TSC Alpha-4L Series User Manual
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TSC Alpha-4L Series User Manual

Direct thermal portable bar code printer
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Alpha-4L Series
Direct Thermal Portable Bar Code Printer
USER'S
MANUAL

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Summary of Contents for TSC Alpha-4L Series

  • Page 1 Alpha-4L Series Direct Thermal Portable Bar Code Printer USER’S MANUAL...
  • Page 2 Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of TSC Auto ID Technology Co. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, for any purpose other than the purchaser’s personal use, without the expressed...
  • Page 3 Agency Compliance and Approvals EN 55022/24, IEC 61000-3-3, IEC 61000-3-2 EN 300328, EN 301489 Part 15B/C EN 60950-1 GB 9254 GB 4943.1 GB 17625.1 Wichtige Sicherheits-Hinweise 1. Bitte lesen Sie diese Hinweis sorgfältig durch. 2. Heben Sie diese Anleitung fűr den späteren Gebrauch auf. 3.
  • Page 4 CAUTION Risk of explosion if battery is replaced by an incorrect type. Dispose of used batteries according to the instructions. Class B: FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION INTERFERENCE STATEMENT This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules.
  • Page 5 RF exposure warning (For Bluetooth) The equipment complies with FCC RF exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. The equipment must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. Canada, Industry Canada (IC) Notices This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003 and RSS-210.
  • Page 6 Ce périphérique a également été évalué et démontré conforme aux limites d'exposition aux RF d'IC dans des conditions d'exposition à des appareils portables. (les antennes sont moins de 20 cm du corps d'une personne). (For Bluetooth) 电池安全警告： ◎ 勿将电池扔于火中。 ◎ 勿将电池接点短路。 ◎...

  • Page 7: Table Of Contents

    Contents 1. Introduction ........................ 1 1.1 Product Introduction ..................... 1 1.2 Product Features ....................2 1.2.1 Printer Standard Features ....................2 1.2.2 Printer Optional Features ....................3 1.3 General Specifications ..................5 1.4 Print Specifications ....................5 1.5 Media Specifications ..................... 6 2.
  • Page 8 4.1 Power-on Utility for Standard Panel ..............25 4.1.1 Media Sensor Calibration ....................26 4.1.2 Self-test and Dump Mode ....................26 4.1.3 Printer Initialization ......................27 4.2 Power-on Utility for LCD Panel (Option) ............28 4.2.1 Media Sensor Calibration ....................28 4.2.2 Self-test and Dump Mode ....................
  • Page 9 6.5.4 Print Head ........................... 52 6.6 Language ......................53 6.7 Service ......................... 53 7. Troubleshooting ....................... 54 8. Maintenance ......................56 Revise History ....................... 57 - viii -...

  • Page 10: Introduction

    1. Introduction 1.1 Product Introduction Thank you very much for purchasing TSC bar code printer. Enjoy TSC’s reputation for cost-efficient, high durability printers with the Alpha-4L economical receipt printer. The Alpha-4L is a comfortable, light-weight printer capable of working with any mobile receipt printing application where you need quick, simple receipts on demand.

  • Page 11: Product Features

    1.2 Product Features 1.2.1 Printer Standard Features The printer offers the following standard features. Product standard feature Direct thermal printing Black mark reflective sensor (center position , black mark in back side) Gap transmissive sensor (Fixed, center of offset 2.75 mm to right from center) Head open sensor Peeler sensor 2 operation buttons (On/off and feed)

  • Page 12: Printer Optional Features

    Code page (Support for F/W 7.0 up)  Codepage 437 (English - US)  Codepage 737 (Greek)  Codepage 850 (Latin-1)  Codepage 852 (Latin-2)  Codepage 855 (Cyrillic)  Codepage 857 (Turkish)  Codepage 860 (Portuguese)  Codepage 861 (Icelandic) ...
  • Page 13 ○ USB cable ○ USB to RS-232 (serial) converter cable ○ IP54-rated environmental case for standard model ○ IP54-rated environmental case for linerless model ○ Shoulder strap ○ DC 7.2V/5800 mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery ○ 12-24VDC automobile cigarette lighter plug ○...

