Prism Printer User Guide 110635-000, Revision C
Rimage Corporation 7725 Washington Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55439 FAX: (952) 946-4578 Service: (952) 946-0004 (International) (800) 553-8312 (North America) Rimage Technical Website: http://www.rimage.com/technical/ Rimage Europe GmbH Hans-Böckler-Straße 7 63128 Dietzenbach, Germany Tel: +49-(0) 6074-8521-0 FAX: +49-(0) 6074-8521-21 Copyright© 2001-2002, Rimage Corporation Rimage™ is a trademark of the Rimage Corporation. Perfect Image® is a registered trademark of the Rimage Corporation.
Notice for USA Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Additional FCC Statement Any unauthorized modification to this equipment may result in the revocation by the FCC of the user’s authority to operate this equipment.
LIMITED 6 Month Warranty Rimage warrants, to the original end user only, most parts of the Perfect Image® CD Printer for 6 months, according to the following terms: • Depot repair work at the Rimage factory, typically within 15 business days (25 business days for international). • Valid from the date Rimage ships the product to you. • Rimage will replace or repair any non-consumable parts found defective. • Rimage will pay freight charges for components shipped to you.
Table Of Contents Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................. 7 Overview .....................................................................................................................................7 Introduction................................................................................................................................7 Changes for This Revision.............................................................
Clearing Jams...........................................................................................................................47 Abort Printing ..........................................................................................................................47 Status Messages .......................................................................................................................48 Error Codes....................................................................................
Chapter 1 Overview This chapter: • Introduces you to the CD printer • Ribbon types and ribbon consumption • Supplied Software and Print Driver • Color Basics • Identifies basic operator parts • Describes the control panel Introduction Each Prism Printer model is a thermal transfer CD printer that can print text and graphics at 300x300 or 300x600 dots per inch (dpi) on the surface of the CD.
Ribbon Types and Consumption A single color ribbon, such as a black ribbon, consumes only the total linear amount of text or graphics that is printed. If only one line of text is printed on the whole disc, only that amount of ribbon is used. One roll of a black or monocolor ribbon can print a minimum of 1500 discs with full printing coverage if the single-pass option is used. A multicolor ribbon uses two- or three-color panels for each printed disc.
Prism Printer Color Basics The Prism Printer, like most color printers, create colors based on the C(yan) M(agenta) Y(ellow) color model (shown at the right). The CMY model is called a subtractive color model because the addition of each new color absorbs (or subtracts) light waves from light that it reflects. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are known as subtractive primaries, and correspond to the color panels on Prism’s multicolored ribbon.
Bitmap Resolution The Prism Printer can print at 300x600 DPI (dots per inch). It is important to remember this when you create your CD label. The resolution has a great effect on transitions between colors. You can see for yourself the differences between two common DPIs. The figure at the right shows the same soccer ball at 72 and 300 DPI. Since the Prism Printer prints at 300x600 DPI and highresolution images appear better, it is best to use 300 DPI graphic images or pictures.
Operator Parts The figure below shows the basic parts that you will use when operating the Prism printer. Control Panel As shown below, the Control panel is at the front of the printer and holds the Unit Attention button and three LEDs. The Control panel lets you monitor and control the CD printer.
Unit Attention Button The Unit Attention button opens and closes the drawer that holds the CDs. There is a yellow LED in the center of this button. LED Indicators LEDs on the CD Printer indicate different conditions. The LED conditions described below reflect conditions on a Standalone CD Printer. CD Printers that are mounted in automated equipment have different conditions. For conditions of automated printers, refer to the automated equipment user guides.
Rear Panel As shown below, the rear panel contains the cable connections and the power switch.
Chapter 2 Installation This chapter describes: • Unpacking and re-packing the CD printer • Setting up the CD printer • Installing the print ribbon • Installing software Unpacking the Printer Consider the following when unpacking the printer: • Lift the printer out of the box carefully. • Remove foam from under the printer cover. • Save the packing foam, in case the printer needs to be returned for service.
Re-packing the Printer The following drawing shows how the printer is packaged. If you need to send the CD printer back to Rimage, repack the printer as shown below. Place the foam between the printer and the printer cover, as shown below. Note: Do not return the printer with either the ribbon or the power cord when sending in for service unless asked to do so.
