Accufast P4 User manual

ACCUFAST P4
Small Envelope and Card Printer
User’s Guide and Operating Manual

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1.0 Introduction 3
1.1 Items Included 3
1.2 Operating Manual Safety Terms 4
1.3 Safety Precautions 4
1.4 Power Connection and Fusing 5
2.0 Specifications and Requirements 6
2.1 Specifications 6
2.2 Requirements 6
3.0 Unpack and Setup 7
4.0 Mechanical Operation 10
4.1 Loading and Feeding Pieces 10
Table of Contents
4.2 Feeder Set Up 11
4.3 Lining up the Print on the Piece 12
4.4 Controls, Adjustments and Indicators 13
4.5 Loading Ink 14
4.6 Feeding Pieces 15
4.7 Feed Adjustments 16
4.8 Connecting the Printer 16
5.0 Software and Printing 17
5.1 Installation 17
5.2 Control Panel 17
5.3 Piece Design and Layout 18
5.4 Print a Document 19
5.5 Printer Controls 20
5.6 Advanced Set Up 22
5.7 Stop Printing 24
6.0 Maintenance 25
6.1 Ink and Pen Cleaning 25
6.2 Pen Capping and Storage 26
6.3 Belt Tracking 26
6.4 Cleaning 27
7.0 Trouble Shooting 28

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1.0 Introduction:
The ACCUFAST P4 Small Envelope and Tag Printer is a simple, pro-
ductive specialty printer designed to offer it’s owner years of trouble
free operation. The P4 is equipped to print on a wide variety of media
sizes and types. A variety of feeding units are used to match the diver-
sity of media that the P4 prints.
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the manual and with the
machinery. Locate controls and adjustments and get a feel for the set
up of the machinery. If larger pieces are to be processed, make sure
that you leave room for the FX wide material feeder and its stand. Get
an idea for work flow and set the location of the control computer with
an eye toward an uncluttered area. Use the picture below as a guide.
1.1 Items Included
The P4 comes in a single carton as does each feeder, stand, stacker
and conveyor in a System. Check your requirements to determine the
number of cartons to expect..
The P4 carton contains an accessory box which in turn contains:
Operating manual
Software
Cleaning Materials
USB Cable
Power Cord
ACCUFAST P4
Small Envelope Printer with
FX wide media feeder and
stand.

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1.2 Operating Manual Safety Terms
The following Blocks are used to draw the operator’s attention to impor-
tant information. These blocks are set up in order of importance based
on operator safety.
WARNING
USED TO ALERT THE OPERATOR TO CONDITIONS OR
ACTIONS WHICH MAY PRESENT HAZARDS OR CAUSE
PERSONAL INJURY
Caution
Alerts you to actions which may cause damage to the
equipment or create workflow interruptions.
Note
Draws attention to an Important Statement or Action
1.3 Safety Precautions
Observe the following safety precautions and warnings when operating,
cleaning, adjusting or repairing the equipment. Failure to do so may re-
sult in physical injury or damage to the equipment. The manufacturer as-
sumes no liability for failure of an operator to comply with safety require-
ments or posted warning labels.
WARNING
NEVER CLEAN, CLEAR OF DISASSEMBLE THE PRINTER WITHOUT
FIRST DISCONNECTING THE POWER CORD.
WARNING
KEEP LOOSE CLOTHING, TIES, SCARVES AWAY FROM ALL MOVING
PARTS AT ALL TIMES.

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WARNING
DO NOT PLACE FINGERS OR TOOLS BETWEEN OR NEAR MOVING
PARTS.
The Printer’s top cover protects all moving parts of the printer and its
feeder when the feeder is connected to the printer. Raising the cover
stops all moving parts. Make sure that the cover is fully lowered in order
to operate the machinery. Raising the cover during operation should only
be done in case of an emergency.
Caution
Always turn the speed control knob fully counterclockwise after
the cover has been opened and before the machine is re-started.
Close the cover, then resume feeding and transporting media
from a slow speed.
1.4 Power Connection and Fusing
The P4 is fused in both legs of the main power entry line. Accordingly, it
can accept power from most services at all common voltages and amper-
ages. The correct voltage is set at the factory.
WARNING
A BLOWN FUSE IN THE NEUTRAL COULD MEAN THAT INTERIOR
PARTS OF THE PRINTER REMAIN AT A HAZARDOUS VOLTAGE. AL-
WAYS UNPLUG THE POWER CORD BEFORE REMOVING COVERS..
Power
Fuse
Open
Fuse
Warnings
The Fuse Drawer is found on the rear of
the machine as a part of the Power Entry
Module. It may be opened by prying loose
the small clip in the center of the drawer.
As the drawer opens, fuses are exposed.
Fuses should be 2 amps.
The Power Cord has a neutral leg. Always
use a grounded outlet for the P4 Printer.

