144Troubleshooting Printer Diagnostics
FEED Self Test
Different types of media may require different darkness settings. This section contains a simple but effective method for determining the ideal darkness for printing bar codes that are within specifications.
During the FEED self test, labels are printed at different darkness settings at two different print speeds. The relative darkness and the print speed are printed on each label. The bar codes on these labels may be
During this test, one set of labels is printed at 2 ips, and another set is printed at 6 ips. The darkness value starts at three settings lower than the printer’s current darkness value (relative darkness of
To perform a FEED self test, complete these steps:
1.Print a configuration label to show the printer’s current settings.
2.Turn off (O) the printer.
3.Press and hold FEED while turning on (I) the printer. Hold FEED until the first control panel light turns off.
The printer prints a series of labels (Figure 18) at various speeds and at darkness settings higher and lower than the darkness value shown on the configuration label.
Figure 18 • FEED Test Label
4.See Figure 19 and Table 20. Inspect the test labels and determine which one has the best print quality for your application. If you have a bar code verifier, use it to measure bars/spaces and calculate the print contrast. If you do not have a bar code verifier, use your eyes or the system scanner to choose the optimal darkness setting based on the labels printed in this self test.
8/22/12 |