COUGAR™ LS9 HAND-HELD THERMAL TRANSFER PRINTER Operator’s Manual Panduit Corp. Identification Products Division 1819 Atlanta Highway Cumming, GA 30040 USA Technical Support: 1-866-871-4571 Customer Service: 1-800-777-3300 www.panduit.com LS9-MAN-A REV.
Section 1: Getting Started ........................................................... 3 Introduction and Safe Operation ..................................................4-6 General Description .....................................................................7-8 Loading Batteries and Label Cassette ............................................ 9 Keyboard Functions .................................................................10-11 Section 2: Working with the COUGAR™ LS9.............................
SECTION 1 GETTING STARTED 3
INTRODUCTION & SAFE OPERATION Congratulations on your purchase of the COUGAR™ LS9 Hand-Held Thermal Transfer Printer. The versatile COUGAR™ LS9 is designed to meet the demanding printing requirements of electrical and network users. The LS9 prints high quality industrial labels on a wide variety of materials for electrical and network applications, such as wire/cable, components, safety, and facility identification.
INTRODUCTION & SAFE OPERATION Do Not Substitute Parts Or Modify Equipment Because of the danger of introducing additional hazards, do not install substitute parts or perform an unauthorized modification to the printer or its accessories. The proper components for service and repair may be obtained from Panduit Corp. WARNING: When the printer has been in use for an extended period of time, the printer motor may become hot. DO NOT touch the printer motor with bare hands.
INTRODUCTION & SAFE OPERATION Printer Power Supply The COUGAR™ LS9 is supplied with 6 AA alkaline batteries. These batteries are not re-chargeable. After the batteries have surpassed their useful life, they must be disposed of properly and replaced. An optional AC adapter is also available for use with the COUGAR™ LS9.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION COUGAR™ LS9 Hand-Held Thermal Transfer Printer Cutter button with partial cut adjustment Large, graphic display 59 button keypad Print head latch Adjustable wrist/neck strap P1™ Label Cassette System Ribbon included Integrated memory device Durable plastic housing Continuous labels 7
GENERAL DESCRIPTION Print Technology The COUGAR™ LS9 prints labels using thermal transfer printing technology. The print head melts ink contained on a thin web of ribbon material allowing the ink to transfer to the label material. The print head operates at a resolution of 203 dots per inch (dpi). Smart Label Cassette P1™ label cassettes are automatically detected by the COUGAR™ LS9 printer upon insertion. The LS9 printer automatically adjusts its settings according to the label cassette that is installed.
KEYBOARD FUNCTIONS Loading the Batteries 1. Remove the battery door from the back of the COUGAR™ LS9 printer. If the impact bumper is installed on the printer, you will have to move it away from the battery door first. 2. Install the 6 AA batteries according to the molded indicators within the battery compartment. 3. Reattach the battery door. Move the impact bumper back over the battery door if necessary.
KEYBOARD FUNCTIONS Delete/Clear Setup Feed Power Print Size/Length Insert or Edit Tools Letters Label Mode/Caps Lock Numbers Directional Arrows Enter/Rotate Shift Space/Accent 10
KEYBOARD FUNCTIONS Basic Keyboard Functions • POWER Turn printer on or off • SETUP Access the Set Up menu • F1 Display function key menu • DELETE Erase characters and tools • CLEAR Clear the entire screen • FEED Feed labels • Turn display backlight on or off. Available on LS8E printer.
SECTION 2 WORKING WITH THE COUGAR™ LS9 12
USING THE COUGAR ™ LS9 The Home Screen The home screen is where you enter and edit text or place label items known as tools. The home screen is also where you print labels. The home screen has several different indicators, including: INDICATOR ICON Caps Lock Shift Function DESCRIPTION Indicates if caps lock is on or off. or Indicates if the shift key has been pressed. Label Mode Indicates current label mode. Text Size Indicates the text size for the current line.
CREATING TEXT Creating Text After turning on the COUGAR™ LS9, the home screen will appear. The home screen is also the text editor. To create text on the home screen, simply begin pressing the alphabetic or numeric keys on the keypad. Text will be entered at the position of the cursor. The cursor is indicated by a vertical line. To insert blank spaces, press the to move down to the next line. Use the directional arrow keys to key. Press move the cursor up, down, right, or left.
CREATING TEXT Text Style The COUGAR™ LS9 has two different text styles: Bold and Bold + Underline. To change the text style, press the STYLE key. The new text style can be applied to all characters on a label or just to characters inserted after the change. Text style can be different for each individual text character on a line. Text Rotation Label legends may be rotated to 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees in the clockwise direction.
CREATING SERIALIZATIONS The Serialization Tool The serialization tool is used to automatically number labels in a sequence. The sequence can be either numeric (1 to 999) or alphabetic (A to ZZZ). A serialization is defined by a start value, an end value, and an increment value. To correctly define a serialization, the end value must be larger than the start value and the start and end values must be both numeric or both alphabetic.
CREATING SERIALIZATIONS More Serialization Parameters The serialization tool includes more parameters on a second screen following the first screen. The second screen includes Copies and Collate. To access the second screen press the down directional arrow twice after Increment. 1. The Copies parameter determines the number of copies to print for the serialization. The Copies parameter can be set to any number from 1 to 99.