  • Page 14: General Specifications

    1.3 General Specifications General Specifications Physical 160 mm (W) x 191.6 mm (H) x 79 mm (D) dimensions Mechanism Plastic with rubber over molded Weight 0.945 kg (w/o battery) External power adapter Power Input: AC 100-240V Output: DC 12V 1A Operation: -10 ~ 50˚C (14 ~ 122˚F) Storage: -40 ~ 60 ˚C (-40 ~ 140˚F) Environmental...

  • Page 15: Media Specifications

    1.5 Media Specifications Media Specifications Media roll capacity Max. 2.65” (67.3 mm) OD Media core diameter 12.7 mm ~ 25.4 mm (0.5” ~ 1”) ID core Continuous, die-cut, black mark, External fan- Media type fold, receipt, Linerless label (w/ linerless kit) Media wound type Outside wound Media width...

  • Page 16: Operations Overview

    2. Operations Overview 2.1 Unpacking and Inspection This printer has been specially packaged to withstand damage during shipping. Please carefully inspect the packaging and printer upon receiving the bar code printer. Please retain the packaging materials in case you need to reship the printer. Unpacking the printer, the following items are included in the carton.

  • Page 17: Printer Overview

    2.2 Printer Overview 2.2.1 Front View Plat roll Plate Plate Plat Power on/off button Plat Feed button Plate Printer status LED indicator Battery status LED indicator Media cover release button Peel-off sensor (Without for linerless model) Print head Transmissive sensor – Gap sensor Media holder lock switch Media holder Media cover...

  • Page 18: Rear View

    2.2.2 Rear View inte Li-ion battery Belt chip Battery open clasp Hanger for shoulder strap inter External label entrance chute face USB interface * MicroSD card socket Power jack Note: * Recommended MicroSD card specification. SD card spec SD card capacity Approved SD card manufacturer V1.0, V1.1 MicroSD 128 MB Transcend, Panasonic...

  • Page 19: Operator Control

    2.3 Operator Control 2.3.1 LED Indication and Keys Keys Function − Press and hold for 2-3 seconds to turn on the printer − Press and hold for 2-3 seconds to turn off the printer − Ready status: Feed one label −...

  • Page 20: Led Indication And Keys For Lcd (Option)

    2.3.2 LED Indication and Keys for LCD (Option) Keys Function − Display the printer information − Button for LCD setting menu − Enter the printer setting menu − Button for LCD setting menu − Press and hold for 2-3 seconds to turn on the printer −...

  • Page 21: Setup

    3. Setup 3.1 Install the Belt Clip and Battery Insert the belt clip first. Insert the left side to install the battery at the rear of the printer. Push the right side of the battery. Battery safety warning: DO NOT throw the battery in fire. DO NOT short circuit the contacts. DO NOT disassemble the battery.

  • Page 22: Charge The Battery

    3.2 Charge the Battery It takes 5~6 hours to fully charge the battery before the first time usage. The lifetime of the battery is 300 times for charge/discharge cycles. 3.2.1 Charge the Battery The battery is installed into the printer. Open the interface cover and plug the power cord to the power jack.

  • Page 23: Loading The Media

    3.3 Loading the Media 3.3.1 Loading the Media 1. Open the printer media cover by pressing the media cover release button. 2. Pull the media holders apart to fit the label roll width. 3. Place the roll between the media holders and close them onto the core.
  • Page 24 4. Press each side of media cover to close the media cover and make sure the media cover closed correctly. Note: * Please calibrate the gap/black mark sensor when changing media. Turn on the printer and open/close the media cover then it will calibrate the sensor automatically.

  • Page 25: Loading Media In Peel-Off Mode

    3.3.2 Loading Media in Peel-off Mode 1. Please refer to subsection 3.3.1 to loading the media roll into the printer. Note: Please calibrate the gap/black mark sensor after loading media in peel-off mode. Turn on the printer and open/close the media cover then it will calibrate the sensor automatically.
  • Page 26 4. Feed the liner go through the peeler module. (as figure shown) 5. Pull the liner tightly. 6. Move the peeler module to near the peeler bar by pushing each side of peeler module. (cover the platen roller) - 17 -...
  • Page 27 7. Press down the peeler module to lock it. Loose the peeler module in the reverse procedures: - 18 -...

