TSC MH261T Series User manual

MH261T Series
Industrial Barcode Printers
User Manual
Series Lists:
MH261T/MH361T
Thermal Transfer
Direct Thermal

I
Copyright Information
© 2021 TSC Auto ID Technology Co., Ltd.
The copyright in this manual, the software and firmware in the printer described are owned by TSC Auto ID Technology Co., Ltd.
All rights reserved.
CG Triumvirate is a trademark of Agfa Corporation. CG Triumvirate Bold Condensed font is under license from the Monotype
Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Information in this document is subject to change without
notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of TSC Auto ID Technology Co. No part of this manual may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, for any purpose other than the purchaser’s personal use, without the
expressed written permission of TSC Auto ID Technology Co.

II
Table of Contents
1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Product Specification...................................................................................................................................................................................2
2. Operation Overview...........................................................................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Unpacking and Inspection............................................................................................................................................................................4
2.2.1 Front View.............................................................................................................................................................................................5
2.2.2 Interior View ..........................................................................................................................................................................................6
2.2.3 Rear View..............................................................................................................................................................................................7
2.3 Operator Control..........................................................................................................................................................................................8
2.3.1 LED Indication and Keypads .................................................................................................................................................................8
2.3.2 Touch Screen Manipulation.................................................................................................................................................................11
3. Setup...............................................................................................................................................................................................................12
3.1 Setting up the printer..................................................................................................................................................................................12
3.2 Loading the Ribbon....................................................................................................................................................................................13
3.3 Loading the Media .....................................................................................................................................................................................14
3.4 Loading the Fanfold/External Media...........................................................................................................................................................16
3.5 Loading Media in Peel-off Mode (Option)...................................................................................................................................................16
4. Adjustment Knob.............................................................................................................................................................................................18
4.1 Mechanism Fine Adjustment to Avoid Ribbon Wrinkles..............................................................................................................................18
5. TSC Console...................................................................................................................................................................................................20

III
5.1 Start TSC Console.....................................................................................................................................................................................20
5.2 Setup Ethernet Interface............................................................................................................................................................................22
5.3 Set WiFi and Add to TSC Console Interface ..............................................................................................................................................24
5.4 Initialize the Printer WiFi Setting ................................................................................................................................................................27
5.5 Printer Function .........................................................................................................................................................................................28
5.6 Setting Post-Print Action............................................................................................................................................................................29
6. LCD Menu Function.........................................................................................................................................................................................30
6.1 Enter the Menu ..........................................................................................................................................................................................30
6.2 Menu Overview..........................................................................................................................................................................................31
6.3 Setting .......................................................................................................................................................................................................32
6.3.1 TSPL...................................................................................................................................................................................................33
6.3.2 ZPL2 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................35
6.4 Sensor.......................................................................................................................................................................................................38
6.5 Interface.....................................................................................................................................................................................................39
6.5.1 Serial Comm........................................................................................................................................................................................40
6.5.2 Ehernet................................................................................................................................................................................................41
6.5.3 Wi-Fi....................................................................................................................................................................................................42
6.5.4 Bluetooth.............................................................................................................................................................................................43
6.6 Advanced...................................................................................................................................................................................................44
6.7 File Manager..............................................................................................................................................................................................46
6.8 Diagnostic..................................................................................................................................................................................................47

IV
6.9 Favorites....................................................................................................................................................................................................48
7. TroubleShooting..............................................................................................................................................................................................49
8. Maintenance....................................................................................................................................................................................................52
9. Angency Compliance and Approvals...............................................................................................................................................................54
10. Revise History...............................................................................................................................................................................................62

1
1. Introduction
Thank you very much for purchasing TSC bar code printer.
The new high-performance MH261T Series was designed to deliver the cleanest and high quality barcodes. It features a die-cast
print mechanism housed in a very strong yet lightweight cabinet. This new design results in a more durable printer that is suited for
your most heavy-duty demand cycles.
The MH261T Series printers are loaded with standard features including a color touch display with brand-new GUI design and six
menu buttons to provide a great user experience, support for 600 meter long ribbons, 8” OD media rolls, built-in Ethernet, RS-232
interface, two USB hosts for keyboard and scanner connections, USB 2.0, serial and Parallel interfaces. GPIO ports, Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth modules are available as an option.
This document provides an easy reference for operating the MH261T series. To print label formats, please refer to the instructions
provided with your labeling software; if you need to write the custom programs, please refer to the TSPL/TSPL2 programming
manual that can be found on TSC website at https://www.tscprinters.com.

