7 Diagnosis Help 28 Installation 8 Troubleshooting 29 Ribbons 9 Poor print quality 30 Cards 10-14 Partial or Incorrect printing 31 Printing 15 Freeing jammed cards 32 Installation and Management 15 Replacing the cleaning rollers 33 Graphics and Tools tabs 16 Replacing the print head 33-36 Printing using QwickCards.
About your new printer Thank you for choosing an ExpressCard 500. Using your new printer, you will be able to create a wide variety of high-quality cards and badges which can be printed in various thicknesses, colors and styles. This printer uses consumables and accessories available from MagTek. For further details, visit our website at www.magtek.com. Warranty registration Please register on line at www.magtek.com to receive our special offers and general information.
1. Getting started 1-1 Unpacking Your printer is supplied with several accessories that we ask you to look at closely. This list may vary depending on your location. The printer is shipped in special packaging designed to prevent any damage in transit. If you notice any visible damage, do not hesitate to contact the shipper and immediately inform your MagTek dealer, who will tell you the procedure to follow.
1-2 Description of the printer and its functions Control button No cards End of ribbon 6 Cover open Cleaning A - Output hopper F - Carrying handle B - Cover opening button G - DB-9 connector (option) C - Card input feeder H - Power cable socket D - Control panel I - USB socket (std) E - Manual card feed (option) J - Ethernet socket (option)
K - Card turnover area L - Magnetic encoder (option) M - Cleaning roller N - Card thickness adjustment gauge O - Thermal print head P - Serial number label 7
1-3 Installation 1-3a CONNECTING THE PRINTER >> Connection to the power supply The printer must be connected to a properly protected and earthed electrical installation. FI: Laite on liitettävä suojamaadoitus koskettimilla varustettuun pistorasiaan. NO: Apparatet må tilkoples jordet stikkontakt. SE: Apparaten skall anslutas till jordat uttag. 1. Connect the power cable to the power supply unit, then plug the power cable connector into the printer. 2.
1-3b RIBBONS MagTek original ribbons optimize your printer’s operation and avoid causing damage to it. The use of ribbons from other suppliers is liable to damage your printer and voids the manufacturer’s warranty for the printer. For optimum print quality, MagTek recommends that the printer is fully cleaned every time the ribbon is changed. See the Servicing and Maintenance section of this manual. >>Fitting the ribbon Ensure that the appropriate ribbon type is selected in the print driver. 1. 2. 3.
1-3c CARDS For optimum quality, the cards used must be ISO 7810 certified. Use only the card types recommended by MagTek. Do not touch the printable surface of the cards in order to preserve print quality. Do not use cards that have been damaged, folded, embossed or dropped on the floor. Keep your cards protected from dust. >>Loading the cards 1. 2. 3. Remove the card feeder. Turn the feeder over and insert the cards. Ensure the cards are positioned as illustrated in the diagram.
>>Removing printed cards Once the print cycle is complete, cards are delivered into the output hopper found on the left of the device. This output hopper is designed to collect the printed and/or encoded cards. The printer is equipped with an output hopper with a capacity of 50 x 0.76 mm cards.
>>Adjusting card thickness The printer is equipped with a manual card thickness adjustment mechanism which can be reached either through the card feeder or through the inside of the printing unit when the cover is open. The printer accepts cards between 0.25 mm and 1 mm thick. The factory setting for card thickness is 0.76 mm. Adjusting card thickness through the feeder cage: 1. Remove the card feeder from the printer as shown. 2.
Adjusting card thickness from inside of the printer: 1. Open the printer cover by pressing on the opening lever, then tilt the cover up. 2. If necessary, remove any ribbon inside the printer. Then adjust the thickness of the cards used by moving the lever from right to left to the desired card thickness 3. Replace the ribbon in the printer, then close the cover.
>>Inserting cards manually The printer may optionally be equipped with a manual feeder for inserting cards individually. The manual feeder option needs to be configured via the printer driver’s Properties, under the “Graphics” tab. Choose “Manual feed” from the “Card management - input” menu and select the desired output method from the menu. The manual card feeder is installed as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. Remove the card feeder from the printer as shown.
2. Printing The information about the procedures described in this section refers to a Windows XP environment. 2-1 Installing the print driver Configuration of the printer and its driver is a very important step and requires very special care. In fact, inappropriate settings are a factor having a negative impact on the quality of card customization. It is therefore essential to proceed in stages, changing settings only when you are completely sure.
