Color Sign Printer User’s Manual
Notices The information in this document is subject to change without notice. THE PRINTER MANUFACTURER MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH REGARD TO THIS MATERIAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The printer manufacturer shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
For Users in the United States: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Section 1: Introduction A. How Your Color Sign Printer Works .........1 B. Special Features ............................................2 Section 2: Safety Precautions .........................3 Section 3: Getting Started A. B. C. D. E. Choosing a Good Location ..........................8 About Moisture Condensation ...................8 Unpacking and Inspection ..........................8 Identifying the Parts .....................................9 Removing the Ribbon Cartridge ..............
Section 8: Using the Print Backgrounder for Macintosh A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Introduction..................................................54 Installing the Backgrounder ......................54 Printing with the Backgrounder ...............54 The Backgrounder Status Window ..........55 Backgrounder Menus .................................55 Problems During a Background Print .....57 Batch Printing...............................................58 Section 9: Printing with Your Color Sign Printer A.
A. How Your Color Sign Printer Works The Color Sign Printer utilizes two different, yet closely related printing technologies to achieve its remarkable output Ñ thermal transfer and dyesublimation. Thermal Transfer Thermal transfer is a process which uses either a resin-based or a wax-based ribbon roll as a carrier for transferring color to either ribbonsÕ appropriate type of print media (see Section 4 for more information on these ribbons and the appropriate print media for each).
B. Special Features With its dual function thermal transfer/dyesublimation color printing capability, the Color Sign Printer offers you incredible printing versatility. Its wax thermal transfer mode delivers fast, inexpensive color output or proofs on paper stock, while its resin thermal transfer mode prints outdoor-durable labels, signs, and decals on longlasting vinyl print media. And with its dyesublimation mode, you get continuous-tone, photoquality output no other color printing technology can match.
Before operating the unit, please read the following safety precautions carefully. Warnings CAUTION! TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THE UNIT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE FRONT, TOP, SIDE, OR REAR PANELS. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. ■ Operate the unit only on 120 VAC, 60 Hz, if operating within the United States or Canada.
Avant dÕutiliser lÕappareil, pri•re de lire attentivement les consignes de sŽcuritŽ suivantes. Consignes de sŽcuritŽ Avertissements ATTENTION ! POUR EVITER TOUT RISQUE DÕINCENDIE OU DÕELECTROCUTION, NE PAS EXPOSER LÕAPPAREIL A LA PLUIE OU A LÕHUMIDITE. POUR EVITER TOUTE DECHARGE ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS RETIRER LES PANNEAUX AVANT, SUPERIEUR, LATERAUX OU ARRIERE. NE PAS TENTER DE REPARER SOI-MEME LES PIECES A LÕINTERIEUR DE LÕAPPAREIL. CONFIER LÕENTRETIEN DE LÕAPPAREIL A UN PERSONNEL QUALIFIE.
Prima di dare inizio al funzionamento dellÕunitˆ siete pregati di leggere attentamente le seguenti precauzioni di sicurezza. Avvertenze Precauzioni per la Sicurezza ATTENZIONE! ONDE EVITARE IL PERICOLO DI INCENDIO O SCOSSA ELETTRICA, NON ESPORRE LÕUNITË ALLA PIOGGIA OD UMIDITË. EVITARE DI RIMUOVERE I PANNELLI ANTERIORE, SUPERIORE, LATERALE O POSTERIORE PER RIDURRE IL RISCHIO DI SCOSSA ELETTRICA. LA MANUTENZIONE DELLE PARTI INTERNE DELLÕUNITË NON é DI COMPETENZA DELLÕUTENTE.
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A. Choosing a Good Location 3 Place the unit in a location with adequate air circulation to prevent internal heat build up. 1. Use the dimensions specified in Section 12 as a guideline for the minimum clearances to the unit. 2. Do not place the unit in a location where the ventilation holes located on the rear of the unit could become blocked. 3.
D. Identifying the Parts This illustration shows the features found on the front of your Color Sign Printer. Cancel Button Cover Release Button On-line Button Cancel LED Media Tray Assembly On-line LED The On-Line Button takes the printer on- and offline. When the printer is on-line, the on-line LED light will turn ON. When the printer is off-line, the on-line light will turn OFF. The printer must have its on-line light ON in order to print.
