Check List - SATO e Series Service Manual

Section 8. Troubleshooting

8.2 Check List

Printer won't go On-Line
• Is the Power LED on? Check the power cable and AC Fuse.
• Is the ERROR light on the front panel OFF? If this light is ON, it may mean the Print Head
Assembly or the Label Hold-Down is not closed and latched in position.
• Are the Label and Ribbon lights on the front panel Off? If these lights are On, the labels or
ribbons may be incorrectly loaded.
Printer beeps and refuses to print
• This is usually caused by an incorrect data stream. Try placing the printer in the Hex Dump
mode and printing a copy of the data being sent to the printer. Examine the incoming data
stream for incorrect command usage.
Printer does not print when I send it data
• Check the interface cable to make sure it is connected to the correct port on the PC.
• Make sure the correct Plug-In Interface Module is installed in the printer.
• If you are using the serial interface, verify that the baud rate, parity, data bit and stop bit
selections of the host matches that of the printer.
• Some complex labels with large graphic images can take a long time to transmit to the printer
(especially when using the serial interface) before they can be printed. Have you allowed
enough time for this process?
• Make sure your computer program is sending data to the correct printer. More than one
printer cam be assigned to the same port in the Windows Printer dialog box. Make sure the
printer listed in the Print Setup window is the M-10e TT/DT.
The printer feeds a blank label
• Is the label wide enough? The first dot print position is on the outside edge of the print head
and narrow labels are justified toward the inside of the printer. You may have to configure the
printer with an Offset value to correctly position the image on the label.
• If you are printing in the direct thermal mode, make sure you are using direct thermal paper.
• If you are printing in the thermal transfer mode, check to make sure the ribbon is loaded
properly with the ink (dull side) in contact with the media.
Poor quality printing
• If the print has sections missing, visually inspect the print head to make sure it is clean and
has no physical damage. If foreign matter is observed, clean the head using a cotton swab and
the Thermal Print Head and Platen Cleaner from the SATO cleaning kit.
• If the print is too light, increase the heat setting using either software or the LCD panel. If the
print is too dark and the bars in a bar code are fuzzy and run together, lower the heat setting.
Fine adjustments can be made by adjusting the PRINT potentiometer on the front panel.
• If the print is too light, try varying the print speed using either the LCD panel or software
commands.
PN 9001098
Rev. A
8-2
SATO M-10e TT/DT Printers Service Manual