User Manual

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Table Of Contents

Link-OS 4 inch Desktop Printers

ZD620 and ZD420

User’s Guide

212485-04EN

Summary of content (313 pages)

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ZD620 and ZD420 Link-OS 4 inch Desktop Printers User’s Guide 212485-04EN
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Copyright ZIH Corp. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. ZEBRA and the stylized Zebra head are trademarks of ZIH Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of those agreements.
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About This guide is for integrators and operators of Zebra Link-OS ZD620 and ZD420 desktop printers. Use this guide to install, change configuration, operate, and physically support these printers.
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About Other Valuable Printer Resources Zebra has a large suite of free and fee based software, Apps (applications), and other technical resources for your Zebra Link-OS printer.
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About Document Conventions The following graphic icons are used throughout the documentation set. These icons and their associated meanings are described below. Caution • If the precaution is not heeded, the user could receive minor or moderate injury. Eye Injury Caution • If the precaution is not taken, the user’s eyes could be damaged. EXAMPLE: Wear protective eyewear when installing or removing E-rings, C-clips, snap rings, springs, and mounting buttons. These are under tension and could fly off.
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Contents Terms of Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Proprietary Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Product Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Liability Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Contents • Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Printer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Inside the ZD620 Dual Capacity Ribbon Roll Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Inside the ZD620 and ZD420 Direct Thermal Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Inside the ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Printer . . . . . . . . . . .
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Contents • Printer Configuration Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Adjust Printer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 User Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 SETTINGS Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 DARKNESS . . . . . . . .
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Contents NETWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 ACTIVE PRINT SERVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 PRIMARY NETWORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 WIRED IP ADDRESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 WIRED SUBNET MASK. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Contents BLUETOOTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 BLUETOOTH ADDRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 MODE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 DISCOVERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118 CONNECTED. . . . . . . . . . . .
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Contents • Print Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Thermal Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174 Determining Your Printer’s Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174 Select a Print Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175 Adjusting the Print Quality . . . . .
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Contents • Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207 Cleaning Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207 Recommended Cleaning Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208 Cleaning the Printhead . . . . . . .
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Contents • Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Printer Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260 Power-On Self Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260 SmartCal Media Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Introduction This section introduces the award winning Zebra® Link-OS 4-inch desktop thermal label printers, the ZD620 and ZD420. It has an overview of the Link-OS printer’s features and options, and what ships with your new printer. This document covers the following ZD-series desktop printer models: • ZD620 Thermal Transfer Printer — www.zebra.com/zd620t-info • ZD620 Direct Thermal Printer — www.zebra.com/zd620d-info • ZD420 Thermal Transfer Ribbon Cartridge Printer — www.zebra.
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Introduction Common Desktop Link-OS Printer Features: • OpenAccess ™ design for simplified media loading. • Color-coded “touch points” for operator controls and media guides. • Enhanced user interface featuring three buttons and five status indicators. • Easy, field installable media handling options. • Media roll support: • • Outer Diameter (O.D.): Up to 127 mm (5 inch) and • Inner Diameter (I.D.) roll cores:12.7 mm (0.5 inch), 25.
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Introduction Link-OS 4 inch Desktop Printer Options: • A Color LCD User Interface for easy setup, print configuration, printing, and a range of Link-OS features. • Healthcare printer models: • • Healthcare wipe-able plastics for disinfecting and cleaning. • IEC 60601-1 certified power supply. Factory Installed Wired and Wireless options: • Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) wireless connectivity • Wi-Fi (802.11ac – includes a/b/g/n), Bluetooth Classic 4.X (3.
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Introduction • Printers sold in China have the Simplified Chinese SimSun font pre-installed. • Zebra® ZBI 2.0 ™ (Zebra BASIC Interpreter) programming language. ZBI allows you to create custom printer operations that can automate processes, use peripherals (i.e. scanners, scales, keyboards, Zebra® ZKDU ™ , etc.) all without being attached to a PC or network. • Locking Media Cabinet for ZD620 Direct Thermal Healthcare printer models.
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Introduction Zebra Label Printing Solution The printer is just one of three (3) parts of a printing solution. To print; you need a printer (ZD620 or ZD420), compatible media (thermal transfer ribbon cartridge or rolls, and thermal transfer media; or just direct thermal media), and software (driver, applications or programming) to tell the printer what to do and print. The printer can print without being connected to other devices or systems.
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Introduction What’s in the Box? After unpacking, make sure you have all parts shown below. Follow the procedures for inspecting the printer to familiarize yourself with printer parts so you can follow the instructions in this book.
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Introduction Open the Printer To access the media compartment, pull the release latches towards you and lift the cover. Check the media compartment for loose or damaged components. ESD Caution • The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the human body or other surfaces can damage or destroy the printhead and other electronic components used in this device. You must observe static-safe procedures when working with the printhead or the electronic components under the top cover.
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Printer Features This section will help you identify features of these Zebra® Link-OS 4-inch desktop thermal label printers, the ZD620 and ZD420. ‘How to’ videos on the Zebra Web site include a Printer Features video; as well as; other printer setup and task specific videos. Links to these five (5) Link-OS 4-inch desktop printers are: • ZD620 Thermal Transfer Printer — www.zebra.com/zd620t-info • ZD620 Direct Thermal Printer — www.zebra.
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Printer Features Printer Features User Interface Release Latch For more details on printer controls, see Controls and Indicators Power Button Fan-Fold Media Entry Slot Release Latch Interface and Connectivity Module Slot Access DC Power Receptacle 22
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Printer Features Inside the ZD620 Dual Capacity Ribbon Roll Printer Ribbon Carriage Printhead Upper Web (Gap) Array Sensor (other side) Roll Holders Media Guides Media Guide Stop Adjustment Head-Up Sensor (inside) Platen (Drive) Roller Movable Sensor (Black Mark and Lower Web/Gap) 23
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Printer Features Dual Capacity Ribbon Chassis - Ribbon Roll Holders Take Up Spindles Supply Spindles (full ribbon rolls) Media Dancer - ZD620 Printer Models Only The printer’s window is removed to show the Media Dancer (plate). The Media Dancer is re-colored to make it easier to see. It is the same color as the dark gray parts adjacent to it.
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Printer Features Inside the ZD620 and ZD420 Direct Thermal Printers Printhead Upper Web (Gap) Array Sensor Roll Holders Media Guides Media Guide Stop Adjustment Media Dancer (ZD620 Only) Head-Up Sensor (inside) Platen (Drive) Roller Movable Sensor (Black Mark and Lower Web/Gap) 25
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Printer Features Inside the ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Printer Ribbon Drive Transport Ribbon Cartridge Shown Installed (sold separately) Upper Web (Gap) Array Sensor Roll Holders Media Guides Media Guide Stop Adjustment Release Arms (2) Head-Up Sensor (inside) Platen (Drive) Roller Movable Sensor (Black Mark and Lower Web/Gap) 26
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Printer Features Accessing the Printhead of the Ribbon Cartridge Printer Printhead Actuator Arm PRINTHEAD ACCESS 1. Pull both release arms out (green highlighted black parts). Backside of Printhead 2. Ribbon drive transport drops down. 3.
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Printer Features Label Dispenser Option (field installable) - All Models Label Taken Sensor Label Liner Exit Area Label Peel Bar Dispenser Door Door Latch Peel Roll Cutter Option (field installable) - All Models Cutter Module Media Exit Slot 28
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Printer Features Linerless Media Tear-Off Option (Direct Thermal Models Only) Label Taken Sensor Linerless Cutter Option (Direct Thermal Models Only) Label Taken Sensor Cut Label Landing Area 29
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Printer Features Identifying Platen Drive Rollers Types The platen (drive) rollers are colored differently to identify the platen type and print resolution of your printer (and the platen). Do not exchange platen types unless instructed to by an upgrade procedure or Zebra technical support. The printer will not operate correctly and may cause a variety of problems requiring maintenance.
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Printer Features Printer Power Supply Options ZD-Series printers offer field installable attached power options: an attached power supply base or a battery power base. These options easily attach with screws and replace the power supply that was included with your printer.
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Printer Features Attached Battery Base and Battery Printer with Battery Base Installed Battery ZD620 Power Interface Power Input Battery Control Button Battery Power Base Battery Status and Charge Indicators Battery Ready to Install Printer with Battery installed Battery Latch Important • The battery can be charged, checked, and configured for storage all without the printer. A printer power supply or other approved Zebra power source is needed to charge your battery.
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Printer Features ZD620 Locking Printer Features This option is only available in a Healthcare printer models. It includes a lock and key access to the printer’s media compartment and a Kensington Lock Slot on the back panel of the printer to secure the printer. For more information on the Locking Printer option, see ZBI 2.0 ™ — Zebra Basic Interpreter.
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Printer Features Zebra Print Touch The Zebra Print Touch ™ feature allows you to touch an Android ™ -based, Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled device such as a smart phone or tablet to the printer’s Print Touch logo to pair the device to the printer. Print Touch is available on models with a factory installed networking (Wi-Fi, wired Ethernet, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Power).
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Install Hardware Options This section assists you installing common printer connectivity modules and media handling options. Important • To simplify and speed up the setup process, install all connectivity modules and media handling options before setting up and using your printer for the first time. Important • It is strongly recommended that you update your printer’s firmware after the printer has completed the setup process.
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Install Hardware Options Field Installable printer Accessories and Options Printer Connectivity Modules The connectivity module’s access door must be removed prior to installing the following options — Accessing the Connectivity Module Slot.
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Install Hardware Options Printer Connectivity Modules The connectivity modules can be easily installed without tools. ESD Caution • The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the human body or other surfaces can damage or destroy the printhead or electronic components used in this device. You must observe static-safe procedures when working with the printhead or the electronic components.
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Install Hardware Options Installing the Serial Port Module 1. With the DC power plug and module’s access door removed, slide the serial port module into the printer. Push the circuit card in slowly but firmly until the card is just past the inside lip of the access door. 2. Align the bottom of the serial port’s door cover to the bottom lip of the module access opening. Swing the door up and snap the cover closed.
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Install Hardware Options Installing the Internal Ethernet (LAN) Module 1. With the DC power plug and module’s access door removed, slide the Ethernet module into the printer. Push the circuit card in slowly but firmly until the card is just past the inside lip of the access door. 2. Align the bottom of the Ethernet port’s door cover to the bottom lip of the module access opening. Swing the door up and snap the cover closed.
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Install Hardware Options Removing Printer Connectivity Modules Connectivity modules can easily be removed for the purpose of reconfiguring a printer or repair. You should not remove and replace connectivity modules as a general practice. 1. Remove the interface cable (Ethernet or Serial). 2. Remove the module access door. Push down on the top of the door with your finger tip. This releases the latch. Pull the door away and down to remove. 3.
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Install Hardware Options Media Handling Options ESD Caution • The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the human body or other surfaces can damage or destroy the printhead or electronic components used in this device. You must observe static-safe procedures when working with the printhead or the electronic components. Removing the Standard Bezel The standard bezel must be removed to mount your media handling option. 1.
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Install Hardware Options Installing the Label Dispenser The standard bezel must be removed and DC input power disconnected before the Label Dispenser can be installed. See Removing the Standard Bezel. 1. Place the label dispenser module and printer right side up with the top of the module 12.5 mm (0.5 inch) below the bottom of the top cover. Center and push the module into the front of the printer and slide it up until it stops. 2.
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Install Hardware Options Installing the Standard Media Cutter The standard bezel must be removed and DC input power disconnected before the Label Dispenser can be installed. See Removing the Standard Bezel. Cut Warning • There are no operator serviceable parts in the cutter unit. Never remove the cutter cover (bezel). Never attempt to insert objects or fingers in to the cutter mechanism. Important• Using un-approved tools, cotton swabs, solvents, etc.
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Install Hardware Options Installing the Linerless Media Cutter The standard bezel must be removed and DC input power disconnected before the Linerless Media Cutter Module can be installed. See Removing the Standard Bezel. 1. Open the printer and remove replace the standard platen roller with the Linerless platen roller. See Platen Cleaning and Replacement for a replacement procedure. See Installing the Printhead Resolution Upgrade Kits to help you identify platen rollers. 2.
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Install Hardware Options Installing the Linerless Media ‘Tear-Off’ Bezel The standard bezel must be removed and DC input power disconnected before the Linerless Tear-Off Bezel module can be installed. See Removing the Standard Bezel. 1. Open the printer and remove replace the standard platen roller with the Linerless platen roller. See Platen Cleaning and Replacement for a replacement procedure. See Installing the Printhead Resolution Upgrade Kits to help you identify platen rollers. 2.
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Install Hardware Options Media Roll Core Size Adapters Adapter Kits The media roll adapters kit includes three (3) pairs of media roll adapters. The kits are for the following inner diameter (I.D.) media cores: • 38.1 mm (1.5 inches) • 50.8 mm (2.0 inches) • 76.2 (3.0 inches) Adapter Usage • The adapters are intended to be permanently installed in the printer. • They may be changed to support other media roll sizes that require one of these adapter sizes.
