510984.
510984.qxd 11/30/2006 12:31 PM Page ii Notices: The information in this document is subject to change without notice. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS MADE WITH REGARD TO THIS MATERIAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. No liability is assumed for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:07 AM Page iii Table of Contents Section 1: Getting Started ...............................................................................1 A. Choosing a Good Location ................................................................1 B. Unpacking and Inspection.................................................................2 C. Identifying the Parts ...........................................................................3 D. Computer Specifications ..........................
Interactive.qxd 9/6/2005 3:30 PM Page 1 Interactive Feature in this PDF Document There are interactive features that will allow you to jump to different locations within the document. Each listing in the Table of Contents is interactive. Place the cursor on either the words or the page number. A small hand with a pointing finger icon appears. Click on the line with the icon and the document will jump to that page.
10984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:07 AM Page 1 TOC INDEX Section 1: Getting Started THANK YOU… ...for choosing an LX400 Color Label Printer. The LX400 Printer will print razor-sharp text and barcodes, vibrant colors, and even stunning photo-realistic photographs directly onto rolls of labels, card stock and fan-fold stock. This User's Manual is your complete step-by-step guide to quickly and easily setting up and printing with your new Color Label Printer! A.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 2 TOC INDEX B. UNPACKING AND INSPECTION While unpacking your printer, inspect the carton to ensure that no damage has occurred during shipping. Make sure that all supplied accessories are included with your unit.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 3 TOC INDEX C. IDENTIFYING THE PARTS This illustration shows the front of the printer with its control buttons and LED indicator lights. Power LED Ink Low LED Label Stock TOF Sensor Bar Top Cover Label Tear Bar Pause Button Load/Feed Button Unload Button The Pause Button pauses the printer AFTER the printing of the current label has finished to allow for loading of label stock and ink cartridge.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 4 INDEX TOC This illustration shows the input ports and power switch found on the rear panel of the printer. Fan-fold Label Slot Power Switch USB Port Power Input Port D.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:40 AM Page 5 INDEX TOC Section 2: Hardware and Software Setup A. INSTALLING THE PC SOFTWARE The Installer Disc has a menu that will guide you through the process of setting up your duplicator. Please refer to the following for more information on each step: 1. Place the Installer CD in your CDRom Drive. The Installer application should automatically launch in a few moments. If it does, proceed to Step 2.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 6 INDEX TOC C. CONNECTING POWER 1. Locate the power adapter supplied with your printer. 2. Place one end of the adapter cord into the power port on the rear panel of the printer. 3. Plug the power cord of the adapter into an available wall outlet or surge protecting power strip. Once the power cord is connected, the printer can be switched on and off using the power switch. D.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 7 INDEX TOC Select "Install the software automatically" and click Next. You may see a notice like the one shown here stating that the Printer has not passed Windows Logo Testing. Click Continue Anyway to continue installing the printer driver for your Publisher. If you are using Macintosh: When connecting USB to a Mac it may be necessary to Add the printer via the Printer Setup Utility. 1. Open the Printer Setup Utility located in the Applications Utilities folder.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 8 INDEX TOC 2. Click Add. Select the Color Label 400 from the list of available printers. Click Add again. Note: These instructions and screen captures are for use with OS 10.4.x E. INSTALLING LABEL STOCK Your printer will utilize a wide variety of paper label stock. As long as the label stock is paper and can receive ink jet printing and is within the allotted size, it will work in the printer.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM TOC 3. Page 9 INDEX Remove any shipping tape from your label stock roll to ensure that it can unroll freely, making certain that no adhesive portion is exposed. It is important to note that any exposed adhesive surface can attach itself the inner workings of the print mechanism and cause a media jam.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 10 INDEX TOC 5. Place the leading edge of the label stock between the throat guide and the side of the printer. Throat Guide 6. Feed the label stock further into the printer until it senses the label and automatically feeds it through the printer. If the printer fails to feed the label stock, press the Feed button on the front panel while continuing to guide the label stock into the printer. F.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 11 INDEX TOC Circular Labels If you are using Circular Labels you must adjust the Stock sensor to correspond with the very top of the label where the circles are closest together. If the sensor is too far to the right or the left the printer will still sense the label but the image may be offset downward because the printer will start printing at the wrong position.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 12 INDEX TOC To adjust the sensor position use a pen to move the slide bar to the correct postion. G. USING FAN-FOLD LABEL STOCK It is possible to use fan-fold label stock by feeding it through the fan-fold slot in the the back of the printer. Before feeding the fan-fold stock through the back of the printer, lock the stock guide in the out position so the stock guide rollers will not interfere with the label stock.