Zebra® P640i Card Printer Card Printer User Guide 980541-001 Rev.
© 2004 ZIH Corp. The copyrights in this guide and the printers described therein are owned by Zebra Technologies Corporation. Unauthorized reproduction of this manual or the software in the label print engine may result in imprisonment of up to one year and fines of up to $10,000 (17 U.S.C.506). Copyright violators may be subject to civil liability. Printer Software © ZIH Corp. All rights reserved worldwide. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
P640i Card Printer User Guide Caution • The separate Quick Start Guide shows how to set up the printer using the standard USB interface. If your printer was configured for the optional Parallel or Ethernet connections, refer to Technical Note 9 in Section 4 of this Guide for instructions on driver installation. 980541-001 Rev.
WARRANTY INFORMATION Printers All Zebra Card Printers are warranted against defects in material or workmanship for twelve (12) months from the purchase date. Proof of purchase or shipment date is required to validate the warranty period. The warranty becomes void if the equipment is modified, improperly installed or used, damaged by accident or neglect, or if any parts are improperly installed or replaced by the user.
Warranty Exclusions and Conditions The warranties provided above are the only warranties applicable. No other warranties, expressed or implied, are given. Zebra does not make any IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE in connection with its sale of products or services.
AGENCY APPROVALS Product Disposal Do not dispose of this product in unsorted municipal waste. This product is recyclable. Please recycle according to your local standards. For more information, please see our web site at: http://www.zebra.com/recycle CONTACT INFORMATION Zebra Technologies • Card Printer Solutions www.zebracard.com North America 1001 Flynn Road Camarillo, CA 93012-8706 USA Telephone: +1(805) 579 1800 Fax: +1(805) 579 1808 Toll free in the US: 800 452 4056 e-mail: cards@zebra.
Table of Contents Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii 1 • Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo ID card printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table of Contents 3 • Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Image Adjustment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troubleshooting quality problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Poor color registration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table of Contents 4 • Technical Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Technical Note 1 - General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P640i Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ID/Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table of Contents Techncial Note 6 - Laminator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laminate position adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laminator Parameters in the Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Correcting Laminator Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Technical Note 7 - ID/Log . . . . . . . .
1 Introduction Main cover Interlock actua- Card hopper cover Transfer toggle Rotate clockwise to separate trans- Laminating station ID/Key (optionCard Hopper Push buttons Indicator Cleaning station Flip station Card transport knob For manual repo- Mag encoder (optional) 980541-001 Rev.
Introduction Overview Overview The P640i Printer is a complete, fully automatic photo ID card fabricator. It comprises six functional elements: • Card hopper • Magnetic (“mag”) encoder - optional feature • Cleaning station • Print station • Flip station • Laminator Because the P640i Printer is fully automatic, it requires no attention from the operator other than media loading and an occasional vacuuming.
Introduction Printing basics Printing basics C Cyan Dye This is the usual pattern for a P640i Printer ribbon. Y, M and C are the three “dye sub” process colors. The K panel is for infraredreadable bar codes and other data, usually on the back of the card. A second K panel (YMCKK) is sometimes provided to allow black resin printing on both sides of the card. As the ID card is driven through the print station, the color ribbon is metered out from the supply roll at the same speed.
Introduction Printing basics In the P640i the card is transported on a belt-driven truck that maintains precise registration through the entire process of picking, cleaning, and multi-pass printing. This means perfect color-to-color Transport registration time after time - no slippage, no motor deterioration in print quality over time. Toothed blet What to expect when you turn on the power Card truck Platen Card transport knob 1. Nothing happens for two or three seconds, then; 2.
Introduction Push buttons and Indicator lights The P640i printer receives data through one of three types of connector: Ethernet (optional feature), USB (standard feature) or Parallel (Centronics type, optional feature). Test card You may sometimes be asked to print a test card. This is the pattern stored in the printer’s memory (it has nothing to do with the computer). If the printer is functioning properly, it will be printed when the PRINT button on the front panel is pressed following power-up.
Introduction Push buttons and Indicator lights RIBBON button This button is used to synchronize the ribbon – in other words, to position it correctly under the print head. In typical applications, the ribbon type is YMCK, and the back of the card is printed first. In such cases, pressing the RIBBON button will advance the color ribbon to bring the leading edge of the next black panel under the print head.
Introduction INDICATOR LIGHT SUMMARY INDICATOR LIGHT SUMMARY Depending on the condition they are reporting, the three indicator lights, READY, MEDIA and ALARM, can be in one of three states: Off, On (steady), or Flashing. The READY indicator is bi-colored. Its two color channels, green and yellow, function independently. READY indicator Green = Ready to print, or printer busy. Yellow = Laminator not at operating temperature. MEDIA indicator Normally Off. On = Any media outage. ALARM indicator Normally Off.
Introduction INDICATOR LIGHT SUMMARY A typical card production sequence Several variations are possible, such as multi-pass color printing on the back surface (instead of the black-only printing shown here). 1. Blank cards are loaded face down in the hopper, with the mag stripe (if any) toward the front. 2. The carriage pushes the bottom card out of the deck, carrying it under the mag encoder. 3.
Introduction INDICATOR LIGHT SUMMARY 8. The carriage reverses the card into position for the second color pass, magenta (M), followed by another reverse-and-print cycle for the third color pass, cyan (C). 9. Now fully printed, the card re-enters the flip station, which this time acts only as an elevator (no flipping) to bring the card up to the laminator level. 10.
2 Media Handling Loading cards When loading cards, open ONLY the hopper cover, left. (If you open the main cover, the interlock switch disables the printer, resulting in a start-up delay after the cover is closed.) 1. Card orientation in the hopper: the back side of the card faces up, and the mag stripe of the card is to the front of the printer.
Media Handling Loading the cleaning cassette Hot Loading You can load cards while the printer is powered up and operating. If there are no cards left in the hopper, close the hopper cover then wait until the printer hascompleted its current print job and returned the truck to its home positon under the hopper. Note • When the hopper cover is open, the truck can not drive to its home position.
Media Handling Loading the color ribbon 3. Install a fresh cleaning cassette by locating the rectangular pin on the cleaning mechanism in the receptacle on the cassette. Push the cassette gently home, ensuring that the internal grooves on the upper spool engage the teeth on the takeup drive Takeup drive . Why 10 cards is the normal clean frequency If the cleaning system is activated every 10 cards, the cleaning cassette contains sufficient tape for 3,000 cards.
Media Handling Loading the color ribbon Supply arbor Takeup arbor P640i color ribbon, left, and empty core, right. The flange end with internal grooves goes to the back. Important • Are both the new ribbon and takeup cores fully home on the arbors, as far back as they will go? You should hear a click. Color ribbon Empty core 1. Install an empty ribbon core on the right (takeup) arbor.
Media Handling Laminating Station 4. Close the printer cover, then press the RIBBON button to initialize the color ribbon. If the MEDIA light fails to go out, check the ribbon sensor. Caution • Color ribbon wrinkling and “fold-over” can seriously affect print quality. Unless you are sure the ribbon is installed properly, proceed to Step 6 5. Re-open the printer cover to inspect the ribbon path for wrinkles and folds. Correct if necessary, then close the cover.
Media Handling Laminating Station Main components of the laminating system The laminating system comprises two separate independent units, one for the front of the card, one for the back. Laminate cutter Upper Transfer guide Heater compartment Lower cassette Transfer roller Transfer toggle Must be set to RUN (horizontal) for normal operation. Rotate the toggle to open the rollers for jam clearance. Removing the cassettes 1.
Media Handling Laminating Station 2. Grasp the cassette and pull it straight toward you, clear of the printer. Caution • If you feel resistance when removing the cassette, the laminate has likely run out, leaving one end attached to the core and the other end under the cutter. Keep tugging on cassette, which will come free with a short tail of laminate. Caution • Remove the transfer guide to be sure there are no scraps of laminate remaining. 3.