  • Page 28: Loading The Fan-Fold/External Media

    3.3.3 Loading the Fan-fold/External Media 1. Open the printer media cover by pressing the media cover release button. Pull the media holders apart to fit the media width. 2. Push down each side of media holder lock switch to fix the media holder.
  • Page 29 4. Press each side of media cover to close the media cover and make sure the media cover closed correctly. Note: Please calibrate the gap/black mark sensor when changing media. Turn on the printer and open/close the media cover then it will calibrate the sensor automatically.

  • Page 30: Loading The Linerless Media (Option)

    3.3.4 Loading the Linerless Media (Option) 1. Please refer to subsection 3.3.1 to loading the media roll into the printer. 2. Push down each side of media holder lock switch to fix the media holder for using linerless media. 3. Place the paper, printing side face up, and pull out enough paper over the print head.

  • Page 31: Connecting The Printer

    3.4 Connecting the Printer The printer must establish communication with a host terminal which sends the data to be printed. There are three ways to connect for Alpha-4L series, * By a cable between the printer and its host terminal * By a Bluetooth short-range radio * By a Wireless LAN per 802.1 b/g (Option)

  • Page 32: Wireless Communications With Wi-Fi (Option)

    3.4.3 Wireless Communications with Wi-Fi (Option) You should set the WLAN settings via the cable for first using. Please refer to section 5.4 setting the Wi-Fi module. If your printer supports the LCD, please refer the section 6.3.4 to set the WLAN settings.

  • Page 33: Install The Ip54-Rated Environmental Case With Shoulder Strap (Option)

    3.5 Install the IP54-rated Environmental Case with Shoulder Strap (Option) 1. Open the case top cover. 2. Put the printer into the case. 3. Close the case top cover. The outside cover should be opened while printing. - 24 -...

  • Page 34: Power-On Utilities

    4. Power-on Utilities There are three power-on utilities to set up and test printer hardware. These utilities are activated by pressing FEED button ( ) then turning on the printer power ( ) simultaneously and release the button at different positions of LED indicator. 4.1 Power-on Utility for Standard Panel Please follow the steps below for different power-on utilities.

  • Page 35: Media Sensor Calibration

    4.1.1 Media Sensor Calibration Please follow the steps below to calibrate the media sensor. 1. Turn off the printer power switch. 2. Hold on the FEED button ( ) then turn on the power switch ( 3. Release the power switch ( ) when LED color turn on amber.

  • Page 36: Printer Initialization

    4. The printer will beep sound twice later, then release the FEED button ( ) when the indicator becomes and blinking. 5. Printer will calibrate the sensor and print out the internal settings, then enter the dump mode. Note: Turn off/on the power or press FEED button to resume printer from dump mode to normal printing mode.

  • Page 37: Power-On Utility For Lcd Panel (Option)

    4.2 Power-on Utility for LCD Panel (Option) Please follow the steps below for different power-on utilities. 1. Turn off the printer power switch. 2. Hold on the FEED button ( ) then turn on the power switch ( ) when “Error” LED color turn on red. 3.

  • Page 38: Self-Test And Dump Mode

    Note: In this moment, you should still hold on the FEED button. 4. The printer will beep sound twice later, then release the FEED button ( ) when LCD showing “Calibrate…..”. 5. Printer will calibrate the gap/black mark sensor sensitivity. Note: You also can do this function by open/close the media cover when turn on the printer.

  • Page 39: Printer Initialization

    Beep sound twice  Calibrate….. (5 dots)   Initialize….. (5 Self Test….. (5 dots) dots)  Turn on the printer 4.2.3 Printer Initialization Printer initialization is used to clear DRAM and restore printer settings to defaults. Printer initialization is activated by the following procedures. 1.

  • Page 40: Self-Test

    4.3 Self-test Printer will print the printer configuration after media sensor calibration. Self-test printout can be used to check if there is any dot damage on the heater element, printer configurations and available memory space. Note: Self-test printout requires 4” wide paper width. Printer model name &...

  • Page 41: Dump Mode

    4.4 Dump mode Printer will enter dump mode after printing printer configuration. In the dump mode, all characters will be printed in 2 columns as following. The left side characters are received from your system and right side data are the corresponding hexadecimal value of the characters.

