Datamax PE User manual

PE Series
Operator’s Manual

CG Triumvirate is a trademark of Agfa Corporation.
CG Times, based upon Times New Roman under license from The
Monotype Corporation.
SEAQ is a trademark of Datamax Barcode Products Corporation.
As an Energy Star Partner, Datamax Corporation has determined that
this product meets the Energy Star guidelines for energy efficiency.
Firmware (Software) Agreement: The enclosed Firmware
(Software) resident in the EPROM’s is owned by Licensor or its
suppliers and is licensed for used only on a single printer in the
user’s Trade or Business. The User agrees not to, and not to
authorize or permit any other person or party to, duplicate or
copy the EPROM’s or the information contained in the
EPROM’s. The firmware (Software) is protected by applicable
copyright laws and Licensor retains all rights not expressly granted.
In no event will Licensor or its suppliers be liable for any damages
or loss, including direct, incidental, economic, special, or
consequential damages, arising out of the use or inability to use the
Firmware (Software).
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and
does not represent a commitment on the part of Datamax Barcode
Products Corporation. No part of this manual may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, for any purpose other
than the purchaser's personal use, without the expressed written
permission of Datamax Corporation.
© Copyright 1998 by Datamax Corporation
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
88-2082-01 Rev. C1

Agency Compliance and Approvals
UL: UL1950 Safety of Information Technology Equipment
1. Nur für Gebrauch innerhalb eines Gebäudes geeignet.
Für 230 Volt (Europa): Benützen Sie ein Kabel, das mit "HAR"
markiert ist, bestehend mindestens aus einem H05VV-F Kabel, das
mindestens 0,75 Quadratmillimeter Drahtdurchmesser hat; sowie
eine IEC320 Steckdose und einen für das Land geeigneten Stecker,
6A, 250 Volt.
1. This unit is intended for indoor use only.
2. Disconnect power supply cord in case of emergency.
3. When power supply cord is not provided; for proper power supply
cord selection please see below:
CE: This product complies with requirements of the Low Voltage
Directive 73/23/EEC and the provisions of the EMC Directive
89/336/EEC.
For 230 Volt Operation (Europe): Use a cord set, marked "HAR,"
consisting of a min H05VV-F cord which has a minimum 0.75 square
mm diameter conductors, provided with an IEC 320 receptacle and a
male plug for the country of installation rated 6A, 250V
For 120 Volt Operation (Domestic):
FCC: This device complies with FCC CFR 47 Part 15 Class A.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with
the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions in this manual, it may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a
residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in
which case the user will be required to correct the
interference at his own expense.

Important Safety Instructions
This printer has been carefully designed to give you many years of
safe, reliable performance. As with all electrical equipment, there are a
few basic precautions you should take to avoid hurting yourself or
damaging the printer.
Carefully read the installation and operating instructions provided
with your printer.
Read and follow all warning instruction labels on the printer.
Mount the printer to a flat, firm, solid surface.
To protect your printer from overheating, make sure all openings
on the printer are not blocked.
Do not place the printer on or near a heat source.
Do not use your printer near water, or spill liquid into it.
Be certain that your power source matches the rating listed on
your printer. If you are unsure, check with your dealer or with
your local power company.
Do not place the power cord where it will be walked on. If the
power cord becomes damaged or frayed replace it immediately.
Do not insert anything into the ventilation slots or openings on the
printer.
Only qualified, trained service technicians should attempt to
repair your printer.

i
Contents
Printer Overview
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................ 1
1.1 About This Printer............................................................... 2
1.1.1 Standard Features.................................................... 2
1.1.2 Optional Features.................................................... 3
Getting Started
2.0 Before Using This Printer..................................................... 5
2.1 General Overview............................................................... 7
Setting Up the Printer
3.0 Introduction ........................................................................ 9
3.1 Connecting the Printer.......................................................... 9
3.2 Loading Media...................................................................10
3.3 Loading Ribbon (Thermal Transfer).....................................13
3.4 Ribbon Removal ................................................................15
3.5 Installing a FLASH Cartridge ..............................................17
3.6 Printing a Configuration Label.............................................19
3.7 Configuration Label Explanation..........................................22
3.8 Test Pattern Label..............................................................23
3.9 Applicator Connection........................................................24
3.10 Options Port.......................................................................26

ii
Using Your Printer
4.0 Using the Printer’s Front Panel ............................................28
4.1 Accessing the Menu Tree ...................................................30
4.1.1 Basic Functions ........................................................30
4.1.2 Advanced Setup .......................................................32
Printer Adjustments
5.0 Introduction .......................................................................42
5.1 Media Sensor Adjustment...................................................42
5.2 Media Width Adjustment....................................................43
5.3 Label Start of Print.............................................................44
5.4 Label Presentation..............................................................44
5.5 Setting Start of Print and Peel Position.................................45
5.6 Controlling Print Quality.....................................................46
Maintenance
6.0 Introduction .......................................................................48
6.1 Cleaning Schedule..............................................................49
6.2 Cleaning the Printhead........................................................50
6.3 Cleaning the Platen Roller...................................................51
Troubleshooting
7.0 Introduction .......................................................................52
7.1 Troubleshooting Tips .........................................................52
7.2 Error Messages..................................................................56
7.3 Character Dump Mode .......................................................61

iii
Appendices
Appendix A
ASCII Control Chart..................................................................A-1
Appendix B
Available Fonts and Barcodes....................................................B-1
Human-Readable Fonts..............................................................B-2
Barcode Fonts...........................................................................B-5
Appendix C
Cable Listing ............................................................................C-1
Appendix D
Applicator Port Test Box...........................................................D-1
Appendix E
Error Codes.............................................................................. E-1
Appendix F
Printer Specifications................................................................. F-1
Printer Dimensions.................................................................... F-4
Media Specifications................................................................. F-5
Media and Ribbon Basics .......................................................... F-6
Appendix G
Menu Tree................................................................................G-1
Appendix H
Warranty Information.................................................................H-1

