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Afinia L801 Label Printer U s e r M a n u a l Version 1.1...
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Intel and Intel Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Java and Oracle are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista, and Windows Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S.A. and/or other countries. Edition L801 Printer User Guide Edition 1. March 2013.
Safety Precautions Electrical Shock Hazard Do not disassemble any part of your printer. There are no user-repairable parts inside the printer. Disassembly of any part of the printer will void all warranties. Fire Hazard Keep the printer well away from all heat sources and flammable substances. Switch your printer off immediately and unplug the power cord from the wall socket if you notice any of the following: •...
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• Use only authorized consumables. Use of any printhead other than authorized Afinia technology printheads will damage the printer and void your warranty. Use of unauthorized inks or ink cartridges may damage the printer and will void your warranty.
Chapter 1 Setting Up the Printer Start In the Box Parts of the Printer The Control Panel Using the Control Panel Selecting the Security Level Unpacking, Setup, and Installation Remove tape and packing materials Connect power Install ink cartridges Install printhead Load sample media Print test label Install printer driver...
• A power outlet nearby. • Sufficient space to work with the printer. The media cover and top cover open upwards, and media loading is from the left side of the printer. In the Box Afinia L801 Label Printer Ink Cartridges Printhead USB Cable...
L801 Label Printer Parts of the Printer Media Cover Top Cover Output Slot Control Panel Front Cover GPIO Port USB Port Ethernet Port Power Socket Power Switch Setting Up the Printer...
Afinia The Control Panel The printer is ready to print when the control panel displays Printer Online. The Data and Status LEDs together with messages indicate the printer status and any potential problems (Table The control panel also shows the estimated levels of the ink cartridges. In the example below, the yellow ink cartridge level is between 25 to 50%.
L801 Label Printer Using the Control Panel The icons above the printer buttons indicate their functions (Table • When the printer is online, press (Config) to access the configuration menus. The options are described in Config Options on the Control Panel on page 73.
Afinia Selecting the Security Level By default, the printer powers up in security Level 0 (operator), which does not allow changes to some printer settings. For the initial Printer Setup, it is recommended that you change the Security Level to 2 (Administrator) before changing those settings.
Unpacking, Setup, and Installation Remove tapes and foam from inside the printer. Remove tape and packing materials Remove tapes. Foam Keep all foam and cardboard packing materials! Foam Remove cardboard. Pull tabs Squeeze latches to open clamshell Lift out cardboard Setting Up the Printer...
Connect power Choose display language (optional) After connecting power for the first time, press Config to set the display language for the control panel if you want to change from the default setting of English. Missing Printhead Config Press the button (Config) Plug power cable into printer and outlet...
Install ink cartridges Install printhead Open Top Cover Open front of printer and release cartridge latch Press the Config button Missing Printhead CONFIGURATION 3. PRINTHEAD Insert ink cartridge and close cartridge latch Press (Select) until display reads Printhead, then press PRINTHEAD Select 2.
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Remove printhead from packaging. Insert printhead Do not touch the ink couplings, electrical contacts, or nozzles. Remove cover from ink couplings ink couplings Close printhead latch Do not discard the cover! It should be replaced if the printhead is removed from the printer. Slowly remove tape from electrical contacts electrical contacts Check that ink is flowing through the tubes...
Load sample media Tighten knob fully Open Media cover Loosen tension knob Thread media around dancer and into printer Remove Media stop Insert media until it stops. Slide label guide to edge of label. Install Media roll Wait for printer to load media. Close Media cover Push media roll against inner guide...
Print test label Sample PQ Plot 6x4 Requires inter-label gap or continuous media. Printer Online (Config) CONFIGURATION Top Section: 2. MAINTENANCE Press until display • Lines are defined with no missing nozzles reads Maintenance, • Lines are printed in order: Yellow, Black, Cyan, Black, (Select) then press Select...
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To connect printer to network Connect printer to network using Ethernet Press until display reads Default Gateway, then press Select two times. Default Gateway Enter the using the same Network Printer steps as when setting the Static IP address Network Press until display reads Wins...
Afinia Troubleshooting Printer Setup If Mech Error 2 or Mech Error 3 appears on the control panel during installation, check the following. Possible Cause Solution Service station is jammed. Ensure that the cardboard is removed from inside the printer. Service station was tilted 1.
