Brother P-touch 85 - Label Maker Manual

Introduction

Please read this instruction leaflet before using the P-Touch. Keep it in a handy place for future reference. Use only tape cassettes bearing the logo with this machine.

With the P-Touch 85, you can make labels quickly and easily. Simply switch on the P-Touch, type in your message, then print out your label. You can choose from five different text sizes, nine character styles, and seven framing settings. Messages can be printed on either one or two lines and can include accented characters and special symbols. In addition, nine preset layout formats are available for you to type in and print out labels quickly. Six tape colours (white, silver, gold, blue, green and pink) and two tape widths (9 mm and 12 mm) are available for creating personalized labels.

Care and precautions

1. Use a soft, dry cloth to clean the machine.
2. Use only AA-size (LR6) alkaline batteries.
3. Do not expose the machine or the tape cassette to high temperatures, high humidity, or excessive dust.
4. If you do not intend to use the machine for an extended period of time, remove the batteries.
5. Do not touch the tape cutter button while printing or replacing the cutter unit.
6. Do not touch the cutter blade.
7. Do not put labels in your mouth.
8. Do not stick labels onto skin.
9. If the machine "locks up" (i.e., it does not respond when a key is pressed), press to turn off the machine; then, while holding down and , press once to turn the machine on again.

How to make a label

1. Insert the batteries.
2. Insert a tape cassette.
3. Turn on the P-Touch by pressing .
4. Type in and format the text.
   Your message can be up to 55 characters long including spaces. See "Advanced functions" for more details on formatting your text.
5. Print the label by pressing .
   Before printing, be sure that the back cover is attached, otherwise the label cannot be printed.
6. Cut off the label.
   The tape cutter button is equipped with a safety mechanism. Do not try to force the cutter button since it cannot be operated if no cassette is installed and the back cover is removed. If the cutter button is forcefully operated, correct printing may no longer be possible.
7. Peel off the backing.

Changing the batteries

1. Remove the back cover by pressing in on the rough area at the top end of the machine and pulling off the back cover.
   
   
2. If batteries are already installed, remove them and insert six new AA-size (LR6) alkaline batteries in the direction shown by the illustration on the bottom of the battery compartment. The positive end of the three batteries in the bottom row point downward, while the positive end of the top three batteries point in the opposite direction.
   
   When inserting new batteries, always insert them positive end first. When removing old batteries, always remove them negative end first. Always replace all six batteries at the same time with brand new ones.

Changing the tape cassette

Changing the cutter unit

When the cutter becomes blunt and ceases to cut the tape cleanly, replace it.

1. Remove the back cover and the tape cassette.
2. Grasp the tab on the top of the cutter unit and pull out the cutter, taking care not to touch the blade.
3. Grasp the tab on the new cutter unit and insert it as shown below.

• When changing the cutter unit, be sure not to touch the cutter blade.
• Keep the cutter unit in a safe place that is out of the reach of small children.

Cleaning the print head

If dust accumulates on the print head, blank horizontal lines may appear through the printed label. If this happens, clean the print head as follows:

1. Turn off the P-Touch.
2. Remove the back cover and the tape cassette.
3. Use a dry cotton swab to gently wipe the print head and rubber pinch roller with an up-and-down motion.
   
   
4. Re-insert the tape cassette, attach the back cover, turn on the machine, hold down and press to feed the tape, and then try printing.
5. If blank lines remain in the printed label, repeat steps 1 through 4, this time using a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.

Accessories

The following accessories are available:

Function keys

• On/off ()
  To switch the P-Touch on or off, press . The P-Touch conserves battery power by automatically switching itself off if no key is pressed within five minutes. When the batteries are low, "BATT" appears on the display after printing. When the batteries are very low, the P- Touch will automatically turn itself off when you try to print a message or feed the tape. If the P-Touch is turned off and then on again, the current message, text style and size, underline/frame setting, and Caps setting remain unchanged.
• Caps ()
  To turn the Caps function on or off, press . When the Caps display indicator above Caps is on, you can add capital letters to your message by simply pressing the character keys. When the Caps indicator is off, pressing a character key will enter a small letter in your message.
• Space/set ()
  To add a space to your message, press . This key can also be used to select some settings, such as an accented character, a symbol, the label length, or an automatically formatted layout.
• Code ()
  To access those functions or enter those characters printed in yellow above the keys, press . See the following Code explanations and "Advanced functions" for more details on how this key is used.
• Cursor movement ()
  You can move the cursor ( _ ) to view or edit parts of the text to the left or right of the 5 characters shown in the LCD display. To move the cursor to the left, press ; to move the cursor to the right, press . Move the cursor several characters in a row by holding down the appropriate key.
  To position the cursor under the first character of the message, hold down and press ; to position the cursor Code immediately after the last character, hold down and press . If you try to move past the start or end of the message, the error message "ERROR" appears.
• Delete ()
  To delete the character to the left of the cursor, press .
  This key can also be used to quit any function and return to the current message. To erase the current message text, hold down and press . The text style, size, underline/frame setting, and x Caps setting are not cleared.

• Text ()
  To view the entered text, hold down and press . All Code T of the entered text, starting from the beginning, scrolls along the display, then the length of the message appears in millimetres.

• Feed ()
  Sym. To feed out about 24 mm of tape at a time, hold down and press . The message "FEED" appears while the tape Sym. is fed. Do not press the tape cutter button while the P-Touch is feeding the tape, as this will cause the tape to jam.

• Print ()
  To print out the entered text, press . The message "PRINT" appears while printing.
• Composite characters ()
  To enter a composite character, first make sure the Caps function is turned on or off as desired, then hold down and press the key of the desired accent ( or ). Finally, press the key of the letter that you wish to combine with the accent. The accented character appears in your message.
  The following composite characters are available:
  
  Some accented characters can be entered directly using (see "Code") or using (see "Accented characters Code 9 below).

• Accented characters ()
  To enter an accented character, first make sure the Caps function is turned on or off as desired, then hold down and press . After the message "A–Y?" appears, press the key of the desired letter (A, C, E, I, N, O, U or Y). If you press any other key, the error message "ERROR" appears. In the displayed list of available accented characters, press or to position the cursor under the desired accented character, then press . Your message reappears on the display with the selected character added.
  To clear the list of available accented characters and return to the current message, press (or hold down and press ) instead of pressing . The following accented characters are available:
  
  Some accented characters can be entered directly using (see "Code") or using the accent keys (see "Composite characters" above).

Advanced functions

• Changing text size
  To select a text size, hold down and press once. The name of the currently selected size is displayed and is shown by the indicator at the top of the display. Keep held down and continue pressing until your desired text size appears and is indicated at the top of the display. The selected text size applies to the entire message.
  The following five text sizes are available:
  

• Changing text style
  To select a text style, hold down and press once. The name of the currently selected style is displayed. Keep held down and continue pressing until your desired text style appears. The selected text style applies to the entire message.
  The following nine text styles are available:
  

• Add underlining
  To select underlining, hold down and press once. The name of the currently selected setting is displayed. Keep held down and continue pressing until your desired setting appears and is shown by the indicator. The underline is printed under all of the text, but is not printed when the VERT style is selected. If a frame was chosen before selecting underlining, the frame is cancelled and the underline is printed.
  The following underline settings are available:
  

• Add framing
  To select a frame, hold down and press once. The Code 7 name of the currently selected setting is displayed. Keep held down and continue pressing until your desired setting appears and is shown by the indicator. The frame is printed around the entire message, but is not printed when the VERT style is selected. If underlining was chosen before selecting a frame, the underline is cancelled and the frame is printed.
  The following frame settings are available: