Extending The Life Of The Printhead - Intermec EasyCoder PD41 Service Manual

Chapter 3 — Replacing Parts
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7 Use an appropriate tool, for instance a straight-slot screwdriver, to
carefully pry the printhead cable connector loose from the PCB.
8 Loosen the screws and remove the old PCB.
9 Attach the new PCB with the screws and connect the printhead cable.
Adjust the position of the balance boxes so that they do not obstruct the
procedure.
10 Connect the new printhead.
11 Reload the transfer ribbon, lower the printhead, close the side door and
switch on the power.

Extending the Life of the Printhead

Some simple measures can be taken by the user to extend the life of the
printhead:
• Clean the printhead regularly, as described in the user's guide. Not only
will a dirty printhead produce an inferior printout, but any residue on
the dots will prevent heat to dissipate through the media.
• Use as low density setting as possible. Too much energy to the printhead
will wear it out rapidly.
• Do not use higher speed setting than necessary.
• Low ambient temperature requires more energy to the printhead dots
than room temperatures and will therefore cause more wear to the
printhead. High print speed accelerates the wear. Thus, at low
temperatures, select as low a print speed as acceptable.
• Do not use a higher printhead pressure than necessary.
• Never print outside the media path. Dots that are not in contact with
the media will not be cooled properly.
• When using media with less than full width, be careful to adjust the
printhead balance so there is an even pressure across the media. Not
only will an uneven pressure impair the printout quality, but it may also
prevent the dots from being cooled properly. Moreover, a sharp outer
media edge in direct contact with the printhead may cause excessive
mechanical wear on some dots, which may be visible when printing on
wider media later.
• When using preprinted labels or labels with some type of varnish or
non-standard top coating for direct thermal printing, use original
Intermec labels or inks recommended by leading manufacturers of
direct thermal media. The labels must not contain any aggressive
substances such as chloride or grinding substances such as titanium
dioxide.
• Only use transfer ribbons recommended by Intermec.
EasyCoder PD41/PD42 Printer Service Manual