Embedded Web Server (EWS). 1. On the Windows Start menu, select Afinia > Afinia L801 Label Printer > Toolbox. 2. Click Afinia L801 Label Printer to launch the default web browser and open the EWS for your printer.
Chapter 2 Using the Printer Choosing Label Media Printing Labels Adjusting Alignment for Printing Printing Borderless (Full-Bleed) Labels Turning Off the Printer Software Tools Embedded Web Server (EWS) EWS Security Setup Support Tools Using the Printer...
Afinia Choosing Label Media Ensure that the label media meets the requirements for the printer (Table Table 1 Media specifications Media Type and Dimensions Media type Gloss, semi-gloss, and matte. Label width 2.0” to 8.5” (50.8 mm to 215.9 mm) Label length Maximum 40”...
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L801 Label Printer Figure 2 Gap (Transmissive) Media Minimum Maximum 0.125”(3.0 mm) 0.3” (8.0 mm) 2.0” (50.8 mm) 2.0” (50.8 mm) 8.5” (216.0 mm) 2.0” (50.8 mm) 40.0” (1016.0 mm) Direction of travel through printer as seen from above Figure 3 Black Mark (Reflective) Media...
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Afinia Print Test Page The Barcodes test page is formatted for 4" x 6" labels (with inter-label gap). Larger labels may be used. On the control panel, select (Config) MAINTENANCE PRINT TEST PAGE > > > Barcodes. Sample Barcodes Test Page...
L801 Label Printer Printing Labels The printer is ready to print when the control panel displays Printer Online. 1. Select the Print command from your application. 2. Select the printer and click the Setup, Properties or similar button. The print settings displayed are the defaults that were set in the printer driver.
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Afinia Figure 4 Printing Preferences Print pages without any gap. Render entire document to disk before sending to the printer. Select this option if labels are skipped when printing large files. Color Selection Select Color to print the same colors displayed...
L801 Label Printer Selecting the Media Type Selecting the media type that matches the media you are printing on will usually give the best print results. Select this Media Type: When you are printing on: Plain Paper Plain (uncoated) paper and labels.
Afinia Adjusting Alignment for Printing Always print a few test labels to check the alignment of the image. If the image is not centered, adjust the Top of Form and/or Left Edge offsets. A positive value for Top of Form adjusts the image towards the top of the label.
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L801 Label Printer Adjust Alignment from Printer Driver The offset settings are found on the Media tab, in the Position Adjustment section. Use the controls to enter in the adjustments necessary to center the printed image on the label. Adjust Alignment from Control Panel This setting requires security Level 1 (supervisor) or higher.
Afinia Printing Borderless (Full-Bleed) Labels As the Borderless setting in the Print Drivers can change the scale of the image to print without retaining the same height-to-width proportions, it is not recommended that you use that setting. Instead, follow the procedure below.
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L801 Label Printer 6. Print a few labels to check the print position. If the image does not print to the edge or prints over the edge, adjust the Top of Form and Left Edge offsets from either the ADJUST OFFSET).
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Afinia 10.Reprint and adjust again if needed. When correctly adjusted, the image should fill the entire label with a minimum of over-printing. Adjust offsets via control panel and/or drivers It is recommended that the offsets be changed back to their original values when the borderless printing has been completed.
L801 Label Printer Turning Off the Printer Always use the Power button to turn off the printer. CAUTION: Removing power to the printer in any other manner may damage the printer. 1. Press the Power button on the control panel, then press (Select) to confirm.
The administrator can also log in to view additional information and change various settings. 1. On the Windows Start menu, select Afinia > Afinia L801 Label Printer > Toolbox. If the printer is installed on the network, enter the IP address in a web browser* on any PC on the network and skip step 2.
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L801 Label Printer Table 2 EWS pages EWS Page Description Printer Status Access to printer information, ink levels, and usage metrics. Also shows the current printer settings. Security Setup (See EWS Security Setup on page 38.) Change Password Set the passwords for accessing the following: •...
These settings can only be viewed in the EWS. Any changes to these settings must be performed on the control panel or drivers. EWS Security Setup The Afinia L801 printer has three levels of security. See Selecting the Security Level page 12 for the list of security restrictions.
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Change Passwords 1. Log in to the EWS. a On the Windows Start menu, select Afinia > Afinia L801 Label Printer > Toolbox. b Click Afinia L801 Label Printer to launch the default web browser and open the EWS for your printer.
