Monarch 9494 Service manual

Monarch Marking Systems
MONARCH@ 9494 TM
THERMAL PRINTER
Operator's Handbook
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TC94940HI 12/94 @1994 Monarch Marking Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Each product and program carries a respective written
warranty, the only warranty on which the customer can rely.
Monarch reserves the right to make changes in the product
and the programs and their availability at any time and without
notice. Although Monarch has made every effort to provide
complete and accurate information in this manual, Monarch
shall not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies. Any
update will be incorporated in a later edition of this manual.
WARNING
This equipment has bee"ntested 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
instruction manual, 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.
CANADIAN D.O.C. WARNING
This digital apparatus doe$ not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise
emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference
Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.
Le present appareil numerique n'emet pas de bruits radioelectriques
depassant les limites applicables aux appareils numeriques de la classe
A prescrites dans Ie Reglement sur Ie brouillage radioelectrique edicte
par Ie ministere des Communications du Canada.
NICKEL - CADMIUM RECHARGEABLE
BATTERY. FOR PROPER RECYCLING
OR DISPOSAL, 1-800-231-7700
Ni-Cd
Trademarks
Monarch is a registered trademark of Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.
9494 is a trademark of Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.

Preface
This manual contains information about the printer’s
✦features and functions
✦general operation
✦procedures for maintenance and troubleshooting.
You can purchase an optional documentation package that
includes:
✦ MPCLII Packet Reference Manual —explains how to
design labels, create formats, and use online commands
to control the printer.
✦ MPCLII Graphics Manual —explains how to create and
print graphics with the printer.
Audience–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The Operator’s Handbook is designed for the person printing
and applying labels.
i

Terms to Know –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
continuous mode Print mode in which a format and data with a
specific quantity are sent to the printer to be
printed in one continuous strip.
download (send) Transmission of data from the host to your
printer.
format Data stream that contains the specific label
design for printing data.
host Any mainframe, minicomputer, data collect
terminal or personal computer.
label data Data stream that contains the actual data
printed on a label.
non-peel mode Feed mode in which the printer prints and
dispenses labels without peeling them from the
backing paper.
on-demand mode Print mode in which the printer prints and
dispenses one label at a time.
peel mode Feed mode in which the printer prints and
dispenses one peeled label at a time.
online Direct communication between a computer and
the printer.
System
Administrator Individual responsible for creating and downloading data streams.
trigger Button used to feed and print labels, clear
errors, and print a test label.
9494 Operator’s Handbook
ii

Table of Contents
1. Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-1
Connecting the Power Cord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Connecting the Communications Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Communication Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-4
2. Loading Ribbon and Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Loading Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Reloading a Ribbon Cassette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Loading Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Loading for Peel Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Loading for Non-Peel Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
3. Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Printing in On-Demand Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Canceling a Print Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Printing in Continuous Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Interrupting a Print Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
4. Care and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Clearing Label Jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
5. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-1
Printing a Test Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
LED Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
iii

6. Specifications and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-1
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Label Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Cable Pin Outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-3
9494 Operator’s Handbook
iv

Chapter 1. Installation
This printer is a tabletop, online-only unit used to print labels.
When you first receive the printer, you must:
✦Connect the power cord to the printer. See "Connecting
the Power Cord."
✦Load your labels. See Chapter 2, "Loading Ribbon and
Supplies."
✦Print a test label to make sure the printer operates. See
Chapter 5, "Troubleshooting."
✦Connect the printer to a host to download formats and
label data. See "Connecting the Communications
Cable."
✦Make sure communication values at the printer and the
host are the same. Default communication values are
listed in "Communication Values." To change the default
values, contact your company’s host support person or
see the
MPCLII Packet Reference Manual .
Power Supply ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The printer is shipped with an internal power supply that is
universal for all input power sources.
✦Voltage range: 90–260v
✦Frequency range: 50–60Hz
1-1

Connecting the Power Cord ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Before you plug or unplug the power cord, turn the printer off.
To connect the power cord:
1. Turn the printer off. (I) indicates on and (O) indicates off.
2. Turn the printer as shown.
3. Insert the power cord into the socket as shown below.
4. Plug the other end of the power cord into a grounded
electrical outlet of the correct voltage.
WARNING: The power supply cord is intended to serve as the
disconnect device. The socket-outlet shall be
near the equipment and shall be easily accessible.
Power Cord
Socket
9494 Operator’s Handbook
1-2

Communications
Port
Communications
Cable
Chapter 1. Installation
1-3

Connecting the Communications Cable –––––––––––––––––––––––
Before receiving data, you must connect the communications
cable to the host and to the printer. Connect the
communications cable to your communications port as shown
below.
9494 Operator’s Handbook
1-4

