Printronix T3204 series Manual

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t

P/N 136578–001, Rev B
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


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US and CANADA Radio Interference Note
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject 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.
Properly shielded and grounded cables and connectors must be used in
order to meet FCC emission limits. The manufacturer is not responsible for
any radio or television interference caused by using other than
recommended cables and connectors or by unauthorized changes or
modifications to this equipment. Unauthorized changes or modifications
could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
The input/output (I/O) cable must be shielded for the printer to comply with
FCC rules and regulations Part 15 governing the radiation limits for Class “A”
equipment.
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise
emissions from a digital apparatus set out in the radio interference regulations of
the Canadian Department of Communications.
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant
les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la Classe A prescrites dans
le règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique émis par le Ministère des
Communications du Canada.
WARNING
This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment this product may cause
radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate
measures.

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
Printronix, Inc. makes no representations or warranties of any kind regarding
this material, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Printronix, Inc. shall not
be held responsible for errors contained herein or any omissions from this
material or for any damages, whether direct, indirect, incidental or
consequential, in connection with the furnishing, distribution, performance or
use of this material. The information in this manual is subject to change
without notice.
This document contains proprietary information protected by copyright. No
part of this document may be reproduced, copied, translated or incorporated
in any other material in any form or by any means, whether manual, graphic,
electronic, mechanical or otherwise, without the prior written consent of
Printronix, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Trademarks
Printronix is a registered trademark of Printronix, Inc.
IGP is a registered trademark of Printronix, Inc.
LinePrinter Plus is a trademark of Printronix, Inc.
HP is a registered trademark of Hewlett–Packard Company.
PCL is a trademark of Hewlett–Packard Company.
Code V is a trademark of QMS, Inc.
QMS is a registered trademark of Quality Micro Systems, Inc.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp.

17500 Cartwright Road, P.O. Box 19559
Irvine, California 92713
Telephone [phone] FAX [phone]
Technical Support (714) 221–2686
COPYRIGHT 1997, PRINTRONIX, INC.

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This guide covers basic operating
procedures for the Printronix.T3204
and T3304 label printers. Printronix
wants you to feel comfortable and
confident using the T3204 and T3304
label printers, and this guide.
The guide has been designed to meet
the needs of all users, from beginners to
those experienced with thermal printers.
All text and illustrations refer to both
T3204 and T3304 printers except when
noted.
Follow the directions in this guide
along with those in your
Setup
Guide
in order to avoid injury to you
and damage to the printer .
Conventions
Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
Notes provide supplemental information
that could affect printer operation or use.
Cautions describe conditions that could
damage the printer .
Warnings describe conditions that could
harm you as well as damage the
equipment.
Message Display
These boxes show display messages as
they appear on the printer.



PAPER EMPTY

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i
T able of Contents
BASIC OPERA TING PROCEDURES
Powering on the Printer 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Primary Operator Panel 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Printing Modes 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loading Media 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unloading Media 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installing the Ribbon 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Removing the Ribbon 20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INITIAL SETUP
Selecting Print Mode 23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting Gap Sensor 24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting Print Intensity 25. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting Media Handling 26. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting the Ribbon Saver 28. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TROUBLESHOOTING
Cleaning the Printer 29. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fault Messages 31. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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ii

AC Power
Connector
Fuse
Holder
AC Power
Switch
Message
Display
Primary
Control
Panel
Message
Display
Contrast
Adjust
Secondary
Control
Panel
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1Operator’ s Guide

Before powering on the printer , make
sure it is plugged into the appropriate
power source.
Refer to the “Select a Site” section in
Chapter 2 of the Setup Guide for
information on proper power sources.
The power switch is located on the lower
right–hand corner of the rear of the printer
. It
is marked for power OFF and | for power
ON.
For help with diagnosing printer problems,
printer self–test routines are automatically
run during the power–on cycle. Further
diagnostic tests can be performed using the
secondary operator panel functions. They
are covered in detail in the
Setup Guide .
Using the Primary Operator Panel
Use the primary operator panel to perform
routine operations. The panel contains three
operator-accessible keys and three indicator
lights, used to control and indicate printer
status.

The functions and meanings of some of the
keys and indicators on the primary operator
panel will change depending on the
firmware installed. This manual describes
printer operation with Printronix LP+,
IGP/PGL or IGP/VGL emulation firmware
installed. If your printer has Printronix
IGP/FGL emulation firmware, please refer
to the T3306 and T3308 Label Printers
Operator’ s Guide , p/n 136452–001.
There is also a secondary operator panel,
consisting of a message display and six
keys. This panel is used to configure the
printer and to run self–tests, via the
configuration menus.