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Install Hardware Options Example of Label Roll with 76.2 mm (3.
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Install Hardware Options Print Resolution Upgrade Kits There are four (4) print resolution upgrade kits. The same procedure is used to change all the printhead resolution upgrade kits. Both the printhead and platen (drive) rollers must be changed and are resolution dependent. The printer automatically detects the change in printheads and the platen roller materials are identified by color. Standard Printing • Change the printer from 203 dpi to 300 dpi printing.
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Install Hardware Options Installing the Attached Power Supply Base Options The power base is ready to attach to the printer. The base is installed using Torx T10 wrench (that you supply) and the mounting screws provided with the upgrade kit. The direct thermal printer models attach to the printer with three (3) screws and thermal transfer printer models use four (4) screws. 1. Remove any media rolls from the printer. Remove the original power supply cable from the back of the printer. 2.
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Install Hardware Options 4. Insert the DC input power plug into the printer. DC Input Power Plug DC Input Power Plug 5. Re-connect the AC power cord to the printer power base.
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Install Hardware Options Installing the Attached Battery Base Options The battery base is ready to attach to the printer. The base is installed using a Torx T10 wrench and the mounting screws provided with the upgrade kit. The direct thermal printer models attach to the printer with three (3) screws and thermal transfer printer models use four (4) screws. 1. Remove any media rolls from the printer. Remove the original power supply cable from the back of the printer. 2.
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Install Hardware Options Installing the Battery into the Attached Power Base Important • The printer must have an Attached Battery Base installed and securely connected your printer to keep from damaging the printer or battery. 1. Disconnect the printer’s external power supply from the DC Power Input located in the rear of the printer. 2. Slide the battery into the battery base’s battery slot.
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Controls and Indicators This section discusses the two user control panel variations and their functionality. User Interface The primary user controls are found on the front of the printer. The ZD-Series Desktop printers support two user interface options. • • Standard User Interface — This interface provides basic control and status needed by an operator. Printer operating status is reported by five (5) icon indicator lights. The icons represent several functional areas of operation.
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Standard Interface Controls 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 6 7 1. Power Button — Turns power ON and OFF in the printer. It is also used to initiate low-power sleep and wake states. • Initial Power ON — Press the Power button until the printer’s indicator lights flash on. The indicator lights will flash on and off in various combinations while the printer does self diagnostics, configuration checks, and integrate optional components which will take several seconds to complete.
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2. Status Indicator — Primary status indicator for overall printer health and operational status. This indicator is also known as the Power indicator. • Green: Ready for print and data activity. • Green, Slowly Changing between ON and OFF: Printer is in Sleep Mode. • Red: Media out, media detection error, head (cover/printhead) open, cut error, printhead authentication failure.
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7. Cancel Button — Cancels print jobs. • Only functional when the printer is in the Pause state. • Pressing the Cancel button once causes the printer to cancel printing the next format in the print buffer. • Pressing and holding the button for two seconds cancels printing of ALL pending formats. 8. FEED (Advance) Button — Advance a label (print form/format).
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LCD User Interface Printers with the display provide the operator and integrator with readable printer status and a menu system. 1 1 ZEBRA 2 ZD620 PRINTER READY 3 V84.20.05ZP37288 168.192.0.1 4 4 1 1. Standard Interface Controls — Provides visual and operational continuity for users that use both styles of Zebra Link-OS printers. 2.
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Meaning of the Indicator Light Patterns All of the Link-OS 4 inch printers have status indicators. The indicators may be off or on in a variety of lighting patterns of red, green, or amber (orange/yellow). The status indicators can flash (blink), fade (bright to off), alternate between colors, or just remain on. The status information that these lighting patterns represent is detailed in this section.
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Ribbon In (Ribbon Cartridge Printers Only) thermal transfer printer is in Direct Thermal Mode and has a ribbon cartridge installed. Remove the ribbon cartridge to continue printing in direct thermal mode. Transferring Data Data communications are in process. Data Transfers Paused A data communication operation has not finished, but is not actively being transferred. Out of Memory Out of memory while storing content (formats, graphics, fonts, etc.).
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Status - Printhead Operation Hot Surface Caution • The printhead may be hot and could cause sever burns. Allow the printhead to cool. Printhead Over Temp The printhead is over temperature and paused to allow the printhead to cool. The print operation will resume after the printhead has cooled. Printhead Under Temp The printhead is under temperature. Typically, the operating environment is below the printer’s minimum operational temperature. Printhead Shutdown The printhead is over temperature.
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Status - Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) Option Bluetooth LE Paired Bluetooth Low Energy has paired. Bluetooth LE Failed to Pair Bluetooth Low Energy has failed to pair. Status - Ethernet (LAN) Option Ethernet (LAN) No Link No Ethernet link is available. NETWORK status is light off Ethernet (LAN) 100base Link A 100 Base link was found. Ethernet (LAN) 10base Link A 10 Base link was found. Ethernet (LAN) Link Error An error condition exists. The printer is not connected to your network.
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Status - Wi-Fi (WLAN) Option Wi-Fi Connecting to WLAN The light flashes red while the printer associates with the network. The light then flashes yellow while the printer is authenticating with the network.f Wi-Fi (WLAN) 100base Link The printer is connected to your network and the Wi-Fi signal is strong. Wi-Fi (WLAN) 10base Link The printer is connected to your network and the Wi-Fi signal is weak. Wi-Fi (WLAN) Link Error An error condition exists. The printer is not connected to your network.
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Display Controls and Menus ZD620 printer’s with the LCD User Interface provides the user printer status and a menu system to configure the printer and run internal utilities. The printer is capable of displaying messages in multiple languages. ZEBRA ZD620 PRINTER READY V84.20.05ZP37288 168.192.0.1 The printer’s default screen information is shown. • The top line displays printer model information. • The center area shows printer status information (customizable) and pop-up messages.
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Navigating through Menu Display Screens This section shows the following: • The options available for navigating through the screens of the LCD User Interface. • How to select or modify things shown on the display. Idle Display (Default Start-up Screen) ZEBRA ZD620 PRINTER READY V84.20.05ZP37288 168.192.0.1 • At the Idle Display, press LEFT SELECT or center SELECT (check-mark) to go to the printer’s HOME menu. Home Menu ZEBRA ZD620 PRINTER READY V84.20.05ZP37288 168.192.0.
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• Press LEFT SELECT to exit the Home menu and return to the Idle Display. The printer automatically returns to the Idle Display after 15 seconds of inactivity in the Home menu. • To scroll through the items in a user menu, press the LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW. • Menu items with ▲ and ▼ on the far left and right sides of the display indicate that a value can be changed. The value displayed is the setting. • Press the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW to scroll through accepted values.
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• A word in the bottom-right corner of the display indicates an available action. • Press the SELECT (Checkmark) or press the RIGHT SELECT to perform the action shown.
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Battery Indicators and Controls The optional printer battery accessory has a simple, one button, 4 LED indicator light user interface to control and display battery status and health. The battery acts as a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for the printer. For more information on using the battery with your printer and power saving modes (Sleep, Shutdown, etc.), see Printing with the Attached Battery Base and Battery Option.
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Printer Configuration Menus This section presents the printer settings that you can change and identifies the tools for changing them. Adjust Printer Settings These menu item settings and utilities descriptions include the following: • The printer’s user menus See the information that follows in this section. • ZPL and Set/Get/Do (SGD) commands See the Zebra® Programming Guide for more information.
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Printer Configuration Menus User Menus The user menus break the printer configuration into several task based menus. Click any menu item to go to its description in the table. For navigation instructions, see Navigating through Menu Display Screens.
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Printer Configuration Menus SETTINGS Menu DARKNESS Description: Set the print darkness to the lowest setting that provides good print quality. If you set the darkness too high, the label image may not print clearly, barcodes may not scan correctly, the ribbon may burn through, or the printhead may wear prematurely. If desired, use the Print Quality Report (FEED self test) to determine the best darkness setting. Accepted values: 0.0 to 30.0 Related ZPL command(s): ^MD, ~SD SGD command used: print.
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Printer Configuration Menus PRINT SPEED Description: Select the speed, in inches per second (ips), for printing a label. Slower print speeds typically yield better print quality. Accepted values: ZD620 203 dpi = 2 to 8 ips ZD620 300 dpi = 2 to 6 ips ZD420 203 dpi = 2 to 6 ips ZD420 300 dpi = 2 to 4 ips Related ZPL command(s): ^PR SGD command used: media.
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Printer Configuration Menus PRINT METHOD Description: Specify if the printer needs to use ribbon for printing. Accepted values: THERMAL TRANS — Uses ribbon and thermal transfer media. DIRECT THERMAL — Uses direct thermal media and no ribbon. Related ZPL command(s): ^MT SGD command used: ezpl.
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Printer Configuration Menus TEAR OFF Description: Adjusts the rest position of the media after a label is printed. The rest or stop position sets where the tear-off point is on or between labels. If necessary, shift the position of the media over the tear-off bar after printing. • Lower numbers move the media into the printer by the specified number of dots (the tear line moves closer to the edge of the label just printed).
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Printer Configuration Menus PRINT WIDTH Description: Specifies the width of the labels being used, in dots. The default value is the maximum width for the printer, based on the printhead’s DPI value. Accepted values: ZD620 203 dpi = 0002 to 832 dots ZD620 300 dpi = 0002 to 1280* dots ZD420 203 dpi = 0002 to 832 dots ZD420 300 dpi = 0002 to 1280* dots *- EPL mode has a maximum default width of 1248 dots. Related ZPL command(s): ^PW SGD command used: ezpl.
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Printer Configuration Menus PRINT MODE Description: Select a print mode that is compatible with your printer options. For information about how the print mode selections work with different printer options, see Select a Print Mode. Accepted values: TEAR-OFF, PEEL-OFF, CUTTER Related ZPL command(s): ^MM SGD command used: media.
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Printer Configuration Menus LABEL TOP Description: Shifts the position of the image vertically on the label if necessary. • Negative numbers move the image higher on the label (toward the printhead). • Positive numbers move the image farther down on the label (away from the printhead) by the specified number of dots. Accepted values: –120 to 120 Related ZPL command(s): ^LT SGD command used: media.
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Printer Configuration Menus LEFT POSITION Description: Shifts the position of the image horizontally on the label, if necessary. • Negative numbers move the left edge of the image toward the left edge of the label by the number of dots selected. • Positive numbers move the edge of the image toward the right edge of the label. Accepted values: –9999 to 9999 Related ZPL command(s): ^LS SGD command used: zpl.
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Printer Configuration Menus REPRINT MODE Description: When reprint mode is enabled, you can reprint the last label printed by pressing FEED button. Accepted values: ON or OFF (default) Related ZPL command(s): ^JZ SGD command used: zpl.
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Printer Configuration Menus LABEL LENGTH MAX Description: This setting controls the distance the printer utilities, like SmartCal, use to automatically detect labels (black mark, notch or gap/web). If the printer does not detect and calibrate the label, the printer assumes that continuous media is loaded. 1 3 2 1 — Label length (including inter-label gap) 2 — Inter-label gap Set the value to the longest label used with the printer plus 1.0 inch (25.4 mm) greater than the maximum length label.
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Printer Configuration Menus TOOLS Menu PRINT INFORMATION Description: Print the selected information (1 of 7 choices) on one or more labels. This menu item is available through three user menus with different default values for each. Accepted values: • SETTINGS—Prints a printer configuration report. A sample label is shown in Test Printing with the Configuration Report. • NETWORK—Prints the settings for any print server or Bluetooth device that is installed.
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Printer Configuration Menus Figure 1 Sample Printer Configuration Report 81 Figure 1 Sample Network Configuration Report
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Printer Configuration Menus IDLE DISPLAY Description: Select one of six information formats to display when the printer is idle. Not shown with all configurations. Accepted values: FW VERSION, IP ADDRESS, MM/DD/YY 24 HR, MM/DD/YY 12 HR, DD/MM/YY 24 HR, DD/MM/YY 12 HR Related ZPL command(s): Not Applicable SGD command used: • device.idle_display_format • device.
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Printer Configuration Menus POWER UP ACTION Description: Set the action for the printer to take during the power-up sequence. Accepted values: • CALIBRATE—Adjusts sensor levels and thresholds, determines the label length, and FEEDs the media to the next web/gap. • FEED—FEEDs the labels to the first registration point. • LENGTH—Determines the label length using current sensor values, and FEEDs the media to the next web/gap. • NO MOTION—Tells the printer not to move the media.
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Printer Configuration Menus HEAD CLOSE ACTION Description: Set the action for the printer to take when you close the printhead. Accepted values: • CALIBRATE—Adjusts sensor levels and thresholds, determines the label length, and FEEDs the media to the next web. • FEED—FEEDs the labels to the first registration point. • LENGTH—Determines the label length using current sensor values, and FEEDs the media to the next web. • NO MOTION—Tells the printer not to move the media.
