UBI EasyCoder 91, Installation & Operation Manual

Page 1: ...p 10 Windows 95 Setup 16 Application Notes 22 3 Operation Controls and Indicators 23 Paper Load 25 Ribbon Load 33 Label Gap Sensor Adjustment 35 Test Mode 35 4 Maintenance External Cleaning 36 Printhead Cleaning 36 Battery Replacement 37 Printhead Replacement 39 5 Troubleshooting Problems and Solutions or Reasons 40 Appendix 1 Technical Data 41 Appendix 2 Media Specifications Direct Thermal Labels...

Page 2: ...us as set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department of Communication Ministère des Communications du Canada CONFORMITE DE REGLEMENTS DOC A Le présent appareil numérique n émet pas de bruits radio électriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de classe A prescrites dans le règlement sur brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des Commun...

Page 3: ...asyCoder 91 printers are fitted with both a paral lel Centronics port and a serial RS 232C port AllEasyCoder91printersaredeliveredwithprinterdriv ers for Microsoft Windows 3 1x and Windows 95 The drivers makes it possible to produce printouts from most standard programs run under MS Windows LabeldesignbecomesaneasytaskwithUBILabelShop a series of what you see is what you get label edit ing program...

Page 4: ...rmity booklet One 3 5 floppy disk containing EasyCoder 91 Windows Drivers Notethatnocableforprinter to computerconnection is included unless ordered separately Should any kind of damage have occurred during trans portation immediately make a complaint to the carrier Any incorrect delivery or missing parts should be re ported to the distributor CAUTION The discharge of electrostatic energy accumula...

Page 5: ...e printer s power switch is off O 4 First fit the round connector into the power inlet on the printer s rear plate Then connect the mains cord between the power supply and an electrical outlet 5 Thepowercanbeturnedon offbymeansofthemain switch situated on the right side of the printer The Power control lamp on the printer lights green red or orange to indicate that the power is on Mains Connection...

Page 6: ... with any memory cartridge as standard but 128 kbyte or 384 kbyte memory cartridges with RTC are available as options Installation of Memory Cartridge 1 Ensure that the power switch on the printer is off 0 2 Remove the cartridge slot cover located on the left side of the printer 3 Insert the memory cartridge label side up into the cartridge slot Push firmly to seat the cartridge 4 Turn on the prin...

Page 7: ...allel Interface If you intend to use any of the Windows Drivers see chapter 2 choose the parallel Centronics interface The parallel interface can also be used for programming the printer by means of the protocol described in the EasyCoder91ProgrammingManual However prompts and other information from printer to host cannot be transmitted since the parallel interface is one way only Computer Connect...

Page 8: ...the Windows Driver TheRS232Ccommunicationsetupisvariablebymeans of the Y command see EasyCoder 91 Programming Manual Use the Test Mode to check the printer s present setup bold letters indicate default setup Baud rate 1200 2400 9600 or 19200 Parity None Odd or None Data bits 7 or 8 Stop bits 1 or 2 Flow control XON XOFF and DSR CTS Computer Connection cont d Note No communication cables are includ...

Page 9: ... to the Windows Clipboard On the floppy disk there are three directories A win3xx contains Windows 3 1x printer driv ers for EasyCoder 71 8 dots mm EasyCoder 91 8 dots mm EasyCoder 91 12 dots mm A win95 contains Windows 95 printer drivers for EasyCoder 71 8 dots mm EasyCoder 91 8 dots mm EasyCoder 91 12 dots mm A wbar contains Winbar 2 5 Note that the Windows drivers do not work with Windows 3 0 o...

Page 10: ...lyinstalled printer drivers in a scroll box Select the EasyCoder 91 driver and click the Setup button A dialogue box that allows you to specify various printingcharacteristicsofyourEasyCoder91 willbe displayed Resolution printhead density is set to a fixed value of 200 dpi 8 dots mm or 300 dpi 12 dots mm dependingonwhichtypeofEasyCoder91printeryou have selected The Paper Size scroll box contains a...

