Glossary
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media Material onto which data is printed by the printer. Types of media include: tagstock, continuous, fanfold, roll, etc.
media sensor This sensor is located behind the printhead to detect the presence of media and, for
media supply spindle The rotating arm that supports media rolls and provides consistent media feed to the printhead.
print speed The speed at which printing occurs. For thermal transfer printers, this speed is expressed in terms of ips (inches per second). Zebra offers printers that can print from 2 ips to 12 ips.
printhead wear The degradation of the surface of the printhead and/or the print elements over time. Heat and abrasion can cause printhead wear. Therefore, to maximize the life of your printhead use the lowest print darkness setting (sometimes called burn temperature or head temperature) and the lowest printhead/toggle pressure necessary. Also, use ribbon that is as wide or wider than the media, to protect the printhead from the rougher media.
registration Alignment of printing with respect to the top of a label/tag.
ribbon A band of inked material that is pressed by the printhead against the media to transfer an image onto the media, which in turn is pressed against the platen. A ribbon consists of a base film coated with wax or resin "ink".
Zebra ribbons also have a back coating that protects the printhead from damage. The ribbon transfers ink onto the media when heated by the printhead.
ribbon wrinkle A wrinkling of the ribbon caused by improper alignment of the strip plate and/or printhead pressure. This wrinkle can be seen just above the strip plate. Ribbon wrinkle can cause voids in the print and/or the spent ribbon to rewind unevenly. This is a condition that should be corrected by performing adjustment procedures.
roll media Media that comes supplied rolled up on a core (usually cardboard). Contrast this with fanfold media, which comes folded in a rectangular stack.
supplies Supplies is a general term for ribbon and media.
tag A type of media having no adhesive backing but featuring a hole or notch by which the tag can be hung on something. Usually tags are made of cardboard or other durable material.
take label sensor See “ label available sensor” .
thermal direct printing See "direct thermal printing".
thermal transfer printing A printing method in which the printhead heats an ink- or
void A space where printing should have occurred but, due to some error condition, it did not occur. A void can cause a bar code symbol to be read incorrectly or to not be read at all.
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