Media Handling Laminating Station 3. Close the cassette, then pull out a little more laminate. If it suddenly stops, resisting further pulling, a spring detent on the cassette, photo below, has snagged a notch on the end of the core. This means that the core was installed the wrong way round. If you follow the installation diagram on the inside of the cassette this won’t happen! 4. With the white roller up and pointing to your left, rotate the core counter clockwise to reel in the laminate.
Media Handling Laminating Station Clearing the Laminate Channels If your scissor cuts were neat enough to pass for machine-made cuts, continue printing cards in the usual way. If not, don’t waste a print cycle. Instead, remove the hand-cut patch(es) from the transfer roller(s) as follows. Important • Clearing procedures for the upper and lower channels are similar. The upper channel is shown here. Removal of the Transfer Guide gives access to the transfer roller. 1.
Media Handling Laminating Station Caution • Improper replacement of the transfer guide will cause laminate skewing and misfeeding. Be sure the transfer toggleis set to RUN. Take care not to damage the transfer roller ribs when replacing the transfer guide. Laminating smart cards The laminating patch on the top surface of a smart card has a rectangular aperture to expose the card’s electrical contacts. In all other respects the laminating process for smart cards is the same as for ordinary cards.
3 Troubleshooting Image Adjustment Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Printing Preferences > Image Adjustment Brightness and Contrast controls on the image Adjustment screen have same effect on the printed image as do similar controls on typical office color printers. Click Reset to restore default conditions.
Troubleshooting Troubleshooting quality problems Troubleshooting quality problems Poor color registration • • • • • • Minor mis-registration of Y, M and C color passes may be due to printhead angle adjust screw not in firm contact with printhead frame. Reference Technical Note 4 For gross mis-registration of Y, M and C suspect card not firmly against left hand pick edge of truck on one or more passes. Spring at left end of platen may be missing or bound up.
Troubleshooting Troubleshooting quality problems Continuous white or black stripes on card’s longer dimension • • White stripe means blown pixel (nonfunctioning heating element). One or two blown pixels in isolation may be acceptable to some. Otherwise replace printhead. Reference Technical Note 4 Black stripe means non-functioning circuit(s) on printhead.
Troubleshooting Troubleshooting quality problems Consistent image defects, card after card • • Debris on platen, or platen surface not flat. Clean platen, or replace if necessary. Reference Technical Note 2 This gross image artifact was caused by a tiny scrap of card less than 0.01” (0.25 mm) thick. Random colored patterns on image • • • • Ribbon wrinkling. Reduce takeup torque. Check printhead pressure. Reference Technical Note 4 Too much heat being applied to YMC panels.
Troubleshooting Unusual Printer/Lmainator Events Laminate not parallel with card edges • • • • Skew adjust (mechanical adjustment). Reference Technical Note 6 If using partial width laminate, edge guide not properly installed (one of two positons). Section 2 Transfer guide not properly installed. Section 2 Laminate patch wrapped around heated roller. Page 3-3 Laminate wrinkling • • Can occur at end of roll. Remove cassette. If nearly out, discard. Install fresh roll.
Troubleshooting Unusual Printer/Lmainator Events Completely unexpected print results • • • • • • • Color ribbon out, or nearly out. Replace ribbon. Section 2 Main cover opened during a print job. Open and close main cover, then press RIBBON to re-sync ribbon. Reprint last job. Color ribbon panels out of sync, see previous action. Color ribbon not advancing consistently. Color ribbon supply and/or takeup cores not engaging properly on arbors. Section 2 Front (color side) of card printed with black.
Troubleshooting Error messages Unusual events In all of the following cases, and all other unusual events, try power cycling first, then investigate specific issues: • • • • Printhead descends before card arrives. Check horizontal offset. Reference Technical Note 4 Printhead stays down after card has gone away. Check card presence sensor. Reference Technical Note 2 Laminate cutter(s) fails to operate. see below, and reference Technical Note 6 Unusual media light indications.
