Ricoh P801 User manual

Electronic License System (ELS)
P801 Printer Instructions
updated January 22, 20091
TROUBLESHOOTING
 Paper advances but nothing prints:
 Open printer cover.
 Press Feed Pause button twice.
 If paper advances but ink ribbon does not, replace the ink ribbon.
 Paper advances but stops partway:
Open cover to P801 printer.
Remove ink ribbon
Clean unit with alcohol swabs.
 Poor print quality: Replace the ink ribbon.
 If the previous fixes do not work, you can do a partial download of software to your POS terminal.
At your POS terminal:
Press the SETUP button
Enter your password. Press ENTER button.
Select MORE
Select Download and then Partial. Note: This will take approximately 2 minutes.
If a partial download does not work, do a Full Download (see instructions below).
Note: A full download will take approximately 30 minutes.
 Always conduct a print test: Turn off P801 (power light is off, On/Off switch is in back lower left
on machine). When light goes out:
Hold feed/pause button down, turn on printer. Once it prints out halfway release then it
should print after that. Afterward make sure printer is off for 30 seconds (to reset it), then do
transaction again.
 Printer feeds halfway and flashes: Check tension on green dials, located to the left of the Print
Head, (springs should be loose) To loosen, hold spindle, with other hand turn knob until spring is
tight and it clicks. Then turn dial the other way until it can go no further.
 Ink ribbon not advancing: Replace ink ribbon.
 Ribbon on incorrectly: Make sure it is all the way to the left. Once the ribbon is installed, take a
piece of license paper and gently touch the ribbon on the front roller. This is the roller closest to the
opening of the printer. If the paper picks up a small amount of ink, then the ribbon has been installed
correctly. If the paper does not pick up any ink from the ribbon, check the installation of the ribbon.
No ink should release from the back spindle but ink should release from the front spindle.
 License paper and ribbon not lined up together: All should be pushed to the left.
 Check green knob tension: Should be loose.
 The terminal says “printing”, but nothing prints and the printer light does not blink:
The terminal has not sent the initial startup string to the printer:
Unplug terminal, make sure the printer light has gone out

Electronic License System (ELS)
P801 Printer Instructions
updated January 22, 20092
Turn printer back on and wait for printer light to blink and go steady - will give a slight click
sound
Plug terminal back in and terminal will stay on the Copyright screen (delivering the startup
screen) and printer should be ready to go
 Can’t get printer to print any data:
Turn off printer- wait for light to go off
Hold Feed/Pause button down, and turn on printer. Hold until the printer moves paper
Release feed button (blinking slow), and paper will feed, light will go solid; the printer will print
the diagnostics strip
If the printer prints the information, then there is probably a terminal to printer-startup-string issue.
Perform the startup string. If nothing prints on the license, but you see the imprint is on the ribbon,
the ribbon is backward. Replace ink ribbon
 Paper feeds out 1 inch at a time, light blinks quickly: Printer is not detecting ribbon movement.
The ribbon could be installed so that it is rolling the wrong way from either the back spindle or the
front spindle. The printer detects if there is too much tension or not enough tension on the ribbon.
Clean rubber strip on print head
Adjust tension
Replace ink ribbon
BASIC SETTINGS FOR THE P801
 Set green dial (on right side of print head) on numeral 6.
Turn the dial where the numbers are descending, 10, 9, 8, etc. until the green dial stops. It should
be around the numeral 2.
Turn the dial up to the first numeral 6. (Dial can be adjusted to the 7 or 8 if not printing.)
 Line the license paper and the ribbon up correctly to the far left. Leave about a 1/16 of an inch of
space between the license paper and the left side of the printer, which will ensure proper movement of
the paper. The black plastic media hub flange should up against the right side of the paper roll.
 Ribbon should be touching all three metals rollers. Once the ribbon is installed, take a piece of license
paper and gently touch the ribbon on the front roller. This is the roller closest to the opening of the
printer. If the paper picks up a small amount of ink, then the ribbon has been installed correctly. If the
paper does not pick up any ink from the ribbon, check the installation of the ribbon.
 The large green lever on the right side of the printer should be in place to secure the print head.
 Pushed backward the small green lever on the right side of the printer until it clicks.
 Line up the license paper against the green guide in the bottom of the printer.
 Loosen the green knob on the left side of the printer. To loosen:

Hold the right side of the roller in place with the right hand, and then unwind the green knob with the left
hand until it has loosened as much as it can. You should be able to see the spring uncoil. The more space
between the coils means you have decreased the tension. If the coils are tightening, this means you have
increased the tension.