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Printer Configuration Menus LOAD DEFAULTS Description: Restore specific printer, print server, and network settings back to the factory defaults. Use care when loading defaults because you will need to reload all settings that you changed manually. This menu item is available through two user menus with different default values for each. Accepted values: • FACTORY—Restores all printer settings other than the network settings back to the factory defaults.
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Printer Configuration Menus MEDIA/RIBBON CAL Description: Calibrate the printer to adjust the sensitivity of the media sensors. Related ZPL command(s): ~JC SGD command used: ezpl.manual_calibration Print Server web page: The calibration procedure cannot be initiated through the web pages. DIAGNOSTIC MODE Description: Use this diagnostics tool to cause the printer to output the hexadecimal values for all data received by the printer. For more information, see Communication Diagnostics Test.
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Printer Configuration Menus CONFIG INFO TO USB Description: Allows the operator to send printer configuration report (equivalent to data returned by the printer to the host system when a ZPL ^HH command is issued). The printer sends a file (OUTxxx.txt with xxx = 000 to 999) to the USB drive in the printer USB Host port and formatted per information supplied in USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples.
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Printer Configuration Menus RUN ZBI PROGRAM Description: This menu item appears only if ZBI is enabled on your printer. If ZBI programs have been downloaded to your printer, you may select one to run using this menu item. If no program exists on your printer, NONE is listed. To run a ZBI program that you have downloaded to your printer: 1. Use the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW to select a file from this menu. 2. Press RIGHT SELECT to select RUN. If no program exists, the RUN option does not perform an action.
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Printer Configuration Menus STOP ZBI PROGRAM Description: This menu item appears only if ZBI is enabled on your printer. Use this menu item to stop a ZBI program. The printer lists only programs that are running. To stop a ZBI program: 1. If necessary, use the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW to select the file from this menu. 2. Press RIGHT SELECT to select STOP. Accepted values: NONE or PROGRAM FILE NAMES Related ZPL command(s): ~JQ SGD command used: zbi.control.
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Printer Configuration Menus PRINT USB FILE Description: Select files to print from a USB Flash drive. See the exercises in Using the USB Hosts Port and the NFC Capabilities for an exercise using this capability. To print files from a USB Flash drive: 1. Insert a USB Flash drive into the printer’s USB host port. 2. The printer lists available files. SELECT ALL is available to print all available files on the USB Flash drive. 3. Use the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW to select a file from this menu. 4.
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Printer Configuration Menus COPY USB FILE TO E: Description: Select files to copy to the printer from a USB Flash drive. See the exercises in Using the USB Hosts Port and the NFC Capabilities for an exercise using this capability. To copy files to the printer from a USB Flash drive: 1. Insert a USB flash drive into the printer’s USB host port. 2. The printer lists available files. SELECT ALL is available to copy all available files from the USB Flash drive. 3.
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Printer Configuration Menus STORE E: FILE TO USB Description: Select files from the printer to store on a USB Flash drive. See the exercises in Using the USB Hosts Port and the NFC Capabilities for an exercise using this capability. To copy files from the printer to a USB Flash drive: 1. Verify that a USB flash drive into the printer’s USB host port. 2. The printer lists available files. SELECT ALL is available to store all files available files from the printer on the USB Flash drive. 3.
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Printer Configuration Menus PRINT STATION Description: Use this menu item to fill in variable fields in a label format and print the label using a Human Input Device (HID), such as a USB keyboard, scale, or barcode scanner. A suitable label format must be stored on the E: drive of the printer to use this option. See the exercises in USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples for an exercise using this capability.
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Printer Configuration Menus PASSWORD PROTECT Description: Select the level of password protection for user menu items. 1234 is the default password. Accepted values: NONE, SELECTED, ALL Related ZPL command(s): ^KP (to change the printer password) PRINT TEST FORMAT Description: Use this menu item to initiate test sequences that print specific types of labels to help you troubleshoot printing issues. Accepted values: • DARKNESS—Runs a repeated image in incrementing darkness levels.
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Printer Configuration Menus NETWORK ACTIVE PRINT SERVER Description: View whether the WIRED or WIRELESS print server is currently active. PRIMARY NETWORK Description: View or modify whether the WIRED or WIRELESS print server is considered primary. You may select which one is primary. Accepted values: WIRED or WIRELESS SGD command used: ip.
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Printer Configuration Menus WIRED IP ADDRESS Description: View and, if necessary, change the printer’s Wired IP Address. To save changes to this setting, set WIRED IP PROTOCOL to PERMANENT, and then reset the print server (see RESET NETWORK). Accepted values: 000 to 255 for each field Related ZPL command(s): ^ND SGD command used: internal_wired.ip.
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Printer Configuration Menus WIRED GATEWAY Description: View and, if necessary, change the default wired gateway. To save changes to this setting, set WIRED IP PROTOCOL to PERMANENT, and then reset the print server (see RESET NETWORK). Accepted values: 000 to 255 for each field Related ZPL command(s): ^ND SGD command used: internal_wired.ip.
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Printer Configuration Menus WIRED IP PROTOCOL Description: This parameter indicates if the Net Administrator/User (permanent) or the server (dynamic) selects the Wired print server’s IP address. When a dynamic option is chosen, this parameter tells the method(s) by which this print server receives the IP address from the server. Important • The print server must be reset to allow changes to the network settings to take effect.
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Printer Configuration Menus WIRED MAC ADDRESS Description: View the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the wired print server. SGD command used: internal_wired.mac_addr Printer Web page: View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > TCP/IP Settings WLAN IP ADDRESS Description: View and, if necessary, change the printer’s Wireless IP address. To save changes to this setting, set WLAN IP PROTOCOL to PERMANENT, and then reset the print server (see RESET NETWORK).
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Printer Configuration Menus WLAN SUBNET MASK Description: View and, if necessary, change the Wireless subnet mask. To save changes to this setting, set WLAN IP PROTOCOL to PERMANENT, and then reset the print server (see RESET NETWORK). Accepted values: 000 to 255 for each field Related ZPL command(s): ^ND SGD command used: wlan.ip.
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Printer Configuration Menus WLAN IP PROTOCOL Description: This parameter indicates if the Net Administrator/User (permanent) or the server (dynamic) selects the Wireless print server’s IP address. When a dynamic option is chosen, this parameter tells the method(s) by which this print server receives the IP address from the server. Important • The print server must be reset to allow changes to the network settings to take effect.
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Printer Configuration Menus ESSID Description: The Extended Service Set Identification (ESSID) is an identifier for your wireless network. This setting, which cannot be modified from the user interface, gives the ESSID for the current wireless configuration. Accepted values: 32-character alphanumeric string (default 125) SGD command used: wlan.
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Printer Configuration Menus SIGNAL Description: View the wireless signal strength when the wireless network is active and authenticated. SGD command used: wlan.signal_strength Printer Web page: View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > Wireless Setup IP PORT Description: This printer setting refers to the internal wired print servers port number that the TCP print service is listening on. Normal TCP communications from the host should be directed to this port.
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Printer Configuration Menus IP ALTERNATE PORT Description: This command sets the port number of the alternate TCP port. SGD command used: internal_wired.ip.port_alternate Printer Web page: View and Modify Printer Settings > Network Communications Setup > TCP/IP Settings Note • Print servers supporting this command will monitor both the primary port and the alternate port for connections at the same time.
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Printer Configuration Menus VISIBILITY AGENT Description: When the printer is connected to a wired or wireless network, it will attempt to connect to Zebra’s Asset Visibility Service via the Cloud-based Zebra Printer Connector using an encrypted, certificate-authenticated web socket connection. The printer sends Discovery Data and Settings and Alerts Data. Data printed via any label formats is NOT transmitted. To opt out of this feature, disable this setting.
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Printer Configuration Menus BATTERY Menu BATTERY STATUS Description: Display the status of the Battery subsystem of the printer. This menu item is decremented as final design of the battery does not include communicating to battery or this menu item.
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Printer Configuration Menus LANGUAGE Menu LANGUAGE Description: Change the language that the printer displays as necessary. This change affects the text shown on the following: • the Home menu • the user menus • error messages • the printer configuration report, the network configuration report, and other reports that you can select to print through the user menus Important • The print server must be reset to allow changes to the network settings to take effect.
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Printer Configuration Menus COMMAND LANGUAGE Description: The setting allows you to control the primary programming language variations available, such as, EPL_ZPL, EPL (legacy language), and Hybrid_XML_ZPL (used for format/form variable fill-in with XML structured elements). Acceptable values: • EPL_ZPL (EZPL) • Hybrid_XML_ZPL • EPL COMMAND CHAR Description: This menu item is used to change the format command prefix.
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Printer Configuration Menus CONTROL CHAR Description: This menu item is used to change the control command prefix. The default prefix is the tilde (~). The printer looks for this character to indicate the start of a ZPL/ZPL II command. Set the format prefix character to match what is used in your label formats. The control command prefix is an ASCII (two-digit hexadecimal value shown in parenthesis) used as a parameter place marker in ZPL/ZPL II control instructions.
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Printer Configuration Menus DELIMITER CHAR Description: This menu item is used to separate command parameters (command delimiter). The default prefix is the comma (,). The printer looks for this character to separate parts of ZPL/ZPL II commands. Set the delimiter character to match what is used in your label formats. The delimiter command prefix is an ASCII (two-digit hexadecimal value shown in parenthesis) used as a parameter place marker in ZPL/ZPL II control instructions.
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Printer Configuration Menus ZPL MODE Description: Select the mode that matches what is used in your label formats. This printer accepts label formats written in either ZPL or ZPL II, eliminating the need to rewrite any ZPL formats that already exist. The printer remains in the selected mode until it is changed in one of the ways listed here. Acceptable values: ZPL II or ZPL Related ZPL command(s): ^SZ SGD command used: zpl.
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Printer Configuration Menus SENSORS SENSOR TYPE Description: Select the media sensor that is appropriate for the media that you are using. The reflective sensor typically is used only for black mark media. The transmissive sensor typically is used for other media types. Acceptable values: TRANSMISSIVE or REFLECTIVE Related ZPL command(s): ^JS SGD command used: device.
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Printer Configuration Menus TAKE LABEL Description: Set the intensity of the label taken sensor circuit. Important • This value is set during sensor calibration. Do not change this setting unless you are told to do so by Zebra Technical Support or by an authorized service technician. Acceptable values: 0 to 255 SGD command used: ezpl.
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Printer Configuration Menus PORTS BAUD RATE Description: Select the baud value that matches the one being used by the host computer. Acceptable values: 115200, 57600, 38400, 28800, 19200, 14400, 9600, 4800 Related ZPL command(s): ^SC SGD command used: comm.baud Print Server web page: View and Modify Printer Settings > Serial Communications Setup DATA BITS Description: Select the data bits value that matches the one being used by the host computer.
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Printer Configuration Menus PARITY Description: Select the parity value that matches the one being used by the host computer. Acceptable values: NONE, EVEN, ODD Related ZPL command(s): ^SC SGD command used: comm.parity Print Server web page: View and Modify Printer Settings > Serial Communications Setup HOST HANDSHAKE Description: Select the handshake protocol that matches the one being used by the host computer.
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Printer Configuration Menus WML Description: View the Wireless Markup Language (WML) version. This value cannot be changed.
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Printer Configuration Menus BLUETOOTH BLUETOOTH ADDRESS Description: View the printer’s Bluetooth MAC Address SGD command used: bluetooth.address MODE Description: View the Bluetooth connection pair printer’s device type—Peripheral (typical) or Central.
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Printer Configuration Menus DISCOVERY Description: Select if the printer is “Discoverable” for Bluetooth device pairing. Acceptable values: • ON—Enables Bluetooth discoverable mode. • OFF—Disables Bluetooth discoverable mode. SGD command used: bluetooth.discoverable CONNECTED Description: View the Bluetooth connection status to its paired device (Yes or No).
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Printer Configuration Menus BT SPEC VERSION Description: View the Bluetooth operational specification level. SGD command used: bluetooth.radio_version MIN SECURITY MODE Description: View the printer’s Bluetooth minimum level of applied security.
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Setup This section assists you in setting up and operating your printer. The setup process can be broken down into two (2) phases: hardware setup and host system (software/driver) setup. This section covers the physical hardware setup needed to print your first label. Printer Setup Overview • Install any printer hardware options first. See Install Hardware Options. • Place the printer in a safe location with access to power and where you can connect interface cables or wirelessly to the system.
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Setup Select a Location for the Printer The printer and media need a clean safe area with moderate temperatures to have optimal print operations. Select a location for the printer that meets these conditions: • Surface: The surface where the printer will be located must be solid, level, and of sufficient size and strength to hold the printer with media.
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Setup Attaching Power Caution • Never operate the printer and power supply in an area where they can get wet. Serious personal injury could result! Note • Set up your printer so that you can handle the power cord easily if needed. Some processes for setup or troubleshooting issues may ask you to remove power. Separate the power cord from the power supply receptacle or AC electrical outlet to make certain the printer cannot carry electrical current. 1.