Troubleshooting Error messages Most of the problems described in the following pages are correctable by the user, but please note there is the potential for unexpected results if the procedures are not followed carefully. If in doubt, call for service assistance. Before calling for technician help, do the following: • Check all cable connections, including power. • Check that the power switch is ON.
Troubleshooting Error messages What the Indicator Lights Tell You READY GREEN MEDIA YELLOW ORANGE ALARM Printer Status RED Ready to print Printer busy Laminator heating up, but not yet at operating temperature Laminator heaters in sleep mode (when not in use, the heaters cool at 1oF per minute) Printhead temperature error. No cards in magazine, color ribbon out, cleaning tape out, laminator cassette(s) out.
4 Technical Notes Restore printer configuration You can return the printer to its previous backup configuration be pressing the PRINT, RIBBON and LAMINATE buttons on the front panel at the same time as the printer is powered up. But first, remove the color ribbon! This is termed a “three button reset,” page TN1-4 Flip station Any time you open the main cover, for whatever reason, be sure that the flip station is fully down before the cover is closed.
Technical Note 1 - General Information The cover at left gives access only to the card hopper, which may be “hot loaded” while the printer is powered up and operating (unlike the main cover, right, opening the card hopper cover does not disable the printer). Model P640i with card receiver Dimensions in inches and (italicized) millimeters P640i Specifications Card size: ISO CR-80 (2.125" x 3.385"), 30 mil thick Laminating system : Waste-free design with built-in cutters. Continuous1 mil (0.
Environment: Operating: 50° to 95°F (10° to 35°C), 20 to 80% RH non-condensing Storage: -4° to 158°F (-20° to 70°C), 5 to 90% RH non-condensing Printer Parameters in the Drivers See Tech Note 8 Windows Printer Driver for more information. Dimensions : see above drawing Net weight 35 lb (15.9 kg) net. Shipping weight 43 lb (19.5 kg). Sensors and interlock switches in the P640i You cane learn a lot about how the P640i functions by spending a few minutes thinking about its various sensors and interlocks.
Password Protection Printer Properties Not the same as ID/Code. Password Protection blocks access to various low level printer adjustment screens (including this one). Check Use Password, then enter a password of your choice.
Printer Properties Table 1: Sharing Printer Properties Table 1: Ports Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Sharing Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Ports This is sharing according to the Microsoft Windows definition. In a network environment, it allows other computers to send jobs to the printer that’s connected to your computer. Specifies the computer port to which the P640i is connected.
Printer Properties Table 1: Advanced Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Advanced Determines the spooling (queuing) of print jobs, and how spooled jobs are handled relative to the most recent job. Printing Defaults allows the system administrator to establish default settings such as print quality. Print Processor and Separator Page should be left alone. 36 P640i Card Printer User Guide 980541-001 Rev.
Technical Note 2 - Card Transport Stepper The platen plays an important part in the printing process, providing a rigid supporting surface for the card as it passes under the print head. Because flatness is important, the platen is surface ground to close tolerances. Any irregularities in the surface due to abrasion, dings, or even seemingly unimportant particles of debris can noticeably degrade printing performance, see page TN2-3.
Truck home sensor Determines the truck’s end stop position. Activated by a vertical flag on the left edge of the truck, photo above. Home sensor flag Card presence sensor Located behind the mag encoder. Home sensor Do not lose the spring! It holds the platen tight against the right hand end of the truck, and is essential for good print registration.
Cleaning cassette TOP: As the drive motor begins to turn, the drag caused by stickiness of the cleaning tape on the supply roll creates a clockwise turning force, bringing the cleaning tape into contact with the cleaning roller. The motor continues to rotate for a second or two, pulling fresh tape out of the supply roll. This in turn rotates the cleaning roller, at the same time removing debris from its surface.
> Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Device Settings > Control > Run Clean Cycle Pick Position Adjust (Pixels) Start Card Presence Sensor > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Device Settings > Control > Advanced Utilites > Show Sensor Data > Card Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra Defects at top left and on the bottom edge were P640i > Properties > Device Settings > Printer Adjustment > caused by lack
Technical Note 3 - Magnetic Stripe Encoder The “mag encoder” is a factory option for the P640i. Replacing the read/write head As shipped, the replacement read/write head is a complete assembly comprising mounting bracket and clamp hardware. Other screws and springs are not included. Remove, setting aside for re-use, the shoulder screws and adjustment screw from the defective assembly, together with springs and washers.
5. Click Mag Amplitude Adjust. The printer will then: Adjustomg screw (3/32" hex wrench) Shim The “shim” is a narrow strip of CR-80 card. It must be removed before running the printer. 2. Using the manual card transport knob, drive a card under the head and leave it there. With the card under the head - make sure it’s there - turn the adjustment screw to elevate the left end of the head bracket to the point where your CR-80 feeler gauge just slides under the bracket.
Horizontal Offset Encoding choices and track layout Override Defaults: This is to prevent accidental modification of the offset number, which should not need attention in regular use. Horizontal (X) Offset (Pixels: Adjusts where the printer starts looking for a mag stripe. It is a manual fine tuning of the value determined by the Mag Position Adjust routine. It is intended only for testing and diagnosis.
Techncial Note 4 - Print Station Electric Shock Caution • Make sure power is disconnected before working on the print head. Also note that the head will likely be destroyed if power is reapplied while you are in porcess of reconnecting the cable, or if the plug is not seated properly. The print head is a precisely machined slice of ceramic, on the bottom edge of which is a row of tiny heating elements (resistors), 300 to the inch. A thin glaze coating protects the heating elements.
Print head attachment hardware Connector 7. Pivot the head assembly forward to bring the angle adjust button head in contact with the print head frame, then tighten screw 3. 8. Make sure the cable is not inhibiting free rotation of the print head about its pivot. 9. Power ON, then check print quality as follows. Do NOT tighten these 10. Enter the printhead resistance in the driver Properties “Print Station Adjustment” screen, page TN4-4.
8. When you are satisfied with the graytone image quality, print one or two cards with Wedge_1.bmp to test for ribbon wrinkling. This image is the densest possible process black, meaning that on all three passes (Y, M and C) one end of the printhead is fully “on”, while the other end is “off”, a sure way to induce wrinkling if there is the slightest tendency. Wrinkling may be a head angle issue (more clockwise than it should be), but it may equally result from too high a ribbon torque, page TN4-x.
K (Black) Panel Printing Overlay Panel - Compensation: Mainly used with Uv ribbon to optimize the appearance of ultraviolet-visible text. Black Panel - Compensation: Unlike YMC color printing, which is required only to deliver realistic portraits and pleasing graphics, the K panel serves a more quantifiable purpose, namely machine readability.
Adjusting the ribbon position drives the leading edge of the panels forward or backward relative to the printhead, the aim being to ensure that each swipe of the head is centered in its color panel (this you can easily check by inspecting image negatives from on the takeup roll). The photos below show the effect of incorrect ribbon positioning. Keep in mind the following: • The amount of ribbon drag exerted by the supply arbor is controlled by a friction clutch.
Motor shaft Color rendering in the P640i can be described in terms of a curve, which determines how much power is put into the printhead for a given shade. The Y, M and C “color curves” can be separately modified by the Gain and Offset parameters shown here. Note: Typically, the set of values should be the same for each color. Click Restore Defaults if you are not satisfied with adjustments made. Printhead Quadrant Offset: Shifts the color curve up (darker) and down (lighter).
Technical Note 5 - Flip Station The flip station performs two independent functions: 1. It lifts the card in process clear of the carriage, flips it upside down, then returns it to the carriage so that its other side may be printed; 2. It lifts the fully printed card clear of the carriage, raising it to the point where it lines up with the laminator’s infeed path. An ejector arm then propels the card into the laminator infeed rollers.
