Novexx Solutions AP 5.4 User manual

06/15 Rev. 6.01-01 USER MANUAL
AP5.4 – AP5.6
Commissioning and Operation
Installation ..................................................... 2
Unpacking the printer ................................ 2
Setting up the printer ................................. 3
Scope of delivery ....................................... 4
Assembly ................................................... 5
Connecting the printer ............................... 6
Main operating steps ..................................... 7
Configuring the data interface ................... 7
(De)activating the internal rewinder .......... 7
(De)activating the dispensing edge ........... 9
Setting the dispenser ................................ 9
Operating in offline mode ........................ 10
Online operation ...................................... 11
Creating a print job .................................. 12
Transferring a print job ............................ 13
Using SD cards ....................................... 15
Setting the real-time clock ....................... 16

06/15 Rev. 6.01-01 USER MANUAL Commissioning and Operation
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2
Installation
Unpacking the printer
[1] AP 5.4 in the original packaging.
1. Remove all loose objects from the shipping box.
2. Carefully lift the printer out of the box together with the styrofoam packaging.
Have a second person hold the box tightly.
3. Remove the styrofoam and plastic film from the printer.
Store the original packaging for possible shipping at a later date!
4. Place the printer on a flat surface.
To carry the printer, reach below the baseplate at the front and rear.
5. Open the front cover. Remove the foamed shipping lock from the printhead.
6. Check that the shipment is complete, see Scope of delivery on page 4.
[2] Shipping lock at the printhead.
CAUTION!
To avoid damage to the printer, observe the following:
Do not lift the printer using the plastic components on the front and rear.
To lift the printer, do not reach below the front hood.
A

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Setting up the printer
The setup location of the printer must match the following requirements:
• The location must be in an enclosed room.
• The ambient conditions must match the values given in the Technical Specifica-
tions .
• The printer must stand secure against tilting on an even surface.
• The power supply socket for the printer must be readily accessible, in order that
the mains connector can be pulled in an emergency case.
• Possibility to lay all connection cables without producing any tripping hazard.
• Enough space for the operator, both, in front (operation panel) and sideways of
the printer.
WARNING!
Lethal hazard from mains power, if any liquid gets into the printer!
Protect the printer from liquid penetration!
CAUTION!
The printer and printing materials will be damaged by moisture and wetness!
Only operate the printer in enclosed room, in which the ambient conditions match
the values given in the Technical Specifications .

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Scope of delivery
• Printer AP 5.4/5.6 including 2 pairs of core adapters [3B] and one paper core [3A]
for rewinding thermotransfer ribbon.
• Mains power cable
• Documentation CD
Contains detailed operating manual for printer as well as Windows drivers and
Servicing manual.
• Instructions (multilingual)
• Torx screwdriver [3C] size 10 (fastened to baseplate using adhesive tape)
• Support hooks [2D] for optional cutter (fastened to baseplate using adhesive tape)
• Cover for the mounting flange for peripheral devices with two fixing bolts [4C]
• AP 5.4/5.6 basic only:
Cover for the connector for peripheral devices [4B]
• AP 5.4/5.6 basic dispenser and AP 5.4/5.6 peripheral dispenser only:
Baffle plate with fixing screws [4A]
[3] AP 5.6 “peripheral” in delivered state.
[4] Separately delivered parts.
B
A
C
D
B
A
C

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Assembly
Housing parts
[5] Assembly of the separately shipped housing parts.
1. Press the cover for the pheripheral connector [5A] into the housing opening, until
it is flush with the housing.
2. Scew the mounting flange cover [5B] onto the mounting flange. Use the screw-
driver that came with the printer.
Baffle plate
[6] Mounting the baffle plate.
The baffle plate [6F] can be mounted instead of the dispensing edge in order to rewind
the printed material inside the printer. Assembling the baffle plate:
1. Remove the tear-off edge [6A]. To do so, turn out the thumb screw [6B].
2. Remove the front side bottom housing part [6C]. To do so, turn out the screw [6D].
3. Turn in the screws [6E] that came with the baffle plate some rotations. Hang the
baffle plate [6F] with the buttonhole openings on the rear side of the plate onto the
screws. Tighten the screws.
Cutter If you have ordered an AP 5.4/5.6 peripheral with cutter, the cutter will be shipped sep-
arately.
For instructions on how to assemble the cutter, see manual Cutter 2000 , “Fastening,
Setting Up, Servicing”.
A
B
A
B
C
A
B
D
F
E