>>“Graphics” tab • • • • • Ribbon or card types Front/back printing Choice of methods for feeding and collecting cards Card orientation, portrait or landscape Number of copies >>“Tools” tab • • • • Setting and testing magnetic encoding options Test card printing Cleaning the printer Dialogue interface with the printer. We recommend that you print a test card when first using the printer, and keep it.
2-2 Printing a card from QwickCards.com QwickCards.com is an Instant Card Issuance and PIN Selection System used to securely issue ATM, Debit, Credit, and Gift Cards. The system also provides inventory functionality for maintaining card and ribbon products used by the system. QwickCards.com is accessed from any PC with an Internet Explorer browser and attached IPAD device. An IPAD is a PIN entry device with a 3-track secure card reader authenticator.
3. Maintenance 3-1 General warranty information Your ExpressCard 500 has been designed to give you long service and needs only minimal regular maintenance. Please comply with the instructions given below to ensure that it runs satisfactorily. Keep your warranty cover! The manufacturer’s warranty is subject to strict adherence to the routine servicing and maintenance instructions, and in particular the printer cleaning cycles.
3-2 Routine printer cleaning The print head warranty is directly linked to routine cleaning of your printer. If you do not carry out this cleaning at the required times, the print head warranty will cease to be valid.
Follow the procedure below: Repeatedly running the cleaning card through the printer cleans the feed rollers, the cleaning rollers and the print head. 1. 2. 3. 4. Remove the card feeder from the printer as shown. Using the lever, set the card thickness to the MAX position. Remove any cards found in the feeder. Insert the cleaning card into the feeder as indicated.
5. Put the feeder back into the printer, then press on the upper section of the feeder until it clicks. 6. Open the cover. 7. Remove the ribbon as shown on the diagram. 8. Close the cover and check it has clicked shut. 9. Hold down the control button on the control panel for one second. Cleaning starts. 10. The used cleaning card is ejected into the output hopper. Wait for 2 minutes after cleaning before using your printer.
3-3 Servicing the cleaning roller(s) In addition to routine printer cleaning, we suggest that you clean the cleaning roller(s) using the special wipes available from MagTek. The cleaning roller(s) remove(s) any dust or particles from the cards before printing. Recommended cleaning cycle: whenever the ribbon is changed Servicing accessory: cleaning wipe Follow the procedure below: 1. Open the cover and remove any ribbon. 2. Remove the cleaning roller. 3. Rub the wipe gently over the surface of the roller.
3-4 Servicing the print head Recommended cleaning cycle: whenever the ribbon is changed Servicing accessory: Special cotton bud impregnated with isopropyl alcohol. The print head is cleaned in the course of the printer’s routine servicing procedure (see previously).However, to maintain the original print quality and to absorb surplus ink on the print head, we recommend that you regularly clean the print head (whenever the ribbon is changed) using the cotton buds supplied by MagTek.
Follow the procedure below: 1. Take a MagTek cotton bud and press the middle of the tube until the end of the cotton bud is impregnated with alcohol. 2. Open the cover and find the print head 3. Gently rub the cotton bud from left to right along the print head for a few seconds. 4. Close the cover. Wait for 2 minutes after cleaning before using your printer.
4. Help This section gives a number of suggestions allowing problems that may arise when using your printer to be pinpointed. If you do not manage to solve your problem, this section also explains how to contact MagTek technical support. 4-1 Warnings and diagnosis Although the ExpressCard 500 was designed to work independently, keeping user involvement to a minimum, it may nonetheless prove useful to gain some familiarity with the main warnings.
RIBBON • No ribbon in the printer. • End of ribbon. • The ribbon is not correctly fitted • The ribbon is torn. Check the condition of the ribbon in the printer. If you have a print job in progress, this restarts with a new card. CARDS • The card feeder is incorrectly installed. • No cards in the card feeder. • The cards are not flat • The cards are stuck together. Press the control button for one second – the process will restart. WAITING FOR A CARD • The printer is waiting for a card to be inserted.
CLEANING (after 1,200 cards have been inserted) • It is imperative that the printer is cleaned. See section 3 - Maintenance OUTPUT HOPPER POSITION • The output hopper is midway between open and closed. Open or close the output hopper. The current job will restart. MECHANICAL PROBLEM • • Card jammed in the printer. Mechanical component fault. Press the control button for one second. If the problem persists, contact MagTek for assistance.