CREATING SERIALIZATIONS Press the key to accept the changes and to return to the home screen. Advanced Serialization Options The serialization tool includes several advanced options for customizing labels. The advanced serialization options are Print As and Place On. 1. The Print As option determines whether the serialization will print as text or as a bar code on the labels. The default setting will print as text. The bar code settings can be changed in the setup menu.
CREATING SYMBOLS The Symbol Tool The Symbol Tool is used for creating electrical, network, and safety or facility identification labels. Creating a Symbol The symbol tool should be accessed from the home screen. symbol tool: 1. Press the INSERT key to enter the tools menu. 2. Press the directional arrows to highlight the symbol tool. 3. 4. 5. To access the key to select the symbol tool. Press the Use the right or left directional arrow keys or the PAGE key to search the symbol library.
CREATING SYMBOLS Currently available symbols and their assigned library numbers are listed below. Additional symbols may be added to the COUGAR™ LS9 firmware in the future.
CREATING BAR CODES The Bar Code Tool The bar code tool can be used for bin labeling, component identification, or asset management and can be used in combination with other tools. The bar code tool can be printed with or without a checksum digit or human readable text. The bar code symbology available in the COUGAR™ LS9 is CODE 39. Creating a Bar Code The bar code tool should be accessed from the home screen. To access the bar code tool: 1. Press the INSERT key to enter the tools menu. 2.
CREATING BAR CODES Bar Code Settings The default bar code settings can be changed in the setup menu. To change the default settings, access the printer settings in the setup menu. Readable: Indicates whether the bar code text is human readable or not. If activated (bar code text is human readable) the setting will display Yes. Checksum: Indicates whether the checksum digit is activated or not. If activated (checksum digit is turned on) the setting will display Yes.
CREATING LINES Lines Using lines allows custom placement of vertical and horizontal lines on a label. Lines are especially useful for creating patch panel, faceplate, or terminal block labels. There are seven unique line settings available: Center Horizontal, Center Vertical, Top, Bottom, Left, Right, and @ Pages. Each of these settings may be turned on or off independently. NOTE: 1. The top, bottom, left, and right sides of the label will rotate with the legend when a label is rotated.
CREATING LINES 6. The Right setting places a line at the far right side of the label. A01 7. The @ Pages setting places lines between each page of a continuous label that has multiple pages defined. The @ Pages setting is used for patch panel, outlet, and terminal block labeling. A01 A02 A03 A04 A05 A06 Creating Lines Lines should be accessed from the home screen. To insert a line: 1. Press the LINE key. 2. Use the up or down directional arrow keys to select the desired line position. 3.
CREATING FRAMES Frames Frames are useful for customizing a label. There are three unique frame settings available: Box, Reverse, and Box Off. The Box setting places a box outline around the perimeter of the entire label area. WARNING The Reverse setting places a dark background with light text characters on a label. WARNING The Box Off setting deactivates the frame. Creating a Frame The frame menu should be accessed from the home screen. To insert a frame: 1.
USING PAGES The Page Function The COUGAR™ LS9 provides 9 separate pages for each label. Label items, including text and tools may be placed on each of the 9 pages. The pages function is particularly useful for creating non-standard serializations that do not follow a common increment. The pages function is also useful for creating text on patch panel labels, faceplate labels, outlet labels, or terminal block labels.
USING SPECIAL FUNCTIONS Special Functions The COUGAR™ LS9 has several special functions that may be accessed by pressing the F keys at the top of the keypad. The special functions are listed in a menu that appears when pressing F1. The entire list of special functions includes: • F1 – Display or Exit the Special Function (F Key) Menu • F2 – Store and recall user profiles o There are two user profiles available for storing your favorite settings for text font size, label rotation, and label mode.
SETTING UP THE COUGAR LS9 AND USING FILE MANAGER The Setup Menu The setup menu is used to modify the default printer settings. The setup menu should be accessed from the home screen. To access the setup menu press the SETUP key. Use the setup menu to view or adjust the settings for language, units, bar code default, contrast, heat, firmware version number, cut/pause, and automatic shutoff.
SETTING UP THE COUGAR LS9 AND USING FILE MANAGER Label Modes To edit the label mode, press the LABEL key. 1. Use the up or down directional arrows to select the desired mode and then press .
SETTING UP THE COUGAR LS9 AND USING FILE MANAGER The COUGAR™ LS9 has the ability to store and recall label files. Label files are stored and recalled within File Manager. Label files are designated with a .LS8 ending. The file type is shared with the PANTHER™ LS8E printer. To access the File Manager, press the SHIFT key and then press the PAGE key: 1. Use the right or left directional arrow keys to select the desired file. There are 10 file storage locations in the COUGAR™ LS9.
LABELING EXERCISES Exercise 1 Create a wire marker on continuous cloth tape • • • • • • Results: Step 1: Insert a continuous cloth tape cassette, such as T100X000CBCBK Step 2: When prompted, select New Blank File. Save previous label if necessary. Step 3: Press F4 (this is the quick key for wire marking settings) Step 4: Set length as 1.50 inches Step 5: Type 1234 Step 6: Press PRINT 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 Hint: The text size defaults to 10 point font when pressing F4.
