Page 1
Quick Setup Guide ™ ™ SL5000 and T5000 Smart Label RFID Thermal Printers...
Page 2
Useful utility programs The CD-ROM is located in a plastic pocket in the back cover. Do not discard this guide. If you move or pack the printer in the future, you will need to follow the instructions in this guide.
Page 3
SL5000 and T5000 Smart Label RFID Thermal Printers Quick Setup Guide...
Product” includes the Software resident in the printer and its documentation. The Software Product is licensed (not sold) to you, and Printronix, Inc. either owns or licenses from other vendors who own, all copyright, trade secret, patent and other proprietary rights in the Software Product.
Page 5
This License shall continue until terminated. This license may be terminated by agreement between you and Printronix, Inc. or by Printronix, Inc. if you fail to comply with the terms of this License and such failure is not corrected within thirty (30) days after notice. When this License is terminated, you shall return to the place you obtained them, the printer and all copies of the Software and documentation.
Properly shielded and grounded cables and connectors must be used in order to meet FCC emission limits. Printronix is not responsible for any radio or television interference caused by using other than recommended cables and connectors or by any unauthorized changes or modifications to this equipment. Unauthorized changes or modifications could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
CE Notice (European Union) Marking by the CE symbol indicates compliance of this Printronix system to the EMC Directive and the Low Voltage Directive of the European Union. Such marking is indicative that this Printronix system meets the following technical standards: •...
Contact your local waste agency for the correct disposal procedure. Printronix makes no representations or warranties of any kind regarding this material, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Printronix shall not be held...
Table of Contents Unpacking And Installing The Printer ... 11 Unpacking The Printer ... 11 Removing The Internal Packing Material ... 12 Installation ... 13 Controls And Indicators ... 14 Power Switch ... 14 Control Panel ... 14 Loading Media And Ribbon ... 18 Loading Roll Media ...
Unpacking And Installing The Printer Unpacking The Printer The printer is shipped in a carton and protective bag. Keep all packing material in case shipping is required. CAUTION Avoid touching the electrical connectors to prevent electrostatic discharge damage while setting up the printer.
Unpacking And Installing The Printer Removing The Internal Packing Material Remove the tape strips and foam pads from the printer as indicated below. (The top lid of the shipping carton also displays these instructions.) NOTE: Save the foam pads for repacking the printer.
Installation AC Power Receptacle 1. Place the printer on a flat level surface that allows easy access to all sides of the printer. CAUTION Never operate the printer on its side or upside down. 2. Make sure the printer power switch is in the Off (O) position.
Controls And Indicators Power Switch The power switch is located on the bottom back panel of the printer. To apply power, place the switch in the | (On) position. When you first power on the printer, a series of initialization messages appears on the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) on the control panel.
Page 15
Control Panel Status And Display Indicators...
IMPORTANT Printronix recommends using the supplied starter roll of 100 labels to set up and verify printer operation. If you have an SL5000e, this will avoid expending the more expensive smart labels for this task. CAUTION DO NOT TOUCH the printhead or the electronic components under the printhead assembly.
Loading Roll Media Pivoting Deck IMPORTANT If you are using direct thermal mode, clean the printhead, platen roller, and upper and lower media sensors every time you change the media. See “Cleaning” on page 50. 1. Slide the media hanger guide outward to the end of the media hanger, and flip it up into the horizontal position (as shown).
Page 20
Loading Media And Ribbon 3. Slide the media width guide close to the outside end of the media damper. 4. Slide the supplied starter media roll onto and towards the back of the media hanger. 5. Place the media hanger guide under the media hanger and against the lower part of the label core at a 45 degree angle (as shown).
Page 21
6. Thread the media under the media damper and then between the platen (rubber drive roller) and the printhead. You can also refer to the arrows on the printer frame or to the label inside the media cover for media loading instructions.
Page 22
Loading Media And Ribbon Lower Media Sensor Media Guard 7. Verify that the left edge of the media is against the fixed guide on the bottom of the media damper. 8. Push the media width guide in until it is flush with the outer edge of the media.
Page 23
Deck 11. Close the printhead by pressing down on the pivoting deck and rotating the deck lock lever fully counterclockwise. 12. Power on the printer (place the power switch in the | position). Loading Roll Media Media (left edge) Deck Lock...