2
1.1 Product Specification
MH261T
MH361T
Resolution
203 DPI
8 dots/mm
300 DPI
12 dots/mm
Printing method
Thermal transfer and direct thermal
Max. print speed
305 mm (12”)/second
254 mm (10”)/second
Max. print width
168 mm(6.61”)
Max. print length
14,732 mm (580“)
6,604 mm (260“)
Enclosure
Die-cast print mechanism with large clear media view window
Physical dimension
357 mm (W) x 313 mm (H) x 514 mm (D)
14.05” (W) x 12.32 (H) x 20.24” (D)
Weight
17.8 kg (39.24 lbs)
Label roll capacity
208.3 mm (8.2”) O.D.
Internal rewinder (full roll)
Internal rewinder kit (5” O.D.) (dealer option)
Ribbon capacity
450 meter long, max. OD 81 mm, 1“ core (Ink coated outside or inside)
Ribbon width
50.8 mm ~ 178 mm (2”~7”)
Processor
32-bit RISC CPU
Memory
512MB Flash memory
256MB SDRAM
microSD Flash memory card reader for Flash memory expansion, up to 32 GB
Interface
RS-232
Parallel
USB 2.0 (High speed mode)
Internal Ethernet, 10/100 Mbps
USB host *2 (Front side), for scanner or PC keyboard
GPIO (DB15F) (dealer option)
Slot-in 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 4.2 combo module (dealer option)
Power
Auto sensing power supply
Input: AC 100-240V, 4-2A, 50-60Hz
Total 243W
LCD display/ Operation buttons
Multi-language selectable
6 operation buttons (menu, select, up, down, left/pause, right/feed)
1 LED (with 2 LEDs Green & Red)
LCD
4.3” color display , 480 x 272 pixel; Resistive touch screen

3
Sensors
Gap transmissive sensor (Position adjustable)
Black mark reflective sensor (Bottom black mark sensor, Position adjustable)
Ribbon end sensor
Ribbon encoder sensor
Head open sensor
Real time clock
Standard
Internal font
8 alpha-numeric bitmap fonts
Monotype Imaging® CG Triumvirate Bold Condensed scalable font
Bar code
1D bar code:
Code 39, Code 93, Code128UCC, Code128 subsetsA.B.C, Codabar, Interleave 2 of 5, EAN-8,
EAN-13, EAN-128, UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN and UPC 2(5) digits add-on, MSI, PLESSEY, POSTNET,
RSS-Stacked, GS1 DataBar, Code 11, China Post
2D bar code:
PDF-417, Maxicode, DataMatrix, QR code, Aztec
Font & bar code rotation
0, 90, 180, 270 degree
Command set
TSPL-EZD (Compatible to EPL, ZPL, ZPL II, DPL)
Media type
Continuous, die-cut, black mark (Bottom side black mark only), fan-fold, notch (outside wound)
Media width
50.8 ~ 172.7 mm (2“ ~ 6.8“)
Media thickness
0.06 ~ 0.268 mm (2.36~ 11.02 mil)
Media core diameter
3.81 mm / 76.2 mm (1.5”/ 3”)
Label length
10 ~ 14,732 mm (0.39“ ~ 580“)
10 ~ 6,604 mm (0.39“ ~ 260“)
Environment condition
Operation: 0~ 40˚C (32 ~ 104˚F), 25~85% non-condensing
Storage: -40 ~ 60 ˚C (-40 ~ 140˚F), 10~90% non-condensing
Safety regulation
FCC Class A, CE Class A, RCM Class A, UL, cUL, TÜ V, CCC, KC, BIS, BSMI, EAC, Argentina S mark,
Mexico CoC, ENERGY STAR®
Environmental concern
Comply with RoHS, WEEE
Dealer option
GPIO Card (DB15F)
Heavy duty cutter (full cut)/ Regular guillotine cutter (Max.4ips)
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 4.2 combo module (including slot-in housing)
Peel-off kit
Internal rewinding kit (5” O.D.)
User option
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi + BT combo module (for Wi-Fi ready with re-installed Wi-Fi slot-in housing)
KP-200 Plus keyboard display unit

4
2. Operation Overview
2.1 Unpacking and Inspection
This printer has been specially packaged to withstand damage during shipping. Please carefully inspect the packaging and
printer upon receiving the bar code printer. Please retain the packaging materials in case you need to reship the printer.
Unpacking the printer, the following items are included in the carton.
1 Printer unit
Windows labeling software CD disk
1 Quick installation guide
1 Power cord
1 USB interface cable
- If any parts are missing, please contact the Customer Service Department of your purchased reseller or distributor.