Communication Values ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
In order for your printer to communicate with your host, you
must make sure the communication values are set to the same
values. Here are the default values with which the printer is
shipped:
✦Baud: 9600
✦Word Length: 8-bit data frame
✦Stop Bits: 1-stop bit
✦Parity: none
✦Flow Control: DTR
To change the printer’s communication values, contact your
company’s host support person or see the
MPCLII Packet
Reference Manual
.
Chapter 1. Installation
1-5

Chapter 2. Loading Ribbon and Supplies
Before loading ribbon or labels, you must open the printer:
1. Insert your fingers into the depression beneath the face
plate and pull up.
Face Plate
2-1

2. Pull the label guide forward and down as shown.
3. Push the printhead assembly toward the rear of the printer
until it opens completely.
Label Guide
Supply Holder
Ribbon Cassette
Front View
Rear View
9494 Operator’s Handbook
2-2

4. To close the printer, push the printhead assembly toward
the front of printer, close the label guide and latch the face
plate into place.
Loading Ribbon–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Use ribbon only when printing on thermal transfer labels.
To load the ribbon cassette into the printer:
1. Open the printer and remove the ribbon cassette.
2. Slide a new ribbon cassette onto the printhead assembly
until it slips into place.
3. Close the printer.
Make sure the ribbon is wound tightly inside the cassette
before you close the printer. See "Reloading a Ribbon
Cassette" to wind the ribbon.
Ribbon Cassette
Printhead Assembly
Chapter 2. Loading Ribbon and Supplies
2-3

Reloading a Ribbon Cassette–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
To reload your ribbon, remove the ribbon cassette from the
printer and follow these steps:
1. Locate the end of the cassette with the two latches.
Locate the International Symbols for opening and closing.
( )indicates the cassette is locked (closed). ( )indicates the
cassette is unlocked (open).
2. Rotate both latches until they snap into the unlocked
position.
3. Lift off the half of the cassette without the latches and set it
aside.
4. Remove the used ribbon and take-up reel and discard.
Open a package of new ribbon.
Take-up
Reel
Ridged End of
Take-up Reel
Latch
Gear
Ribbon
Roll
Spool
Foam
Washer
Latch
9494 Operator’s Handbook
2-4

DO NOT wrinkle or crush the ribbon.
5. With the ridged end of the take-up reel facing down, place
the ribbon roll on the spool with the foam washer (on the
half of the cassette with the latches).
6. Feed the ribbon around the guides and place the take-up
reel onto the shorter spool.
7. Twist the ribbon roll back and forth as you firmly push it
down until it is seated on the spool.
Do not force the ribbon roll down onto the spool; you could
damage the foam washer. Also, make sure the preprinted side
of the ribbon faces out. Make sure the latches are still in the
unlocked position ( ) before fitting the two halves of the
cassette together.
8. Replace the other half of the cassette. The two halves
should fit together completely.
9. Rotate the latches until they click into the locked
position ( ).
10. Check to make sure that the ribbon is loaded correctly and
that the ribbon is wound tightly inside the cassette. Turn
the gear counterclockwise with your fingers until the black
portion of the ribbon is exposed.
11. If the ribbon does not advance, or if it is hard to turn the
gear, repeat the loading procedure.
Chapter 2. Loading Ribbon and Supplies
2-5

Loading Supplies –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
We recommend synthetic labels when printing serial or
high-density bar codes. Use only paper labels for peel mode.
For label sizes, see Chapter 6, "Specifications and
Accessories."
You can load your supplies to
✦peel
✦feed without peeling.
Refer to the following sections for information on loading for
peel and non-peel modes.
9494 Operator’s Handbook
2-6

Loading for Peel Mode
Use only paper labels for peel mode.
Peel mode separates labels from the backing paper. Make
sure the appropriate configuration record has been
downloaded so the printer prints in on-demand mode. The
printer default is on-demand. For more information, contact
your company’s host support person or see the
MPCLII Packet
Reference Manual
.
Before loading labels, make sure the label path is clean. See
Chapter 4, "Care and Maintenance."
To load your labels:
1. Open the printer.
2. Use the handles on the sides of the supply holders to
spread the supply holders apart to the width of your supply.
Supply
Holder
Supply
Holder
Handle
Chapter 2. Loading Ribbon and Supplies
2-7

3. Insert the roll of labels between the supply holders inside
the printer.
4. Use the handles on the supply holders to press the supply
holders together until they lock into the label roll.
Make sure the supply holders are pressed against the supply
roll. Also, make sure the label roll turns freely in the supply
well.
Supply
Holder
Handle
9494 Operator’s Handbook
2-8