FARGO electronic II manual

Operating Instructions 970922-510343-(02) C o lor I D Car d P rin te r II © Copyright 1997 All rights reserved.[...]

Notices The information in this document is subject to change without notice. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS MADE WITH REGARD TO THIS MATERIAL, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. No liability is assumed for errors contained herein or for incidental damages in connection with th[...]

For Users in the United States: This equipment has been tested 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 in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency [...]

T able of Contents Section 1: Introduction A. How Y our Color ID Card Printer W orks .............................................................1 B. Special Features ...........................................1 Section 2: Safety Precautions ...........................3 Section 3: Getting Started A. Choosing a Good Location ......................1[...]

Section 9: Mechanical Adjustments A. Adjusting the Card Input Guides ............47 B. Adjusting the Internal Card Guide..........47 C. Adjusting the Card Separator Flap..........49 D. Adjusting the Laminator ...........................51 Section 10: T roubleshooting .........................53 Section 1 1: T echnical Specifications ...........58 A[...]

1 The Color ID Card Printer utilizes dye-sublimation printing technology to achieve its direct-to-car d photo-quality output. Dye-sublimation is a process which uses a dye-based ribbon roll that is partitioned by a number of consecutive color panels. The panels are gr ouped in a repeating series of four separate colors, Y ellow , Magenta, Cyan, and[...]

■ Simultaneous dye-sublimation/resin thermal transfer printing capability for printing continuous-tone photos and crisp, readable bar codes ■ Thermal transfer film or polyester chip overlaminate capabilities ■ Optional magnetic stripe or smart card encoding capabilities ■ A fast print speed of just 30 seconds/full color card ■ Fast, 32-bi[...]

2 Safety Precautions Before operating the unit, please read the following safety precautions carefully . 3 W arnings CAUTION! TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THE UNIT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE FRONT , TOP OR BACK P ANELS. NO USER- SER VICEABLE P AR TS INSIDE. REFER SER VICING TO QUALIFIE[...]

1 Sicherheits- maßnahmen 4 Machen Sie sich vor Inbetriebnahme des Geräts mit den Sicherheitsmaßnahmen gründlich vertraut. Sicherheitshinweise VORSICHT! ZUR VERHÜTUNG VON FEUERGEF AHR ODER ELEKTRISCHEN SCHLÄGEN DAS GERÄT VOR REGEN ODER FEUCHTIGKEIT SCHÜTZEN. UM DIE GEF AHR VON STROMSCHLÄGEN ZU VERHINDERN, OBERE, SEITLICHE UND HINTERE ABDECK[...]

5 1 Consignes de sécurité A vant d’utiliser l’appareil, prière de lire attentivement les consignes de sécurité suivantes. A vertissements A TTENTION! POUR EVITER TOUT RISQUE D’INCENDIE OU D’ELECTROCUTION, NE P AS EXPOSER L ’APP AREIL A LA PLUIE OU A L ’HUMIDITE. POUR EVITER TOUTE DECHARGE ELECTRIQUE, NE P AS RETIRER LES P ANNEAUX A[...]

1 Precauciones de seguridad Antes de operar la unidad, haga el favor de leer detenidamente las siguientes precauciones de seguridad. 6 Advertencias ¡PRECAUCION! P ARA EVIT AR PELIGROS DE INCENDIO O CHOQUE ELECTRICO, NO EXPONGA LA UNIDAD A LA LLUVIA NI A LA HUMEDAD. P ARA REDUCIR EL RIESGO DE CHOQUE ELECTRICO, NO QUITE LOS P ANELES FRONT ALES, SUPE[...]

Prima di dare inizio al funzionamento dell’unità, siete pregati di leggere attentamente le seguenti precauzioni di sicurezza. 1 Precauzioni per la Sicurezza 7 A vvertenze A TTENZIONE! ONDE EVIT ARE IL PERICOLO DI INCENDIO O SCOSSA ELETTRICA, NON ESPORRE L ’UNITÀ ALLA PIOGGIA OD UMIDITÀ. EVIT ARE DI RIMUOVERE I P ANNELLI ANTERIORE, SUPERIORE,[...]

