BIXOLON SLP-D420 User manual

User's Manual
Label Printer
Rev. 1.04
SLP-D420 / D420E
SLP-D423 / D423E
http://www.bixolon.com

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SLP-D42**
■Table of Contents
※Manual Information & Usage Precautions..................................................................3
1. Content Confirmation....................................................................................................7
2. Product Part Names.......................................................................................................8
3. Installation & Usage.....................................................................................................10
3-1 Power Connection ....................................................................................................10
3-2 Interface Cable Connection......................................................................................11
3-3 Paper Installation......................................................................................................12
3-4 LED Display..............................................................................................................13
3-5 Test printing ..............................................................................................................14
4. Self-Test........................................................................................................................15
5. Detailed features..........................................................................................................16
5-1 Printer Settings with Dip switches.............................................................................16
5-2 Printer Settings with Utility Program .........................................................................18
5-3 Pause/Cancel ...........................................................................................................19
5-4 Gap Sensor Auto-Calibration....................................................................................20
5-5 Gap Sensor Manual-Calibration................................................................................21
5-6 The Peel-Off .............................................................................................................22
5-7 Using Fan-Fold Paper...............................................................................................24
5-8 Auto Cutter (Option)..................................................................................................25
6. Cleaning Head..............................................................................................................26
6-1 Cleaning Head..........................................................................................................26
6-2 Cleaning Sensors, Roller or/and Paper Path............................................................27
7. Appendix.......................................................................................................................28
7-1 Specifications............................................................................................................28
7-2 Certification...............................................................................................................29
7-3 Label Types ..............................................................................................................29

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■Manual Information
※Manual Information & Usage Precautions
This user manual contains basic information for product usage as well as for emergency
measures that may be required.
※The following separate manuals provide more detailed content on various technological
issues and areas.
1. Windows Driver Manual
This manual provides information on the installation instructions and main functions
of the Windows Driver.
2. Unified Label Printer Utility Manual
This manual provides information on the usage of software for function selection of
this product, operating condition modification, etc.
The following functions are available.
1) Firmware Downloader
2) Factory Font Downloader
3) Soft-Font (or Downloadable-font) Downloader
4) PCX File Downloader
5) User Setting Manager
6) File Transfer Manager
7) SLCS Tester
3. Programming (SLCS) Manual
This manual provides information on label printer commands.
4. True Font Downloader Manual
This manual provides information on the usage of the font downloader that can
download True Fonts and facilitate their usage as Device Fonts.
5. Ethernet interface Manual
This manual provides information on the configuration and usage of Ethernet
interface.
6. Label design program Manual
This manual provides information on the usage of the Windows PC program that can
make labels by adding text, graphics, or barcodes at desired positions.
We at BIXOLON maintain ongoing efforts to enhance and upgrade the functions and
quality of all our products. In following, product specifications and/or user manual content
may be changed without prior notice.

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■Safety Precautions
In using the present appliance, please keep the following safety regulations in order to
prevent any hazard or material damage.
WARNING
Violating following instructions can cause serious injury or death.
Do not bend the cable by force or leave it under any
heavy object.
•A damaged cable can cause a fire.
Do not plug in or unplug with your hands wet.
•You can be electrocuted.
Keep the plastic bag out of children’s reach.
•If not, a child may put the bag on his head.
Do not pull the cable to unplug.
•This can damage the cable, which is the origin of a fire or a
breakdown of the printer.
You must use only the supplied adapter.
•It is dangerous to use other adapters.
Do not plug several products in one multi-outlet.
•This can provoke over-heating and a fire.
•If the plug is wet or dirty, dry or wipe it before usage.
•If the plug does not fit perfectly with the outlet, do not plug in.
•Be sure to use only standardized multi-outlets.
PROHIBIT
ED
PROHIBIT
ED
PROHIBIT
ED
PROHIBIT
ED
PROHIBIT
ED
ONLY SUPPLIED ADAPTER
PROHIBIT
ED