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Setup Getting Ready to Print The printer setup cannot be completed without media. The media may be labels, tags, tickets, receipt paper, fan-fold stacks, tamper proof labels, etc. Ideally choose the same media used for normal operation. This will help you identify any setup and real application issues while using this guide. The printer does not come with media. The Zebra Web site or your reseller may be able to help you select the right media for your intended printing application. Find media at: www.
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Setup Loading Roll Media All of the ZD620 and ZD420 4 inch Link-OS printers load print media rolls the same. The printers support the three basic types of media: • Continuous (receipt, etc.) with no marks to define print length, • Marked media (black lines, black marks, notches, or holes) to define print length • Label media that uses the sensor to look through the media backing (liner) to see the beginning and end of labels on the roll.
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Setup Instructions for media loading: This procedure works for Tear-Off (standard bezel), Label Dispense and Media Cutting printer options. 1. Open the printer. Pull the release latch levers toward the front of the printer. 2. Open the media roll holders. Orient the media roll so that its printing surface will face up as it passes over the platen (drive) roller. Pull the media guides open with your free hand and place the media roll on the roll holders and release the guides. Verify the roll turns freely.
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Setup 3. Pull the media so that it extends out of the front of the printer. 4. Push the media under both of the media guides.
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Setup 5. Flip the media up and align the movable media sensor for your media type. • For continuous roll receipt type media or label media without black marks or notches, align the media to the default center position. • For black mark (black line, notches or holes) backed media, adjust the sensor position so the sensor aligns to the center of the black mark. Avoid the center area of the media to only use black mark sensing for operation with black marks.
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Setup Using the Movable Sensor The movable sensor is a dual function sensor. It provides transmissive (sees through media) and reflective media sensing. The printer can use either sensing method, but not both at the same time. The movable sensor has a center array of sensors. This provides adjustable transmissive web (gap) sensing to positions that match legacy Zebra® desktop printer sensor locations and positions in between.
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Setup Adjusting the Movable Sensor for Web (Gap) Sensing The movable sensor for web/gap sensing supports multiple positions. • The movable sensor’s ‘Default’ position is ideal for most label types. • The adjustment range is ‘from center’ to ‘off-center’ positions which are ideal for printing two (2) labels side by side on a roll. • The movable sensor adjustment range covers sensor positions use by legacy Zebra printers.
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Setup Loading Roll Media (continued) 1. Cutter Models - For printers with the optional cutter module installed, thread the media through cutter’s media slot and pull it out the front of the printer. 2. Close the printer. Press down until the cover snaps closed. You may need a calibrate your printer for the media. The printer’s sensors need to adjust to sense the label, the liner, and the distance between labels to operate properly.
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Setup Loading Thermal Transfer Roll Ribbon The ZD620 and ZD420 thermal transfer printers have a flexible ribbon system. It supports 300 meter and 74 meter genuine Zebra® ribbons. The printer includes 300 meter ribbon adapters for non-Zebra ribbon rolls. 74 meter ribbon from non-Zebra printers does not need the Non-Zebra ribbon adapters to operate properly. Transfer ribbons come in several varieties and in some cases colors to match your application needs.
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Setup Loading Zebra Transfer Roll Ribbon Before following these steps, prepare the ribbon by removing its wrapping and pulling its adhesive strip free. Notch (Required on left side of ribbon) Right Side (printer and roll) Adhesive Strip Notches are also on right side of the 74m ribbon Verify that the ribbon and empty ribbon core have notches on the left side of the ribbon cores as shown above. If they do not, see Loading Non-Zebra 300 Meter Transfer Ribbon. 1.
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Setup 2. Place a new ribbon roll on printer’s lower ribbon supply spindle. Push it onto the right spindle and lock the left side the same as the take-up mounting the take-up core.
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Setup 3. Attach the ribbon to the take up core. Use the adhesive strip on new rolls; otherwise, use a thin strip of tape. Align the ribbon so that it will be taken straight onto the core. 4. Turn the ribbon take-up hub with the top moving toward rear to remove slack from the ribbon. Rotating the hub helps to finish aligning the take up ribbon position to the supply ribbon roll. The ribbon leader should be completely covered by the ribbon. 5.
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Setup 7. Change the print mode setting from direct thermal printing to thermal transfer to set the printer’s temperature profiles for thermal transfer media. This can be done with the printer driver, application software, or printer programming commands. • When controlling printer operations with ZPL programming, refer to the Media Type (^MT) ZPL II command (follow the instructions in the ZPL Programming Guide).
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Setup Loading Non-Zebra 300 Meter Transfer Ribbon Loading non-Zebra 300 meter transfer ribbon in your printer requires the use of Zebra ribbon core adapters. Minimum requirements to use non-Zebra 300 meter ribbons with your printer: • Inside core diameter (I.D.) of 25.4mm (1.0 inch, range 1.004 to 1.016 inches). Material: Fiberboard; hard materials such as plastic cores may not function correctly. • Ribbon width range of 110 to 33mm (4.3 to 1.3 inches).
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Setup 2. Load the non-Zebra ribbon roll onto the ribbon core adapter. Orient the adapter flange on the left side and verify that the ribbon unwraps on the backside of the roll as shown in the illustration. Roughly center the core over the adapters center line. Ribbon Exiting the Roll in the Back Flange - Place on Left Note • The maximum roll width of 110 mm (4.3 inches) does not require centering. For media less than maximum width down to the minimum width of 33mm (1.
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Setup 3. Place the adapter with an empty core on the take-up spindles and the adapter with the ribbon roll on the lower supply spindles. The right side of the core adapter fits on the cone tip on each of the spring loaded right side spindles. Continue pushing the adapter onto right side spindle and swing the adapter onto the left side spindle hubs. Rotate the adapters and hubs until the until notches on the adapters flange align and lock ton the left spindles hub spokes.
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Setup 4. While the ribbon and empty cores were being installed during the previous steps, they may have been bumped off center. • Verify that the ribbon roll and empty core are aligned to the center of the media (labels, paper, tags, etc.). Remember that you can use the center line scales on the ribbon core adapter to place their positions. • If you have forgotten to check if the ribbon is wide enough the for the media in use, now is the time to check.
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Setup 5. Attach the ribbon to the take up core. Use thin strip of tape to secure the ribbon to the take-up core, if your media does not have an adhesive strip on the ribbon leader like genuine Zebra@ ribbon. Align the ribbon so that it will be taken straight onto the core. 6. Turn the ribbon take-up hub with the top moving toward rear to remove slack from the ribbon. Rotating the hub helps to finish aligning the take up ribbon position with the supply ribbon roll.
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Setup 7. Verify that the media is loaded and ready to print and then close the printer cover. 8. If printer power is on, press the FEED button to have the printer advance a minimum of 20 cm (8 inches) of media to remove slack and ribbon wrinkle (straightens the ribbon), and to align the ribbon on the spindles. Otherwise, wait to turn on the printer and complete the printer ‘Getting Started’ instructions in this chapter. 9.
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Setup Loading the ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge The printer uses a transfer ribbon cartridge for thermal transfer printing. Just slide the cartridge into the ribbon transport and close the printer. The printer reads cartridge information stored on the cartridge. Insert this Cartridge Guide Rails End Hold the Ribbon Cartridge Here In s Cartridge Information Smart Chip ert this En d 1. Insert the ribbon cartridge into the ribbon cartridge slot on the ribbon transport in your open printer.
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Setup Run a SmartCal Media Calibration The printer needs to set the media parameters for prior to printing optimal operation. The printer will automatically determine media type (web/gap, black mark/notch, or continuous) and measure media characteristics. Important • After the initial calibration to a specific media is completed, it is not required to perform additional calibrations each time the media is replaced.
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Setup Test Printing with the Configuration Report Before you connect the printer to a computer, make sure that the printer is in proper working order. You can do this by printing a configuration report. The information on the Configuration reports printout that may be helpful with printer installation and with troubleshooting your printer. 1. Make sure the media and ribbon cartridge (if you are thermal transfer printing) are loaded properly in the printer and the top cover of the printer is closed. 2.
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Setup Detecting a Media Out Condition When you run out of media, your printer will report a ‘Media Out’ condition with the Status and Media indicators both light solid red. This is part of the normal media usage cycle. Recovering from a Media Out condition 1. Open the printer. 2. Observe that the media is at the end or nearly at the end of the roll with a label missing from the liner. 3. Remove the remaining media and roll core. 4. Insert a new roll of media. See Loading Roll Media.
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Setup Detecting a Ribbon Out Condition When you run out of printable ribbon, your printer will report a ‘Ribbon Out’ condition with the Status and Media indicators. This is part of the normal media usage cycle. When the printer detects that the ribbon is out, the Status indicator will turn solid red and the Media indicator will be flashing red. Recovering from a Ribbon Out condition 1. Open the printer. 2.
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Setup Connecting your Printer to a Computer The printer supports a variety of interface options and configurations. These include: • Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0) interface - Standard. • RS232 Serial - ZD620 standard. Field Upgrade Option for ZD420 printers. • Ethernet (LAN) - ZD620 standard. Field Upgrade Option for ZD420 printers. • Internal Wi-Fi (802.11ac) and Bluetooth Classic 4.1 (3.0 Compatible) - Factory Installed Option.
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Setup USB Interface Universal Serial Bus (version 2.0 compliant) provides a fast interface that is compatible with your existing PC hardware. USB’s “plug and play” design makes installation easy. Multiple printers can share a single USB port/hub. When using a USB cable, verify that the cable or cable packaging bears the “Certified USB ™ ” mark (see below) to guarantee USB 2.0 compliance. .
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Setup Serial Interface The printer uses a Null Modem (cross-over) cable for DTE communications. The required cable must have a nine-pin “D” type (DB-9P) male connector on one end which plugs into the mating (DB-9S) serial port located on the back of the printer. The other end of this signal interface cable connects to a serial port on the host computer. For pin-out information, refer to Appendix A.
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Setup Ethernet (LAN, RJ-45) The printer requires UTP RJ45 Ethernet cable rated CAT-5 or better. The printer has a built-in network print server. For more information on configuring your printer to run on a compatible Ethernet based network, see the Wired and Wireless Print Server users guide. The printer must be configured to run on your network. The print server on board your printer can be accessed through the printer’s print server Web pages.
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Setup Assigning an IP Address for Network Access All devices on an Ethernet network (LAN and WLAN) require a network IP (Internet Protocol) address. The printer’s IP address is needed to access the printer for printing and printer configuration.
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® Setup for Windows OS The section helps you setup communications between your printer and the Windows operating system environment. Windows to Printer Communication Setup (Overview) For supported Windows Operating systems (most common) with a Local (wired) connection: 1. Download the Zebra Setup Utilities from the Zebra web site. • ZD620 Thermal Transfer Printer — www.zebra.com/zd620t-info • ZD620 Direct Thermal Printer — www.zebra.
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Setup for Windows® OS Pre-install Windows® Printer Drivers Install the Zebra Setup Utilities (ZSU) before applying power to the printer connected to the PC (running a Zebra driver supported Windows operating system). The utility installs the Zebra Windows drivers first. The ZSU installation wizard will then prompt you to apply the printer power. Continue to follow the instructions to complete your printer installation.
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Setup for Windows® OS Configure Using the ZebraNet Bridge’s Connectivity Wizard Note • The preferred tool for connecting and configuring Link-OS printers to cloud, WLAN, and LAN; is now Link-OS Profile Manager. You can get Profile Manager and ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise (local and LAN configurations) utility is available through http://www.zebra.com/software. ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise version 1.2.5 or later is required to configure the printer correctly for use.
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Setup for Windows® OS 5. Click Next. The wizard prompts for the print server device to configure. 6. Select Wireless and then click Next. The wizard prompts you for the type of printer you are using.
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Setup for Windows® OS 7. Select the type of printer you are using and then click Next. The wizard prompts for the wireless IP information. 8. Enable the DHCP (dynamic) or Static IP option. • DHCP 1. Select DHCP and click Next. 2. Continue with step 9. • Static (IP) 3. Select Static. 4. The IP settings fields are activated. 5. Enter the IP Address, Default Gateway, and Subnet Mask for the wireless print server. Contact your network administrator for the correct values. 6. Continue with step 9.
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Setup for Windows® OS 9. Click Next. The Wireless Settings window opens.
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Setup for Windows® OS 10.Enter the ESSID. Note • The ESSID and pass phrase, if used, must be set at your access point before completing these steps. 11.From the drop-down, select your Security Mode. • None (no security protocol selected) • WEP 40-Bit or WEP 128-Bit In the WEP Options section of the window, enter the following values: • Authentication Type • WEP Index • Encryption Key Storage • WEP Keys Click Next and continue with step 12.
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Setup for Windows® OS 12.Click Advanced Options in the Wireless Settings window. step 12 The Advanced Wireless Settings window opens. 13.Review the settings in the Advanced Wireless Settings window. Change the settings as necessary, and then click OK. The Wireless Settings window returns.