Setup and Cabling Consider the following when setting up the Standalone CD printer: • Place the printer on a solid, flat, level surface close to your PC. • Make sure the printer is at room temperature. Do not place the printer near a heating or air conditioning duct. The temperature change may cause inconsistencies when printing a label. Procedure Use the figure below to connect the cables to your Rimage Perfect Image® Standalone CD Printer. 1.
Installing a Print Ribbon If ribbons are stored in an environment much different from that of the CD printer, allow plenty of time for them to become acclimated to the new environment. Allow more time for greater temperature and/or humidity differences. We recommend you store all ribbons at a temperature between 60°–95°F, and avoid moisture or direct sunlight. Note: If you are replacing the ribbon, now is a good time to clean the printhead (see “Cleaning the Printhead” on page 44). Procedure 1.
6. Slide the ribbon with cardboard core onto the Supply roller, as shown in the figure below. Note that the cardboard core has two notches that align with the metal pins on the Supply roller. 7. Center the ribbon on the supply roller and roll the ribbon leader so it can unwind towards the back of the printer. As shown below, the ribbon path goes from back to front. 8. Pass the ribbon leader under the Supply Roller and under the first Ribbon Guide (the metal shaft near the Supply Roller). 9.
16. Place the Take-up roller in the printer correctly and press down firmly until the Take-up roller pops into place. 17. Press the Unit Attention button to close the drawer. Again, the ribbon should be pulled tight. Software Installation The Rimage Perfect Image CD Printer PF driver must be installed on the PC before you can use the Rimage CD printer with any label editing software, or any other custom CD printing programs.
Chapter 3 Operation This chapter describes how to: • Start the CD printer • Position a CD disc in the CD printer • Setting Up for Multicolor/Two-Color Printing • Setting Up for Monocolor Printing • Setting Up for DVD Discs • Print a CD • Clean the Printhead Starting the Printer 1. Start the printer by pressing the power switch located at the back to the On “—” position. See page 16 for location of the power switch. You may hear a beep when the printer is powered on. 2.
4. With no disc on the Prism printer drawer, press the Prism’s Unit Attention button to open or close the drawer and hold it for about 5 seconds. You may hear a beep and the Prism’s Activity light will turn on and remain lit. 5. Release the Unit Attention button. The Prism’s Activity light will continue to flash slowly for as long as the Prism is in Autoprinter mode.
Caution Serious printhead damage may result from printing on a misplaced CD. Press the Unit Attention button anytime to abort printing if the CD is misplaced. Queuing Discs Once a CD disc is placed on the printing pad, press the Unit Attention button once to partially close the drawer until the disc is engaged by the front alignment pins. Setting Up for Multicolor/Two-Color Printing You may print multicolored labels if your printer is a Prism Printer with a color ribbon installed.
8. Select Media Type setting and select the type of media you are using. This example shows the standard CD-R media – 120mm. 9. Select Master Print Strobe setting and set a value from 350 to 550 by holding down the mouse button down on the spinbox at the lower portion of the dialog box. See “Optimizing Print Quality”, page 36, for recommended settings.
The Enable Color Sub-Strobes option can be enabled to individually change the each color strobe. This may require multiple printings on CDs to adjust the color hue. Generally, the yellow strobe is about 25 microseconds less that the other settings. 10. Select RLE Compression and select Yes. This speeds up the data transfer to the printer and does not affect the print quality. 11. Select the Detect Media Change Setting and select No if using any of the Rimage transporters.
12. Disable Perfect Print option. This option is only used for Rimage’s AutoPrinter. 13. Select Halftone Setup to make changes that affect color intensity, color balance, or pattern settings. See “Win NT Halftone Settings” on page 41. 14. Select OK to save the changes. 15. If using any other software, you can go right to the printing function. If using CD Designer, go to the next section to the printing function.
The Enable Color Sub-Strobes option can be enabled to individually change the each color strobe. This may require multiple printings on CDs to tune color hue. Rimage recommends most users to just use the Master Print Strobe setting. Note: Double print does not affect the color printing process, so it is disabled when a color ribbon is selected. 10. Select RLE Compression and select Yes. This speeds up the data transfer to the printer and does not affect the print quality. 11.