1 Precauções de Segurança Antes de operar esta unidade, leia cuidadosamente as seguintes precauções de segurança. Advertências CUIDADO! P ARA EVIT AR PERIGO DE CHOQUES ELÉTRICOS OU INCÊNDIO, NÃO EXPONHA A UNIDADE À CHUV A OU UMIDADE. P ARA REDUZIR O RISCO DE CHOQUES ELÉTRICOS, NÃO REMOV A OS P AINÉIS DIANTEIRO, SUPERIOR OU TRASEIRO. N[...]

9 Chinese or Japanese to be keylined here[...]

10 Chinese or Japanese to be keylined here[...]

11 Arabic to be keylined here[...]

3 Getting Started 12 A. Choosing a Good Location Place the unit in a location with adequate air circulation to pr event internal heat build up. 1. Use the dimensions specified in Section 1 1 as a guideline for the minimum clearances to the unit. NOTE Allow for adequate clearance above the unit to accommodate the height of the unit with its covers o[...]

13 Cover Release Buttons on/cancel Card Hopper Door clean/ribbon on-line Button on/cancel Button laminator LED on-line LED D. Identifying the Parts 1. This illustration shows all of the control buttons and the LED indicator lights found on the front of the Color ID Car d Printer . The laminator light indicates the current status of the printer Õs [...]

14 2. This illustration shows the input ports found on the rear panel of the printer . For complete instructions about each of these features, see later sections of this manual. Power Input Port Parallel Interface Power Switch[...]

15 4 Ribbons and Cards The Color ID Card Printer has the following ribbon types available for printing: ■ Standard Resin Black (K) ribbon with no clear overlay panel (produces 1,000 prints) ■ A variety of Colored Resin ribbons with no clear overlay panel (produce 1,000 prints) ■ Premium Resin Black (K) ribbon with no clear overlay panel (prod[...]

16 The ribbons which utilize a resin black (K), ar e intended for printing bar codes onto cards which can be read by both infra-r ed and visible light bar code scanners. Bar codes printed with a dye- sublimation black (B) can only be read by a visible light bar code scanner . The black monochrome-only r esin ribbons (K) are available in both a prem[...]

17 2. The supply end of the ribbon is the side with the fresh, unused ribbon on it. The ribbon take-up is the other end. 3. Open the top-right cover of the printer by pressing its Cover Release Button. Allow the cover to swing up and open. 4. W ith the cover open, place the supply end of the ribbon in between the two black Ribbon Drive Hubs located[...]

18 6. Close the cover . When you start to print, the Ribbon Drive Hubs will automatically engage the notches on both cores of the ribbon r oll. Do not reverse the ribbon. Damage may occur to the thermal printhead! 5. Place the take-up end of the ribbon roll in between the two black Ribbon Drive Hubs located about six inches (152mm) to the left of t[...]

19 Never run car ds with a contaminated, dull, or uneven surface through the printer . Printing onto such cards will ultimately lead to poor print quality and will greatly r educe the life of your printhead. In addition, always store your car d stock in its original packaging or in a clean, dust- free envir onment. Do not print onto cards which hav[...]

20 The Color ID Card Printer will hold a maximum of 100 cards (based on a standar d CR-80 card size) in its Card Hopper . The Printer automatically feeds each card and adjusts to each car dÕs particular size and thickness. Significantly larger or thicker car ds, however , may require slight printer adjustments for consistent printing. See Section [...]

21 5 Card Laminating CAUTION! ! A. About the Printer ’ s Laminator In addition to printing and applying the standard clear overlay included on the Color ID Card Printer Õs various ribbons, the printer also provides a built-in lamination system for applying a more secure, tamper -resistant overlaminate. This built-in laminator is controlled by bo[...]

22 B. About Overlaminates The Color ID Card Printer Õs internal lamination system allows you to choose between either a thermal transfer film overlaminate or a polyester chip overlaminate called PolyGuardª. These two unique overlaminates are available in two specific designs. The film overlaminate is available as simply a clear material or with a[...]