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2. Specifications and Requirements
2.1 Specifications
Size and Weight:
P4: 16.0” long x 12” high x 16.5” wide
With card feeder: 22” long x 16” high x16” wide
With Wide Feeder: 26” long x 20” high x 23” wide
P4: 35 Lb.
With Card feeder: 40 lb.
Fx Feeder: 20 lb.
Electrical Requirements: 240, 230, 220, 120, 100 VAC at 50 or 60 Hz.
3 amps at 120 VAC. Grounded Outlet.
Production Speed: 20 inches per second fixed, variable feed speed.
Cartridges; HP 51645A style ink jets with 300 x 600 native resolution.
2.2 Requirements
Document Size:
With small feeder 1.5 - 6 wide x 6 long
With large feeder 3 - 14 wide x 10 long
Thickness: 2 sheets - .250 in
System:
Windows XP ( Vista Compatible)
600 mhz processor
64 Mb RAM
. 40 Mb free hard drive space.

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3. Unpack and Set Up
Clear a work space on a flat table and inspect all cartons for obvious
shipping damage.
Note
Report any signs of shipping damage to the carrier immediately.
Open the Printer carton and remove the printer and accessory box.
Belt Tracking
Adjustment
Screw
Feeder
Mounting
slots
Encoder
Shipping
Knob
The input end of the P4 is
pictured at right. Remove
the Encoder Shipping Knob
first. This knob holds the
spring loaded encoder
wheel away from the trans-
port belt in shipping. The
machine will not print with
this knob in place.
Open and remove the feeder. Typically, the small card feeder is the most
used and should be installed first. Both small and large (Fx) feeders will
be covered in this manual. If other feeders are used, their operation will
be covered in a separate annual and they will derive power from a differ-
ent source.
Remove shipping materials from the printer. In addition to the knob,
there are several bits of foam and packing material under the cover, be-
tween the cover and the belt and ink jet pen stalls.
Re-inspect for shipping damage that may have been hidden from outside
the carton.

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ACCUFAST P4
Ink Jet Printer
Feeder mounting
Slots (4)
Feeder power
connection
Feeder power
cable
Feeder Mounting Hooks (4)
Paper Guide
Extensions Tag Feeder
To mount the Small Envelope and Tag Feeder:
1. Open the Printer Top Cover
2. Lift the Tag feeder up so that the Paper Guide Extensions are over
the printer transport tray.
3. Set the bottom hooks in their slots and rock the feeder toward the
printer, lining up the top hooks.
4. Lower the Feeder onto its hooks, pressing it down as far as it will
go.

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The Wide Format Feeder (ACCUFAST FX) merely sits on a stand at the
input end of the P4. To set it up:
1. Unpack the Feeder and the Stand
2. Place the Stand against the Printer’s input end
3. Set the Feeder on the stand and slide it up to the printer.
4. Plug the Feeder into the outlet on the rear of the Printer.
Power Switch
Power Cord
Fx Feeder power
USB Cable

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4. Mechanical Operation
4.1 Loading and Feeding Pieces
Both ACCUFAST Feeders covered in this publication work the same
way. They have an adjustable separator and paper guides that control
the thickness and location of the pieces being fed. They take power from
the printer and run at variable speed controlled from the printer’s speed
control knob.
Successful printing starts with successful feeding. There are several
things to consider in setting the feeder.
1. Size and centering of the piece.
2. Location of Printer input rolls to facilitate passing the piece to the
printer.
3. Thickness of the piece
4. Location of the print on the piece.
Printer
Cover
Up
Printer
Input Rolls
First Piece to Print
Side Guide
Separator
Side Guide
Locking Knob

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4.2 Set Up the Feeder
1. Turn the printer transport OFF—Lift Printer Cover
2. Loosen the Feeder Piece Separator
3. Loosen the media side guides in the feeder.
4. Mark the first piece to be fed with the general area of desired print lo-
cation.
5. Center the piece and place in against the feeder paper stop under the
separator.
6. Tighten the separator to create drag on the piece.
7. Slide the side guides to the sides of the piece, squaring it up and lo-
cating it accurately in the feed hoper. Do not trap the piece in the
hopper by making the guides too tight.
8. Loosen the Printer input rollers and slide the assembly to catch the
piece from the feeder evenly.
9. Tighten knobs, latches.
10.Place a stack of pieces on top of the first one.
11.As you close the Printer cover, be sure that the speed control is full
slow (CCW).
Piece Separator
Marked piece
Product side guideVacuum transport belt
Printer input roll
assembly
Printer Cover