4-2 Diagnosis help In this section, you will find all the information you need to carry out a few simple checks that you may be asked to run by your MagTek dealer to help you as effectively as possible. 4-2a PRINTING A TEST CARD We recommend that you print a test card to ensure that your printer is working properly. This card shows various technical details for future reference. You may be asked for these by your dealer. >>Printing a test card 1. Wait for any current print jobs to finish 2.
4-3 Troubleshooting Do not attempt to use tools or other items to repair your printer in the event of problems, in case major damage is caused. 4-3a PRINTING PROBLEMS Nothing prints 1. Check the print driver Check that there is a print driver for your printer in the Windows configuration Check that the printer is selected as the default printer. 2. Check the printer’s power supply Check that the power cable is correctly connected to the printer and to a working electrical socket.
Poor print quality Small blemishes on the card Small blemishes on the card The card surface may be dirty. Check that your cards are perfectly clean. Use new cards. Cleaning rollers or print head clogged. Clean the cleaning rollers and print head. Horizontal white lines The ribbon is not correctly fitted Check that the ribbon is correctly positioned in the printer. Check that there are no wrinkles on the ribbon surface. Horizontal white lines Print head dirty or damaged. Clean or replace the print head.
>>Partial or incorrect printing 1. Check the print settings Check that no area of the card design to be printed is outside the print margins. Check the document orientation (portrait or landscape) in the print driver configuration 2. Check the interface cable If irregular characters are printed, check that you are in fact using the USB cable supplied with your printer.Check the connection between the computer and the printer. Try using another cable of the same type. 3.
4-3b FREEING JAMMED CARDS Control panel displays MECHANICAL PROBLEM • Print jobs are interrupted Do not turn your printer off, as this cancels pending print jobs in the printer’s memory. Remove the card as follows: 1. Open the printer cover and remove the ribbon. 2. Press the control button to turn the card transport rollers. If the card is still stuck inside the printer, slide it manually towards the printer output. If there is more than one card, always push the top one first 3.
4-3c REPLACING THE CLEANING ROLLERS Should your cleaning roller start to work less effectively despite regular maintenance, it is advisable to replace it in order to avoid dirt accumulating on the print head, resulting in permanent damage (See section 3 – Maintenance). The cleaning roller is available as a consumable from your MagTek dealer. Roller replacement procedure: 1. 2. 3. 4. Open the printer cover. Remove the ribbon if any then locate the cleaning roller and release it from its housing.
To exchange the print head, please proceed as follows: Before changing the print head, please unplug the power cable. Step 1 - Removing the defective print head 1. Open the printer cover. 2. Locate the print head. 3. Press on the metal part found at the bottom as shown on the diagram, in order to free the lugs from the holding fork, then remove the lugs from their slots. 4. Tilt the head carefully and disconnect the connector linked to the cable without using force on the mechanism.
Step 2 - Installing the new print head 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Note the code shown on the white label stuck on the print head. You will be asked for this code in Step 3. Pick up the new print head and turn it towards you, with the white connector visible. Connect the cable into its socket, making sure it is the right way round. Do not use any force, as this part is relatively fragile. Turn the head so that the logo is visible (be careful), the connector can no longer be seen.
Step 3 - Configuring the new print head 1. Power up the printer and check that it is properly connected to a computer on which the printer’s print driver is installed. 2. Under the print driver’s Properties, click on the “Tools” tab. 3. In the “Printer dialogue” section, enter the following command: Pkn;x where x = the print head kit code number that you noted in Step 2.
4-3e UPDATING THE FIRMWARE (UNDER WINDOWS) Updating the firmware is a simple operation but one which, if not properly completed, can result in your printer breaking down Before any update, please contact your MagTek dealer who will be able to guide you on the advisability or otherwise of carrying out an upgrade. In general, such updates are only required in the event of problem or malfunction that has been clearly identified by your MagTek dealer. Updates can be downloaded from the website at www.magtek.
4-3f UPDATING THE PRINT DRIVER Updating the print driver is a task that is required in order to fix malfunctions or gain the benefit of new option Before any update, please contact your MagTek dealer who will be able to guide you on the advisability or otherwise of carrying out an upgrade. Updates can be downloaded from the website at www.magtek.com: 1. Select your printer model, then click on the Print drivers and Firmware link. 2. Then click on the file for the corresponding print driver 3.
Appendix A A1 - Technical specifications This section presents your printer’s technical printing properties. General technical features • • • • • • • • • Color printing module 300 dpi print head (11.8 dots/mm) USB connection Ethernet TCP/IP connection as an option 16 MB RAM allowing two color cards (front and back) to be stored Card turnover point for double-sided printing Detachable 100 card input feeder (0.76 mm or 30 mil) 100 card output hopper (0.
