BIXOLON SLP-DX420 User manual

User's Manual
Label Printer
Rev. 1.01
SLP-DX420 / DX420E
SLP-DX423 / DX423E
http://www.bixolon.com

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SLP-DX420x/DX423x
■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......................................................................................................13
3-4 Button and LED ........................................................................................................14
3-5 Test printing ..............................................................................................................16
4. Self-Test........................................................................................................................17
5. Detailed features..........................................................................................................18
5-1 Printer setting using utility program...........................................................................18
5-2 Stand-alone Configuration Mode ..............................................................................19
5-3 Pause/Cancel ...........................................................................................................20
5-4 Media Calibration......................................................................................................21
5-5 Smart Media Detection.............................................................................................22
5-6 Gap Sensor Auto Calibration Mode ..........................................................................22
5-7 Black Mark Sensor Auto Calibration Mode ...............................................................23
5-8 Manual Calibration Mode..........................................................................................24
5-9 Cover Closing Mode.................................................................................................25
5-10 Data Dump Mode....................................................................................................25
5-11 Factory Reset..........................................................................................................26
5-12 The Peel-Off (Option)..............................................................................................26
5-13 Using Fan-Fold Paper.............................................................................................28
5-14 Auto Cutter (Option)................................................................................................29
5-15 Real-Time Clock (Option) .......................................................................................30
6. Cleaning Head..............................................................................................................31
6-1 Cleaning Head..........................................................................................................31
6-2 Cleaning Sensors, Roller or/and Paper Path............................................................32
7. Appendix.......................................................................................................................33
7-1 Specifications............................................................................................................33
7-2 Label Types ..............................................................................................................33

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■Manual Information
※Manual Information & Usage Precautions
This user’s guide 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-II Manual
This manual provides information on the usage of software for function selection of
this product, operating condition modification, etc.
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’s guide content
may be changed without prior notice.

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SLP-DX420x/DX423x
■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 .
Keep the desiccant out of children’s reach.
•If not, they may eat it.
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.
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
DISASSEMBLING
PROHIBITED
PROHIBIT
ED
PROHIBIT
ED
TO UNPLUG
PRINTER
PRINTER
PRINTER
PRINTER
DEALER
PRINTER
PROHIBIT
ED

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■Other Precautions
The copyright for this user’s guide and various other manuals is property of the BIXOLON
Corporation. Any copying or conversion into electronic firm and saving of this material
without the express written permission of BIXOLON Corporation. 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 Corporation. is not legally liable for any damages resulting from the use of the
information in this manual.
BIXOLON Corporation. 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 Corporation., as well as from the
unauthorized alteration, repair, and/or modification of the product by the user and/or third
party.
BIXOLON Corporation. 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.
WARNING
Use of an unprotected interface cable with this printer conflicts with EMC standards.
Users should only use cables approved by BIXOLON.
■WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electric Equipment)
This mark shown on the product or its literature indicates that the
corresponding item should not be discarded at the end of its working life with
other household waste. To prevent possible harm to the environment or
human health from uncontrolled waste disposal, please separate marked
items from other types of waste and recycle them responsibly to promote the
sustained reuse of material resources. Household users should contact either the
retailer where they purchased this product, or their local government office for details
of where and how they can conduct environmentally safe recycling of such items.
Commercial users should contact their suppliers and check the terms and conditions of
purchase contracts. This product should not be combined with other commercial
waste for disposal.

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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-DX420/DX423
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
Upper Gap Sensor
Cover STD
Black-Mark & Notch Sensor
Pause Button
Paper Cover
Lower Gap Sensor

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Power Switch
IEEE1284(Parallel)
USB
Fan-Fold or External Paper Cover
Power Jack
RS-232C(Serial)
Auto Cutter
(Option)
Label 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 cord 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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SLP-DX420x/DX423x
3-2 Interface Cable Connection
3-2-1 Standard Model
Connect the interface cable as shown below.
This printer supports the following communications interface standards.
-RS-232C(Serial) Cable
-IEEE1284(Parallel) Cable
-USB B-Type Cable
1) Turn off the power switch.
2) Connect the communication cable to the printer communication port to be used.
- Connect the RS-232C(Serial) Cable to the SERIAL port.
and tighten the screw on both sides.
This port requires a shielded cable less then 1.8m long.
- Connect the IEEE1284(Parallel) Cable to the PARALLEL port.
and fasten the clips on both sides.
This port requires a shielded cable with ferrite core less then 1.8m long.
- Connect USB B-Type cable to the USB port.
This port requires a shielded cable less then 1.8m long.
USB Cable
RS-232C(Serial) Cable
IEEE1284(Parallel) Cable

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SLP-DX420x/DX423x
3-2-2 Ethernet Model
Connect the interface cable as shown below.
This printer supports the following communications interface standards.
-RS-232C(Serial) Cable
-LAN(Ethernet) Cable
-USB A-Type(WLAN Dongle only)
-USB B-Type Cable
1) Turn off the power switch.
2) Connect the communication cable to the printer communication port to be used.
- Connect the RS-232C(Serial) Cable to the SERIAL port.
and tighten the screw on both sides.
This port requires a shielded cable less then 1.8m long.
- Connect the LAN(Ethernet) Cable to the ETHERNET port.
This port requires a UTP cable(CAT5 or higher) less then 3.0m long.
- Connect USB A-Type(WLAN Dongle only) to the HOST port.
- Connect USB B-Type Cable to the USB port.
This port requires a shielded cable less then 1.8m long.
USB B-Type Cable
RS-232C(Serial) Cable
LAN(Ethernet) Cable
USB A-Type
(WLAN Dongle only)