4. Select the Document Properties button. These changes will stay with the document. 5. Select the Page Setup tab located at the upper portion of the dialog box. 6. At the Color Appearance options, select Color if it is not set to color. 7. Select the Advanced tab. 8. Select Resolution option to change the DPI resolution. The 300x300 DPI setting provides the fastest printing mode. The 300x600 DPI provides the highest resolution, but takes more time to print. Do not select 300x600 with Landscape print mode.
9. Disable Mask Unprintable Regions if printing on 120mm CD-Rs. If you are using the business card CD-Rs, or the 80mm mini CD-R, and you have the optional kit, you can select the Mask Unprintable Regions. See the Business Card Operation and Installation Guide for all the details. 10. Leave the Metafile Spooling set to Enabled. 11. Select OK. 12. Select Print. To Set up Multicolor Printing on Windows ’95/98: 1. Install a multicolor ribbon in the CD Printer. 2. Select Window’s Start button. 3.
6. Select RLE Compression so there is a check mark in the box. This speeds up the data transfer to the printer and does not affect the print quality. 7. Select Print Strobe setting and set a value from 400 to 500 by sliding the indicator, or entering the value in the box at the upper portion of the dialog box. See page 36 for recommended settings. 8. Select Detect Media Change Setting, and select No if using Rimage’s transporters. Select Yes if printing multiple copies to a standalone printer.
12. Select the Paper tab located at the top of the dialog box. 13. At the Media choice window, select Regular. 14. Select OK to save changes. 15. If using any other software, you can go right to the printing function. If using CD Designer, go to the next section to the printing function.
Enabling Color in CD Designer with Windows ’95/98 1. If using CD Designer, open the label in CD designer. 2. Select Print from the File menu. 3. Make sure the Rimage Perfect Image Printer PF is selected. CD Designer is designed to print only to the CD Printer. If a test print is required on paper, select another available printer. If another printer is selected the software goes into a demo mode. Demo mode will provide an example of the label but it substitutes letters in the text.
7. Select the Color button. Windows ’95/98 Graphics Options 8. At the dialog box that displays, select Print in color with image color matching on the host. 9. Select Contrast (best used for photographic images). 10. Select OK to save the color changes. 11. Select OK. 12. Select Print.
Controlling Print Intensity with Windows ’95/98 Print Drivers The Intensity Bar controls the darkness of graphics printed on a label (only in Windows 95/98 print drivers), which is accessed from the print driver parameters. The printed graphic image may appear darker than expected. The darkness or intensity can be adjusted by using the Intensity Bar. This bar is located in the Graphics tab of the printer driver parameters. See the dialog box on page 32 for reference.
Setting up for DVD Discs Some DVD discs have stacking rings on both sides of the disc located near the inner portion of the disc. Since the CD Printer cannot print over the stacking rings, the printhead must raise up to prevent printhead damage. The user must change the Media Type setting so the print driver automatically raises the printhead over the stacking ring. The label must be designed so there is no required printing in the area horizontal to the stacking rings. 1.
12. Select Media Type and select DVD with Stacking Ring if there is a stacking ring on both sides as shown here. If the DVD disc does not have a double-stacking ring, then select Regular. DVD Double-Stacking Ring Stacking Ring 13. Select OK to save the changes. Printing a CD (Standalone) The following procedures are only for a stand-alone printer (either the Prism Printer or the monocolor printer). To Print A Single CD: 1. With the power on, press the Unit Attention button to open the CD printer drawer.
6. In the Print dialog box of CD Designer label editor program, enter the amount of copies needed. 7. Select OK. 8. After printing the first CD, quickly remove the CD and place another CD on the drawer with the convex ridge face down on the print pad. The CD should be between the alignment pins and centering pin. 9. Press the Unit Attention button once to cue the CD and the printer should continue to print the disc. If a paper-out condition occurs, select Retry to allow Windows to continue to print. 10.
results in some graphic applications. This is a function of the printer driver and not a limitation of the Rimage Prism Printer. Note: Use a matte (satin), lacquer (glossy), or thermal white finish for monocolor ribbons. Use thermal white finish for the best results with multicolor printing. Do not use ink jet printable media. Optimizing Printer Settings Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 are very similar in appearance. The following screen views are shown in Windows NT. 1.