  • Page 42: Printer Defaults

    4.5 Printer defaults Printer configuration will be restored to defaults as below after initialization. Parameter Default setting Speed 50.8 mm/sec (2 ips) Density 4” (101.5 mm) Media Width 4” (101.5 mm) Media Height Sensor Type Gap sensor Print Direction Reference Point 0,0 (upper left corner) Gap Offset Post-Print Action...

  • Page 43: Diagnostic Tool

    5. Diagnostic Tool TSC’s Diagnostic Utility is an integrated tool incorporating features that enable you to explore a printer’s settings/status; change a printer’s settings; download graphics, fonts and firmware; create a printer bitmap font; and send additional commands to a printer. With the aid of this powerful tool, you can review printer status and setting in an instant, which makes it much easier to troubleshoot problems and other issues.

  • Page 44: Printer Function

    5.2 Printer Function 1. Connect the printer and computer with a cable. Note: * The printer connects with the computer via USB to USB cable or USB to RS-232 cable (option). 2. Select the PC interface connected with bar code printer. USB to USB cable USB to RS-232 cable The default interface setting is USB...

  • Page 45: Setting Bluetooth By Diagnostic Tool

    5.3 Setting Bluetooth by Diagnostic Tool 1. Connect the printer and computer with a cable. Note: * The printer connects with the computer via USB to USB cable or USB to RS-232 cable (option). 2. Turn on the printer power switch. 3.

  • Page 46: Setting Wi-Fi By Diagnostic Tool (Option)

    5.4 Setting Wi-Fi by Diagnostic Tool (Option) 1. Connect the printer and computer with the cable. Note: * The printer connects with the computer via USB to USB cable or USB to RS-232 cable (option). 2. Turn on the printer power switch. 3.

  • Page 47: Lcd Menu Function (Option)

    6. LCD Menu Function (Option) The Alpha-4L series offer the LCD panel for selection to further enhance its capabilities to meet the demands of a wide range of printing solutions. This option feature includes LCD control panel, 4 buttons and 2 LED display. Please press the “M” button to enter the setting menu.
  • Page 48 For example: Change the speed setting, please following steps as below. 1. Press “M” button to enter the setting menu. Press button to enter the “Setup” item. button to enter the “Print Setup” item. Select the “TSPL2” item. Enter the “Speed” 2.

  • Page 49: Main Menu Overview

    Initialization Setup ↓ ↓ ↓ Sensor FLASH Dump Mode ↓ ↓ Serial Battery Comm. ↓ ↓ *Wireless Print Head ↓ Bluetooth ↓ Date Time ↓ Display Note: * The Wireless LAN function is optional for Alpha-4L series. - 40 -...

  • Page 50: Setup

    6.3 Setup This “Setup” category can set up the sensor, serial comm., wireless, Bluetooth, date time and display settings. 6.3.1 Printer Setup 6.3.1-1 Printer setup for TSPL2 Speed Density Direction Print Mode Offset Main Menu Setup TSPL2 Shift X Shift Y Reference X Reference Y Code Page...
  • Page 51 This item is used to set the print mode. There are 3 modes as below, Printer Mode Description Next label top of form is aligned to the print Batch None Print mode head burn line location. (Tear Off Mode) Mode Once image is printed completely, label gap/black mark will be fed to the tear plate Batch Mode...

  • Page 52: Printer Setup For Epl2

    6.3.1-2 Printer setup for EPL2 Density Print Speed Tear Off Print Mode Print Width List Fonts List Images Main Menu Setup EPL2 List Formats List Setup Control Prefix Format Prefix Delimiter Char Media Power Up Head Close Left Position Item Description Default Use this item to setup printing darkness.
  • Page 53 the label. The fonts stored in the printer’s DRAM, Flash or optional memory card. This feature is used to print current printer available images list to List Images the label. The images stored in the printer’s DRAM, Flash or optional memory card. This feature is used to print current printer available formats list to List Formats the label.

  • Page 54: Sensor

    6.3.2 Sensor Auto Black Mark Calibration Continuous Scan Scan Backing Paper Scan Manual Setup Black Mark Scan Mark Paper Scan Remove Continuous Label Paper Main Setup Sensor Auto Menu Threshold Fixed Maximum Length Advanced Min. Paper Max. Gap/Mark Item Description Default This item is used to set the media sensor type and calibrate the Auto Calibration...