Page 11: ... Select Unit enter the desired Width and Length values within the specified ranges and click the OK button The Paper Source scroll box allows you to choose between three types of operation Tear off Peel off Peel off with label taken sensor The last two options can only be used with the Peel Off model of EasyCoder 91 see chapter 3 Opera tion Paper Load Windows 3 1x Setup cont d Select Paper Size Se...

Page 12: ...with the first character in the line The Copies box allows you to print a batch of labels or tags If you have selected Peel off with Label Taken Sensor the printing of a new label is put on hold until the previous one has been removed Clickthe Options button Anewdialogueboxwillbe displayed IntensityControlandDitheringhavenoconsequences for text and bar codes but can be used to improve the printing...

Page 13: ...he characteristic of the thermal paper or combination between transfer ribbon and receiving face material Clicktheappropriatevalueinthe PrintQualityscroll box Recommended Print Quality settings at 2 sec Direct Thermal Printing Density UBI Economy 9 UBI Premium 9 Thermal Transfer Printing Europe GP91 ribbon UBI Vellum paper 4 GP91 ribbon UBI Matte coated paper 4 HP91 ribbon UBI Matte coated paper 7...

Page 14: ...a box with information on the version number of the printer driver e g Click the OK button to return to the Options box In the Options dialogue box click the OK button to acceptthenewsettingsandreturntothePrintersbox In the Printers dialogue box click the Connect button Windows 3 1x Setup cont d Click Connect ...

Page 15: ...soft Windows User s Guide and click the OK button Closethe Printersdialogueboxbyclickingthe Close button The UBI Windows Driver requires that a parallel communication cable is fitted between the 36 p Centronics connector on the printer and the selected parallel port on your PC see page 7 IMPORTANT Also read the Application Notes on page 22 Windows 3 1x Setup cont d Select a parallel port Click OK ...

Page 16: ...n in the Task bar In the menu that is displayed click the Settings option In the submenu that appears to the right click the Printers option In the Printersbox select your EasyCoder 91printer and open the File menu In the File menu click the Properties option Properties consistsof5boxesinwhichyoucansetup the printer driver in regard various parameters General All options are standard Windows 95 fe...

Page 17: ... Ed 1 Chapter 2 Windows Drivers Windows 95 Setup cont d Details All options are standard Windows 95 features Please refer to the Windows 95 manual or on line help Always use a parallel port for communication with your EasyCoder 91 normally LPT1 ...

Page 18: ... box contains dedicated EasyCoder 91 features Paper Size Select a predefined paper size from the scroll box or specifyauser definedsizebyclickingCustom Inthe lattercase oneofthefollowingboxeswillbedisplayed dependingonwhichunitofmeasurehasbeenselected default mm Windows 95 Setup cont d ...

Page 19: ...character in the line Paper source allows you to select between Tear off Peel off Peel off with label taken sensor The last two options can only be used with the Peel Off model of EasyCoder 91 see chapter 3 Opera tion Paper Load Media choice allows you to choose between three different print speeds 1 inch sec 25 mm sec 1 5 inch sec 38 mm sec 2 inches sec 50 mm sec Copies allows you to print a batc...

Page 20: ...phics Resolution is fixed and is either 200 dpi or 300 dpi dots per inch depending on which printer driver has been installed EasyCoder 8 dots mm or EasyCoder 12 dots mm respectively DitheringandIntensityControlhavenoconsequences for text and bar codes but can be used to improve the printing of images ...

Page 21: ...g on print speed condition of the printhead and the characteristic of the thermal paper or com bination between transfer ribbon and receiving face material Recommended Print Quality settings at 2 sec Direct Thermal Printing Density UBI Economy 9 UBI Premium 9 Thermal Transfer Printing Europe GP91 ribbon UBI Vellum paper 4 GP91 ribbon UBI Matte coated paper 4 HP91 ribbon UBI Matte coated paper 7 de...