23 CAUTION! ! C. Loading the Overlaminate into the Printer The loading process for both the thermal transfer film and the PolyGuar d overlaminate material is the same. Refer to the following steps to load either type of overlaminate into the Printer . DO NOT TOUCH THE MET AL LAMINA TION SHIELD OR THE LAMINA TION ROLLER WHEN LOADING OVERLAMINA TE. Y[...]

24 6. Close the cover . When you start to print, the Lamination Drive Hubs will automatically engage the notches on both cores of the overlaminate r oll. IMPOR T ANT! 5. Place the take-up end of the roll in between the two black Lamination Drive Hubs located on the far left-hand side of the printer Õs interior . Load the take-up end of the roll ju[...]

25 6 Hooking Up the Printer ON OFF AC POWER PARALLEL SW1 O I B. Running the Self T est A self test should now be performed to check for proper operation of the printer . The standard self test function requir es only that a full-color ribbon and at least one card is installed. The standar d self test function prints onto both sides of a card but do[...]

The Color ID Card Printer is designed to be used with nearly any IBM-PC or compatible running W indows 3.1x or W indows 95. A minimum of a 486 DX class computer with 4MB RAM or higher is requir ed. For best performance, a Pentiumª class computer with 8 MB RAM or higher is recommended. The printer is equipped with an ECP-compatible, high-speed Cent[...]

27 2. Connect the other side to the back of your PC at the P ARALLEL connector . 3. The printer must have its on-line light illuminated to receive data. If the light is not ON, press the on-line button. 4. If the on-line light is flashing, check for a card mis-feed or jam and correct accor ding to Section 8. Press the on-line button to r esume oper[...]

28 A. Installing the W indows Printer Driver The Color ID Card Printer can be used with virtually any Microsoft W indows 3.1x or W indows 95 software application pr ogram. Before printing, you must tell the application that youÕre using the Color ID Card Printer . This is accomplished the first time you use the printer by installing in W indows wh[...]

4. Follow the on-screen instr uctions to complete installation. When prompted, do not have W indows print a test print, since you most likely performed a printer self test in Section 6. Once installed, the ÒColor ID Card IIÓ printer icon will appear in the Printers folder . Before installing updated printer driver versions, always delete the exis[...]

30 10. Finally , select the Connect button. Check that the box called Fast Printing Direct to Port is selected. Although this option is not necessary , it helps optimize printer driver speed and performance. Select OK to exit the Connect window . Select Close to exit the Printers window . Y our Color ID Card Printer ships with a print utility progr[...]

31 4. Follow the on-screen instr uctions to complete installation. When installed, the 32-Bit Print Spooler will appear in the Programs gr oup of the Start menu. NOTE Before installing updated 32-Bit Print Spooler versions, always uninstall the existing print spooler version from your system. T o do this, simply select 32-Bit Print Spooler from the[...]

32 The Job Queue tab appears only when a print job is being sent to the printer . This tab tells you the name and status of each job in the queue and shows you the order in which the jobs will print if you have sent multiple jobs to the printer . A control button is also provided which allows you to delete every job listed in the queue. T o delete [...]

33 Card Size Click on the Card Size down arr ow . A list of card size selections will appear . The Std CR-80 and Oversize selections allow you to print and overlay the entire printable ar ea of a standard or oversized card. Keep in mind that all car d sizes have a slight non-printable margin ar ound the entire edge of the card. The Smart Card, Mags[...]

34 Select Algebraic if you would like the printer driver to make very simple, yet fast, color balance adjustments. This option gives you more natural looking images without actually utilizing any specific color matching software and without slowing down the processing speed of the printer driver . When selected, this color matching method can be cu[...]

35 The printer driver distinguishes between text and image objects in order for T rueT ype black text and bar codes to always be printed with a true r esin black. Resin black is essential when printing bar codes, since only resin black bar codes can be r ead by both infra-red and visible light bar code scanners. Composite or dye-sublimation black b[...]

36 Back Side Only Select this option to print the back side of a card only . This option allows you to conveniently print the back side of preprinted car ds which also must have their magnetic stripe or smart card chip encoded. Be sure to load car ds in the usual fashion as described in Section 4-D. Note that when this option is selected, the Duple[...]

spooler or through the Color ID Card Printer’ s 32-Bit Print Spooler for Windows 95. Fast 32-bit Spooler Select this option for consistently faster print processing. This option is only selectable if operating under W indows 95 and if the included 32-Bit Print Spooler software has been installed. When selected, this option allows the printer driv[...]