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Setup for Windows® OS 14.Click Next. Based on your selections in the Wireless Setup Wizard, the program writes the appropriate ZPL commands and displays them for your review. If you selected Tabletop/Desktop then the a dialog box similar to this displays. 15.Determine if you will send the script immediately, or save it for use at a later time. Using a Configuration Script Complete setup by sending the ZPL script to the printer through the port selected at the beginning of this procedure. 1.
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Setup for Windows® OS Saving a Configuration Script Save the ZPL script to a file for use later or for use with other printers. Note • You can send the ZPL script file to multiple printers that use the same configuration, or you can send the file to a printer that had the network settings restored to the factory defaults. This saves you from having to go through the Wireless Setup Wizard more than once. 1. On the ‘Review and Send ZPL for Wireless’ window, highlight the script, right-click, and select Copy.
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Setup for Windows® OS Bluetooth Option Configuration The Zebra Setup Utilities provides a quick and easy way to configure a Bluetooth wireless connection with your printer. 1. Double-click the Zebra Setup Utilities icon on your desktop. 2. Connect a USB cable from your printer to your computer. 3. On the first ZSU screen, highlight the printer displayed in the window and click on the Configure Printer Connectivity where shown. 4.
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Setup for Windows® OS 9. The values set in the Authentication PIN field will vary depending on the Bluetooth (BT) version of the central device. If the central uses BT v2.0 or older, enter a numeric value in this field. You will be prompted to enter this same value on the central device to verify pairing. Security Mode 2 or 3 in Advanced Settings should also be selected for PIN paring. 10.If the central device uses BT v2.1 or newer, this setting has no effect. BT v2.
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Setup for Windows® OS Connecting to a Windows XP® SP2 Central Device This process covers the printer installation for Windows XP SP2 (or above) 1. From the Windows ‘Start’ menu, open the ‘Printers and Faxes’ window. Click on ‘Add Printer’ and a wizard will start. Click ‘Next’ when the “Welcome” window displays to continue. 2. Leave the ‘Local’ radio button with the ‘Automatic detect ...’ checkbox (checked) selected and click ‘Next’. 3. No printer should be found.
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Setup for Windows® OS Connecting to a Windows Vista® SP2 or Windows 7® Central Device The Windows Vista (SP2 or higher) and Windows 7 Bluetooth install differs from the XP install. • Windows Vista: Open the ‘Add Printer’ wizard by clicking the ‘Start’ button, clicking ‘Control Panel’, clicking ‘Hardware and Sound’, clicking ‘Printers’, and then clicking ‘Add a printer’.
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Setup for Windows® OS 3. Hover over the Bluetooth icon with the mouse pointer and the icon will highlight. Right-Click on the high-lighted Bluetooth icon. Select ‘Bluetooth Settings’ from the pop-up menu. Verify that both of the Connections check boxes are checked. Verify that the ‘Turn off the Bluetooth adapter’ is not checked. Click the ‘Apply’ button. Click the ‘OK’ button to close the window. 4. Click on the ‘Add a device’ in the top bar of the “Devices and Printers’ window.
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Setup for Windows® OS 6. The printer will print a pairing code. Verify that the pairing numbers match with those on your display screen. If the numbers match, then press the ‘Next button’ in the ‘Add a device’ window. 7. When the pairing process successfully completes, the following message will be displayed. Note • The COM port number displayed in the task bar pop-up. It will only remain for a few seconds.
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Setup for Windows® OS Connecting the Printer to a Windows 8 Before adding (also called pairing) a Bluetooth enabled device, make sure it is turned on and discoverable. As stated in the previous section under Connecting to a Windows Vista® SP2 or Windows 7® Central Device, your Windows device may need a Bluetooth adapter to connect to Bluetooth device. Check with your device manufacturer’s User Manual for further information. 1.
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Setup for Windows® OS Connecting the Printer to a Windows 10 PC Before adding (also called pairing) a Bluetooth enabled device, make sure it is turned on and discoverable. As stated in the previous section under “Installing the Printer on a Windows 7 PC,” your Windows device may need a Bluetooth adapter to connect to Bluetooth device. Check with your device manufacturer’s User Manual for further information. 1. Open the Windows Start Menu by clicking on the Windows Start ( . 2.
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Setup for Windows® OS 3. Click on Bluetooth. If your PC doesn’t have Bluetooth installed, the Bluetooth category will not be displayed in the list of device categories. The printer is identified by the serial number. Printer Serial Number 4. Click on the printer and then click on the ‘pairing’ button for the printer.
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Setup for Windows® OS 5. The printer will print a passcode. Compare that with the passcode showing on screen. Click ‘Yes’ if they match. 6. The printer status changes to connected when pairing has completed.
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Setup for Windows® OS After Your Printer is Connected Now that you have basic communication to your printer, you may want to test printer communications and then install other printer related applications, drivers or utilities. Testing Communications by Printing Verifying the print system’s operation is a relatively simple process. For Windows operating systems, use the Zebra Setup Utility or the Windows ‘Printers and Faxes’ Control Panel to access and print a test label.
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Setup for Windows® OS Test Print with a Copied ZPL Command File for Non-Windows Operating Systems: 1. Create a text file with the following ASCII three characters: ~WC 2. Save the file as: TEST.ZPL (an arbitrary file name and extension name). 3. Copy the file to the printer. For DOS, a file sent to a printer connected to the system’s serial port would be as simple as: COPY TEST.ZPL COM1 Other interface connection types and operating systems will have different command strings.
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Print Operations This section provides general information on media and print handling, font and language support, and the setup of less common printer configurations. Thermal Printing The ZD-Series printers use heat to expose direct thermal media or heat and pressure to melt and transfer ‘ink’ to the media. Extra care should be taken to avoid touching the printhead which gets hot and is sensitive to electrostatic discharges. Hot Surface Caution • The printhead becomes hot while printing.
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Print Operations Select a Print Mode Use a print mode that matches the media being used and the printer options available. The media path is the same for roll and fanfold media. To set the printer to use an available print mode: • See PRINT MODE. • See the ZPL Programmer’s manual, ^MM command. See About section for information and support links for your specific printer model. Print Modes • TEAR OFF -— This mode (default) can be used with any printer options and most media types.
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Print Operations Darkness Control The Darkness Control switch allows the operator to modify the darkness setting for minor variations in media and printers avoiding the need to change the program or driver settings sent to the printer. Darkness Control The control switch has three (3) settings: • Left (Low - Default): no effect . • Middle (Medium): increases ZPL darkness 3 levels. • Right (High): increases ZPL darkness 6 levels.
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Print Operations Adjusting the Print Width Print width must be set: • Before you use the printer for the first time. • Any time you change the width of the media in use. Print width may be set by: • The Windows printer driver or application software such as ZebraDesigner ™ . • Controlling printer operations with ZPL programming; refer to the Print Width (^PW) command (consult your ZPL Programming Guide). • See Manual Print Width Adjustment.
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Print Operations Printing on Fan-Fold Media Printing on fan-fold media requires you to adjust the media guides stop position. 1. Open the top cover. Fan-Fold Media Path 2. Adjust the media guide stop position with the gold thumb wheel. Use a piece of the fan-fold media to set the stop position. Rotate the wheel away from you to make the guides wider. Rotate the wheel toward you to make the media guides narrower.
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Print Operations 3. Insert the media through the slot at the rear of the printer and place the media between the media guide and roll holders. 4. Close the top cover. After printing or using the FEED button to advance several labels: If the media does not track down the center (moves from side to side) or the sides of the media (liner, tag, paper, etc.) are frayed or damaged when exiting the printer, then the media guide stop position may need further adjustment.
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Print Operations Printing with Externally Mounted Roll Media The printer accommodates externally mounted roll media similar to the printer’s support of fan-fold media. The printer requires the media roll and stand combination to have a low initial inertia to pull the media off the roll. Externally Mounted Roll Media Considerations: • The media ideally should enter the printer directly behind the printer through the fan-fold media slot in the rear of the printer.
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Print Operations Using the Label Dispenser Option The label dispenser option allows you to print a label and have the backing material (liner/web) automatically removed. When printing multiple labels, removing the dispensed (peeled) label triggers the printer to print and dispense the next label. To use dispense-mode, set ‘Media Handling’ to ‘Peel-Off’ in the printer driver or with the Zebra Setup Utility using the ‘Configure Printer Settings’ wizard.
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Print Operations 2. Lift the liner over the top of the printer. Pull the gold latch in the center of dispenser door away from the printer and the door will open.
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Print Operations 3. Insert the label liner between the dispenser door and the printer body. 4. Close the dispenser door while pulling the end of the label liner tight.
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Print Operations 5. Press and release the FEED (Advance) button one or more times until a label gets presented for removal. 6. During the print job, the printer will peel off the backing and present a single label. Take the label from the printer to allow the printer to print the next label. Note • If you did not activate the label taken sensor to detect the removal of the dispensed (peeled) label with software commands, the printed labels will stack and may bind the mechanism.
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Print Operations Using the Linerless Options The Linerless Media Tear-Off and Cutter options operate like the standard media printers. These options include an additional sensor to detect when a printed and presented label is taken from the printer. Linerless printers require special cleaning processes to maximize the platen (drive) roller and special non-stick surfaces in the printer and media path areas.
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Print Operations Sending Files to the Printer Graphics, fonts and programming files can be sent to the printer from the Microsoft Windows operating systems by using the Link-OS Profile Manager, Zebra Setup Utilities (and driver), ZebraNet ™ Bridge or Zebra® ZDownloader found on the Zebra Web site: www.zebra.com/software. Ribbon Cartridge Programming Commands The ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge printer offers several Set Get Do (SGD) programming commands to support the use of the ribbon cartridge.
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Print Operations Printing with the Attached Battery Base and Battery Option Printer operating procedures change slightly when using the battery. Power connections and power loss scenarios necessitate the differences in operation. The battery is designed to maximize battery life, maintain print quality, and have simple operation. • Connecting the printer’s external power supply to the battery will wake up the battery. The battery determines if charging is needed.
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Print Operations Printer Fonts The ZD-Series printer supports your language and font requirements. The ZPL ™ programming language provides advanced font mapping and scaling technology to support outline fonts (TrueType ™ or OpenType ™ ) and Unicode character mapping as well as basic bitmapped fonts and character code pages. The printer’s font capabilities are programming language dependent.
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Print Operations Asian fonts and Other Large Font Sets Asian language ideographic and pictographic fonts have large character sets with thousands of characters that support single language code page. In order to support the large Asian character sets, the industry adopted a double-byte (67840 maximum) character system instead of the single-byte characters (256 maximum) used by Latin based language characters to address large font sets.
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Print Operations EPL Line Mode - Direct Thermal Printers only Your direct thermal printer supports Line Mode printing. EPL Line Mode printing is designed to be command compatible with EPL1 programming language used in early model LP2022 and LP2042 printers. The Zebra 2800 series direct thermal printers also included Line Mode printer language support. The Link-OS 4 inch Desktop continues Zebra’s support of Line Mode.
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Print Operations Zebra® ZKDU — Printer Accessory The Zebra® ZKDU (keyboard display unit) is a small terminal unit that interfaces with the printer for accessing EPL or ZPL label forms stored in the printer. The ZKDU is strictly a terminal and does not have the capability to store data or set up parameters.
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Print Operations Setting the Power Failure Recovery Mode Jumper The printer can be configured to re-start itself after a power failure, unattended, with Power Failure Recovery Mode. Note • The Power Failure Recovery Mode is only available on printers with a Printer Connectivity Module installed in your printer. The Printer Connectivity Modules have a Power Failure Recovery jumper set to OFF.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples This section has information on using the printer’s USB Host port along with Link-OS features and Apps (applications). USB Host The USB host port allows you to connect USB devices — such as a keyboard, scanner, or USB Flash (memory) drive — to the printer. USB Host Port Uses • Firmware updates • File transfers and management • A port for low power USB data entry devices (keyboards, scales, scanners, and other wedge devices).
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples Using USB Host for Firmware Updates The USB host port allows you to connect an USB Flash drive to the printer to perform firmware updates. This is an example of using the powerful printer management, Zebra Mirror functions. See the printer ZPL programming manual — Mirror and Set-Get-Do (SGD) usb.mirror commands operation. Note • See About section for information and support links for your specific printer model.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples USB Host and Printer Usage Examples The exercises in this section will teach you how to perform USB mirror (using an alternate firmware update procedure), how to transfer files to and from the printer, and how to provide information for which you are prompted and then print a label using that information. Items Required for the USB Host Exercises To perform the exercises in this document, you will need the following: • USB Flash drive up to 1 Terabyte (TB).