This illustration shows the switches and input ports found on the rear panel of the printer. For more information on these port, please refer to Sections 6, 7, or Appendix A. Parallel Interface Serial Interface Off On Power Switch Power Input Port 10 NOTE Leave the small switches on the rear panel of the printer in the default position unless otherwise instructed by this manual or a factory technician.
1. Press the Cover Release Button. Allow the cover to swing up and open. 2. With the cover open, you can see the Ribbon Cartridge. 3. Remove the shipping tape from both sides of the cartridge. GRASPING EACH SIDE OF THE CARTRIDGE, lift it straight up and carefully remove it from the printer. You are now ready to go on to Section 4 to learn about print ribbons, print media, and how each is loaded into the printer.
A. Introduction 4 Ribbons and Print Media The Color Sign Printer is able to produce a variety of output by using a variety of different print ribbons. Each of these ribbons is unique, and each requires its own compatible print media.
Resin Thermal Transfer For long lasting, outdoor-durable printing, the Color Sign Printer offers both a 3-color (C,M,Y) resin thermal transfer ribbon and a variety of spot color resin ribbons. The 3-color resin ribbon allows you to automatically print full process color images. The spot color resin ribbons allow you to print single or multi-spot-color jobs. Please note that process color output from the 3-color ribbon will dither.
positive film for screens. This ribbon produces 200 prints and provides a maximum printable area of 11.95Ó x 17.4Ó (304 x 442mm). For added convenience, the Color Sign Printer also accepts smaller A/A4 Super-size 4-color wax thermal and dye-sublimation ribbons. These ribbons produce 50 prints and are perfect for printing smaller format images in sizes up to 8.8Ó x 11.3Ó (224 x 287mm).
3. Place the supply end of the ribbon into the supply end of the Ribbon Cartridge as indicated. Make certain that the ribbon is fed from underneath the supply end of the ribbon roll, up and over the top of the take-up end of the ribbon roll. Supply End Take-up End IMPORTANT! DO NOT REVERSE THE RIBBON. DAMAGE MAY OCCUR TO THE THERMAL PRINTHEAD! Once the ribbon is installed into the Ribbon Cartridge, it can then be placed into the printer. D. Placing the Ribbon Cartridge into the Printer 1.
E. About Print Media Dye-Sublimation For dye-sublimation printing, a special dyereceptive paper is required. This paper is specifically designed for printing with the Color Sign PrinterÕs dye-sublimation ribbons and must be used in order to print dye-sublimation output. It is available in a B/A3 Super-size (12Ó x 20Ó/305 x 508mm) and comes packaged in 50 sheet quantities.
#300-Series polyester has a permanent adhesive backing and is available with either a brushed gold or brushed silver metallic finish. These polyester materials are packaged in 100 sheet quantities and are perfect for printing inexpensive plaques and nameplates. All #300-Series print media is available in a B/A3 Super-size (12Ó x 20Ó/305 x 508mm). This print media provides a maximum printable area of 11.95Ó x 17.4Ó (304 x 447mm).
for use only with the Color Sign PrinterÕs wax thermal transfer ribbons. Printed images can be transferred to T-shirts, aprons, banners, sweatshirts, mouse pads, caps, and more. A special FotoMUG! Transfer Kit is also available, which allows you to transfer photo-quality images printed with the standard dye-sublimation supplies to coated ceramic coffee mugs. All transferred images are permanent and machine washable.
The Supply Tray stores the blank media to be printed. The Tray Cover rests on top of the Supply Tray and protects print media within the Supply Tray from dust or other contaminants. The Tray Cover also helps guide media during the printing process and catches finished output after it is printed. If you intend to use a variety of print media, you may wish to purchase additional Media Tray Assemblies.
4. Place the print media Ñ PRINT SIDE FACING DOWN Ñ between the media guides of the Supply Tray. When inserted properly, the backing side of the print media will be facing up. Adjust the media guides snugly against the media stack. This will assure consistent feeding and printing. NOTE Do not attempt to load print media on which you have already printed or which is not factory approved. Printing onto such media may damage the printer. H.
2. Grasp the fully assembled Media Tray Assembly and slide it into the printer until the mounting posts on both sides of the Supply Tray engage the securing notches on both sides of the printerÕs front interior. As the Media Tray Assembly is inserted into the printer, you should hear its spring loaded panel automatically unlatch and spring back to its ÒupÓ position. This panel forces the media stack against the printerÕs feed rollers to assure consistent feeding. I.
Super B/A3 paper size option from within the printer driver setup. If printing onto the extended length 12Ó x 26Ó (305 x 660mm) vinyl, choose the Super B/A3 Long paper size option. Likewise, if printing with the smaller format A/A4 Super-size print supplies, choose the Super A/A4 paper size option. Table 4-1 lists the maximum printable areas for each of these three main paper size options and the types of print media available for each.
A. Applying Power 1. Locate the power cord supplied with your printer. 2. With the printers power switch turned OFF, place one end of the power cord into the power port on the rear panel of the printer. 5 Powering Up the Printer 3. Place the other end of the power cord into an available wall outlet. 4. Once the power cord is connected, press the power switch located on the rear panel of the printer to turn the power ON.
B. Running the Self Test Now that print supplies are installed and power is applied, a self test should be performed to check for proper operation of the printer. The Color Sign Printer is capable of doing a specific self test print for 3-color resin, wax thermal transfer, and dyesublimation. To tell your printer which type of self test you would like it to print, simply configure the small switches on the printerÕs rear panel accordingly.
4. Release the on-line button when you hear the printerÕs engine begin to cycle. The Color Sign Printer will print the self test image. A sample of this image is shown below. PROGRAM VERSION C 1.
A. Connecting the Color Sign Printer to Your PC 6 Using the Color Sign Printer with an IBM-PC or Compatible The Color Sign Printer is equipped with a Centronics parallel interface port. This port is the means through which the printer receives data from your computer. To connect the Color Sign Printer to your computer, simply obtain a shielded, bi-directional parallel cable and refer to the following steps. NOTE 1. Connect the Centronics-type parallel side to the Color Sign Printer.
2. Connect the other side to the back of your PC at the LPT1, LPT2, or PARALLEL connector. Tighten the cableÕs thumbscrews. 3. The Color Sign Printer must have its on-line LED light illuminated to receive data. If the light is not ON, verify that the printer power is ON, and press the on-line button. B. Installing the Windows GDI Printer Driver Software The Color Sign Printer can be used with virtually any Microsoft Windows 3.1x or Windows 95 software application program.
refer to the UserÕs Manual included with that software for complete instructions. Please note that the Windows GDI printer driver packaged with the Color Sign Printer must be installed prior to installing and using the PostScript software. NOTE This section of the OperatorÕs Manual assumes that you are already familiar with Windows and know how it operates.
NOTE Before installing updated printer driver versions, always delete the existing printer driver version from your system. To do this, simply select the printer driver icon from within the Printers folder, and press the Delete key. Windows 3.1x To install the GDI printer driver into Windows 3.1x, refer to the following: 1. After starting Windows, go to the Main program group and select Control Panel. 2. 3. From the Control Panel, select Printers. 4. 5. Select the Add>> button. 6. 7.
C. Installing the 32-Bit Print Spooler for Windows 95 The Color Sign Printer ships with a print utility program called the 32-Bit Print Spooler. This print spooler is for use only with Windows 95. Once installed, the print spooler is able to process your print jobs and send them to the printer at consistently faster speeds than if sending print jobs through the system spooler of Windows 95.
To print with the 32-Bit Print Spooler, you must select the Fast 32-bit Spooler option from within the printer driver setup window (see Part E of this section for further printer driver setup information). When this option is selected, the 32Bit Print Spooler will automatically open and close with the start and finish of each print job. NOTE You can also manually open the 32-Bit Print Spooler simply by selecting its icon from the Programs group of the Start menu.
saved over it. If you do not wish to save the last print job for reprint, deselect this option. To print a saved job, simply select the Print button from the spoolerÕs Current Job tab. The Job Queue tab appears only when a print job is being sent to the printer. This tab tells you the name and status of each job in the queue and shows you the order in which the jobs will print if you have sent multiple jobs to the printer.
