CX400 Desktop Printer Operator's Manual
SATO GROUP OF COMPANIES BARCODE SATO INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD 438A Alexandra Road #05-01/ 02, Alexandra Technopark, Singapore 119967 Tel: 65-6271-2122 Fax: 65-6271-2151 Website: www.barcodesato.com Email: sales@sato-int.com SATO AMERICA INC. 10350 Nations Ford Road Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28273 Tel: 1-704-644-1650 Fax: 1-704-644-1662 Website: www.satoamerica.com Email: satosales@satoamerica.
TABLE OF CONTENTS What You Get . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Controls, Indicators, and Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Printer Power Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Printer Interface Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Loading Labels or Tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Loading Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CX400 User Guide CX Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Label Gallery Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Windows Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Media and Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Page 2 PN 9001107 Rev.
CX400 User Guide What You Get The SATO CX400 Printers come complete and ready to install and print labels. Your unit carton contains the following items: • • • • • • CX400 Printer 90 Watt Power Supply Sample Label Roll Thermal Transfer Ribbon User’s Guide CD-ROM Containing: Label Gallery Free Label Design and Production Software CX400 User’s Manual CX400 Programming Reference Guide Windows Printer Driver for CX400 Label Gallery Demo Software Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing and printing the manuals.
CX400 User Guide Controls, Indicators, and Connections Device Name Primary Function Power Switch Power control Applies power to printer. FEED Button Advances print media 1 POWER indicator Indicates power status 1 ERROR LED Indicates error sta- 1 Normally OFF. tus 2. Blinking in unison with POWER indicator indicates media error. 3. Alternate blinking with POWER indicator indicates ribbon error. 4. Blinking for other errors, e.g. RS232 error.
CX400 User Guide Print Head Release Unlocks print head Push both releases downward to release print head. Top Cover Protects print Lift to open. media and mecha- Push inward at hinge to nism remove. Power Indicator Error Indicator Push upward to open FEED Button Power Switch Print Head Release Parallel Port Paper Roll Holder Power Input Fan-Fold Knockout Serial Port PN 9001107 Rev.
CX400 User Guide Printer Power Connection Power Module Power Input 1. Plug the output of the power module provided with the printer into the connector on the rear panel. 2. Plug the power module into an AC outlet having the proper voltage. 3. Place the power switch in “I” position to turn on the power. Note If the FEED button is pressed after a label is printed, the last label will be printed again; otherwise a blank label is fed.
CX400 User Guide . Print Head Paper Holder Lock Ribbon Sensor Paper Guide Platen Roller Media Roll Paper Holder Print Head Release Label Exit Slot Labels PN 9001107 Rev.
CX400 User Guide Loading Labels or Tags 1. Lift the top cover. 2. Press the two print head releases down to unlock the print head. 3. Unwind a few labels from the roll. Labels should be wound facein for the best results. 4. Slide the center justified paper holders apart until the label roll will drop down between them. 5. The paper holdersare spring loaded and will automatically retract when released. Make sure the label holder spindles fit inside the label roll core and the roll spins freely. 6.
CX400 User Guide Loading Ribbon The CX400 thermal transfer printer transfers ink from a ribbon to the label to produce an image. 1. Lift the top cover. 2. Press the two print head releases down to unlock the print head module and expose the ribbon supply spindles. 3. Unwrap the new ribbon and unwind 4" from the roll. The end of the ribbon is attached to a take-up core. 4. Observe the notches on both end of the supply core and the takeup core.
CX400 User Guide 13. Wait until the ERROR LED stops blinking and goes OFF; press the FEED button to feed a label or to resume printing. Take-Up Core Ribbon Supply Roll Dull Side on Bottom Spindle Notches Left Take-Up Spindle Right Take-Up Spindle Left Supply Spindle Right Supply Spindle Rotate Left Take-Up Spindle to tighten ribbon. Page 10 PN 9001107 Rev.
CX400 User Guide Selecting the Label Sensor Type CX400 printers can use Eye-mark, gap or notch label sensing. The sensing method used by the printer must match to the media being used. If you are using label printing software, it should provide a mean to set up these parameters. See your software documentation for details. If you are writing your own software or controlling the printer using direct commands, you must use printer commands to set up the printer mode and sensing method.
CX400 User Guide Label Edge and Eye-Mark Sensor Ribbon Sensor Using the Printer Printing a Self-Test Label Printing a self-test label checks the printer overall operability. To run a self-test, confirm that the printer is loaded and connected to AC power and no print jobs are in process. Then: 1. Turn off the power. 2. Press and hold the FEED button. 3. Turn on the power. 4. After the printer starts printing release the FEED button. 5.
