Formax ColorMax LP User manual

ColorMaxLP
Digital Color Printer
OPERATOR MANUAL
Revision 2
6/20145

2
Copyright © 2014 Formax. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may e photocopied, reproduced, or translated to another language without the
prior written permission of Formax.
Trademarks
Firefox is a trademark of the Mozilla Foundation.
Intel and Intel Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Java and Oracle are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista, and Windows Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the U.S.A. and/or other countries.
Edition
L801 Printer User Guide Edition 1.3. June 2014.
FCC
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is su ject to the following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

3
Safety Precautions
Electrical Shock Hazard
Do not disassem le any part of your printer. There are no user-repaira le parts inside
the printer. Disassem ly of any part of the printer will void all warranties.
Fire Hazard
Keep the printer well away from all heat sources and flamma le su stances.
Switch your printer off immediately and unplug the power cord from the wall socket if
you notice any of the following:
• Smoke rising from the printer.
• An acrid smell coming from the printer.
• Sparks eing emitted from printer.
Contact your supplier as soon as possi le.
WARNING: Hazardous Moving Parts
Keep fingers and other bod parts awa from the printer.
Installation
• Install the printer on a flat, level surface.
The printer must remain level at all times. Tilting the printer may cause undue
leakage of ink and may damage the printer.
• Avoid wide temperature variations.
Install the printer in a protected location away from direct sunlight, open windows
or any other places su ject to temperature extremes.
Power Supply
• Always use the Power utton on the control panel to turn the printer off. Removing
power to the printer in any other manner may damage the printer.
• Use only the supplied power adapter and cord.
Use of any other power supplies or cords may damage the printer and void your
warranty.
Input Rating 100–240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 3.6 A
Operating Temperature 15°C to 35°C

4
Printer Usage
• Ensure adequate ventilation to the printer.
Blocking ventilation openings around the printer may cause it to overheat and
ecome damaged.
• Keep liquids and heavy o jects away from the printer.
Heavy o jects may warp the outer shell, damaging the printer. Liquids may discolor
or damage the skin and, if they penetrate it, may damage the printer eyond repair.
• Use only authorized consuma les.
Use of any printhead other than authorized Formax technology printheads will
damage the printer and void your warranty. Use of unauthorized inks or ink
cartridges may damage the printer and will void your warranty.
• Clear media jams promptly.
To avoid further pro lems, promptly attend to all media jams, as well as any other
cause of printer failure.
• If you are moving the printer, allow sufficient time after installation for the
temperature and humidity of the internals of the printer to arrive at equili rium
with the surroundings.

5
Contents
Safet Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Setting Up the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Parts of the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
The Control Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Remove tape and packing materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Unpacking, Setup, and Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Connect power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Install ink cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Install printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Load sample media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Print test label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Install printer driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Troubleshooting Printer Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Change Securit Passwords (Administrator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Choosing Label Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Printing Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Selecting the Media T pe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Adjusting Alignment for Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Printing Borderless (Full-Bleed) Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Export/Import Custom media size settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Turning Off the Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Software Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Embedded Web Server (EWS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
EWS Printer Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
EWS Securit Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
EWS Network Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
EWS Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
EWS Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Interpreting the Gap/Mark Sensor Readings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Support Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Printer Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Guidelines for Preventive Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Replacing an Ink Cartridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Cleaning the Printhead. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Replacing the Printhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Opening/Closing the Clamshell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Cleaning Debris from the Cutting Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Cleaning the Sensors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Cleaning the Media Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

6
Replacing the Service Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Replacing the Aerosol Fan Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Replacing the Waste Ink Absorber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
If Error Messages Appear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Poor Print Qualit or Incorrect Printout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Other Printing Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Clearing a Media Jam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Clearing Clogged Ink Nozzles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Color Mixing Recover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Adjusting Sensor Sensitivit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
S stem Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Config Options on the Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Printer Interface (GPIO) Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Regulator Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
FCC Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
CE Conformit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Setting Up the Printer 7
Chapter 1
Setting Up the Printer
Start 8
In the Box 8
Parts of the Printer 9
The Control Panel 10
Using the Control Panel 11
Selecting the Security Level 12
Unpacking, Setup, and Installation 13
Remove tape and packing materials 13
Connect power 14
Install ink cartridges 15
Install printhead 15
Load sample media 17
Print test la el 18
Install printer driver 18
Trou leshooting Printer Setup 20
Change Security Passwords (Administrator) 21

8Setting Up the Printer
Formax
Start
Set up the printer on a flat, level surface away from direct sunlight (see Safety
Precautions on page 3). Ensure that there is:
• A power outlet near y.
• Sufficient space to work with the printer. The media cover and top cover open
upwards, and media loading is from the left side of the printer.
In the Box
ColorMaxLP La el Printer
Ink Cartridges
Printhead
USB Ca le
Power Ca le
Installation Disc
Sample La el Roll