2. Double-click on the System icon, select the Device Manager tab, select View devices by type, and double-click on the Ports listing. 3. If your LPT port is set to ÒECP Printer Port,Ó double-click on this line, select the Resources tab, and verify that the Resource settings box has a line which says ÒDirect Memory Access,Ó as shown here. This means that an available DMA channel is assigned. If you have both an ECP Printer Port setting and a DMA channel assigned, skip to step 7.
locate the parallel port option and change it to ECP. When changed, save the BIOS settings and reboot (some computers require you to reboot twice). Then, as described in steps 1-3, go back to Device Manager in Windows 95, and verify that the LPT port registers as ECP and that a DMA channel is available. 5. If, in Device Manager, your LPT port still registers as ÒPrinter Port,Ó doubleclick on the Printer Port line, select the Driver tab, and click on the Change Driver button.
Explorer, select the Ò3 1/2 FloppyÓ drive, and double-click on the file called PRNT5UPD.EXE. The updated parallel port driver will automatically install. Once it is installed, restart your computer and try your print job again. If you are unable to set your computer as described in this setup procedure or if you have problems printing through the 32-Bit Print Spooler, refer to the troubleshooting tip, ÒIÕm having problems printing from Windows 95Ó on page 73 for additional information. E.
3. The Color Sign Printer Setup screen appears. Change the options as follows: Paper Size Click on the Paper Size down arrow. A list of paper size selections will appear. Select the paper size option that matches the print media size currently installed in the printer. See Section 4-E and 4-I for additional paper size information. Ribbon Type Click on the Ribbon Type down arrow. A list of ribbon type options will appear. Select the option appropriate for the ribbon type currently installed in the printer.
Processed 3 Color Resin Processed 4 Color Resin Paneled 3 Color Resin Paneled 4 Color Resin NOTE Select if using the yellow, magenta, and cyan spot color ribbons to print a full process color image. Skipping the black ribbon increases print speed but will produce a ÒcompositeÓ black instead of a ÒtrueÓ black. See Section 9-C for more information on this printing process. Select if using the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black spot color ribbons to print a full process color image.
Since the default system profiles provided are generic, the colors of some monitors may still vary slightly from your output. As a solution, raw printer profiles are included in case you would like to combine your custom monitor profiles with the printer profiles. This can be done through many of the third-party color matching utility programs currently available. Dither Pattern This option allows you to choose between two types of dither patterns: Fine or Coarse.
Enhance Fine Text This option only applies when printing with a dyesublimation ribbon type. When selected, this option allows the Color Sign Printer to apply a software-based spatial filter. This filter brings out the fine detail of smaller text and lines and allows them to print with much greater definition and clarity. Image processing time will increase when using this option.
NOTE When printing with the Fast 32-Bit Print Spooler or the Write Direct to Port option selected, the Print to File option found within many Windows application programs is not supported. The Print to File option is supported only when printing through the Windows system print spooler. Perfed Paper Select this option only if printing onto A-Long or A4-Long wax thermal transfer paper or transparency film with perfed extensions. Orientation Select either Portrait or Landscape.
A. Connecting the Color Sign Printer to your Macintosh The Color Sign Printer is designed to be used with any Macintosh which supports Color QuickDraw, which is running system software 7.0 or higher, and which has a Geo-compatible serial port. Current GeoPortª compatible computers include all PowerPCÕs and Mac AVÕs.
2. Connect the other end to your computerÕs Printer or Modem port. 3. The Color Sign Printer must have its on-line LED light illuminated to receive data. If the light is not ON, verify that the printer power is ON, and press the on-line button. NOTE When connecting the Color Sign Printer to your computer, it is very important to always use a highquality interface cable suitable for the Color Sign PrinterÕs high-speed rate of data transmission.
the QuickDraw printer driver packaged with the Color Sign Printer must be installed prior to installing and using the PostScript software. NOTE This section of the OperatorÕs Manual assumes that you are already familiar with the Macintosh operating system and know how it operates. If you are not yet familiar with it, consult the appropriate Apple documentation to become familiar with the basics of Macintosh before proceeding.
