Intermec EasyCoder PF2i User manual

Installation
Instructions
Thermal
Printhead
(for EasyCoder PF2i,
PF4i, PF4i Compact
Industrial, and PM4i)

Intermec Printer AB
Idrottsvägen 10
P.O. Box 123
S-431 22 Mölndal
Sweden
Service support: [phone]
The information contained herein is proprietary and is provided solely
for the purpose of allowing customers to operate and/or service Intermec
manufactured equipment and is not to be released, reproduced, or used
for any other purpose without written permission of Intermec.
Information and specifications in this manual are subject to change
without notice.
© 2003 by Intermec Printer AB
All Rights Reserved
EasyCoder and Fingerprint are registered trademarks of Intermec Tech-
nologies Corp. The word Intermec and the Intermec logo are trademarks
of Intermec Technologies Corp.
Throughout this manual, trademarked names may be used. Rather than
put a trademark (™) symbol in every occurrence of a trademarked name,
we state that we are using the names only in an editorial fashion, and to
the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement.

Printhead Installation Instructions 1
EasyCoder PF2i, PF4i, PF4i Compact Industrial, and PM4i
Introduction
This Installation Instructions booklet describes how to install a replace-
ment printhead in an EasyCoder PF2i, PF4i, PF4i Compact Industrial,
or PM4i printer. The illustrations shows installation in an EasyCoder
PF4i printer, but the same principles apply to all printers mentioned
above, even if the width of the printhead or the appearance of the print
mechanism differ to some extent.
If the printer is fitted with an optional printhead spring (EasyCoder PF4i
only), the spring must be removed to allow the printhead to be pulled
out and refitted after the replacement printhead has been installed.
When installing a printhead, make sure that the printhead
density and alignment is the same as in the one you replace
and that the printhead is designed for the type of printer
in which you are going to install it. Printheads designed
for EasyCoder F2, F4, or F4 Compact Industrial do NOT
work!
Why does the printhead wear out?
When the media is fed past the printhead, small resistor elements (dots)
on the printhead are electrically charged and thereby heated. The heat
from the dots is transferred to the direct thermal paper or the thermal
transfer ribbon so as to form the dot pattern which makes up the text,
images, or bar codes.
Printhead wear-out is an inevitable process which applies to all thermal
printers regardless of brand. During printing, the dots must be heated
and cooled off very rapidly, which in combination with mechanical
abrasion sooner or later will wear out the printhead, making the printout
gradually weaker. Some dots may even cease to produce any imprint.
Simple Precautions
Some simple measures can be taken by the user to prevent premature
wear-out:
•Clean the printhead regularly, as described in the User’s Guide. Not
only will a dirty printhead produce an inferior printout, but any resi-
due on the dots will prevent heat to dissipate through the media.

2 Printhead Installation Instructions
EasyCoder PF2i, PF4i, PF4i Compact Industrial, and PM4i
•Follow the recommendations regarding Paper Type or Media Sensitiv-
ity setup in the User’s Guide. Too much energy to the printhead will
wear it out rapidly.
•Do not use higher Print Speed setting than necessary.
•Low ambient temperature requires more energy to the printhead dots
than room temperatures and will therefore cause more wear to the
printhead. High print speed accelerates the wear. Thus, at low tem-
peratures, select as low a print speed as acceptable.
•Do not use a higher Contrast setting than necessary.
•Do not use a higher printhead pressure than necessary.
•Never print outside the media path. Dots that are not in contact with
the media will not be cooled properly.
•When using media with less than full width, be careful to adjust the
printhead lift arm so there is an even pressure across the media. Not
only will an uneven pressure impair the printout quality, but it may
also prevent the dots from being properly cooled. Moreover, a sharp
outer media edge in direct contact with the printhead may cause
excessive mechanical wear on some dots, which may be visible when
printing on wider media later.
•When using preprinted labels or labels with some type of varnish or
non-standard top coating for direct thermal printing, use original
Intermec labels or inks recommended by leading manufacturers of
direct thermal media. The labels must not contain any aggressive
substances such as chloride or grinding substances such as titanium
dioxide.
•Only use original Intermec transfer ribbons or ribbons recommended
by Intermec.
Always switch off the power while replacing the printhead.
The printer must be restarted before it automatically resets
itself for the characteristics of the new printhead.

Printhead Installation Instructions 3
EasyCoder PF2i, PF4i, PF4i Compact Industrial, and PM4i
Installation Instructions
(For illustrated instructions, refer to the printer’s User’s Guide).
1Switch off the power to the printer.
2Open the side door (and the front door, if any).
3Turn the printhead lift lever clockwise to raise the printhead.
4Remove any remaining media and transfer ribbon.
5Hold the pressure arm and press down the printhead bracket so it
comes free from the magnet in the pressure arm.
6Disconnect the printhead bracket by twisting it out of the print
mechanism and pull it out as far as the cables allow.
7Disconnect the cables from the printhead. Note the snap-lock on the
inner connector. Pull at the connectors—not at the cables.
8Check that the label on the new printhead corresponds to the label
on the old one and connect the two cables to the replacement print-
head.
9Fit the printhead so the “fingers”engage the headlift shaft. Check
that the cables run freely.
10 Turn the printhead lift lever counterclockwise so the magnet engages
the printhead bracket.
11 Switch on the power, so the printer can reset itself to the characteris-
tics of the new printhead.
12 Load a new supply of media and ribbon as described in the printer’s
User’s Guide.

4 Printhead Installation Instructions
EasyCoder PF2i, PF4i, PF4i Compact Industrial, and PM4i

Intermec Printer AB
Idrottsvägen 0, P.O. Box 23
S-43 22 Mölndal, Sweden
tel [phone]
fax [phone]
www.intermec.com
* -960605-00*
EasyCoder PF2/4i & PM4i Printhead Installation Instructions
*1-960605-00*