ON LINE/
PAUSE
RIBBON
MEDIA
POWER
using the primary operator panel
2 Operator’ s Guide
Selections from the main menu will need to
be changed when changes in the print mode,
media size, options and various other
configuration items are required for the
printer. Instructions begin on
page 23 of this
guide.

Refer to the “Configuring the Printer”
chapter in the
Setup Guide for complete
instructions in how to access and use the
secondary operator panel.
The following pages describe the status
indicator lights and keys comprising the
primary operator panel, along with the
related operating modes.
Status Indicator Lights
The three status indicator lights (LEDs)
provide information about current printer
operation, as follows:
•POWER — Lit when the printer is
powered on.
•ON LINE/PAUSE — Lit when the printer is
on line or blinking when the printer is off
line or in a standby/fault state.
•RIBBON MEDIA —Lit when the printer
sensors fail to detect label media or the
presence of a ribbon.
Keys
Three primary operator panel keys provide
for the basic, day-to-day control of the
printer, as described on the following pages.

CANCEL
FEED
using the primary operator panel
3Operator’ s Guide
CANCEL
Function Cancels all jobs, if pressed when
the printer is of
f line and not in a
fault state. Also clears faults and
puts the printer in the of
f line
mode.
Action
W ith the printer off line, cancel the
current run of labels by pressing
once.
Also, if a fault condition persists,
press once to clear fault.
Result The printer will then cancel all
jobs and clear all imaged and
buf
fered data.
Or, in the case of fault clearing,
the printer will go of
f line without
canceling jobs.

Pressing the CANCEL key has no effect
when the printer is on line and running.
FEED
Function Prints any labels that have been
imaged and also the current label
in progress.
Action
W ith the printer off line, press
once to print labels.
Result The printer will print any labels
that have been imaged and also
the current label in progress.

If no label is being processed, a blank page
will print.

ON LINE/
PAUSE
using the primary operator panel
4 Operator’ s Guide
ON LINE/PAUSE
Function Temporarily stops the printing of
labels and controls the on line/
off line status of the printer.
Action To pause the printer, press once.
The on line/pause indicator will
blink.
T
o place the printer in the on line
mode, press once. The on line/
pause indicator will light.
Result When the printer is paused, the
print mechanism will stop when
printing of the current label is
completed. All data will be held in
memory.
When the printer is in the on line
mode, the remaining labels in the
batch will be printed.

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5Operator’ s Guide
The printer is capable of printing in either of
two modes:
•Direct Thermal only
(T3204–20 and T3304–20)
•Direct Thermal and Thermal Transfer
(T3204–21 and T3304–21)
The two modes have in common the
application of heat to produce the printed
image.They differ in the way the heat is
applied.
In thermal transfer printing, the individual dot
elements of the printhead apply heat to a
ribbon. The ink on the ribbon is a specially
formulated material that melts onto the print
media, bonding with the media to produce an
image.
Direct thermal printing does not use a ribbon.
Instead, the printer applies heat
directly to
the print media, which reacts to the heat by
turning black.

All illustrations reflect the direct thermal and
thermal transfer printer configuration
(T3204–21 and T3304–21).
This mode requires the use of a special
direct thermal print media. It also requires
that the ribbon be removed, if already
installed.

Using direct thermal print media with a
ribbon installed will produce unacceptable
print quality .
The desired mode is selected through the
printer menu system. The main menu is
accessed via the secondary operator panel.

Refer to the “Configuring the Printer”
chapter in the
Setup Guide for complete
instructions in how to access and use the
secondary operator panel.

Media
Supply
Window
Media
Supply Door
Printhead
Latch Hinge Plate
Media
Guide
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6 Operator’ s Guide
The printer accepts a wide range of media. It
can be loaded with roll–fed, fan–folded, or
die–cut continuous media of either thermal
transfer or direct thermal type. Media width
can range from 0.75 inches (19.1 mm) to
4.65 inches (118.1 mm). Media thickness
can range from 0.0025 inches (0.0635 mm)
to 0.01 inches (0.254 mm).
Use the following procedures to load media
of various kinds into the printer.
Press ON LINE/PAUSE to place the
printer in the of f line mode.
Open the media supply door.
Rotate the printhead latch
counterclockwise to unlatch, and raise
the printhead to an upright position.
Lower the hinge plate down. Slide the
media guide to the outer edge, and
rotate it to the down position.
If you are loading fan–folded media,
skip the next step and go on to step 6.
T o load roll–fed media, continue as
follows:

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7Operator’ s Guide

Printers have been built with two types of
standard media hubs: metal and plastic.
From the diagrams below , follow the media
loading instructions which match your
printer.