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples File 4: USBSTOREDFILE.ZPL CT~~CD,~CC^~CT~ ^XA~TA012~JSN^LT0^LH0,0^JMA^PR4,4~SD15^LRN^CI0^XZ ~DG000.GRF,07680,024,,[image data] ^XA ^LS0 ^SL0 ^BY3,3,91^FT35,250^BCN,,Y,N^FC%,{,#^FD%d/%m/%Y^FS ^FT608,325^XG000.GRF,1,1^FS ^FT26,75^A0N,28,28^FH\^FDThis label was printed from a format stored^FS ^FT26,125^A0N,28,28^FH\^FDon a USB Flash Memory drive. ^FS ^BY3,3,90^FT33,425^BCN,,Y,N ^FD>:Zebra Technologies^FS ^PQ1,0,1,Y^XZ ^XA^ID000.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples File 7: KEYBOARDINPUT.ZPL ^XA ^CI28 ^BY2,3,91^FT38,184^BCN,,Y,N^FC%,{,#^FD%d/%m/%Y^FS ^FO385,75^XGE:zebra.bmp^FS ^FT40,70^A0N,28,28^FH\^FDThis label was printed using a keyboard input. ^FS ^FT35,260^A0N,28,28^FH\^FDThis label was printed by:^FS ^FT33,319^A0N,28,28^FN1"Enter Name"^FS ^XZ This label format, used for the USB keyboard input exercise, does the following: • Creates a barcode with the current date, based on your Real-Time Clock (RTC) setting.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples Exercise 1: Copy Files to a USB Flash Drive and Perform USB Mirror 1. On your USB Flash Drive, create the following: • a folder called Zebra • in that folder, three sub folders: • appl • commands • files 2. In the /appl folder, place a copy of the latest firmware for your printer. Note • Some functions may not work properly if there are underscores in a file name. Use periods instead. 2. In the /files folder, place the following file: • File 1: ZEBRA.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples Table 1 Exercise 1: Advanced User Information See the ZPL Programming Guide for more information about these commands. Enable/disable mirroring: ! U1 setvar "usb.mirror.enable" "value" — Values: "on" or "off" Enable/disable automatic mirroring that occurs when a USB Flash drive is inserted into the USB host port: ! U1 setvar "usb.mirror.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples Exercise 2: Print a Label Format from a USB Flash Drive The Print USB File option allows you to print files from a USB mass storage device, such as a USB Flash drive. Only printable files (.ZPL and .XML) may be printed from the USB mass storage device, and the files must be located at the root level, not in a directory. 1. Copy the following files to your USB Flash drive: • File 4: USBSTOREDFILE.ZPL • File 5: VLS_BONKGRF.ZPL • File 6: VLS_EIFFEL.ZPL 2.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples Exercise 3: Copy Files to/from a USB Flash Drive The Copy USB File option allows you to copy files from a USB mass storage device to the printer’s Flash memory E: drive. 1. Copy the following files to the root directory of your USB Flash drive. Do not put these files into a sub-folder. • File 7: KEYBOARDINPUT.ZPL • File 8: SMARTDEVINPUT.ZPL 2. Insert the USB Flash drive into a USB host port on the front of your printer. 3.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples The option SELECT ALL is available to store all of the available files from the printer to the USB Flash drive. Any .ZPL file that is copied will be post-processed such that the contents of the file will be suitable to be sent to a printer for normal execution.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples Exercise 4: Enter Data for a Stored File with a USB Keyboard and Print a Label The Print Station feature allows you to use a USB Human Interface Device (HID), such as a keyboard or a barcode scanner, to enter ^FN field data into a *.ZPL template file. 1. After performing the previous exercise, plug a USB keyboard into a USB host port. 2. Use the ARROW buttons to scroll to the Tools menu ( ). 3. Press OK. 4. Use the ARROW buttons to scroll to PRINT STATION.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples Using the USB Hosts Port and the NFC Capabilities The Zebra Print Touch ™ feature allows you to touch an Android ™ -based, Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled device such as a smart phone or tablet to the printer’s Print Touch logo to pair the device to the printer. This capability allows you to use your device to provide information for which you are prompted and then print a label using that information.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples Exercise 5: Enter Data for a Stored File with a Smart Device and Print a Label Note • The steps in this exercise may vary somewhat based on your smart device, on your service provider, or on whether you already have the free Zebra Utilities app installed on your smart device. Refer to the Zebra Bluetooth User Guide for specific instructions for configuring your printer to use a Bluetooth interface. A copy of this manual is available at: http://www.zebra.
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USB Host Port and Link-OS Usage Examples 4. Perform these steps if you have an Apple device: 5. Tap the Settings icon ( ) in the lower-right corner. 6. Change the setting for Get Labels From Printer to ON. 7. Tap Done. 8. Tap Files. The smart device gets data from the printer and displays it. Note • This retrieval process may take a minute or more to complete. 5. Scroll through the formats shown and select E:SMARTDEVINPUT.ZPL.
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Maintenance This section provides routine cleaning and maintenance procedures. Cleaning Your Zebra printer may require periodic maintenance to keep your printer functional and printing high quality labels, receipts, tags, etc. Cleaning Supplies The following printer cleaning supplies are recommended for use with your printer: • Printhead Cleaning Pens for simple operator printhead cleaning • 99% pure Isopropyl Alcohol (Use a labeled dispenser.
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Maintenance Recommended Cleaning Schedule Printhead Interval: Clean the printhead after every 5 rolls printed. Procedure: Cleaning the Printhead Standard Platen (Drive) Roller Interval: As needed to improve print quality. Platen rollers can slip causing print image distortion and in worst case scenarios not move the media (labels, receipts, tags, etc.). Procedure: See Platen Cleaning and Replacement. Note • Standard platen rollers come in two colors, black (203 dpi) and gray (300 dpi).
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Maintenance Interior Interval: Clean the printer as needed. Method: Use a soft cloth, brush or compressed air to wipe or blow dust and particles out of the printer. Use 99% isopropyl alcohol and a fiber-free cleaning cloth to dissolve contaminants like oils and grime. Exterior Interval: Clean as needed. Method: Use a soft cloth, brush or compressed air to wipe or blow dust and particles out of the printer. The exterior of the printer can be cleaned using plain soap and water solutions to moisten the cloth.
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Maintenance Cleaning the Printhead Always use a new cleaning pen on the printhead (an old pen carries contaminants from its previous use that may damage the printhead). When you load new media, you should clean the printhead for optimal print operations. Hot Surface Caution • The printhead becomes hot while printing. To protect from damaging the printhead and risk of personal injury, avoid touching the printhead. Only use the cleaning pen to perform printhead maintenance.
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Maintenance ZD620 / ZD420 Thermal Transfer Printers When you load new media or ribbon, you can also clean the printhead. 1. If transfer ribbon is installed, remove it before proceeding. 2. Rub the cleaning pen across the dark area of the printhead. Clean from the middle to the outside. This will move adhesive transferred from the edges of media to the outside of media path. 3. Wait one minute before closing the printer or loading ribbon to allow all components to dry.
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Maintenance ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Printers 1. Pull the two (2) Release Arms out to release the Ribbon Drive Transport. See Accessing the Printhead of the Ribbon Cartridge Printer for more details. 2. Lift the Printhead Actuator Arm up to gain access to the printhead. Rub the cleaning pen across the dark area of the printhead. Clean from the middle to the outside. This will move adhesive transferred from the outer edges of media to the area outside of media path. 3.
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Maintenance Media Path Cleaning Use a cleaning swab and/or a lint free cloth to remove debris, dust or crust that has built-up on the holders, guides and media path surfaces. Lightly moisten the swab or cloth with 99% solution isopropyl alcohol. For hard to clean areas, use extra alcohol on a cleaning swab to soak the debris to break up any adhesive that may have accumulated on surfaces in the media compartment. Do not clean the printhead, sensors, or platen as part of this process.
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Maintenance Upper Half of ZD620/ZD420 Direct Thermal Printers 1. Wipe the areas (outlined in orange) to remove adhesive and other contaminants. Do not clean the sensor array. Don’t Clean Sensor Upper Half of ZD620/420 Thermal Transfer Printers 1. Wipe the area (outlined in orange) near the printhead on the front of the ribbon carriage.
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Maintenance Upper Half of ZD420 Thermal Transfer Ribbon Cartridge Printers 1. Pull the two (2) Release Arms out to release the Ribbon Drive Transport. See Accessing the Printhead of the Ribbon Cartridge Printer for more details. 2. Wipe the areas (outlined in orange) below the Printhead Actuator Arm and the Ribbon Drive Transport. Don’t Clean Sensor 3. Release the Printhead Actuator Arm and then push the Ribbon Drive Transport into the Printhead Actuator Arm.
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Maintenance Cleaning the Cutter and Label Dispenser Options This is a continuation of cleaning the media path for either option, if installed. Cutter Option Cleaning The plastic media path surfaces can be cleaned but not the internal cutter blades or mechanism. Important • The cutter blade mechanism does not require maintenance cleaning. DO NOT clean the blade. This blade has a special coating to resist adhesives and wear. Cut Warning • There are no operator serviceable parts in the cutter unit.
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Maintenance Label Dispenser Option Cleaning 1. Open the door and clean the peel bar, inner surfaces and ridges on the door. 2. Wipe the roller while rotating it. Discard the swab or cloth. Clean again to remove diluted residue. 3. Clean the sensor window. The window should be clear of streaks and residue.
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Maintenance Sensor Cleaning Dust can accumulate on the media sensors. Do not use an air compressor to remove dust. Compressors add moisture, fine grit, and lubricant which can contaminate your printer. Lower Half of ZD60/ZD420 Printers 1. Clean the Movable Sensor’s window. Gently brush away dust or use a can of compressed air; if necessary, use a dry swab to brush away dust. If adhesives or other contaminants remain, use an alcohol moistened swab to break it up. 2.
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Maintenance Upper Half of ZD620/ZD420 Direct Thermal Printers 1. Spray the Upper Web (Gap) Array Sensor below the printhead with a can of compressed air. If necessary, use an alcohol moistened swab to break up adhesive or other non-dust contaminants. Use a dry swab to remove any residue that may be left from the first cleaning. Upper Half of ZD620/ZD420 Thermal Transfer Printers 1. Spray the Upper Web (Gap) Array Sensor below the printhead with a can of compressed air.
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Maintenance Upper Half of ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Printers 1. Pull the two (2) Release Arms out to release the Ribbon Drive Transport. See Accessing the Printhead of the Ribbon Cartridge Printer for more details. 2. Swing the Printhead Actuator Arm up until it touches the printer’s top cover. Hold the Printhead Actuator Arm in this position for access to the area below the printhead, see the next graphic. 3.
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Maintenance Cleaning Ribbon Cartridge Sensor 1. Ribbon Cartridge Sensor Pins - Only clean when the cartridges are failing detection. Clean the Ribbon Cartridge interface pins with a gentle wiping from right to left. Up and down motions may damage the pins. .
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Maintenance Platen Cleaning and Replacement The platen (drive roller) normally does not require cleaning. Normally, paper and liner dust can accumulate without affecting print operations. Clean the platen (and media path) whenever the printer has significantly poorer performance, print quality or media handling. The platen is the print surface and drive roller for your media. If sticking or jamming continues even after cleaning, you must replace the platen.
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Maintenance Removing the Platen Roller The platen can be cleaned with a fiber-free swab (such as a Texpad swab) or a lint free, clean, damp cloth very lightly moistened with medical grade alcohol (90% pure or better). 1. Open the cover (and dispenser door, if the dispenser is installed). Remove media from platen area. 2. Pull the platen bearing latch release tabs on the right and left sides towards the front of the printer and rotate them up.
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Maintenance 3. Lift the platen out of the printer’s bottom frame. Platen Bearings 4. Slide the gear and the two (2) bearings off the shaft of the platen roller.
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Maintenance 5. Cleaning Only — Clean the platen with the alcohol moistened swab. Clean from the center out. Repeat this process until all of the roller surface has been cleaned. If there has been heavy adhesive build-up or label jam, repeat with a new swab to remove residual contaminants. Adhesives and oils, for example, may be thinned by the initial cleaning but not completely removed.
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Maintenance Replacing the Printhead If you need to replace the printhead, read the procedure and review the removal and installation steps before actually replacing the printhead. ESD Caution • Prepare your work area by protecting against static discharge. Your work area must be static-safe and include a properly grounded conductive cushioned mat to hold the printer and a conductive wrist strap for yourself.
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Maintenance ZD620 and ZD420 Direct Thermal Removing the Printhead 1. Turn the printer OFF. Open the printer. Printhead 2. Push the printhead release latch away from the printhead. The right side of printhead releases. 3. Swing the loose right side of the printhead out of the printer. Pull it out and to the right a little to get the left side of the printhead clear. Pull the printhead out and free of the top cover to gain access to its attached cables on the backside of the printhead.
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Maintenance 4. Gently but firmly pull the two printhead cable bundle connectors off of the printhead. Pull the ground wire off the printhead.
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Maintenance Replacing the Printhead 1. Push the right side printhead cable connector into the printhead. The connector is keyed to only insert one way. 2. Attach the ground wire to the printhead’s ground tab. 3. Push the left side printhead cable connector onto the printhead. Printhead Ground Wire Connector with Key Printhead Ground Tab Spring Wire Notch 4. Insert the left side of the printhead assembly into the recessed slot (highlighted in red) on the left side of the printer.
