CONTACLIP TTPCard User manual

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TTPCard
Thermal transfer printer
TTPCard
User manual

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Warnings
• Read this manual carefully before using TTPCard.
• Do not operate TTPCard without the lid in place.
• Keep hands away from moving parts during operation.
• Disconnect TTPCard from the power supply prior to maintenance operations.
• Use TTPCard on a stable surface.
• As much as possible, avoid the ingress of environmental contamination, eg dust, into TTPCard.
• Always fi t the protective cover when TTPCard is not in use, particularly in a dusty environment.
• Do not insert sharp, hard or pointed objects (e.g. screwdrivers, rulers or knives) into the front
aperture of TTPCard, otherwise the print head may be irrevocably damaged.
• Ensure all parts of the support templates are undamaged and kept clean and free of print and other
residue.
• Ensure the carriage is kept clean and closed when TTPCard is not in use.
• Do not attempt to change the composition, height or thickness of the support templates as this may
block TTPCard or Irrevocably damage the print head.
• Prior to printing, ensure the appropriate template is being used and the material is located correctly
so that it does not hinder the operation of TTPCard.
• Handle sheets of media with care and avoid touching the printable surface with the fingers.
• Before printing, check the printable surface is free of contamination, eg dirt, dust or grease and if
necessary clean using a soft cloth.
• Keep unused or partially used sheets of media in the original packaging and in a dry, clean place.
• When printing partially used sheets, ensure there are no protruding sprues, burrs along the sheared
edges or tags bent upwards, which may damage the print head.
• When printing partially used sheets, ensure the Jump function is used correctly to avoid printing
nonexistent media, contaminating the support template and possibly causing irrevocable damage to
the print head.
• Use only genuine CONTA-CLIP media, printer ribbons, spare parts and cleaning kits with TTPCard.
• We recommend cleaning the print head at each ribbon replacement, using only the CONTA-CLIP
CLEANING KIT.

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1.0 General Characteristics
TTPCard has been exclusively designed by CONTA-CLIP for the identification of conductors and
electrical components. TTPCard is a high resolution printer based on thermal transfer technology,
capable of producing markers for cables and terminal blocks, legends for pushbuttons and all electrical
panel components. All CONTA-CLIP media can be printed with Windows True Type fonts in black or
colours at high speed. TTPCard will also reproduce Clipart images, drawings, barcodes and bitmaps
down to very small sizes. Compact, ergonomic, clean and quiet TTPCard may be conveniently located
in an office, like any other peripheral. Each monochrome ribbon can print more than 300.000 PC-
TPMF 4x10 mm cable tags with full printable surface coverage, while printing times, costs and ribbon
life may be further improved due to the ribbon optimisation system, depending on the type of material
being printed. Carriage loading and unloading operations are rapid; support templates are easily
interchanged and as the pigment deposited from the ribbon dries instantaneously, printed sheets are
immediately ready to use.
The TTPCard (28000.0) package contains:
1. TTPCard Plug & Play thermal transfer printer
2. Three inlays (28020.0, 28041.0 and 28042.0)
3. Power supply cable
4. USB cable
5. CD with CONTASign Pro software
6. Protective cover
7. Black printer ribbon
8. Ribbon take up spool
2.0 Technical specification
•Printing mode: thermal transfer
•Supply voltage: 100 - 240 V 50-60 Hz
•Operating current: 1.6 A
•Printing speed: 9 seconds per full sheet
•Maximum resolution: 300x600 DPI
•Connection: USB 1.1
•Operating temperature: + 15° to + 35° C
•Relative humidity: 30% to 80% without condensation
•Size: length 382 mm, width 230 mm, height 221 mm
•Weight: 9,6 kg
•Printable surface: maximum width 110 mm - maximum length 140 mm
•Minimum system requirements:
oPC with dual Core processor or equivalent
o2 Gb RAM memory
o2 Gb of available space on the hard disc
o1280x1024 SVGA monitor resolution.
oWindows XP SP3, VISTA, 7 and 8 operating systems.
•Printer ribbon: Internal diameter 28 mm - External diameter 53 mm - Width 120 mm