5. When the installer window appears, select the options you would like the installer program to install. In most instances, the default selections will suffice. For a description of each of these options, refer to the notes found in the box directly above these options (use the up and down arrows to scroll through the notes). Once the desired options are selected, click on Install. The appropriate files will automatically install onto your computer. Insert additional install disks as prompted.
foreground of your application while printing in the background. Refer to Section 8 for more information on background printing. If you chose not to install the Backgrounder, the ChooserÕs Background Printing option will be inactive and grayed out. 5. Once your selections have been made, click on the box in the upper left-hand corner of the Chooser to close it. The next time you open the Chooser, the selected driver will no longer be highlighted.
Ribbon Type Click on the Ribbon Type box. A list of ribbon type options will appear. Select the option appropriate for the ribbon type currently installed in the printer. The following table explains each of these options. See Section 4-B for additional ribbon information.
Orientation Select the appropriate icon according to the orientation of your particular image. Print Quality The Print quality option determines the resolution at which the document will be printed. Draft provides a quick print at screen resolution (72 dpi). High uses the maximum resolution supported by the Color Sign Printer which is 300 x 300 dpi. High quality prints take longer to print and require more memory.
32 bit QuickDraw Selecting this option increases the maximum number of colors the printer driver can print from 256 to 16.7 million and, in most cases, should always be selected. Mirrored When the Mirrored box is checked, the printer driver will print the image in a reversed format, making the printed image appear as if you were viewing it in a mirror. This is useful when printing images for heat transfers.
Making the dots four or five times larger, however, can make the bitmaps look ragged. The Better bitmap scaling option works by enlarging the size of the print enough for all 72-dpi bitmaps to be printed with an integer dot increase. If this option is selected, however, the image printed will be reduced in size by 4%. Enhance Fine Text This option only applies when printing with a dyesublimation ribbon type. When selected, this option allows the Color Sign Printer to apply a software-based spatial filter.
ribbonÕs clear overlay panel. Please note that image durability will be minimal if this overlay is not applied. In most cases, the only time the overlay should not be applied when using this ribbon type is if you intend to heat transfer printed images to coated ceramic coffee mugs. Dither Pattern This option allows you to choose between two types of dither patterns: Fine or Coarse.
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Perceptual: All the colors of a given source profile are scaled to fit within the range of colors that can be printed. The colors maintain their relative positions, so the relationship between colors is maintained. Solid Color Relative: All colors that fall within the range of both source and printer profiles are left unchanged. This type of color matching allows some colors to be exactly the same.
The Calibrate option also allows you to send a simple self test print to the printer by clicking on the Send button for either the Wax Test Image or 12Ó Dye Test Image. Be sure the appropriate B/A3-Super size print supplies are installed for the type of test print you select. The 12Ó Dye Test works only with the 4-color (C,M,Y,K) dyesublimation ribbon.
8 Using the Print Backgrounder for Macintosh A. Introduction The Color Sign Printer printer driver for Macintosh provides a background print utility called the Print Backgrounder. This print utility is turned on or off through the Chooser. When the Backgrounder is turned on, it allows you to conveniently continue working in the foreground of your application while printing in the background. When Backgrounder is turned off, all print jobs are processed immediately in the foreground of your application.
D. The Backgrounder Status Window Status of currently processing print job “On hold” print job List of queued print jobs Print job in which a print error has occurred The Backgrounder status window gives you detailed information about the status of the print job currently processing and about each print job waiting in the queue. The status of the job currently processing displays at the top of the status window.
be enabled and manipulated with the following commands of the File menu: New Log File: Selects a new file in which to maintain your ongoing Backgrounder printing log. Save Copy of Log as: Saves the current Log file to a new file name or location of your specification. Start Recording Log: Begins logging print history. Before the Log file is started, you are asked to specify a Log file in which to save your processed print job entries. When logging begins, this option dims.
and how much time it spends in the foreground application (interpreting mouse clicks, key presses, etc.). When the priority is set to High, Backgrounder processes the image faster, but the foreground application may become less responsive. With the priority set to Low, Backgrounder takes longer to process the image, yet the responsiveness of the other applications is improved. Jobs menu All commands in the Jobs menu act on the currently selected job. Hold: Prevents an individual job from being processed.