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Connecting the printer
[7] Rear side of AP 5.6.
1. Make sure that the printer is switched off (mains switch [7C] at “0” position).
2. Connect the mains cable [7A] to the mains connector at the printer.
3. Connect the mains cable into a mains socket.
4. Connect the printer and computer or printer and network using suitable data cable
(example: USB cable to USB (device) port [7B] of printer and to USB port of host
computers).
5. Turn on the unit using the mains power switch (position “1”).
As soon as the printer is ready, the following appears:
If SYSTEM PARAMETERS > Turn-on mode is set to “Online”, the printer switches di-
rectly into online mode after turning on the printer!
WARNING!
This unit operates at mains voltage! Contacting electrically live components can
cause potentially lethal electrical shocks and burns.
Make sure that the machine has been switched off before connecting the mains
cable.
Only operate the printer at the mains voltage given on the type plate.
Only connect the printer to a properly installed mains socket with protective
earth.
When installing the mains cable, ensure the following:
a) Nobody can stumble over the cable
b) Mains plug can be pulled in case of emergency
In case of danger, the printer can only be disconnected from the power supply by
removing the power plug from the power supply.
Make sure that the power supply socket for the printer is readily accessible.
Risk of stumbling over cables.
Lay the power supply cable, data cables and compressed air hoses (if applica-
ble) in a way that nobody can stumble over it.
OFFLINE 0 JOBS
B
A
C

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Main operating steps
Switching on/off
[8] Rear side of the AP 5.6.
Switch on the printer by the mains switch (position „I“).
Display, if the printer is ready:
With unchanged factory settings, the printer starts in offline mode.
If the printer is supposed to start in online mode:
Set SYSTEM PARAMETER > Turn-on mode to „Online“.
Configuring the data interface
The AP 5.4/5.6 has been pre-configured at our factory for data transmission through
the USB port. Alternatively, printer data can also be transmitted via RS232, RS422/
485 (only with optional I/O board), USB or Ethernet port.
Choosing the port: INTERFACE PARA > EASYPLUGINTERPR > Interface
Configuring the port:
• RS232 (COM1): INTERFACE PARA > COM1 PORT > …
• RS232/422/485 (COM3): INTERFACE PARA > COM3 PORT > …
• Ethernet: INTERFACE PARA > NETWORK PARAM. > …
We recommend that your network administrator configures the network set-
tings.
• USB: no configuration required
For more information on how to set the parameters, see topic section “Info Printouts
and Parameters”, Operating the Parameter Menu .
The order numbers for network and data cables are given in topic section
Accessories .
For more information on how to use the Ethernet port, see topic section “Advanced
Applications”, chapter Data Transmission with Ethernet on page 18.
OFFLINE 0 JOBS
A
CAUTION!
Switching the printer off and on again without a pause can cause malfunctioning.
Wait at least 20 seconds between switching the printer off and on again.

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(De)activating the internal rewinder
Only applies to AP 5.4/5.6 dispensers with baffle plate installed.
Activate Ensure that material has been inserted before you activate the rewinding function,
otherwise a fault message will appear!
For information on inserting material, see topic section “Setup”, chapter Inserting La-
bel Material on page 6.
Set
1. SYSTEM PARAMETER > Periph. device to “Intern Rewinder”.
Do not confuse this with “Rewinder” because this setting activates the external
rewinder (additional device)!
After being activated, the system checks the direction of rotation of the rewinder.
“Facing outside” is set by default.
2. If required, press the cut/feed button to change the direction of rotation.
3. Press the ENTER button to confirm your selection.
The printer restarts. Afterwards, an additional menu REWINDER PARA can be
opened from the main menu, and this contains the Rewind direction parameter. Using
this parameter, you can change the direction of rotation.
During the initialisation, the printer attempts to tighten the label strip.
Deactivate Set SYSTEM PARAMETER > Perip. device to “None”.
Possible fault The following error message may appear briefly after activating the internal rewinder:
Possible causes include:
• No material has been inserted or end of material has not been fastened to rewind-
er. Fasten end of material to rewinder and press Online button.
• The material strip is sagging in front of the rewinder. Press the Online button.
Modifying main
initialisation
After this, the printer is ready for the first job. As soon as a job is received, the rewinder
controller calculates the main initialisation values for the rewinding process on the ba-
sis of the given material width and printing speed. These values are suitable for a wide
range of applications.
However, these settings may cause too much printer offset in certain special applica-
tions. In these cases, the main initialisation values will have to be modified. Such ap-
plications include printing on:
• Very narrow labels
• Very coarse backing paper
• Very thick backing paper compared to the label
• Labels stuck on the backing paper
• Backing paper perforated along label contour
Only qualified service technicians are permitted to edit the main initialisation val-
ues!
Rewinder direct.
Facing outside
Status 5004
Rewinder mat. tear

