Fastmark 400 Series Barcode Label Printer User’s Guide Part No.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS AND OTHER NOTICES This label printer complies with the requirements in Part 15 of FCC rules for a Class B or A computing device. Operation of this equipment in a residential area may cause unacceptable interface to radio and TV reception, requiring the operator to take whatever steps are necessary to correct the interference. Place the printer on a flat, firm and solid surface. Do not place the printer near a heat source or near water.
CONVENTIONS Some of the procedures in this guide contain special notices that highlight important information: Note Indicate information that you should know to help your printer run properly and efficiently. Caution Indicate guidelines that, if not followed, can cause damage to equipment. Warning Indicate a situation where there may be a danger to you. The use of the term's right and left assume that you are looking at the front of the printer.
Table of Contents PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................... 6 Unpacking and Inspection.......................................................................................... 8 INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION .......................................................... 9 Finding a Location for the Printer............................................................................ 9 Connecting the Power Cord .....................................
Internal Fonts ......................................................................................................... 56 Courier Font Set ..................................................................................................... 61 Internal Bar Codes ................................................................................................. 65 Appendix E: FONTS AND BAR CODES FOR PPLB Emulation ...................... 69 Internal Fonts ......................................................
Table of Figures Figure 1 - Fastmark 400 series................................................................................................................. 7 Figure 2 - Included Materials .................................................................................................................. 8 Figure 3 - Switches, Indicators and Connections .................................................................................... 9 Figure 4 - Power Connection........................................
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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION This label printer is a high-performance, low-cost direct thermal/thermal transfer labeling system. Its user-friendly design and affordable price set a new standard for the Desktop Label Printer in retail, office, industrial, and many other applications. The printer is designed with the most efficient memory management technology - True Speed and prints at a speed of 2 to 3 inches per second.
UNPACKING and INSPECTION This printer is packed in a heavyweight carton and custom recyclable foam for environmental protection. Inspect the shipping carton and contact the carrier directly to report any suspected damage. Consider the following when unpacking: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ The container should stay right side up. Lift the printer out of the box carefully. Remove the accessory items. Set the printer on a solid, flat surface.
INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION Serial Port Power LED Power Jack Ready LED Feed button Parallel Port On Switch Figure 3 - Switches, Indicators and Connections Finding a Location for the Printer Before setting up the printer you should first consider the following: ♦ Find a solid flat surface with adequate room for the printer. Make sure there is enough room on the top side for the media and ribbon access. ♦ The location should be near the host or terminal.
Connecting the Power Cord 1. Make sure that the source voltage matches that on the input voltage on the power adapter. Caution: Incorrect voltage could cause damage to the printer and/or the power adapter. 2. Make sure that the power switch is set to the Off, ”O”, position. 3. Connect the power supply plug to the power jack on the printer. Note: When plugging into the power jack, make sure that you avoid the 36 pin parallel connector. 4. Connect the other end of the power adapter to your AC source.
Connecting the Printer to Your Host 1. You can connect the printer with any standard Centronics Parallel cable to the parallel port of the host computer. 2. Alternatively you can connect the printer with a serial cable to the RS-232C port of your computer or terminal. (For PC compatibles, the RS-232C port is COM1, COM2 or COM3.) Figure 5 - Printer to Host 3. If you use the serial port with your own cable, refer to the Appendix A and check the pin connection.
Loading the Ribbon Thermal Transfer Media only 1. Lift the printer top cover and to the open position. 2. Slide the two printhead latches toward the back of the printer to unlock the printhead module.
3. Raise the printhead module to the vertical position. 4. Verify that the Supply Core and the Take-up Core have two slots on the left side of the ribbon core when the ribbon is positioned to go into the printer. These notches will be inserted into the notches on the Left Ribbon Holders. Note: The notches are the drive mechanism for the ribbon. If the slots in the core are not present or if they are in the wrong position, contact your ribbon supplier to obtain a correct ribbon.