Backgrounder icon. A small diamond symbol is also displayed next to the Backgrounder icon within the Application menu. Complete and save any work in the foreground application before bringing the Backgrounder to the front. Once Backgrounder is in the foreground, the error dialog displays and processing continues or is canceled. Some errors force Backgrounder to stop processing all jobs. G.
A. Interpreting the LED Indicator Lights The Color Sign Printer communicates several different print conditions through the cancel and on-line LED indicator lights on the printerÕs front panel. It is very important that you understand what the various LED sequences mean in order to effectively operate the printer. Please refer to the following for an explanation of each LED sequence. ■ Both the cancel and on-line LEDÕs are solid.
■ The on-line LED is flashing quickly. This indicates that you may be out of print media or print ribbon. Replace media as required. This can also indicate that print media is not properly feeding. If, for any reason, the printer is unable to feed media or advance the ribbon after several seconds of trying, it will time out and the on-line light will flash. Correct the problem and press the on-line button to continue printing.
seconds to several minutes for printing to begin. Generally, photos and complicated graphics take longer to RIP. 5. Once rasterization is complete, the Color Sign Printer will feed in a sheet of print media and begin printing. The Color Sign Printer always prints the Yellow panel first followed by the Magenta panel and the Cyan panel. If the installed ribbon includes a Black panel or an Overlay panel, this panel will print last.
4. Select Print Setup or Page Setup from the File menu of your program. 5. Select Processed 4 Color Resin from the Ribbon Type option to print with the printerÕs 4-color print process or Processed 3 Color Resin to print with the 3-color print process. The introduction at the beginning of this section explains the difference between the two. While in the Print Setup window, also check that all of the other appropriate printer driver options are selected.
with the 4-color print process, the print media will automatically eject after the black pass has finished printing. D. Printing a One Color Image with a SpotColor Resin Ribbon This section offers an example of how to print a standard spot color sign which has only one color. Refer to the following steps to begin printing. 1. 2. Go to your graphics application program. Open or create the image you wish to print.
the on-line button to begin printing. Do not open the cover of the printer before the cancel and online lights begin flashing or after they have stopped! This will cancel your print job. While printing, you can only open the printerÕs cover or change ribbons when the cancel and on-line lights are alternately flashing. 9. After your single-color image has printed, the print media will again be retracted back into the printer. The reason for this is explained in Part E of this section.
photos and complex graphics take longer to raster than images composed primarily of text or simple graphics. 6. Once rasterization is complete, a sheet of print media will feed into the printer and out onto the Media Tray Cover, then it will retract back into the printer and pause. When the printer pauses the cancel and on-line LED lights will begin alternately flashing. 7. When these lights begin flashing, you have two choices: 1.
10 A. Supplies Required Printer Cleaning Kit Isopropyl alcohol Small vacuum cleaner Maintenance The Color Sign Printer is built to require a minimum amount of maintenance. Nevertheless, there are a few procedures you can perform on a regular basis or as needed to ensure the best possible performance.
Use the following illustration to locate the items discussed in this section: Ribbon Guard Printhead Printhead Printhead Cover Media Tray Cover Drive Roller Media Supply Tray B. Cleaning the Printhead This procedure is performed if you notice a streak running the length of the page where color was not transferred. 1. Open the printerÕs Top Cover by pressing the Cover Release Button. 2. 3. Remove the Ribbon Cartridge from the printer.
IMPORTANT! Never use a sharp tool or a metal object of any kind to clean the printhead. You will damage the printhead! C. Cleaning the PrinterÕs Case Your Color Sign Printer has a durable casing that should retain its luster and appearance for many years. Clean it with a Cleaning Pad from the Printer Cleaning Kit or a soft, lint-free cloth slightly moistened with water or a mild soap. Do not use excess water or cleaning solvents of any kind. Never spray the cabinet with a cleaner.