CX400 User Guide Feeding Blank Labels To feed a label you press the FEED button if there is no image in the printer buffer. To clear the image buffer you must press and hold the FEED button for at least 5 seconds and then release the FEED button. Label Reprint If the last label printed has not been cleared from the printer buffer, pressing the FEED button causes the last printed label to be reprinted. Sending Data to the Printer To print labels using data sent from a host computer or terminal: 1.
CX400 User Guide Note When holding the FEED button, the indicator status will change, but should be ignored even if the ERROR indicator becomes lit. Printing Labels To print labels, the host computer sends commands to the printer via the serial or parallel communication port. If you are using label printing software, the computer and software control the entire printing process. You only need to set up the printer, start your label printing program, and follow its instructions.
CX400 User Guide 2. Using a soft cotton sheet moistened alcohol, clean all dirt and label residue from the print head, paying particular attention to the print line. Caution ! Do not clean the print head or drive roller using abrasive or metallic objects, ammonia-based cleaners or other harsh chemicals. The practices can cause serious damage and will void the warranty. 3. Wipe the platen roller with the cleaning cloth. To reach all portions of the platen roller, press the FEED button.
CX400 User Guide 3. Press down firmly on both print head latches to confirm that they are closed. 4. Confirm that the printer ERROR indicator is off. 5. Print a self-test label as described on page 10. 6. Restart the printer. 7. Press the FEED button to confirm that the printer will feed a blank label or last printed label. 8. Review the common problems described in the following section. 9. If these steps do not correct the problems, contact your dealer or our Technical Support Department.
CX400 User Guide • Others: If you are using the serial communication check the parameters on both the printer and the host. Self-test label will not print 1. If printing in the direct thermal mode, confirm that you have loaded direct thermal media. 2. Disconnect the cable between the printer and the host computer. Restart the printer and try to print a self-test label again. Label will not feed 1. Confirm that the print media is loaded correctly. 2.
CX400 User Guide 2. Confirm that the sensor type (Eye-mark or gap) in your software setup matches yours print media. Poor print quality 1. Confirm that the print media is properly loaded, and there is no side-to-side motion of the paper as it feeds through the printer. 2. Check your software print darkness and print speed settings. These settings may need adjustment for optimum results. 3. Try different print media. Old or inferior quality media will degrade print quality. 4.
CX400 User Guide Printer Specifications CX400 Print Method Thermal Transfer or Direct Thermal Max Ribbon Length 328 ft. (100m) Max Ribbon Roll OD 1.5 in. (38mm) Ribbon Core ID 0.5 in.(12.8mm) Ribbon Core OD 0.72 in. (18.4mm) Weight (including power module) 8.1 lbs. (3.67kg) Print Head Density 203 dpi (8 dot/mm) Print Speed 1 ips (25.4mm/s), 2 ips (50.8mm/s), 3 ips (76.2mm/s), 4 ips (101.6mm) Media Continuous paper, Paper Labels, Vinyl Labels, Tag Media Width 4.3 in.
CX400 User Guide Memory 2MB total RAM; 2MB flash memory Bar Codes Supported UPC, EAN8/13, EAN128, Code39, Code93, MSI, I25, M25, Postnet Bookland, Code 128, UCC 128, Codabar, MaxiCode, PDF417 Bar Code Rotations Bar Code Ratios Fonts 0o; 90 o; 180 o; 270 o 1:2; 1:3; 2:5 Text Rotation Code Page 858, Others available.
CX400 User Guide Communication Ports CX400 printers are equipped with a standard Centronics parallel and an RS232 communication port, wired as shown below. Serial Input Cable (DB9S) Pin # PN 9001107 Rev.
CX400 User Guide Parallel Input Cable (Centronics 36 pin) Pin # 1 Description STROBE 2~9 Data bits 0-7 10 ACK 11 Busy 12 PE (Paper End) 13 Select, always high 16 Signal Ground 17 Chassis Ground 18 +5V DC 19~30 Ground 32 Fault Serial Port Parameters CX400 printers are configured as Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) equipment, and use Request-To-Send/Clear-To-Send (RTS/CTS) handshaking or X-On/X-Off flow control (control characters are DC2 and DC4).
CX400 User Guide Note CX400 printers require a “null modem” cable (pin 2-3 and 7-8 cross connected) when connected to another DTE device such as a personal computer. The SATO serial cables are wired in a null modem configuration. Other cables may require an external null modem adapter. CX400 Software Two basic software packages are supplied on the Label Gallery Free CD-ROM included with each CX400 printer. Each package allows you to easily change the configuration of the printer and print labels.
CX400 User Guide lower right corner will take you to the Select Printer window where you select the printer model that will be used to print the label. Selecting “Printer Setup” opens a Printer Driver where the operating parameters of the printer can be configured. Windows Drivers The CX400 Windows Drivers lets you print labels using virtually any Windows application program. The driver can be installed using the Label Gallery Free START.