Do not use the media retainer if the media
supply roll is wider than 4 inches.
 If you are using media
with a 3” core, place the
3” media core adapters
on the media hub
assembly.
 Place the media supply
roll on the media hub
assembly . Slide the media
retainer against the
supply roll and tighten the
thumb screw.
METAL HUB
 Place the 3” media
supply roll on the media
hub assembly.

Slide the media
retainer against the
supply roll and tighten the
thumb screw.
PLASTIC HUB
 Skip the next step and continue with
step 7.

Media
Retainer
Fanfold
Media
Hinge
Plate
Media Edge
Sensor
Adjust
Media Hub
Assembly
Media
Guide
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8 Operator’ s Guide
To load fan–folded media, proceed as
follows:
 Place the media supply either behind
or beneath the printer, as shown.
Make sure the media feeds freely
from the container.
 Route the media through the rear
media loading slot.
 Continue with step 7.
Route the media over the guide plate,
under the media sensor and over the
platen roller (located beneath the
printhead).
 Rotate the media guide up, and slide it
to the edge of the media.
 Continue feeding the media under the
printhead until the media exits the
printhead assembly.
Slide the media forward, until it extends
beyond the printer front slot. Ensure that
all media guides are adjusted to the
width of stock being used.

Printhead
Latch Hinge Plate
Media
Guide
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9Operator’ s Guide
10 If the media you are loading is of the
same width as the current media, skip
the next step and go on to step 12.
11 If you are loading media that is of a
different width from the current media,
you may need to adjust print quality as
follows:
note
The printer is aligned at the factory with
4–mil–thick label stock, whose width is
the maximum width accepted by the
printer.
a. Raise the hinge plate, and lower the
printhead by rotating the printhead
latch clockwise to the latched
position.
b. Press ON LINE/PAUSE
to enable
printing.
c. Send a sample test print file from the
host, or run the internal diagnostic
test file.
note
It may be necessary to feed several
labels before proper alignment of the
media occurs.
d. If the print quality is acceptable, go
on to step 12.
e. Otherwise, press ON LINE/PAUSE
again to place the printer in the of f
line mode.
note
Although the head leveling knob can be
adjusted during printing, it is
recommended that this adjustment be
done while the printer is paused.

Head Leveling Knob
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10 Operator’ s Guide
 Pull the head leveling knob outward,
and rotate it one detent. Rotating the
knob clockwise from position 1 will
adjust the printer for media that is
narrower than the maximum width
accepted by the printer. When the
head leveling knob is rotated
clockwise from the detent position
just before position 1
to position 1,
the printhead will return to the
maximum media width position.

Each of the 18 positions on the head
leveling knob will raise or lower the
printhead 0.003 inches (0.076 mm),
giving a maximum adjustment range of
0.054 inches (1.37 mm).
 Return to step aand repeat until you
obtain the desired print quality.
 If you do not intend to use the optional
media rewind hub, skip the next step
and go on to step 14.

Use the rewind hub to print quantities of
labels in single batches, for later use. The
hub automatically rolls up the label media
for convenient handling. It is also used with
the automatic label peel-off dispenser
option to roll up the media backing after
labels have been peeled off.

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11Operator’ s Guide
13 To use the media rewind hub, complete
the following procedure.
a. Lower the lower right-hand front
panel.
b. Remove the arc plate from its stored
position, and install on the front of
the printer.
Route the media around the arc
plate and to the media rewinder.
c. Place the clasp over the end of the
media, and rotate the media
rewinder a few turns.
Rotate the media guide up, and slide
it to the media edge.
d. Lift and snap the lower right-hand
front panel closed.
Continue with step 14.
14 Raise the hinge plate, and lower the
printhead by rotating the printhead latch
clockwise to the latched position.
15 Close the media supply door.
16 Press ON LINE/PAUSE to enable
printing.
note
It may be necessary to feed several labels
before proper alignment of the media
occurs.

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12 Operator’ s Guide
 The peel-and-present option allows for
on-demand label dispensing. Although
the peel-and-present mechanism is
included with every printer
, the label
present sensor and internal rewind
options are required to use this feature.
To use the optional peel-and-present,
follow the instructions outlined below.
 Turn off the printer
, and open the
side access cover.
 Rotate the printhead latch
counterclockwise to raise the
printhead.
 Lower the hinge plate and the lower
front panel.
 Using a Philips screwdriver, remove
the tear bar, invert it (flip it over), and
reinstall it.
 Place the media supply roll on the
media hub assembly
. Slide the
media retainer against the supply
roll, and tighten the thumbscrew.
 Route the media over the guide
plate, through the media sensor
, and
over the platen roller (located
beneath the printhead).