5. Unwrap the ribbon roll and place the supply roll into the supply holder of the printhead module. Insert the left end of the ribbon supply onto the supply holder spindle first, and then insert the right end. Make sure that the Ribbon Core Slots match the notches on the Ribbon Drive Mechanism. 6. Place the Take-up core into the take-up holder of the printhead module. First insert the left end of the Take-up core into holder spindle, and then insert the other end.
Loading Media 1. Lift the printer top cover to the open position. 2. Slide the two printhead latches toward the back and unlock the printhead module. Figure 9 - Open Printhead Module Printhead Latch Printhead Latch 3. Raise the printhead module.
4. Insert the media spindle into core of the label media (the Retainer Disk should be on the right). Retainer Disk Media Spindle Figure 10 - Media Spindle and Retainer Disk 5. Insert the spindle and media into the slots in the printer. The media should feed from the top of the roll. 6. Slide the media to the far left and slide in the guide until it is snug with the media. 7. Move the Right Media guide to the far right of the printer.
8. Pull out 6 inches of media and thread the end of the media between the Right and Left Media Guides. 9. Slide in the Right Media Guide until it is snug with the media. Note: If the guides are positioned incorrectly, the media sensor may not sense the form properly. If too loose the media may slide out from under them, uncover the paper out sensor and indicate a false paper out message. If too tight so that the media may buckle and a paper jam could occur. 10.
Loading Media when Peel and Present Option is Installed 1. Follow the same procedures in "Loading Media" up to closing of the Printhead Module. 2. Peel off 6 inches of labels from its backing. 3. Thread the label backing over the platen roller, over the Peel and Present Bar then back under the Peel and Present Bar towards the platen. 4. Turn on the power to “1” position. 5. With the Printhead module still open, press “FEED” button. The printer will advance the backing.
Loading Media When Cutter is Equipped 1. Follow the same procedure as “Loading Media”. 2. After you thread the media over the platen roller, thread the media through the horizontal gap at the cutter module. Note: The printer must be configured for Peel and Present Mode. This setting may be made in the windows driver, utility software, label design software or using printer commands from the host.
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS Serial Port Power LED Power Jack Ready LED Feed button Parallel Port On Switch Figure 14 - Switches and Indicators Switch, Indicators and Connections Device name On/Off switch (power switch) FEED button Function Usage Controls printer On – normal operation power Off – loading paper and ribbon Advances the media Press once to advance a label. stock to first printing Press and Hold while powering on to run Label position of next label Sensor Calibration test.
Label Sensor Calibration Procedure The Label Sensor Calibration procedure allows the printer to calibrate the Label Sensor to the media type and length being used. The Label Sensor in this procedure looks at the back of the media sensing for: Black Bar Media Gap Media Or, Continuous Feed Media 1. Power the printer on while pressing the Feed button on the front panel. 2. When the feed motor begins moving, release the “FEED” button. 3. The printer will feed approximately 12 inches of blank media. 4.
Printer's Internal Self Test Procedure and Configuration Report 1. Make sure that media is installed. 2. Press and hold down the Feed Button while powering on the printer. 3. The printer will begin the Label Sensor Calibration test. 4. Continue to hold the Feed button until the Self Test begins. 5. After feeding 12 inches of blank media, the printer will begin printing out the current configuration and font list. 6.
Self Test Pattern for PPLA Emulation designation Figure 15 - Self Test Sample - PPLA Emulation User's Guide 23
Self Test Pattern for PPLB Emulation designation Figure 16 - Self Test Sample - PPLB Emulation User's Guide 24
Resetting the Printer to Factory Default Settings Resetting the printer back to Factory settings will set the printers non-volatile memory back to a known condition. To reset the printer to its factory defaults: 1. Printer must be powered On. 2. Press and hold the “FEED” button for about 10 seconds. 3. The “READY” LED will turn off. 4. Release the “FEED” button. 5. The Power LED will then turn off for about 2 seconds after that. 6.