50. 1. Install the ribbon take-up core on the ribbon take-up spindle. NOTE: The first ribbon take-up core comes with the printer. Thereafter, use the core from the old (used up) ribbon. 2. Slide the ribbon roll onto the ribbon supply spindle until it stops against the spindle flange.
Page 25
4. Thread the end of the ribbon under the rear ribbon guide roller, then between the platen and the printhead. You can also refer to the arrows on the printer frame or to the upper-right corner of the label inside the media cover for ribbon...
Page 26
Loading Media And Ribbon IMPORTANT Do not attach the ribbon to the ribbon take-up spindle without a ribbon take-up core installed. 5. Attach the ribbon to the ribbon take-up core on the ribbon take-up spindle using the adhesive on the ribbon leader. 6.
Printing Adjustments Left Pressure Block Left Pressure Block Handle Bold Mark Printhead Cover/ Upper Media Sensor Pressure Block Adjustment Scale Printhead Pressure Adjustment Adjust the printhead pressure to the setting of 4. Printhead Pressure Block Adjustments Left Pressure Block Manually adjust the left pressure block so its handle is aligned with the bold mark on the pressure block adjustment scale.
Positioning The Media Sensors Adhesive Label (left edge) Your printer is equipped with upper and lower media sensors that detect the top-of-form position on media with label length indicators (black marks, gaps, notches, or holes). These media sensors also detect Paper Out conditions.
Page 29
Positioning The Media Sensors If you are using smart labels, the lower media sensor should not be placed in the path of media features that could cause false gap detection or paper out faults. Such features are dark pre-printing, rounded die cut label corners, and extraneous cut-outs. FEED Position the lower media sensor in the...
Auto Calibrate to provide optimum sensor threshold values for the installed media and ribbon. 1. Set the printer power switch to | (On). (For the location of the power switch and various panel keys, refer to “Controls And Indicators”...
Page 31
(page 32). c. Press PAUSE and run Auto Calibrate again. 13. Press the PAUSE key to take the printer offline. 14. Press the FEED key several times. Each time you press FEED, the media should advance one label length and stop.
4. Press ↓ until Media Profile / Profile Print displays and then ↵ press The printer will advance media and continue to print a dynamic profile image depicting the relationship of the label and any label length indicators detected. ↵...
In this example, the gap threshold value the printer selected (represented by the Gap/Mark dotted line) is too close to the amplitude of the antenna pulse. This may cause the printer to falsely use the antenna as the gap (top-of-form).
Page 34
NOTE: Any changes to Threshold Range will not take effect until you run an Auto Calibrate again. This will raise the Gap/Mark threshold high enough so that the printer will not falsely use the antenna as the gap (top-of-form). Paper Out(110) Gap/Mark(072)
(represented by the Gap/Mark dotted line) is too close to the amplitude of the antenna pulse. If there is an increase in noise or the opacity of the liner or ribbon, the printer may falsely use the antenna or noise as the gap (top-of-form).
NOTE: Any changes to Threshold Range will not take effect until you run an Auto Calibrate again. This will raise the Gap/Mark threshold high enough so that the printer will not falsely use the antenna or noise as the gap (top-of- form). Paper Out(075)
Notes: * = Default 1 to 8 Maximum value depends on the width of the printer model and printhead. 1 to 8 You can change the unit value from inches to millimeters under Units (in MEDIA CONTROL) Refer to the User’s Manual for information.
Page 38
QUICK SETUP Menu QUICK SETUP (cont. from previous page) SMT: Status Disabled* SMT: Sel Toolset Toolset [1]* SMT: Select Tool 3, 4 zEPC zGTIN NOTE: Many QUICK SETUP menu items are available in other main menus. (Refer to the User’s Manual .) Changes made in the QUICK SETUP menu are updated in the other main menus, and vice versa.
Transfer. Indicates Thermal Transfer printing (ribbon installed). • Direct. Indicates Direct Thermal printing (no ribbon) and requires special heat sensitive media. The default is Transfer, unless your printer is shipped as direct thermal only (no ribbon motors installed). QUICK SETUP Menu Items...
