Users Manual Part 4

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Glossary
5/9/19 ZT411/ZT421 Color Touch User Guide P1106464-001
printhead wear The degradation of the surface of the printhead and/or the print elements
over time. Heat and abrasion can cause printhead wear. Therefore, to maximize the life of the
printhead, use the lowest print darkness setting (sometimes called burn temperature or head
temperature) and the lowest printhead pressure necessary to produce good print quality. In the
thermal transfer printing method, use ribbon that is as wide or wider than the media to protect
the printhead from the rough media surface.
receipt A receipt is a variable length printout. One example of a receipt is in retail stores,
where each purchased item occupies a separate line on the printout. Therefore, the more items
purchased, the longer the receipt.
registration Alignment of printing with respect to the top (vertical) or sides (horizontal) of a
label or tag.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) “smart” media
Each RFID label has an RFID transponder (sometimes called an
“inlay”), made of a chip and an antenna, embedded between the label
and the liner. The shape of the transponder varies by manufacturer and
is visible through the label. All “smart” labels have memory that can be
read, and many have memory that can be encoded.
RFID media can be used in a printer that is equipped with an RFID reader/encoder. RFID
labels are made from the same materials and adhesives as non-RFID labels.
ribbon Ribbon is a thin film that is coated on one side with wax, resin, or wax resin (usually
called “ink”), which is transferred to the media during the thermal transfer process. Ink is
transferred onto the media when heated by the small elements within the printhead.
Ribbon is only used with the thermal transfer print method. Direct thermal media does not use
ribbon. When ribbon is used, it must be as wide as or wider than the media being used. If the
ribbon is narrower than the media, areas of the printhead are unprotected and subject to
premature wear. Zebra ribbons have a coating on the back that protects the printhead from
wear.
ribbon wrinkle A wrinkling of the ribbon caused by improper alignment or improper
printhead pressure. This wrinkle can cause voids in the print and/or the used ribbon to rewind
unevenly. This condition should be corrected by performing adjustment procedures.
roll media Media that comes supplied
rolled onto a core (usually cardboard). It can
be continuous (no separations between
labels) or non-contionous (some type of
separation between labels).
Contrast this with fanfold media.
supplies A general term for media and ribbon.
symbology The term generally used when referring to a barcode.
DRAFT