COMMAND QUICK REFERENCE This section lists all software commands of the printer. Command Set for the PPLA System Setting Commands These commands will cause related parameters to be saved in the non-volatile memory. These parameters will be stored unless other commands or a front panel reset changes them. Command KI4n Description Media empty check KI5nn Set gap length KI7n Set transfer type KI8n Set baud rate KI;n Set standard control code. Set alternative control code.
Interaction Commands These commands only apply to the serial port. They allow the host to request the status and configuration of the printer.
System Level Commands Command a cxxxx Dxxxxxxx Description Enable page/job echo characters Set continuous paper length and disable edge sensor Memory dump** Exxxx e F fxxx G I Set copy count for stored label Enable edge sensor Feed a page Back feed from top position Print stored label Download graphics J j KQ L Mxxxx m n Oxxxx P Q r Sn T Vn Set pause for each label Cancel pause System conf
Formatting Commands Command :xxxx An Cxxxx cxx Dwh E G Sn Hxx M m n Pn Qxxxx Rxxxx r sm Txx z +xx >xx -xx
Editing Commands Command General format Print direction format rthveeeyyyyxxxx r Description See below ‘1’, ’2’, ’3’ or ‘4’ (rotation) Object type t Width multiplier h ‘0’ to ‘9’ and ‘:’ (fonts) **, ‘A’ to ‘Z’ and ‘a’ to ‘z’ (bar codes), ‘X’ (lines or boxes), ‘Y’ (graphics). See Object Table below ‘1’ to '9' and ‘A’ to ’ O’. ‘0’ stands for default. Height multiplier v ‘1’ to ‘9’ and ‘A’ to ’ O’, ‘0’ stands for default. Bar code height eee This is ignored for box, line and graphics.
Object Table The following table is used for the Object Type, 't', in the Editing Command Table. Object L : line String Lwwwhhh Description www : width, hhh : height. L : line Lwwwwhhhh wwww : width, hhhh : height.
Font Downloading Commands Such commands are only used for soft fonts with PCL format. Command ESC *c###D ESC )s###W ESC *c###E ESC (s###W Description assign the soft fonts ID number (### : 100 ~ 999) download font descriptor (### : length of font descriptor) set character code (### : 1 ~ 255) download character descriptor and image (### : length of character descriptor and image) Note: No spaces are after the escape character.
Command Set for the PPLB All PPLB commands must end with or + codes. No spaces are allowed between parameters and leading command character. Command Ax,y,rot,font,hm,vm,nr,string Description Print text. Parameter font: 1to 5 for internal font and A to Z for soft font. Bx,y,rot,bar,nw,ww,v,hum,string Print Bar Code. nw: width of narrow bar bar: barcode ww: width of wide bar selection v: bar code height hum: B for printing readable code and N for disabling.
Command (Cont) Ip1,p2,001 Description Select symbol set** JB JF LEx,y,hlen,vlen Disable back feed** Enable back feed** Line draw by hlen: horizontal length exclusive vlen: vertical length Line draw by OR Draw white line Clear frame buffer Select options** Print label p1: label set number p2: copy number of each label Print automatic Set label and gap p1: label length length** p2: gap length p3: offset length Set label width** w: label width Set origin point** Set print speed p1: speed value, 1 to 3 Print
Command (Cont) d0,euro d1,hadj d2,hadj Notes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Description Parameter Enable/disable 0: disable European dollar mark. European dollar 1: enable mark** Set horizontal hadj: adjustment in dots. position adjustment** Same as d1 except the parameter is not saved to nonvolatile memory. x and y represents horizontal and vertical co-ordinate values. hm and vm stand for horizontal and vertical multipliers. rot is the rotation direction, its value is from 0 to 3.
PRINTER DRIVER The bundled printer driver is used for applications under Windows 95/98/2000 and Windows NT. You may run any popular software application, such as MS-Word, as long as they are for Windows and printing the contents to the printer through the designated driver. Before starting installation you should: ♦ ♦ ♦ Check the contents of the driver to ensure it is complete. Make a backup copy of the driver. Read the README.TXT file for installation guide and change notices.