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Maintenance 5. Align the Spring Wire Notch on the backside of the printhead to the Spring Wire. Push the right side of the printhead into the printer until the latch locks the right side of the printhead into the printer. Spring Wire in Notch 6. Verify that the printhead moves up and down freely when pressure is applied and remains locked when released. 7. Clean the printhead. Use a new pen to wipe body oils (finger prints) and debris of the printhead.
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Maintenance ZD620 and ZD420 Thermal Transfer Ribbon Roll Removing the Printhead 1. Turn the printer OFF. Open the printer. Printhead 2. Push the printhead release latch toward the printhead (shown as green for visibility). The right side printhead releases down and away from the Printhead Actuator Arm.
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Maintenance 3. Swing the loose right side of the printhead out of the printer. Pull it to the right a little to get the left side of the printhead clear. Pull the printhead down and free of the ribbon carriage to gain access to its attached cables. 4. Gently but firmly pull the two printhead cable bundle connectors off of the printhead.
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Maintenance Replacing the Printhead 1. Push the right side printhead cable connector into the printhead. The connector is keyed to only insert one way. 2. Push the left side printhead cable connector onto the printhead. 3. Insert the center tab on the printhead assembly into the center slot on the Printhead Actuator Arm.
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Maintenance 4. Insert the left side tab of the printhead assembly into the recessed slot on the left side of the Printhead Actuator Arm. Slot Tab 5. Push the right side of the printhead into the printer until the latch locks the right side of the printhead into the printer.
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Maintenance 6. Verify that the printhead moves up and down freely when pressure is applied and remains locked when released. 7. Clean the printhead. Use a new pen to wipe body oils (finger prints) and debris of the printhead. Clean from the center of the printhead to the outside. See Cleaning the Printhead. 8. Reload media. Plug in the power cord, turn on the printer and print a status report to ensure proper function. See Test Printing with the Configuration Report.
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Maintenance ZD420 Thermal Transfer Ribbon Cartridge Printhead Removal 1. Turn the printer OFF. Open the printer. 2. Pull the two (2) Release Arms out to release the Ribbon Drive Transport. See Accessing the Printhead of the Ribbon Cartridge Printer for more details. 3. Swing the Printhead Actuator Arm up until it touches the printer’s top cover. Hold the Printhead Actuator Arm in this position for access to the printhead. Push the printhead release latch toward the printhead (shown as pink for visibility).
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Maintenance 5. Gently but firmly pull the two printhead cable bundle connectors off of the printhead.
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Maintenance Replacing the Printhead 1. Push the right side printhead cable connector into the printhead. The connector is keyed to only insert one way. 2. Push the left side printhead cable connector onto the printhead. 3. Insert the center tab on the printhead assembly into the center slot on the Printhead Actuator Arm. Tab Slot 4. Insert the left side tab of the printhead assembly into the recessed slot on the left side of the Printhead Actuator Arm.
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Maintenance 5. Push the right side of the printhead into the printer until the latch locks the right side of the printhead into the printer. Slot Guide 6. Verify that the printhead moves freely into the printer when pressure is applied (see arrow) and remains locked when pressure is released. 7. Clean the printhead by using a new cleaning pen to wipe body oils (finger prints) and debris off the printhead. See Cleaning the Printhead. 8. Reload media.
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Maintenance Updating Printer Firmware The printer’s firmware may need to be updated periodically to get new features, improvements, and printer upgrades for media handling and communications. Use Zebra Setup Utilities (ZSU) to load new firmware. 1. Open Zebra Setup Utilities. 2. Select your installed ZD620/ZD420 printer. 3. Click on the ‘Open Printer Tools’ button and a ‘Tools’ window will open. 4. Click on the ‘Action’ tab. 5. Load the printer with media. See Loading Roll Media. 6.
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Maintenance Other Printer Maintenance There are no user level maintenance procedures beyond those detailed in this section. See the Troubleshooting for more information on diagnosing printer and print problems. RTC Battery The Real Time Clock (RTC) is included with your printer. The clock’s battery is rated to provide approximately ten (10) years of service and is not user replaceable. See a Zebra authorized service technician to replace the battery.
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Troubleshooting This section provides troubleshooting procedures and information. Resolving Alerts and Errors Alert: Printhead Open A print command or a FEED button has been pressed and the printer has detected that the printhead (cover) is not closed. HEAD OPEN CLOSE HEAD Possible Cause - 1 The cover is open or has not been closed properly. Resolution Close the cover/printhead. Push down on the front top corners of the printer’s cover.
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Troubleshooting Alert: Media Out A print command, a FEED button has been pressed, or you are printing; and the printer can not detect media in the print path. MEDIA OUT LOAD MEDIA Possible Cause - 1 There is no media (roll) in the printer. Resolution Load your chosen media in the printer and close the printer. You may need to press the FEED button once or the PAUSE button the get the printer to resume your print operation. See Loading Roll Media.
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Troubleshooting Possible Cause - 5 The media sensor is dirty. Resolution Clean the Upper Web (Gap) Sensor Array and the lower Movable Media sensors. See Sensor Cleaning. Reload your media, adjust the Movable Media sensor’s position for your media, and recalibrate the printer for the media. See Loading Roll Media and Run a SmartCal Media Calibration. Possible Cause - 6 The media sensing is not working. Possible data corruption of memory or faulty components. Resolution 1 — Reload the printer’s firmware.
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Troubleshooting Alert: Ribbon In (ZD420 Cartridge Printer only) A print command has been sent to the printer and it is in Direct Thermal Mode with Ribbon installed. Note • The printer has two different heat settings - one for Direct Thermal and one for Thermal Transfer. They are designed to have equivalent print density/darkness at the same setting level.
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Troubleshooting Alert: Ribbon Out 1 — The printer is printing and stops while printing. 2 — A print job has been sent to the printer and the printer immediately reports this Alert. ALERT RIBBON OUT Possible Cause - 1 The printer has detected the end of the ribbon. The end of the ribbon has a reflective trailer on the end of Genuine Zebra Transfer Ribbon that the printer ‘sees’ as End of Ribbon.
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Troubleshooting Alert: Ribbon Low (ZD420 Cartridge Printer only) The printer reports this Alert. ALERT RIBBON LOW Possible Cause - 1 The printer has calculated that the ribbon cartridge has only 10% of the ribbon left in the cartridge. The ribbon low value can be changed by programming. Resolution Check for the availability of ribbon cartridges. To change the Ribbon Low warning point, see the SGD commands - Ribbon Cartridge Programming Commands.
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Troubleshooting Alert: PRINTHEAD OVER TEMP 1. The printhead is over temperature and paused to allow the printhead to cool. PRINTHEAD OVER TEMP PRINTING HALTED Possible Cause - 1 The printer is printing a large batch job, typically with large amounts of print. Resolution The print operation will resume after the printhead has cooled. Possible Cause - 2 The ambient temperature at the printers location exceeds the specified operating range.
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Troubleshooting Alert: PRINTHEAD UNDER TEMP 1. The printhead is below operating temperature for proper printing. PRINTHEAD UNDER TEMP PRINTING HALTED THERMISTOR REPLACE PRINTHEAD Possible Cause - 1 The ambient temperature at the printers location is below the specified operating range. Resolution Turn the printer off. Move the printer location and wait for it to warm naturally. Moisture may condense in and on the printer if the temperature changes too quickly.
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Troubleshooting Alert: OUT OF MEMORY Can not store data in the printer in the specified memory location. There are four types of storage memory: Graphic, Format, Bitmap and Font. There is not enough memory to perform the function specified on the second line of the error message.
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Troubleshooting Resolving Print Issues This section helps you identify issues with printing or print quality, the possible causes, and the recommended solutions. Issue: General Print Quality Issues The printed image does not look right. Possible Cause - 1 The printer is set at an incorrect darkness level and/or print speed. Resolution Perform the Print Quality Report (FEED self test) to determine the ideal darkness and speed settings for your application.
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Troubleshooting Possible Cause - 6 You may be using the wrong power supply. Resolution Verify you are using the power supply that came with this printer. Issue: No Print on the Label The printed image does not look right. Possible Cause - 1 The media may not be direct thermal media (and is thermal media made for thermal transfer printers). Resolution See the test procedure, Determining Thermal Media Types. Possible Cause - 2 Media has been loaded incorrectly.
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Troubleshooting Issue: Labels Are Distorted in Size or Print Area Start Position Varies Includes printed image that skips between labels (mis-registration). Possible Cause - 1 Media has been loaded incorrectly or the movable media sensor is not set properly. Resolution Verify that the sensor is set and positioned correctly for your media type and sensing location. See Loading Roll Media ,Setting Media Sensing by Media type, and Using the Movable Sensor.
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Troubleshooting Communication Issues This section identifies problems with communications, the possible causes, and the recommended solutions. Issue: Label Job Sent, No Data Transfer A label format was sent to the printer but was not recognized. The DATA light does not flash. Possible Cause The communication parameters are incorrect. Resolution - 1 Check the printer driver or software communications settings (if applicable).
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Troubleshooting Issue: Label Job Sent, Data Transfers, But No Print A label format was sent to the printer but was not recognized. The DATA light flashes but no printing occurs. Possible Cause - 1 The prefix and delimiter characters set in the printer do not match the ones in the label format. Resolution Verify the ZPL programmings prefix (COMMAND CHAR) and delimiter (DELIM./CHAR) characters. Configuration Setting to Command Cross-reference. Possible Cause - 2 Incorrect data is being sent to the printer.
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Troubleshooting Miscellaneous Issues This section identifies miscellaneous issues with the printer, the possible causes, and the recommended solutions. Issue: Settings are Lost or Ignored Some parameters are set incorrectly. Possible Cause - 1 Printer settings were changed without saving them. Resolution The ZPL ^JU command was not used to save your configuration before turning the printer off. Cycle the printer OFF and then back ON to verify settings have been saved.
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Troubleshooting 3 — If the printer does not recover from this error, call a service technician. This is not a user serviceable item. Issue: Non-continuous labels act as Continuous labels. A non-continuous label format with matching media loaded in the printer, was sent to the printer but prints like it is continuous media. Possible Cause - 1 The printer was not calibrated for the media being used. Possible Cause - 2 The printer is configured for continuous media.
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Troubleshooting Resolution 1 — Clean the ribbon cartridge’s smart chip contact, if they look contaminated, with alcohol and a lightly moistened cotton. Try a different cartridge if this does not work. 2 — Clean the Ribbon Cartridge Sensor Contact Pins - see Cleaning Ribbon Cartridge Sensor. 3 — Reload printer firmware. See s. 4 — If the printer does not recover from this error, call a service technician. This is not a user serviceable item. Issue: Battery has a Red Indicator Battery has a fault.
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Tools This section provides a variety of tools and utilities built into your printer.
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Tools Printer Diagnostics Diagnostic reports, calibration procedures, restoring factory defaults and other diagnostics provide specific information about the condition of the printer. Important • Use full-width media when performing self tests. If your media is not wide enough, the test labels may print on the platen (drive) roller. Note • Diagnostic Testing Tips: • When performing these self tests, do not send data to the printer from the host.
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Tools Configuration Report (CANCEL Self Test) The Configuration Report diagnostic prints a set of printer and network configuration reports. To print the configuration report, complete these steps: 1. Make sure media is loaded, the printer cover is closed, and printer power is ON. 2. If printer power is OFF, press and hold CANCEL button while turning the printer power ON. Hold CANCEL button down until the STATUS indicator is the only indicator lit.
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Tools Printer Network (and Bluetooth) Configuration Report ZD-Series printers with Wired or Wireless connectivity options installed will print an additional printer configuration report. This information needed to establish and trouble shoot Ethernet (LAN and WLAN), Bluetooth 4.1 and Bluetooth LE network printing. The following printout is printed with the ZPL ~WL command. iOS Support Setting iOS Bluetooth Support • iOS devices have Bluetooth Classic 4.X (with 3.
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Tools Print Quality Report (FEED self test) Different types of media may require different darkness settings. This section contains a simple but effective method for determining the ideal darkness for printing barcodes that are within specifications. During the Print Quality Report (FEED self test), a series of labels are printed at different darkness settings at two different print speeds. The relative darkness and the print speed are printed on each label.
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Tools 4. See Figure 3 and Table 2. Inspect the test labels and determine which one has the best print quality for your application. If you have a barcode verifier, use it to measure bars/spaces and calculate the print contrast. If you do not have a barcode verifier, use your eyes or the system scanner to choose the optimal darkness setting based on the labels printed in this self test.
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Tools Table 2 Visual Darkness Descriptions Print Quality • • • • • Too dark Slightly dark “In-spec” Slightly light Too light Description • Labels that are too dark are fairly obvious. They may be readable but not “in-spec.” • The normal barcode bars increase in size. • The openings in small alphanumeric characters may appear filled in. • Rotated barcode have bars and spaces run together. • Slightly dark labels are not as obvious. • The normal barcode will be “in-spec.