ColorMaxLP La el Printer
Setting Up the Printer 9
Parts of the Printer
Control Panel
Top Cover
Front Cover
Output Slot
Media Cover
GPIO Port
USB Port
Ethernet Port
Power Socket
Power Switch

10 Setting Up the Printer
Formax
The Control Panel
The printer is ready to print when the control panel displays
Printer Online . The Data and
Status LEDs together with messages indicate the printer status and any potential
pro lems (Ta le 1).
The control panel also shows the estimated levels of the ink cartridges. In the example
elow, the yellow ink cartridge level is etween 25 to 50%.
The icons a ove the printer uttons indicate their functions, which change depending
on the current operation (see Ta le 2).
Printer Online
Power LED
Power Button
Printer Buttons
Data LED
Status LED
Ink Status
Table 1 Printer LEDs
LED Description
Data LED
Blinking Printer is receiving data from the computer.
On There are print jo s in the printer memory.
Status LED
Blinking • Printhead is eing serviced, or
• Attention needed; a message will e displayed. (See If Error
Messages Appear on page 64.)
On • An error has occurred; a message will e displayed. (See If
Error Messages Appear on page 64.)

ColorMaxLP La el Printer
Setting Up the Printer 11
Using the Control Panel
The icons a ove the printer uttons indicate their functions (Ta le 2).
• When the printer is online, press ( Config ) to access the configuration menus. The
options are descri ed in Config Options on the Control Panel on page 78.
• Press and to scroll through the menus.
• Press (
Select ) to select an option or setting.
• Press ( Return ) to return to the previous menu.
Table 2 Printer Buttons
Function Description
Config Access the Configuration menus.
Up, Down Move through the menu options.
Select Select a menu option or confirm a setting.
Return Return to previous menu.
Unload Media Unload the la els.
Pause, Resume Pause or resume printing.
If printing roll to roll, the printer pauses for 10 seconds,
then prints the next page and pauses again. It will
continue to print and pause.
Cancel Cancel printing.
CONFIGURATION
1. Setup
Printer Online

12 Setting Up the Printer
Formax
Selecting the Security Level
By default, the printer powers up in security Level 0 (operator), which does not allow changes to
some printer settings. For the initial Printer Setup, it is recommended that you change the
Security Level to 2 (Administrator) efore changing those settings.
NOTE: During initial Setup, Security may already e preset to Level 2. The display will
immediately go to the Language setting if it is.
1. On the control panel, select ( Config ) > Setup > Security > Level 2 .
2. Enter the 3-digit password (default is 123).
3. Press to return to the main menu.
Table 3 Security Restrictions
Security Level estricted Settings
Operator (Level 0) Language, Reset, LCD Contrast, LCD Brightness,
Date/Time, Unit, Service Station, Sensor, Ext Signal
Print, Adjust Offset, DHCP Setting, IP Settings
Supervisor (Level 1) Reset, Day/Time, DHCP Setting, IP Settings
Administrator (Level 2) No restrictions

Printer Online
CONFIGURATION
1. SETUP
SETUP
2. SECURITY
SECURITY
2. Level 2
(Config)
(Select)
ENTER PASSWORD
Enter the first password digit using
the + or - utton, then press
Select. Repeat for next two digits.
Authenticated message will
appear with the right password
Items in old indicate no access to an entire menu; others are specific functions.

Setting Up the Printer 13
Remove tape and packing materials
Remove tapes.
bRemove tapes and foam from inside
Foam
Foam
a
Remove card oard.
Squeeze latches to
open clamshell
Pull ta s
Lift out card oard
c
1
the printer.
Keep all foam
and cardboard
packing materials!
Unpacking, Setup, and Installation

14 Setting Up the Printer
Connect power
Choose display language (optional)
d
e
f
c
b
a
2
Mi ing Printhead
LANGUAGE
1. Engli h
(Config)
(Select)
(Return)
For other languages,
press ,
LANGUAGE
1. Engli h
After connecting power for the first time, press
Config to set the display language for the control
panel if you want to change from the default
setting of English.
Press the Config utton
Press the Select utton when the correct
language is displayed
Press the eturn utton
Press the Power utton on the control panel
aPlug power ca le into printer and outlet
bTurn on power switch

Setting Up the Printer 15
Install ink cartridges Install printhead
a
b
c
3
Mi ing Printhead
CONFIGURATION
3. PRINTHEAD
PRINTHEAD
2. REPLACE
Wait for printhead latch to e released.
(Select)
(Select)
Remove nozzle caps.
a
b
cOpen printhead latch fully.
d
d
c
4
Do not discard the caps!
They should e replaced
if the printhead is removed
from the printer.
Open front of printer and release cartridge latch
Insert ink cartridge and close cartridge latch
Close front of printer
Press the Config utton
Press
until display reads
Printhead, then press
Select
Press until display
reads eplace, then
press Select
Open Top Cover
Do not open latch before it is released!