5. Select the Device Options tab for Windows 9X, or Device Settings tab for Windows NT/2000. 6. Change the Print Strobe settings to the match the Media Type selected in the Rimage CD Print driver. The Media Type and the installed ribbon determines the print strobe setting. The table below provides a guideline to get you started. Use the lowest setting possible while obtaining the best print to maximize the printhead life.
8. If using a monocolor ribbon and the printed disc has voids, or is missing dots, set the printer driver to Double Print. The Double Print setting prints the image twice to fill in the small pits of a matte surface disc. Double print only works when the print driver is set to a monocolor ribbon. Windows 2000 Windows 95/98 9. If the printed image is too dark or too light, and you are using Windows NT or Windows 2000, go to Halftone Settings on the next page.
Document Properties 1. From the label program, select Print. 2. Select the Document Properties button. All document properties stay with the document. 3. Select the Advanced tab. 4. Select the Resolution parameter. 5. Select the desired print resolution. The 300x300 DPI setting provides the fastest printing mode. The 300x600 DPI provides the highest resolution, but takes more time to print.
6. Select OK. 7. Save your label file to save the changes with the label. Win NT Halftone Settings Only the Rimage Windows NT Print Driver provides halftone settings. Three types of adjustments can be made in the Device Color / Halftone Properties dialog box: Halftone Pattern, Contrast, and Color Adjustments. Windows NT 4.0 Windows 2000 Halftone Pattern This drop-down list provides several selections, of which only 4X4 Enhanced or 6X6 Enhanced are recommended for typical labels.
Creating Professional Labels There are common concepts and practices that the label designer should follow when designing a color label. Color Labels • Do not place objects too close to the inner or outer edges of the disc. See examples in “Possible Print Problems” on page 53. • Use graphic images or logos at 300 DPI (Dots Per Inch). • Do not use the anti-alias option when exporting a logo or text from the graphic design application. See “Anti-Alias” on page 10.
Printable Area of a CD The following figure shows the printable areas on a standard CD disc. There may be other printing limitations caused by non-uniform surface flatness, particularly toward the outer or inner edge of the CD. Going beyond these parameters may affect print quality. You can see another method to create a professional looking label on page 55.
Centering the Label There are two ways to center the label. If the printer has a microparallel cable connection, and you have the Rimage serial cable, you can program the offsets. If you do not have the serial cable, you can adjust the print position by changing the top and bottom margins. 1. In the CD Designer application, select Page Setup. 2. Select the Margins tab. 3. Change the left and top margins. Increase the top margin to bring the printed label downward.
8. Push the Unit Attention button to close the drawer and start the cleaning cycle. When the cleaning cycle is complete, the drawer opens. Repeat if necessary. 9. Remove the cleaning pad. 10. Clean the front two ribbon guides with a cotton swab soaked in the cleaning solution. 11. Power down the printer. 12. Replace the ribbon (See “Installing a Print Ribbon” page 17) then put on the cover. Note: If the printing pad on the drawer becomes wet, allow to completely dry before using the printer. 13.
6. Wait for the alcohol to dry on the printhead, then replace the ribbon and the cover. See “Installing a Print Ribbon” page 17, if needed. 7. Power on the printer.
Chapter 4 Troubleshooting This chapter describes: • How to clear jammed discs • Status and error messages • Solutions to problems • Possible print problems • Solutions • Running diagnostics Clearing Jams Sometimes discs can get out of alignment on the drawer. When this occurs, press the Unit Attention button to stop the printer and open the drawer. Abort Printing If a problem occurs while the printer is printing, push the Unit Attention button to abort the job.
Status Messages Status messages that might appear while operating the CD printer are described in this section. The printer stops when an error occurs. The following figure and table show the Control panel’s *LEDs and Status Messages indicated on the LEDs. Unit Attention Button Error LED Missing CD LED Active LED Power LED Status Message Description Idle The green Power LED lights when the printer is powered on. Printing The yellow Active LED flashes when the printer is printing.