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3.0 Discription
Layout:
1 - Green LED: power on.
2 - Yellow LED: printing cycle.
3 – Orange LED: error signal (see section 7).
4 - Green button: opening/closing carriage.
5 - Carriage.
6 - Lid.
7 - USB socket.
8 - Power supply socket.
9 - Power ON/OFF switch.
10 - Compartment with 2A phase and neutral protection fuses.
4.0 Initial set up
Carry out the following procedure step by step:
4.1 Connect the cables
•Connect the USB cable between the PC and the USB socket (7) on the rear of TTPCard.
•Check the supply voltage is correct then connect the power supply cable between socket (8)
on the rear of TTPCard.
•Must be an EARTHED mains power supply.
•The electrical socket of power supply cable must be easily accessible.
4.2 Switch the machine ON
•Operate the ON/OFF switch (9) on the rear of TTPCard to commence the start-up cycle.
When the green LED (1) lights up, TTPCard is ready for use.
•Do not press the green button (4) before the green LED lights up. If this happens restart
TTPCard (See section 7).
4.3 Install the GENIUSPRO operating software
•The "CONTASign Pro" CD provided with TTPCard contains the driver and operating software
required. .
4.4 Open/close the carriage
•Press the green button (4) on the front of TTPCard to open the carriage. Press the button
again to close the carriage.
•Ensure there is sufficient space in front of TTPCard to allow the carriage to open completely.
•Do not interfere with the carriage during opening and closing operations.

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4.5 Install the printer ribbon
Remove the lid, then:
1. Rotate the media guide completely downwards.
2. Extract both feed (rear) and take up (front) spindles by carefully pulling them upwards.
3. Fit the printer ribbon on to the feed spindle (rear), locating the slot in the ribbon spool fully on
to the key on the spindle. When viewed from the front of TTPCard, the key should be on the
right hand side with the lead of the ribbon underneath, facing forward.
4. Relocate the loaded feed spindle firmly into its seatings in TTPCard. Unroll sufficient ribbon to
pass under the rear guide bar and guide plate and over the template.
5. Continue unrolling the ribbon until it has passed under the front lower guide bar and is
protruding through the carriage aperture.
6. Fit the ribbon take up spool provided with TTPCard onto the take up spindle (front), locating
the slot in the spool fully on to the key on the spindle.
7. Using the carriage/template as a convenient base, position the take up spool at the end of the
protruding printer ribbon such that the white cog is on the left hand side (viewed from the
front). Ensure the ribbon is square to the spool and attach the end of it to the spool with
adhesive tape. Carefully and accurately wind a few turns of ribbon around the spool.
8. While carefully pulling ribbon through TTPCard, relocate the loaded take up spindle into its
seatings in TTPCard. Ensure the ribbon is correctly aligned on the front guide bars, without,
tears, folds or creases.
9. Rotate the media guide completely upwards, then replace the lid.
Do not operate TTPCard without the lid in place.
We recommend cleaning the print head at each ribbon replacement, using only the CONTA-CLIP
28043.0 CLEANING KIT following the procedure in section 5.1
.