Afinia EWS Network Setup The Network Setup page can be used to change the IP information. The same settings can also be changed from the control panel. Select either Continuous or Gap for the Media Layout. EWS Diagnostics The Diagnostics page can be used to send test prints to the printer. These are the same test prints available in the control panel.
L801 Label Printer Support Tools On the Windows Start menu, select Afinia > Afinia L801 Label Printer > Support Tools. The Support Tools consist of the following: • Get Tech Support: Opens the Afinia Label Printer Technical Support web page.
Chapter 3 Printer Maintenance Guidelines for Preventive Maintenance Replacing an Ink Cartridge Cleaning the Printhead Replacing the Printhead Opening/Closing the Clamshell Cleaning Debris from the Cutting Zone Cleaning the Sensors Cleaning the Media Guide Replacing the Aerosol Fan Filter Replacing the Waste Ink Absorber Printer Maintenance...
Afinia Guidelines for Preventive Maintenance Recommended maintenance depends on the print mode that is most frequently used. If 4. Inspect you mostly print Roll to Roll (≥80%), refer to Table 3. Otherwise, see Table means to check the condition and replace if necessary.
L801 Label Printer Replacing an Ink Cartridge 1. Open the front cover of the printer. 2. Open the latch and remove the empty ink cartridge. 3. Insert the new cartridge and close the latch. 4. Close the front cover. NOTE: Dispose of the empty ink cartridge according to local regulations.
Afinia Cleaning the Printhead The printer provides three automated cleaning cycles for the printhead: Normal, Extended, and Extreme. Always start with the Normal cleaning cycle and proceed to the next level only if print quality does not improve. 1. On the control panel, select...
L801 Label Printer Replacing the Printhead 1. Open the printer top cover. 2. On the control panel, select (Config) Printhead > > Replace. Wait for the printhead latch to be released, then open the latch fully. Do not open latch before it is released! 3.
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Afinia 4. Remove the new printhead from its packaging. Do not touch the ink couplings, ink couplings electrical contacts, or nozzles. Do not discard the cover! It should be replaced if the printhead is removed from the printer. Slowly remove tape from electrical contacts...
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L801 Label Printer 6. Close the printhead latch. Check that ink is flowing through the tubes on both sides of the printhead (circled above). 7. Close the top cover. Printer Maintenance...
Afinia Opening/Closing the Clamshell In the following procedures you may need to open the clamshell in order to access the areas inside the printer. NOTE: If you will have the clamshell open for more than 5-10 minutes, remove the printhead to ensure the printhead remains healthy.
L801 Label Printer Cleaning Debris from the Cutting Zone Clear all debris from the cutting zone to avoid contaminating the print zone, especially fine dust particles. 1. Turn off power to the printer. See Turning Off the Printer on page 35.
Afinia Cleaning the Sensors Always keep the media path clean as accumulated dust can affect printing. Open the clamshell to its highest position. 2. Turn off power to the printer. See Turning Off the Printer on page 35. 3. Vacuum any dust or debris from the sensors.
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L801 Label Printer 7. Clean any debris from the Exit Sensor, which is located near the front right side of the top of the clamshell. Exit sensor on top of clamshell 8. Close the top cover. Turn the printer back on.
Afinia Cleaning the Media Guide Excess ink on the Media Guide can affect print quality. 1. Remove the printhead. See Replacing the Printhead on page 47. Open the clamshell to its highest position. 3. Slide the white plastic Media Guide to the right. When it will not move further, gently pull down on the guide.
L801 Label Printer Replacing the Service Station NOTE: Before you begin, remove the printhead and cap it with the orange protective cover, but do not close the latch after removing the printhead. See Replacing the Printhead on page 47. Tools •...
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Afinia 7. Pull the service station forward until you can disconnect the flex cable to the wiper motor. Loosen the clip on the connector (Figure 6) to release the flex cable. clip flex cable Ensure that the flex cable does not come into contact with any metallic surface.
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L801 Label Printer 9. Carefully align the service station with the guide rails and slide it into the print engine. guide rail guide rail 10.Manually rotate the positioning gear backwards while uniformly pushing the service station to move the service station into the print engine.
Afinia Replacing the Aerosol Fan Filter As a general guideline, replace the aerosol fan filter every six months. Tools • Nitrile powder-free gloves • Flat-headed screwdriver 1. Turn off power to the printer. SeeTurning Off the Printer on page 35.