Page 22: ... design the layout considering the actual width of the narrow label Label Length Autoadjust The EasyCoder 91 is automatically measuring the label length by feeding two blank labels the first time a form is sent to the printer from a Windows application after a power up This value remains stored in memory as long as the power is on Memory Restrictions Iftheprintimageistoolargetofitintheprinter smem...

Page 23: ...l transfer printing ribbon If the printer is out of paper and or ribbon the indicator lamp will glow red Any error condition such as label stop sensor problems paper jams or software errors will be indicated by the lamp changing to orange If the indicator lamp fails to work as described above please refer to chapter 5 Troubleshooting Operation Controls and Indicators Chapter 3 Colour Meaning Green...

Page 24: ... tiate a form feed i e paper will be fed out to the top of next label or tag When power is first applied with no labels loaded hold ing the Feed key will cause the paper to be continuously fed out until the key is released This mode is useful when loading a new paper supply After the paper has been threaded through the printer tappingthe Feed key 3 more times for a total of 4 taps will cause a for...

Page 25: ...adhesivelabelsareseparated from the backing paper liner after printing The labels are fed straight out from the printer while the backing paper is fed out separately from a slot further down on the printer s front from where it can be lead to e g a waste basket Becarefulwhenloadingself adhesivelabels Iflabels are not flat on the backing paper the exposed edges can stick to your printer and cause p...

Page 26: ...ce the spindle into the core of a fresh paper roll 5 Place the paper roll and spindle in the open cover 6 If loading paper for the first time after installation or if changing to a different paper width use the green wheel at the left side of the print mechanism to adjust the paper guides so their positions correspond to the width of the paper 7 Fromtherear insertthepaperbelowtheroundedrear wall o...

Page 27: ...s in the chapter Ribbon Load 11 Close the print carriage by pressing it firmly down simultaneously on both sides A load click indicates locked position 12 Close the printer s top cover 13 Tap the Feed key 4 times or until the indicator lamp glows green 14 If the printer did run out of paper while printing the printing will automatically be resumed Else tear off excessivepaperbypullingitdownagainst...

Page 28: ...e spindle into the core of a fresh paper roll 5 Place the paper roll and spindle in the open cover 6 If loading paper for the first time after installation or if changing to a different paper width use the green wheel at the left side of the print mechanism to adjust the paper guides so their positions correspond to the width of the paper 7 Fromtherear insertthepaperbelowtheroundedrear wall of the...

Page 29: ...the chapter Ribbon Load 11 Close the print carriage by pressing it firmly down simultaneously on both sides A load click indicates locked position 12 Close the printer s top cover 13 Tap the Feed key 4 times or until the indicator lamp glows green 14 If the printer did run out of paper while printing the printing will automatically be resumed Else tear off excessivepaperbypullingitdownagainstthete...

Page 30: ...toopen position 3 Remove possible remaining paper or empty paper core 4 Place the spindle into the core of a fresh paper roll 5 Place the paper roll and spindle in the open cover 6 If loading paper for the first time after installation or if changing to a different paper width use the green wheel at the left side of the print mechanism to adjust the paper guides so their positions correspond to th...

Page 31: ...ull out at least 15 cm 6 of label web and remove the labels from the backing paper 12 Threadthebackingpaperaroundthetear offedgeand insert it between the black rubber roller and the white plastic roller Push until it comes out through the slot at the bottom of the printer s front 13 Holdthelabelwebwhilepullingatthebackingpaper so it becomes tight Then push the carriage release lever rearwards as t...

Page 32: ...ed tags Follow the loading instructions for the type of operation in question but ignore all paragraphs concerning the internalspindle Instead insertthepaperthroughtheslot below the hinges for the upper cover see illustrations Becarefultoprotectanyexternalpapersupplyfromdirt grit dust water and direct sunlight EasyCoder 91 direct thermal model loaded with fan folded tags Note Because of the printe...