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 13 INDEX TOC H. INSTALLING THE INK CARTRIDGE Your printer has a built-in ink tracking system. This system is designed to warn you if your ink cartridge is low on ink. This ensures your labels will print properly and that the printer can create large batches of labels unattended and worry-free. In order to make this system work properly, the cartridge must be changed using the procedure listed below.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 14 TOC INDEX 11. Push cartridge cover downward until it snaps in place. 12. Click OK on your screen to indicate the new cartridge is now installed. Once you click OK you will be prompted to align the cartridge. A warning will appear stating that you must have installed label stock that is equal to or larger than 4" x 4" (101.6 mm x 101.6 mm). If your label stock meets this requirement click OK to align the cartridge.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 TOC c. 9:08 AM Page 15 INDEX Cut or fold a 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper in half length wise so that it is no wider than 4.25 inches. Pull the the label stock guide all the way out and lock it in place using the instructions in Section 2G. Push the paper into the feed area. Once the printer senses the page it will pull it into place.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 16 INDEX TOC Section 3: Printing Using a PC A. USING NICELABEL Your printer ships with a basic version of Niceware's NiceLabel software. This easy-to-use software is designed to allow you to create full color labels with text and barcodes quickly and simply. The following is a tutorial to guide you through creating and printing a sample label. Launch NiceLabel from your computer's Start Menu. Note: You are not required to print from the NiceLabel software.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 TOC 9:08 AM Page 17 INDEX b. Select your printer. This should be the Color Label Printer. Click Finish. 3. Now you will see your label in the Document Window. You can start to design your label using Tools from the Tool Box. First, we will use the Text Tool. a. Click the Text Tool Icon in your Toolbox, then move the text cursor over the Document Window and click in the location where you want to enter text.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 18 INDEX TOC 4. Now, insert a barcode. a. Click the Barcode Tool Icon from the Toolbox. You will now have a Barcode Cursor that can be positioned anywhere within the Document Window. Position your cursor in the general area where you wish your barcode to print and click to start entering your barcode information. There is no need to be exact, once you create your barcode it can easily be moved and/or resized. Once clicked, you will see the Barcode Wizard.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 TOC 9:08 AM Page 19 INDEX b. The first screen in the Barcode Wizard will allow you to select the type of Barcode you wish to print. You can also enter the data to be used in the barcode. For this we are doing a simple UPC-A barcode. For more information on other types of barcodes, please see Section 3B. Creating Barcodes in NiceLabel. c. Click OK, then click Finish and your Barcode will be placed on your label with "Edit Handles" to allow you to move and resize your barcode.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM INDEX TOC 5. Page 20 Now insert a graphic. Click on the Graphics Tool Icon in the toolbox. You will now see a Graphics Cursor. Drag the cursor to the general area where you wish to place the graphic and click to get an Open dialog box. You will be prompted to browse for graphic files. NiceLabel will accept bitmap graphics formatted as BMP, JPG, TIF, WMF, PNG and many more. a.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 TOC 9:08 AM Page 21 INDEX b. There are other tools at your disposal to align the object or add shapes. On the right side of the screen you will see alignment tools so you can align the objects on your label in relation to each other. Select objects by clicking on them or clicking and dragging a "lasso" around multiple objects or by holding down the SHIFT key and clicking on each object individually.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 22 INDEX TOC B. CREATING BARCODES IN NICELABEL a. Click the Barcode Tool Icon from the Toolbox. b. You will now have a Barcode Cursor that can be positioned anywhere within the Document Window. Position your cursor in the general area where you wish your barcode to print and click to start entering your barcode information. Once clicked, you will see the Barcode Wizard. i.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 TOC 9:08 AM Page 23 INDEX iii. This contains four tabs, General, Check Digit, Human Readable and Details. iv. The General Tab allows you to choose the appropriate barcode type from the Available barcodes: menu. You can choose one- or two-dimensional barcodes. Note that different barcode types have different requirements - some of them only allow numbers to be encoded, while others only allow upper case characters.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM TOC Page 24 INDEX When you change the barcode dimension directly from the screen by moving the drag handle, the changed dimension will also appear in this dialog box. Some of the barcode types also allow the definition of Narrowto-wide bar ratio. It can only be set from the predefined steps in the pull-down menu - 1:2, 1:3 or 2:5. Base element width (mils) is calculated automatically from the X expansion factor. v.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 25 TOC INDEX C. PRINTER DRIVER SETTINGS (PC) Once the printer driver has been successfully installed, you will need to setup the driver with the appropriate print options. Refer to the following steps to change or verify your default printer driver preferences. These settings will apply to all new designs created in NiceLabel or other programs after the preferences were changed.