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(De)activating the dispensing edge
Only applies to AP 5.4/5.6 dispensers with dispensing edge installed!
Activating Set
SYSTEM PARAMETER > Periph. device to “Dispenser”.
The printer restarts. Afterwards, an additional menu DISPENSER PARA can be accessed
that contains all of the parameters required for dispensing mode:
For more on the listed parameters, see Info Printouts and Parameters .
Deactivating Set
SYSTEM PARAMETER > Periph. device to “None”.
Setting the dispenser
Application A The label should be dispensed to that a narrow strip still sticks to the backing paper
above the dispensing edge. After manually removing the dispensed label, the next la-
bel is printed and dispensed.
Set
DISPENSER PARA > Dispenseposition to -6.0 mm (for strong adhesives, this may have
to be reduced to -8.0 mm).
Set
DISPENSER PARA > Start source to “Light barrier”.
Application B The label should be printed and dispensed after receiving a signal from the connected
foot switch.
Set
SYSTEM PARAMETER > External signal to “Singlestart”.
Set
DISPENSER PARA > Dispenseposition to -6.0 mm (for strong adhesives, this may have
to be reduced to -8.0 mm).
Set
DISPENSER PARA > Start source to “Foot switch”.
Label length
< 40 mm
If very short labels are to be printed (PRINT PARAMETERS > Material length is set to <
40 mm), the printer is automatically initialised for the material before printing.
For more information, see the parameter description DISPENSER PARA > Calibration mode
under Info Printouts and Parameters .
Parameters Possible settings
Dispenser mode True 1:1 mode (default), Batch mode, Normal 1:1 mode
Dispensing position Configurable in millimetres (default: 0.0 mm)
Display mode Remaining qty. in job (default), dispenser counter
Dispense counter Quantity presetting (default = 0)
Application mode Safe mode (default), immediate mode
Start source Foot switch, light sensor (default)
[Tab. 1] Parameters in DISPENSER PARA menu.

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Operating in offline mode
• Changing from offline to online mode:
• Switching into online mode when print job is stopped
• Slow material and ribbon feed:
• Material is reversing below the printhead:
• Reset
• Opening the parameter menu
• Feeding material to next punch or while button is pressed:
• Setting the label length automatically:
For more information, see topic section “Setup”, chapter Setting the label length
automatically .
OFFLINE x JOBS ONLINE x JOBS
OFFLINE x JOBS
Stopped xx
ONLINE x JOBS
Stopped xx
OFFLINE x JOBS OFFLINE x JOBS
feeding...
OFFLINE x JOBS OFFLINE x JOBS
feeding...
OFFLINE x JOBS OFFLINE x JOBS
OFFLINE x JOBS PRINT INFO
OFFLINE x JOBS OFFLINE x JOBS
feeding...
OFFLINE x JOBS OFFLINE x JOBS
Man Calibrate
Online
Online
Feed
Online
Cut Online
Cut Online Feed
Prog
Feed
Feed Prog

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Online operation
• Switching to offline mode:
• Adjusting the print contrast: press Feed button to increase, press Cut button to de-
crease the print contrast
• Stopping a print job: The label currently being printed will be completed before the
printer stops.
• Switching to offline mode when print job is stopped
• Continuing a print job
• Standalone mode: select a print job stored on an SD card (example: Testdat.FOR)
For more information, see topic section “Advanced Applications”, chapter Stan-
dalone Operation on page 8.
ONLINE x JOBS OFFLINE x JOBS
ONLINE x JOBS Print contrast
xxx%
ONLINE X JOBS
Restcount XXX
ONLINE X JOBS
Stopped XXXa
a) The message “Stopped xxx” alternates with “Press Feed”.
ONLINE X JOBS
Stopped XXX
OFFLINE x JOBS
ONLINE X JOBS
Stopped XXX
ONLINE X JOBS
Restcount XXX
ONLINE x JOBS Select a file
Testdat.FOR
Online
Prog
Prog
Online
Feed
ProgOnline

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Creating a print job
There are basically two ways of generating a print job: You can use a label layout pro-
gram together with a Windows printer driver or create a simple text file containing print-
er commands.
Windows printer driver There are different printer drivers available for the various versions of Windows. Using
the printer drivers, you can print from nearly any Windows application. The functional-
ity depends heavily on the layout software you use. We recommend using a special
label layout program such as NiceLabel (test version included on Documentation CD,
see Layout program on page 12).
Printer drivers can be found here:
• Internet: www.novexx.com 
• Documentation CD (also contains this operating manual)
Installing the printer driver:
1. Insert the documentation CD
The language selection menu [9] opens.
2. Depending on the version of Windows in use, click one of the areas A [9A], B [9B]
or C [9C].
Drivers for older versions of Windows (see area C [9C]) are only available for
AP 5.4.
3. Follow the instructions given by the Installation Wizard.
[9] The language selection menu appears after you insert the Documentation CD.
Layout program The Documentation CD contains a test version of the “NiceLabel” layout program.
Installing:
1. Insert the Documentation CD
2. Click “Printer drivers and label software” [9A].
3. Follow the instructions given by the Installation Wizard.
A
B
C
Printer drivers and
label software Deutsch
English
V 1.00
(<-- Klicken Sie hier)
(<-- Click here)
(Windows®7, Windows Server®2008 <-- click here)
(Windows®2000/XP, Windows Vista®,
Windows Server®2003 <-- click here)
(Windows®95/98/Me/NT 4.0 <-- click here)
Printer | Labeller | Print & Apply
Documentation (User)