38 Controls Select this button to display options for controlling a printed cardÕs Brightness, Contrast, or Gamma, as well as for controlling the car dÕs individual color balance for Y ellow , Magenta, and Cyan. Select the Default button to return all contr ol options to the original settings. When the Algebraic color matching option is selected,[...]

Lamination Select this button to display options for controlling the printer Õs lamination process. When the No Lamination option is selected, the printer Õs built-in laminator will not be used. When using the laminator , select from these options to choose the card side(s) you would like to laminate or to select the Lamination T ype according to[...]

For example, if you are printing onto both sides of a card and you have both the Overlay and the Film Lamination w/ Overlay options selected, the ribbon’ s clear overlay panel will be placed on top of the film laminated side as well as over the printed reverse side. As a rule, do not select the standard Overlay option in conjunction with the Film[...]

41 8 Maintenance Y our Color ID Card Printer is built to requir e a minimum of maintenance. Nevertheless, there ar e a few procedur es you can perform on a regular basis or as needed to ensure the best possible performance. Use the illustration at the top of this page to locate the items discussed within this section. A. Supplies Required For the m[...]

42 a wrist strap (with integral resistor) connected to an ESD ground. Or , at a minimum, make positive contact with the bare metal chassis of the printer with your hand prior to touching any internal electrical components. B. Standard Printhead Cleaning This procedur e should be performed if you notice a streak on the car d where color was not tran[...]

43 3. Allow the printhead to thoroughly dry befor e closing the cover . 4. Shut the cover . If a streak persists, contact your dealer or the technical support number listed on the insert in this manual for further assistance. D. Cleaning the Printer ’ s Case Y our Color ID Card Printer has a durable casing that should retain its luster and appear[...]

44 G. Clearing a Ribbon Jam If the ribbon or overlaminate becomes jammed in the drive roller (visible when you open the printer Õs top covers), use the following procedur e to correct the problem: 1. Leave the power ON and open either or both of the printer Õs top covers. 2. Remove the T ake-Up core (the side with used ribbon or overlaminate on i[...]

45 4. Once the Cleaning Card is pr operly inserted into the Card Hopper , run a printer self test according to Section 6-B of this manual. As the self- test sequence begins, you may need to push the Cleaning Card into the printer to help it initially feed. 5. Allow the Cleaning Card to feed thr ough the printer until the on-line LED flashes. At thi[...]

46 J. Maintaining the Cleaning Rollers The Cleaning Rollers remove dust particles fr om the top and bottom of a blank card as it feeds into the printer . Cleaning these rollers will help prevent contaminated cards fr om passing beneath the printhead, thus extending the printheadÕs life and allowing for higher quality output. The Cleaning Rollers s[...]

47 9 Mechanical Adjustments The Color ID Card Printer is pre-set at the factory to accept and consistently feed and print a standard CR-80 3.375ÓL x 2.125ÓW x .030Ó (86mmL x 54mmW x .75mm) card size. When inserting cards which vary from this standard car d size, one should make slight adjustments to the Card Input Guides and to the Card Separato[...]

2. Remove the ribbon and overlaminate rolls fr om the printer . 3. As you are looking inside the printer fr om the front, locate the Internal Card Guide on the left-hand side (the lamination side) of the printer . This guide straddles the laminator Õs black Drive Roller . 4. Remove the single screw fr om the two holes residing to the immediate rig[...]

Adjustment to the second Internal Card Guide is now complete. C. Adjusting the Card Separator Flap 49 Metal Roller Card Input Guides Card Input Tray Card Input Hopper Door Card Feed Roller The Card Separator Flap r esides inside the printer and helps prevent two car ds from feeding simultaneously . This flap is adjustable to accommodate varying car[...]

50 6. As you are looking inside the printer fr om the front, locate the two single scr ews located just to the left of each end of the first Card Feed Roller . Rotate these screws to adjust the Car d Separator Flap. 7. Rotate the screws clockwise to move the Car d Separator Flap upward or counter clockwise to move the flap downward. If inserting th[...]