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4.6 Mount the support templates
Different templates are supplied with TTPCard suit the range of printable materials.
Proceed as follows:
•Select the template appropriate to the medium to be printed according to the table alongside.
•Press the green button (4) to open the carriage.
•Carefully position the template on the carriage, locating it correctly on the pins provided.
Positioning is identical for all versions of template (See FIG. A)
•Correctly locate on the template, a sheet of the medium to be printed (See section 4.7).
Description
PN.
Type
Inlay for PC-SB 3,5x5
28366.0
CCI-PC-SB 3,5x5
Inlay for PC-SB 5x5
28020.0
CCI-PC-SB 5x5
Inlay for PC-BSTR all types
28027.0
CCI-PC-CPM-10/BSTR
Inlay for PC-SB 6x5
28047.0
CCI-PC-SB 6x5
Inlay for PC-SB 7,5x4
28046.0
CCI-PC-SB 7,5x4
Inlay for PC-CPM-01
28023.0
CCI-PC-CPM-01
Inlay for PC-CPM-05,-12
28024.0
CCI-PC-CPM-05/12
Inlay for PC-CPM-06
28025.0
CCI-PC-CPM-06
Inlay for PC-CPM-09
28026.0
CCI-PC-CPM-09
Inlay for PC-CPM-10
28027.0
CCI-PC-CPM-10
Inlay for PC-CPM-13
28028.0
CCI-PC-CPM-13
Inlay for PC-SPM-02
28029.0
CCI-PC-SPM-02
Inlay for PC-TPM
28040.0
CCI-PC-TPM
Inlay for all flat labels
28041.0
CCI-PC/PVC/PVCF
Inlay for PC-CPM-01;-02;-03;--04;-07;-11and PC-SPM-03
28042.0
CCI-PC-CPM/SPM
Inlay for PC-TDM (4x12 mm)
28021.0
CCI-PC-TDM
Inlay for PC-TDM (4x16 mm); PC-TDMO
28022.0
CCI-PC-TDMO
Support templates each have a protective PET blank on their upper side. If this needs to be replaced
due to contamination, damage or wear, use only CONTA-CLIP spare parts. Do not use a template
without its protective blank.

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4.7 Load media sheets for printing
A sheet of media comprises a number of identical moulded or die-cut blanks. Available in a variety of
sizes, materials and colours to suit all applications, the range of media is shown in the CONTA-CLIP
TTPCard catalogue.
4.7.1 Position media sheets on the CCI-PC/PVC/PVCF support template
All die-cut sheets of flat media are printed on the CCI-PC/PVC/PVCF template and have two holes to
locate on pins mounted on the template:
•Press the green button (4) to open the carriage already fitted with the template (See section
4.6).
•Position the sheet by hand, fitting its holes fully over the corresponding locating pins on the
template; the side to be printed must face upwards (See FIG. B and C).
•Once loaded, the sheet must be fl at, square, clean and without protrusions, bends or kinks;
this allows correct positioning of the print head during the printing cycle.
4.7.2 Position media sheets on the CCI-PC-TPM, CCI-PC-TDM, CCI-PC-CPM/SPM, CCI-PC-
CPM-09, CCI-PC-CPM-05/12, CCI-PC-CPM-06, CCI-PC-CPM-10, CCI-PC-CPM-01, CCI-PC-CPM-13
templates
To position the card for cable marking or cards for terminals marking the following must be
observed:
•Press the green button (4) to open the carriage already equipped with the template (See
section 4.6).
•Position the sheet by hand such that the open ‘first’ row of tags/markers is nearest to TTPCard
with the locating lugs on the underside of the sheet inserted fully into the corresponding holes
in the template (See FIGS. B and C). Once loaded, the sheet must be flat, square, clean and
without protrusions, lifted or bent components; this allows correct positioning of the print head
during the printing cycle.

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4.8 Printing cycle
•Ensure there is a genuine printable medium correctly positioned on the template then:
Set the data in the program, proceed via Print Setup to Print Preview (Consult user manual)
then press F6 to start the printing cycle; the carriage will close then gradually open again
automatically, until it stops fully open at the end of the cycle, with the sheet printed.
•Remove printed sheet and continue loading/print preview/printing cycle.
For the best printing results, we recommend:
•Using only genuine CONTA-CLIP materials (media, printer ribbons, spares and cleaning kits).
•Handling blank media sheets carefully to avoid touching the print surface with the fingers.
•Before printing, always check the cleanliness of the sheets. If necessary wipe the surface with
a soft cloth.
•Keeping new or partially used sheets clean and dry, eg in their original packaging.
•When printing partially used sheets, ensure there are no protruding sprues, burrs along the
sheared edges or tags bent upwards which may damage the print head.
•When printing partially used sheets, ensure the Jump function is used correctly to avoid
printing non-existent media, contaminating the support template and possibly causing
irrevocable damage to the print head.
5.0 Maintenance
5.1 Clean the print head (recommended at each ribbon replacement)
Using only a genuine TTPCard CLEANING KIT (28043.0), proceed as follows:
•Switch the TTPCard OFF.
•Switch the TTPCard ON and press the green button (4) for less than 6 seconds until the
yellow LED (2) starts blinking.
•Release the green button. The yellow and orange LEDs blink while the green LED remains lit
and the carriage (5) remains open. The TTPCard is then in ‘Cleaning mode’.
Open ‘first’ row of tags/
markers should be nearest
to the TTPCard
Open ‘first’ row of tags/
markers should be nearest
to the TTPCard