10. You may wish to change the Printer Name to be more descriptive. Also select this printer as the Default printer. Click "Next". 11. Select whether you want a test page to be printed, then click on Finish. 12. After the related files have been copied to your system, the procedure is complete. Notes: 1. If you are just updating your driver, make sure to delete the previous version first. 2.
How to Use the Driver After the driver is installed, you can open the Printer's dialogue box and make parameter settings: Windows 95/98/2000/NT4.0 - Start ➩ Settings ➩ Printers ➩ Printer Name ➩ Properties Parameter setting: After entering the Selected Printer you can change the parameters to meet your configuration and needs. The following Format is from Windows 98.
Details Tab Print to the following port This allows you to select the IO port to link with the printer. The port may be one of parallel (LPT), serial (COM), network port or file. If the communication port is the serial port (COM1: or COM2:), check the baud rate and flow control as they must be consistent between host and printer. The printer’s baud rate is printed on the following the self-test page. The factory default baud rate is 9600.
Paper Paper size Select the label size for your printer. The selected label size may be a little longer than that of the physical label. Orientation Set portrait or landscape according to the print direction.
Paper source Select one of the following items: T/T & Media with Gap T/T & Media with Black Line T/T & Continuous Media D/T & Media with Gap D/T & Media with Black Line D/T & Continuous Media T/T stands for thermal transfer (ribbon) mode and D/T for direct thermal model (without ribbon). Media choice Set the heat value or darkness from this field. The darkness value ranges from 0 to 15. Copies This function designates the number of printed copies of each page.
Device Options Print speed for the FM402TT can be set at 1 to 3 IPS. Print speed for the FM402DT and FM403TT can be set for 1 to 2 IPS.
TROUBLESHOOTING AND MAINTENANCE Troubleshooting Generally, when a malfunction or an abnormal condition occurs, the “POWER” LED will keep blinking. Printing and communication between the host and printer will stop.
Host and Data related errors Possible Problems Solutions Host Displays: Verify that the communication cable is connected securely to "Printer Time Out" the parallel or serial port on the PC and to the connector on the printer. Data has been sent, but there is no output from the printer. Verify that the Power LED is illuminated. If not, verify that the power cord is connected, the power switch is at position ‘1’. If Power LED is still not illuminated, check the fuse in the power adapter.
Print Quality Problem Too light in Thermal Transfer Too light in Direct Thermal Too dark in Direct Thermal mode Solutions Verify printer is set for Thermal Transfer stock. Verify that a certified ribbon is installed. Verify that the Media is certified to work with the ribbon. Note: Direct Thermal media can be used with a ribbon, however inadequate heat transfer may result in light print. It is not recommended to use Direct Thermal media with a Thermal Transfer ribbons. Clean the printhead.
Preventive Maintenance Before performing any Preventive Maintenance be sure to turn off the printer's power and unplug the power cable. Cleaning the Thermal Printhead (TPH) It is recommended at a minimum that the Printhead should be cleaned: Each time a Ribbon is changed. Each time a new roll of media is installed. 1. Turn off the printer, open the top cover, and if installed remove the ribbon. 2. Lift the printhead module to the vertical position. 3.
Cleaning the Platen Roller It is recommended that the platen roller should be cleaned when: Excessive dusty condition exists. Following a media jam where the adhesive comes in contact with it. 1. Turn off the printer and open the top cover. 2. Lift the printhead module to the vertical position. 3. Rub the full length of the platen available with a piece of cotton, which has been moistened with Isopropyl Alcohol. 4. Manually rotate the platen and repeat step 3 until the entire platen has been cleaned.
Cleaning the Paper Compartment It is recommended that the Paper Compartment be cleaned regularly if exposed to a dust environment. This will keep dirt and dust from contaminating or damaging your printer (Printhead and Platen). 1. Turn off the printer and open the top cover. 2. Remove paper dust by blowing using compressed air or vacuuming. 3. Clean the paper compartment with cotton, which has been moistened with mild detergent.