Page 33: ...ver at the left side of theprintmechanism forwardandlifttheprintcarriage to open position 3 Remove front core with the used up ribbon and the empty core at the rear Keep the empty core 4 Unpack a fresh roll of transfer ribbon and guide the ribbon leader down in front of the wall that separates the print carriage from the paper compartment so the ribbon will feed from the top of the roll with the i...

Page 34: ...rtially Used Ribbon When switching between direct thermal and thermal transfer printing or when switching between different types of transfer ribbon a partially used transfer ribbon can be removed and saved for later use 1 Opentheprinter stopcoverbypressingthetwocover locks on either side and folding the cover upwards rearwards 2 Pull the green carriage release lever at the left side of theprintme...

Page 35: ...ing theTest Mode as described below The Test Mode is used for three main purposes To adjust the Label Gap Sensor To enter the Dump Mode ToprintaTestLabelwithatestpatternandalistofthe printer s current setup Enter the Test Mode this way 1 Afterhavingloaded theprinterwith fullwidthlabels switch off the power to the printer 2 PressandholddowntheFeedkeywhileswitchingon the power 3 Release the Feed key...

Page 36: ...before loading each new roll of labels or tags 1 Turn off the power to the printer 2 Unload the paper stock 3 In case of thermal transfer printing also remove the transfer ribbon 4 Open the pouch and pull out the cleaning card Be careful not to tear the card inside 5 Insert the cleaning card into the print mechanism the same way as when loading the paper Allow approximately 2 3 cm 1 of the cleanin...

Page 37: ...de Proceed as follows 1 Turn off the printer 2 Open the top cover and remove the paper roll 3 Remove the four Phillips screws that hold the plastic moulding to the rear of the print mechanism 4 Carefully manipulate the moulding out from under the print mechanism so the CPU board becomes visible 5 Quickly replace the battery The RAM package will keep its contents for 5 minutes without any current f...

Page 38: ...Pull the cartridge straight out 3 Turn the cartridge upside down and remove the three Phillips screws that hold the cartridge together Then turn the cartridge back to label up position 4 Separatethetwopartsofthecartridgecoverbylifting awaythetoppart i e theonewiththelabelon Take precautions so as to protect the circuit board from electro static shock 5 Quickly replace the battery The RAM packages ...

Page 39: ...g conditions The printhead is easy to replace 1 Opentheprinter stopcoverbypressingthetwocover locks on either side and folding the cover upwards rearwards 2 Pull the green carriage release lever at the left side of theprintmechanism forwardandlifttheprintcarriage to open position 3 Incaseofthermaltransferprinting removefrontcore with the used up ribbon and leave it in front of the printer 4 Turn o...

Page 40: ...hot object 70 C 160 F or more Checkthattheheat sensitivesidefacestheprinthead Thermal Transfer Printing Verifythattheprinterisloadedwiththermaltransfer ribbon and that the ink coated sided faces the paper Clean the printhead with the cleaning card If printing is still faded increase the density setup Printhead mechanism not completely locked Label caught on printhead Remove and clean Label caught ...

Page 41: ... Ambient Temperature Operation 5 C to 40 C 40 F to 104 F Storage 40 C to 60 C 40 F to 140 F Humidity 10 90 RH non condensing Ventilation Free air Printhead Densities 8 dots mm 203 2 dots inch 11 81 dots mm 300 dots inch Printable Area Width 8 dots mm Max 104 0 mm 4 09 11 81 dots mm Max 105 6 mm 4 16 Length Depends on image buffer size Direct Thermal Paper Roll Diameter Max 96 5 mm 3 80 Receiving F...

Page 42: ...11 digit UCC EAN 128 UPC A std 2 digit add on or 5 digit add on UPC E std 2 digit add on or 5 digit add on UPC Interleaved 2 of 5 Two Dimensional Codes PDF 417 MaxiCode Formatting Print formats can be preprogrammed in RAM Firmware Memory 256 kbyte EPROM Working Memory 8 dots mm 203 2 dpi Standard 128 kbyte RAM Expandable to 256 or 512 kbyte see options 11 81 dots mm 300 dpi models Standard256kbyte...