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•Remove the current printing template.
•Attach a new cleaning pad to the cleaning template and spray cleaning fluid across its full
width. Correctly locate the template on the carriage.
•Press the green button to start the cleaning cycle.
•At the completion of the cleaning cycle the carriage will stay open and the TTPCard in
‘Cleaning mode’ should it be necessary to repeat the cleaning cycle.
•To exit from ‘Cleaning mode’, switch the TTPCard OFF, then ON again after a few seconds.
Remove the cleaning template, detach and discard the used cleaning pad then store the
components of the cleaning kit in their original packaging in a dust free, dry environment.
Do not re-use cleaning pads, sets of 5 spare pads are available, order part code 28044.0.
WARNING: Use only genuine CONTA-CLIP cleaning materials and methods with the TTPCard. The
use of any other materials or methods may cause irrevocable damage to the print head and/or void
any remaining warranty.
5.2 Routine cleaning
Keep internal and particularly moving parts free from dust by wiping with a soft cloth. To remove stains
or residue from external metal and plastic parts, use a soft cloth just dampened with a neutral
detergent. Remove grease, print and adhesive residue from templates with alcohol cleaner
and a clean, soft cloth.
Do not allow fluids to come into contact with electrical parts or the ribbon or to remain on
moving parts. Wipe up all spills.
As much as possible, avoid the ingress of environmental contamination, eg dust, into the TTPCard. Fit
the protective cover when not in use.
5.3 Replace fuses
The TTPCard electrical circuits are protected against overcurrent by two 2A phase and neutral fuses in
compartment (10) located at the back of the TTPCard. Replacement fuses must have exactly the
same characteristics as the ones replaced. Disconnect the TTPCard from the mains supply before
opening fuse compartment (10). Ensure fuses and compartment are correctly relocated before
reconnecting the mains supply.
6.0 Warranty
The TTPCard is guaranteed for one year against inherent faults and defects. The print head is classed
as a consumable and not covered by the guarantee. The guarantee is void if parts used are not
CONTA-CLIP original ones.
7.0 Troubleshooting
The TTPCard is equipped with self-diagnostics which notify the user in the event of certain ‘fault’
situations by means of a combination of flashing LEDs and an audible alarm.
Alarm indications:
GREEN LED (1): remains lit when the TTPCard is ON and ready for use.
This LED blinks when the print head malfunctions or is disconnected or damaged.
YELLOW LED (2): blinks during the print cycle process with the relative movement of the
carriage.
ORANGE LED (3): mainly signals TTPCard errors or failures, the nature of which are
identified by the number of LED blinks and audible beeps, as follows:

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N° OF
BLINKS / BEEPS
FAULT DESCRIPTION POSSIBLE SOLUTION
1 Printer ribbon not present Check condition of the ribbon and that it
threaded correctly. Switch TTPCard OFF and
then ON again after a few seconds.
3 Print head not lowered Switch TTPCard OFF and then ON again after
a few seconds. Press the BLUE button (4) to
move the carriage and ensure it is operating
correctly.
4 Print head not raised Switch TTPCard OFF and then ON again after
a few seconds. Press the BLUE button (4) to
move the carriage and ensure it is operating
correctly.
5 Carriage not in correct starting position or out of
position
Switch TTPCard OFF and then ON again after
a few seconds. Press the BLUE button (4) to
move the carriage and ensure it is operating
correctly. Remove any obstacles preventing full
movement of the carriage.
6 Carriage not moving correctly
or in wrong position
Switch TTPCard OFF and then ON again after
a few seconds. Press the BLUE button (4) to
move the carriage and ensure it is operating
correctly.
8...11 System software or printer
driver malfunction Check the printer driver and system default
settings are correct. Switch TTPCard OFF and
then ON again after a few seconds
12..... TTPCARD electronic
controller malfunction Switch TTPCard OFF and then ON again after
a few seconds If the problem persists please
contact CONTA-CLIP,
15 RFID inlay / plate error Check if the inlay type is correct.
Deactivate plate / inlay control under the printer
settings in CONTASign Pro, or contact
CONTA-CLIP
Green button (4): authorised user only TEST mode, accessed by pressing green button (4) for more
than 6 seconds during the initial start-up cycle, is indicated by the yellow and orange LEDs blinking
simultaneously. Inadvertent access may be cancelled by switching the TTPCard OFF and then ON
again after a few seconds.

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8.0 TTPCard accessoires
Description
PN.
Type
Inlay for PC-SB 3,5x5
28366.0
CCI-PC-SB 3,5x5
Inlay for PC-SB 5x5
28020.0
CCI-PC-SB 5x5
Inlay for PC-BSTR all types
28027.0
CCI-PC-CPM-10/BSTR
Inlay for PC-SB 6x5
28047.0
CCI-PC-SB 6x5
Inlay for PC-SB 7,5x4
28046.0
CCI-PC-SB 7,5x4
Inlay for PC-CPM-01
28023.0
CCI-PC-CPM-01
Inlay for PC-CPM-05,-12
28024.0
CCI-PC-CPM-05/12
Inlay for PC-CPM-06
28025.0
CCI-PC-CPM-06
Inlay for PC-CPM-09
28026.0
CCI-PC-CPM-09
Inlay for PC-CPM-10
28027.0
CCI-PC-CPM-10
Inlay for PC-CPM-13
28028.0
CCI-PC-CPM-13
Inlay for PC-SPM-02
28029.0
CCI-PC-SPM-02
Inlay for PC-TPM
28040.0
CCI-PC-TPM
Inlay for all flat markers
28041.0
CCI-PC/PVC/PVCF
Inlay PC-CPM-01;-02;-03;--04;-07;-11 and PC-SPM-03
28042.0
CCI-PC-CPM/SPM
Inlay for PC-TDM (4x12 mm)
28021.0
CCI-PC-TDM
Inlay for PC-TDM (4x16 mm); PC-TDMO
28022.0
CCI-PC-TDMO
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-PTD
28030.0
DP-CCI-PC-PTD
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-QTB
28031.0
DP-CCI-PC-QTB
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-PWC
28032.0
DP-CCI-PC-PWC
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-PLT
28033.0
DP-CCI-PC-PLT
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-MTB
28034.0
DP-CCI-PC-MTB
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-WTB
28035.0
DP-CCI-PC-WTB
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-STB
28036.0
DP-CCI-PC-STB
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-CTB
28037.0
DP-CCI-PC-CTB
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-ETB
28038.0
DP-CCI-PC-ETB
Spacerplate of PET for CCI-PC-PSP
28039.0
DP-CCI-PC-PSP
TTPCard Transport case
28002.0
TTPCard Transportkoffer
Ribbon black
28010.4
Folie TTPCard BK
Ribbon blue
28010.5
Folie TTPCard BU
Ribbon red
28010.9
Folie TTPCard RD
Ribbon green
28010.1
Folie TTPCard GN
Ribbon silver
28010.0
Folie TTPCard SI
Ribbon white
28010.7
Folie TTPCard WH
Cleaning kit (Plate+pads+Spray)
28043.0
Reinigungsset TTPCard
Replacement pads for cleaning kit (5 pcs.)
28044.0
Reinigungstuch TTPCard
Replacement spray for cleaning kit
28045.0
Reinigungsspray TTPCard