Appendix A: Printer Specifications Specification Print method Resolution Maximum print width Maximum print length Maximum print speed Onboard RAM Media type Maximum label roll diameter Label indexing Ribbon types Ribbon size Interface Dimension Weight Electrical FM402DT FM402TT FM403TT Direct thermal Direct thermal and thermal transfer 203 DPI 300 DPI (8 dots/mm) (12 dots/mm) 4.2 in. (107 mm) 4.10 in. (104 mm) 43 in. (1090 mm)** 29 in. (736 mm)** 2 inches (50.8 mm) 3 inches (76.2 mm) 2 inches (50.
Fonts, Bar Codes and Graphics The specifications of fonts, bar codes and graphics depend on the printer emulation. The emulation is a printer programming language, through which the host can communicate with your printer. There are two printer-programming languages: PPLA and PPLB. Only one emulation can be resident at a time.
Optional Accessories ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Serial (RS-232) cable External media suppler (for media roll with max. 8 inch OD) Peel and Present Cutter Flash memory Font board Extension RAM ++ (0.5M for models FM402DT, FM402TT and FM403TT and 1M for the FM403TT model) Notes: ** : Since this printer uses band buffers technology the maximum print length depends on the printout contents. Text and bar code printing typically allow long label lengths up to 30 inches or more.
Appendix B: INTERFACE SPECIFICATIONS Introduction This appendix presents the interface specifications of I/O ports for the printer. These specifications include pin assignments, protocols and detailed information about how to properly interface your printer with your host or terminal. Serial Pin Configuration The RS-232 connector on the printer side is a female, DB-9.
Three Wire connection: This method is the simplest method of connecting the printer to a host or terminal. This method requires Software Protocol Handshaking (Xon/Xoff flow control).
Parallel (Centronics) Pin Configuration The parallel port is a standard 36-pin Centronics. Pin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Direction In In In In In In In In In Out Out Out Definition /STROBE Data 1 Data 2 Data 3 Data 4 Data 5 Data 6 Data 7 Data 8 /ACK BUSY PE Pin 13 14,15 16 17 18 19 to 30 31 32 33 to 36 Direction Definition Out SELECT NC Ground Ground NC Ground NC Out /Fault NC Auto Polling Both the serial and parallel ports are active at the same time on this printer.
Appendix C: ASCII TABLE 0 0 NUL 1 SOH 2 STX 1 XON XOFF 3 4 NAK 5 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 @ P ` p ! 1 A Q a q “ 2 B R b r # 3 C S c s $ 4 D T d t % 5 E U e u 6 ACK & 6 F V f v 7 BEL ‘ 7 G W g w 8 BS ( 8 H X h x ) 9 I Y i y * : J Z j z + ; K [ k { 9 A LF ESC B C FF , < L \ l | D CR - = M ] m } E SO RS .
Appendix D: FONTS AND BAR CODES FOR THE PPLA Emulation Internal Fonts Note: The fonts in the following tables are relative sizes and formatted for this manual. The actual printed font size may be different. Fonts 0 to 8 have single symbol set.
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Font 9 This font is an ASD smooth font set and can be printer using 8 symbol sets: USASCII, UK, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and Danish/Norwegian. Font 9 can be printed in point sizes of 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 18. The 4-point font is only available in the FM403TT model.
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Courier Font Set The Courier font set is for the models FM402DT and FM402TT only. It includes Roman-8, PC, PCA, PC-B, EAMA-94, Legal, Greek and Russian symbol sets.
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Internal Bar Codes This PPLA supports 20 one-dimensional bar codes and 2 two dimensional bar codes. Note: The following bar codes are scanned reproductions, actual bar codes will be of a greater quality.
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Appendix E: FONTS AND BAR CODES FOR PPLB Emulation Internal Fonts There are 5 internal fonts for the PPLB emulation. Each has 6 eight-bit and 9 seven-bit symbol sets. Font 5 does not contain any lower-case characters.
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Internal Bar Codes The PPLB supports 26 one-dimensional bar codes and 2 two dimensional bar codes.
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