Flip station components: Upside down views of the carrier, drive component s omitted. Flip station Card held by flip arms : As the carriage moves into the flip station, the card slides into grooves in the flip arms. The entire flip assembly is then elevated clear of the platen. Caution • Cards thicker than 0.033" (0.84 mm) may jam in the flipper arms. Flip station adjustm ent procedu re motor: Viewed from the back of the printer.
If you detect that either of the arms catches at one end of the platen, but is free at the other, the carrier needs Azimuth adjustment, see below. Always correct for azimuth error before adjusting the gap between arms and platen. If there is no azimuth error, but insufficient clearance between arms and platen, see Gap adjustment below. Azimuth adjustment: The flip station carrier is held in alignment with the platen by a U-shape molding that rides along a fixed rail in the motor housing behind the carrier.
Flip station calibration: This routine determines the number of motor steps it takes for the carrier to descend from the “rest position datum” (Edge A in the diagram) to the “real” rest position, that being the carrier’s physical end stop.This stored number is used to drive the carrier down to the rest position before each and every flip station action. Power OFF. Lift the cover, then push the carrier down to its physical end stop. Push at the back of the carrier, near the guide shaft.
on preceding page). If the truck fails to pull the card out of the flip station after the flipping action, chances are: 1. The card position is wrong, see above, or; 2. The carrier is not coming down all the way (repeat the Flip Station Calibration routine in Advance Utilities, preceding page). Another test for this: power down the printer, then power up, listening for the flip station reset action. Open the main cover, then push gently down on the carrier (at the back, close to the guide shaft).
Techncial Note 6 - Laminator Accurate positioning of the laminate “patch” is important for practical and aesthetic reasons. The patch must cover the entire image as printed by the P640 at the time of issuance, thus protecting critical data with a tamper-deterrent film. Additionally, because even the smallest amount of overhang can compromise the card’s integrity, the patch should be symmetrically positioned on the card.
Laminate position adjustments Making sense of the skew adjustment Skew is caused by misalignment of the laminate cassette relative to the left-right axis of the printer, looking down on the printer from above. The skew adjust screw causes the pocket to rotate relative to the left-right axis. The vertical offset adjust screw controls the depth of the cassette in the pocket. Note that the front ear of the latch must be in close contact with the cassette, without changing its position.
3. Referring to Section 2, Media Handling, unlatch and remove the upper cassette from its pocket. Rotate the laminate core counterclockwise, reeling in the laminate to bring it even with the lips of the cassette - VERY IMPORTANT! Set the cassette aside. After each movement of the lower cassette skew adjust screw, perform exactly the same three actions described in step 7 of the upper laminator. 4. Remove the upper transfer guide, then discard the laminate patch on the upper transfer roller.
6. Using a flat blade screwdriver turn the vertical offset adjust screw in ¼ turn increments Heater Temperatures Temperatures measured by thermocouples in the top and bottom laminator heater cores. Laminate Sensors 7. Re-install the cassette. Lower cassette vertical offset adjustment Once the front surface offset is consistently acceptable, inspect the back surface patches of the last few cards to pass through the laminator. Note the offset on the back surface.
It is possible to get a false “good” reading if the sensors are too close to the feed rollers. Heater Temperature : This is the set point temperature desired - not the actual temperature. For actuals, see Sensor Data, preceding page. NOTE: Temperatures are monitored by thermocouples at the core of the heated rollers. Surface temperatures may differ significantly.
If necessary, turn the transfer roller toggle to separate the transfer rollers and relieve pressure on the card. Cutter feed slot Cutter Corrective action Corrective action Unlatch the cassette, then gently wiggle the cassette out of its pocket. You can make this easier by cutting the laminate above the latch. Remove all laminate scraps. Cut the leading edge of the fresh laminate as square as you can with scissors, then reel it in as described in Section 2, Media Handling.