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Tools Reset Printer Factory Defaults (PAUSE + FEED Self Test) This resets the printer configuration to the factory default values for the non-network printer settings. Perform a sensor calibration after this procedure. (See Manual Media Calibration.) To perform a Reset Printer Factory Defaults procedure, complete these steps: 1. Turn OFF the printer. 2. Press and hold PAUSE + FEED while turning ON the printer. 3. Hold PAUSE + FEED until the STATUS indicator ( ) is the only indicator lit.
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Tools Reset Button In addition to the power on configurations described previously, the ZD-Series printer has a dedicated reset button located on the bottom of the printer which can be pressed with a paperclip or similar small object.
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Tools Communication Diagnostics Test The communication diagnostics test is a troubleshooting tool for checking the connection between the printer and the host computer. When the printer is in diagnostics mode, it prints all data received from the host computer as straight ASCII characters with the hex values below the ASCII text. The printer prints all characters received, including control codes such as CR (carriage return). Figure 4 shows a typical test label from this test.
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Tools Sensor Profile Use the sensor profile image (which will extend across several labels or tags) to troubleshoot the following situations: • The printer experiences difficulty in determining gaps (web) between labels. • The printer incorrectly identifies preprinted areas on a label as gaps (web). • The printer cannot detect ribbon. With the printer in the Ready state, print a sensor profile in one of these ways: Using the buttons on the user interface 1. Turn OFF the printer. 2.
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Tools Media Sensor Profile (Figures 5 and 6) The line labeled MEDIA (1) on the sensor profile indicates the media sensor readings. The media sensor threshold settings is indicated by WEB (2). The media out threshold is indicated by OUT (3).The upward spikes (4) indicate gaps between labels (the web), the lines between the spikes (5) indicate where labels are located, and the numbered line at the top (6) provides measurement in dots from the start of the printout.
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Tools Advanced Mode Advanced Mode is used to access several manual adjustment modes in the printer. Each manual adjustment mode is described in detail in the following sections. To activate Advanced Mode, complete these steps: 1. Ensure media is loaded and printer power is ON. 2. Press PAUSE for two seconds, all indicators will flash yellow. 3. The STATUS indicator ( ) will show solid yellow, indicating the currently selected mode is: Manual Media Calibration. 4.
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Tools Manual Print Width Adjustment While in Advanced Mode, pressing the PAUSE button while the Pause indicator ( ) is illuminated yellow will start Manual Print Width Adjustment while in Advanced mode, see Advanced Mode. The printer will print a 16mm (0.63 inch) box and pause momentarily. The printer will then print a slightly larger box and again pause. When you see the printer print a box that matches the width of your media, press FEED to set the print width and return to READY state.
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Tools Manual Print Darkness Adjustment Pressing PAUSE while the DATA indicator( ) is illuminated yellow will start Manual Print Darkness Adjustment. The printer will print a test pattern showing the current darkness number and several barcode patterns and then pause momentarily. The printer will then repeat the pattern with the next darkness level. When you see the printer print a pattern with solid even black lines, press FEED to set the darkness value and return to the READY state.
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Tools Factory Test Modes The printer includes print modes that are intended for factory test only. Test mode 1 Initiated by holding PAUSE button while turning ON printer power. When activated, the printer will begin printing various test patterns used to evaluate printer performance. Test mode 2 Initiated by holding PAUSE + FEED + CANCEL button for two seconds while printer power is ON. When activated, the printer will begin printing various test patterns used to evaluate printer performance.
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Interface Connector Wiring Universal Serial Bus (USB) Interface The figure below displays the cable wiring required to use the printer’s USB two interfaces. Important • When using third party cables, the printer requires USB cables or the cable packaging that bears the “Certified USB ™ ” mark to guarantee USB 2.0 compliance. A B http://www.usb.org Wiring - USB Connector “A” Style for “connecting to” the printer or device Pin 1 — Vbus (+5VDC).
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Serial Port Interface Zebra Auto-Detecting DTE and DCE for 9-Pin RS-232 Interface Pin DTE DCE Description (DTE) 1 — 5V 2 RXD TXD RXD (receive data) input to the printer 3 TXD RXD TXD (transmit data) output from the printer 4 DTR DSR DTR (data terminal ready) output from the printer -- controls when the host may send data 5 GND GND Circuit ground 6 DSR DTR DSR (data set ready) input to the printer 7 RTS CTS RTS (request to send) output from the printer -- always in the ACTIVE co
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Connecting the Printer to a DCE Device DB-25S Connector to DCE Device DB-9P Connector to Printer DB-9S Connector to DCE Device DB-9P Connector to Printer Interconnecting to DCE Devices — When the printer is connected via its RS-232 interface to data communication equipment (DCE) such as a modem, a STANDARD RS-232 (straight-through) interface cable must be used.
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Dimensions This section provides external printer dimensions.
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ZD620 / ZD420 Thermal Transfer Models All dimension are in millimeters Standard Printer Standard Printer 279
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ZD620 / ZD420 Thermal Transfer Models All dimension are in millimeters Standard Printer Printer with Label Dispenser (open) 280
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ZD620 / ZD420 Thermal Transfer Models 23(1 &/26(' Printer with Label Dispenser (open) All dimension are in millimeters Printer with Label Dispenser (open) 281
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ZD620 / ZD420 Thermal Transfer Models 0 Printer with Cutter Printer with Cutter Printer with Cutter All dimension are in millimeters 282
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ZD620 / ZD420 Thermal Transfer Models Printer with Attached Power Supply Base 264.6 285.
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ZD620 / ZD420 Thermal Transfer Models Printer with Attached Battery Base and Battery 275.0 291.
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ZD620 / ZD420 Thermal Transfer Models All dimension are in millimeters Printer with Attached Power Supply Base 285
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ZD620 / ZD420 Thermal Transfer Models Use M3 thread forming screws with maximum hole depth of 6 mm into the printer body. Note - Do not remove the rubber feet or the printer can overheat. 148.8 Mounting Holes Hardware Reset Access (Provide 20-25 mm hole in mounting plate or surface) 139.0 Mounting Holes 9.0 130.
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ZD620 / ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Thermal Transfer Models All dimension are in millimeters Standard Printer Standard Printer 287
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ZD620 / ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Thermal Transfer Models All dimension are in millimeters Standard Printer Printer with Label Dispenser (closed) 288
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ZD620 / ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Thermal Transfer Models All dimension are in millimeters 23(1 &/26(' Printer with Label Dispenser (open) Printer with Label Dispenser (open) 289
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ZD620 / ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Thermal Transfer Models Printer with Cutter Printer with Cutter All dimension are in millimeters Printer with Cutter 290
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ZD620 / ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Thermal Transfer Models Printer with Attached Power Supply Base 264.6 272.
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ZD620 / ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Thermal Transfer Models Printer with Attached Battery Base with Battery 274.5 278.
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ZD620 / ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Thermal Transfer Models Printer with Attached Power Supply Base All dimension are in millimeters 293
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ZD620 / ZD420 Ribbon Cartridge Thermal Transfer Models Use M3 thread forming screws with maximum hole depth of 6 mm into the printer body. Note - Do not remove the rubber feet or the printer can overheat. 148.8 Mounting Holes Hardware Reset Access (Provide 20-25 mm hole in mounting plate or surface) 139.0 Mounting Holes 9.0 130.
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ZD620 / ZD420 Direct Thermal Models 67$1'$5' 23(1 All dimension are in millimeters 295
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ZD620 / ZD420 Direct Thermal Models Optional: Locking Media Cabinet Lock and Key Optional: Locking Media Cabinet Lock and Key All dimension are in millimeters 296
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ZD620 / ZD420 Direct Thermal Models 67$1'$5' &877(5 (DISPENSER) ',63(16(5 ',63(16(5 23(1 All dimension are in millimeters 297
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ZD620 / ZD420 Direct Thermal Models Printer with Attached Power Supply Base 235.3 All dimension are in millimeters 298 286.
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ZD620 / ZD420 Direct Thermal Models Printer with Attached Battery Base and Battery 220.0 All dimension are in millimeters 299 286.
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ZD620 / ZD420 Direct Thermal Models Use M3 thread forming screws with maximum hole depth of 6 mm into the printer body. Note - Do not remove the rubber feet or the printer can overheat. Mounting Holes 55.4 10 Hardware Reset Access (Provide 20-25 mm hole in mounting plate or surface) 133.4 Mounting Holes 130.
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Media This section provides a simple media overview for your printer.
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Media Types of Thermal Media Important • Zebra strongly recommends the use of Zebra-brand supplies in order to ensure consistent high-quality printing. A wide range of paper, polypropylene, polyester, and vinyl stock has been specifically engineered to enhance the printing capabilities of the printer and to prevent premature printhead wear. To purchase supplies, go to http://www.zebra.com/howtobuy.
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Media General Media and Print Specifications • Direct Thermal — Max. Media width: 108mm (4.25 inches) • Thermal Transfer — Max. Media width: 118mm (4.65 inch) • All Printers — Min. Media width: 15mm (0.585 inch) • Media length: • • 990mm (39 inches) max. • 6.35mm (0.25 inches) min. – Tear Off or Label • 12.7mm(0.50 inches) min. – Peel • 25.4mm (1.0 inch) min. - Cutter Media thickness: • 0.06mm (0.0024 inches) min. – all requirements • 0.1905mm (0.0075 inches) max.
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Media • • Dot pitch: • 203 dpi: 0.125mm (0.0049 inches) • 300 dpi: 0.085mm (0.0033 inches) Barcode modulus x-dim: • 203 dpi: 0.005-0.050 inches • 300 dpi: 0.00327 - 0.03267 inches Label Dispenser (Peeler) The printer supports a field installed label dispense option with label taken sensor for batch processing of labels. • • • Paper Thickness: • Min. 0.06 mm (0.0024 inches) • Max. 0.1905 mm (0.0075 inches) Media Width: • Min.15 mm (0.585 inches) • Thermal Transfer Printers Max. 118 mm (4.
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Media Standard (Media) Cutter The printer supports a field installed media cutter option for full width cutting of label liner, tag or receipt media. • A medium duty cutter for cutting label liner and light tag media (LINER/TAG). Do not cut through labels, adhesive or embedded circuitry. • Paper Thickness: • • Min. 0.06 mm (0.0024 inches) • Max. 0.1905 mm (0.0075 inches) Cut Width: • Min.15 mm (0.585 inches) • Thermal Transfer Printers Max. 118 mm (4.65 inches) • Direct Thermal Printers Max.
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Media Table 3 Types of Media Roll and Fanfold Media Media Type Non-Continuous Roll Media How It Looks Description Labels have adhesive backing that sticks them to a liner. Tags (or tickets) are separated by perforations. Individual labels or tags are tracked and position controlled by one or more of the following methods: 1. Web media separates labels by gaps, holes, or notches. 2. Black mark media uses pre-printed black marks on the back side of the media to indicate label separations. 3.
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ZPL Configuration This section provides an overview of managing printer configuration, the Configuring Status Report, and Printer and Memory Printouts. Managing the ZPL Printer Configuration The ZPL printer is designed to allow you to change printer settings dynamically for fast first label out printing. Printer parameters that are persistent will be retained for future formats to use.
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ZPL Configuration ZPL Printer Configuration Format Managing more than one printer can be done by creating a printer configuration programming file to send to one or more printers or ZebraNet ™ Bridge can be used to clone a printer’s setup. Figure 1 below shows the basic structure of a ZPL programming configuration file. See the ZPL programmer’s guide and the Configuration Setting to Command Cross-reference to create a programming file.
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ZPL Configuration Configuration Setting to Command Cross-reference The Printer Configuration Report, shown below, provides a listing of a majority of the configurations settings that can be set by ZPL command.
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ZPL Configuration 1. ZPL Commands and Configuration Report Callout Cross-Reference Command Listing Name Description DARKNESS Default: 10.0 DARKNESS SWITCH LOW (Default), MEDIUM, or HIGH ^PR PRINT SPEED Default: 152 mm/s / 6 IPS (max.) - 203 dpi 102 mm/s / 4 IPS (max.
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ZPL Configuration The configuration settings listed here resume after the TAKE LABEL sensor value. These listings contain printer features seldom changed from default or provide status information.
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ZPL Configuration Printer Memory Management and Related Status Reports To help you manage printer resources, the printer supports a variety of format commands to manage memory, transfer objects (between memory areas, import and export), object naming, and provide various printer operating status reports. They are very similar to the old DOS commands like DIR (directory listing) and DEL (delete file). The most common reports are also part of the Zebra Setup Utility and ZebraDesigner ™ Windows driver.
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ZPL Configuration Table 5 Object Management and Status Report Commands Command Name Description ^WD Print Directory Label Prints a list of objects and resident barcodes and fonts in all addressable memory locations ~WC Print Configuration Label Prints a configuration Status Receipt (Label) Same as FEED Button mode one flash routine ^ID Object Delete Deletes objects from printer memory ^TO Transfer Object Used to copy an object or group of objects from one memory area to another.