Troubleshooting

Getting Started

Printer does not operate even though board and mechanism are connected

Is the power supply connected and turned ON at the circuit side terminal portion, e.g. at a power extension strip?

Ensure the power supply is securely connected, then turn the power ON and try to print again.

Are the logic supply and head power supply GNDs connected in common?

If not, connect GNDs in common and check again.

Has an error occurred?

Make sure the paper is inserted in the correct feed slot.

Is the paper detection sensor ON?

Is the head cable properly connected?

Make sure the platen or printhead is set.

No color prints even if the printer operates.

Is the front and back of the paper reversed?

Ensure that the paper is positioned to feed in the correct direction and check operation again.

Is paper sensitivity sufficient?

Color will not print if the paper sensitivity is too low. Use paper with a higher sensitivity and check it again.

Is paper thickness appropriate?

If the paper is too thick, the printhead will be raised too high to properly generate color. Change to a thinner paper thickness and check again.

Printer will not print out a test page.

Is the power ON?

Check if GNDs for logic and the head are commonly connected.

Is the paper detection position set appropriately? Are the platen and head set correctly?

Confirm there are no errors. If so, correct each error situation.

Are the flex print circuit cable, ribbon cable, or discrete connection wires cut or disconnected?

Ensure both the cables and all wires are connected correctly, and try again.

Cutter does not fully cut the paper.

Is the paper thickness appropriate?

Make sure the paper is not too thick for the cutter.

Is the cutter's blade angeled correctly (low height type)?

Ensure that the cutter's blade completely closes when cutting and that there is no paper debris caught in the blade.

PC - Printer Connection

Printing is slow.

Is the communication speed sufficient?

For image data, printing speed does not increase, even at max speed.

Is the applied voltage correct?

Print speed can change depending on the voltage. Check to see if your supplied voltage is too low.

Printer will not communicate with a serial interface.

Does the communication speed setting match the host?

Reset the communication speed and try again.

Is there a cross cable?

Data cannot be transmitted/received with a straight cable. Use a cross cable. Please refer to the PC connection technical note.

Is the communication input/output voltage an RS level, not TTL level?

The communication input/output voltage level should be RS-232C level (Mark：-12V～-3.0V /Space：+3.0V～+12V), not TTL Level (btw 0~5V). Check that the voltage levels match. Correct the signal level and try again.

Is a hardware handshake present? Do the XON/XOFF settings match?

Correct the handshake mode and try again.

Printer does not operate with a PC.

Is the printer driver software installed?

Check if the correct driver software is installed and is recognized by the PC.

Are the print settings, such as paper size, correct?

Re-check the print setting.

Print Quality

Printing is too light in some areas.

Is the power supply capacity sufficient?

If power capacity is low, the voltage drops and printing becomes light. Increase the power capacity and check again.

Is the power supply cable the right size and length?

Ensure the power supply is appropriate, or reset the printer.

Print output quality is different from expected.

Is the commucation setting appropriate?

Check to see if the data is being sent with the appropriate comm. setting.

If printing a bit image, check if the number of data bits is correct. An incorrect image file to hex/binary data conversion will result in "gibberish" output.

Number of transmission data differs depending on setting of the controller (mechanism). Check to see if the conversion from image file to Hex/binary is complete or correct.

Print output looks smudged.

Is the paper too thick? If so, the printhead’s heating element may be positioned too close to the paper and the printing may appear smudged.

Try using a thinner paper stock.

Printing is too light.

Is the sensitivity level of the thermo-sensitive paper appropriate?

Choose a different grade of thermo-sensitive paper and check again.

The head cable or flex print circuit cable may not be fully connected to the printer.

Check to see that both cables are securely connected.

Portions of the data do not print.

Is the printhead surface contaminated with dust?

Clean the printhead with isopropyl alcohol, dry the printhead completely, and then print again.

Paper Jam

Problem

Cause

Solution

Printing jam occurs

Is the paper roll creating too heavy a load for the printer’s motor? If the load is too high, the motor loses sync and a print jam may occur.

Reduce the load on the motor by using a smaller or lighter paper roll.

Is the paper surface too sticky? Some papers may adhere to the printhead and cause a printing jam.

Try using a different type of paper.

Is the printing speed abnormally slow? If the printing speed becomes extremely slow, colored print may adhere to the printhead and cause a jam.

Adjust the setting to print data as fast as possible.

Is the paper roll too large or too heavy? This will cause friction and increase the load on the motor.

Reduce any friction created between the paper roll and paper bucket. Use a spindle or add rollers or ribs to the bottom of the paper bucket to lessen contact with the paper roll.

Is sync lost when the paper is pulled by the motor?

Remove any wrinkles or folds from the loaded paper prior to printing. When wrinkled paper is pulled by the motor, it generates a large load on the motor and a printing jam can occur.

Is the paper roll rubbing on the side of the paper holder? If so, this friction causes the paper load to increase and sync is lost.

Ensure that the paper roll is not too wide for the holder and that there is some space between the edge of the paper roll and the side of the paper holder.

Does the paper misalign itself while feeding into the printhead?

Ensure that the paper is loaded flat and is feeding straight into the printhead.

Motor acceleration slowly increases from a rest state to full speed.

Ensure that the motor acceleration ramp-up sequence is correct. Sync may be lost if the motor does not accelerate, or if acceleration is too quick.

Is the motor current sufficient? If the current is not adequate, torque becomes low and the motor may lose sync.

Check that the motor current is adequate to maintain sync and proper torque.

Is there unnecessary pressure being placed on the platen? If so, the motor load increases and a printing jam may occur.

Remove any unnecessary pressure on the platen.

Is the paper route appropriate? Undue friction from an unsuitable paper feed path may cause a printing jam.

Try reorienting the paper path to one that is more suitable to the type of paper being used, e.g, a straight feed path vs. a curved path.

Paper jams occurs with cutter.

Does the cutter come to a fully closed position when it cuts the paper?

Check to see that the blade completely closes when cutting and that there is no paper debris caught in the blade.

Paper jam occurs with the rotary cutter.

Is there paper debris in cutter?

Remove any paper debris.