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 26 INDEX TOC NOTE on PC Settings: Most applications allow you to change these same printer driver options from their "Print" and/or "Printer Setup" screens. Some applications such as NiceLabel save your settings with the label, others use settings only for the current print job just sent to the printer. Paper Size If you are using NiceLabel, this setting is adjusted during the label setup wizard.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM TOC Page 27 INDEX Color Matching Best for Graphics mode is best used for graphical images where accurate color reproduction is not as essential. Images printed in this mode will look more vibrant because more ink is being used to produce them. However, printing images of people may produce skin tones that have a reddish tint. Best for Photos mode is best used for photographic images where accurate color reproduction is very essential.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 28 TOC INDEX Clean/Change Cartridge & Check Ink Levels Click this setting to reveal a Properties button. Click Properties and you will see the color ink level as well as buttons allowing you to either clean or change your ink cartridge. If you have printed a label you will see an estimation of prints remaining of the last label. This number can also be used to calculate total number of labels you can print from one cartridge and also ink cost per label.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 29 TOC INDEX Change Cartridge Click the Change Cartridge button to move the cartridge into position for easy access for replacement. For more information on this see Section 2H. When installing cartridge you will be prompted to align your cartridge as described earlier in this section. Details/Print Counter Clicking on the Details button will allow you to view information about printer settings stored on the printer.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM TOC Page 30 INDEX Output Mode Do not present (use with Rewinder). The label stock does not move after the last label is printed. This means that part of the last label printed is still in the printer. This should be used only if you have a label rewinder attached. Present (Default). This setting will cause the printer to feed the last label printed forward so that it and the previously printed labels can be torn off using the tear bar.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 31 INDEX TOC Left Margin Offset This will be factory calibrated. If fine tuning is needed, increase this setting to move the image right on the label; decrease this setting to move the image to the left on the label. The unit of measure is 0.1mm. Top of Form (TOF) This setting allows you to fine tune the print starting position on your label stock. This will be factory calibrated. If fine tuning is needed, increase this value to move the image down on the label.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 32 TOC INDEX Section 4: Printing Using a Macintosh NOTE: You must set the Printer and Page Setup by clicking on these buttons each time you print. You must perform these steps each time you print even if what you see on the preview screen appears correct. A. PRINTING ON A MAC FROM ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR 1. Create your document using the File - New command. Set your Width and Height to correspond with the label stock installed in the Printer. 2.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 TOC 9:08 AM Page 33 INDEX 3. The printer settings screen defaults to Copies and Pages. Click the drop down arrow to change the screen to Label Printer Settings. 4. Change your printer settings to the desired quality.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 34 TOC INDEX 5. Click Print to return to the print preview screen. Now click Page Setup to change the label size set in the printer driver. You must click the Page Setup button every time you print even if the preview screen looks correct. 6. The paper/label size defaults to 4x4 or whatever was last used.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 TOC 9:08 AM Page 35 INDEX 7. Click on the drop down arrow to select a predefined label size or create a custom size by clicking Manage Custom Sizes. For this example there is a 4x3 predefined size. If your label is on the list choose it, click OK and move on to step 10. If your label is not on the list click Manage Custom Sizes from the list. 8. To create a custom size click the +. Now double click the default name that appears to name the custom label.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 36 TOC 9. INDEX If you have created a custom size you will need to choose it again here by clicking the drop down arrow and choosing the custom size. Click OK. 10. You are now ready to print your label. First, check the orientation. The label shown on the preview screen is how your label will print. Make sure there is no white space around the label. If there is white space you may have to change the orientation or the page size. Second, verify the width and height.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:08 AM Page 37 INDEX TOC B. CREATING BARCODES ON A MAC You can integrate barcode printing into any application that can print to the printer by using Mac Barcode Maker. Mac Barcode Maker can be purchased from their website at www.barcodeformac.com This application was tested using Adobe Illustrator. Follow the instructions that are included with the application to use it with your program.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM Page 38 TOC INDEX D. PRINTER DRIVER SETTINGS (MAC) To find Printer Driver Settings on Mac: 1. Click Print from within any printing application. The following screen will appear: 2. Click the Copies and Pages drop down arrow. Choose Label Printer Settings.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 TOC 9:09 AM Page 39 INDEX Print Quality There are 4 levels of print quality in the driver. The lower the Quality, the faster the print. Quality 1 provides the fastest print available while Quality 4 provides the best photo quality. It is recommended that you experiment with the different levels when designing your label to find a good balance between print quality and print speed.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM Page 40 TOC INDEX Config. Utility Click on the Config. Utility to access the following screen. A description of each setting on this screen is below. Clean Cartridge If it has been more than 48 hours since your last print or if your print quality has deteriorated with bands or lines it is recommended that you clean the cartridge. This is done by clicking the Clean Cartridge button. Note: You will be prompted to load label stock of 4"x 4" (101.6 mm x 101.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM TOC Page 41 INDEX Cartridge Alignment Cartridge alignment will align the Color Cartridge for bidirectional printing and calibrate the printer to each individual cartridge. You will automatically be prompted to perform this alignment each time you install a new cartridge. To manually align the cartridge, click on Cartridge Alignment to reveal a Properties button. Click this button to start the Alignment procedure. You will be prompted to have label stock of 4"x4" (101.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM Page 42 INDEX TOC Tear Off Position If Output Mode (described later in this section) is set to Present, the printer will present your labels over the Tear Bar for easy removal. This tear off position is set at the factory. If fine tuning is needed to align the break in your label stock over the Tear Bar, increase this setting to eject the label further; decrease this setting to eject the label stock less. The unit of measure is 0.1 mm.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 TOC 9:09 AM Page 43 INDEX Sensor Type Sensor Type refers to the method the printer will use to detect the print starting position for each label. If you are using standard die-cut labels or Through-hole label material where a hole is punched through each label for alignment purposes use the Through-hole/Die-Cut setting. Use Reflective for black stripe sensing label material where a pre-printed line on the back of the label stock indicates the break between labels.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM Page 44 TOC INDEX Section 5: Troubleshooting A. SOLVING REGISTRATION PROBLEMS Image is Vertically Offset The LX400 decides where to start printing by detecting the start of die-cut label, detecting a black mark on the back or detecting a thru-hole that corresponds to the start of the label. The following items can cause the label sensor to improperly detect the start of a label: 1. TOF Offset.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM Page 45 INDEX TOC 2. Nonstandard / Non-translucent Backing Material. Test the unit with the label sample material that came with the unit. If it prints correctly, your label stock may not be compatible. The label sensor needs to see the difference between a label and a backing material by seeing through the label stock for light variations. If it can not see through the label, problems will arise.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM TOC Page 46 INDEX Note: Often times a space on the right (printers left) side indicates a margin around the label that is not being accounted for. The printer is factory calibrated for a 2mm margin. A larger margin around the label will cause a right (printers left) side space. Page Size. Often the page size is not large enough for the label.
0984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM Page 47 INDEX TOC B. CREATING A FULL BLEED PRINT 1. If you are having trouble making the image cover the entire label, first make sure the image is printing at least as big as the label size you have selected. To accomplish this using Nice Label, make the image a few millimeters larger than the label by dragging the image over the edge of the label on all sides. The bounding box around the image will turn red when it is over the edge of the label.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM Page 48 INDEX TOC C. CLEARING A LABEL JAM If there is a label jam in the printer mechanism first attempt to remove the jam by opening the cover and removing the jam from the printer feed output area. If the jam can not be located, it is possible to remove a cover over the feed input area. Pull on the center of the cover as shown below to release the tabs on the sides. To prevent future jams, use rubbing alcohol to remove an adhesive left in the printer feed area.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM Page 49 INDEX TOC E. CLEANING THE INK CARTRIDGE It may be necessary to clean the ink cartridge nozzles if you notice reduced print quality, or if you suspect an cartridge nozzle has become slightly dried out or clogged. If you are having print quality problems, follow the steps below: 1. Remove the print cartridge. 2. Moisten a lint-free cloth with water. 3. Hold the cloth against the nozzles for three seconds.
510984.qxd 11/30/2006 12:32 PM Page 50 INDEX TOC Section 6: Label and Roll Specifications Label Sensing Methods Label Width Liner Width Gap Between Labels Method 1: Label Gap Sensing Distance from edge of Media Method 2: Thru-Hole Sensing Width of Opening Label Height Distance from edge of Media to edge of Label Method 3: Reflective/Black Mark Sensing (Black Mark must be printed on back side of label stock) Black Mark Width Note: See table below for Max and Min values in inches and mm..
510984.qxd 11/30/2006 12:32 PM Page 51 INDEX TOC Max Min Distance from edge of media to edge of thru-hole 1.90" (48.3mm) 0.20" (5.1mm) Reflective/Black Mark Width* Equal to distance 0.10" (2.5mm) between labels Max Outer Diameter (OD) 5.0"(127mm) N/A Inner Core Diameter (ID) see roll specifications below Stock Thickness .006” (152 micron) Distance from edge of media to edge of label Printer driver assumes 2 mm gap. However, this is adjustable via the left margin offset.
510984.
510984.qxd 11/21/2006 9:09 AM Page 53 TOC Index Barcode Wizard...................................................................18, 19, 22 Cartridge Alignment ..........................................................14, 27, 41 Cleaning Ink Cartridge ..................................................................49 Connecting Power.............................................................................6 High Gloss Label Stock ....................................................................
510984.