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CAUTION
Violating following instructions can cause slight wound or damage the appliance .
Do not use the printer when it is out of order. This
can cause a fire or an electrocution.
•Switch off and unplug the printer before calling your dealer.
Do not let water or other foreign objects in the
printer.
•If this happened, switch off and unplug the printer before
calling your dealer.
Use only approved accessories and do not try to
disassemble, repair or remodel it for yourself.
•Call your dealer when you need these services.
•Do not touch the blade of auto cutter.
Install the printer on the stable surface.
•If the printer falls down, it can be broken and you can hurt
yourself.
Keep the desiccant out of children’s reach.
•If not, they may eat it.
If you observe a strange smoke, odor or noise from
the printer, unplug it before taking following
measures.
• Switch off the printer and unplug the set from the mains.
• After the disappearance of the smoke, call your dealer to
repair it.
TO UNPLUG
PROHIBIT
ED
DISASSEMBLING
PROHIBITED
PROHIBIT
ED
PROHIBIT
ED
TO UNPLUG
PRINTER
PRINTER
PRINTER
PRINTER
DEALER
PRINTER

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■Other Precautions
The copyright for this user manual and various other manuals is property of the BIXOLON
Co., Ltd. Any copying or conversion into electronic firm and saving of this material
without the express written permission of BIXOLON Co., Ltd. is strictly prohibited.
Use of the information contained in this manual is not subject to any patent liability. This
manual has been prepared with utmost care and attention to detail but may contain certain
errors and/or omissions.
BIXOLON Co., Ltd. is not legally liable for any damages resulting from the use of the
information in this manual.
BIXOLON Co., Ltd. and its affiliates are not legally liable (United States excluded) for any
damages, loss, costs, and/or expenses that result from the breakdown, malfunction, and/or
misuse of the product due to violation or neglect of the operation and maintenance
information and instructions provided by the BIXOLON Co., Ltd., as well as from the
unauthorized alteration, repair, and/or modification of the product by the user and/or third
party.
BIXOLON Co., Ltd. is not legally liable for any damages and/or issues resulting from the
use of options and/or parts that are not authentic BIXOLON products or authorized
products.

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1. Content Confirmation
The following items should all be contained in the printer package.
Contact the dealer from which the purchase was made if any item is damaged and/or
missing.
SLP-D420/ D423
Power Cord
AC Adapter
CD
User’s Manual
※Optional items
RS-232C(Serial) Cable
IEEE1284 (Parallel) Cable
USB Cable

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2. Product Part Names
Feed Button
Cover Lever
Printer Head
Paper Holder
Paper Guide & Gap Sensor
Paper Reflector Sensor
Pause Button
Paper Cover

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Power Switch
Dip Switch
Auto Cutter (Option)
IEEE1284 (Parallel)
USB
Fan-Fold or External Paper
Power Jack
RS-232C (Serial)
Cover Peel-off (Option)
External Paper Supplier
(Option)

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3. Installation & Usage
3-1 Power Connection
Connect power to the printer as shown below.
1) Turn off the printer power switch.
2) Check to see that the AC adapter voltage matches that of the power source.
3) Connect the AC adapter jack to the printer power connector.
4) Connect the power jack to the AC adapter.
5) Connect the power cord to a power source/outlet.
OFF
Power Switch
Power Cord
AC Adapter

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3-2 Interface Cable Connection
Connect the interface cable as shown below.
This printer supports the following communications interface standards.
-RS-232C (Serial)
-IEEE1284 (Parallel)
-USB
-Ethernet (exclusively for SLP-D420E, D423E)
1) Turn off the power switch.
2) Connect the communication cable to the printer communication port.
- For a Serial cable, secure by tightening the screws on both sides.
- For a Parallel cable, secure by fastening the clips on both sides.
- Connect USB cable when using USB interface.
- Connect LAN cable when using Ethernet interface.
USB Cable
RS-232 (Serial) Cable
IEEE1284 (Parallel) Cable
or LAN (Ethernet ) Cable