5
1. LED indicator
2. LCD display
3. Front panel buttons
4. USB host x 2
5. Media view window
6. Paper exit chute
7. Media cover
2.2 Printer Overview
2.2.1 Front View
2
4
1
5
6
3
7

6
2.2.2 Interior View
1. Ribbon rewind spindle
2. Z axis mechanism adjustment knob
3. Print head pressure adjustment knobs
4. Ribbon guide bar
5. Print head release lever
6. Ribbon release button
7. Rear label guide
8. Media guide bar
9. Rear label guide
10. Label supply spindle
11. Ribbon supply spindle
12. Media damper
13. Print head
14. Gap sensor
15. Planten roller.
16. Black mark sensor
17. Front label guide
18. Ribbon sensor
12
16
17
14
15
13
18
7
6
1
2
3
4
8
9
10
11
5

7
2.2.3 Rear View
2
3
4
5
6
7
10
9
8
1
1. External label entrance chute
2. Power cord socket
3. Power switch
4. Centronics interface
5. SD card socket
6. Slot-in Wi-Fi module (Option)
7. RS-232C interface
8. Ethernet interface
9. USB interface
10. GPIO interface (Option)
Note:
The interface picture here is for
reference only. Please refer to the
product specification for the interfaces
availability.

8
2.3 Operator Control
Touch screen
LED indicator
Icons
Printer model
Icons
Firmware version
Time & Date
Ethernet / Wi-Fi IP
Navigation Keys
Select Keys

9
2.3.1 LED Indication and Keypads
LED color indication:
Color
Meaning
(Green)
Solid: Power is on and ready to be used.
Flash :System is downloading data or printer is paused.
(Amber)
System is clearing data.
(Red)
Solid - Printer head open, cutter error.
Flash - Printing error, such as paper empty, paper jam, ribbon empty, or memory error etc.
Keypads:
Keypads form
Item name
Function
Select keys
Feed, Pause, Comfirm, Cancel.
Navigational keys
Select / Navigate.

10
LCD/LED Icon Indication:
Main Page Icon
Icon
Indication
Wi-Fi device is ready
Ethernet is connected
Bluetooth device is ready
Remaining amount of ribbon(m)
Media capacity (%) notice
TPH cleaning.notice
Enter the menu
Calibrate the media sensor
Enter the “Favorites” option
Enter cursor (be marked in green) located option
Feed button (advance one label)
Scroll up button
Scroll down button

11
2.3.2 Touch Screen Manipulation
Tap an item to open/use it.
Be selected
(Green)
Return
Enter
Scroll down
Scroll up
Return
Set

12
3. Setup
3.1 Setting up the printer
1. Place the printer on flat surface.
2. Make sure the printer is power off.
3. Connect the printer to the computer with the provided USB cable.
4. Plug in the power cord.
Note: Please switch OFF the printer before plugging in the power cord to printer power jack.

13
3.2 Loading the Ribbon
1. Open printer right
side cover.
2. Release release lever to open the
print head mechanism.
3. Install the ribbon
onto the ribbon
supply spindle.
4. Thread the ribbon through the
ribbon sensor slot and then to
open space in between print head
and platen roller.
5. Wind the ribbon
clockwise until it is
smooth and properly
stretched.
6. Close the print head mechanism.

14
3.3 Loading the Media
1. Open printer right
side cover.
2. Release the lever to open the print
head mechanism.
3. Move the label roll
guard to the end of
the label spindle amd
flip it down.
4. Place media on the label supply
spindle and push it to the end. Use
label roll guard to fit the width of
label roll.

15
Loading path for media & ribbon
5. Pull label roll leading edge forward through the media guide bar, damper,
media sensor (green) and place the label leading edge onto the platen roller.
Adjust the rear label guide (green) to fit the width of the label. Move the media
sensor at the correct position.
6. Adjust the front label guide to fit the width of the label.
7. Close the print head mechanism.
8. Using the front display panel to calibrate the media sensor.
Rear label
guide
Black mark
sensor
Gap sensor