Technical Note 7 - ID/Log is a driver utility that builds a database of card transactions in the printer’s host computer. Time: Logs the time a which the card was sent to the printer in the HH:MM:SS format. The 24-hour clock is used, so 13:00 = 1:00 pm, and 05:00 = 5:00 am. ID/Log records data encoded on the card’s magnetic stripe, together with date, time, and the printer’s serial number.
Technical Note 8 - Using the Windows Printer Driver The P640i printer driver includes setup and diagnostic tools in two distinct groups. These are Printing Preferences and Properties. Orientation: Allows you to set up the front and back images, independently*, for “driver license” (landscape) or “badge” (portrait) configurations. By checking the Rotate box, you can also flip either image upside down. * The following combination is not available: Front landscape, Back portrait.
The Brightness and Contrast controls here have same effect on the printed image as do similar controls on typical office color printers. Click Reset to restore default conditions. Printing Preferences K (Black) Panel When the Card Setup screen (page TN8-1) is set for YMC (Color) and K (Black) on the same side of a card, a process called “Black Extraction” is enabled (see inset panel, right). The K (Black) Panel screen, below, displays available options for Black Extraction.
Depending on the application used to create the card layout, elements of the design may be identified in different ways to the printer driver. This printer driver recognizes, and rasterizes, five types of elements: text, lines and pixels, area fills, monochrome bitmaps, and color bit maps: Printing Preferences Magnetic Encoding Reference Technical Note 3, Magnetic Encoder • Text is text which is sent explicitly as such to the printer driver.
Printer Properties Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Device Settings > Status Navigate to Properties by following this sequence: > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties Print Jobs Start Most of the tabs on the Properties screen (General, Sharing, etc.) are of the “set and forget” variety, page TN8-8. We start here with Device Settings, the location for all driver-controlled adjustments and displays.
Run Clean Cycle: Decontaminates the card cleaning roller by activating the cleaning cassette. One clean cycle per click. Sensor Data Clear Error: This clears error reporting on the screen (but note that the underlying cause of the error may still be present). Reprint Last Card: This reprints the last card printed, as many times as specified in the Copies box.
Back to Advanced Utilites Sensor Data Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Device Settings > Control > Advanced Utilities Ribbon Panel Detect: The current reading of the color ribbon sensor. Panel Threshold : The current value of the detection threshold for the color ribbon. Above this value is termed “black”, below this value is termed “not black”.
Set ID/Code: Sends an ID/Code (password of your choice) to the printer, synchronizing the driver-printer ID/Code. This is a security lock out, linking a specific printer to a specific computer. In other words, it prevents use of the printer with a PC not having the same ID/Code. Number of Times to Retry Determines how many retries the driver will execute in the event of a communications failure. The default is 3 retries.
Device Settings Color Calibration Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Device Settings > Color Calibration Printer Properties Color Management Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Color Management See Tech Notes TN1 General Information See Tech Notes TN4 Print Station.
Printer Properties Security Printer Properties Advanced Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Security Start > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Advanced See Tech Notes TN1 General Information See Tech Notes TN1 General Information Printer Properties Ports > Printers (or Printers and Faxes) > Right click Zebra P640i > Properties > Ports Start See Tech Notes TN1 General Information IDPrint Lite IDPrint Lite is a s
Using IDPrint Lite Assuming IDPrint Lite is stored in its default location, launch it by going to the Windows Start menu, then All Programs, then to Zebra Technologies followed by ID Print Lite. Demo badge #1 (portrait format) EuroTravel_Front.bmp EuroTravel_Back.bmp Demo badge #2 (portrait format) Airport_Front.bmp Airport_Back.bmp Typically, Image 1 is for the front of the card, and Image 2 the back. Demo driver license (landscape format) Driver_License_Front.bmp Driver_License_Back.
The type of color ribbon installed (YMCK, YMCKK, or YMCUvK) and; 2. The assignment of YMC (Color), Uv (ultraviolet) and K (Black) to front and back.