Page 43: ...ice Quality Size width length Application Part No Economy 104 x 55 mm 4 10 x 2 17 Large address 1 121071 00 Premium 53 x 55 mm 2 09 x 2 17 General 1 122103 00 Premium 104 x 55 mm 4 10 x 2 17 Large address 1 122072 00 Premium 104 x 74 mm 4 10 x 2 91 Ean Box 1 122074 00 Premium 104 x 104 mm 4 10 x 4 10 General 1 122073 00 Premium 104 x 130 mm 4 10x 5 12 General 1 122096 00 Europe U S A Quality Size ...

Page 44: ...alities Other sizes and quali ties can be offered on special request UBI reserves the right to change the lists below without any prior notice Transfer Labels Europe Quality Size width length Labels per roll Part No Matte coated 2 25 x 0 75 57 x 19 mm 1780 U 055100 00 Matte coated 2 25 x 1 25 57 x 32 mm 1135 U 055102 00 Matte coated 2 25 x 2 00 57 x 51 mm 735 U 055104 00 Matte coated 2 25 x 3 00 5...

Page 45: ... HP 92 60 mm 2 36 Matte coated 1 091646 21 Hybrid HP 92 90 mm 3 54 Matte coated 1 091646 11 Hybrid HP 92 110 mm 4 33 Matte coated 1 091646 02 Resin HR 91 110 mm 4 33 Synthetic 1 091647 02 1 091647 03 Transfer Ribbons UBI offers three types of thermal transfer ribbon General Purpose GP is a wax based ribbon suited for course non coated paper like vellum or bond paper HighPerformance HP isatwo layer...

Page 46: ... stiffness is also impor tant A stiff web limits the maximum thickness and vice versa 2 Max roll size and 0 15 mm 006 media thickness Labels shouldbewoundwiththelabelsfacing outwards and unroll from the top of the roll Tags and Paper Strip should be wound with the side intended for printing facinginwards and unroll from the bottom of the roll Important Protect the paper stock against sand grit and...

Page 47: ...aximum 118 1 mm 4 65 Minimum 28 6 mm 1 12 b Label width excl backing paper Maximum 114 1 mm 4 49 Minimum 24 6 mm 97 c Label length Maximum depends on image buffer size Minimum w o LTS 9 7 mm 38 Minimum w LTS 16 0 mm 63 d Label gap height Maximum 13 mm 51 Recommended 3 mm 125 Minimum 2 mm 08 a b c d SELF ADHESIVE LABELS ...

Page 48: ... 4 65 Minimum 28 6 mm 1 12 b Tag length Maximum depends on image buffer size Minimum w o LTS 9 7 mm 38 Minimum w LTS 16 0 mm 63 c Detection slot length Minimum 6 mm 24 d Detection slot height Maximum 13 mm 51 Recommended 3 mm 125 Minimum 2 mm 08 The detection slot should be centred on the web a c TICKETS TAGS d b ...

Page 49: ...pe of host computer IBM PC DB25 male connector Printer end 36 p male Centronics connector Pin Function Transmitter 1 Strobe Host 2 9 Data 0 7 Host 10 11 Busy Printer 12 Paper empty Printer 13 Select Printer 14 15 N C 16 Signal ground 17 Chassis ground 18 N C 19 30 Signal ground 31 Init 32 Fault Printer 33 Signal ground 34 36 N C Appendix 3 Parallel Interface Centronics ...

Page 50: ... female connector IBM PS2 DB25 female connector IBM AT DB9 female connector Printer end DB9 male connector Host EasyCoder 91 Host Signal DB 9 DB 9 Signal DB9 DB 25 Signal 1 5V 1 RXD 2 2 TXD 2 3 RXD TXD 3 3 RXD 3 2 TXD DTR 4 4 4 20 DTR GND 5 5 GND 5 7 GND DSR 6 6 RDY 6 6 DSR RTS 7 7 7 4 RTS CTS 8 8 RDY 8 5 CTS 9 9 Serial Interface RS 232C ...