4. Press the cancel button to clear its input buffer memory. Select the Cancel button (or equivalent) in your application program. Start the print over again. F. Clearing a Ribbon Jam If the ribbon becomes jammed in the printerÕs drive roller (visible when you open the printerÕs top cover), use the following procedure to correct the problem. 1. Leave the power on and open the cover of the printer by pressing the Cover Release Button. 2.
H. Cleaning the In-Feed Rollers The In-Feed Rollers are visible when the printerÕs Media Tray Assembly is removed. These rollers serve to pull print media out of the Supply Tray and feed it up into the printer. This procedure should be performed only if your printer consistently seems to be having difficulty pulling in blank print media from the Media Supply Tray. If you do not experience such difficulty, you do not need to clean these rollers. Use the following steps to clean the In-Feed Rollers. 1.
A. General Troubleshooting for the Color Sign Printer If you have difficulty operating your Color Sign Printer, the troubleshooting suggestions in this section should, in most cases, solve the problem. If you still have difficulty after trying these suggestions, call Technical Support. Customer and technical support representatives are available Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM Central Standard Time. To contact a technical support representative, call (612) 941-8121 or FAX (612) 941-1852.
from your application. Refer to the following list for possible causes to this printer error condition. The on-line LED light is flashing (pulsing) slowly. 72 ■ Check that you have properly loaded print media and a print ribbon and that you have not run out of either. Replace media as required (see Section 4). ■ Make sure the Ribbon Type option selected in the printer driver matches the type of ribbon currently installed in the Color Sign Printer (see Section 6-E or 7-D for Ribbon Type information).
IÕm having problems printing from Windows 95. ■ If flashing slowly and you are printing from a Macintosh, you may have the printer connected to a serial port which has been added on to your computerÕs main board. Such add-on ports may not be fast enough to sustain the printerÕs highspeed rate of data transmission. To solve this problem, connect the printer to one of your computerÕs built-in ports such as the Printer or Modem port. Keep in mind, however, that you must be using a Geo-compatible serial port.
5. Deselect both the Check Port state before printing option and the Spool MS-DOS print jobs option, and click on OK. 6. Lastly, increase the Transmission retry value of the Details tab from 45 to 900. Click on OK to close the Properties window. The print media or ribbon is jammed. Symptoms: The Color Sign Printer stops printing and the Printer on-line LED light is flashing. ■ Check that you have properly loaded print media and a print ribbon according to the instructions in Section 4.
My prints have poor or faded print quality. My DyeSublimation prints look very dithered or pixelated. ■ Be sure you have the appropriate supplies installed. Do not, for example, use dyesublimation ribbon or paper if you have a wax thermal transfer ribbon type option selected in your printer driver setup, or vice versa. The dyesublimation, resin thermal and wax thermal print methods require their own separate and specific set of supplies. Review Section 4 for complete information on all print supplies.
The print media feeds and acts like it is printing, but nothing is printed. The print media wonÕt feed and the On-Line LED starts blinking. My image gets cut off at the bottom (or on the righthand side in Landscape mode). 76 Symptoms: Printer sounds like everything is fine, but no image. ■ You may have loaded the ribbon upside down. Open the printerÕs top cover and check that the ribbon is loaded properly according to Section 4.
My prints have thin lines or a dark band across the width of the print. Symptoms: The printer seems to ÒstutterÓ or print unusually slow and when the print is finished, it has a dark strip across the first inch of the print while the rest of the print is much lighter. Or, there are many thin lines across the width of the print. ■ Windows: Print using the Color Sign PrinterÕs Fast 32-Bit Print Spooler for Windows 95.
