Magnetic Stripe Problems; Magnetic Stripe Test Card; Common Magnetic Stripe Problems - DataCard Sp35 Installation Manual

Magnetic stripe problems

This section helps you to troubleshoot magnetic stripe problems.

Magnetic stripe test card

If the printer includes a magnetic stripe module, you can print a magnetic stripe test card. The card uses the
magnetic stripe settings in the Properties or Printing Preferences dialog box.
Use this card to verify that the printer encodes a card correctly.
Tips for success
• If the printer is set to print a custom magnetic stripe format, it will not print this test card successfully. The driver
will display a message indicating that the data does not meet the requirements for the magnetic stripe track or
that it cannot read the data.
• The printer must be connected to the PC with the driver installed, and both printer and PC must be running.
1 Make sure that the Printer Toolbox is open. If needed, double-click the printer icon in the system tray to open
the Printer Toolbox.
2 Make sure that magnetic stripe cards are loaded in the card cartridge. The magnetic stripe must be oriented
with the stripe down and toward the right side of the printer (toward the name label).
3 Click once on the Print Mag Stripe Card button in the Printer Toolbox. The printer driver formats card data for
the type of module installed, as follows:
— Three-track: IAT formatted data (IATA data on track 1, ABA data on track 2, and TTS data on track 3).
— NTT track: NTT formatted data on the track.
— See Magnetic Stripe Setup
4 Remove the card from the card output tray.
5 Test the card by passing it through a card reader that will display the data encoded on the card. The encoded
data should match the data printed on the test card.

Common magnetic stripe problems

This section lists some common problems that can occur when encoding magnetic stripe data and provides
solutions.
Problem
Cards are not oriented
correctly in the card tray.
Cards do not have a magnetic
stripe.
The card has dirt or damage
on the magnetic stripe.
The magnetic stripe on the
card is low coercivity material
and the High Coercivity setting
is selected.
SP Series Info Central
for more magnetic stripe information.
Solution
Load cards correctly in the card tray.
Load magnetic stripe cards in the card cartridge. If the cards have a
magnetic stripe, check the quality of the cards. Change card stock if
needed.
Encode and print the card again. If the message appears again, run a
cleaning card to clean the magnetic stripe head.
To use the cards you have, select low coercivity encoding. To encode
with high coercivity, obtain cards manufactured for high coercivity
encoding.
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