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Vacuum Belt Pens 1 and 2
Empty stalls
Print Location
mark for pens
1&2
Envelope to be
printed
Input
Roll
Input Roll
lock knob
Scale
1. Once the Feed and Transport components have been set and
locked in place, slide the first, marked piece under the separator
( this might require loosening the separator again,)
2. By hand, introduce the piece under the printer input rolls and
while turning the vacuum rolls by hand, move the piece to the first
imager.
3. Raise the imager by turning the Imager height knob CCW.
4. Roll the piece under the imager and slide the imager on its
mounting bar until the handwritten print location text shows up in
the window under the first pen. Make a note of the imager’s loca-
tion relative to the scale.
5. Roll the piece further on and repeat the process with imager 2
6. With the piece under the imagers, lower each imager until it is
very close to the piece. The piece should just pass under the
imager without resistance
4.3 Lining Up the Print on the Piece
Imager
height
adjust-
ment

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4.4 Controls, Adjustments and Indicators
Imager
Height
Adj. Knob
Feed Speed
Transport Belts
and Feeder Main Power
Indicator
Feed only
Switch
Product side
guide latch
Separator Lock
Knob
Input Roll
Lock Knob
1. Main Power Switch: Black single pole switch on rear of machine
shown on page 9. Controls main power to the machines.
2. Transport Switch: Red Push button. Illuminates when on Controls
Vacuum belts and Feeder rolls—all moving parts may be used as an
e-stop.
3. Feed Speed: Black fluted knob that controls the speed of the feeder.
Clockwise for faster. Turn off before starting feed rolls.
4. Power Indicator: Orange light on when Power Switch is ON.
5. Feed Only: Red illuminated push button controls feeder without stop-
ping transport. Should be OFF at start of feed.

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4.5 Loading Ink
Ink Cartridge ( Pen)
Imager 2 Pens
3&4
Pen Stall Latch caught on pen Open Latch Pen catch
exposed
Warning
decal
To insert a cartridge (pen) without moving the imager on its slide follow
this procedure. Use only the type and brand of ink specified with your
printer. Other inks will fit the machine (all HP 45A’s), but print quality and
de-cap performance will vary greatly from ink to ink.
1. Turn Transport off, Set feed speed to OFF
2. Open cover.
3. Note where the imagers in case you move one of them.
4. Lift the pen latch and pull the pen straight up and out of the pen stall.
5. Slide the new pen partially into the stall and rock it away from the op-
erator.
6. Allow the Catch on the pen latch to strike the boss on the pen and by
closing the latch, seat the pen accurately and securely. Seating the
pen fully before closing the latch is not recommended, let the latch do
the work.

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4.6 Feeding Pieces
Once the Feeder and Printer have been set up and pieces loaded in the
feeder, it is time to begin to test and refine the set ups to obtain the best
print quality possible.
The feeder should have a small stack of material in the hopper, ready to
feed, and the power to the machines should be OFF.
To test and adjust the feed and transport:
1. Close the Cover fully.
2. Turn the Power On
3. Set Feed Speed to OFF (fully CCW)
4. Turn Transport ON (Push red button on Printer)
5. Turn Feeder ON (push red button on Feeder)
6. Rotate Feed Speed Knob clockwise, feeding commences.
To stop feeding temporarily, rotate the feed speed knob fully CCW.
To stop the feeder in an emergency of case f a Jam, push the Feed
Power button.
To stop transport in an emergency, push the Red Transport Switch, or lift
the cover.
To resume feeding in case of any emergency or abrupt shut down, start
at step 3 above.
Caution
To avoid jams or temporary current limit shut downs, never start
the feeder without first turning down the Feed Speed.
Caution
To avoid dangerous conditions, the printer is equipped with a
Current Limiter that will shut down the transport when the motor
begins to work too hard. The Current Limiter protects the equip-
ment and the operator from damage or harm.

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4.7 Feed Adjustments
It is common to make adjustments to the feed and transport of pieces
prior to printing. It is useful to do so.
Skew: First, Identify where the Skew enters the piece by watching it
move through the machine. If an imager is too low, it will drag a piece
and cause a jam or skew. If the piece hits one of the input rolls off cen-
ter, or if the roll is not turning freely, it will cause skew at the input roller.
Finally, check the piece as it comes from the feeder. If a side guide is too
loose or crooked, the piece will feed skewed. If the piece is offset under
the separator, skew can occur. If there are two separators on a piece,
both need to have the same resistance or skew will result.
Double Feed: Double feeds are a result of the separator not doing its
job. If you have doubles, tighten the separator by setting it up with a thin-
ner material than the samples for printing. If that doesn’t work consult
trouble shooting under the “rotate the separator” discussion as wear has
surpassed the ability to adjust.
Erratic Feed: This situation is characterized by widely varying gaps be-
tween the pieces. It is typically cured by adjusting the feed speed and by
cleaning and re-adjusting the feed separator.
4.8 Connecting the Printer
The connection address has been set during initial installation and set up
of the software. The printer communicates with its host computer
through a high speed USB to Ethernet adapter. The connection status
will be shown at the bottom of the Control Panel screen.
1. Connect the USB cable from a high speed USB port on the computer
to the printer.
2. Turn on the printer
3. Turn on the computer.

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5.0 Software and Printing
The software that controls the ACCUFAST P4 comes in two sections, a
print driver and a printer controller. The driver interprets output from any
program and sends it to the printer controller. The printer controller is on
screen, the windows driver is in the background.
5.1 Installation
Software Installation is covered in a separate document included in the
document package. Typically, installation of the software is done from a
remote location by ACCUFAST personnel over the InterNet.
5.2 Control Panel
Clicking on the Traffic Light Icon on the lower right of the screen opens
the control panel. As the driver is converting files, the traffic light
switches from red to green. Once that happens click on the icon and the
control panel screen opens.
Note
Automatic feed and print controls are not available with this
machine configuration

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5.3 Piece design and Layout
In order to print a document, you first must tell the printer what you wish
to print and where you wish to print it. This is done in the host applica-
tion. In the example below, Wordpad was used.
1. Select a form size and layout that is similar to the document size
that you are printing.
2. Set both the top and left margins to 0
3. Enter the text, graphics, bar codes etc. that you wish to print.
4. Start the ACCUFAST Stitch line application
5. Place the stitch line overlay in the top left corner of the text.
6. Adjust line spacing, object location etc.
The purpose of the Stitch Line Overlay is to show where the pen bounda-
ries are (stitch lines) relative to the text being printed. For highest qual-
ity, it is recommended that a stitch line not run through a printed object or
line of text.
In the example above, text has been formatted, fonts selected and laid
out to avoid the stitch lines that are shown in the overlay. To print this
document, follow windows practice and select print in the file menu, then
select the ACCUFAST P4 printer.

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5.4 Printing a Document
When you print to the ACCUFAST P4, you format and send the items on
the screen to the printer. This may take bit of time, depending on the
complexity of the file being printed. A traffic light icon will appear along
the bottom of the windows screen as one of the minimized program
icons. When the light turns green, you can start the printer and print your
documents. For small packets, this process is virtually immediate.
The ACCUFAST P4/A Print Control screen opens. Showing the informa-
tion to be printed laid out as it was received from the application in which
it was created.. Check to be sure that the stitch lines are not running
through text.
Assuming that the printer has been set up mechanically and that the
pieces are loaded and that the printer is connected to the host computer.
All you need do is click on the Start Print Job button in the top left and
feed pieces. As the printer gets ready to print, the green changes to or-
ange and read indicating that printing can begin.
A count and a production rate will be displayed along with the printer’s
belt speed.
When you finish, hit the same button which has changed color and now
says Stop Print job.

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5.5 Printer Controls
Start with the “Start Print Job” (Green) button in the upper left corner of
the control panel screen. The box just under the start/stop button con-
tains 2 check boxes.
Show pages while printing when checked the control panel scrolls
through the pages of a variable data list. Not useful with fixed data.
Purge X pages first. Checking this box and entering a number will cause
all of the pens to fire a solid black purge pattern to un-clog jets and to
warm up cold pens. This is used with old cartridges and with those left
un attended for long periods of time. Experience dictates that a safe pol-
icy is to purge at least 1 piece before every start up of longer than a cou-
ple of hours depending on the ink being used. Individual experience will
vary.
Look Ahead is used when the printer is used to control a feeder of pro-
grammable conveyor and the job is made up of consecutive batches
separated by a control character in the data base. Not use with small
tags and envelopes.
Setup is clicked to expose a series of menus used to configure the
printer. This warrants a section of its own later in the manual.