Error Codes The Missing CD LED flashes the number of times listed in the “Error” column when an error occurs. Problems and their solutions are also given. Note: Error 15, Printhead Integrity Check, is indicated in a manner different from the other errors. Error Problem Solution 1 Ribbon out Replace ribbon and power on unit to clear the ribbon out error. 2 Busy printing image This error is returned only on the serial port. No action required.
Error 15 Problem Solution Printhead Integrity Check Replace the printhead. The printhead is checked every time the drawer is opened without a disc present on the tray—an electrical continuity test is conducted on each element in the printhead. The Power LED will turn off if a bad element is detected. The Power LED will turn back on if a disc is placed on the tray. You can still operate the printer with this error, but the quality of the printed image may be affected by the bad element.
Solutions to Problems The following table describes how to solve problems that may occur while printing. For problems with print quality, see “Possible Print Problems,” starting on page 53, to match the same problem. Page 55 discusses the solutions to the Possible Print Problems. Problem/Trouble Cause Solution Jammed disc Disc is misplaced on drawer Push the Unit Attention button to abort printing and open drawer.
Possible Print Problems Match the problem you are having with one of the examples shown on the next two pages. Use the reference number or letter to locate the problem description and solution on page 57.
Halftone Patterns These examples show how the Halftone Pattern setting affects the print. The 6X6 pattern appears course while the 4X4 pattern is much finer. While the finer print is desired, some discs do not receive the thermal ink as well. Therefore, it is best to select the 6X6 Enhanced setting.
Good Printed Disc Notice the inner and outer edges of the print. The original picture is square but an overlay template was used to provide sharp edges. Since pictures are rectangular, and the disc is round, a template provides the best results.
Print Solutions Pages 53 – 54 show examples of print that have problems. Each problem has a reference number that you can match to this table for definitions and solutions. Ref. Number Definition Solution 1 Solid colors are not covering the complete surface. Increase the print strobe by 25 us and try again. 2 The color chosen from the color palette did not print the proper color. The software will only allow the seven primary colors to print with single line text.
Diagnostics The CD Printer has built-in diagnostics that enable a technician to run tests that: • • • • Position the CD Check for proper operation of sensors Adjust the printhead and cam sensor Test the print The following Diagnostics Tests are available. If the tests do not match the following table, the printer may have different version of firmware.
Diagnostic Procedure The following steps describe how to select the diagnostic tests. 1. Press and hold the Unit Attention button for eight seconds when powering up the printer. If let go too soon, the printer enters cleaning mode. If this happens, power off and then on holding the Unit Attention button until the printer drawer opens. In diagnostic mode, the Missing CD LED flashes at a fast rate.
Appendix A Thermal Color Printing FAQs 1. Can the color printer use monocolor ribbons? Yes. Change the ribbon, open the print driver, and change the “Installed Printer” setting to Monocolor. Restart the application so it recognizes the changes in the print driver. 2. How many CDs will the multicolor ribbon produce? 500 3. How many colors can the Rimage Prism printer print? Using the three-paneled ribbon, you can create seven solid colors: Yellow, Cyan, Blue, Red, Green, Magenta, and Black.
Another method is to change the Gamma setting if using Windows NT. See page 41. If using Windows ’98, see page 33. 8. Can I print a 16 million-color image using CD Designer? CD Designer can insert pictures that are 16 million colors, however the image will print the picture using the dithering process. The image appears on the screen only in 16 colors. 9.
Appendix B Specifications This Appendix defines the: • Printer Specifications • Printer Interface Specifications • Printer Ribbon Specifications 62
Printer Specifications The following specifications apply to the Prism Series 5 Rimage Perfect Image® CD Printer. Item Description Printing Method Thermal transfer line printer Printing Speed, at 400 strobe Less than 13 seconds for 100% coverage, single-pass, monocolor printing. (including drawer cycle time) Less than 4 seconds for 15% coverage, single-pass, monocolor printing. Printing Direction Images are printed from a top to bottom orientation as the media is moving out of the machine.
Shipping Printer Dimensions 15” H x 11” W x 21” D Physical Properties 26 pounds Image Properties Properties Image Size Maximum Image Size Resolution 300x300 DPI 300x600 DPI Width 5.12” (1536 pixels) 5.12” (1536 pixels) Height 4.52” (1356 pixels) 4.52” (2712 pixels) Types of Printer Ribbons The printer requires ribbons designed specifically for use with a thermal transfer printer. The table below lists the type of ribbon to use with a Rimage CD printer.