Printer or Modem port. Be sure the port to which you connect the Color Sign Printer is Geocompatible. ■ Mac and Windows: This condition can also occur if using a substandard interface cable. To solve this problem, connect the printer to your computer using a shielded, bi-directional interface cable no longer than 6 feet in length. ■ Mac and Windows: This symptom could also be caused by interruptions in the printer driver.
it). This will properly place the panel over the ribbon sensor. 2. Remove the Side Cover on the right-hand side of the printer by loosening the two screws located on the inside top of this cover and lifting the cover straight up (see illustration on page 81). 3. Close the Top Cover and verify that the printer is properly connected to your computer. Continue here if printing from WindowsÉ 4. Go to a DOS prompt and type the following command: C:\MODE LPT1,,P 5.
5. Go to printer driver setup window (see Section 7-D) by selecting Page Setup from the File menu. Click on the Expert button and then on the CalÉ button of the Expert Options dialog box. The printerÕs ribbon sensor calibration window appears (see also Section 7-D for more information on the ribbon sensor calibration window). 6. Click on the appropriate Send button to download the proper ribbon sensor calibration sequence for the ribbon you currently have installed in your printer.
sublimation ribbon. Hole #4 recalibrates the ribbon sensor for the B/A3-Super size (12Ó x 20Ó) dye-sublimation ribbon. 9. Using a small flat-head screw driver, gently rotate the screw in the appropriate hole. Do not push on the screw since this may damage it. Rotate the screw just a fraction of a turn either clockwise or counter clockwise until both of the printer LED lights stop flashing. When both LED lights remain solid, the ribbon sensor calibration is complete.
B. Troubleshooting for the Color Sign PrinterÕs Macintosh Printer Driver and Backgrounder Software An error dialog box appears when you try to print saying the printer is not ready. The printer driver indicates that it is printing, but there is no response from Color Sign Printer. The driver displays an error message saying there is insufficient memory from which to print. The driver displays an error message saying there is not enough room on the disk.
■ The driver puts all the pages to be printed into a single spool file. If you have only a little space left on the hard disk, you can print each page from the document individually, using the From and To fields in the Print dialog box. ■ Clear off more hard disk space and try your print job again. The foreground application is less responsive while printing in the background. ■ Background printing shares the processor in the Macintosh with the foreground application.
12 Technical Specifications Print Methods Dye-Sublimation/Resin Thermal Transfer/Wax Thermal Transfer Resolution 300 x 300 DPI Colors Up to 16.
Printable Area Media Size A/A4 Super B/A3 Super Extended B/A3 Super Color Print Area 8.8Ó x 11.3Ó (224 x 287mm) 11.95Ó x 17.4Ó (304 x 442mm) Mono Print Area 8.8Ó x 11.3Ó (224 x 287mm) 11.95Ó x 17.4Ó (304 x 442mm) 11.95Ó x 22Ó (304 x 559mm) 11.95Ó x 24Ó (304 x 610mm) Dimensions 17.1ÓW x 8.25ÓH x 14.75ÓD (26.5Ó D with Media Tray installed); 43.5cmW x 21cmH x 37.5cmD (67.3cmD with Media Tray installed) Weight 42 lbs.
Appendix A Interfacing Information A. Introduction The Color Sign Printer is equipped with both a standard 8-bit Centronics-type parallel interface port and a high-speed serial interface port. These communication ports are the means through which the printer receives data from your computer. This section describes the pin assignments and signal specifications for each of these ports. B.
C. Mini 8-Pin Serial Interface The mini 8-pin serial interface connector is the standard interface used by Macintosh. Due to the Color Sign PrinterÕs high-speed rate of data transmission, its serial interface port communicates only with Macintosh GeoPorts. If your Macintosh does not have a Geo-compatible serial port, you will not be able to use the Color Sign PrinterÕs serial port. The Color Sign PrinterÕs serial port mates with a standard computer to printer serial cable.
32-bit Print Spooler ...........................................................30 32-bit QuickDraw ..............................................................48 Better bitmap scaling ........................................................48 Black text on black pass only ..........................................49 CalÉ (Calibrate Button)...................................................52 Cancel Button .......................................................................9 Cancel LED Light...........
Ribbons................................................................................12 Save temp files for re-print..............................................47 Self Test ...............................................................................24 Serial port......................................................................41, 87 Spot Color Resin Ribbon ...............................13, 61, 63, 64 Supply Tray ........................................................................
Printed In The United States of America P/N 510201
