Zebra Technologies manual P4T Series Technology, Direct Thermal, Thermal Transfer

P4T/RP4T User Guide

Manual Introduction	RP4T Printers 35
pg.	pg.
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P4T Overview- pg. 5	Maintenance pg. 36
Printer Preparation pg. 7	38	Troubleshooting pg.
Connecting the Printer pg. 27	43	Specifications pg.
Radio Regulatory Information pg. 31	Appendices pg. 46
	Index pg. 52

P4T Series Technology

The P4T Series introduces several new technologies to the Zebra Mobile Printer product line.

Smart Battery

The P4T Series battery pack contains electronics which allow the printer to monitor its operating parameters. Among these are the battery’s charge state, the number of charge cycles it has under- gone, and its date of manufacture. Using these parameters, the P4T Series’ software can monitor the battery’s condition and alert the user when to recharge, re-condition or remove the battery from service.

Use of any battery pack other than the one manufactured by Zebra specifically for use with P4T Series printers will not be able to use the diagnostic features of the Zebra Smart Battery and will not work with the printer.

Printing Technology

The P4T Series uses two methods to print human readible text, graphics and barcodes: Direct Thermal, and Thermal Transfer

Direct Thermal

Direct thermal printing uses heat to cause a chemical reaction on specially treated media. This reaction creates a dark mark wher- ever a heated element on the printhead comes in contact with the media. Since the printing elements are arranged very densely at 203 d.p.i. (dots per inch) or 8 dots per mm, highly legible characters and graphic elements may be created a row at a time as the media is advanced past the printhead. This technology has the advantage of simplicity, as there is no requirement for consumable supplies such as ink or toner. However, since the media is sensitive to heat, it will gradually loose legibility over long periods of time, especially if exposed to environments with relatively high temperatures.

Thermal Transfer

Thermal transfer printing uses the same basic technology as direct thermal, except that the printhead elements react with a transfer film which passes between the printhead and the media. The print- ing process fuses the thermal transfer material to the media being printed and creates characters and graphic images that are very dark, and more permanent than those created by direct thermal printing. Offsetting this advantage is the extra cost of the thermal transfer film and printing speeds slower than those required for direct thermal printing.

For ease of installation, P4T Series thermal transfer film is supplied as a cartridge. Typically a thermal transfer film cartridge will be able to print two rolls of media before needing replacement. This ratio may vary considerably based on the amount of label stock per roll.

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)

A P4T Series printer equipped with an RFID encoder allows it to encode information on special label media using radio frequen- cies in addition to using conventional thermal transfer technology. These printers are identified as RP4T printers.

RFID encoded information can be retrieved using an RFID scanner from a distance of inches to several yards from an encoded label.

Zebra’s implementation of RFID follows accepted industry stan- dards. As an example, the RP4T verifies the information encoded on the label media after it is transmitted and voids the label if the data is incorrect. More information concerning RFID may be found in Zebra’s RFID Programming Manual, available for download on Zebra’s Web site.

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