LABELING EXERCISES Exercise 3 Create basic text on continuous tape • • • • Results: Step 1: Insert a continuous tape label cassette such as T100X000VUCBK Step 2: When prompted, select New Blank File. Save previous label if necessary. Step 3: Type 220 VOLTS Step 4: Press PRINT 220 VOLTS Vertical Text Hint: T100X000VUC-BK defaults to 36 point font printed in Tape Mode with an “Auto” length setting. You can adjust the font size by pressing the SIZE key.
LABELING EXERCISES Exercise 4 Create serialized wire markers with heat shrink tubing • • • • • Step 1: Insert a heat shrink tubing label cassette such as H000X044F1C Step 2: When prompted, select New Blank File. Save previous label if necessary.
LABELING EXERCISES Exercise 5 Create a symbol label on continuous tape • • • • • • • Step 1: Insert a continuous tape label cassette, such as T100X000VXCBK Step 2: When prompted, select New Blank File. Save previous label if necessary.
LABELING EXERCISES Enter start, end, and increment values Scroll down or up to Place On… Select Place On… Labels (this allows more than 9 terminals in a serialization Step 6: Press Print o If you see the Tools too big error, then reduce the font size, increase terminal space, or check the label rotation. • Hint: You can separate the terminal legends with lines across the label. To do this, press the Line key, select @ Pages – Yes. Press Enter.
LABELING EXERCISES Exercise 8 Create a face plate or patch panel label • • • • • • • • • • • Step 1: Insert a continuous tape label cassette, such as T100X000VXCBK Step 2: When prompted, select New Blank File. Save previous label if necessary. Step 3: Type “A” Step 4: Press the INSERT key and select Serial Step 5: Enter a start value of 01, stop value of 04, and increment value of 1 Step 6: Press ENTER Step 7: Press Shift + LENGTH Step 8: Set length as 0.
PRINTER CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS Cleaning the Print head and Drive Roller The LS9 printer is cleaned using the LS9-CLN, cleaning kit. The print head should be cleaned regularly, and more often in harsh environments. The print head should be cleaned whenever any irregular printing results occur. The drive roller should be cleaned whenever foreign matter, such as dust or adhesive, is present. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Turn OFF power to printer. Remove the cassette door. Unlock the print head latch.
PRINTER CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS Cleaning the Cutter Blade The cutter blade should be cleaned when the quality of the cut indicates that the blade may be dirty. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Turn OFF power to printer. Remove the cassette door. Unlock the print head latch. Remove the label cassette from the printer. Push the cutter button in so that the cutter blade is exposed through the media opening (see images below). Clean the front and back sides of the cutter blade with the cotton swab and cleaning solution.
PRINTER TROUBLESHOOTING This section helps identify printer conditions and problems that can often be solved by the user. If you are unable to correct the problem contact Panduit Technical Support at 866-871-4571 or Panduit Customer Service at 800-7773300. SYMPTOM POWER Printer does not power up properly, and LCD does not come on. PRINTING Not printing. ACTION • • • To turn printer ON, press the power button. Make sure that 6 AA alkaline batteries are loaded in the printer.
PRINTER TROUBLESHOOTING SYMPTOM Printed image is full, but grayish or “translucent”. Voids in printed image: areas where there is no print. CUTTER Cutter does not work DISPLAY Characters on display screen are too light or too dark • ACTION Print head heat setting is too high. Reduce heat setting. The heat setting is accessible in the Setup menu. Press the SETUP key, scroll down to heat and Press ENTER. Reduce the heat setting with the down arrow.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. Question: How do you cut the labels? Answer: Fully press and then release the cutter button. The cutter button is located on the top of the LS9 printer adjacent to the label exit. 2. Question: What is the partial cut function and how is it adjusted? Answer: Partial cutting enhances productivity and organization by keeping a strand of labels together for pulling apart at a job site. The partial cut function leaves a small bit of liner uncut.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 9. Question: If my cassette runs out during a print job, after I reinstall another cassette, will the print job begin where it left off? Answer: No, the print job will start over. To avoid printing duplicate labels, you can change the printing parameters, such as the serialization start or end, before printing. 10. Question: Answer: 11.
WARRANTY INFORMATION Our products are warranted to be free from defects in material and workmanship at the time of sale but our obligation under this warranty is limited to the replacement of any product proved to be defective within 6 months (for product) or 90 days (for printers) from the date of delivery. Printer warranty is void if Panduit printers are modified, altered or misused in any way.
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS Print Method: Effective Print Width: Print Length: Print Resolution: Label Width: Media Length: Media Types: Materials: Media Cutting: Display: LCD Contrast Control: Operating System: Power Supply: AC Adapter: Oper. Temp/Hum: Stor. Temp/Hum: Compliance: Weight Thermal transfer 1.00” (25.4 mm) 12.00” (maximum label length) 203 dpi (horizontally and vertically) 0.24” to 1.