D. Adjusting the Laminator When applying the PolyGuard overlaminate, you may find that the individual polyester chips from the overlaminate roll may be slightly of f-center when applied to a card. This is due to slight variations in the position of the chips on each individual overlaminate roll. T o center these chips, two simple adjustments can be[...]

4. Always make very slight adjustments to the Card Sensor , and run a test print after each adjustment until the optimum chip position is found. Also, after each adjustment, retighten the screw loosened in step one. Please refer to the following steps to adjust the top-to-bottom position of the PolyGuard chip: 1. If the PolyGuard chips ar e being a[...]

53 10 T rouble- shooting If you have difficulty operating your Color ID Card Printer , the troubleshooting suggestions below should, in most cases, solve the problem. If you still have difficulty after trying these suggestions, refer to the insert in this manual for technical support information. The printer doesn’ t work at all. Symptoms: nothin[...]

54 The card, ribbon, or overlaminate is jammed. ■ Print with either the 32-Bit Print Spooler or the W rite Direct to Port option selected from within the printer driver setup (see Section 7-B and C for more information on these options). In most cases, one or the other of these options will provide the best results when printing fr om W indows 95[...]

55 My prints have “streaks” in them. ■ When applying the PolyGuard overlaminate, you may find that the individual polyester chips from the overlaminate roll may be slightly of f-center when applied to a card. This is due to slight variations in the position of the chips on each individual overlaminate roll. T o center these chips, refer to Se[...]

56 Symptoms: printer sounds like everything is fine, but no image. ■ Y ou may have loaded the ribbon upside down. Open the printer Õs top cover and check whatÕs happened. If you did load it upside down, reinstall the ribbon pr operly and give the printhead a thorough cleaning (see Section 8 for printhead cleaning instructions). Be car eful not [...]

57 The card won’ t feed and the on- line LED starts blinking. Symptoms: printer starts to make noise like everything is fine, but no card feeds. ■ Be sure the car ds are inserted all the way into the printer and that you havenÕt inserted more than 100 standard sized car ds. ■ Y ouÕre trying to feed a card thatÕs too thick. Be sure the car [...]

58 11 T echnical Specifications Printing Method: Dye-sublimation/resin thermal transfer Printing Resolution: 300 dpi (11.8 dots/mm) Colors: Up to 16.7 million Print Speed: Approximately 8 seconds (K) Approximately 15 seconds (KO) Approximately 30 seconds (YMCKO) Additional 45 seconds required if applying PolyGuard overlaminate Printing Area: Standa[...]

59 A. Introduction The Color ID Card Printer has a Magnetic Stripe Encoding Module available as a factory installed option. Either a high or a low coercivity magnetic encoder is available (specify high or low when ordering). Both encoding modules will encode on T racks 1, 2, and 3. When encoding, the Color ID Card printer will encode according to t[...]

60 The magnetic encoding module encodes onto tracks in accordance with an ISO 781 1-2 magnetic stripe. Refer to the following diagram for track locations: B. T rack Locations TRACK1 0.110" TRACK2 0.110" TRACK3 0.110" 0.130" 0.140" 0.223" 0.353" 0.493" C. Sending T rack Information Magnetic track data is sent [...]

61 The following example illustrates how track data should be entered for tracks 1, 2, and 3: Example: Sending data to T rack 1 ~1%JULIE ANDERSON^623-85-1253? Sending data to T rack 2 ~2;0123456789? Sending data to T rack 3 ~3;0123456789? Start End Field # o f Sentinel Sentinel Separator Valid Characters Characters Track 1 % ? ^ 0-9, A-Z, Punct. (A[...]

62 Appendix B Interfacing Information A. Introduction The Color ID Card Printer is equipped with a standard 8-bit Centr onics-type parallel data communications port. This is the means by which the printer receives data fr om your computer . No options for serial data are available. This section describes the pin assignments, protocol, and signal sp[...]

63 Index Back Side Only ...................................................................36 Bar Codes.......................................................................14, 34 Card Input Guides .............................................................47 Card Separator Flap ..........................................................49 Card S[...]

NOTES[...]

Printed In The United States of America P/N 510343[...]