16 Setting Up the Printer
Do not touch the ink couplings,
electrical contacts, or nozzles.
ink couplings
electrical contacts
nozzles
No less than 45°
Remove printhead from packaging.
ef
g
Check that ink is flowing through the tu es
on oth sides of the printhead (circled a ove).
Insert printhead
Close printhead latch
hClose printer cover
Slowly remove tape from nozzles
Slowly remove tape from electrical contacts
Remove cover from ink couplings
Do not discard the cover!
It should e replaced if the printhead is
removed from the printer.
Initialization may take several minutes.
The control panel will display Printer Online
when initialization is complete.
NOTE: If ink is not flowing, remove printhead
and wet nozzles with deionized/distilled water.

Setting Up the Printer 17
Load sample media
5
b
a
c
d
f
g
Slide la el guide to edge of la el.
Tighten kno fully
e
Flat side against media roll.
Open Media cover
Loosen
tension kno
Remove Media stop
Install Media roll
Thread media around dancer and into printer
Close Media cover
Wait for printer to load media.
Insert media until it stops.
Push media roll
against inner guide

18 Setting Up the Printer
Print test la el
6
Printer Online
(Config)
Sample PQ Plot 6x4
Requires inter-la el gap or continuous media.
Press until display
reads Maintenance,
then press Select
Press until display
reads PQ Plot, then
press Select
Press until display
reads Print Test Page,
then press Select
CONFIGURATION
2. MAINTENANCE
MAINTENANCE
1. PRINT TEST PAGE
PRINT TEST PAGE
2. PQ PLOT
(Select)
Printer Computer
c
d
USB
Connect USB ca le when prompted.
Select Configure to print using USB
and click Next
Install printer driver
7
Before installing printer driver, ensure that computer
meets minimum system requirements (see System
Requirements on page 76).
To connect printer to computer using USB
b
aInsert Installation disc into computer
Select Install Driver from the Installation window
Top Section:
• Lines are defined with no missing nozzles
• Lines are printed in order: Yellow, Black, Cyan, Black,
Magenta
• Vertical dashed lines are straight
Middle Section:
• All yellow, lack, cyan, lack, magenta lines are printed
• No color mixing on the color ars
• Num ers 1, 3, 5 are visi le
Bottom Section:
• Lines are defined with no missing nozzles
• Lines are printed in order: Yellow, Black, Cyan, Black,
Magenta
Overall:
• No streaking or smearing

Setting Up the Printer 19
NETWORK
2. MANUAL
To connect printer to network
h
i
j
a
Printer Network
Network
Connect printer to network using Ethernet
b
cSet DHCP Settings to Manual
NETWORK
2. DHCP SETTINGS
Press until display reads
Network, then press Select
Press until display reads
DHCP Settings, then press
Select.
CONFIGURATION
8. NETWORK
Press until display reads Manual,
then press Select. Press eturn to go
ack to the Network menu
dSet the Static IP Address
STATIC IP
0 0 0. 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0
Enter the first Static IP digit using
the + or - utton, then press
Select. Repeat for next eleven
digits. Press eturn once when
complete
NETWORK
3. IP SETTINGS
Press until display reads IP
Settings, then press Select three
times
ePress until display reads Subnet Mask,
then press Select two times.
Enter the Subnet Mask using the same
steps as when setting the Static IP address
fPress until display reads Default
Gateway, then press Select two times.
Enter the Default Gateway using the same
steps as when setting the Static IP address
gPress until display reads Wins Server,
then press Select two times.
Enter the Wins Server using the same steps
as when setting the Static IP address
Select Install Driver from the Installation window
Insert Installation disc into computer
Select Configure to print over the Network
and click Next
If you will e using DHCP to set the IP
Address, skip to step h.
To assign the printer a Static IP address, the
Security Level must e set to 2. Please see
Selecting the Security Level on page 12.

20 Setting Up the Printer
Formax
I Forward to eject I
Trou leshooting Printer Setup
If Mech Error 2 or Mech Error 3 appears on the control panel during installation, check
the following.
Possible Cause Solution
Service station is jammed. Ensure that the card oard is removed from inside the
printer.
Service station was tilted
during shipment.
1. Manually open the clamshell to its highest position.
2. On the control panel, select ( Config ) > Service
Station > Eject . Wait for the printer to eject the service
station.
3. Turn off the printer, eginning with the power
utton on the control panel. When the display turns
off, turn off the power switch on the ack of the
printer.
4. Verify that the Service Station is free and can e
manually pulled forward to the front racket. If yes,
proceed to Step 5. If not, contact Technical Support.
5. Align the service station with the guide rails and
slide it ack into the printer.
6. Check the alignment: the cap on the service station
must e parallel to the edge of the platen.
7. Continue pushing the service station while you
manually rotate the positioning gear ackwards to
move the station all the way into the print engine.
8. Close the clamshell.
9. Turn on the printer.
Positioning Gear
Platen
Cap
I Backward to install I