  • Page 55: Serial Comm

    6.3.3 Serial Comm. 1200 bps 2400 bps 4800 bps 9600 bps Baud Rate 19200 bps 38400 bps 57600 bps 115200 bps None Main Menu Setup Serial Comm. Parity Even Data Bits Stop Bit(s) Item Description Default Baud Rate This item is used to set the RS-232 baud rate. 9600 Parity This item is used to set the RS-232 parity.

  • Page 56: Wireless Lan

    6.3.4 Wireless LAN Infrastructure Operating Mode Ad-hoc Main Menu Setup Wireless LAN Scan AP DHCP Item Description Default This item is used to set the operating mode of wireless local area networks to connect devices to the networks. Note: Operating Mode Infrastructure Infrastructure mode requires the use of an access point for this communication to take place.

  • Page 57: Bluetooth

    6.3.5 Bluetooth Local Name Main Menu Setup Bluetooth PIN Code Item Description Default Local Name This item is used to set the local name for Bluetooth. BT-SPP This item is used to set the local PIN code for PIN Code 0000 Bluetooth.

  • Page 58: Display

    6.3.7 Display Always On Always Off 5 Seconds 10 Second Contrast 30 Second Main Menu Setup Display Backlight 1 Minute 5 Minutes 10 Minutes 30 Minutes 1 Hour 5 Hours Item Description Default Contrast This item is used to set the contrast for display. Backlight This item is used to set the backlight time for display.

  • Page 59: File Manager

    6.4 File Manager This feature is used to check the printer available memory and file list. DRAM Saved file list (Available memory) FLASH Saved file list Main Menu File Manager (Available memory) CARD Saved file list (Available memory Item Description Use this menu to show available memory space and run (.BAS) DRAM the files saved in the printer DRAM memory.

  • Page 60: Diagnostics

    6.5 Diagnostics Main Menu Diagnostics Print Config. Dump Mode Battery Print Head 6.5.1 Print Config. Main Menu Diagnostics Print Config. This feature is used to print current printer configuration to the label. On the configuration printout, there is a print head test pattern, which is useful for checking if there is any dot damage on the print head heater element.

  • Page 61: Battery

    6.5.3 Battery Main Menu Diagnostics Battery This feature is used to check the printer battery voltage. 6.5.4 Print Head Main Menu Diagnostics Print Head This feature is used to check the printer temperature, resistance, and bad dots for print head. - 52 -...

  • Page 62: Language

    6.6 Language Main Menu Language English This option is used to setup the language on LCD display. 6.7 Service Main Menu Service Initialization This feature is used to restore printer settings to defaults. Please refer to section 4.5. Note: When printer initialization is done, please calibrate the gap or black mark sensor before printing.

  • Page 63: Troubleshooting

    7. Troubleshooting The following guide lists the most common problems that may be encountered when operating this bar code printer. If the printer still does not function after all suggested solutions have been invoked, please contact the Customer Service Department of your purchased reseller or distributor for assistance.
  • Page 64 * Reload the supply. * Clean the print head. * Media is loaded incorrectly * Clean the platen roller. * Dust or adhesive accumulation * Adjust the print density and print on the print head. Poor Print Quality speed. * Print density is not set properly. * Run printer self-test and check the * Print speed is not set properly.

  • Page 65: Maintenance

    8. Maintenance This session presents the clean tools and methods to maintain your printer. 1. Please use one of following material to clean the printer.  Cotton swab  Lint-free cloth  Vacuum / Blower brush  100% Ethanol or Isopropyl Alcohol 2.

  • Page 66: Revise History

    Revise History Date Content Editor 2013/10/4 Modify section 2.3.2 Camille 2013/10/31 Modify section 1.3 and 3.2 Camille - 57 -...
  • Page 67 9F., No.95, Minquan Rd., Xindian Dist., No.35, Sec. 2, Ligong 1st Rd., Wujie Township, New Taipei City 23141, Taiwan (R.O.C.) Yilan County 26841, Taiwan (R.O.C.) TEL: +886-2-2218-6789 TEL: +886-3-990-6677 FAX: +886-2-2218-5678 FAX: +886-3-990-5577 Web site: www.tscprinters.com E-mail: printer_sales@tscprinters.com TSC Auto ID Technology Co., Ltd. tech_support@tscprinters.com...

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