This menu item specifies how the printer will handle the media (labels or tag stock). • Tear-Off Strip. Printer prints on the media and sends it out the front until the print buffer is empty, then positions the last label over the tear bar for removal.
Label Width This menu item specifies the label width. The allowable range in inches is 00.1 to the maximum print width of the printer. The allowable range in millimeters is 2.5 to the maximum width of the printer. Ver Image Shift This menu item specifies the amount to shift an image up (–) or...
Page 42
The top edge of the image is parallel to the leading edge of the media. The following example is viewed from the front of the printer. NOTE: Portrait orientation applies to PGL This is regarded as Inverse Portrait using PPI1.
Page 43
The top edge of the image is parallel to the trailing edge of the media. The following example is viewed from the front of the printer. NOTE: Inverse Portrait orientation applies to PGL and VGL emulations.
Page 44
The top edge of the image is parallel to the right edge of the media. The following example is viewed from the front of the printer. NOTE: Inverse Landscape orientation applies to PGL and VGL emulations. This is regarded as Landscape using PPI1.
Disable. Select when using media with no label length indicators (no gaps, notches, holes, or black marks), or when you want the printer to ignore all existing label length indicators on the installed media. NOTE: When you select Disable, the length of each label is based on the Label Length value entered.
To initiate Auto Calibrate, scroll to the Auto Calibrate menu and ↵ press the key. The printer will advance media the distance needed to accurately detect the label length indicators, then stop at the top-of-form position and momentarily display the Sensed Distance.
This eliminates the need to change the parameter settings for each new job. The configurations are stored in memory and will not be lost if you turn off the printer. The default is 1. Power-Up Config.
Configuration” below. Selecting The Power-Up Configuration To have a saved configuration automatically loaded when you power up the printer, set the saved configuration as the Power-Up configuration: 1. Press the 2. Press ↑ or ↓ until Power-Up Config. / Factory* displays.
Printronix recommends using the supplied starter roll of 100 labels to set up and verify printer operation. If you have an SL5000e, this will avoid expending the more expensive smart labels for this task. Before you send an actual print job, run a barcode demo test: 1.
NOTE: Do not use abrasive cleaning agents or solvents. Interior Clean the interior of the printer by removing any dirt and lint with a soft-bristled, non-metallic brush. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove the residue.
Cleaning The Printhead, Platen Roller, And Media Sensors (direct thermal print mode). Clean the printhead with the cleaning pen supplied with the printer. By keeping your printhead clean, you will help maintain its life. Platen Roller Cleaning Media dust and adhesive residue on the platen roller can degrade print quality and cause voids in your label image.
Page 52
Cleaning Printhead Heating Elements See page 53. Peel/Tear Door Lower Media Sensor (with visible red LED) Printhead Cover/ Upper Media Sensor Platen Roller Pivoting Deck Deck Lock Lever...
Page 53
Cleaning The Printhead, Platen Roller, And Media Sensors Upper Media Sensor 1. Rotate the deck lock lever clockwise to open the pivoting deck and remove any media and ribbon (if loaded) to gain access to the printhead assembly heating element area. 2.
Repacking The Printer CAUTION Follow all of the repacking instructions carefully, otherwise the printer could be damaged during shipping. 1. Remove all media and ribbon. 2. Install the foam pads and tape the media cover to the base pan as shown on page 12.
Page 55
Cleaning The Printhead, Platen Roller, And Media Sensors 5. Pack the printer (taped in its bag) as shown (a). CAUTION Pack the printer with the media cover (window side) up. 6. Pack the remaining items as shown (b), and tape the box flaps closed.
For More Information For More Information This Quick Setup Guide has provided general information for use of your printer. Refer to the User’s Manual for more detailed information including: • Other Configuration Menus • Interfaces • Diagnostics and Troubleshooting •...
Page 58
For technical assistance, contact your Distributor/VAR/Reseller for service. For further assistance, contact the Printronix Customer Support Center. Printronix Customer Support Center Americas Europe, Middle East, and Africa Asia Pacific Web site: http://www.printronix.com/public/servicessupport/default.aspx Printronix Supplier Center Americas Europe, Middle East, and Africa Asia Pacific Web site: http://www.printronix.com/public/supplies/default.aspx...
Need help?
Do you have a question about the SL5000E and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers