User Manual

10
ZQ300 Series User Guide
Direct Thermal Printing
The ZQ300 Series printers use the Direct Thermal printing
method to print human readable text, graphics and barcodes. It
incorporates a sophisticated print engine for optimal printing un-
der all operational conditions. Direct thermal printing uses heat
to cause a chemical reaction on specially treated media. This re-
action creates a dark mark wherever a heated element on the
printhead comes in contact with the media. Since the printing el-
ements are arranged very densely at 203 d.p.i. (dots per inch)
horizontal and 200 d.p.i. vertical, highly legible characters and
graphic elements may be created a row at a time as the media is
advanced past the printhead.
This technology has the advantage of simplicity, as there is
no requirement for consumable supplies such as ink or toner.
However, since the media is sensitive to heat, it will gradually
lose legibility over long periods of time, especially if exposed to
environments with relatively high temperatures.
Thermal Shutdown
The ZQ300 Series printers have a thermal shutdown feature-
whereby the printer hardware will detect a printhead over-tem-
perature condition at 70
o
C (158
o
F). If this condition occurs, there
is a chance that label data will be lost. The printer will automati-
cally stop printing until the printhead cools down to 62
o
C (144
o
F).
Printing will then recommence without a loss of label data or
without any degradation of print quality.
Near Field Communication (Passive NFC)
The ZQ300 Series printers support a passive NFC tag which
complies with the “Android Standard Tag format” since Android
devices are the most common found on the market today. The
NFC tag is programmed from the factory and supports Bluetooth
pairing to enable a tablet, smartphone or terminal to automati-
cally pair with the printer via a Bluetooth connection (within the
bounds of the security prole being used).