L801 Label Printer Replacing the Waste Ink Absorber Tools • Nitrile powder-free gloves 1. Open the front cover of the printer. 2. Squeeze the latches on both sides of the waste ink absorber and pull it out. 3. Remove the waste ink absorber.
Chapter 4 Troubleshooting If Error Messages Appear Poor Print Quality or Incorrect Printout Other Printing Problems Clearing a Media Jam Clearing Clogged Ink Nozzles Adjusting Sensor Sensitivity Troubleshooting...
Missing Ink Tank The ink cartridge is not installed or Remove and reseat cartridge or install an not a genuine Afinia ink cartridge. Afinia ink cartridge. If the problem persists, contact Technical Support. Missing Printhead The printhead is not installed or not Remove and reseat printhead or install an a genuine Afinia printhead.
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L801 Label Printer Error Message Possible Cause Solution No Media No media is detected. Load a new roll of labels. Wrong Media Problems with the media. Printer feeds media without printing page 66. Out of Ink An ink cartridge is out of ink.
Afinia Poor Print Quality or Incorrect Printout Problem Possible Cause Solution Long stripes of missing Ink nozzles are blocked. Clearing Clogged Ink Nozzles on page 67. print on several labels Ink is smudged on the The media is not suitable for Replace the media.
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L801 Label Printer Problem Possible Cause Solution Po s i t i o n o f p r i n t e d Top of Form position needs Adjust the Top of Form offset from the control image drifts vertically adjustment.
Afinia Other Printing Problems Problem Possible Cause Solution Printer feeds media without Media settings do not match Make sure the Media Layout setting (gap, printing and then displays t h e m e d i a l o a d e d i n t h e...
L801 Label Printer Clearing a Media Jam 1. Open the media cover. 2. Cut off the jammed media from the media roll. Open the clamshell to its highest position. 4. Remove the jammed media from inside the printer. 5. Clean any label debris from the sensors and print zone. See Cleaning the Sensors page 52.
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Afinia 2. From the control panel, run Normal printhead cleaning. (Config) > MAINTENANCE > CLEAN > Normal) • If print quality shows some improvement, repeat Normal cleaning until the print quality is satisfactory. • If print quality does not improve, continue with step 3.
L801 Label Printer Color Mixing Recovery If the colors appear muddy or dull, excess ink may be building up on the printhead. If this occurs, perform the following steps. 1. Run the Extended cleaning cycle one time, then print several labels. If the print quality shows improvement, repeat until color quality has recovered 2.
Afinia Adjusting Sensor Sensitivity Adjust the sensor sensitivity if you encounter the following problems: • The printer keeps feeding media and does not print. This may be because the printer is unable to detect the gap or black mark between labels and the sensor sensitivity needs to be increased.
Afinia System Requirements The computer used to print must meet the minimum requirements listed below. Specifications Processor Intel® Core™2 and above Operating system Supported operating systems with the latest updates: • Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit) with Service Pack 1 •...
L801 Label Printer Config Options on the Control Panel On the control panel, press (Config) to access the following menus and options. 1. Setup 5. Sensor 1. Language 1. Transmissive 2. Reset Settings 2. Reflective 3. Level 3. List Setup 4.
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Afinia Menu/Option Description Setup Language Select the display language for the printer control panel. Supported languages are: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese. Reset Restore the default factory settings. List Setup Print the key parameters of the printer in a 4” x 6” label format.
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L801 Label Printer Menu/Option Description Printhead Clean Clean the printhead. Always start with the Normal cleaning cycle and proceed to the next level only when print quality does not improve. • Normal • Extended • Extreme Replace Deprime the printhead and release the printhead latch, allowing the user to change the printhead.
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Afinia Menu/Option Description Adjust Offset (Offset range: ±0.5” or ±12.7 mm.) Top of Form Adjust the print position vertically on the label. A positive value adjusts the image toward the top of the label while a negative value moves it down.
L801 Label Printer Printer Interface (GPIO) Specifications The Printer Electrical Signal Interface and Protocol is developed to coordinate the printing of labels with an external process in a production workflow. Using this protocol, the printer (Device A) receives a print job but will not print until it receives a signal from an external device (Device B).
L801 Label Printer Regulatory Information FCC Statement NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
Afinia Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive For customers in Europe This symbol on the product or on its packaging indicates that this product should be separately disposed of, and not together with other unsorted municipal household waste. Instead, it is your responsibility to dispose of your waste equipment by handing it over to a designated collection point for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment.
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