Appendix C Installing the CD Printer Drivers This Appendix describes how to install the Print Driver for: • Windows 95/98 • Windows NT • Windows 2000 Installing the Windows 95/98 CD Print Driver You must install the Windows 95/98 print driver before any software can print to a CD printer in the Windows 95/98 environment. To Install the Windows 95/98 Printer Driver 1. If CD Designer is open, exit it. 2. Insert the CD Designer software CD into the CD-ROM drive. 3.
18. Select CD Printer as the default printer. 19. Select No to the test page question, and then select Finish. 20. If a message displays asking for the Windows 95/98 CD-ROM, remove the Rimage driver disk and insert the Microsoft Windows 95/98 CD-ROM or disk 10 of the Microsoft Windows 95/98 distribution disks, then select OK. 21. Once Windows 95/98 creates a new printer icon in the Printers window, click the printer icon, and then select Properties in the File menu. 22. Select the Paper tab. 23.
Installing the CD Printer Driver for Windows NT 4.0 You must install the Windows NT printer driver before any software can print to a CD printer in the Windows NT environment. To install a Windows NT printer driver, you must be logged on as member of the Administrators, Server Operators, Print Operators, or Power Users group. To Install the Windows NT 4.0 Printer Driver 1. If CD Designer is open, exit it. 2. Insert the CD Designer software disc into the CD-ROM drive. 3. From the Taskbar, select Start. 4.
22. To enable double printing, which prints the image a second time (at 90% of the print density printed the first time), select Double Print. Double Print improves the quality of printing on matte media. (Monocolor only.) 23. Enable RLE Compression. RLE Compression evens out printing speeds and improves print file download. 24. The Enable Detect Media Change option is crucial, depending on whether you are printing to a stand-alone printer or to a printer mounted on a transporter.
5. If you have an earlier version of the Rimage print driver, delete before continuing. 6. Double-click the Add Printer icon. 7. If the computer is connected to a network, a screen displays asking whether the printer is attached locally or to a network. Select Local and select Next. 8. Select the LPT1 port from the list of Available Ports. 9. Select Next. 10. Select Have Disk. 11. Type E:\Printer_Drivers\Nt40\, where E: is the CD ROM drive. Rimage uses the Win NT 4 driver for Windows 2000. 12.
22. Right-click the Printer icon and select Properties to display the Rimage Perfect Image CD Printer Properties dialog box. 23. Select the Device Settings tab to display the default settings. 24. To set the printer to match the disc surface, select Media Type and then Regular or Matte in the Media Type Setting. 25. To change the Master Printstrobe value of 400, select a new value with the Print Strobe spin box or type in the value.
27. Enable RLE Compression. RLE Compression evens out printing speeds and improves print file download. 28. The Enable Detect Media Change option is crucial, depending on whether you are printing to a stand-alone printer or to a printer mounted on a transporter. When enabled, this parameter requires the printer to detect a disc change between prints. When printing multiple copies, this prevents a single disc from being printed multiple times.
29. Select the Advanced tab. 30. Select Print Directly to the Printer if printing with a printer mounted in the Rimage transporter. Standalone printers can be left on Printer Spooling.
Index 3 D 300x600 DPI, 42 300x600 DPI setting, 40 Demo mode, 26 design criteria, 42 Detect Media Change, 24 Detect Media Change, Win 2000, 26 Device Gamma, 41 Device Settings, Windows 2000, 25 Device Settings, WinNT, 22 Diagnostics, 58 Digital Signature not found, 69 Dithering, 9 dithering, what is it?, 60 Document Properties, ’98, 31 document properties, setting, 40 Document Properties, Windows NT, 27 dots per inch, 7 DPI, 10 DPI resolution, 27 DVD Discs Setting up for printing, 34 A Abort Printing, 47
Printer Control Panel, 11 Installation, 14 Parts Location, 11 Rear Panel, 13 Repacking, 15 Ribbons.
Printer Dimensions, 64 stacking ring, 21 stacking ring.