PE Series Operator’s Manual 1
Printer Overview
1.0 Introduction
The PE Series, hereafter referred to as the printer, is a high quality,
high volume, extremely durable print engine, designed exclusively for
use with label applicator systems.
Available in a wide range of configurations, the printer offers both
direct thermal or thermal transfer printing and comes equipped with
many popular bar codes, nine resident fonts, a smooth bit-mapped
font (CG Triumvirate ) and a scaleable font (CG Triumvirate Bold
Condensed ).
This manual provides all the information necessary to operate the
printer. To print labels or tags, simply refer to the instructions
included with the software you have chosen to create your labels.
Right-Hand Model Left-Hand Model
Figure 1-1 PE Series Print Engines

PE Series Operator’s Manual
2
1.1 About This Printer
This printer offers the following standard and optional features:
1.1.1 Standard Features
Advanced Technology
This printer utilizes the Intel I960 32 Bit RISC Microprocessor
and Datamax application specific integrated circuitry (ASIC).
The ASIC design includes highly integrated components, along
with the Datamax proprietary SEAQ Circuit, which maintains
printhead thermal control to provide consistent print quality.
Interfaces
This printer is equipped with two serial data communication
interfaces that support RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485 and one
Centronics® parallel data communication interface. The printer
is easily connected to any host using one of the cable
configurations listed in Appendix C.
Control Panel
The detachable/rotatable printer control panel has one liquid
crystal display (LCD), three LEDs, three primary operational
keys and six additional menu keys.

PE Series Operator’s Manual 3
1.1.2 Optional Features
300 DPI
This factory installed option provides a printhead resolution of
300 dots per inch with a 4.16 inch print width and 1MB DRAM.
Left-Hand
Left-hand label output model for system configuration
flexibility.
Memory Expansion
On-board memory DRAM expansion to 4 MB total for
expanded print length, temporary image storage and scaleable
font character cache.
FLASH Cartridge
A removable module used for permanent storage of custom
fonts, format and graphics. Available in 256K, 512K, 1 MB and
2 MB sizes.
Ribbon Saver
This factory installed option eliminates ribbon waste when
feeding past non-printed label areas.

PE Series Operator’s Manual
4

PE Series Operator’s Manual 5
Getting Started
2.0 Before Using This Printer
Unpacking the Printer
The printer was carefully packaged to avoid any damage during
transit. Before opening, closely inspect the box for damages. In the
event of shipping damage, contact the carrier immediately regarding
it’s nature and extent.
In order to operate the printer you will need to remove the
packaging materials that are placed inside the printer for shipment.
Complete the following steps before connecting power. It may be
helpful to refer to Figure 2-2 when removing the packing material.
nRemove the printer from the box.
oRemove the printer from the plastic bag.
pRemove the tape that extends over the printhead assembly.
qRemove the piece of foam between the printhead and platen.
rRemove the tape that covers the J-Hook on the Ribbon
Take-Up Hub.
;Note: Save all packaging materials in the event that shipping the
printer is ever required.

PE Series Operator’s Manual
6
Inspecting the Printer
After removing the printer from the box, check the remaining contents
of the package. In addition to this manual, the following items should be
present:
label printer installation guide
sample print labels
power cord
any special or additional items purchased
Additional Requirements
The following items are necessary for generating labels with your
printer. Contact your dealer or a technical support representative for
advice on media and software.
Serial or parallel interface cable (see Appendix C).
Applicable media (see Appendix F).
Applicable software

PE Series Operator’s Manual 7
2.1 General Overview
The following illustrations show the major components of your
printer. It may be helpful to refer back to this section for the names
and locations of the printer’s various parts.
Figure 2-1 Right-Hand Model, External Front View

PE Series Operator’s Manual
8
Figure 2-2 Right-hand Model, Interior Front View
Figure 2-3 Right-Hand Model, Media Path

PE Series Operator’s Manual 9
Setting Up the Printer
3.0 Introduction
This chapter explains how to connect the printer to the host, load
media and print a configuration label.
3.1 Connecting the Printer
;Note: Ensure that the printer’s power switch is ‘off’ when
connecting the AC power cord or any interface cable.
Connect the AC power cord to the back of the printer before plugging
into a properly grounded outlet. The printer can be connected to the
host computer with a parallel or serial cable, (see Appendix C). The
applicator connections should also be made at this time. The figure
below shows the position of the interface ports.
Figure 3-1 Connecting the Printer

PE Series Operator’s Manual
10
3.2 Loading Media
This section explains the loading of media.
nMove the Head-Lift Lever ‘up’ to raise the printhead, as
shown in Figure 3-2.
Figure 3-2 Head-Lift Lever
oPush ‘up’ on the hinged Drive Plate at the point shown in
Figure 3-3. This will release the plate, allowing it to swing
down.
Figure 3-3 Opening and Closing the Drive Plate