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3-3 Paper Installation
1) Open the Paper Cover.
2) Spread the paper holder and insert
paper as shown.
3) Whether the paper label is wound
inwards or outwards, its printing surface
must face up.
4) Adjust the paper guide to the width of
the paper.
5) Close the Paper Cover until a click
sound is heard.
Paper Guide

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3-4 LED Display
Pause
Status
Error
Feed/Cancel
: During print jobs, this button can be used to temporarily cease printing
and/or again to resume printing.
: The current printer status can be viewed. (Refer to table)
: The current printer status can be viewed. (Refer to table)
: Paper feed or cancel the print job.
[The current printer status can be viewed via the printer’s LED display.]
LED Type
Printer Status
Status
Error
Green On
Green On
Normal status, on standby to receive date from the
host (e.g. PC)
Red On
Red Blinking
Paper cover opened
Red On
Orange Blinking
No paper
Red On
Green Blinking
Print stoppage due to TPH (print head) overheating
(Printing resumes automatically after a certain period
of time if the temperature of TPH drops)
Off
Red On
On standby for user button input for automatic sensor
level correction
Green Blinking
Red On
Print stoppage after input of Pause button, Press
Pause button again to resume printing
Green On
Red Blinking
Print cancellation after input of Cancel button, Press
Cancel button to return to standby mode, all data
received deleted in Cancel mode
Green On
Off
Power Save mode activated
* Power Save Mode*
When the printer is not used, the Power Save mode is activated to save power.
If the printer is not used for more than 180 seconds, it enters the Power Save mode.
If a print command or external input is given, the Power Save mode is deactivated.

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3-5 Test printing
3-5-1 Printing using Windows driver
1) Install the Windows driver.
Refer to the “Windows driver manual”in the CD for the installation procedure.
2) Set the “port”of Windows driver to the appropriate interface to be used. Refer to the
“Ethernet interface user’s manual” in the CD when using Ethernet interface.
3) Print the test page using the “Print test page”function of Windows driver.
3-5-2 Printing using label design program
- The label design program is included in the separate CD.
1) Install the label design program.
2) ) Refer to the “Label Design Program Manual”included in the CD and set the interface.
3) Print the test page after designing a label.

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4. Self-Test
The self-test checks whether the printer has any problems.
(Users cannot perform this procedure if using the printer’s label peel-off option.)
If the printer does not function properly, contact an authorized dealer.
The self-test checks the following;
1) Make sure that the paper roll has been installed properly.
2) Turn on the power while holding down the FEED button. The self-test begins.
3) The self-test prints the current printer status, which provides the control ROM version
and the DIP switch settings.
4) After the self-test results are printed out:
- No button input within 2 seconds: Normal Print Mode
- Button pressed once within 2 seconds: Hex Dump Mode
- Button pressed twice within 2 seconds: Line Print Mode
* The BXL-POS command set is used in Line Print Mode.
Received data is printed in sequence similar to a receipt printer.

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5. Detailed features
5-1 Printer Settings with Dip switches
The following functions can be selected using the dip switches.
- Print Speed, Print Density, Paper Select
- Auto Cutter, Back Feed, Paper Sensor Operation
- Serial Communication Speed and Busy Status
The dip switches are located on the bottom of the printer.
Follow these steps when changing dip switch settings:
1) Turn the printer power switch off.
2) Turn the printer upside down and remove the dip switch cover on the bottom.
3) Flip the dip switches using tweezers or another narrow-ended tool. Switches are off
when up and on when down following the figure.
4) New settings take effect when the printer is turned back on.
※CAUTION
- Make sure if the dip switch cover is closed prior to operating