Ribbon types • • • • • 2-panel KO monochrome black ribbon – 500 cards/roll 5-panel YMCKO color ribbon – 200 cards/roll 6-panel YMCKO-K color ribbon – 200 cards/roll Half-panel YMCKO color ribbon – 400 cards/roll Monochrome ribbons – up to 1,000 cards/roll: available in black, gold and silver Options Encoding options (can be combined) • ISO 7811 HiCo/LoCo or JIS2 magnetic strip encoder • Smartcard contact station - ISO 7816-2 • Smartcard encoder and contact station – PC/SC, EMV 2000-1 • Contactless card e
Appendix B B1 - Encoding options Some models of ExpressCard 500s are equipped with encoding systems which are used to customise magnetic strips, and contact and contactless smartcards. Depending on the model, it is possible to install up to three types of encoder in the printer (magnetic strip, contact and contactless smartcards). B1a - MAGNETIC STRIP ENCODING A printer fitted with a magnetic encoder works in exactly the same way as a basic card printer.
>>Configuring the Windows print drive When first installing the Windows print driver, the magnetic encoder functions need to be configured. The magnetic encoder functions are found in the print driver’s Tools dialogue box by clicking on the Encoding Settings button. >>“Magnetic Encoder” dialogue box The Magnetic Encoder dialog box opens when the Encoding Settings button is selected. Track settings is used to select the desired ISO standard for each magnetic strip.
ISO 7811 magnetic encoding standards Track # Track 1 Separator ^ Density 210 ppp1 Character set Track 2 = 75 ppp1 Numeric(ASCII 48-62)2 403 Track 3 = 210 ppp1 Numeric(ASCII 78-62)2 1073 Alphanumeric(ASCII 20-95) Number of characters 2 bits per inch Except for the “?“ character 3 Including the start, stop and LRC characters which are automatically handled by the magnetic encoder.
B1b - CONTACT SMARTCARD ENCODING A printer fitted with a smartcard contact station works in exactly the same way as a basic card printer. The ExpressCard 500 smartcard contact station is used to program chips to ISO 7816-2 standards. >>Contact station location The contact station is a module fitted in the factory. It is located over the path taken by the cards and before the print head. To make contact with the station, the smartcard is positioned underneath it and is pushed mechanically upwards.
>>Contact station interface Printers with a smartcard contact station are fitted with a female DB-9 connector which is found on the back of a printer. This connector, directly connected to the contact station inside the printer, is also connected to an external coupler to program the chip. A sequence of commands must be sent via the printer’s interface to insert a card into the printer then position it under the station and establish contact.
B1c - CONTACTLESS SMARTCARD ENCODING ExpressCard 500s may be equipped with an encoding device for contactless smartcards (RFID). This consists of an encoding module and sometimes a detachable antenna. Integration of such a module must be carried out by specialist. The MagTek product catalogue has printers equipped with a built-in encoder for contactless chips. Depending on the model, these encoders connect to the PC via an RS-232 interface (DB-9 socket) or a USB interface.
>>Computer connection If your encoder is supplied with an USB interface, it will either be connected to the printer’s internal USB Hub, or equipped with a USB cable to connect to your computer directly. In the first case, your printer’s USB cable is used to drive firstly the printer and secondly the encoder from the computer if your encoder is supplied with an RS-232 interface, it needs to be connected to the computer via a serial cable.
Appendix C PN 93400048 93400047 93400050 93400049 93400052 93400051 93400054 96700022 96700025 96700021 96700023 93600191 93600189 93600190 Description YMCKO Color Ribbon YMCKOK Color Ribbon ½ YMCKO Color Ribbon Black Monochrome Ribbons Gold Monochrome Ribbons Silver Monochrome Ribbons KO Monochrome Ribbon 50 Cleaning Cards Single Cleaning Cards (minimum order of 13) Cleaning Pen, Thermal Print Head 40 Individually Pouched Wipes Cleaning Roller Hopper Lock System Card Hopper 100 Card Capacity 48 Cards pe
LIMITED WARRANTY MagTek warrants that the products sold pursuant to this Agreement will perform in accordance with MagTek’s published specifications. This warranty shall be provided only for a period of one year from the date of the shipment of the product from MagTek (the “Warranty Period”). This warranty shall apply only to the “Buyer” (the original purchaser, unless that entity resells the product as authorized by MagTek, in which event this warranty shall apply only to the first repurchaser).