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3-3 Paper Installation
1) Open the Paper Cover.
2) Spread the Paper Holder and insert
paper roll.
3) Pull the paper so that it extends out of the front of the printer. Push the paper under
both of the Paper Guide.
* Whether the paper label is wound inwards or outwards, its printing surface must
face up.
4) If you use Black-Mark or Notch paper roll, please lift up the paper and match the
sensor position adjust the black mark or notch hole.
5) Close the Paper Cover until a click sound is heard.
Moveable Black-Mark Sensor
and Notch Sensor
●
●
Paper Guide
Paper Cover
Paper Holder

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3-4 Button and LED
3-4-1 Button Operations
Printer state
before
operation
Button
Operation procedure
Printer operation mode
Feed/
Cancel
Pause
Power OFF
Press
-
• Apply power while
pressing the button
(Hold the button until the
printer starts self-test
printing)
Self-test Printing Mode.
Print
Standby
Press
-
• Press the button softly
and release it immediately
Feed Mode
Print
Standby
-
Press
• Press the button for two
seconds and continue to
hold
Stand-alone
configuration Mode
During
printing
Press
-
• Press the button for two
seconds and continue to
hold
Print Cancel Mode
During
printing
-
Press
• Press the button softly
and release it immediately
Print Pause Mode

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SLP-DX420x/DX423x
3-4-2 LED indicator for various printer statuses
LED 1
LED 2
Printer Status
Color
Status
Color
Status
Green
On
Green
On
Print standby
mode
Print standby mode
Red
On
Orange
On
Error mode
Paper jam (gap/black mark is
not recognized)
Red
On
Green
Blink
Error mode
Printer head overheating
Red
On
Red
Blink
Error mode
Paper Cover open
Red
On
Orange
Blink
Error mode
No paper
Red
On
-
Off
Error mode
Media calibration failure
Red
Blink
Red
Blink
Error mode
Auto-Cutter error
Orange
On
Orange
On
Mode switching
notification
Mode switching notification
Green
Blink
Red
On
Wait for input
Print is paused temporarily.
Wait for button input
Green
Blink
Green
Blink
Wait for input
Cover Close Mode. Wait for
button input
Green
On
Red
Blink
Wait for input
Print Cancel Mode. Wait for
button input

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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 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.
- Firmware version, printer configuration information, printing quality checking pattern,
and peripheral configuration information, etc.
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 pressing the feed button then self-test will begin.
(Hold the button until the printer starts self-test printing)

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5. Detailed features
5-1 Printer setting using utility program
Various printer settings can be changed using the utility program (Unified Label Utility-II).
Functions that can be used with the utility program are as follows.
1) Serial communication settings
Handshake, Stop bit, Data bit, Parity, and Baud rate can be configured.
2) Basic printer settings
Paper size, printing speed and density, paper type can be configured.
3) Language setting
Code page can be configured.
4) Media sensor manual calibration function
This function can be used to detect special type or special material paper that is not
detected through automatic calibration function. Refer to Manual Calibration mode
page for more details
5) Other functions for printer test are also provided.
Refer to the United Label Utility-II Manual contained in the CD for more detailed
information.

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SLP-DX420x/DX423x
5-2 Stand-alone Configuration Mode
Various modes can be executed using buttons and LED only.
5-2-1 How to start stand-alone configuration mode
• The printer mode is set to Printer Setting Mode when the Pause button is pressed
for two seconds while in Print Standby Mode.
• Both LEDs will change to orange color and the printer will be set to Stand-alone
Configuration Mode.
• When the printer enters into this mode, the status of LED 1 and LED 2
are changed sequentially.
• When the Feed button is pressed at specific LED color combination, the
corresponding printer operation will be selected.
5-2-2 List of supported functions
Sequence
number
LED 1
LED 2
Printer operation
Color
Status
Color
Status
1
Green
On
Green
Blink four times
Print Configuration Info
2
Orange
Blink four times
Print File List
3
Red
Blink four times
Factory Reset
4
Orange
On
Green
Blink four times
Gap Sensor Auto Calibration
5
Orange
Blink four times
B/M Sensor Auto Calibration
6
Red
Blink four times
Data Dump Mode
7
Red
On
Green
Blink four times
Demo Mode
8
Orange
Blink four times
-
9
Red
Blink four times
Download Items Delete

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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
2) The printer will pause after finishing the current label printing and the status of LED will
be as follows.
- LED 1 : Green Blink
- LED 2 : Red On
3) 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.
- LED 1 : Green On
- LED 2 : Red Blink
4) While in the print cancellation mode, press the Cancel button again to return to print
standby mode.
Print Pause/Resume
Print Cancel/Standby