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[Table 1] Dip Switch 1
No
Functions
Details
1-1
Speed Selection
Off
5.0 ips
On
6.0 ips
1-2
1-3
1-4
Density Selection
4
3
2
Density
Off
Off
Off
6
Off
Off
On
8
Off
On
Off
10
Off
On
On
12
On
Off
Off
14
On
Off
On
16
On
On
Off
18
On
On
On
20
1-5
Exhibition
Selection
Off
Normal Mode
On
Demo Mode
1-6
Media Selection
Off
Label Paper
On
Thermal Continuous Paper
1-7
Auto Cutter
Off
Without Auto Cuter
On
With Auto Cuter
1-8
Back Feed Option
Off
Back Feeding Enable
On
Back Feeding Disable
[Table 2] Dip Switch 2
No
Functions
Details
2-1
2-2
Baud Rate
Selection
2
1
Baud Rate
Off
Off
9,600 bps
Off
On
19,200 bps
On
Off
57,600 bps
On
On
115,200 bps
2-3
Media Detection
Off
Detect Gap
On
Detect Black Mark
1)Dip S/W 1-6 OFF: Reverse Side Black Mark
2)Dip S/W 1-6 On: Printed Side Black Mark (Option)
2-4
No Use
Default --- off
2-5
Emulation
Off
SLCS,EPL,ZPL
On
DPL
2-6
Busy Condition
Off
Receive Buffer Full
On
*Offline
*Receive Buffer Full
2-7
Paper End Sensor
Status
Off
Enable
On
Disable
2-8
Long Label
Split Printing
Off
Disable
On
Enable

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5-2 Printer Settings with Utility Program
The printer settings utility program offered by the manufacturer can be used to change a
variety of basic printer settings. The basic settings set via the utility override printer
command settings. Thus, users wishing to use command settings to control the printer
should not change the basic settings via the utility.
Run the BIXOLON United Label Printer Utility from the enclosed CD and click the User
Setting Manager button.
1) Serial Communications Settings
Handshake, Stop Bit, Data Bit, Parity, Baud Rate, etc. can be set.
2) Language Selection
Code Page and International Character Set can be set.
3) Basic Ribbon Size & Print Density Settings
Paper Width and Length, Left/Right Margins, Print Density, Label length measurement
function, etc. can be set.
4) Hardware Information Storage
For user management of equipment, the hardware version, serial number, ID, etc. can
be saved and/or confirmed via command.

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5-3 Pause/Cancel
During multiple-page print jobs, the Pause and Cancel button can be used to temporarily
cease printing and cancel the print job altogether, respectively.
5-3-1 Pause/Resume Function
1) When printing labels, pressing the Pause button will result in the temporary stoppage of
printing after the currently printed label is completed, and a change in the LED status.
- Status LED: Green Blinking
- Error LED: Red On
2) While the print job is paused, press the Pause button again to resume printing.
5-3-2 Print Cancellation
1) During label printing and/or pause mode, pressing the Cancel button enters the print
cancellation mode.
2) The following processes occur in the print cancellation mode.
- All label printing cancelled
- All data received in the printer communications buffer deleted.
- All received data deleted.
3) The LED status in the print cancellation mode can be as follows.
- Status LED: Green On
- Error LED: Red Blinking
4) While in the print cancellation mode, press the Cancel button again to return to print
standby mode.
Print Pause/Resume
Print Cancel/Standby

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5-4 Gap Sensor Auto-Calibration
Gap sensor auto-calibration is used when the printer does not detect a gap on the label
paper correctly. Generally a printer is set to detect most gap types, but sometimes
detection fails and paper continues to be fed without stopping when special paper is used.
In such cases, use the gap sensor auto-calibration function to facilitate proper detection.
1) Check to see that the paper is aligned correctly.
2) Open the paper cover and turn on the printer while holding down the paper feed button.
- The green LED blinks.
3) Close the paper cover.
- An information message is printed and the red LED turns on.
4) Press the paper feed button.
①Once
- The LED color changes to orange.
- The previous gap sensor correction value is erased and reset to its default value.
②Twice (for automatic sensor calibration)
- The LED color changes to green.
- The gap sensor auto-calibration is performed as 2~3 pages of paper are fed
continuously.
③Three times (for automatic sensor calibration and the label length setting)
- The LED color changes to green.
- The gap sensor auto-calibration and label length measurement are performed while
slowly feeding 4~5 pages of paper.
5) Gap sensor auto-calibration is complete.