Technical Note 9 - Installing the Windows Printer Driver First things first For any of the operations described in this section you need the P640i Driver Software. This is on the Driver CD. It may also be downloaded from the Zebra Support Web page. Driver CD If you have the CD, place it in the computer’s CDROM drive. This will display the Zebra Printer Setup screen. Follow the screen instructions to Uninstall or Install, referring where necessary to the additional information in this section. 4.
3. If the computer continues to display “new hardware found” messages, disable them by choosing Install the software automatically, then waiting for Windows to respond with Cannot install this hardware. 4. Select Don’t prompt me again to install this hardware, then click Finish. gh ou nd r h t ou o n re F i t a e la tal rdw her Ins Ha ins g w Ne Be Installing the printer driver Note • Only USB and Parallel versions are described here.
5. Click OK to accept the timeout defaults on whichever Configure screen appears, USB or Parallel. Install using Zebra’s Printer Setup screen 1. Referring to “First things first”, page TN9-1, place the Driver CD in the CD-ROM drive, or double-click setup.exe in the file folder containing the unzipped downloaded driver.
Click OK to accept the timeout defaults on the Configure USB Port screen. .Make a note of the port designation. If you OK the above screen, the Add Printer Wizard will complete the installation semi-automatically, see Step 6 and following. Important • From this point on, the screens for Parallel and USB are similar, the only difference being the port description. Only USB screens are shown.
7. On the following screen click on the drop down arrow to view the options. Select (typically) ATLUSB001 for USB or PHID1 for Parallel, then click Next. After selecting the P640i go to Step 11. 8. The next screen is a list of all printer drivers that came with the Windows operating system. The P640i is not one of them, so click Have Disk (even if you will be working with a downloaded driver instead of a disk). This tells the system it has to look elsewhere for the driver. 10.
Install using “Add a Printer” The third way to install the printer driver is through the standard Windows Add-a-Printer procedure. Go to the Windows Start menu, select Printers or Printers and Faxes, then click Add a Printer. Click Next on the welcome screen, and you are at the same stage as adding a parallel port or USB port.. 13. Click Next to bring up the Completing the Add Printer Wizard screen.
Firewall issues Firewalls restrict data transferred over the network only to those items specifically approved by the network administrator. This can have the effect of making a network connected printer such as the Zebra P640i unavailable to network users. 2. Using either downloaded software or the provided CD, display the Zebra printer setup screen, then click Install a Printer and Driver: If a personal firewall is installed on the PC you are using to set up the P640i Ethernet option: 1.
8. Check the Static IP address reported on the Configure Ethernet Port screen. If correct, click OK. If not, click Configure Printer again to repeat the process. 6. When the Configure Ethernet Port screen reappears, click Configure Printer. 7. Leave DHCP set to OFF. Type in the IP address, Netmask and Gateway codes provided by your network administrator, then click OK. Note • The IP address shown below is for illustration only. 9.
14. On the following screen type in a name for the printer. This can be anything you like, such as “Printer A”. Typically, check No, don’t make this the default printer. The P640i is always a local printer even if it is connected by Ethernet to a network of several computers. In such an installation the P640i printer driver would be separately installed on each of the connected computers, so the P640i would not be a “network printer” as defined by Microsoft. 15.
17. Click Next to bring up the Completing the Add Printer Wizard screen. 18. The next screen warns that installation of the driver software may destabilize your system. The P640i driver software has been exhaustively tested in many installations, and has caused no problems of which Zebra is aware. Click Continue Anyway to complete the printer driver installation. 19. The Ethernet port is now configured. If the printer does not function as expected, refer to page 9-1.
Technical Note 10 - Printer Pooling Important • n the P640i, many of the configuration variables are stored in the printer itself, unlike the typical printer as defined by Microsoft. All pooled P640i printers must be set up similarly. Set up the Printers individually For illustration, we will establish a pool of three printers. Install and setup the printers as outlined in Tech Note 9.