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Command file Enter a sequence of printer commands into a text file and send this file to the printer.
To do this, you require a simple text editor and the copy command in MS-DOS. Easy-
Plug is a special command language for formulating print jobs. However, writing a print
job in text file format does require some programming knowledge. Furthermore, you
will not be able to preview the resulting printout on screen. Instead, you will have to
create a test printout in order to view the final results of your print job.
For a practical example of a print job together with instructions for testing purposes,
see Easy-Plug Manual, topic section “General Notes, Definitions and Command Over-
view”, section Programming Example .
Transferring a print job
The printer cannot process the print job until it has been loaded into RAM. This can be
accomplished in two ways:
•Usingadata cable from the PC
• Using the card slot and a SD card
Data cable and layout
program
If you are using a label layout program, the appropriate print command has to be trig-
gered. The data port is set when you install the printer driver.
Data cable and
Easy Plug file
Requirements:
• Data cable has been connected between printer and PC or between printer and
network
• Command file was created (here: “testjob.txt”) and stored in computer or on SD
card
• The command line (DOS prompt) has been started in Windows
Enter the following command:
• Serial port (COM1): copy testjob.txt com1
• USB port: copy testjob.txt \\computer name\share name, with
–Computer name = name of computer. In Windows XP for instance, this can be
found under START > SETTINGS > CONTROL PANEL > SYSTEM > COM-
PUTER NAME
– In Windows XP, the share name can be found under START > SETTINGS >
PRINTERS AND FAXES after right-clicking PROPERTIES > SHARE. The
share name is a printer connected to a specific port, such as the USB port for
USB transfer or the TCP/IP port for Ethernet transfer.
• Ethernet port: as described above for the USB port. For more information on trans-
mitting data via Ethernet, see topic section “Advanced Applications”, chapter Data
Transmission with Ethernet on page 18.
Tips on transferring data via USB or Ethernet:
The procedure described here does not apply to Windows 98, Windows ME or
Windows NT 4.0.
The share name must comply with MS-DOS conventions (max. 8 characters long,
no special characters or spaces)

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SD card and
Easy-Plug file
Printing starts immediately after switching on
1. Rename print job file on SD card (root directory) as autostrt.for.
2. Insert SD card into card slot on printer (see next section).
3. Switch on printer.
The printer processes the print job as soon as it is in online mode.
Alternatively, the print job can be started in standalone mode; for more details, see
topic section “Advanced Applications”, Standalone Operation on page 8.

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Using SD cards
Recommended card type:
Xmore industrial 2 GB (item no. A101465) [10]
[10] Recommended SD card.
Inserting the SD card:
1. Switch off the printer.
2. Insert the SD card into the card slot as shown [11].
The contacts point to the front left side.
Once the card is inserted two-thirds of the way [11A], a mechanical resistance
becomes apparent. Apply a little more force to overcome the resistance, insert the
card until it stops and then release it. The card springs back a little ways towards
its final resting position [11B].
[11] Insert the SD card.
CAUTION!
To prevent malfunctions, observe the following.
Only use SD cards that have been approved by the manufacturer.
Only insert or remove SD cards after the printer has been switched off.
After switching off, do not remove the SD cards until the backlighting on the screen
has gone out.
A
A B

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Removing the card:
1. Insert the card into the slot until it stops [11B] and release it.
The card springs back out of the card slot [11A].
2. Remove the card fully from the slot.
For more on using memory cards, refer to the Plug-in Card Manual, topic section “Ap-
plication”, chapter CF/SD Cards .
Setting the real-time clock
The real-time clock of the AP 5.4/5.6 can be used, for example, to calculate and print
the expiry date of a perishable product.
Setting the real-time clock:
1. Choose SYSTEM PARAMETERS > Realtime clock.
2. Enter the date and time:
–Cut button: moves the cursor
–Feed button: modified the setting
–Online button: stores the setting
Realtime clock
dd.mm.yyyy hh:mm
dd=day, mm=month, yyyy=year, hh=hour,
mm=minute