Electronic License System (ELS)
P801 Printer Instructions
updated January 22, 20093
CLEANING THE P801 PRINTER
 Printhead: After removing the used ribbon spindle,
Release the large green lever on the right side of the printer. The print head will become visible.
This is where heat transfers the ink from the ribbon to the label.
Carefully clean the print head and burn line area (the entire area from the black bar to the front
edge of the silver bar). Avoid touching this surface (body oils will cause damage to the print
head). Cleaning this area first will avoid transferring adhesive residues from other parts of the
printer.
 Platen Roller: The platen roller (the black rubber roller in the front of your printer) can acquire a
build-up of white residue. This residue may prevent the Valeron labels from advancing properly.
Clean the platen roller, then carefully turn the roller using the feed/pause button so that you may
clean all sides.
 Media Sensor: The media sensor and the clear plastic window covering it (inside on the bottom of
the printer, under the label path) should be wiped clean. If the sensor is not kept clear, it will not be
able to properly “read” the black stripes on the back of the Valeron labels; resulting in printer
malfunctions.
Wipe off all excessive alcohol with a paper towel.
Clean Close up Dirty Close up
Figure 1. Clean Figure 2. Dirty
The thin black line in the middle of the red circle is the heat sensor

Electronic License System (ELS)
P801 Printer Instructions
updated January 22, 20094
Another common area on the print head that gets dirty is the front edge of the heat sensor (in front of
print head, white part of the heat sensor, see Figures 3 & 4 below).
Use the same cleaning procedures as described above.
Clean front edge Dirty front edge
Figure 3. Clean Figure 4. Dirty
If the print head is dirty, possible reasons are:
o Ink ribbon will not move correctly
o Ink ribbon will not move at all
o License roll will not move
o License will feed out half a license & stop
If the above occurs, the “green light” feed button will flash (fast).
Solution: Refer to cleaning instructions above.
Then you will need to:
Press the (fast flashing) “green light” feed button twice, quickly. The license roll paper will feed
and then stop. The (fast flashing) “green light” feed button will flash slowly. Press the feed button
once. It will begin printing (if there are no other setting problems).
If it flashes fast again….repeat above process.
If this does not fix this problem, the setting or parts (i.e. ribbon, paper paddle, silver rollers, etc) may not
be in its correct place.

Electronic License System (ELS)
P801 Printer Instructions
updated January 22, 20095
PARTIAL DOWNLOAD
At your POS terminal, push the button labeled SETUP. Enter you password. Press ENTER button
From the Menu select MORE, DOWNLOAD TERMINAL and then PARTIAL.
Note: This will take approximately 1-2 minutes.
FULL DOWNLOAD
At your POS terminal, push the button labeled SETUP. Enter you password. Press ENTER button. From
the Menu select MORE, DOWNLOAD TERMINAL and then FULL. Note: This will take approximately
30 minutes.
TESTING PHONE LINES
If you have “waiting for line” showing on your POS terminal for a length of time, check all phone line
connections to see if they are loose.
You can check the phone line to see if it is working properly by pressing the INQUIRY key on your
POS terminal. Enter your password. Press ENTER button Select TEST COMMUNICATIONS. If
the terminal say’s it was successful then the line is working correctly.
Possible reasons for constant “waiting for line.”
o Wrong phone number listed in terminal
o Loose connection on phone line.
o Phone line being used by other equipment.
o Faulty phone line
o Faulty POS terminal