User guide

140 170PAX 4 User Guide 10/12/2004 57516L-001 Rev. 1
Glossary
Die-cut media — A type of label stock that has individual labels stuck to a media liner. The
labels may be either lined up against each other or separated by a small distance. Typically the
material surrounding the labels has been removed. (See non-continuous media.)
Direct thermal — A printing method in which the printhead presses directly against the
media. Heating the printhead elements causes a discoloration of the heat-sensitive coating on
the media. By selectively heating the printhead elements as the media moves past, an image is
printed onto the media. No ribbon is used with this printing method. Contrast this with thermal
transfer.
Direct thermal media — Media that is coated with a substance that reacts to the application
of direct heat from the printhead to produce an image.
Dynamic RAM — The memory devices used to store the label formats in electronic form
while they are being printed. The amount of DRAM memory available in the print engine
determines the maximum size and number of label formats that can be printed. This is volatile
memory that loses the stored information when power is turned off.
Fanfold media — Media that comes folded in a rectangular stack. Contrast this with roll
media.
Firmware — This is the term used to specify the print engine’s operating program. This
program is downloaded to the print engine from a host computer and stored in FLASH
memory. Each time the print engine power is turned on, this operating program starts. This
program controls when to feed the media forward or backward and when to print a dot on the
label stock.
FLASH memory — FLASH memory is non-volatile and maintains the stored information
intact when power is off. This memory area is used to store the print engine’s operating
program. In addition, this memory can be used to store optional print engine fonts, graphic
formats, and complete label formats.
Font — A complete set of alphanumeric characters in one style of type. Examples include
CG Times™, CG Triumvirate Bold Condensed™.
Ips “inches-per-second” — The speed at which the label or tag is printed. Zebra offers print
engines that can print from 1 ips to 12 ips.
Label — An adhesive-backed piece of paper, plastic, or other material on which information is
printed.
Label backing (label liner) — The material on which labels are affixed during manufacture
and which is discarded or recycled by the end-users.
Liquid crystal display — The LCD is a back-lit display that provides the user with either
operating status during normal operation or option menus when configuring the print engine to
a specific application.
Light emitting diode (LED) — Indicators of specific print engine status conditions. Each
LED is either off, on, or blinking depending on the feature being monitored.
Lock-up — This is the term generally used to describe a fault condition that, for apparently no
reason, causes the print engine to stop working.
Media — Material onto which data is printed by the print engine. Types of media include: tag-
stock, die-cut labels, continuous (with and without media liner), fanfold, and roll.